Chapter 128 Tianzi No. 9, it is beneficial to open the book
Chapter 128: Entering Gongyuan and being searched at all levels
The house that Shao Muyu bought was adjacent to the Gongyuan, and it was not convenient for the two girls to see each other off. Therefore, after saying goodbye at the door, the girls looked at it for a while. After Shen Tang's figure merged into the crowd, they went home and waited.
Fan Zhineng was in front, followed by Shen Tang. Behind Shen Tang, two boys, one carrying a large food box and the other carrying an examination basket, walked all the way.
"This time, we have to choose one of seven! In all counties in Suizhou, there are about three to five hundred people who applied for the exam. In the end, only about thirty people were able to fall on the red list." Fan Zhineng whispered to Shen. Tang said.
Compared with the examinations of later generations, because the directions are different, the difficulty is naturally incomparable. However, the difficulty of the ancient imperial examinations can also be seen.
This is just a test for each state, which is to choose one of seven. When it comes to the provincial test, it is an extremely stringent one of nine! Throughout the Song Dynasty, tens of thousands of students from the north and the south in dozens of states will eventually become Jinshi and be nominated on the list. , no more than three or two hundred, no less than dozens, each one is truly one in a million!
Although the imperial examination also has many disadvantages, we have to admit that it is a step for very poor families to get ahead. Otherwise, there would not have been so many students in ancient times who continued to take the imperial examination until they were old and failed in the examination. Because once you become a Juren, you will leave the original level and step directly into the high-altitude temple.
The two stood at the gate of Gongyuan. Shen Tang thought about looking around. There were hundreds of people scattered around, most of them were several or even dozens of people together. These were the people in the county school, and for them Most of the guarantors were teachers from the county school.
Of course there are people like Shen Tang who are alone, but they are a minority!
"Later, when the gate of Gongyuan opens, the roll call will begin! At that time, we will go for a physical examination. After the examination, we will enter the Gongyuan and prepare to start the scientific examination."
Fan Zhineng explained to Shen Tang.
Mao hour arrived! The closed vermilion gate of the Gongyuan opened with a creak. Then, two groups of soldiers ran out of it first and opened up in the shape of wild geese on both sides of the gate.
Two officers in green official uniforms stepped out, each holding a thick roster in their hands.
One person stands in the middle and the other person stands on one side!
A person at the back coughed lightly, suppressing the commotion in the field, and then shouted loudly: "People from Tangcheng County, County School Yan Yutang, and guarantor Xu Anmin, come forward and take a physical examination!"
When the roll call began, a young student hurried forward with the food box and examination materials in his hand. Behind him, followed closely by an old father and son. The two stood in front of the recognizing officer and saluted respectfully. Just waiting for the official to speak.
He held up the roster in his hand, looked at the young student, compared it for a moment, and then said: "A person from Tangcheng County, County School Yan Yutang, has verified his identity and is allowed to enter!"
The student saluted again, carrying his belongings and entering the vermilion door with some nervousness.
This Xu Anmin was obviously a master from the county school, and more than ten students in a row were guaranteed by him! When all the students from Tangcheng County came in, the old master nodded with satisfaction and turned around.
The roll call was neither fast nor slow. The hundreds of people at the gate of Gongyuan soon became sparse.
"A person from Suizhou City fell into the hall in white. The guarantor, Fan Chengda, came forward for a physical examination!"
Hearing his name, Shen Tang hurriedly turned around and took a few things from the accompanying boy, and then followed Fan Zhineng forward.
The official looked at it for a moment, and then shouted loudly: "People from Suizhou City, please go to the hall in white, verify your identity, and you are allowed to enter!" After the words fell, he nodded to Fan Zhineng with a slight smile. It was obvious that the two of them were also Suizhou colleagues. .
Entering the gate of Gongyuan, there is a huge screen wall in front! On the screen wall, dragons and phoenixes are flying, and colorful clouds are auspicious! This is also a rare place where dragons and phoenixes are used outside the palace. Because the imperial examination is to select scholars for the country and to show the importance of talents, so Special treatment.
In the middle of the screen is a white wall. In more than ten days, the red list that all students will miss will be posted here.
On both sides of the screen wall, there is a stele pavilion on each side. The stele says: Neat and serious!
After bypassing the side wall and entering a small door guarded by soldiers, a man who looked like a junior official led two soldiers forward. The junior official stood aside, and the two soldiers took the food box in Shen Tang's hand. , after taking the examination basket and other items, and asking Shen Tang to take off his shoes and hand them to the clerk standing aside, he began to search Shen Tang.
According to the scientific examination regulations, students can only wear single clothes, and even shoes can only be thin-soled! Therefore, Shen Tang wore extremely light clothes.
The two soldiers searched very seriously, and the clerk on the side had also finished searching the examination basket. Then, the clerk called a soldier and led Shen Tang forward.
After walking a few more steps, there was a small door that was also guarded by an official. When he entered it under the guidance of the official, he asked Shen Tang to hand over the things and then take a bath! After taking off all his clothes, there were narrow rooms in front of him. After bathing in the narrow room, Shen Tang washed himself casually and then walked along the passage. When he arrived at the exit, he saw that his belongings had been taken away by the soldier just now! But his clothes were missing!
After receiving the white robe of the Confucian scholar handed over by the soldier, and after being fully dressed, the soldier followed Shen Tang forward again. Not long after, a solemn-faced official with a short beard was guarding a door. Behind him, several officials Official arrangement.
Seeing Shen Tang coming over, the two officials took action in person and searched Shen Tang's top and bottom again, inside and out. Even the soldier who followed him was not spared! Thoroughly After searching, he handed Shen Tang a bamboo sign with the message: Tian Zi No. 9, and then allowed the two of them to enter the portal.
The so-called brand names are actually arranged according to the Xuanhuang of the Thousand-Character Chinese. To put it simply, Shen Hall is the ninth seat in the first row. Of course, the layout of the Gongyuan is different, and the location is also slightly different.
It was only then that Shen Tang truly entered the Gongyuan and began to prepare for the exam.
The interior of the entire Gongyuan is square, with a square two-story wooden building in the middle! Surrounding the wooden building, there are layer-by-layer buildings arranged in a regular pattern. Each building is only three feet wide and four or five feet deep. appearance.
Under the leadership of the soldiers, Shen Tang came to the ninth cell in the first row on the east side. On it were written the words: Tian, Ninth and so on.
In the dormitory, there was a two-foot-high flat board separated from each other. The soldiers opened the flat board, and Shen Tang entered it carrying a bunch of things. This room was the location of his first scene.
Putting the food box aside, he took out all the pens and inks and put them on the tablet. Shen Tang didn't pay attention to other movements in the tribute courtyard, so he sat on the small stool in the room and closed his eyes to meditate. , and the soldier who had been following Shen Tang stood directly three feet away from the cell, looking away...