Since the establishment of the governor of Baoding during the Xuande period, Baoding has become the true capital of Beizhili.
After all, Gyeonggi is Shuntian Prefecture, while Northern Zhili can only be said to be Kinki. Since the emperor moved the capital to Beijing, news about the establishment of Northern Zhili as a province has emerged one after another.
However, both the governor of Baoding and the magistrate of Baoding pretended to be deaf and dumb and did not dare to say anything about it.
Ordinary people's words are just that. If what officials like them say spreads to the capital, it will be a big hit.
However, the arrival of the provincial examination pushed Baoding Prefecture to the peak of the craze.
Because only the provinces can do the provincial examination, and North Zhili can do it now, isn’t it actually North Zhili Province?
A wave of enthusiasm stirred up the officialdom of Beizhili and made people's hearts surge.
As everyone knows, this is the clue laid by the imperial court for the establishment of the province of Beizhili. When public opinion generally accepts it, the establishment of the province of Beizhili will be a matter of course.
Shanxi, Taiyuan Prefecture.
Since the Apocalypse, the world has been in turmoil, and Shanxi is not immune. In addition to the usual droughts and plagues, especially in the third year of Chongzhen, the Qin invaders entered the Jin Dynasty, which was the thirty-sixth camp of Shaanxi at that time.
After this incident, coupled with the plague, Shanxi lost 34% of its population and many places were abandoned.
However, with the peace of the world, especially after the imperial court expelled the slaves from the customs, the imperial authority increased greatly, and many people came out of the mountains and forests to settle down and start businesses.
And with the publicity of the provincial examination, Taiyuan Prefecture seemed to be on fire and became more and more lively.
Compared with the slim chance of taking the provincial examination, the provincial examination is a broad road that everyone aspires to. The detailed rules and information are all posted on the public notice wall, with a total of twelve chapters posted, which is shocking.
Chongshan Temple was also quite lively at this time. There were only a few pilgrims, but most of them were scholars.
It turns out that the people who live here are those scholars who are greedy for peace and cheapness. They are happy to study hard here in order to participate in the examination and win the gold medal.
“In this provincial examination, even the county magistrate was asked.”
"Since the Chongzhen period, the Three Jin Dynasties have experienced droughts and epidemics every year, and there have been military disasters. It has only gotten better in recent years, and many counties are still empty!"
"That's right, the world has just been renovated, and there are many official positions, but even the hundreds of Jinshi people who know how to test are too busy..."
"This is also your chance to have me. Otherwise, how could you become an official?"
"Two brothers, I am Yu Chenglong, whose courtesy name is Beiming. I don't know what you just said, but is it a provincial examination?"
The two of them took a look and saw an unshaven scholar, wearing a smooth green gown, a square scarf on his head, and cloth shoes, exuding a strong smell of books.
No need to think about it, he is just a Juren studying hard in the temple like them.
"I'm Lu Zhuo, named Yuezhi. This is my good friend, written in gold and ink -"
The person with a wider face introduced him, and the other person, who was taller, smiled and twitched his beard, which seemed a bit kind.
"What we are talking about is the provincial examination. I believe that my brother must also be interested in this."
Lu Zhuo said warmly: "Early this morning, yellow paper was posted on the public notice wall. It was stated that the provincial examination will be conducted by the governor, academic affairs, administrative envoys, and inspectors. The date will be July 28th, the same as in all provinces.
.”
"That's good."
Yu Chenglong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "These days, I have been having a headache doing math problems and agricultural books, and it is finally almost over."
"Who says it's not?"
Lu Zhuo continued: "I heard that according to today's standards, anyone who is literate can take the exam. Later, the government and the public persuaded them that only children who have passed the government exam can take the exam."
"This threshold is extremely necessary."
Jin Wen, who was silent on the side, couldn't help but speak, grinning almost to the point of crooking his eyebrows:
"In addition to the county magistrate, chief secretary, and general judge, the six county officials, the history officer, the history officer, the warden, and other low-level officials were also brought out. Moreover, at this time, twenty county magistrates were actually brought out."
"When will the officials of a county sit in court and the officials of our parents be coveted by our talented people?"
"Can a scholar also be a county magistrate?" Yu Chenglong was shocked. A wave of heat rushed from the soles of his feet to the back of his head. He wished he could jump three feet high on the spot, so as to express the joy in his heart.
How pitiful God is, for so many years, what he has been thinking about is passing the national examination, but his career is not going well. Now that he has hope, how can he explain it clearly?
"That's right." Jin Wenle said: "This provincial examination is based on percentages. Each question is worth one point. If you make a mistake, there will be no points. The ranking will be from high to low."
"And this ranking is also the ranking of official positions. They are arranged in descending order of rank. As long as you get the top twenty in the exam, you will definitely be the county magistrate."
Yu Chenglong gritted his teeth and suppressed his joy. He knew that the public notice wall must be crowded with people and couldn't squeeze through, so he could only continue to ask:
"Together, how many positions are there in total?"
"Brother Yu, don't be anxious." Lu Zhuo smiled and said, "Our brothers counted, from high to low, there are a total of 379 positions."
"The hope is great." Yu Chenglong nodded solemnly.
After chatting for a long time with Lu Zhuo and Jin Wen, Yu Chenglong could not hold back his joy the next day. He came to the notice wall early in the morning and saw the yellow paper plastered all over the wall.
"Dangyang County Magistrate, Shilou County, Daning County..."
"Sure enough, there are twenty county magistrate vacancies. It seems that this provincial examination is the real talent promotion ceremony."
Yu Chenglong saw the date and was determined.
Back at the temple, he picked up a pen and wrote a letter filled with joy and passion, describing his confidence in the future.
After a long time, he finally burned the letter.
If he fails, wouldn't it be a waste of time for his family to rejoice for him?
At the end of the month, the temple supervisor saw them off with a look of great concern that everyone could see clearly.
With two followers, Yu Chenglong also embarked on the road to the provincial examination.
Lu Zhuo and Jin Wen also got on the bullock cart and left together.
The location of the provincial examination is in Taiyuan Gongyuan, which is a sacred place for scholars throughout Shanxi Province, and now they will also enter.
The lanterns lit on the road illuminated the entire city.
Since the personnel are uneven, if you want to refer to it, you must have three talents working together.
Outside the Gongyuan, a large row of lanterns with the names of each prefecture were hung high, and everyone lined up to enter one after another.
The three of them are all from Taiyuan Prefecture, so they naturally line up in a line.
"I'm afraid that scholars from all over Shanxi are here, right?" Jin Wen exclaimed.
"Three to four thousand." Lu Zhuo on the side said:
"Therefore, the provincial examination has to add an additional rule. Those over forty are not allowed to apply, otherwise there will be more people."
"The imperial court is here to select officials, not to provide for the elderly." 32-year-old Yu Chenglong blurted out.
For provincial examination reference, the time is three days and two nights, entry is at noon on the first day, and exit is at midnight on the third day.
Obviously, these one hundred questions should not be underestimated.