The county seat of Xinlin County is more than a hundred miles away from Niujiao Town, and the childbirth examination was held on the 1st, so Yunjing and the others had to leave one day in advance.
On the day of departure, Yunjing and Li Qiu got up early in the morning when the sun was shining brightly.
After washing up, despite Li Qiu's repeated warnings two days ago, he still confirmed repeatedly: "Jing'er, are you ready with everything? Brush, ink block, inkstone, paperweight, and water for grinding ink, you are sure you have everything.
Have you brought it with you? You don’t need to bring the paper, they will be distributed in the examination room to prevent cheating.”
Although he had confirmed it repeatedly, Yunjing still checked it again before replying: "Master, everything has been brought."
"Well, prepare a few extra brushes, and the same goes for everything else, just in case something unexpected happens during the exam," Li Qiu nodded.
Yunjing said: "Master, don't worry, I have all the spare ones with me, and they have been checked and there are no problems."
"That's good……"
In this era, the imperial examination is a very serious matter. Han Chuang has studied hard for many years just for this day. Even if it is just a child examination, it is worth handling with extreme caution.
Maybe there will be opportunities next year and in the future if you fail once, but after a failure, it will definitely bring pressure to the scholars and make them doubt themselves. Over time, they will become depressed and their knowledge will fall back if they do not advance. It will be difficult to get a scholarship.
There are many situations, and as someone who has been through it, Li Qiu knows it all too well.
He trusts his disciple, but that doesn't mean he can deal with it carelessly.
Then Li Qiu took out a small iron sign from the box he carried with him, handed it to Yun Jing and said, "Jing'er, this is your test sign. Keep it. Don't lose it. Once lost, you will not be able to enter the examination room.
You will have no chance of taking the imperial examination this year."
The iron plate is three fingers wide and half a palm long. It is brand new and bright silver. There are at least seventy or eighty similar small iron plates in Li Qiu's box.
These are the test cards for the students who are going to take the imperial examination this time. As the mountain chief, Li Qiu has been keeping them when the county sent them to him a few days ago.
Yunjing and the others were not the only ones to take part in the Tongsheng Examination. There were also other students who had started school earlier than them. After all, the imperial examination was very difficult. Not everyone could pass the examination in the first year. Many students failed to pass the Tongsheng Examination even after graduation.
.
That day when the county sent the cards for the examination, Yun Jing also saw it. The formation was quite large, with twenty people escorting them. Each of the escorts had extraordinary skills. Judging from their breath alone, most of them were probably even more skilled.
More than the king of Niujiao Town.
When the examination card was delivered, Li Qiu's signature, drawing and seal were required, and the mayor of Niujiao Town was present to prove it. This shows that the Dali Dynasty attached great importance to the imperial examination.
Now Niujiao Town has a mayor, a middle-aged man in his thirties, who is at the peak of his life.
When the new mayor took office, Li Qiu, as the headmaster of the school, went to greet him, but behind his back he sneered at the man. He told Yunjing that the new mayor was actually a Jinshi who came from the capital, and he also
I don’t know what connections made him the mayor of Niujiao Town.
After he came to take office, I didn't see him doing anything serious. He wandered around the eldest princess's mansion. He probably wanted to meet the eldest princess by chance and show his face in front of her. If she was remembered by the eldest princess, I'm afraid he would be remembered by her all at once.
Able to achieve great success.
I have to say that there is no shortage of people who are good at specializing in things like the system.
With these situations flashing through his mind, Yunjing looked at the exam card in his hand. One side had Yunjing's name on it, and the other side had some simple information about Yunjing engraved in small characters.
After looking around for a while, Yun Jing was a little curious, because he found that the edges of the test cards were irregular, as if they were deliberately made.
"Don't be surprised, Jing'er. There is a significant other in the county. When entering the examination room, if the test card does not match, you will not be able to enter the examination room. The significant other is different every year to prevent someone from pretending to take the exam." Li Qiu was beside him
explained.
In this regard, Yunjing could only say that the Dali Dynasty had really taken great pains to prevent cheating.
After everything was ready, Li Qiu said: "Let's go to the school. After breakfast, we set off to the county with the others. If nothing else happens, we will arrive in the afternoon. The inn has already been prepared. Let's take a rest when we arrive.
Go get familiar with the examination room, get some sleep, and enter the examination room for the official test tomorrow morning."
Li Qiu has experienced this kind of thing of sending students to take exams many times, and the arrangements are very orderly.
As they were about to set off, Yunjing said to Xiaobai, who was sunbathing by the pond in the yard: "Xiaobai, I have to go to the county to take the exam. If I don't come back today, you have to take care of your home."
"Let's go Jing'er, what can it understand?" Li Qiu smiled and shook his head.
When Xiaobai heard Yunjing's words, he turned to look at him, and even cooed, as if to say that he understood, and he didn't know what animal he had learned from.
Then, it continued to stare at the half-meter-deep pond.
At the bottom of the pond, a turtle the size of a washbasin was hiding at the bottom of the water, refusing to come out. It was obviously very afraid of Xiaobai...
The master and the apprentice arrived at the school in an ox-cart without haste.
It was very lively at the foot of the mountain today. There was a long queue of horse-drawn carriages one after another. It was like going to a market. The market was not as lively. Those were the family members of the students who were going to refer to the students, etc. They would accompany the children to the county town.
take an exam.
The imperial examination is a matter related to the future destiny, and the family members of those students who are considering it are obviously more nervous and concerned about it than the students themselves.
After dinner at the school, the mountain leader Li Qiu gathered together all the students who wanted to be considered.
Yunjing scanned it with his bladder and found that the number of people who went to consult this time was actually eighty-six!
And this is only the reference number of people in their Niujiao Town School. If the entire Xinlin County is added up, the reference number will definitely exceed one thousand.
It was really like thousands of troops crossing the single-plank bridge.
After distributing the test cards, Li Qiu seriously told the students about the rules of the examination room. Faced with such a major event in life, whether they had taken the test or were taking it for the first time, they all listened carefully.
"I won't go into details about the importance of this exam, but you must remember that during the exam, it is strictly forbidden to make any noise after entering the exam room. Once you disturb the order of the exam room, you will be expelled from the exam room, or the exam results will be cancelled. Then, don't
If you cheat with a sense of luck, if you are discovered, you will be banned from taking the exam for ten years, or you will not be allowed to participate in the imperial examination for life, and you may even be deprived of your student status or even be convicted and imprisoned. Remember it all, do you hear me?" Li Qiu said with a look on his face.
said seriously.
"I know," a group of teenage children said in a mixed voice, but everyone looked serious.
Li Qiu didn't know whether they listened or not. He had said everything that needed to be said. If someone still made a mistake then, there would be nothing he could do.
Finally, he said: "Okay, you have studied hard for many years, and now you have to cheer up for the exam and show off your true talents. I wish you in advance that you will gain fame and honor your ancestors, and set off!"
Then, a group of people went down the mountain in an orderly manner.
In addition to Li Qiu, there were three other gentlemen accompanying him to the county seat this time. As soon as they left, the entire school seemed empty.
The rest are either some students who have passed the Tongsheng test, or some people who are really unsure of themselves. Those with fame are cheering them on, while those without fame have a look of confusion about the future...
This time there are eighty-six students in the school taking the exam. How many will get the honor in the end?
No one knows, because the imperial examination is too difficult. Thousands of people compete for the twenty places. Dozens of them go for reference. In the end, if one or two can pass the exam, it is worth celebrating. I don’t dare to think that there will be more. In previous years
There are many who have not passed the exam. As far as Yunjing knows, this was the case last year!
For many people, the imperial examination is an opportunity to change their destiny and social status, but this opportunity is so slim that it is not an exaggeration to say that it is as difficult as reaching the sky.
The group of people came to the foot of the mountain, got on a means of transportation such as a carriage, and then set off toward the county seat.
The number of students, their parents, and guard servants in total exceeds 300. The scale is really quite large. This kind of thing happens once a year. When they walk through the fields, the busy farmers are already used to it.
Starting from the school, they walked around the edge of the town and then onto the official road.
During the first part of the journey, the parents of each student were telling their children what to do, over and over again. Some children were listening, while others were a little impatient...
Traveling, especially long distances, is still a boring thing in this era of inconvenient transportation.
After walking for an hour, the student's parents were speechless and ran out of words, so they let their children go.
Then, some acquaintances will be invited to chat and relieve their boredom, while others will simply rest and recuperate.
"Ajing, here, come to my carriage. It's spacious. Fatty and the others are here too. Let's have some fun together."
Wang Bolin and his father finally "let him go" and went to chat with familiar people in the carriage. Then he couldn't wait to stick his head out of the carriage window and wave to the cloud scene.
Li Qiu smiled and patted Yun Jing's shoulder and said, "Jing'er, go ahead. It's good to relax before the exam."
"Okay Master, I'll go over then"
After saying hello, Yunjing got off the bullock cart and walked quickly towards Wang Bolin and the others.
It's not that he's too stressed about tomorrow's exam, it's mainly that he's too bored on the road.
Stepping onto Wang Bolin's carriage, Yunjing found that no adults were there. The carriage was very spacious. Chen Yijian, Zhou Jintai and Wang Bolin each occupied a place. Yunjing didn't feel crowded at all after getting up.
"Ajing, have you been to the county seat?"
As soon as Yun Jing came up, Wang Bolin asked.
"I've never been there. Why, don't you know? This is my first time there." Yunjing sat down and shrugged. He didn't have the curiosity at all because he was entering the city for the first time.
After seeing the scene in Niujiao Town, Yunjing was no longer curious about the so-called big city here.
Wang Bolin patted his forehead and said: "Ah, I forgot, by the way, I told you, I have been to the county many times, and there are many beautiful girls and wives there. Hehe, A Jing, you look so good-looking.
, be careful if you are kidnapped and you won’t be able to come back.”
Yun Jing had a black line on his forehead at that time. This guy couldn't live without women. If you didn't say that women would die, he said speechlessly: "The exam is tomorrow, are you still in the mood to think about this?"
"What else can you think about?" Wang Bolin asked naturally.
go to hell……
Not wanting to talk to him anymore, Yunjing looked at Zhou Jintai and said, "Fat man, don't be nervous. Just treat it with a normal attitude. You have learned everything you need to learn. Just perform normally. Don't be stressed."
Zhou Jintai was so nervous when he saw it that he kept stuffing food into his mouth without saying anything.
"Um, I'm not nervous." He raised his head and smiled, chewing something in his mouth and unable to speak clearly.
Aren't you nervous? The fat all over your body is shaking. Then Yunjing said: "Look at the swordsman. He is not nervous. He is still in the mood to read."
Chen Yijian, since his failure in the sword battle, Yunjing and the others gave him the nickname "Swordsman".
"What's the use of reading when things are coming to an end?" Zhou Jintai curled his lips and said.
At this moment, Wang Bolin stared at him and shouted: "No, no, no, you don't think the swordsman is reading a serious book now, do you?"
???
Then, Yun Jing and Zhou Jintai both looked at Chen Yijian, who was looking down at a book.
The guy's face turned red, and he threw the book in his hand at Wang Bolin's face and said, "What? As soon as I got in the car, Lin Zi said that he got a good book, and I just wanted to see what's good about it. It turns out that generally
Bar"
"Do you usually read with such enthusiasm?" Wang Bolin put the book away and said scornfully.
Yunjing wanted to beat them to death and said, "What time has it been and you are still in the mood to watch this? Can't you just focus on the exam?"
After saying that, Yunjing shook his head and said, "Let me have a look too..."
"Hahaha, A Jing, you are not a good person either!" Wang Bolin and the others suddenly laughed.
They talked and laughed along the way, but it was not boring at all. Four or five hours later, they were halfway to the county seat, stopped to rest at a roadside tavern, had a meal, and continued on their way.
The roadside store is located at the intersection of the first and third roads. It is quite large, with two floors. The three roads in front lead to the other three towns respectively, for people who are on the way to stay and stay. The arrival of Yunjing and the others made this store more popular.
Made a lot of money.
Here, Yunjing and the others also met teams from three other towns rushing to take the exam. Although they didn't know each other, they walked together on the road behind them.
That store wasn't a shady store, and they didn't happen to have any grudges...
The group of people were not as interested in the rest of the road. Although the spring sun was not harsh, the journey itself was boring, and the warm sun made people drowsy.
Fortunately, students who are rushing to take exams all come from well-off families, so they naturally have helpers for things like driving. If you feel sleepy on the way, you can just rest.
Yunjing did not sleep. He was in good spirits. He returned to Master Li Qiu's car and looked at the scenery along the way.
In fact, there is nothing to see. Most of the roads are barren mountains and ridges. Occasionally you can see fields, and you can only see some poor farmers busy in the fields.
Then, Yunjing discovered that the busy farmers he saw were all using farmyard manure, presumably because of the imperial court's efforts.
One thing Yun Jingman is troubled about is that until now, the imperial court has no policy to determine the tax issue. Maybe the court is still wrangling...
In the afternoon, around four o'clock, after driving for most of the day, Xinlin County was finally in sight.
The destination is approaching, and at this time, people who have been bored all the way are feeling better again.
Looking at Xinlin County in the distance, Yun Jing thought as expected, it didn't make his eyes shine.
Although it is a county town, it is several times larger than Niujiao Town. There are fewer mud-walled huts and the buildings are a little better, but in the end it does not allow Yunjing to experience the prosperous scene he envisions.
There is a city wall surrounding the county seat, if that can be called a city wall.
The city wall is only about four meters high and is made of stone. Many places are obviously in disrepair and have collapsed. They are filled with soil and compacted. It is estimated that it will be soaked when it rains.
Well, Yunjing couldn't help but mutter in his heart. What he saw on TV in his previous life was that any small town or county had solid city walls, clean streets, gorgeous houses, people dressed well, and spoke elegantly... What the hell is that?
Insulting people's intelligence!
What is the real situation? The roads are uneven, the buildings are old, and most of the people's clothes are in tatters...
It was something that was expected, and Yunjing was not surprised to see the situation in Xinlin County.
However, during a critical period like the imperial examination, Xinlin County's security issues were very serious. There were soldiers guarding the city gates, carefully checking passers-by one by one.
When it was Yunjing's turn, it was much simpler. They only needed to show proof of examination or student status before they were released. They were not subject to strict investigation, and the soldiers guarding them were actually very polite to them.
After entering the city, they went straight to the inn they had booked.
"Jing'er, what are you looking at?"
Li Qiu saw Yun Jing looking around, so he asked curiously.
Yun Jing smiled and said: "Master, when I went to the teahouse with you to listen to books, I often heard storytellers say that it is easy for feuds to happen in places with many people. I was wondering if we would meet by chance."
"How can we encounter so many grievances and grievances in the world? What the storyteller said are all things that have happened before, and most of them are just fabricated. They cannot be taken seriously. Besides, tomorrow is the imperial examination, so it's nothing to do.
Who dares to make trouble at this time? Once it affects the imperial examination, it will be easy to go to jail!" Li Qiu shook his head and said dumbly.
Well, Yunjing also felt that he was thinking too much.
After all, the county town is still much larger than Niujiao Town, and there are many more people. There are many shops on the streets, and pedestrians come and go, which gives Yunjing a glimpse of the real town style in ancient times.
Half an hour after entering the city, Yunjing and the others finally arrived at the inn they had booked.
There are so many of them that one inn obviously cannot accommodate them. Several nearby inns have already been booked, waiting for them to check in.
The imperial examinations of the dynasty were still very influential. Along the way, Yunjing found that people were talking about the imperial examinations.
After settling down at the inn and resting for a while, Li Qiu was busy gathering the students and then took them to familiarize themselves with the examination room.
When Yunjing and the others arrived at the examination room, they found that the place had already been under martial law. There were soldiers guarding the area every few meters, and the streets around the examination room were full of police officers patrolling...
