Time flies by like a fleeting horse, and in a blink of an eye, it’s July of the eighth year of God’s blessing.
The Autumn Festival was held on the ninth day of August as usual, and after July 7, the imperial court announced the list of main and deputy candidates for the provincial examinations.
As for the Henan Provincial Examination at the feet of the Emperor, as a rule, it will not be announced until seven days before the exam.
On the second day of August, when the list of examiners for the Henan Provincial Examination came out, Yang Yuanzhen, then the concubine of Zuo Chunfang in the Hanlin Academy, was surprised.
Because the examiner of the Henan Provincial Examination this time is none other than himself.
Youdao says that once you take charge of an examination, you will benefit from it for life. This is absolutely true. Taking charge of the provincial examination is a hot and good job.
If two to three hundred candidates are admitted to a subject, the examiner must be called "mentor". Among so many students, there will always be a batch of promising ones.
You don’t need to be a cabinet minister, you are just an ordinary middle-level cadre, which is also a valuable network.
Therefore, every autumn, court officials are eager for the position of examiner of the rural examination.
If Yang Yuanzhen hadn't been the second-ranked Hanlin poet, with deep qualifications and a reputation for integrity, he probably wouldn't have been selected by Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, who was in charge of this matter.
However, Yang Yuanzhen couldn't laugh no matter what after receiving this good and honorable job.
Why?
Because Henan is the place where the capital is located, there are many powerful and powerful families, and the land is full of princes, princes and ministers.
No matter how perfect the anti-cheating measures are, they can't stop these people from crossing the sea and showing off their magical powers. There are always loopholes in front of them to exploit seemingly impeccable measures.
In fact, since the founding of this dynasty, Henan and Jiangnan have had the most cases of rural examination fraud.
Every year when the provincial examination comes, it is not uncommon for candidates and their families to try their best to build relationships through backdoors.
This is why the examiners of each Henan Provincial Examination are announced so late.
It’s just to prevent someone from knowing the candidate in advance and trying to get through!
Therefore, on the day he received the order, Yang Yuanzhen was effectively placed under house arrest. Without even returning home, he was directly loaded into an airtight carriage and taken from the Hanlin Academy to a closed courtyard, where he met the deputy examiner and other officials.
Meet the examiner.
When everyone met, they exchanged pleasantries and complained. When all the examiners arrived in the afternoon, the Henan Provincial Examination Proposition Group was officially established, and they began to work on their propositions.
It took three full days, first drafted and discussed by the examiners, and then the chief examiner Yang Yuanzhen made the final decision. The three questions on the Four Books and the four questions on the Five Classics for the first round of the provincial examination were finally drawn up.
There is a saying in the science examination field that can be applied to all provincial and national examinations, that is, "the first of the three tests is important, and the first is the first."
The first four-book question is the most important among all the questions in the provincial examination, and it plays a decisive role in the candidate's final score.
Therefore, the proposition group headed by Yang Yuanzhen can be said to have considered this question again and again.
In the end, Yang Yuanzhen set the first major topic of the Four Books based on the principle of not seeking surprises but seeking no faults.
After handing over the classics and meaning questions for the first session to the guarding sergeant, Yang Yuanzhen spent another two days handing over the draft questions for the next two sessions.
Then there is the boring wait.
Until the day when autumn officially arrives, Yang Yuanzhen and other examiners cannot step out of the courtyard.
……
When Gu Tingye, Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng arrived at the examination room, it was just after the fourth watch, the sky was still dark and the air was even colder.
Looking at the Dazhou Gongyuan in front of him, Gu Tingye felt mixed emotions in his heart when he thought of what he had experienced these days.
Gu Tingye studied at Bailudong Academy in his hometown, where he also took the boy examination. Logically speaking, he should have gone to Jiangxi to take the provincial examination.
However, when Gu Tingye was about to leave for Jiangxi, he unexpectedly received news from Bianjing. His father, Gu Yankai, had already found a way to transfer his academic status to Bianjing.
In other words, Gu Tingye was "immigrated to the college entrance examination" before the provincial examination.
The reason is very simple. The probability of Chinese style in Jiangxi Provincial Examination is 150 to 1, while the probability of Chinese style in Henan is 20 to 1.
The gap between them is self-evident, which is why there are so many candidates who take the exams under false pretense.
For officials in Beijing, no matter where they are from, their descendants can take the imperial examination in Beijing.
Although it is not written down, it has always been the case.
The emperor also has a tacit attitude towards this.
There is no other way. If we insist on driving all the heirs of Beijing officials back to their place of origin to take the exam, I am afraid that the city of Bianjing will immediately turn into a mess.
We can only continue this unwritten rule, which should be regarded as preferential treatment for Beijing officials.
Although the Gu family is the family of a martial artist, it has been rooted in Bianjing for many years and is also a member of the Beijing officials. Gu Tingye can naturally enjoy preferential treatment when taking exams in Beijing.
However, Gu Tingye had a quarrel with his family before, so he went to Bailudong Academy in his hometown to study, and later even passed the boy's examination there.
Gu Yankai usually hated Gu Tingye so much that he never had a good word to say and wished he could be kicked out of his house.
It feels a bit like the traditional Chinese father's repressive education, but Gu Yankai's actions are even more suffocating.
But no matter what, Gu Yan still misses his son Gu Tingye in his heart.
Seeing that Gu Tingye had reached the critical point in his life, the provincial examination, Gu Yankai finally couldn't help but take action and made arrangements for Gu Tingye, using connections to find someone to transfer his academic status from Jiangxi to Henan.
After Gu Tingye heard about this in Yuzhou, he was stunned for a long time and kept complaining about his father's self-assertion.
But it was a rare occasion for Gu Tingye to experience his father's care and love for him. Although he complained on his lips, he couldn't help but be secretly happy in his heart.
In the end, he silently accepted the result and was finally willing to return to Bianjing.
Wei Chen understood Gu Tingye's inner feelings very well, but he still felt quite speechless about Gu Yankai.
Although he obviously loves his son, he always has to express his fatherly love in a violent way, making the relationship between father and son become like an enemy. Why bother?
In May, Gu Tingye set off from Yuzhou and returned to Ningyuan Houfu in Bianjing.
The results were as expected.
Gu Tingye, who had just returned home, gave his father Gu Yan a hard slap.
Only then did Gu Tingye have a little hope in his heart, and he was happily looking forward to the beautiful scene of meeting his relatives. After this experience, he naturally felt sad again.
Coupled with the fact that Xiao Qin and others were fanning the wind and lighting the fire, Gu Tingye was so angry that he moved into a small courtyard built by the Bai family outside Bianjing City. After that, he never wanted to go back to Ningyuan Marquis Mansion again unless necessary. p>
Fortunately, although Wei Chen is not here, Gu Tingye still has Sheng Changbai as his best friend in Bianjing.
Sheng Changbai visited Gu Tingye's courtyard from time to time and discussed some classic articles with Gu Tingye, which finally put a smile on the frustrated Gu Tingye's face.
……
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three loud blasts of cannons brought Gu Tingye's thoughts back to reality, and the sergeant guarding the gate slowly opened the gate.
Then there were three more cannon shots, and the gate opened. Three more shots, and the gantry also opened.
A total of nine cannons were fired, and the Great Zhou Gongyuan, which had been closed for two and a half years since the last Spring Festival, was finally reopened to the world.
Seeing people starting to queue up at the gate of Gongyuan, Gu Tingye quickly handed the "Tan Wen Lu" in his hand to Shi Shi beside him and asked him to keep it safe.
Qi Heng on the side also handed over the book in his hand to Buwei.
Only Sheng Changfeng was empty-handed. Seeing the actions of Gu Tingye and Qi Heng, he smiled and said: "Zhong Huai, Yuan Ruo, we are about to charge into battle, why are we still sharpening our guns in front of the battle?"
"Is that what you called Zhong Huai?"
Gu Tingye glanced at Sheng Changfeng casually: "I have a relationship with my colleague Xingyun. Since you claim to be his disciple, you should call me uncle!"
Sheng Changfeng said disapprovingly: "Besides, there are no uncles and nephews who took the provincial examination in the same department. Wouldn't it just make people laugh if word spread about it?"
"You!"
Gu Tingye was speechless for a moment and could only glare fiercely at Sheng Changfeng, trying to overwhelm him in terms of momentum.
Sheng Changfeng had a faint smile on his lips, and he looked at Gu Tingye steadily, not losing the slightest bit.
When Gu Tingye saw this, he couldn't help but let out a sigh. Then he remembered that the third son of the Sheng family in front of him was no longer what he used to be. He was no longer the little brat who followed Sheng Changbai and himself.
A few years have passed, Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng have long relied on their talents and knowledge to become famous rising stars in Bianjing.
Because he, Wei Chen, and Sheng Changbai studied together under Mr. Qingteng Zhuang Jun, and they all achieved success in their studies, they were considered by the good people as "the four great talents of Zhuang Clan".
As soon as this statement came out, it was immediately recognized by many people and was talked about by scholars in Bianjing. Even Wei Chen and Gu Tingye heard about it in Yuzhou.
Of course Wei Chen doesn't care about this, but Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng have always denied this statement.
They have always respected Wei Chen as a teacher, and they asked themselves that the gap between them and Wei Chen was like a firefly compared to a bright moon, how could they dare to stand side by side with Wei Chen?
Seeing Gu Tingye and Sheng Changfeng staring at each other and refusing to give in, another "talented man" quickly came out to smooth things over
"Second uncle! You are too ridiculous. The second brother of the Sheng family, you and the young gentleman are all peers. How can Chang Feng treat you as an uncle? Wouldn't the seniority be completely messed up?"
Gu Tingye knew he was in the wrong, so he snorted softly: "Well, I can't stand a junior like him. Yuan Ruo, my nephew, is very much in line with me. My second uncle will definitely love you very much in the future."
After saying that, Gu Tingye reached out and patted Qi Heng on the shoulder with a kind look on his face.
Qi Heng opened his mouth in astonishment, but didn't say anything after all. He turned around and scolded Sheng Changfeng, who was watching the joke.
"I know you have a good memory and have memorized all those 120 articles. But how profound and profound is Mr. Xiao's "Tan Wen Lu"? Even reading it a hundred times is not too much!
What mistake did Uncle Gu and I make in reviewing this book before the exam? It's your turn to talk here? That means Mr. Xiao is in Yuzhou. If he sees you like this, I will definitely punish you severely!" p>
Hearing Qi Heng carrying Wei Chen out, Sheng Changfeng felt a chill in his heart, smiled coyly, and quickly interrupted: "Okay, okay, let's wait until the exam is over to talk about anything else. It's getting late, we should
Entering the venue!"
Seeing Sheng Changfeng running away with the test box in a hurry, Qi Heng could only shake his head helplessly and called Gu Tingye to follow him quickly.
At this time, it was dawn, the dragon gate opened, and the candidates filed in in order of roll call.
When passing by the area where the Yuzhou scholars were, Gu Tingye's pace suddenly slowed down a bit, and his expression became slightly solemn.
Qi Heng and Wei Chen exchanged many letters. Seeing this, he immediately understood what Gu Tingye was thinking. He smiled and said: "Don't worry, uncle, you have read Mr. Xiao's "Tan Wen Lu" more than once. Could it be that you have read it more than once?
Don’t you know how powerful it is?”
Gu Tingye couldn't help but smile and nodded when he heard this. He quickened his pace, and Qi Heng caught up with Sheng Changfeng and joined the queue of Kaifeng Mansion candidates.
This time the Kaifeng Prefecture's Instructor was not very lucky. The lot he drew was quite low. The Kaifeng Prefecture candidates waited for more than an hour before they heard the angry shouts of the prison officer from in front of the gate.
"Kaifeng Prefecture candidates are admitted!"
Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, and Sheng Changfeng all cheered up after hearing this, and followed the queue slowly into the gate.
After entering, the candidates, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, will take off their clothes and be naked for inspection.
Even if Gu Tingye and Qi Heng are marquises in one family and dukes in the other, they will be treated equally when they get here.
After the inspection, the candidates rearranged their clothes and examination boxes, and found their respective dormitories to sit down under the guidance of the clerk.
After putting down the examination boxes and laying out the pens, inks and papers, the candidates all stretched their heads and looked out from the doorway. The scribes began to hand out papers. Their heads and feet were exposed in the examination alley, but there was silence and solemnity.
At this time, Gu Tingye discovered that the man opposite Lao She actually knew him. He was the middle-aged scholar who cried bitterly on the day Wei Chen gave a lecture on Jijie.
Gu Tingye remembered this person's name, Guo Jin. Gu Tingye also knew that this should be the fourth time this person had participated in the provincial examination.
When Gu Tingye noticed Guo Jin, Guo Jin also saw him. The two looked at each other, smiled encouragingly, and then both lowered their heads and began to complete one of the most important exams in their lives.
Guo Jin got the packaged test paper, his palms were full of sweat.
Failing three times in a row had already made him feel disheartened. This time he regrouped and took the exam. However, meeting Wei Chen that day aroused a trace of unwillingness deep in his heart.
Guo Jin was a native of Shenge Town, Mi County. He borrowed "Tanwenlu" from the Yixue Library in Shenge Town seven or eight times, during which time he copied the entire book by hand word by word.
Come down.
Guo Jin knew that there were many scholars like him in Yuzhou who had failed repeatedly.
Everyone regards the thick set of "Tan Wen Lu" as their last hope, like a sponge, frantically absorbing nutrients from it, just for that slim chance.
Maybe this time, it will be different from the past...
Guo Jin took a deep breath and slowly opened the test paper. The first question of this provincial examination suddenly appeared in front of him.
"It is not good for a villain to live idle and do everything he can. When he sees a gentleman, he becomes disgusted. He covers up his bad deeds and focuses on his good deeds."
Seeing this exam question from the original text of the chapter "Sincerity" in "The University", Guo Jin couldn't help but be stunned, and then rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Then, a burst of ecstasy came over my heart.
He actually did this question!
It’s among the 120 mock test questions at the end of the talk!
Although the simulation question only excerpts one of the passages, the meaning of the question is basically the same!
Guo Jin answered all these simulation questions seriously, and revised his article more than once with reference to Wei Chen's explanations in the book and the sample essays provided.
Later, during a lecture, Guo Jin was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be given some guidance by Wei Chen himself, and the question he asked happened to be the question in front of him.
At that time, Wei Chen patiently pointed out the shortcomings in his article and suggested ways to improve it.
After Guo Jin returned, he revised this article based on Wei Chen's suggestions.
Therefore, Guo Jin was deeply impressed by this question.
What a coincidence!
What a coincidence!
It’s all a coincidence!
Even among the Yuzhou scholars who have carefully studied "Tan Wenlu", Guo Jin dares to guarantee that he is the only Scorpion Baba!
At this moment, Guo Jin suddenly felt extremely lucky!
He couldn't help but tremble all over, and was so excited that he couldn't even hold his pen. His whole body was filled with excitement, and he roared silently in the dormitory, making his face look hideous and terrifying.
If someone saw the scene in the dormitory through the door at this time, they would definitely think that the candidate has gone crazy.
After a while.
Guo Jin finally forced himself to calm down and carefully recalled the article he had revised. After pondering for a while, he dipped his pen in ink and began to break down the topic.
"Those who deceive themselves deceive a gentleman, and a villain is hypocritical!"