The imperial examinations of the Ming Dynasty were extremely cruel. Scholars from the entire empire participated in the imperial examinations held every three years. Those who could eventually become Jinshi, even including fellow Jinshis, were only 400 people. This terrifying admission rate, seriously
It's despairing.
Someone once calculated that during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it took an average of at least thirty years for a child to start studying and finally become a Jinshi.
Except for those with extraordinary talents, most people are already over thirty and entering middle age when they are selected as Jinshi.
Because of this, when Lin Nuo, an extremely young-looking person, walked on the street, he immediately attracted the attention of many people.
Even though Xiu'er, a woman whose face was covered by gauze, was right next to him, some silk handkerchiefs still floated through the air from time to time and fell around Lin Nuo.
Lin Nuo looked up and saw that in the attics on both sides of the street, young girls waiting to be married poked their heads out from time to time. The timid ones glanced shyly and then looked away, while the bold ones looked directly at Lin Nuo.
Wave, trying to get his attention.
This kind of scene happens every year during the imperial examination, and the people in the capital have long been accustomed to it. After all, which girl is not pregnant? Who doesn't want to find a husband with both talent and beauty and a bright future? In this regard, Lin Nuo just smiled slightly, but did not do anything.
In response, together with Xiu'er, they walked very calmly towards the Gongyuan where the examination was held.
Similar to the previous rural examination, candidates were divided into provinces and entered Gongyuan one by one. The first thing they had to do was an extremely strict search.
After some inspections, Lin Nuo was guided into the dragon gate of Gongyuan, and together with the candidates from various provinces who had been disrupted in order, they began to look for their dormitory.
Fortunately, he entered Beijing earlier and registered earlier, so the dormitory he was assigned was considered to be a good location. It was spacious, bright and undamaged, and he didn't need to worry about wind or rain getting his exam papers wet.
In a good mood, Lin Nuo first cleaned up the cabin. By the time the cabin was cleaned up, it was already noon and it was lunch time.
If it were other candidates, they would just eat some steamed buns with hot water and not waste time. However, Lin Nuo was different. He didn't even read the test papers, but started cooking them on the stove in the dormitory.
As soon as a few fragrant side dishes came out of the pot, even the soldiers who were supervising the exam in the aisle were attracted.
The invigilating soldier first looked at Lin Nuo's dormitory carefully for a while, and then walked away speechless. He had invigilated exams many times in his life, but it was like going out for an outing, cooking and humming quietly.
This is the first time he has seen this strange candidate!
After happily eating three large pancakes with side dishes, Lin Nuo stretched out comfortably, and then lazily opened the exam paper.
In fact, there is not much difference between the general examination and the provincial examination. The content of the first session is still three questions on the Four Books and four questions on the Five Classics.
However, compared to the provincial examination, the most important ones in the general examination are the three questions on the Four Books. Because these three questions are set by the emperor himself, the examiner will also focus on this aspect.
Basically, whether you win or not depends on these three questions. If you answer these three questions well, as long as you don't turn in blank papers for the following questions, you will basically not be able to win.
But if you don't answer these three questions well, no matter how good your answers are in the next few exams, it will be useless. Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty imperial examination, I have never heard of anyone relying on the tributes in the next two exams.
Compared with other candidates, Lin Nuo has the advantage of being knowledgeable and memorizing. Therefore, in this examination, he followed the advice of the previous examiner surnamed Li and did not show off his personality too much. Instead, he quoted the classics in an even and rigorous manner.
Completed three articles and four book questions.
This approach may not be too brilliant, but it is extremely safe, because there is no fault in any aspect. No matter who is the examiner, it will be difficult for this kind of examination paper to be included in the failed test.
This time, Lin Nuo answered the questions more rigorously than in the hometown exam. Every allusion was carefully considered before quoting. When the seven articles were finished, it was already noon on the second day.
The general examination is different from the provincial examination. The three examinations of the provincial examination are taken separately. After each examination, the candidates can leave and go home to rest, and when the time is up, they can continue with the next examination.
But this is not the case for the general examination. Candidates must complete three exams in a row. After the test papers are sealed and their names are completely collected, the exam can be ended and they can leave with other candidates.
After several days of exams, most of the candidates looked sick and pale, and some even suffered from frostbite and frostbite due to insufficient preparation of warm clothing.
Lin Nuo was fine because of his strong physique, and he even had time to cultivate his internal strength. When he finished his exercises and walked out, it was already getting late, and there were not many people in front of the Gongyuan gate.
"Brother Lin, you have come out!"
As soon as he walked out of the Gongyuan, Xu Wei, who was plumper than before, couldn't wait to come over and said, "I've been waiting here for more than half an hour, and I thought something happened to you inside!"
"Brother Xu is too worried, I just accidentally overslept."
Lin Nuo looked at Xu Wei. This guy's eyes were as dark as panda eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept well during the exams in the past few days. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Xu must be extremely tired. It's better to get up early."
Go back and rest, the results will be released tomorrow, but don’t lose etiquette in front of others!"
Xu Wei nodded and fought back his sleepiness. After the two said goodbye to each other, they boarded the carriage with the help of the book boy and rushed towards their residence.
Watching the other party leave, Lin Nuo stood there and pondered for a moment, then turned around. On the opposite street, Xiu'er, who was dressed as a woman with a veil covering her face, had been waiting there for a long time.
.......
The list for the competency test is very fast. Basically, the ranking will be determined the next day after the test is completed.
Early the next morning, the list will be posted in the Ministry of Etiquette, and countless small teams will be dispatched to report the good news to the nouveau riche living in every corner of the capital.
Lin Nuo did not go to the Ministry of Etiquette to look at the list, but stayed in the room, playing chess with Xu Wei.
Lin Nuo really didn't care. He could be sure that as long as the examiners who marked the papers did not engage in malpractice for personal gain, he would never fail.
Xu Wei, on the other hand, although he seemed calm on the surface, was actually very concerned about this matter in his heart. The hand holding the chess pieces would tremble slightly inadvertently, which showed that he was extremely nervous.
"Dong dong dong!"
A sound of gongs and drums rang out from outside the inn. Suddenly, Xu Wei, who had been holding on, couldn't hold on any longer, so he put down his chess pieces and stood up.
"Brother Lin, I think a fellow countryman must have won the exam. Let's go and have a look!"