The tables and chairs for the imperial examination were a little uncomfortable to sit on, because the examination table at that time was made of Tang Dynasty style. The table was a small table with a height of two feet, and the people sitting on it were square stools. After sitting down, you had to bend your legs to sit down. , I can write just by lowering my head and holding the document, which is very uncomfortable.
Then each small table has the name of the candidate posted on it, and there are pens, inks, paper and inkstones given by the emperor, all of which are fine tributes. After the candidates finish the exam, these things can be taken away by themselves. They can be regarded as rewards from the officials and as a souvenir of their respective lives. In addition, there is a knife used to correct typos, because the test paper is made of special rice paper folded in white, which is much thicker than ordinary rice paper. If you write a typo, you can use a knife to scrape it off before writing, otherwise it will be a "dirty paper." , to be admitted downgraded.
After everyone was seated, an official from the Ministry of Rites announced the start of the palace examination. Then I saw eunuchs coming out holding a sign with the test questions posted on it. The eunuchs were divided into several groups and walked up to three times from front to back holding the sign so that everyone could see it clearly before leaving.
There are three questions in this palace examination, one poem, one fu and one policy theory, with "Luandao Poem", "Minjian Fu" and "Chongxun Deuteronomy" as the topics. Li Hao was very confident after seeing this question, because this was the question for the palace examination in history and it had not changed. You must know that this imperial examination has left a strong mark on history, so many articles that have been passed down to later generations have been carefully studied. Now that I am taking these exams, I have a huge advantage.
Because the palace examination lasted a whole day, even if lunch time was deducted, there was plenty of time, and Li Hao was not in a hurry to start answering the questions. I first calmed down my mind, started writing and filled in the personal resume information such as name, age, appearance, place of origin, etc. as required, then closed my eyes and rested my mind, and finalized the rough outline of the draft.
In fact, there are no detailed records of "Luandao Poetry" in later generations, but poetry does not account for a high proportion in the palace examination. As long as it does not go off topic and does not violate taboos, it will be a bonus if it can meet the emperor's wishes. .
As for "Ode to the People's Supervisors", its original intention is to promote people-centered thinking: Those who win the hearts of the people win the world! You can refer to Zhang Heng's work for this. You must know that in history, Zhao Zhen read Zhang Heng's Fu and commented: "Although this Fu is not relevant to the topic, it is of great scale and should be ranked number one." With this clear guidance, Combined with what I have learned and the references of later generations, I can naturally write this poem well. Just be careful not to be as stubborn as Lin Xi. At the beginning, he said "Heaven's Prison is not far away, and the people's hearts can be known." He insisted on giving a warning to the emperor. As a result, Zhao Zhen was very unhappy, and let a "different person try first" failed. Go to Sijia.
As for the final argument, the full text of Su Shi's "On Deuteronomy of the Royal Examination Chongxun" has been preserved, and it has been highly praised by later generations, and can also be used as a reference to answer the question.
Li Hao thought to himself that he had won all the questions in advance and had reference answers. It would be unreasonable for him not to get a good ranking.
By the time Li Hao had figured out how to answer, the candidates around him had basically been writing for a while.
Li Hao finished drafting and picked up the pen again, and started answering the questions according to the outline he had drawn up in his mind. The writing was done in one go, coherent and orderly, and he felt as if the pen was falling and the poem was weeping.
Just when Li Hao was concentrating on writing, he didn't notice that Zhao Zhen, who was sitting at the top, walked up to him. Zhao Zhen looked at the essay that Li Hao was finishing and the poem he was writing. He felt that what he had written was very much in line with his wishes, and he became happier as he read it.
After staying for a while, he continued to walk to other candidates. After walking around for a while, Zhao Zhen left with his personal eunuch first. Then, in addition to the officials and eunuchs from the Liyuan who were in charge of invigilating the examination, other officials also followed.
In the examination room, after writing for a long time, Li Hao felt that his wrists were sore from writing, so he stopped writing and took a rest. At this time, it was almost noon, and an official from the Liyuan informed the candidates that the lunch for the imperial examination was about to be delivered. They asked the candidates to put away their papers and make sure they were not dirty, so as not to affect their scores.
Li Hao didn't pay attention to the others, but when he heard that the imperial meal was about to be delivered at noon, he immediately became energetic. He thought that the emperor's banquet had not yet been eaten, and the food produced by the imperial chef must be high-quality, so he quickly put away the papers.
After waiting for a while, I saw many palace people coming over with food, one for each person. The waiters put the food on Li Hao's table, including meat and vegetables, staple food and wine, but the quantity was not large. Li Hao tasted it with anticipation and found that the taste was not as good as he imagined. In comparison, it was not as amazing as Fan Lou's food. But after all, it is imperial cuisine, and it still feels different when eating it. Li Hao didn't dare to eat too much at noon. He stopped after eating until he was eighty full, otherwise it would be worse to answer the next question.
After everyone had basically finished eating, someone from the palace came out to collect the food together. Everyone began to answer questions in the afternoon. When it was almost Yin hour, some candidates had already answered the questions and handed in their papers to the examiner for sealing. About two quarters after Yin hour, Li Hao also wrote everything and submitted it to the examiner after checking it twice. The examiner is here.
After handing in the answer sheets, the scholar sat down quietly and waited for the candidates to finish answering. The examiner could leave after collecting all the answer sheets.
But at this moment, Zhao Zhen suddenly returned to Chongzheng Hall, with a group of officials behind him. At this time, the candidates below had no reaction, but the officials of the Ministry of Etiquette looked very strange, because in the past, the emperor did not go and come back for the palace examination, and would only wait for the next day to see the candidates' answer sheets. And this time not only did he come back, but there were also a number of officials from the Admonition Academy and the Academic Academy following him.
After Zhao Zhen arrived, he first read through the collected answer sheets one by one. After briefly reading them, he handed them over to the officials behind him for reading. Then he ordered the officials of the Liyuan to send all the collected answer sheets to him for review before sealing them.
This move made all the officials present puzzled, but they only thought that the uproar in this imperial examination was the reason why Zhao Zhen paid so much attention, and they did not think that it might have other purposes.
But when all the test papers were completed and the Liyuan officials were about to ask Zhao Zhen for instructions to allow the candidates to leave the palace, they were stopped by Zhao Zhen. He said: "Let all the candidates wait for a while, and then leave the palace after reading all the answer sheets."
As soon as these words came out, the officials present were completely confused. They didn't know what Zhao Zhen wanted to do specifically, but they could also guess that something big would happen later.
After the same matter was conveyed to the candidates present, it also caused a commotion among the candidates, because this matter had never happened before. Suddenly, the whispers of the candidates could be heard below, and Li Hao was also asking Zeng Gong, Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?
"Quiet, don't make any noise, everyone should sit down." Hearing the noise below, an official from the Liyuan came out to scold everyone. After being scolded, the candidates sat upright again. Although they were doubtful, they did not dare to make any more noise. All was quiet.
After waiting for a long time, the sky gradually darkened, and the palace people started to light the lamps. The temperature in March was not high, and the candidates below did not expect to stay in the palace so late. Some candidates were already shivering from the cold.
At this time, Zhao Zhen finally took a rough look at all the examination papers, and then led all the officials to come to the candidates and said: "This time Bachelor Ouyang presided over the examination to select candidates for the country, which is very controversial. I originally had some doubts. But today I have read your articles and found that you all have real talents and knowledge, and there are many outstanding people. Therefore, I have decided that there will be no demotion in today’s palace examination, and the ranking will only be based on the quality of your articles."
After saying this, the whole place was silent. Of course, the candidates were so surprised that they were so happy that they were speechless for a moment. Because if it is confirmed that the candidates will not be deposed, it means that from now on, all of them will be able to pass the Jinshi examination and enter the officialdom.
As for the officials present, they all had their own thoughts. However, no matter what everyone thinks, one thing is certain, that is, the change of the imperial examination presided over by Ouyang Xiu has been finalized by the emperor, and he has chosen to firmly support Ouyang Xiu.
