"Open the dragon gate! Open the dragon gate~!"

After a period of solemn shouting, the gate of Gongyuan opened.

This holy place that all the scholars in the Jing Kingdom longed for finally opened its arms to the students who had been waiting in the cold window for a long time.

People from all over the country in Dajing's Thirteen Prefectures filed in cheering and jumping, their backpacks heavy with hope.

Many young and immature faces appeared in front of this dragon gate for the first time, with sparkling eyes and unconcealable excitement on their faces. They were chattering in groups, like little sparrows that had just learned to fly.

Made a nest.

They all swarmed into the waiting area inside the dragon gate, earning a cold and majestic look from the inspection officials.

"Everyone, line up! Wait for a body search! No one is allowed to enter the room without a body search!"

An official stepped forward to maintain order and scolded him sternly.

But there was an old man in a green shirt with gray beard and hair, standing outside the dragon gate, raising his neck and looking at the huge shining golden plaque of the Gongyuan, and for a long time he was unwilling to raise his feet to enter.

Tears were already welling up in his eyes, and the expression on his face was filled with excitement and a hint of piety like a religious pilgrimage, which made people particularly moved.

"Everyone in the world knows that Gongyuan is a holy and holy hall, but how many people do dirty and dirty things in this holy and holy hall that they have admired since childhood!"

The old man turned around following the sound and saw a young man in black.

His handsome brows were full of ridicule as he looked at the noisy crowd inside the door. A small fan as thin as a feather was folded in his hand, and he was gently and leisurely blowing it towards his face.

In the eyes that looked at everyone, a hint of disdain flowed away, but what was left behind was perseverance and determination.

The old man saw that the young man in black looked very handsome, and could be said to be extremely delicate, but the cold light and warm blood in his eyes flashed alternately.

The passion lies in the fact that he is like an iron-clad and proud man, with great ambitions, awe-inspiring righteousness, and an awe-inspiring righteousness!

The chill was because as an old man who had met countless people, he saw in this man a sense of unreachable ambition.

Moreover, although his words were sarcastic, there was a trace of coldness, as if he wanted to stir up the world and destroy the world, as if he was looking forward to death.

Come on, it looks like it’s not easy!

The old man turned around, bowed lightly to the young man in black, and walked away quietly.

Although he was also very curious in his heart, he didn't know who this young master was or what kind of immortal he was.

However, as a man who had just emerged from his childhood status at the age of fifty-five and finally passed the examination and had the opportunity to come to Beijing to attend the Spring Festival today, he had to put everything behind him.

"You two! Are you today's test taker?"

A clerk waved his hand, shouted at the two of them outside the dragon gate, and asked.

The proud man in black finally retracted his chin slightly, nodded slightly, and walked into the dragon gate with his head held high.

"And you! Why are you still standing outside the door? Why don't you come in quickly? When will the inspection process be completed in a moment? It's your own time that was wasted! Don't blame me for not being kind enough to remind you!"

Isn't that little official the emperor?

The anxious eunuch roared loudly and loudly.

The old man had an apologetic smile on his face and kept saying: "Yes, yes, yes" and went in.

Every time on February 2nd, during the body search before the exam at the Chunwei Examination Hall, there are always countless strange things.

Today is no exception. Some people write cheat sheets on their fat white bellies, some people sew small notes into the soles of their boots and socks, and some people add special delicious fillings to the pies in their food boxes.

Hiding private goods in the crotch is also indispensable. Suddenly, it is really full of jokes, and various cheating methods are endless.

Lu Chengfeng was watching the fun and excitement at the side, but he saw a slightly familiar figure flash past and enter an unknown room next to him.

Just as he was doubting, he heard the sound of a trumpet sounding like a golden army retreating.

"Candidates have finished entering!"

It was the first time for Lu Chengfeng to enter the Gongyuan, the scientific research site of Dajing Kingdom. When the officials around him explained to him, he realized that the sound of the trumpet was different from that of a battlefield.

That was the first horn just now, which means that all the candidates have entered the venue, and the examiners and all the on-site staff and minor officials are called to get ready for the exam to start.

Of course, it also reminds candidates to prepare for the exam. If they should solve urgent matters in their room, they can solve them in advance so as not to take up their precious exam time.

Lu Chengfeng raised his eyes and looked around inside and outside the Gongyuan.

Gongyuan, as a holy place for scientific research, the most important thing is to ensure confidentiality.

Therefore, the design structure of Dajing’s Gongyuan is quite strict:

A triple gate is set up, with three squares in front of the gate, the "Gongyuan" square in the middle, and the "Tengjiao" and "Qifeng" squares on the east and west sides respectively.

There is a "Mingyuan Tower" inside the triple gate, which means "Pursue the far end with caution and return to the original source of enlightened virtue".

Mingyuan Tower is three stories high and has windows on all sides. It is essentially a tall and broad watchtower set up in Gongyuan.

Standing upstairs, you can have an unobstructed view of the entire Gongyuan.

During the scientific examination, invigilators, inspectors and other officials went up to the building to inspect, and there were also officers and soldiers who kept staring from all sides.

During the day, the flags are waved as a warning, and at night, the lanterns are held high to prevent cheating, riots and other violations of the rules of the examination room at any time.

Not only that, a watchtower was set up at each of the four corners of the Gongyuan. Together with the main watchtower, Mingyuan Building, every move of the candidates was closely monitored at all times.

In the previous dynasty, there were cases of candidates colluding with inspection officials, cheating by climbing over walls, throwing objects over the high walls of the Gongyuan, and secretly carrying answers to exam questions.

After Emperor Jing came to power, "jujube thorns" were planted high on the high walls surrounding the tribute courtyard, and the height of the original courtyard walls was increased.

Lu Chengfeng looked around and couldn't help but laugh in his heart:

Hey, what did the Gongyuan in feudal society look like? Look, there are high tower sentry boxes in the center and four corners, and the "barbed wire" from those days is added to the walls. The only difference is that there is no electricity. This is not a prison in the 21st century.

what is it then?

The examination system and time of Jingguo are also quite interesting.

Dajing ruled the world with culture, unlike the Beiduan people who ruled the world with force on horseback.

Therefore, not only political articles such as Policy Theory and Military Principles are examined, but also poetry, lyrics, and poems are considered.

What is even more interesting is that the poems and songs of the scholars who took the imperial examination in Dajingguo had a unique taste.

Before the exam, officials will hand out three red candles to each candidate.

One poem and one poem must be answered before the three red candles burn out.

Therefore, there is a joke among talented people in the market, which spreads throughout Dajing, saying:

"The three candles burned out, burning the heart of the scholar; the eight rhymes completed, shocked the courage of the examiner."

Every Spring Examination on February 2nd, some candidates shed tears in the Gongyuan Courtyard because they could not finish their poems before the three red candles burned out. Don't take it for granted.

However, there are also people with extraordinary talents who can easily hand in papers after burning out a candle.

It's really a drought and a flood.

It is said that the current Minister of Rites, He Xuzhi, is such an outstanding person.

He is extremely gifted in poetry and song. He never makes drafts when taking exams, and he can answer the questions quickly without waiting for a candle to burn out.

Moreover, he is good at rhyming, and the rhyme is still the official rhyme, and the eight-pointed hand is the eight-pointed rhyme.

His literary thinking is extremely quick! It is precisely for this reason that after he took office, he was proud of the officialdom. He became the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and took care of the scientific examination.

Just as I was snickering to myself, I heard the second horn sounding melodiously:

"The exam papers are unsealed!"

When the candidates in the more than seventy rooms heard the horn sound, they all sat upright and straightened their backs in solemnity, just waiting for the examiner to come and distribute the examination papers, full of expectations.

In the cell with black tiles and white walls, there was silence and solemnity.

The atmosphere in the Gongyuan became united, tense, serious and lively in an instant.

The examiner, Xu Mengzhang, Bachelor Xu, and Lu Chengfeng washed their hands in the gold basin brought by the officials.

Then, the two of them received a gold plate covered with a red hijab, like a shy bride.

Academician Xu bowed deeply to the golden plate three times with a solemn face. Lu Chengfeng quickly followed his example and completed the ceremony respectfully.

After the ceremony, Academician Xu took the gold plate from the officer's hand and raised the case to his eyebrows. He skillfully opened the red silk cloth covering it, revealing an envelope personally sealed by the emperor's pen.

When Lu Chengfeng saw the bright red emperor's seal on the big envelope, he realized that what they had just prayed for was not the imperial examination questions, but the emperor's personal seal. Hi!

Academician Xu held the envelope high in his hand, signaled to everyone present, paused to Lu Chengfeng, who was the deputy examiner, and carefully tore it open.

Lu Chengfeng glanced over and saw a striking line of black ink characters in the first row of cursive script on the examination paper, which read:

"The middle of the day is the market, where the people of the world gather together the goods of the world, trade and retreat, and everyone gets his own place."

Lu Chengfeng's brain suddenly buzzed!

Didn’t Bachelor Xu Da say it was a question in the spare exam paper?

Why is this? Why?!

Lu Chengfeng frowned and stared at Academician Xu's face!

When he lowered his head and looked down, his face turned ashen immediately!

It seems that he really didn’t expect it!

"this!"
Chapter completed!