Moments before dawn, the sky fell into darkness again.
The inn was brightly lit, and students and scholars got up, washed, packed their things, and prepared to face the most important battle in their lives.
"Brother Zhu, have you washed up, brother Zhu? Let's go, let's go..." Fatty Xue Chiren's loud voice came from a distance before Fatty Xue Chiren arrived.
The fat man Xue Chi walked to the door of Zhu Ping'an's room with a huff. He raised his hand and was about to knock on the door when the door opened.
"Let's go." Zhu Pingan opened the door and said.
Zhu Ping'an walked in front, and Fatty Xue Chi followed closely behind, panting heavily. He couldn't walk fast. Both of them were empty-handed and didn't bring anything. Fatty didn't even bring his gold lock and two thumb rings.
The college examination is similar to the government examination. All materials used in the examination should be provided by the examination room, and strict discipline is required to prevent cheating.
From time to time on the road, I met students and scholars who were going to Jiangnan Gongyuan to take exams. They were all very serious in twos and threes, and few were relaxed and cheerful.
"Ahem, cough, cough, wait for us." A voice called from afar.
Zhu Pingan paused and followed the sound, and saw several panting students and scholars walking on the bridge connecting the two sides of the Qinhuai River. They were all acquaintances. Among them, the one who stopped Zhu Pingan was Zhu Shouren, Zhu Pingan's uncle, who followed him.
The people he was with were all Zhu Ping'an's fellow villagers, including the uncle's fat friend.
Zhu Ping'an looked at his uncle and others crossing the bridge from the opposite side. He simply didn't know what to say. It was an exam and he had to take care of everything!
Because time was tight, Zhu Ping'an did not introduce each other to Fatty Xue Chi and others, so they walked to Jiangnan Gongyuan together.
When we arrived in front of the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan, the eastern sky had already revealed a slight cloud, and a few clouds gathered on the horizon, as if soaked in blood, showing a faint red color, which seemed to indicate that today was an extremely bloody battle for the students and scholars.
Battle.
At the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan, there were nearly a hundred serious-looking government officials maintaining order. On both sides, there were dozens of armored sergeants standing across their swords, very serious. The candidates lined up separately according to the prefecture they came from. Each prefecture
The candidates were divided into two teams under the command of the Yamen.
There are several tables at the door, and behind each table there are two officials in yamen uniforms looking at the roll call to screen the candidates from each prefecture.
In the roll call book, each person's place of birth, age, appearance, and three generations of resumes are recorded in detail. All of them have been stamped by the insurance office in advance, or must be signed in person. This is more cautious than prefectural and county examinations to prevent cheating.
Substitution and other fraud.
The academic examiner sat on a chair in the middle of the door, and those standing in two rows were all the candidates' guaranteed admissions.
The officials called the candidates in the roll call book. The candidates stepped forward to answer and loudly said who was the guarantor. At this time, the candidate's guarantor would come forward to screen. If he found that he was not the guarantor, he would have to file a request on the spot.
The academic officer will punish him on the spot as taking the exam, and the consequences will be very serious; if the student who should be protected finds out that he is indeed the one who should be protected, he should loudly say that the student must be protected, so that the roll call is completed and the candidates can enter the venue.
.
"Zhu Ping'an, a native of Xiahe Village, is guarantored by Sun Hongzhi, Liu Chuanwen and Zhang Fangweng."
When it was Zhu Ping'an's turn, Zhu Ping'an stepped forward, bowed, and sang the blessing loudly.
Soon I heard the words of my mentor Sun Laofuzi and several mentors and friends, "Sen Hongzhibao, the linsheng", "Liu Chuan Wenbao, the linsheng", and "Zhang Fangwengbao, the linsheng".
After the bail was completed, the officials nodded to signal Zhu Ping'an to enter. At this time, Zhu Ping'an had time to communicate with his mentor Sun Laofuzi and others.
This time, Old Master Sun's eyes were quite appreciative.
After Zhu Ping'an and Old Master Sun looked at each other, they glanced at the academic officer Ti. He was a man in his fifties with great official authority. He was very aura, had a square face and a long beard, and looked quite fair.
After just one glance, Zhu Ping'an was urged to move forward by the little official leading the way.
The gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan is a three-column gate with a wooden structure. The middle is open to pedestrians and the two sides are closed. The main gate is five rooms in size. On the middle door is a plaque "Jiangnan Gongyuan". The left forehead is "Pimen" and the right forehead is "Xujun".
There is a pair of stone lions more than one meter high at the main entrance, and there are archways on both sides. The inscriptions say: "Seek scholars for the Ming Dynasty" and "Seek talents for the country."
Zhu Ping'an was led into the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan by a small official. After entering the gate and walking forward less than two meters, he saw two stele pavilions. One stone was engraved with the word "Neat" in red, and the other stone was engraved with the word "Stern".
.
The clerk led Zhu Pingan forward for a short distance, and Zhu Pingan was shocked by a magnificent building. It was a square, three-story building with a banner reading "Mingyuan Tower" hanging on the door.
It has a golden character. The ground floor is surrounded by walls on all four sides, with round arches on each side. Four eaves columns lead from the ground floor to the top of the building. The beams and columns are intertwined and there are windows on all sides. Standing upstairs, you can definitely see the Gongyuan. When the roll call is over, the academic officer and the invigilator should
It is from this upstairs that the entire examination room is given orders and directions.
This is worthy of being used as an examination room for the provincial examination. It is really not comparable to the shabby county examination and the government examination.
"Don't look at it. Follow me to the dormitory. There are people behind you." The little official who led the way was used to the surprise of the candidates who came to the Gongyuan for the first time. But habit is habit, and you still have to rush what should be urged. He couldn't
I dare to delay the exam schedule.
"Oh." Zhu Pingan came to his senses and followed the officer leading the way to the residence.
The so-called dormitory is the examination room for student examinations. Zhu Pingan followed the lead officer around Mingyuan Building and came to the west. Of course, there are dormitories in the east, but the dormitory where Zhu Pingan is located is in the west.
Nima
When Zhu Ping'an saw the house, these were the only two words in his mind. The house was about 1.8 meters high, 1.2 meters deep, and about 1 meter wide. The outer wall was more than two meters long and there were no doors. A font size has nearly
There are hundreds of houses facing south, and the two houses are separated by a brick wall. The number of each lane is written in large numbers on the lintel wall, and the number is determined by the order of the "Thousand-Character Classic".
"What are you looking at? Come in quickly." The official who led the way led Zhu Pingan to a dormitory and urged Zhu Pingan to go in quickly.
At the urging of the clerk, Zhu Ping'an walked in and looked at the dormitory. The two brick walls were one or two feet above the ground, with upper and lower brick supports for placing upper and lower wooden boards on them.
The wooden boards are staggered front and back, the upper wooden board is towards the front, the lower wooden board is towards the back, the lower wooden board is a bench, and the upper wooden board is a table. It is very simple.
"Your college exams are okay. Each exam only lasts one day. If it were a provincial exam, it would have to take several days. At night, just take out the upper wooden board and put it on the lower wooden board to make a bed." The official who led the way simply told Zhu
After saying this, Ping An left.
Sitting in the dormitory, Zhu Pingan could only feel two words, one was aggrieved and the other was fair.
I say it’s frustrating because the dormitory is too narrow, and I can’t stretch my legs even if I’m taking the provincial examination. Moreover, the dormitory is in disrepair, is dark, damp, and dilapidated. I say it’s fair because, regardless of the examinee’s family economic status or social status, this is what happens when they come in.
Such treatment fully reflects fairness.
Speaking of feeling aggrieved, I can't help but think of Fatty Xue Chi. Haha, that guy would definitely shed his skin after staying in the dormitory for a day.
Soon someone put the exam supplies in a basket and delivered them. Zhu Pingan took them and thanked him, and then started to arrange and pack them up. Soon, all the pens, inks, paper and inkstones were ready one by one.
Everything is ready, just waiting for the east wind.