Outside Chengtianmen, in front of the Academy of Literature.
This day is the day when the results are released. Summer has arrived and the weather is getting hot very quickly, but it still cannot match the enthusiasm of the scholars.
Outside the Literary Academy, people have been waiting here for a long time. When the results are about to be released, the place is even more crowded. The scholars with wide robes and long sleeves are in front. There are also many onlookers outside, including the guards of the Chang'an Prefecture and the soldiers guarding the gate.
Maintaining basic order, more than a thousand people gathered in one place, making it really lively.
Of course, this is incomparable with the later period when the imperial examinations flourished.
It was the first time to participate in the imperial examination, and the scholars had little experience, so they all came here to wait in person. No one would wait for someone to come to announce the good news, and the Ministry of Rites did not provide this service for the time being.
Moreover, most of the scholars at this time were from noble families, and they paid great attention to etiquette on such occasions. Those who knew each other gathered together to whisper, while those who were not so busy waited quietly. No one made any noise, so the atmosphere was not too heated.
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"I stayed in the liberal arts college for three days and it was miserable. When I come here again, my legs are all weak..."
The arrogant Li Shangde looked at his two worried brothers and muttered softly.
Brothers Li Yichen, Li Yiyan, and Li Shangde were all scholars from Wei County, Hebei Province, and their ancestral home was Longxi.
Yes, they are descendants of a branch of the Longxi Li family, but they have moved to Hebei for a long time and have no connection with the Longxi Li family.
Moreover, when the Guanxi people went to the old land of the Northern Qi Dynasty, they could tell at a glance that it was the beginning and end of the Northern Zhou Dynasty's destruction of the Northern Qi Dynasty. However, with the change of dynasties, most of the descendants of the victors were ostracized by the local indigenous people and became disgraced.
The Li brothers were no exception. Their family fortunes were in decline, and in their generation, there was no other way out except studying hard to gain fame.
For example, the eldest of the three brothers, Li Yichen, lost his father when he was young. He focused on studying and not doing business, leading a miserable life. Later, he was adopted by his uncle at home and went to school with his cousins before he grew up.
They have basically lost the characteristics of the Kansai family and have completely become a family of farming and reading. When Dou Jiande ruled Hebei, they were unwilling to become thieves and hid in Tibet and became hermits in the mountains.
In fact, the real misfortune is that Li Po killed Li Yuan, and the momentum of the Li family in Longxi plummeted. Now it is torn into pieces. Almost no one in the Li family who is an official regards Li Yuan as Zhengshuo anymore.
Members of the Li family who came from the Li family's ancestral land in Longxi have no choice but to tell people about their origins and can only call themselves "so and so" in Longxi.
As soon as everyone heard your surname, they could immediately associate you with the Li family of Longxi. Most of them had to stay away from you at that time. Unless you could add that Mrs. Chu is my so-and-so, everyone would still be wary of you.
, give you a smile or something.
The other houses of the Li family in Longxi did not have so many scruples. They each set up ancestral halls and no longer regarded themselves as the Li family in Longxi. At least that is the situation now.
Brothers like Li Daozong made it clear that they wanted to open a business and establish a family, and they cut off their relationship with Li Yuan.
The Li Yichen brothers came to Beijing to take the exam, and they did not dare to get involved with the Li family in Longxi. They only talked about the Li family in Wei County, Hebei. It is estimated that when they returned to Hebei from the capital, they would have to persuade their elders to change their genealogy.
There were many run-down families like this in the Kansai area, and some of them were in better condition and were still among the nobility. As for the Li family in Wei County, according to the nine-rank Zhongzheng system, let alone the first rank, they were not even considered to be ordinary people from poor families.
superior.
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The three brothers are now crowded among the crowd, and they are all in a state of apprehension.
They were recommended by their teacher Wei Tong in the county and took part in the township examination. The three brothers all passed the examination, which became a good story in the village after the war.
It's just that this year the expenses for traveling all the way to the capital to catch up with the exams were not enough. Teacher Wei Tong provided some financial support, and the villagers donated generously. It took them a whole winter of hard work to make up for the expenses on the road.
However, when the imperial edict was issued to Hebei in the spring, the local garrison took action and sent soldiers to escort the candidates to Beijing for reference.
After receiving the edict, the government also provided some financial support to them, so the three brothers did not have to share a donkey and travel long distances to Beijing to take the exam.
In fact, there are not many scholars who are in such a miserable situation as the Li brothers. Even in places like Hebei, Henan, and Shandong that have suffered from war for a long time, most of the people who can read and refer to it actually still have the foundation.
My father, brother, and relatives are all officials. No matter what, I will not let the children in the family be reduced to the point where they need crowdfunding to enter the capital.
Therefore, when we arrived in the capital, there was not a single person who was willing to associate with paupers like the Li Yichen brothers.
This is a concrete manifestation of the legacy brought about by the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System. Even though the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System has been abolished long ago, conceptually, people are still affected by it and are unwilling to bend the knot.
Of course, there are also human factors involved. Birds of a feather flock together and people form groups. Scholars are most willing to create small circles.
Therefore, the experience of the three Li brothers when they came to Beijing was very sad. They did not make many like-minded friends, and they were unable to participate in various cultural gatherings and make a name for themselves.
Of course, this also has its advantages. The previous turmoil will not affect them. It is a bit regretful that they did not participate in that grand event.
How secluded were they from the news? The grand event was held for five days, and it was almost a tragedy that they got the news just when it was about to end.
However, it was not that they did not move around. Their teacher Wei Tong gave them a letter of recommendation, and the three brothers used it to pay a visit to Wei Zheng, the doctor of Jianyi.
It's just that Wei Zheng was under the sect and had heard some bad rumors before, so he didn't dare to give the villagers too much help. He just sent someone to the Ministry of Rites to take a look.
Let people know that there is Wei Zheng and Wei Xuancheng in Hebei. You'd better act fairly, otherwise I won't agree.
That's pretty much what it means. He doesn't dare to make any big moves. He's currently seeking a transfer, but he doesn't dare to make fun of his career for the sake of a few township party members.
This is actually the disadvantage of recommendation. Even if you open a subject to get scholars, you cannot completely throw aside the recommendation system.
Even the Li Yichen brothers could find "acquaintances" in the capital, let alone others.
Even so, the scholars are still shouting about injustice. It is true that the crow rests on the pig, only to see that others are in trouble...
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Among the three brothers, Li Shangde was the youngest and the most talkative. He kept mumbling to himself when he was nervous.
"If I say that we don't need to read it, we will definitely not be on the list. We have only participated in a few literary conferences? Who has heard of our brothers' names? When the examiner saw that it was an article written by us, he probably didn't even bother to take a look...
…”
Li Yichen knew what was wrong with him and didn't intend to pay any attention to this guy. However, he became more and more frustrated as he listened to what he said. He immediately glared at his younger brother and said, "Stop saying a few words. You are not an examiner... Qi Sanlang is a talented person, even if we two
If you don't get it, Saburo will definitely be on the list.
You have also read the article that he silently wrote. The examiner is not blind, so how could he give up Saburo and take someone else?"
Among the three brothers, Li Yiyan has always been superior in talent and learning, and he is indeed the one with the best chance among the three brothers.
However, Li Yiyan participated in Mingjingke, and the competition was the most fierce.
This year's scientific examination does not include the Jinshi subject and the Xiucai subject, but only the Ming Jing subject. As for the Jinshi who came out of the Ming Jing subject, the scholars will naturally think that they are the cultural leaders of this scientific examination.
The Ming Jing Science Examination is about the scholars’ understanding of Confucian classics. If you get the best in this subject, you will naturally be recognized by the scholars.
This is what the so-called Haoshou Qiongjing talks about. Some people spend their whole lives focusing on the meaning of the classics, and most of them are not targeting Ming Jingke. How many people really want to inherit Confucian culture?
Bai Shouqiong understands the secret meaning of classics, and Qingshan provides support for the elderly in times of crisis...
What you say is good, but scholars always don’t mean what they say.
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And once you pass the Ming Jing Ke, you will have a place in the literary world. This is the reason why scholars are willing to read the classics with great knowledge.
What made the scholars even more excited was that the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were different from the rumored imperial examinations in the pre-Sui Dynasty. The imperial court and local officials obviously paid more attention to it.
Then the Jinshi who passed the imperial examination would be able to be re-employed. This is very different from what they imagined when they tried Tantan to take the imperial examination last year and received many warnings before.
The previous turmoil also illustrates this point, so now, the mentality of the scholars is completely different from when they first came to Beijing.
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Li Yiyan was relatively calm and knew how to joke, "You two, please don't talk anymore. If you keep talking like this, how can I bear it? It's best if they all pass the exam, otherwise I have to ride that skinny donkey back to Hebei. I don't know.
When the time comes, will the donkey fall first or the man..."
The other two didn't laugh after hearing this, but felt a chill in their backs.
Li Shangde muttered again, "Whether I win or not, I don't plan to go back. If I don't win, I will join the army in Chang'an, and I will not hesitate to be an official with swords and pens."
Li Yichen sighed, if he didn't win... he would have to go back. His uncle is old and has not repaid the kindness of raising him. He cannot have anyone to support him...
"I'm coming."
The crowd became commotion, and the government officials who maintained order began to shout to prevent a stampede from happening.
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In front of the Literary Academy, gongs sounded continuously, and officials from the Ministry of Rites walked through the crowd with steady steps, and personally posted the two lists on the erected literary list for people to see.
Under the sunshine, every name on the list seems to be emitting golden light.
There was something so sacred about this moment that the scholars calmed down. Instead of rushing to the list to watch, they came forward to browse one after another as if they were viewing the scenery.
At this moment, the demeanor of scholars in the early Tang Dynasty fell behind those of later scholars.
Some people saw their names, some knocked on their chests, and some saluted others to show that they had the upper hand. They were very ashamed. What they showed was not elation, but a sense of concession.