The palace examination took place in Yong'an Palace, and Tang Ning also passed by here when she last came to the palace.
Before the palace examination, a series of steps including roll call and salute were passed. Afterwards, the candidates walked into the hall one by one and took their seats according to their ranking in the provincial examination.
Tangning was naturally the first to step into the hall.
His position is at the front, followed by Gu Bai, and behind him are Cui Lang and Shen Jian.
"The examiner is here!"
An official said something sharply, and several figures came out of the back hall.
Tangning's seat was at the front and he had the clearest view. He raised his head and focused his gaze on a middle-aged man in the front.
The imperial examination was hosted by the Ministry of Rites, and the person at the forefront was naturally the Minister of Rites, Tang Huai.
Tang Huai walked in front of him and never glanced in this direction. Tang Ning's face was calm and unruffled.
Xiao Jue's seat was in a corner of the hall. He raised his head and saw that Tang Ning had no reaction, so he looked away.
An official walked up to Tang Huai and said, "Master Tang, it's almost time."
Tang Huai nodded and said, "Let's get started."
The official whispered something to a eunuch, who took two steps forward and said loudly: "The palace examination begins!"
Soon someone handed out the test papers. The papers were all sealed, and the questions were sealed inside.
In previous years, the policies and essays in the imperial examinations were sometimes tested on policies and sometimes on essays.
"Policy" refers to the actual policy for governing the country, just like the flood control policy, epidemic prevention policy, etc. above the state examination, they can all be implemented in practice.
"Discussion" generally refers to opinions on a certain issue, such as "governing a big country is like cooking small delicacies" he and Li Tianlan discussed, or directly excerpting a part from classics and meanings, allowing candidates to express themselves freely.
If the "Lun" test is taken, more emphasis will be placed on articles. For Tang Ning, the "Policy" test will naturally have an advantage.
He carefully unpacked the test questions and looked at them.
There were only two questions in this year's palace examination, and this was the first information he saw.
The first question was very short. It was the shortest of all the policy discussion questions that Tang Ning had ever seen.
The content of the first question is: "Governing a big country is like cooking small dishes."
Tang Ning was a little stunned when she saw the question at first, because he had just done this question not long ago and had an in-depth exchange with Li Tianlan.
If this was not a palace examination, he would definitely think that it was from Li Tianlan.
After a small daze, he looked at the second one.
The second question is very long, about a hundred words long. It asks the candidates about their views on the enemies on the northern grasslands and whether it is necessary to form an alliance with the Chu State. Explain their views and reasons.
Both questions are "discussions." The first question is about governing the country, and the second question is about current affairs.
Tang Ning now had some doubts. Today's policy question was really written by Li Tianlan, or she had the ability to predict the future and secretly leaked the test questions to him without leaving any trace.
This idea flashed through my mind, and then I regretted it.
If I had known earlier that these two questions were going to be asked, I could actually have given them a try. If I had given them a try, maybe the big house would have turned into a big garden.
He was in a daze for a while, and then he started to dip his pen in the ink.
Answering these two questions does not require much thinking. The necessary thinking process has been experienced in the communication with Ms. Li.
He only needs to adjust the timeline back to those two periods to replay what they discussed at that time.
The first one was in the Red Sleeve Pavilion, on the day Tang Yaoyao came to the capital.
The second step was the provincial examination list, the day when Tang Yaoyao and Li Tianlan competed.
It is said that on the day of their competition, Tang Yaojing and Li Tianlan stood together, with this chest-thrust action - the difference was too obvious.
Tang Ning carefully compared them several times, shook her head, and drove these images out of her mind. Then she picked up the pen and was about to start writing when her expression was startled.
What was he going to do just now?
When he recalled his conversation with Li Tianlan for the second time, most people in the hall had already put pen to paper.
One day, two strategies, the time is still a little rushed, not a penny can be wasted.
The first question, "Governing a big country is like cooking small delicacies," comes from Laozi's "Tao Te Ching". The policy theory did not test Confucian classics, which surprised them a little. But fortunately, they were also very familiar with the Tao Te Ching and were able to pass the state and provincial exams.
Those who carve out a bloody path are all outstanding people. This question is not difficult for them.
However, precisely because the question is not difficult, it becomes extremely difficult to stand out among more than 200 people. They must ensure that what they write is different from others and that their conclusions are more exciting than others. Only then can they have any hope of standing out.
The second question is the same.
The Sushen people on the northern grasslands have always been a serious concern of the Chu State. It has been half a year since the envoys of the Chu State came to the Chen State to seek an alliance. Anyone who pays a little attention to national affairs will know this.
What's more, among the 100 questions in this imperial examination, the relationship between Chen State and the grassland, and the relationship between Chen and Chu were listed as the focus, and many of them knew it by heart.
But precisely because of this, it is really not easy to write something new.
It's just that although the grassland is powerful, the Chu State itself is not weak. The Sushen people pose a limited threat to the Chen State. It is better to sit back and watch the two tigers fight... This should be the standard answer, and it is exactly in line with the imperial court's opinion.
If the imperial court wanted to send troops to aid Chu, it would have agreed to form an alliance long ago, so why wait until now?
While everyone was thinking, they couldn't help but look at the back figure in the front.
I heard that the leader of the provincial examination is very knowledgeable, but his articles are not very good. In this palace examination, both policy papers were tested on "theory", and the contents of the examination were all well-known things, and there was not much
Change is the test of writing. With the same content, whoever can write an article in a colorful way will be at the top.
But this time, the person who came first in the provincial examination might not even be able to enter the second place in the palace examination.
If this is true, he is the biggest joke in this imperial examination. After all, the leaders in the provincial examinations over the years are definitely in the forefront of the second class even if they are not ranked first...
Many people mourned for him for a moment, looked away, and began to concentrate on answering questions...
At the top, several examiners were silent, their eyes scanning the candidates below one by one.
Tang Huai, the Minister of Rites, glanced around aimlessly and landed on one person.
At a certain moment, Tangning put down her pen, raised her head, and met the gaze above her.
Neither of them looked away, they just looked at each other calmly.
A person next to Tang Huai looked at him and asked doubtfully: "Master Tang, what's wrong?"
Tang Huai looked back, smiled, and said, "It's nothing. You guys must pay close attention to the palace examination, and there must be no fraud..."
"That's natural."
"Master Tang, don't worry."
…
On top of the state examination, you have to write three simple policy essays within one day. The questions in the provincial examination are slightly more difficult, but one article a day means you have plenty of time.
In comparison, the palace examination was moderately difficult. When the gong sounded, indicating that there was only one hour left before the palace examination ended, most people had already finished answering the questions and transcribing them.
Tangning handed in her test papers and walked out of the hall. Xiao Jue and Gu Bai were already waiting outside.
"I didn't expect that the questions in this palace examination would be so simple." It was Xiao Jue who spoke first.
"The easier it is, the harder it is." Shen Jian shook his head and said: "No matter what, the palace examination is over, and then we will leave it to fate."
The determination of the first grade has nothing to do with the examiners. They can only judge the top ten. The final result depends on His Majesty's preference.
The simpler the question is, the more the gap will be narrowed, which is not a good thing for them.
"Yeah, you're here too!"
Tangning was about to leave when a voice suddenly came from behind her.
He turned his head and saw King Run striding over with a box in his arms.
Children who can appear in the palace are naturally not ordinary people. Everyone who walked out of the hall looked over.
Zhao Yuan picked up the box, looked at Tang Ning, and asked, "Do you want to eat the fried fish here? Last time I told my father what you said, "Ruling a big country is like frying small fish."
I have praised you for a long time and asked me to learn more from you..."
"Ruling a big country is like frying small fish?" Xiao Jue looked at Tang Ning and asked, "What are you frying?"
Gu Bai and Cui Lang looked stunned and looked at Tangning in disbelief.
The candidates who heard this sentence also stopped and looked at Tang Ning with stiff faces as if they were struck by lightning.
"Governing a big country is like cooking small dishes..."
The questions they took in the palace exam just now... were actually asked by someone who took the palace exam with them!
I’ve heard of people missing questions in the imperial examination, but I’ve never heard of candidates setting questions in the imperial examination!
Shady, this is naked shady!
Where is the law of heaven and where is the fairness?
