The eighth day of March, the 30th year of Chongwen, was the day of the Bingxu Imperial Examination.
Song Mu had made preparations early. In fact, all the tributes in the entire Jiangnan West Road guild hall had also made preparations, and some even stayed up all night.
The Imperial Examination was the last sprint in the imperial examination era of the Wen Dynasty, and it was also the pinnacle of the entire imperial examination. After crossing this threshold, the original dream of guiding the world with a single word was right in front of us.
It is said that no one asked him outside the window for ten years, and he became famous all over the world in one fell swoop.
For every scholar, this will be an exciting leap of identity and class, and that experience is more vivid than the exam.
Song Mu had already put on his tribute uniform, said goodbye to Tao Fengming in a hurry, and carried a simple examination basket downstairs of the guild hall.
The students in the entire guild hall have come out to see him off at this moment. At the entrance of the guild hall, more than a dozen students, all wearing red and black tribute uniforms, are also holding hands with each other at this moment.
Seeing Song Mu's arrival, the atmosphere in the guild hall became even more lively. At that moment, a student upstairs spoke.
"My lords, you must come back with a good ranking!"
"Yes, win glory for Jiangnan West Road and promote our Jiangnan West Road literary style!"
"Song Huiyuan, we are waiting for you to conquer the world!"
A group of students shouted loudly, each with an excited expression. The tributes also looked at each other and raised their hands to everyone.
"We will definitely live up to your expectations!"
Everyone was saying this in a deep voice, and at that moment, under the leadership of Song Mu, they all walked outside. The carriage prepared by the guild hall had been waiting for a long time.
It was still dark at this moment, probably early in the morning, but all the tributes had to rush to the imperial city.
The palace examination started at 6 o'clock in the morning and ended at 1 o'clock in the evening, so time was a little tight.
Song Mu and others were sitting in the car with their eyes closed and concentrating at the moment. Their faces were extremely serious, and they were somewhat nervous about the upcoming palace examination.
After all, we are about to see the legendary scene of the imperial examination, the majestic emperor, and the star that countless scholars long to see.
What you can see today may be something you can remember for a lifetime.
The carriage rolled and slowly stopped after shaking for a while. Song Mu and others opened their eyes in unison.
There was the sound of armor clashing outside the carriage, and then a deep voice was heard.
"All you gentlemen, please get off the carriage and wait where you are."
Everyone got up one after another and walked outside. After getting off the carriage, the cold wind blew. The sky was still dark. Standing in front of them was a row of soldiers holding lanterns. There were also people on the long street.
Many carriages came to stop, and many students wearing tribute uniforms were getting off the carriages and waiting.
Song Mu exhaled a breath, which was blown away in the cold wind. At this moment, he looked up and saw a very tall city wall standing vaguely in the darkness in front of him.
Thinking about it, I had already established my roots in the Imperial City at this time.
The Imperial City of Chang'an still continues the palaces of the Tang Dynasty. Most of them have been repaired and rarely widened. However, because of the presence of stars, they are even more majestic.
Many students were lining up at the gate of the city at this moment, standing in the cold wind, holding examination baskets, not saying anything, just looking around, listening to the Gongyuan officials explaining the etiquette and regulations after entering the palace.
Many people looked up at the city wall in front of them, shocked in their hearts, wondering what the scene would be like.
The lieutenant in charge of the lantern did not talk to everyone. After everyone got off the carriage, he and the officials from the Gongyuan came forward to call their names. After clarifying the number of people present, the whole place fell into silence.
Everything around was silent except for the cold morning wind.
In the imperial city at this moment, His Majesty may have already attended the morning court. When the state affairs are over, it will be the time to witness the grand scene of the imperial examination.
Song Mu and others had been waiting outside for a long time. The sky had begun to light up, and sounds finally sounded in the imperial city. Song Mu could only hear one of the sounds reaching the ears of Song Mu and others.
"The newly-recruited Gongshi will enter the Tianxing Palace in the Imperial City and take the palace examination!"
As the sound spread, the surrounding tributes raised their heads one after another, and the lieutenant immediately set off, shouting at everyone.
"You talented men, when you enter the imperial city, be silent and walk slowly!"
After saying that, the vermilion imperial city gate was slowly pushed open by several people. A group of soldiers stood beside the door, and Gongyuan officials were also waiting in front. Everyone raised their heads, and at this moment they all looked at Song
Mu.
Entering the imperial city, Wu Jingkui was walking in front. As the leader of this trial, Song Mu naturally had to lead everyone into the imperial city first.
Song Mu also raised his head and looked at the open door in front of him. At the end of the dark doorway, it seemed that he could see the shape of the building inside. The sky exposed in the distance was already a bit dark blue.
The day has finally arrived.
Song Mu let out a deep breath, straightened his back and stepped forward.
The surrounding tributes followed one after another. More than 400 newly promoted tributes lined up in neat queues and marched towards the imperial city.
There were imperial guards all around to clear the way. Song Mu and others obeyed the rules and walked straight through it, with slow speed and steady steps.
After passing through the square paved with blue bricks and stepping over the steps made of carved railings and jade, Song Mu and others arrived at the side of the imperial city.
Song Mu looked up and saw a wide palace avenue in front of him, and at the end of the avenue was a majestic palace.
It is not so much a palace as it is a tall cylindrical tower-shaped building. It is slightly out of the blue in the imperial city and looks extremely tall. Anyone who sees it can't help but exclaim.
That is the Tianxing Palace, and in it is the star that fell from the sky.
There were also soldiers and guards in front. Song Mu walked through this avenue and saw a circular square in front of him. He saw many people wearing red robes standing in the square.
These people were all officials of the Wen Dynasty. They were standing in the cold wind with their hands folded, but they were all looking at Song Mu and others.
They are all waiting for the arrival of Song Mu and others.
This made Song Mu and others feel even more restrained. After all, every official among them was a scholar of the same Jinshi level or above.
Song Mu also looked slightly sideways. Many of them had calm expressions and seemed to have superior strength.
Every scholar standing here is the mainstay of the operation of this literary dynasty.
Song Mu and others lowered their heads and slowly followed the guidance in front of them towards the main hall. The magnificent gate of Tianxing Palace had already appeared in front of them.
As everyone stepped inside, the surroundings seemed to light up in an instant.
There are no candles lit here, the white light that illuminates the surroundings comes from the very center of the hall.
In the center of the main hall supported by countless columns, on a stone platform made of thick rocks, a wide stone with three or five people hugging it is quietly suspended on it.
The stone has a rough appearance and is broken into oval shapes. The surface is clearly falling apart, but it strangely maintains its balance.
A blazing white light surged out from it, and everyone felt as if the literary power in their bodies suddenly surged.