What is moving? Apricot blossoms in February and laurel in August; Is anyone urging me? Three more lights, five more chickens.

This couplet can best describe the inner thoughts of the imperial examination system for scholars who are eager to change their fate and improve their family's economic and social status through examinations.

The apricot blossoms in February mentioned in the upper link refer to the spring sting, and the August osmanthus undoubtedly refers to the autumn sting. The so-called Toad Palace and the Apricot Forest Spring Banquet are these two grand events. And in order to be able to achieve the laurels of the Toad Palace, and then be caught by the list of sons-in-law, the scholars are all immersed in hard work of "three watches and five watches".

Now that the imperial court is gracious, it is tantamount to giving everyone another opportunity on the basis of the three-year competition. Moreover, this time, Enke, in addition to the normal eight-strand system on the basis of the art, has added the examination of the two subjects of Ming Law and Ming Calculation in accordance with the old system. The examination of these subjects not only does not pay attention to the background, and even does not mention whether it is a person of honor, but what is even more fatal and tempting is that during the examination, all the students who take the examination of these two subjects are borne by the shogunate, and the students are provided with allowances for food, clothing, and lodging. The students who pass the exam are immediately the status of the nine officials of the imperial court!

Jiangnan has always been known for its flourishing literary style and humanities. Although in the eyes of the talented people, the so-called two subjects of Ming Fa and Ming Arithmetic are not considered to be on the right path, but in the eyes of another group of people, this is simply a step tailored for them!

Shaoxing is located on the south shore of Hangzhou Bay. Including Shanyin, Huiji, Xiaoshan, Zhuji, Yuyao, Shangyu, Shengxian, Xinchang eight counties, the two products here are famous all over the world. One is rice wine, and the other is the master. Rice wine occupies an important position in the diet of the Chinese people, and the master is a sentence "nothing can be done" can be glimpsed of it. In the late Qing Dynasty, the four sentences "no Shao can not become a ya, no Hunan can not become an army, no Ning can not become a city, and no Hui can not become a town." Among them, Master Shaoxing and Hunan soldiers respectively controlled China's military and political circles. The basic day-to-day administrative affairs of each yamen were jointly controlled by the Shaoxing master and the local officials, commonly known as the secretary office.

There are many reasons why Shaoxing was able to quietly control the grassroots administrative affairs of China from the county level to the provincial and ministerial level yamen in a corner of the country, and it has become the source of think tanks and advisers for countless feudal officials. In general, some reasons can be found in the following directions.

First, the literary style is blazing and talents are numerous. Starting from the five chaotic and well-dressed Nandu, Shaoxing has been rejuvenated by the style of writing and the economy has prospered, and there has been a prosperous scene of "today's Huiji, the past Guanzhong". During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the more famous the kiln and the more paper became famous all over the world, silk tea sprung up, the landscape scenery and beauty were as good as in the past, and the literati and writers came one after another. It has formed a moving situation of "studious and ambitious, respecting teachers and choosing friends, reciting the sound of strings, and hearing each other in the house" and up to the scholars, "down to Penghu, shame not to train his son with poetry and books." It is this consistent style of writing that has made Shaoxing a "celebrity town" with many celebrities. Since the Tang Dynasty began to officially use the imperial examination system as a way to select talents and appoint officials, there have been many jinshi. 12 in the Tang Dynasty, 7 in the 5th Dynasty, 618 in the Song Dynasty, 24 in the Yuan Dynasty, and 560 in the Ming Dynasty.

The second is the contradiction between man and land, and life is hard. Shaoxing can be called the "land of fish and rice" in history, but due to the three great southward migrations of the Han people in the Central Plains during the "Yongjia Rebellion", "Anshi Rebellion" and "Jingkang Difficulty", the population continues to increase, and the contradiction between man and land continues to intensify. In the Song Dynasty, "the people of the Quartet gathered in the two Zhejiang, a hundred times more often", which greatly increased the burden of Shaoxing's cultivated land. According to Mr. Wang Zhenzhong's research, "as early as the end of the 16th century, the development of the Shaoxing Plain had reached its limit. Qi Biaojia, a native of Shaoxing in the late Ming Dynasty, said: "The mountains and the sea are blocked in Vietnam, and the land is narrow and the people are dense...... If two people eat one acre of millet, although it is very abundant, it will stop feeding for half a year, and it will be sold for every foreign seller before he can die of age. In the Qing Dynasty, the population density of Shaoxing reached 579.55 per square kilometer, ranking third in the country's population density, and the contradiction between man and land became more prominent. In such a difficult situation, in order to make a living, people turned their vision to outside the cultivation and region, and thought of handicrafts, commerce, loans to help the poor, etc., and started to promote their own strengths, go out to make a living, and act as a curtain for others.

Third, the imperial examination is difficult and the fame is attractive. Advocating reading and pursuing fame is the traditional social fashion of Shaoxing; Seeking fame through reading is the goal of generations of Shaoxing people. By the Qing Dynasty, this fashion and goal were further strengthened. "When the children of the city are children, they will teach karma and shooting. About ten families sit in a school, the four corners of the internal and external attack system, the industry gathers in other industries, the children have not saved, they can start writing, pick celery, or try again. If the boy is not good, he will abandon the literature and martial arts, and learn the bow and arrow", so that there is a situation where "there are more than ten people in each Chinese-style tiger encirclement, and there are no less than five or six people". According to statistics, from the first year of Shunzhi (1644) to the third year of Xuantong (1911), Shaoxing "lifted 2,361 people". "From the third year of Shunzhi to the thirty-ninth year of Qianlong (1646-1774), the number of people raised in Shaoxing Prefecture reached 656, accounting for 15.5% of the total number of the province"; The local students also have as many as 505 Jinshi and "rank sixth in the national science and technology rankings". Behind these figures, at least a few things are indicated. First, the competition is fierce, and it is much more difficult for a Shaoxing person to pass the Jinshi and lift people than other places. Second, the inspirational effect, so many people are promoted and promoted, which stimulates more people to study hard. Third, the number of official positions is limited, and many junior officers and people have no choice but to become "reserve cadres", first acting for others, and then waiting for opportunities. Fourth, find another way, a larger number of scholars because they can't cross the "single-plank bridge" of the imperial examination, and find other ways to survive and seek fame, the most representative of which is to do business as a curtain. In fact, the imperial examination was not smooth, and it was not only Shaoxing who went to learn the curtain, but several of the famous ministers in the late Qing Dynasty, Lin Zexu and Zuo Zongtang all had the experience of being friends with others. Even Li Hongzhang, who was born in Hanlin, once worked as a friend in the camp of his teacher Zeng Guofan and acted as a copywriter. Among them, the most famous should be Zuo Zongtang Zuo, who is thousands of miles away from the Peerless Domain, recovering Xinjiang for our China, suppressing the Shaanxi-Gansu rebellion, and killing Bai Yanhu and his party for more than 100 years without daring to look east.

The fourth is kinship identity, forming a "voice". Shaoxing people pay special attention to the kinship including hometown, blood, and teacher, and they are recorded in a large number of the books of the masters, the most representative of which is the 229 articles of the famous master Xu Jiacun's "Qiushui Xuan Ruler" and Gong Cao's 186 "Xue Hongxuan Ruler". In addition to the mutual recommendation between the villagers, it is very important that there are Shaoxing halls all over the country. Many of these halls have the nature of "the hometown of the prospective master", and some even hold shogunate training classes for the training of masters. Blood relationships such as the death of the father and the succession of the son, the death of the brother and the brother, and the marriage of the children are naturally the most important, intimate and useful kinship in the master's group. This kind of kinship of "communicating with each other and greeting each other conveniently" is an important reason for the formation, rise and development of the Shaoxing master group.

This is history. Because of the arrival of Li Shouhan, the night owl (that is, the owl), the situation has changed a lot, especially after the establishment of business zones in Hangzhou and Ningbo, Shaoxing people have keenly grasped a greater business opportunity, taking advantage of the proximity to Hangzhou Bay, and Ningbo villagers to do all kinds of business together. For a time, the silver dollars of white flowers flowed into the warehouses of countless families like the water of the Qiantang River.

When the Chinese people have money, it is naturally nothing more than repairing ancestral tombs, building ancestral halls, and building gardens. As a result, with the continuous expansion of Hangzhou and Ningbo Business Zone, Shaoxing, which is separated by a river, is also constantly building construction, and housing prices and land prices have risen again and again. However, between the mansions and pavilions in the Mingtang mansion, there are always people who are still unsatisfied.

Thinking about being rich is another hobby of Chinese people.

However, there are so many places in the imperial examination, all of which are rules set by Emperor Taizu, and no one dares to make a mistake, so he can only fight from thousands of people with real materials, plus unpredictable factors such as feng shui luck and ancestral yin virtue.

Now, a court decree has given almost all Shaoxing people a broad step to advancement!

In the city of Shaoxing, in a courtyard with three entrances, three exits and five bays, a courtyard full of well-dressed young men stood tall. Some people were bored looking at the lacquered fonts of "Ailiantang" and "Runanjun" on the plaque in the hall, but they were thinking about how to sell the inventory in their hands as soon as possible and grab a good price for a hat.

In the hall, several old men with white hair bowed to the ancestral tablet in turn.

After the ceremony was over, the old man at the head turned around, and glanced at the children and nephews in the courtyard with sharp eyes, and saw that the young people who were wandering in the world were startled, and suddenly raised 120,000 spirits to face the patriarch's instructions.

"You can all see the will of the imperial court, right?" The patriarch, as the leader of the family, is naturally concise and to the point. He clutched a copy of the Jiangnan Times tightly in his hand, which devoted a whole page to the news of the imperial court's opening of Enke and the expansion of the scope of the imperial examination. In order to grab the reader's attention and attract attention, not only the title font uses the largest word, but also uses a set of red at the expense of the work.

"Since the ancestor of my family, Defang Gong, moved to Shaoxing, they have spread out under this Huiji Mountain, and they have been prosperous for more than 100 years. However, the descendants are not good, although they have accumulated tens of thousands of family fortunes, but no one can surpass the supervision of the imperial historian of Duke Defang, not only can not strengthen the ancestors to defeat the ancestors, but even the people who can compare with the ancestors and look up to them are only a handful! It's a lot of children who go to serve as friends, although there are a lot of connections, money, and friendships, but after all, they are ashamed of their ancestors! ”

Speaking of the sad thing, the old man couldn't help but let two lines of muddy old tears burst out of his eyes, slid across his face, and disappeared in the gray beard.

The people who were still thinking about how many silver dollars they could earn by grabbing a hat just now suddenly put away their thoughts, and their faces showed embarrassment and shame. Although all the people present were well-dressed, they could only make a fuss about the materials and styles of the costumes and make some tricks. As for the crown that represents what identity, it is at most just a lift, most of them are talents, and many people can only wear a Confucian crown very embarrassed to flaunt their identity as a reader.

On the incense table enshrined in the ancestral tablet, through the glass window installed on the ceiling, the sunlight penetrates well, cutting the metrical tablet of Rulin with light. People can clearly see that most of the fame on the ancestral tablets is just lifting people, showing talents, and the like.

"Rich but not expensive, we can't even write anything on the tablet of our ancestors! Without an official, no matter how beautiful your house is, do you dare to overstep it? This is why the court is not very willing to take care of it now, maybe the court has a lot of things in its hands and is too lazy to take care of it, if this is according to the regulations set by Hong Wuye when he was alive, a house trespassing, will be in prison! Eat lawsuits! The patriarch was a little angry and tapped the ground with an old vine-inlaid silver cane.

"Dad, don't be angry, what do you say, we must do our best to do it. Please tell me. Standing in the front row of the crowd, his son, known as the Seventh Young Master, spoke on behalf of everyone.

"You've read all of this imperial decree, right? Lord Marshal Li said to Emperor Hongguang that he should be enlightened and calculated. This is a subject that the imperial court has not opened for many years! Moreover, at the moment when the imperial court is employing people, it should select talents in an eclectic manner. Therefore, regardless of their identity and background, as long as they pass the exam, they can be awarded at least a nine-rank official status to the imperial court and serve the imperial court! Because Li Shouhan is now the title of Duke of Liang, he is the general of the imperial court, and he has opened a shogunate in the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies. Speaking of the grace of the marshal, the patriarch's face showed a sickly red with excitement, and several younger brothers around him were worried that he would not be able to come up and see his ancestors in one breath because of his excessive excitement.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examinations have always been held, the Ming Law Examination Law Order, the Ming Calculation Examination "Nine Chapters", "Xiahou Yang", "Zhou Ji" and other books, and the Ming Book Examination "Shuowen", "Zilin" and other character books, but the Jinshi Branch has been organized more, basically once every three years, but the subjects such as the Ming Law and the Ming Calculation have not been organized for many years. This time, the imperial court issued a decree, and it was clearly stated that it would be necessary to test the laws and regulations, arithmetic and other categories that the yamen at all levels of the imperial court would use on a daily basis, which can be said to be hitting the muzzle of the gun for these masters in Shaoxing! They relied on these skills to travel all the yamen in the world to make a living and make a fortune!

At the moment, in the blessed bridge mansion, a group of children will make an oath in front of the ancestral tablet, this time Yi Youenke will go all out to win a fame and come back to the lintel of the light gate, and the ancestors will be glorified!

In fact, if Faust's contracted partner Mephistopheles had the means to open the rooftops to peek into the scenes that were happening inside, or if they could peek into people's lives through the lens of a monitor, as described in Hollywood movies such as "Voyeur" and "Enemy of the State", everyone would find that the scenes related to the will of the Kaienke, the enlightened calculation, and the Ming Fake are being staged in different regions and occasions in the north and south of the river.

"Son, our people have been officials for generations, but until we are the wardens, you will be the end, and your father will be a warden until he dies. You are the most promising, and you have become an order, but you still don't enter the stream. Wei Niang also carefully read the decree published in the Jiangnan Times, as long as she participated in the Ming Law and Ming Arithmetic exams, once she passed the exam, she would be considered a nine-rank official. Although the grade is lower, it is the difference between heaven and earth compared to the clerk who is not in the stream! Even if you are not promoted in the future, your career is sluggish, and you only have a nine-grade official position, but when you meet our local magistrate, you can also change your name! For the mother, I hope you will get back a nine-grade official body document, and it is also the glory of the ancestors in the Buddhist hall, so that the mother is gone, and you can see your father with peace of mind. ”

"You, swear to Lao Tzu to your ancestors in front of the ancestors' spiritual throne! It must be a good student exam! Take a nine-rank official back! Let others know that our family is not just going to play boards, solve cases, and take people! A Da Ming law is also ripe in the stomach! It's much more practical than those officials who don't understand bullshit and can only read poetry! ”

"Our ancestors followed Emperor Jianwen. But it is difficult for Yongle Ye to raise an army, and we will become untouchables, and we can only do some work to advocate excellence. However, we dare not lose the reading foundation left by our ancestors. Now that the imperial court is open, regardless of your background, you might as well try your luck. If the ancestors bless and God opens your eyes, you can enter the examination room, whether you can pass the exam or not, it is also the grace of the marshal, and from now on our family will sell this life to the marshal! ”

"Child's father, I have calculated, put the family's money and clothes and jewelry that can be pawned together, enough for you to go to Nanjing, and the cost of chewing and wrapping for admission to Shike is about the same. Mr. Kang, who wrote letters on behalf of the people who set up a stall on the street, said that he was also going to try his luck and take the Ming Law exam. In the horizontal and vertical examination, the imperial court provided candidates with food, clothing, and accommodation allowances, and it was also an exam that could be repeated after entering the Shike. I think since Mr. Kang can take the exam, why don't we go? Horizontal and vertical are also two more chances! Perhaps, you can't do the eight-strand system, but you are better at arithmetic than others? ”

As a result, all kinds of readers in Jiangnan and Jiangbei are either cursing or excited. Cursing is those who are on the right path, they have been studying the eight strands of literature all their lives, the four books and the five classics, regarding arithmetic, and the law as a small way, and when it comes to breaking the question, undertaking the question, starting to speak, and entering the question, etc., the head is the way, but the arithmetic law is the two eyes are blank. Isn't it insulting to have two more subject exams for no reason, and let those who don't know what identity and origin come from to take the exam with them? The excited ones are all kinds of readers who have repeatedly failed to take the exam and can't take the exam. For a time, the "Great Message", "Da Ming Law", "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic" and other numbers in various places sold very well, and the sales volume directly caught up with books such as Jin Zhumei and other books, and the abacus also sold very well.