Time passed day by day, and the exam time for the county examination was finally announced, scheduled for the eighth and tenth days of February.
The county examination is the first major event in the children's examination, and it is also the starting point for scholars to officially embark on the road to the imperial examination.
During the period before the exam, all candidates in the county must first register at the county office's gift room and then obtain a floating ticket. Only then are they qualified to take the exam.
When registering, you must also fill in your resume, including your name, place of origin, physical appearance, etc. If you are a fat person, you cannot write that you are tall; if you are a lame person, you must indicate that you are hobbling.
In addition, the three generations of ancestors must also indicate their death status and whether they have any illegal records. If you are a prostitute, you are not eligible to participate in the imperial examination.
This is why Uncle Zhou spent money to rehabilitate Qi Yu's father. If the case is not cleared, future generations will be affected.
Conventionally, the name of the examiner is the county magistrate, but the specific work is completed by his instructors from the Confucian Studies Department and the exam supervisors.
This is also the difference between leaders and subordinates. One conveys spirit while the other does practical things.
Judging from the information released this year, the county examination for this subject is the same as the previous subject. It is divided into two sessions, namely the first main examination and the second supplementary examination.
If you pass both, you can take part in the subsequent imperial examination organized by Fucheng. If you pass again, you will obtain the lowest status of a child student and become a true Confucian scholar.
If one were to take the exam from Tongsheng, it would be the scholarly title that many people dream of.
Tall buildings rise from the ground, and glory can only depend on oneself.
The county examination is the most basic cornerstone.
Before the exam, Mr. Zhou was even more nervous than his son. From time to time, he would offer incense and kowtow to his ancestors, praying for Mengyin’s blessing.
I still didn't want to kill the big rooster I bought last time, but before the exam started, Liu Quan asked Liu Quan to cook quickly and make a 'first-class champion chicken', so that his son would be full and his brain would become better. Be smart.
That chicken didn't understand until it died that it had anything to do with whether people were smart or not.
It was still very cold, so Liu Quan dug out a lot of single clothes and asked Qi Yu to wear three layers inside and three outside.
Candidates are not allowed to wear laminated clothes in the county examination, so cotton-padded clothes cannot be worn, otherwise they will be punished as cheating.
On the day of the exam, it was just after the third watch, and Qi Yu climbed out of bed. He couldn't sleep anyway, so he might as well refresh himself as soon as possible.
I washed my face with cold water first, and then checked the test basket I had packed last night. After making sure everything was in place, I could eat breakfast with peace of mind.
However, Liu Quan got up earlier than him and cooked a bowl of hot egg noodles.
Noodles symbolize neatness and smoothness.
This reminded Qi Yu of the breakfast he had during the college entrance examination in his previous life, which consisted of a fried dough stick and two eggs.
After eating the noodles, Qi Yu waved goodbye to his wife with a forced smile, and rushed towards the county seat full of excitement.
Unfortunately, the weather was not kind, and it started to rain lightly on the way. Fortunately, the lady had prepared an oil-paper umbrella in advance, otherwise she would have become a drowned rat.
As we approached the county seat, there were more and more candidates bustling on the road. They all had solemn expressions and seemed to be talking and laughing informally.
Seeing this, Qi Yu finally felt balanced. Haha, it turns out that you are also nervous!
When I walked outside the examination room, I met a few acquaintances.
My cousin Zhou Chunsheng also came to take the exam. He was accompanied by his second aunt Cao. The second uncle is the pian in the ceremonial room and is currently on duty. Naturally, he has no time and inconvenience to take care of his son.
Qi Yu walked over to take care of him, and smiled at his cousin: "I heard from my second uncle that you have worked very hard in the past two years, and I think you are almost ready. As long as you relax your mind, you can basically get through it."
When he said this, Qi Yu couldn't help but blush. The original owner made this mistake and suffered repeated setbacks. How could he be embarrassed to criticize others?
"Don't worry, cousin, I'm not nervous at all." Zhou Chunsheng patted his chest to cheer himself up.
Although he said this, his legs kept shaking.
Ms. Cao patted her son's head happily and encouraged Qi Yu: "Nephew, don't be afraid of the stage. I heard that even the magistrate praised you as a rising star. You can definitely pass this subject."
"Accepting my aunt's good advice, I will definitely adjust myself."
As he was talking, his teeth suddenly hurt. Qi Yu turned around and found someone staring at him.
It was none other than the graceful Yin Jun.
Surprisingly, there was his brother-in-law Liu Jincheng standing behind Yin Jun. Judging from the relationship between the two of them, it seemed that they were pretty good.
How did they get together?
"A person who has been unsuccessful in the competition has the nerve to be called a rising star." Liu Jincheng glanced sideways at Qi Yu and said insinuatingly.
Huh? How come your brother-in-law is here?
Qi Yu said calmly: "Who can say accurately about the exam? Failure is just to accumulate experience. When the time comes, it will come naturally."
"Let's talk about it later. It's still too early to say anything." Yin Jun interjected, and then continued: "We agreed to meet in the examination hall before, and we will see who is higher and lower later!"
Due to time constraints, after saying these words, the two of them left directly.
Hum, let’s compare...
Qi Yu looked at their background and said to himself.
Boom!
A gong sounded and it was time to enter.
All the candidates were shocked and their eyes became bright.
The government officials maintained order and directed the candidates to line up, shouting not to make noise and not to jump in line.
Before entering the examination room, there are several procedures that must be followed.
The first step is to check the floating ticket, which is to verify the identity. In this link, if any candidate is found to be inconsistent with the application information, he will be directly disqualified from taking the exam. The purpose of this is mainly to prevent substitute exams and substitute exams. The information on the ceremony room is very complete, and it will not work if you try to trick it in this aspect.
The second step is the search, which is a body search. Taking off clothes is unavoidable. In addition to checking the clothes, shoes and socks on the body, even the bun must be pulled apart to prevent cheating. The test basket you bring must also be inspected. If you bring steamed buns for lunch, you must break them open to see if there are any holes in the stuffing. If it is a hard-boiled egg, peel it to see if there is anything hidden.
Qi Yu brought dry pancakes, and the Yamen servant took one look at them and put them in.
The third step is called guarantee closing and singing guarantee. The first is etiquette. Candidates must stand on the side of the examiner and bow to show respect. Then there is the chanting. According to regulations, candidates must guarantee each other, and a local student is also required as a guarantor. If any one of the bondholders cheats, everyone will be implicated.
Lin Sheng is one of the top ten talents in the past, and he is also a talent who enjoys special national allowances. One local student can sponsor five candidates, and the fee is one tael of silver per person. This link was arranged by Qi Yu, the uncle on Tuesday.
The chanting began.
"Cui Yicai, who was born in Lanshan County, has the reputation of... five people," the yamen servant sang loudly.
"I, Cui Yicai, protect the reputation of Qi... among the five of them, if there is any cheating person among them, I am willing to cancel the qualification of Linsheng..."
"I, Qi Yu..."
At this time, if the student finds out that there is something wrong with the person he is protecting, as long as he raises a little question, the examinee will be escorted out by the yamen.
After the chanting is over, you can enter the examination room.
The examination room is commonly known as the examination shed.
Regardless of the size of the examination shed, it faces south from the north. There are east and west gates at the southernmost point, surrounded by wooden fences as boundaries. To the north of the courtyard is the main entrance, which is commonly known as the Dragon Gate, which means that candidates who pass the test can leap forward and rise to the top.
Each room in the examination room faces the same direction and is separated by barriers. This design can effectively prevent candidates from communicating with each other and cheating.
This reminded Qi Yu of the mock exams of later generations. Whenever multiple-choice questions were given, students could communicate with each other using secret codes such as touching noses and mouths.
The ancients were much smarter than imagined and were extremely well prepared in all aspects. How do you cheat?
As the examiner, Mr. Yu, the county magistrate, naturally had to step forward and say a few words, which were nothing more than words of encouragement not to cheat, while the students had to listen.
Although I know Mr. Yu, I still have to pretend that I don't know him at this time, including my second uncle who is on duty. To build a relationship at this juncture is tantamount to actively seeking death.
The rain is still falling in the sky, and the cold wind is blowing.
With good luck, Qi Yu breathed a sigh of relief when he found a rainproof examination booth.
During the exam, as long as a drop of rain falls on the exam paper, it will be judged as a dirty paper. Although this will not kill the student with a stick and deny the score, it will be severely compromised.
Haha, I wonder which unlucky person will be assigned a leaky exam booth.
The first round, the test begins!
When marking papers, review the questions first!
Judging from the questions, they are not too difficult. Most of them are sutra questions, which are equivalent to fill-in-the-blank questions in later generations. Candidates only need to complete the blank paragraphs on the paper.
The test questions all come from the Four Books and Five Classics, and there is no miscellaneous knowledge. As long as you memorize them thoroughly, you will basically not suffer. Of course, it would be another matter if the performance was abnormal, such as the original owner.
Therefore, mentality is very important!
In addition to psychological quality, you should not be careless. If a word is written incorrectly or erased, it is also considered a dirty paper. Unless your papers are really outstanding, you will have to wait for the next subject.
Without a strong heart, the road to imperial examination will not go far.
However, this is still bearable for Qi Yu, who has experienced the brutal college entrance examination, and he also has psychological coping experience.
In addition to the scripture questions, Mo Yi was also tested.
Fortunately, the "Small Notes" left by Master Yan actually covers half of them. This ratio is already very high.
The exam was very taxing, and before noon, Qi Yu was so hungry that his stomach growled.
Write when you are full. If you are dazzled by hypoglycemia and read the wrong question, it will be all over.
Boiled water is provided free of charge in the examination room, but I don’t know whether it is open or not.
On a very cold day, all the candidates were feeling chilly even though they were wearing only single clothes. After having such a bowl of hot water, they finally felt a little warm.
When you are full, you have to continue.
The final test was a test poem, a poem...
This is a bit difficult.
An old Ming Jing once evaluated the original owner, saying that his poetic craftsmanship was acceptable, his spirituality was average, and his talent was indeed not high. In addition, I was a science man in my previous life, so I feel intimidated by writing such ancient poems.
Plagiarizing the poems of ancient saints?
That is tantamount to seeking death. In this parallel world, the three hundred songs of so-and-so are no longer useful.
Fortunately, the county examination does not have high requirements for literary talent. As long as the rhythm of the poem is correct and the rhythm is not chaotic, it will be considered a pass. "Small Notes" also has some guidance on writing poems, that is, don't get the central idea wrong - you must praise virtues.
After studying for a long time, Qi Yu racked his brains and finally pieced together a collection of flattering poems.
Can you actually compose poetry? …
Then I checked it again to make sure there were no errors or omissions, then rang the bell and handed in the paper.
Two yamen officers heard the noise and came over. One of them confirmed the candidate's identity, while the other was responsible for sealing the papers and anonymizing them. Then they each signed their names for future verification.
The sealing fee cost three hundred coins per game, and Qi Yu felt very distressed.
