When Zhuge Liang woke up the next morning, he felt extremely heavy and uncomfortable.
It would be better to say that he felt very uncomfortable when he had a dream last night. He had a very heavy dream. He dreamed that he was pressed by something strange and couldn't move his body. He couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried.
When he woke up, he turned around and found that one of his arms was being held by Sima Yi as a pillow, and one of his legs was being held by Pang Tong as a pillow. The weight of the two big men was pressing on him. No wonder he had made such a heavy one. dream.
What a sin.
Zhuge Liang sighed slightly, raised his body slightly and looked around. He found that the dormitory was in a mess, the five beds were crowded with people, and there were snoring drunks everywhere.
They are clearly a bunch of scoundrels and drunkards!
He finally broke free from the restraints of Sima Yi and Pang Tong, shook his arms that were numb with soreness, stamped his thighs that were even more sore, and gritted his teeth for a while before he could stand up and walk.
He carefully walked around the drunkards and walked to the door of the dormitory. He stretched his sore body and prepared to find a place to drink water. In the blink of an eye, Zhuge Liang saw Zhang Yue and Xu You standing there with their bags ready to leave. At the top of the stairs in the distance, Sun Zhong was talking to the two of them.
Zhuge Liang walked over quickly.
"Zixun, Ziyi, you..."
The three people who were talking at the stairs turned around when they heard Zhuge Liang's voice.
"Kong Ming, I..."
Xu You looked at Zhuge Liang and said with a wry smile: "I wanted to leave early, but you got up really early."
"Yeah, I didn't want our leader to see us like this."
Zhang Yue smiled helplessly and said: "I didn't have time to congratulate you last night, but today, I congratulate you. If there is fate, we will meet again."
Zhuge Liang then remembered that he had not seen the three people in front of him all night yesterday. The dormitory was full of people, and there were many drunkards. He did not care about the other three classmates except Zhuge Jun who had been with him for several months. , roommate, which made him feel a little guilty.
"There were too many people yesterday, I..."
"Kong Ming, it's okay."
Xu You stepped forward and held Zhuge Liang's hand, and said with a smile: "Your talent is beyond our ability. It is expected that you did not pass the exam... Although it is indeed a bit sad, after all, three thousand people were selected. And we didn’t get picked, so it’s kind of… kind of…”
Xu Youyou's eyes turned red as he spoke, and he quickly turned his back to avoid crying in front of Zhuge Liang.
Zhang Yue was more cheerful and patted Xu You on the shoulder.
"This is something that is expected. Being selected in Xuzhou does not mean that you can be selected in Luoyang. If you are not as skilled as others, you are not as skilled as others. Why are you acting like a child?"
After comforting Xu You, Zhang Yue also held Zhuge Liang's hand.
"The imperial examination is held once every three years. We are still young and have many opportunities. If it doesn't work once, then wait for the next time. Next time, we will definitely be able to do it. We will prepare for the imperial examination for another three years and prepare for the imperial examination. By then, maybe we can too. Get full marks!”
Zhuge Liang pursed his lips and showed a smile.
"I remember the emperor once wrote a poem. There will be times when the wind and waves break. I will hang my sails directly across the sea to help Zixun and Ziyi. A defeat is not terrible. Losing courage is the real defeat. I believe you will not be easy. Those who admit defeat, so see you again in Luoyang three years later!"
"See you again, Luoyang!"
Zhang Yue and Xu You nodded to Zhuge Liang, said goodbye to Sun Zhong, then resolutely turned around and left, never looking back at their two fellow students.
It was only then that Zhuge Liang discovered that many people in the entire candidate dormitory had packed their bags and walked towards the gate.
Some of them looked depressed, some looked calm, and some looked unwilling. When they left the candidates' dormitory, they looked back for a long time before leaving reluctantly.
These people should be all failed students who did not pass the exam.
There were more than 7,000 students who failed in the first imperial examination. They passed the state examination and came to Luoyang with high spirits to participate in further examinations. Everyone had ambitions in their hearts and wanted to surpass their origins. , relying on one's own skills to gain a future.
But it is a pity that only a few can win a future in this exam.
Most people still have to accept the outcome of failure, accept the fact that their skills are inferior to others, and sadly leave this candidate dormitory, which symbolizes honor and status.
"Although there are a lot of people admitted this time, there are still more than 7,000 people who want to leave. Our dormitory is pretty good, with three out of five people staying. In many dormitories, everyone has left, or only one person remains. , so I feel really lucky.”
Sun Zhong looked at the backs of Zhang Yue and Xu You who were leaving, as if he was speaking to Zhuge Liang, but also to himself.
But Zhuge Liang doesn't think so.
"Zian, why do you have to be so modest? This is a fair exam. Everyone is using their own skills to gain a future. There is no background, no family, no elders, only scores. You really beat me in scores. There were many people, so they stayed.
Moreover, both of them have better backgrounds than you, and have been exposed to knowledge earlier. While you are still learning to read one by one, they can already read. When they are having fun in the state school, you still have to go back. You went to the house to help with the birth, but despite this, you stayed. "
Sun Zhong turned to look at Zhuge Liang but said nothing.
Shaoqing, Sun Zhong sniffed.
"Thank you, Kong Ming."
"It doesn't matter."
Zhuge Liang sighed slowly as he looked at the gradually blurring backs of Zhang Yue and Xu You, as well as more and more failed candidates carrying their luggage and leaving the entrance of the candidates' dormitory.
No matter how pleasant the process is, it is still a cruel competition, a microcosm of this society and this world of great competition.
But as the winner, Zhuge Liang's heart was full of pity.
In the afternoon of this day, most of the hungover candidates woke up. After lunch, people from the imperial court informed the three thousand students who had passed the examination about the upcoming arrangements.
They were given three days of rest and free activities. After three days, they will be arranged to take the formal Jun exam, which is the final round of the Han imperial examination - the Jun exam.
There is only one exam, which lasts for two hours. It does not require three days and three nights of fierce fighting. However, His Majesty the Emperor will watch the entire exam. It is said that His Majesty the Emperor also personally participated in the proposition of some questions, so this exam is It is of great significance.
The court officials once again emphasized that in principle, candidates will not be dismissed from the Jun Kao, but candidates should not be too happy because if they do something too outrageous in the Jun Kao, they are still likely to be dismissed.
For example, cheating, answering questions that are too outrageous, disobeying the emperor, disrespecting the emperor, etc., then you should be careful.
Don't be too happy too early. Don't consider yourself a court official. Until the moment you get the official certificate, you will always be candidates, not officials.
After the news was announced, the remaining candidates had no time to express sadness or emotion, and all excitedly discussed the upcoming exam.
"Do you really want to take the exam in front of the emperor?"
"I thought it was just for fun, but I didn't expect that the emperor would actually invigilate the exam!"
"He's the emperor, he has so many things to do every day, and he actually supervises our exams?"
"If you are noticed and appreciated by the emperor, will you rise to heaven in one step?"
"Don't think about it. It's impossible to reach the sky in one step. Slowly become your ninth-grade official and endure it slowly!"
"There are always exceptions to everything, right? Today, when Zixiong is so talented and sweeping across all directions, he will always do something unexpected, right?"
"What's the use of flattering you here? The emperor can't hear you."
…
…
…
The candidates chatted about the Jun's exam in a few words. Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Jun and Sun Zhong returned to their dormitories and silently prepared for the next Jun's exam.
Although Zhuge Liang is not worried about not being able to find a standard answer as long as there is a standard answer, will the question that the emperor personally proposed be similar to the previous proposition composition and more subjective?
"Jun, Zian, we may have to be more careful this time around for the Jun exam. The exam that the emperor will personally invigilate may not just be questions with standard answers."
Zhuge Liang returned to the dormitory, closed the door, and carefully explained his thoughts to Zhuge Jun and Sun Zhong.
"The previous essay asked us to discuss the national policy of the Han Dynasty set by the emperor. There is no such content in the state examination. If one item appears in the optional examination, then there will most likely be several items in the Jun examination."
Zhuge Jun and Sun Zhong looked at Zhuge Liang in surprise, and then their expressions became serious.
"Brother Zhong, is this really true? I don't have much confidence in that essay. If these are all similar questions, I won't be able to rank in this exam..."
Sun Zhong also frowned.
"I really don't know much about the current affairs of the court. If there are too many such questions, it will be very disadvantageous for me. If it is just about answering questions, I still have some confidence."
Zhuge Liang nodded, knowing Sun Zhong's origin restrictions very well.
Sun Zhong, who had finally reached this point, is just a question maker from a small town. Question making is what he is good at. Questions and answers with standard answers don't worry him at all. However, because of his horizons, the discussion of current affairs with divergent thinking is really not what he wants. What he's good at.
He is stupid and has a low self-esteem. He has never participated in the debate activities in the state school and is just an unknown spectator.
"In that case, let's take advantage of these few days to tell you what I think we might get on the test, how about that?"
"Very good!"
Zhuge Jun was overjoyed and said: "If this is the case, what else do I have to worry about?"
Sun Zhong smiled sheepishly.
"Is it really okay? Kong Ming, won't I delay your business?"
"What's more important than Jun's exam?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "I'm also preparing for my own exam by giving you advice, so it doesn't matter."
Sun Zhong and Zhuge were both overjoyed, so they quickly took out pen and paper and prepared to take notes.
Zhuge Liang analyzed the information he got from the exam questions and thought that the policy questions that might appear in the Jun exam this time were explained to the two of them.
Zhuge Liang believed that the focus of the Jun test this time might be some discussions on the direction of the Han Dynasty's foreign expansion policy.
"Because the Emperor attaches great importance to foreign development, since the Emperor of Jian'an before he ascended the throne, he has vigorously promoted foreign expansion, opened up territories, or developed some barbaric lands, such as Jiaozhou, Liaozhou, and the previous Western Regions, etc. .
It is certainly a good thing to expand territory and expand territory, but it will also bring a lot of consumption, so there will always be people who oppose the emperor's strategy of expanding territory and territory. The emperor needs people to support him, so he may focus on promotion during the imperial examination. Those who support the policy of opening up new territories. "
Hearing what Zhuge Liang said, Zhuge Jun felt a little strange.
"Can't everyone think of such a thing?"
"I think of it, but I don't know whether I support it or not."
Zhuge Liang said slowly: "I am just a guess. I am not close to the emperor. I can't hear the emperor's voice. I don't know what the emperor is thinking now. For a long time since the Western Regions were opened, the emperor has not If we take further action, maybe the emperor will feel that enough is enough is the right thing to do.”
"this……"
Zhuge Jun and Sun Zhong looked at each other and felt confused.
"Then, is it better to support or not to support?"
(End of chapter)
