In the early February of the twenty-third year of Guangxu's reign.
It’s the day of the annual county examination in Jingyang County.
The location of the county examination was not located in the county government office, but at a market in front of the county government office. After New Year's Day, the construction of the examination shed was started at this market, and it was not finally completed until five days before the exam.
The examination booth faces south and is surrounded by roadblocks to prevent people from rushing into the examination room. To the south of the examination room are the east and west gates, surrounded by wooden fences, and a large courtyard. To the north of the courtyard is the main entrance, commonly known as the dragon gate.
This gate has the meaning of carp leaping over the dragon gate.
"Put it down."
"This man hid a cheat sheet in the valley..."
While Xu Xing and other students from Wei Jing Academy were waiting in front of the examination booth, two government officials holding water and fire sticks and knives at their waists took a poor scholar wearing a wooden shackle out of the examination room.
The poor scholar's braids were spread out on his back, his gown was disheveled, and he was muttering to himself, as if he had lost his soul, and kept shouting in a low voice, "It's insulting to be polite."
The candidates waiting in front of the examination booth voluntarily made way for an aisle to allow the government officials to pass.
A government servant held a tray with a two- to three-inch book on it. The words on the book were as thin as mosquitoes and flies.
"Brother Xu, have you seen..."
Chen Jian'an patted Xu Xing's shoulder, leaned into his ear, and whispered: "This candidate is shabbily dressed and has at least seven or eight patches on his clothes. People like this are the targets of Souzi's search."
"Regardless of whether there is any involvement, it is also an embarrassing thing to be stripped naked when you arrive at the examination room..."
"But that person just now was also smart and hid the cheat sheet in the valley."
"This character is probably written with rat hair..."
Speaking of this, Chen Jianan's eyes showed contempt.
The "souzi" in the examination room is a yamen official who specializes in checking whether the candidates have any baggage.
As for rat hair (also called rat whisker), it is a writing brush made of rat whiskers. The characters written with rat hair are as thin as mosquitoes and flies, extremely small, and are specially used for cheating.
After finishing a four-book collection of chapters and sentences with hundreds of thousands of words, it was only the size of a palm.
What Chen Jian'an despises is not that the examinee cheated, but that the examinee was so clever that he hid the "mouse tycoon" in the valley. The valley is basically a must-see place for anyone searching.
Xu Xing nodded after hearing this.
Souzi's examination of candidates is even worse than the examination of college entrance examinations in later generations.
After entering the examination room, I was first searched, my hair was messed up, my clothes were taken off, and I was completely naked...
Moreover, the food that I carry with me is chopped finely with a knife to prevent cheating from happening.
But nothing is absolute.
Rich people always have some privileges.
The government officials will be more merciful to candidates who have greeted them.
"But we, the students of Wei Jing Academy, don't dare to embarrass us."
Chen Jianan smiled quite proudly.
Wei Jing Academy is one of the four major academies in Guanzhong and has a great reputation.
The people who lectured these students were all great Confucians and high-ranking officials.
Even the teachers in the academy are all from Juren background.
It is common for the subordinate officials of the county government to watch and order the dishes, and the government servants who serve as searchers are also experienced. Candidates who can enter the Wei Jing Academy and take the exam in the county all have rich families.
Selling face is a common thing.
"The exam is about to start, you go quickly."
Chen Jian'an glanced at the long queue and urged Xu Xing.
He is from Huxian County, and he also took the county test in Huxian County. The time for the county test in each county is different. The county test in Huxian County is in late February, which is nearly a month away from the county test in Jingyang County.
time.
"good……"
Xu Xing recovered his mind and walked straight towards the camp gate.
Just now, outside the examination booth, there were a large number of relatives and friends who came to see off the candidates, two to three thousand people. He didn't pay much attention to the candidates in the same room. But when he was waiting in line at the gate, he suddenly felt a lot of confidence in his heart.
There are not many young people like him, only about 300 people, most of whom are rich and well-dressed children.
There are about 500 to 600 other older middle-aged and middle-aged candidates. Most of these people look poor, showing a sense of shabbyness, with patches on their bodies one after another, and the word desolation written all over their faces.
Although the imperial examination is not about "sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you will retreat", but reading has always been about talent, memory, and understanding. Without memory, you will not be able to memorize Confucian classics and sages' righteousness, and without understanding, your performance will be stiff.
It's rigid and has no spirituality at all.
These middle-aged, middle-aged and elderly candidates have been taking the exam for so many years and have not yet passed the exam. Basically, they are just accompanying the exam.
Therefore, Xu Xing's real competitors are only these more than 300 young people.
The county tried to recruit fifty people.
Basically, choose six and advance to one.
In addition, based on the education he received at Wei Jing Academy, coupled with his talent of "knowledge and knowledge" and so on.
This time the county examination is basically stable.
…
Things turned out exactly as Chen Jianan said.
The examiner in the examination room checked Xu Xing's documents. After verifying the certificate, he found out that he was a student of Wei Jing Academy. He was indeed much more polite to him. After a brief search, he opened the gate and let him go.
Before Xu Xing could react, the search was over.
"Why?"
"He is a candidate, and we are also candidates?"
The first few candidates who had just passed the search were so angry that their lungs were about to explode, and they all complained in dissatisfaction.
When they were passing through the gate, the government officials wanted to count the hairs on the backs of their butts, but when it was Xu Xing's turn, they just searched them casually without taking them seriously at all.
We are not worried about scarcity, but we are worried about inequality.
"Why are you shouting so hard?"
"I am a student of Wei Jing Academy? Is there any need to cheat?"
The officer frowned and shouted.
Several candidates suddenly blushed and trembled with anger.
Wei Jing Academy is equivalent to graduates from prestigious universities. They can join the job directly without interviewing. However, because they do not have enough academic qualifications, they have to face these harsh difficulties. It is destined.
They stamped their feet, hummed a few times, then threw up their sleeves and headed to the courtroom of the examination room.
During the farewell exam, they did not dare to get angry with the government officials.
Otherwise, I will offend the villain and forget about taking the exam this year. I am afraid that the exams in the next few years will not go well.
County government officials are basically hereditary.
Xu Xing also followed these people into the courtroom.
In the court hall of the examination room, not only the magistrate of Jingyang County was sitting, but also a group of local students who were guarantors for the candidates. The candidates saluted the county magistrate one by one and asked the local students who were guarantors to pledge their guarantee.
"Student Qin Huaigu vouched for Xu Xing."
After a while, Qin Xiucai stood up, bowed to Magistrate Wu, and said loudly.
Qin Xiucai was also a student of Wei Jing Academy.
I have a good relationship with Xu Xing.
In An Ran Middle School, I spent the whole day drinking and drinking with classmates like Xu Xing.
After signing bail, the clerk waiting at the door of the court led Xu Xing to the examination room.
It seems that the county government also has some tricks up its sleeve in allocating examination rooms.
The examination room assigned to Xu Xing not only has a quiet environment and is not exposed to cold wind, but is also far away from the noisy noise.
The most important thing is that there are two fire pits in the house for heating.
In February, the weather is still a bit cold.
"This is customary."
"County Magistrate Wu and your mountain chief are good friends, so he gave us this special order."
The clerk seemed to have noticed Xu Xing's doubts and smiled.