Chapter 1923: Examination Hall Secrets, Posthouse Suspense
After the first exam, the students who were referred left Longshouyuan Qinglong Temple and returned to Chang'an City and the five surrounding tombs one after another to settle down.
Students from all over the country are pouring into Chang'an. In Chang'an, the house prices of inns and hotels have almost doubled. It's like the golden week in later generations. Not only are accommodation and meals not discounted, but they also have to pay extra.
, anyway, the fat sheep can be slaughtered in waves, and the livelihood of the year depends on these few days.
Even so, there are still many candidates who do not have suitable accommodation and can only temporarily live in private houses. Of course, the price is even more astonishing...
According to the law, foreigners are not allowed to stay in private houses, such as inns or other private houses. However, money is so exciting that people use it in various names, such as distant cousins and the abandoned Daming Lake.
For reasons like this, at the same time, the villagers within the community accepted the filial piety and turned a blind eye.
At this time, on the streets of Chang'an, the eyes are full of silk scarves. If you don't say a few words, "That's it," you will be embarrassed to say hello to people. Suddenly, the city is full of articles, and the air is filled with sourness, just like Shanxi.
It's like vinegar has been spilled all over the street.
When there are more scholars, there will be more literary gatherings. Of course, the focus of the literary gatherings at this time is not eating, drinking, playing with big buns and little feet, but letting some "seniors" who have achieved high rankings teach some tips about taking exams.
Naturally, everything from how to prepare for the exam to the experiences gained during the exam are very popular among candidates.
Naturally, Wang Chang can be regarded as an "old-timer". When he left the academy, countless students in the academy shed tears. Without him, the top student who occupied the top spot has finally left, and he can finally count on moving forward.
One or two...
At the beginning, many students were the second in class, and they were generally ranked third. They didn’t look down on the literary gathering held by the so-called young Wang Chang, so at first no one went to listen. But later, Wang Chang
The cultural gathering held was packed with people, and everyone hoped to learn some secrets and other things from Wang Chang, and then their skills would be instantly improved by thirty-five years.
Therefore, in the Wang Chang Literary Meeting, discussing the content of the examination was naturally the top priority of the literary meeting. Compared with the recommendation system before the Han Dynasty, which used examinations to select talents, the original so-called connections and reputation were not on paper.
It can't be shown on the test, so many of the candidates who have just taken the test cannot adapt, and it is inevitable that they will have some physical and mental collapse.
Especially those who feel that they failed the first test. Although there is an "addendum" for tomorrow's second test, many people still feel that they are out of luck, like a drowning person, wanting to pull everything they see into their arms.
middle.
Human nature always hopes that one can work less and get more. Although it is said that getting something for nothing is undesirable, if there really is an old man or something, or the system beeps, I am afraid that I will be so happy that I will almost go crazy. These first scenes
Candidates who did not do well in the exam naturally hope so, hoping that after listening to Wang Chang's experience and teaching, they can immediately jump into the dragon gate in the next competition.
"The most important thing in the examination room is the time..." On the one hand, Wang Chang wanted to gather people's attention, but on the other hand, he sincerely wanted to help these junior students, so he spoke very sincerely. And the third reason, of course, is It is not mentioned in a vague way, "In the past, writing could be completed in ten months. However, in the examination room, time is like a white horse. If you are not careful, you will not be able to complete it..."
Immediately, one student couldn't help but howl, which also caused several others to have red eyes. In the past, when I was writing an article at home, I would habitually procrastinate, just like the pigeons and pigs who were urged by editors in later generations. I didn't even bother to write until the last minute, and then naturally I didn't finish writing in the examination room, and was hit in the face with a stick, which was heartbreaking.
What can I do if I haven't finished it yet? Of course, don't expect any good rankings.
"Secondly, don't use the wrong words when using simple words..." Wang Chang continued.
It is better to choose simple ones than to use the wrong allusions or write typos. This is quite taboo. Once it is discovered that typos have been written or the allusions are used incorrectly, it means that the candidate is not familiar with the classics. , and it is suspected of being sensational, so don’t think about improving your ranking by borrowing a few beautiful sentences. On the contrary, it is easy to be self-defeating. Of course, there are those that can be used very well, but most people should seek stability. , rather than curious.
"Third, use what is right without discrepancy..."
A line of scripture may have multiple interpretations, and during the more than a hundred years of the dominance of modern classics, many sentences were far-fetched, and then derived many strange meanings, and even some mysterious prophecies were mixed in. These Nothing is useful in the examination room.
In other words, in General Hussar, none of these derived things can appear as the original intention. After all, the Qinglong Temple lecture only preached "seeking truth and seeking truth" some time ago. Therefore, if the article uses "prophecy" Isn't it true that to win the rank of "Attachment" is to exclude oneself from the world?
Wang Chang talked about it one by one, which either made people suddenly realize, or made them cry. Of course, these points are indeed very important, but compared with the more demanding standards of later generations, they have been simplified too much.
There was a buzz of discussion in the venue. Wang Chang nodded and answered a few students' questions. Then he walked down the high platform and sat down. Other students came closer or spoke. , or asking if it was so lively for a while...
The reason why the imperial examinations in later generations evolved into the eight-part essay model was not because the emperor naturally liked to use the eight-part essay to "imprison" the thinking patterns of the literati, but because of the need to take the exam, it unknowingly became that way.
The imperial examination system developed in the Tang and Song Dynasties and reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty. It is not just talk about being inferior in everything but studying well. It is true that the whole country is pursuing studying, and more and more people are taking the exam. If the examiners can treat it strictly If the examination paper comprehensively examines the candidate's situation, then there is no doubt that the selected candidates are mostly educated, knowledgeable and capable administrative talents.
In order to avoid selecting those with only literary talents, the Ming Dynasty also canceled the "Poetry Examination" that both Tang and Song Dynasties attached great importance to, and made it clear that the exam only tested practical texts, not poetry and poetry. It can be seen that at the beginning, the Ming Dynasty also wanted to
Focusing on selecting real practical talents for the country...
However, it is a pity that during the marking process, due to the huge number of candidates, it is impossible to make an effective selection.
Like Fei Qian, it's okay at the moment. If it were like the Ming Dynasty, there were three exams in one exam, three articles, each of about two thousand to three thousand words, well, why does this number of words give a special sense of familiarity, and then after three exams,
, an article of nearly 10,000 words, multiplied by the number of candidates, for example, in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the Ming Dynasty's perennial reference students can reach 3,000 to 5,000, then it is 30 million to 50 million words, and only a dozen or so
The famous examiner must read and correct everything in a short time...
In order to prevent people from looking around, the Ming Dynasty specified detailed marking rules and a review system. That is to say, the successful examination papers from various places were sent to the Hanlin Academy in Kyoto, so that the officials in the Hanlin Academy who had been idle all year round could one by one
"Mind the survey", if you find the slightest mistake, then wait for impeachment!
Chinese people are obviously very smart. The time is short and the tasks are heavy, and they cannot make mistakes. Many contradictions come together in one place, and the eight-part essay makes its debut...
After all, there are so many test papers, the time is so tight, and there are so few markers. If you make a little mistake, you will be impeached. The penalty for demotion is so small that you may lose your hat. At the same time, the content of the exam is so
It is complex, involves so many styles of writing, and the articles are written by thousands of different people, with varying degrees of plain, strange, real, traditional, simple, and light. Even if the examiners are all at the level of gods, it is impossible for them to read all the test papers on time with high quality and quantity.
Therefore, in the final analysis, it was the irrationality of the system that led to the birth of the Eight-Part Essay, not because the ruling class was thinking about destroying and imprisoning literati from the beginning...
Du Yu and Du Zi also participated in this literary meeting specially prepared by Wang Chang for the students who participated in the second supplementary session.
Du Yu himself felt that it was okay, so he was not going to take the second exam, but was going to prepare for the third one. However, Du Zi was a little uneasy and said that he had not finished writing at all, so it was definitely out of the question, but he was not sure whether he should take it or not.
Participating in the second game, after all, I was young and didn’t have much confidence in my heart. However, after listening to Wang Chang’s story, I seemed to feel that... I had even less confidence...
Wang Chang didn't talk much, but it wasn't too little. Specifically, he talked about his daily skills and how to use them better.
Du Yu and Du Zi were sitting aside, and suddenly someone came over and started chatting in a familiar manner. Then they asked Du Yu and Du Zi about their exam status. Although Du Yu was a little confident, he was naturally modest.
They said they didn’t do well in the exam and so on...
Then, seemingly in a normal manner, he asked about his residence and said some polite words about getting together after the exam. This person who appeared out of nowhere left and moved to another place.
Because the first list of qualified candidates will be released around the time of application, most people, after listening to Wang Chang’s literary lecture, saw that the sun was starting to set, and gradually lost the intention to continue gathering, and went their separate ways.
We dispersed and waited for the news. After all, even if we knew that the possibility was unlikely, we still had a "what if" in our hearts, just like entering a lottery shop in future generations.
"Brother...if..." Du Zi asked hesitantly, "Are you still going tomorrow?"
Du Yu smiled and said: "If so-and-so is not on the list today, my brother will definitely go there tomorrow!"
Du Zi nodded, seeming to have a little more courage, and clenched his fist, "The same goes for my little brother!"
After taking another two steps, Du Zi couldn't help but ask again: "Brother, can what Wang Shuzuo said be relied upon?"
Du Yu replied in a low voice: "What he said is the golden mean..."
"Moderate?" Du Zi frowned his little eyebrows and his little face, "What do you mean by brother, is Wang Shuzuo's words slightly inappropriate?"
"There's nothing wrong with it..." Du Yu shook his head, "I tried my best, but it's just in the middle. If I want to go above and beyond, there must be some unfinished words..."
Du Zi stared at Du Yu, holding the corner of Du Yu's clothes, trying to be cute and pass the test, "I don't understand...brother, can you explain me in detail?"
"If you don't understand, just think for yourself..." Du Yu smiled and did not spoil his younger brother, but said, "What Wang Shuzuo said is his, what I said is mine... Only what you think of can
is yours……"
"Oh..." Du Zi frowned, but did not continue to beg or anything, and returned to the accommodation without saying anything.
Time passed in a state of anxiety or leisure. Around Shen Shi, the servant who had been sent out early rushed back from outside with a happy face. When he saw Du Yu, he loudly reported: "Congratulations, little master! Congratulations, little master!"
My little master is on the list! Ranked fifty-seventh!』
Even though Du Yu felt that he should have done well in the exam, after hearing that he was on the list, he finally felt relieved and asked, "How many people are on the list?"
"This... I don't have a detailed number..." The servant was stunned for a moment, and then said, "But I heard that there are less than two hundred people..."
"Two hundred people..." Du Yu repeated. The number of candidates for reference that day was probably close to a thousand or two hundred. This is one out of five...
Before Du Yu could finish his emotion, Du Zi pointed at his nose eagerly and asked: "What about me? Did I win?" He looked like he was holding a lottery ticket and checking the numbers, although he knew that there was a high probability that he would not win.
Yes, but there is also some hope of being hit by the goddess of luck.
"Uh..." The servant's face showed a bit of embarrassment, "Little... little... I didn't see the second young master... maybe I missed it... I'd better go and take a look..."
...』
Du Zi was not too stupid. How could he have missed this kind of thing? So he waved his hand and said boldly: "No need! I will just go back to my room to prepare for the exam tomorrow!" Then he saluted Du Yu.
He returned to the room first, closed the door, and his face fell instantly, sniffing silently, and then silently sat down at the table.
Du Yu, who was in the hall outside the door, ordered: "That's it... I'll send him the preserved meat to his room when the time comes..."
The servant nodded quickly and retreated. However, before it was time for dinner, the servant came back again. Then he handed over an unsigned letter and reported to Du Yu in a low voice: "My little master... I am here."
At the gate of the courtyard, I found someone throwing this object in. When I went out to check, I saw no one..."
Du Yu didn't know why, so he opened the famous tattoo and almost jumped up because there was a small note and a small strip of colorful silk inside the famous tattoo. It said: "Five hundred gold, addendum in the package."
, Tomorrow at the Yin hour of the east gate, tie this silk on the examination basket, there will be a connection."
Five hundred gold naturally refers to five hundred Zhengxi gold coins, which is not a small amount.
Du Yu was stunned, "Five hundred gold! Is this crazy..." But after a moment, Du Yu suddenly felt that this matter was somewhat interesting. Because those who can give out five hundred gold often don't care about five hundred gold, but take
Those who can't come up with five hundred gold will naturally think that this amount is too high, so they won't pay attention.
Because Du Yu is the son of Du Yuan, he is naturally in the spotlight of the Hexi Prefect. There is a small separate courtyard in the Chang'an Post House. Similarly, most of the people staying temporarily in the Post House are
They are the reference children of officials from all walks of life. Some of them may have passed the first round like Du Yu, but there are still many who have not yet made the list. After all, the ratio of one out of five is not very high. At the same time, children from official families
, there are also too many distracting things.
It is precisely because the post houses are all the same children of officials, so Du Yu feels that there is a half chance that this matter is a liar, and the other half is true...
Du Yu subconsciously looked back at his second brother's closed door...
……(⊙＿⊙；)……
That night, the lights in the yamen of General Hussar's mansion were brightly lit.
"After all calculations, it was missed here..." Fei Qian couldn't help but shake his head. No wonder the Mohist probes in Chang'an failed to obtain any effective information before the rumors of locusts spread. It was because of the range of these probes.
It does not involve the Yi Zhan Yi Guan!
After all, most of these Mohist people are ordinary people. Naturally, they do not have much penetration power into the post houses where most of the contacts are official people, so it is normal for mistakes to occur.
So, are these guys in the post house pigs, dogs, or just chickens?
Wang Chang nodded and said: "Reporting to my lord, according to some investigation, someone saw someone teaching nursery rhymes around the post house, but it was a long time ago and I didn't pay special attention to it, so I don't remember the appearance of the person who spread the rumors at that time..."
On the surface, Wang Chang held a literary meeting, which seemed to be Wang Chang's personal behavior, but in fact he also received a task from Fei Qian, to see if he could get some information among the candidates living in the post house, and from Wang Chang
Judging from the results heard by Chang, it also proved Fei Qian's guess.
These candidates who came from other places arrived early, had free time, had manpower, and were outside the normal market management, so they naturally had sufficient conditions to carry out this matter.
Of course, this condition only exists, but whether it was really these people who did it remains to be discussed.
Because the locusts are a natural disaster and something that these guys cannot control before they come to Chang'an, most of these people who spread rumors are just improvising and taking advantage of the chaos...
All the people in China, not just China, have some innate habits of being lively, so when the locusts come, it is naturally the biggest hot topic in the entire Sanfu area, and rumors naturally take advantage of the situation, without even requiring special effort.
If you push it, it can spread quickly.
It seems like this is really troublesome.
Chang'an is an important administrative, economic and cultural center. There are five smaller post stations, three outside the city, and two in the tombs. There are also five post houses, two in Chang'an city, and the other three are in the city.
In Lingyi, there is not only students who come to take exams, but also some ordinary officials who pass matters back and forth, so there is a large flow of personnel.
Moreover, those who teach children rumors around the post house may not actually live in the post house. Perhaps they are just taking advantage of Fei Qian's negligence about the post house, so this is just what Wang Chang heard about.
It is obviously unrealistic to arrest all the inns and inns with just a few hairy claws.
Although the origin of the previous locust rumors has been generally found, the specific person who spread the rumors still has no clue. However, at this point, something more serious broke out...
