On the tenth day of October, the Great China Empire held its annual imperial examination.
This year's candidates and wealthy families in the capital are most concerned about this day.
Candidates who want to be named on the gold list and get the top prize in the exam can at least become a fourth-grade prefect even if they waste decades in officialdom.
In the eyes of most people, the prefect is already an official with a very high status.
Only some geniuses with extremely high aspirations and profound backgrounds want to climb to the highest position below one person and above ten thousand people.
Wealthy families in the capital, especially those with young girls at home.
They all keep an eye on the Jinshi who is named on the gold list. As long as they can get the right one, their family can prosper for decades more.
Zhao Shiheng held a special material that looked like gold but not gold, and looked like jade but not jade.
This precious material called plastic has his photo, name, place of origin and other information on it.
This is the new nameplate for participating in the imperial examination. Compared with the previous metal nameplate, it has an additional photo that can verify identity information.
This material called plastic is currently only produced in limited quantities in a small number of laboratories of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
When Yuan Zhixu first got it, he publicized in the building that plastic is more precious than gold of equal weight.
Even if you don't pass the Jinshi exam, with this status plate, it's not a worthwhile trip.
Zhao Shiheng checked his identity plate, and he and Tong Yan went side by side to the Gongyuan opposite the inn to line up.
Tong Yan said with a somewhat depressed expression: "We are all from the Nanyang region, so the scientific research must be divided into different regions."
Yuan Zhixu followed the two of them. Hearing these words, he couldn't help but interject: "There were idiots who wanted to cheat on the scientific examination by taking advantage of their fellow villagers.
At that time, the Ministry of Rites still managed the imperial examinations, and this incident caused a lot of trouble.
From then on, the imperial examinations in all places were disrupted.
We also accept reports from the people, and people we know well will not line up together.
In the past, you had to bring your own pen, ink, paper and inkstone for the imperial examination. Some people brought cheat sheets with them through the pen and inkstone.
In the current imperial examination, all examination tools are distributed by Gongyuan, and candidates' paper and pen are not allowed to be brought in.
Letter paper and pen for exam questions.
Nowadays, everyone practices hard-pen calligraphy because they are afraid that the person judging the paper will not be able to see the handwriting clearly. "
In order to relieve the tension before the exam, Yuan Zhixu kept talking about the changes before the imperial examination without stopping for a moment.
Zhao Shiheng and Tong Yan participated in the imperial examination for the first time. Their understanding of the imperial examination was very limited and they listened patiently to Yuan Zhixu's nagging.
Several people quickly walked to the gate of Gongyuan.
When Yuan Zhixu saw the condition of the gate, he said in surprise: "What happened this year? Why did the gate pass so fast.
Male and female candidates were not separated. What was Gongyuan doing? "
When Zhao Shiheng saw Yuan Zhixu with a smile on his face, his expression suddenly became shocked and a bit at a loss.
He quickly clasped his fists and asked: "Brother Yuan, you know more about the scientific examination. Can you explain it in detail? Is there a big gap between now and before?"
Yuan Zhixu pinched his thigh hard, and he let out a cry of pain before he recovered.
"I'm not dreaming. Why is there such a big gap between Gongyuan and Gongyuan?
Before, when candidates entered Gongyuan, they needed to be searched naked.
In this case, the queue will become very slow.
If the overall number of candidates were not large, we would have to wait in line for a long time.
Because of the body search, male and female candidates will also be examined separately.
There should be changes to the body search system this year, otherwise it wouldn't be like this. "
Zhao Shiheng and Tong Yan both showed happy expressions.
They knew about the imperial examination before and knew that they had to be searched before entering the Gongyuan. This was one of the measures taken by the imperial court to deal with fraud in the imperial examination.
If you do not agree to this process, you will not be able to enter the Gongyuan to participate in the imperial examination.
If they can come to take part in the imperial examination, they will be mentally prepared.
But this procedure was so shameful that the court decided to cancel it, which was a very happy thing.
The queue was very fast, and they quickly arrived at the gate.
I saw several officials from the Ministry of Education, who were conducting body searches on the candidates who were about to enter the venue.
In order to avoid suspicion, officials of the same gender searched the corresponding candidates.
The search is done right in front of the gate, and candidates are not required to take off their clothes.
Soon it was Zhao Shiheng and Tong Yan's turn. The two of them quickly passed through the gate without carrying anything.
Zhao Shiheng glanced at his identity plate, bid farewell to Tong Yan, and rushed to his location.
The places prepared for candidates in Gongyuan are all small cubicles.
Zhao Shiheng quickly found his position and entered the cubicle, which was as big as one square meter and could still move his body.
He found that there were biscuits and water, clean toilets, and chairs that were half new and half old.
He sat on the chair and saw something on the table.
Two Hero pens, a bottle of ink, twenty pieces of letter paper, and a triangle ruler.
He looked up and looked directly in front of his seat. There was a projector similar to that in a movie theater.
Zhao Shiheng was wondering why this projector was placed opposite him?
A serious voice sounded from the loudspeaker in the examination room.
"I am Wang Linjiang, the examiner, and there have been some changes in the imperial examination this year.
The imperial examination will start at 9 am and last until 5 pm.
After the candidates hand in their papers, they can leave Gongyuan and enter Gongyuan tomorrow to take the next subject, which will take three days in total.
For this year’s imperial examinations, the Ministry of Education spent a lot of money to use cameras to invigilate the exams.
Every movement of the examinee will be clearly recorded by the camera and archived.
Anyone who obtains the title of Jinshi will have the video and test paper contents of his imperial examination made public for everyone to supervise. "
After Zhao Shiheng finished listening, he heard the same sound coming from the loudspeaker for a while.
This should be the voice recorded in advance by Wang Linjiang, Minister of Education.
This important person who led the reform of the imperial examination became the examiner of the imperial examination.
For the sake of his reputation, Wang Shangshu will never allow fraud in the imperial examination this year.
They even used extremely precious cameras to record the details of each candidate's scientific examination.
As many movies have been screened in rural areas, the people of the empire are no strangers to movies.
They also know about the two machines cameras and camcorders.
The camera can only retain a momentary image on the photo, but the camera can retain a long-term image on the film.
The camera can only take black and white images, which does not affect the recording of every detail of the examinee.
If you want to cheat in this imperial examination, it is basically impossible.
Zhao Shiheng finally waited until the gate of Gongyuan was closed tightly, and then a bell rang.
The examiners moved the papers themselves and walked into the room.
Zhao Shiheng saw the examiner opening the sealed test paper bag under the camera and taking out the test paper inside.
The examiner personally distributes the test papers to each candidate.
After the examiner handed out the test papers, he picked up the microphone and said: "Candidates, please check whether there are any errors in the printing of the test papers.
If a blank test paper appears, please ring the bell next to you immediately and I will replace the test paper for you.
The test paper is correct. Please write down your name, place of origin and exam number.
At the same time, check the pen, ink and paper, and ring the bell if you find any problems.
Now I announce that the imperial examination has officially begun. "
The examiner presses a switch on the wall, and the camera placed in front of the candidate starts running.
Zhao Shiheng listened to the subtle sound of the camera reel rotating.
He carefully wrote down his name, examination number and other information.
He opened the test paper. The subject this time was Classics and History.
Zhao Shiheng looked at the new test papers after the imperial examination reform.
There are many fill-in-the-blank questions. They are all given a sentence. Fill in the previous or next sentence of the classic.
There are also classic translations and historical questions and answers.
Zhao Shiheng saw that the content of the classics was very messy and did not favor any one of Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. Instead, it was inclusive and involved all of them.
What surprised him was that the historical content occupied half of the page.
There are some very difficult questions.
Evaluate the merits and demerits of Qin Shihuang, Han Wu Emperor, Tang Taizong, and Song Taizu.
Was the Northern Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties a fusion of ethnic groups or a foreign rule?
Why did the Han people in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms become two-legged sheep? No heroes were born in China? Times make heroes, or do heroes lead times?
When Zhao Shiheng saw these questions, sweat immediately broke out on his cheeks.
These questions are extremely pointed and very difficult to answer.
He thought he would be able to cope with the test easily, but when he saw the questions on the test paper, he knew that the test was extremely difficult.
Zhao Shiheng first wrote the questions he thought were easy, and then continued to write down the answers he thought were possible on the letter paper.
He thought over and over again and revised the draft several times before writing an answer that satisfied him on the test paper.
When you are hungry, you eat cookies, and when you are thirsty, you drink water from the cup next to you.
Zhao Shiheng also needs to be careful not to let the water glass contaminate the test paper.
He finished writing the test paper, checked it was correct, and handed it to the examiner.
He walked out of Gongyuan and saw that it was already half past three in the afternoon.
Zhao Shiheng did not expect that given his level, it would take him so long to answer this test paper.
When he walked out of the Gongyuan gate, he saw several reporters crouching outside the gate with cameras.
When they saw Zhao Shiheng coming out, they immediately gathered around him with pens and paper.
"May I ask this candidate, how do you feel about being the first to finish answering the paper?"
"I would like to ask this candidate, do you think this is a difficult question in the imperial examination?"
Zhao Shiheng did not expect that he would be the first to come out of Gongyuan.
He looked at the reporters and said in a calm tone: "The questions this time are very difficult. You can't answer them by studying hard. You need to have a very deep historical foundation."
When reporters heard what Zhao Shiheng said, they thought he was too crazy.
This is big news. They all used their cameras to take photos of Zhao Shiheng. Tomorrow's headlines will be there.
Zhao Shiheng returned to Qingyun Inn. He waited for a long time before Tong Yan and other candidates returned to the inn.
When they entered the inn, they complained that the questions in this imperial examination were too difficult.
Many of the questions they had never seen before, and they were completely unprepared.
Yuan Zhixu complained: "In the previous imperial examinations, some classics and meanings were tested, and some small words and big meanings were discussed, and the scores were not too low.
This time we have to take a history test, and some very unsophisticated history tests. This is simply killing us. "
Tong Yan was very optimistic. She advised: "I found that most of the candidates don't look good.
This was an imperial examination, and most people failed.
No matter how difficult the questions are and everyone fails, it doesn't matter much. "
Zhao Shiheng saw that Tong Yan was very optimistic, and she had indeed benefited from the difficulty of this question.
Tong Yan's true strength is only above average, and she is still far from being talented and intelligent.
The questions this time were extremely difficult. For someone with a little bit of ability, he could only answer a few more questions correctly, but he couldn't make a big difference.
After the question appeared this time, Tong Yan's probability of getting admitted to Jinshi greatly increased.
There is no need for Zhao Shiheng to pour cold water on her. Tong Yan is in a good state of mind now.
He saw that everyone had vented their anger.
"Everyone has been tired for a day. We have to take a math test tomorrow. Take a rest in time after eating and forget about today's unpleasantness."
When Yuan Zhixu heard the word mathematics, he slammed the table hard and said angrily: "Why is mathematics tested in the imperial examination? Mathematics is not needed to be an official.
Mathematics is a very real subject. If you don’t know it, you just don’t know it. You can’t learn it no matter how hard you learn it. "
When Zhao Shiheng saw the irritable Yuan Zhixu, he didn't expect him to be so resentful of mathematics.
He said patiently: "Mathematics plays a great role in cultivating our logical thinking.
If we learn basic mathematical knowledge, when we become officials, we will not be fooled by data fabricated by our subordinates. "
Tong Yan's clear voice sounded: "Brother Zhao missed the most crucial point.
His Majesty the Emperor likes officials who are good at mathematics and can list clear data and charts in memorials, which will gain His Majesty's favor.
What is good at the top will be bad at the bottom.
Whether at the center or at a local level, knowing mathematics is an essential skill for settling down.
People who are not good at mathematics have much narrower promotion paths than those who are good at mathematics. "
It's not that Yuan Zhixu didn't know these situations, or else he wouldn't be so angry if he wasn't good at math.
Only the truth hurts the most.
He leaned back in his chair and muttered: "I have already failed the Classics and History test, and I don't think my score is high.
I hope the math will be simpler this time and I can still do some simple math problems.
There are no problems with the four arithmetic operations and geometric calculations.
Don't ask function questions, you won't understand them at all. "
Zhao Shiheng consoled him: "Brother Yuan, you should expect the difficulty of mathematics to increase sharply this time.
The math questions are simple, and there will be a huge gap between you and other candidates.
Mathematics problems are extremely difficult, and only a small number of geniuses can solve them, while the rest can only solve simple problems.
Even if one or two subjects are missed, the overall score difference is not big and can be made up from other subjects. "
When Yuan Zhixu heard what Zhao Shiheng said, he immediately stood up and bowed to express his thanks.
"Brother Zhao is right. I hope the difficulty of mathematics will be higher this time to bring everyone to the same level."
Resting in an inn is much better than resting in a small room in Gongyuan.
After passing one subject, you can be sent to the Gongyuan Academy. This is really the virtue of the imperial court.
Zhao Shiheng was sitting in his seat, and he had become accustomed to the camera in front of him.
When he looked at the math problem, his eyes immediately shone.
The subject in which he achieved the best results was mathematics. Fortunately, the imperial court chose mathematics as a subject for the scientific examination.
If he chooses a discipline like law that relies heavily on experience, Zhao Shiheng's advantage will be gone.
Zhao Shiheng briefly looked at the difficulty of math questions.
After reading it, he took a deep breath.
Many of the questions are not the content of normal questions, but problems encountered in reality.
It's just a matter of converting this kind of problem into a mathematical form.
There are several math problems in it, all of which are about calculating the impact point of cannonballs under different circumstances.
The math questions this time were extremely difficult. The final big question was to find the volume of a sphere.
In today's mathematical world, there is a formula for the area of a sphere, and the constant pi has been calculated to more than a hundred digits.
There is no formula for the volume of a sphere, so there is no way to start with this problem.
Zhao Shiheng finished writing the questions he knew first. He looked at the last big question in a daze and was completely stumped.
The questions in this imperial examination were really difficult. (End of chapter)
