"The county exam is difficult, the government exam is difficult, the provincial exam is especially difficult, the general exam is easy, and the palace exam is especially easy." Sitting in the exam hall, Su Ziji looked at the environment and couldn't help but sigh.
This may not have been the case in the previous dynasties, but in this dynasty starting from Taizu, the number of candidates who could reach the level of examination was not very large, so these candidates were often treated more leniently.
This does not mean that discipline is lax, but that the environment and treatment are much stronger.
Different from the local examinations, you can take the Gongyuan Examination. Anyone who passes the exam will be a future colleague of officials in the DPRK and China.
Although literati looked down upon each other, they were prone to hurt each other in certain matters. They tried to recruit scholars to reform, and encountered no obstacles at the beginning.
Although as time went by, the number of scholars gradually increased, and some voices appeared in the court, hoping that Hui would try to return to the previous court, but they were all ignored by the emperor.
As the current emperor grows older, the power of the Holy Judgment becomes stronger. The examination was originally scheduled for February. However, considering that since he ascended the throne, there will be snowfall every February, and it is really cold in spring, so he decided to change it to March.
The weather is much better now. At least Su Ziji doesn't feel cold when sitting in a room with only three partitions, overhead sun and rain protection, and an unobstructed view in front.
As far as the eye could see, most of the candidates who were sitting down had normal expressions and no signs of trembling.
The weather is good today, and the sun has not risen yet. But in the Gongyuan, if you look up in the sky ahead, you can vaguely see the clear sky.
"The weather seems to be good, which is a good sign." The slightly sweet taste of glutinous rice balls was still on the tip of his tongue. Su Ziji was in a good mood, sitting and waiting for the hair curlers and the card test to appear.
But the soldiers who appeared next, holding something in their hands, were beyond Su Ziji's expectation.
"It's not a card test?"
Seeing someone handing out mulberry roll bags to each room, Su Ziji took the bag, opened it, and understood.
"Each person is given a set of test papers, and the test questions are printed directly on them."
"Thousands of people's exam papers are still printed with fresh ink. This is a temporary printed paper. This is a big project, and we have to guard against someone leaking the questions in the process."
"That is, the examiner who knows how to take the exam can have such courage."
"However, it might just be the emperor's request." Su Ziji just thought about it casually and focused on the test questions.
When it came to the general examination, there were no short questions. There were seven papers and seven questions in total.
In this roll bag, apart from the answer papers, the rest is scratch paper.
There is enough draft paper in the back, a dozen sheets, but these cannot be taken out. When rewinding, they must be taken away together and sealed.
Therefore, when answering questions in the general examination, candidates do not dare to write on scratch paper, but must think deeply before writing.
"The next four questions are relatively small questions."
After browsing through it, Su Ziji had a clear idea: "The first three questions are relatively important, but the most important one is the first question."
"The steps in the sky are extremely difficult"
After looking at it carefully, Su Ziji couldn't help but change his expression. This question would make a timid person break into a cold sweat.
This topic is so big that it has no boundaries.
"What is heaven? Heaven is heaven. But the imperial court cannot allow candidates to speculate on God's will. This is a taboo. Anyone who takes the exam to this level will definitely be finished."
"So Heaven can only be the emperor or the court."
"The journey is very difficult. It can be said that in the thirty years since the imperial court passed the reign of Taizu to the present day, people's livelihood has recovered and gradually prospered. Unsurprisingly, it has been a prosperous period, and the prosperity of business has gradually reached its peak."
"This has hit the mark, but I thought about it privately. I am afraid that the real prosperity will still be in the next generation. The current situation is difficult. Does this mean that the emperor himself is old and decrepit?"
Su Ziji fell silent.
Even if someone has thought of this matter, how many would dare to answer it like this?
No matter how reckless I am, I don’t dare.
The room was quiet for a while, and the sound of the examinee next door turning over papers and the sigh of the examinee not far away could be clearly heard.
Everyone knows that this question is difficult to answer.
"Heaven refers to the imperial court or the emperor, but adding the word "step" means not only the emperor personally, but the development of the entire imperial court."
"Government in the imperial court is like climbing a mountain. No matter where you start climbing, it is always an uphill climb. At most, the process is full of twists and turns. But once you reach the top of the mountain, no matter how hard you work and how hard you strive for governance, it is always a downhill slope.
This has been proven throughout the ages.”
"In other words, this is the law of rise and fall."
"It's just that the ancients called the Qi number and destiny, which come and go, but it's actually the same thing."
"When it is prosperous and then in decline, it will be impossible to cross the sky."
"So the steps are so difficult. In fact, the emperor is aware of the rise and fall. He has not really reached the age of prosperity, but he is worried about the decline of prosperity, the full moon and eclipse, and the prosperity and loss of vessels?"
"This is really far-sighted, but to be honest, every dynasty, wise kings and ministers always feel that they can transcend the law of rise and fall, but history has proven that this is something that no one has been able to do since ancient times."
"His heart is deplorable, and his ambition is despicable. Just being a party involved means that he has to do his best in human affairs. If he delays the country a little longer, it proves the value of his existence."
The examination questions have been cleared, but until the sun rises high, a gust of wind blows, blowing the papers loudly.
Only then did Su Ziji take action.
He raised his hand to the highest point, slowly lowered it, and when it reached the top, he shook his head secretly. Even if it was more suppressed, writing like this meant that he still had to die.
He put his hand down on his chest, shook his head again, and asked himself: "What is the virtue of a prince and a grandson? Most of the time, the prince's job is to greet the court on a daily basis, to pay attention to the meal!"
This is what a famous official of the former dynasty said. It means that the prince's responsibility is not to govern, but to greet his father morning and night and ask about the meal (eating).
He pressed it to the waist again and thought for a while: "If I press it to this extent, my talent may not be so sharp? After all, I am not a true grandson, so I must show something."
"Since ancient times, there has been no greater suspicion than that between a father and his son. Their literary talent can be twelve points, but their talents can only be two or three points!"
Just thinking this way, Su Ziji suddenly felt that he was too worldly.
Even if this is the case, you can't say it casually, as it will shock the lovely hearts of many people.
Su Ziji smiled, then stopped, picked up the pen, and wrote on the draft paper.
After I finished writing this question, the sun was already rising high in the sky. There was a gurgling sound in my belly, and there was a banging sound not far away. This meant that food and water were coming.
Su Ziji suddenly realized that it was already noon.
Put the paper into the roll bag and hang it aside to prevent it from being stained for a while. Then you got up and walked slowly around the room, moving your limbs and joints to avoid pain and discomfort.
After a while, food was delivered to him.
One of the two soldiers put the boiled water in a wooden pot, which was still steaming, and placed it on the wooden table horizontally. There was also a basket of cooked food. They were all easy-to-store pancakes. There were five kinds of cakes, and they contained grains. This was an auspicious meaning.
.
The reason why you can still cook your own food in the dormitory in the local area, but when you get to the examination place, everything is distributed uniformly by the Gongyuan, one is to sympathize with the candidates, and the other is to fear that something will happen.