The ninth day of March, today is the first day of the exam.
The trial is held in three sessions, one on every three days. The first session is on the ninth day of the lunar month, the second session is on the twelfth day, and the third session is on the fifteenth day. The entrance is on the first day and the exit is on the next day.
This examination was presided over by the Ministry of Rites, and the two examiners were Deng Chenghong, the censor of the left capital, and Song Shujing, the censor of the right capital. The eighteen examiners were all from the Hanlin Academy.
It was naturally cold in the early spring morning, and everyone was shivering outside the Gongyuan, wearing several layers of thin singlets.
The wind was particularly strong today. Gu Chengyu stood in line at the gate of Gongyuan with a number plate astride the examination basket.
There were more than 4,000 candidates, but only 300 were admitted. This shows that the imperial examination is difficult and difficult to reach the sky.
Gu Chengyu had to stay in the Gongyuan for nine days before appearing. Gu Chengyu made complete preparations. He prepared a lot of steamed buns, snacks and dried meat. It was not that he was reluctant to spend a little money to buy food, but that the food in the examination room was really hard to eat.
pharynx.
Looking at the candidates in front of him who were undressing for examination, Gu Chengyu looked a little unnatural. Soon it was Gu Chengyu's turn, and he first gave the examination basket in his hand to the waiter waiting next to him.
A police officer took the portrait in his hand and compared it with Gu Chengyu. After looking at it carefully several times, he asked Gu Chengyu to go to the cloth to take off his clothes.
Although he was a little uncomfortable, Gu Chengyu quickly took off all his clothes. After the two guards finished checking Gu Chengyu's clothes, shoes and socks, Gu Chengyu quickly put them on again.
Among them, two candidates were caught with cheat sheets and were escorted out of the examination room by the guards.
Gu Chengyu shook his head when he saw this. He couldn't figure out why he should cheat. He was already in the exam. If he was caught cheating, he would only fall short of his achievements. He would also have to be exiled thousands of miles away and be stripped of his merit. It was really not worth it. If you are worried about failing the exam, wait until next time.
The next test is, why take any chances?
Gu Chengyu took the number plate and searched for his own number among the many dormitories. When searching, he saw Min Feng standing not far from him. He seemed to have just come out of the team next to him.
Of course Min Feng saw Gu Chengyu. He straightened his clothes and smiled at Gu Chengyu. He didn't go looking for his dormitory until Gu Chengyu responded.
Gu Chengyu remembered that Min Feng's reputation in the capital in the past two years was no less than his. Min Feng had participated in countless poetry gatherings, large and small, on one hand, but Gu Chengyu never participated in poetry gatherings.
At that time, he thought it would be better to learn more about the Six Arts of a Gentleman. Poetry gatherings were filled with boring people praising each other.
After Gu Chengyu returned to the capital two years ago, the concierge would receive posts from poetry gatherings every day. Gu Chengyu didn't want these poetry gatherings to take up a lot of his time. If he went to one, others would invite him in the future, so it would be a waste if he didn't go.
Just like that, some bad rumors spread in the capital, saying that Gu Chengyu was not worthy of his reputation, or that he was arrogant and did not bother to associate with ordinary people like them.
Later, Gu Chengyu asked Ming Mo to inquire about this matter. It was nothing more than a rumor spread by those Jiangnan candidates. The purpose of these people was self-evident.
Gu Chengyu ignored it. The Imperial College had monthly exams every month, and the rumors would be self-defeating by then.
However, Gu Chengyu didn't know whether these rumors were due to the three great talents in Jiangnan, but he always felt that this matter was inseparable from Min Feng and Huang Junheng. As for Liu Haonan, that should be impossible.
It's not that Liu Haonan disdains to do this, but because he doesn't have the strength. Who is standing behind Huang Junheng? That has something to do with Xia Qing, the chief minister of the dynasty.
As for Min Feng, I heard that he and Huang Junheng have become very close in the past two years. However, they were both candidates from Jiangnan, so it is not unusual for them to be close.
Gu Chengyu took a few steps forward and saw with sharp eyes that his dormitory was in the fourth row. Gu Chengyu took the examination basket and walked quickly to the dormitory.
As soon as he arrived at the dormitory, he couldn't help but want to swear. He seemed to have used up his previous good luck this time. He saw that the dormitory was next to the toilet, which seemed to be a smelly one.
Gu Chengyu entered the dormitory with a grimace. He checked the dormitory as usual, then looked at the table and bed board, and found that there was no problem. He spread out the quilt on the bed board, smelled it, and found that it was a little damp and cold.
The quilt couldn't be taken out to bask in the sun, so he could only spread it out. Anyway, when the door of the dormitory was closed at night, he could stuff it with the quilt in the space and cover it.
After sorting out the items in the test basket one by one, Gu Chengyu looked at the candidates opposite.
At this time, candidates were already entering the dormitories in the opposite row one after another. Gu Chengyu paid special attention to the person opposite and saw that he was a man in his forties.
The candidates who come here for reference this time are generally older. After all, candidates who can pass the provincial examination and become candidates have passed multiple examinations. After all, there are still fewer candidates who can pass every exam.
Gu Chengyu thought of Ye Zhiqiu and Sun Xian. Sun Xian had a mentality of participating in this exam and just came to experience it. Gu Chengyu felt that Sun Xian had a solid foundation in skills, but the article lacked some aura and some of his own insights. These may
It's time to take the experience test.
In any case, even if you fail, it's still a national examination. You can just take the exam again in three years.
After a while, the candidates should have arrived. It was getting brighter now, and Gu Chengyu was waiting to hand out the test papers.
As there were three candles under the examination papers, Gu Chengyu placed the candles in the examination basket. The dormitory had been locked, and Gu Chengyu looked at the examination questions in his hand in the light outside.
The first test was on historical theory. Gu Chengyu took a look and found that there were five questions. After reading it, he felt that it was not difficult.
Gu Chengyu just stayed in the dormitory for a whole day. He was writing vigorously, but he was woken up by the smoke in the toilet nearby.
At the end of the day, of course, many people went to the toilet. Gu Chengyu smelled the smell that was getting stronger and stronger, and felt sick in his heart.
As a result, he didn't even eat much dinner that night and was ready to take a rest early. In the toilet nearby, candidates were constantly coming in and out. Those candidates looked at Gu Chengyu's dormitory with sympathy.
This candidate was unlucky enough to have to stay in this dormitory for nine days. While they sympathized with him, they couldn't help but feel happy.
Gu Chengyu has already done two historical essays, which have not been copied on the test paper. He plans to go to bed early and get up early to take the exam tomorrow. He will find an air freshener in the space at night. When he really can't stand it, he secretly sprays it on
Two times.
It soon became dark. Gu Chengyu looked at the light from the lantern above and saw that the dormitory opposite had already lit candles, thinking he was still writing exam papers.
He shook his head, "Five Paths of History, three days is plenty of time, so there's no need to race against time, right?"
Gu Chengyu secretly took out the thin quilt from the space, covered it close to his body, and covered it with the quilt from the original dormitory. Even if someone suddenly looked at him, they would not be able to see the quilt inside.
In the middle of the night, Gu Chengyu was awakened by a burst of noise.
"Let me go, I didn't cheat." A man's voice came from the dormitory opposite.