Chapter 198: Preparing for the Prefectural Examination
The fact that Shen Xi passed the county test at the age of ten was spread by neighbors and people in the chamber of commerce, and soon spread throughout the capital of Tingzhou. It was cited as a good story for a while.
First of all, the neighbors came to please, said two words of congratulations, and ate for nothing in the pharmacy.
At first, Hui Niang and the Zhou family could bear it, and in the peaceful years, they were both neighbors who looked up and didn't look down, so it was necessary to give a little favor and a small favor.
At first, it was the aunt and aunt at the corner of the alley and the street, and in the back, whether they knew each other or not, or even the old woman a few streets away, they inquired about the location and went to the pharmacy, and they casually said a few good words and reached out to take things.
It's okay if these people wait for the pharmacy to close, but when the pharmacy is operating normally, it seems to have picked the right time, so that you don't have a chance to say that you haven't prepared a gift, because the pharmacy is full of medicinal herbs, and these people don't dislike it, anyway, as long as it's valuable.
The prepared snacks and tea are not touched, even if you don't get the red envelope with copper coins, you will be asked for two pairs of medicines, whether it is useful or not, people take it back "be prepared", and the words are very good...... Go back and send the money!
How could Zhou believe this kind of nonsense, she was originally in a hurry, and quarrels were inevitable, which affected the pharmacy business.
"Sister, it's not okay to go on like this, there are always people who come to fight the autumn breeze during the day, and the shopkeeper is not there, what are we going to do in this business?" In the end, even Xie Yun'er was anxious.
The neighbors came to please, and it was not a big or small matter to deal with.
But more and more people came, and they all felt that it was cheap to pick up for nothing, and if they didn't take it for nothing, these people couldn't get things and didn't leave, so they had to go upstairs to see what the "future little champion" looked like, even if Zhou didn't want to pay attention to it, he was afraid that these people would disturb Shen Xi's study.
Originally, Shen Xi had to prepare for the exam at home, but in the end, Zhou could only send his son to the school to avoid outside interference.
Hui Niang made a quick decision and decided to send out all the happy money that should be sent at one time.
On March 14, Hui Niang invited cooks and helpers from outside. A stove was erected in the back alley of the pharmacy, and a flowing water seat was set up to invite the neighbors to come over to eat and drink, and everyone who came could receive a red envelope containing two copper plates.
Hui Niang said that she would wait for the three-day flowing water banquet to be completed. In the future, if someone disturbs the pharmacy to do business, the pharmacy will not give a good face and drive people out directly.
After this trick, in the first few days, there were still those dead-faced people who came to congratulate them, but Zhou simply ignored them. With the previous banquet, the etiquette to the neighborhood has been completed, and no matter how unknown people are, they don't have to worry about their feelings.
These people like to sit down as soon as they come, and then they don't leave, so Zhou asked Xiu'er to drive people away.
These people scolded and went out, even if they were unwilling, but they simply heard the news to take advantage, and they didn't even know who the family members of the pharmacy were, and they stopped coming after they were bored once or twice.
Just after the little trend of neighbors pleasing to the neighbors, a second wave of people came to the door again.
This wave of people is not here to disturb the business of the pharmacy. is also mostly women, and they are also aunts and aunts, but after the shop is closed, they are polite and polite when they come in, and they don't ask for it...... People came to say one thing, to "be a matchmaker" for Shen Xi.
At first, Hui Niang and Zhou learned about the purpose of these people, and they couldn't react a little.
In the first year, there was also such a group of three aunts and six women, who visited for matchmaking, but the object was Hui Niang.
There are a lot of idle men in the city. I heard that Hui Niang is a widow and she is beautiful and decent, and her family has a lot of property, so she thinks that this widow must want a man for a long time, so they just need to send a matchmaker to talk about it. Then the marriage will be finished, and they will be able to climb the high branches, and the great inheritance will be in their name.
At that time, Hui Niang's attitude was very tough, and she came to catch one by one, and later the matchmaker saw that the eggs were not sewn, so they didn't come to buzz.
But it's been less than a year. People came again, and they still came with courtesy.
What these three aunts and six mothers-in-law said is basically a routine: "...... The little son of the Shen family, who passed the county examination at the age of ten, wants to be able to win the promotion at the age of twenty, and can be the champion of the Shidian at the age of thirty, whose girl doesn't want to marry to enjoy the blessings? That so-and-so master, the family has hundreds of acres of fertile land, and the girl is like a flower, and she is a good match for the little son of the Shen family, and her ass is very good......"
Shen Xi would be extremely depressed every time he heard it.
The objects of these matchmakers, the youngest is seven or eight years old, and the older one is twelve or thirteen years old, and they are all still little girls, how can they see that "the ass is good to give birth to"? Could it be because the family background is much better, and everyone is a chubby girl?
At this time, Hui Niang usually came forward to explain to these three aunts and six mothers-in-law, saying that Shen Xi was young and busy with his studies, and it was too early to consider marriage, but this did not reduce the enthusiasm of the matchmaker to come to the door. Come today, come tomorrow, the object of today's introduction is the Chengdong Ning family, tomorrow it will be changed to introduce the Chengbei Hu family, saying that the age is not the top thing, they all say that they can first set the family affairs, which is a baby parent.
In the end, it was Zhou who had the courage to show her violent temper, rushed into the back hall with a broom, and shouted: "Who said that we don't have a daughter-in-law? Our baby has already had a daughter-in-law, and if you don't leave, my aunt and grandmother will let you eat broom ashes......"
Zhou had a big belly, and then showed her pungent temperament, and suddenly scared the three aunts and six women so much that they didn't dare to come to the door, and then they met a big family who wanted to invite someone to talk to the matchmaker, so they told Shen Xi that there was a hot girl, and those big families muttered when they heard it, they didn't want their daughter to marry in the future and be angry.
This wind comes and goes as fast as it comes.
Hui Niang and Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief, and finally no one bothered them, but in the future, when Shen Xi went out, every time the neighbors pointed at him, saying that his life was not good, Wen Quxing was reincarnated in the broom star's house.
Those matchmakers cut off their financial routes, and they worked hard to arrange the Zhou family behind their backs, and their words were as ugly as they were.
Soon it was late March, and the government examination period was approaching, and the number of candidates from various counties was gradually increasing.
Among the three major thresholds for the Ming Dynasty children's examination, the county examination was held in each county, and the number of admissions would be specified in advance, usually 50 for small counties and 100 for large counties; The college examination involves the number of students admitted by the state, which has long been a rule.
Unlike the county and college examinations, the number of admissions for the prefectural examination is uncertain, which is related to the number of candidates each year, and the probability of admission is almost 1 in 10. According to the practice of previous years, 1,000 people participated in this year's government examination in Tingzhou Prefecture, and it is possible to take a whole number and record 80 or 100 people.
Immediately, the prefect's yamen announced the examination date, and the time was set for April 19.
It's the same as the prefectural exam. The government examination is also divided into multiple exams, but as long as the first one is successfully passed, you can take the name of "Tongsheng" to participate in the college examination and examination, and take the test seriously. Before the child did not pass the hospital examination. There is no need to take the county exam and the government exam again, and after being admitted to Xiucai, you need to take the re-examination exam twice every three years, which is the annual exam that Shen Mingwen participated in in previous years.
After winning the show, no matter how good he is in the exam, he is only an epitute at first after entering the government school or county school. If you want to add to the number of students and proliferation with a limited number of places, you need to give full play to your talents in the annual examination.
Xiucai has the opportunity to take the township examination, but it is not only Xiucai who can participate in the township examination. Since the Jingtai period, those who have repeatedly failed to pass the examination can obtain the status of a prisoner through the way of Nasu entering the prison, and then they can participate in the township examination, but the money is too huge to be afforded by ordinary people.
With the examination date confirmed, the registration work on the government side will start immediately.
It is basically the same as the registration for the prefectural examination. The only difference is that the number of people who are looking for insurance has changed from one to two, but there is no need to find it from the place of household registration, and you can find it near Fucheng, which also brings some convenience to Shenxi's registration.
Hui Niang is the president of the Chamber of Commerce, with a wide network of people and a wide range of roads, and it is very easy to find two people who are born with insurance.
During this time, Shen Xi was nervous about preparing for the exam, and the task assigned to him by Feng Yanqi was to memorize the questions.
Because the content of the prefectural examination is not much different from the county examination. It's just that the knowledge of the candidates for the examination is generally higher than that of the candidates for the county examination, and there will not be many generalists who are similar to those who try to fish in troubled waters in the county examination, and it is not easy to stand out from this thousand people.
Wipe the gun in battle, and it is not bright or light. Feng Huaqi believes that it is impossible to improve Shen Xi's eight-strand text level in a short period of time, and the only thing that can increase the chance of passing is to memorize more ready-made "Cheng Wen". Just like when Su Yunzhong taught Shen Yongzhuo the method of taking the county exam, it was divided into types of questions such as benevolence, righteousness, morality and other types in the Four Books and Five Classics, and all kinds of questions were memorized with several excellent model essays, and as long as they were of the same type during the exam, they could be used for their own use.
If you can bet on the question, it is naturally the best. You can study it even if you can't bet on it, and it's always good for the exam.
It's not that Feng Yanqi doesn't want to teach well, it's really that when it comes to the government and hospital examinations, there are very few places where he can help, and he himself is just a showman.
Shen Xi actually knew that this kind of rote memorization did not have much effect, but fortunately, in his previous life, he was well versed in the writing of the Bagu Wen, and during his tenure as a professor at Ludao University, he had a long-term correspondence exchange with Master Gong, who had compiled the "Bagu Wen Compilation", the texts of the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as the examination papers of Cheng Mo and the grandmasters of various provinces, and he had read more than 6,000 articles.
Shen Xi couldn't help Shen Mingjun and his wife and Hui Niang prepare for the exam, although they didn't expect Shen Xi to pass the government exam this time, but since they took the exam, they must have a hope.
Hui Niang thought about it, since Feng Yanqi didn't have any good ways on her side, she had to give full play to her advantages as the president of the Chamber of Commerce, and was going to invite a "lifting master" for Shen Xi to come back and tutor Shen Xi in his homework alone.
After Shen Xi found out, he hurriedly stopped Hui Niang's "money burning" behavior.
In these years, as long as you are in the examination, your social status has risen by leaps and bounds, because you don't have to kneel and salute when you see an official at the level of the prefect, that is to say, in the official rank, as long as you win the promotion, it is almost the same as the official of the fifth grade.
Of course, it's one thing, but it's actually another. If you equate people with the prefect, there are dozens of prefects in Tingzhou Mansion.
These people are all the kind of people who are above the top, and these people are either studying hard behind closed doors to prepare for the examination, or they are waiting for a local official to have a vacancy to take up their posts, and they are dreaming of becoming officials all day long.
Not to mention how much silver it costs to invite someone back, even if they can afford to spend that money, these people will not teach it well.
They don't regard themselves as mortals at all, how can they condescend to teach children to read, so they are not on the same level as the "poor talents" in the market?
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PS: First update!
In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the school education had not yet formed a rule, and at this time, the Baguwen was also in the stage of exploration and development, far from reaching its peak, and the teachers were teaching students according to their own ways and methods, so the level was uneven. It was not until the Kangqian period of the Qing Dynasty that the school would clearly plan what to learn at which stage, and it was clear at a glance, which was embodied in "The Outer History of Confucianism" and "Dream of Red Mansions".
The students who come out of this school have become test-taking machines. (To be continued.) )