As the capital of the country, Yanjing is the provincial capital of Zhili Province, and the Yamen of Shuntianfu is also located in the city. The Gongyuan in the Chongwen Gate of the southeast gate has brought prosperity to the Hutong neighborhood near the Gongyuan, including the pen holder alley, the carp alley, the donkey hoof alley, the headline, the second one, the three and so on.

The central building of the Gongyuan is the "Open Astronomical Movement" gate, the inner dragon gate, the Mingyuan Building, the Zhigong Hall, the Feihong Bridge, the inner curtain gate, the Jukui Pavilion, and the Huijing Hall from the outside to the inside.

The number house is on the east and west sides of the second entrance, and there are watchtowers at the four corners, and the chief examiner, deputy chief examiner, and room official sit at the inner curtain door from the beginning of their appointment, and the examiner is strictly forbidden to meet with students before the examination.

A hand stove with coal, candlesticks for lighting candles, pens, inkstones, inkstones, and water for the examination basket, as well as food, tables and chairs, a bed, and other than that, there was nothing, and the dim candlelight filled the narrow space, which was one of the rows of houses on the east side of the second entrance, Jia Cong looked around, shook his head, and stabilized his mind.

The situation of the other more than 10,000 candidates is probably not much different from Jia Cong. Of course, the imperial examination represents fame and wealth, and for the sake of wealth and nobility, some candidates are not afraid of death, or have secretly visited a related examiner before the examination, or racked their brains to conceal the search and carry entrainment, or buy questions, and the unspoken rules are interesting.

On the night of the eighth day of the eighth month of August, after Jia Cong did push-ups, the veteran who monitored him occasionally looked out of the window and patrolled back and forth. But Jia Cong was very patient, sweating profusely After exercising, he poured water and wiped his face, and fell asleep as if no one was around.

The veteran soldier was fully armored, and sighed: "Isn't this a liberal arts examination?" Feelings: This little brother should be a martial arts exam...... I just heard the transcription staff at the inner curtain door ask me, saying that this is a child prodigy...... It's really fucking envious, we are fighting hard on the battlefield, and we are not as glorious as a showman...... What the world ......?"

In the first month of the eighth month of the eighth month of August, hanging obliquely on the East Mountain, the orange light swayed down, coming in through the wooden window, like the silk and light veil of the fairy Chang'e, and Jia Cong, who used his hands as pillows on the straw mat, was slightly intoxicated: "Jia Zhen Jia Rong died in Huangquan, according to the Di report I saw from the second uncle and Teacher Qin...... At that time, Wang Xifeng discussed with the two of them, and there must be a section of the upper recital......"

"So, what will Wang Xifeng do, with that woman's temperament and strength, I'm afraid she won't let go of my little uncle easily...... It's not peaceful outside, it's not peaceful at home......"

"However, this identity is not bad, compared to the ancient commoners, fallen people, and minions that I have seen and heard...... I am really lucky, the tragedy of the twelve hairpins is also very happy compared to their suffering...... Take it one step at a time and adapt to the situation. If Wang Xifeng kills me completely, don't blame me for not giving face in the future......"

Unlike most candidates' guesses, apprehensions, and anxieties, Jia Cong is like playing, but he thinks more and is more practical. The plan after the township test, the shadow of Prince Yu, how to deal with the characters in the family, etc.

At this time, loneliness and a little hesitation are incomprehensible, everyone has something on their minds, words that can't be spoken, no matter how uneducated the country guy, in the middle of the night, he will think of the gap between his family property and his parents, these things can only belong to him forever.

"When! While! While! ”

The morning light on the ninth day of August has just dewed, the autumn wind is slightly cold, and the bell of Mingyuan Tower rings throughout the tribute courtyard.

Upstairs in Mingyuan, Dong Anguo, a third-grade civil official who was two levels higher than the general prefect, put on a big red peacock complement and warmed his ears, and ordered: "Lock the courtyard, surround the thorns, and pass on the topic." ”

The officers and men guarding the gate locked the gate of the five-bay room, and the thorns more than one zhang high surrounded the house in all directions. More than a dozen poor masters, carrying the emperor's personal proposition in batches, patrolled outside the window of the number house, orderly and orderly.

The Wenchang acacia tree on the east side of the second into the sky covers the sky, the branches are luxuriant, located in the east, the knot is ancient and the vicissitudes of life are mottled, it is left by the Yuan Dynasty, but the branches and leaves are stretched out of the west far away, all stretch out to the window of Jia Cong's house, many people are close to the leaves of Wenchang Huai and feel comforted, Wenguang shoots bullfighting, there is Wenchang Huai blessed.

Jia Cong pays attention to the maintenance of his eyes, combines work and rest, and often does eye exercises, but he is not short-sighted, and looks directly at the bulletin board with his eyes shaking, and sees the topic clearly:

The first four-book question of the township test: "All Yayan also." Ye Gong". From the end of chapter 15 and the beginning of chapter 16 of the Analects of Confucius, this is a "truncation question" with a preface that does not match the afterword.

Try the poem: "How many buildings are in the smoke and rain, and the word 'rain' is obtained." From Du Mu's poems.

The veteran brought in red grid paper and scratch paper, and the truncation question is the most difficult of the four book questions, and solving the question can stump the candidate for a long time, because the two sentences are irrelevant, and they have to find a way to connect them.

Even if he is a small and medium-sized Sanyuan, he has practiced a lot of similar truncation questions, but if he wants to play extraordinarily and write the best in his mind, it is not as simple as eating and drinking water for Jia Cong, he feels a little tricky, but he resists the urge to curse the emperor and curse Baguwen.

The trial poem was difficult for him.

With a "crunch" sound, the veteran closed the door and locked the door, Jia Cong's brain that fused the two souls rotated rapidly, and Zhu Xi collected notes and accumulated in his previous life, rolling in.

The hand stove with coal warmed the heat under the table, drank water, ate cakes, and replenished nutrition, Jia Cong remembered in a trance that he had seen a model article with the same topic in a literary and historical book in his previous life, but he couldn't remember it clearly as it was, but fortunately, the general idea was there.

……

There is a flying rainbow bridge to the north of the public hall, at this moment Zhili Township Examination, heavily guarded, the examiner can not go out, and the candidate can not enter.

In the hall inside the inner curtain door, more than a dozen room officials have already bowed, kowtowed, burned incense, and washed their hands, and under the attention of them, they accompanied the examiner Yu Chengchan in the lobby to open the questions sacredly, and finished the procedure.

Jia Cong, who is the most in the limelight, also mentions it from their mouths from time to time, but the frequency of mentioning Jia Cong is not the highest, after all, Jia Cong is still young, and the second township test is not a county government. The large candidate base and low admission rate are destined to be in this situation.

After chatting for a while, the room official Qian Xihong excused himself to be flattering, and his old steps slowly walked to the sandwich road outside a room. The transcriber who had made the appointment came over to meet and bowed his head to pay respects: "Lord Qian, I don't know what to tell the little one?" ”

"Hmm......" Qian Xihong helped him up: "Xiao Li, don't see outside, you are the scribe of my yamen, and it is a relative who gave you this opportunity." After the three township examinations, you must find Jia Cong's ink scroll, copy the scroll yourself, and number it 'two two one' in the corner of the scroll, and then I will know that the scroll is his, you know? ”

Li Chenglu looked left and right, panicking: "My lord, the fraud in the township test is to kill the head, a small and small scribe, it is not enough to copy and behead all the doors......"

"Who said there was fraud? How do you know I'm going to cheat? Qian Xihong glared and said: "This is Wang Ziteng's niece, I am in charge, do you want that girl in Jinxiangyuan?" At that time, as soon as Lao Ma and my colleague in Dongcheng opened our mouths, the money for ransom can be forgiven to you, don't you want land in the western suburbs? I sent a servant out of the horse, and one of the other officers was deceitful...... If I don't know each other, I have offended the king's rule, do I have good fruit? ”

Li Zhilu thought about it, and was bewitched by interests, and his face softened: "Yes, how dare the little one disobey, and the adult forgives the sin, it's just a moment of uneasiness." ”