After Xu Xian entered the gate, he walked to the corresponding seat and sat down according to the number, waiting for the exam to start.

After waiting for about a stick of incense, the empty seats around me filled one after another.

After all the candidates had entered the examination room, Yang Zheng and Xuezheng Lu, the magistrate of the county, immediately entered the gate.

Yang Zheng and Lord Lu, accompanied by the officials, inspected the examination room, and then returned to the main hall of the examination room to officially preside over the county examination.

The students who were protecting the candidates began to enter the venue, walked to the main hall to meet the prefect Yang Zheng and Master Xuezhenglu, and then began to roll call and sing Bao.

After confirming that the examinee was correct, Yang Zheng personally wrote the candidate's name on the examinee's test paper.

In this way, the candidate actually gets the test paper and then returns to his seat and waits for the official exam to begin.

However, the so-called test paper does not have questions, but only paper and scratch paper for answers.

The whole process is serious and rigorous, without a single noise, and there is no room for sloppiness and mistakes.

Even when Xu Xian went to collect the test papers, Yang Zheng, the magistrate of the county, and Lord Xuezheng Lu knew and were optimistic about Xu Xian, but they couldn't say anything else to Xu Xian, so they could only smile and nod at Xu Xian to show encouragement.

When all the candidates get the test papers, the sky has been white, the gate is officially locked and closed, no one is allowed to enter or leave, and the first exam of the county examination officially begins.

When—

A bell rings, the exam begins, the candidates line up out of their seats, go to the main hall to read the questions, during which there are officials to monitor, no one is allowed to talk, even look at each other, violators are immediately expelled from the examination room.

Xu Xian walked to the front of the main hall with the team, only to see a curtain hanging on the forehead of the main hall, and the curtain was the title, and he had to write down the title within the time limit.

There are strict restrictions on going to the main hall to see the questions, the first time you look at the questions, you can see the questions twice, but the time for the last two questions is only limited to half a cup of tea. If you run out of three chances and still can't remember the problem or make a mistake in your memory, it means you're out. (Note: The imperial examination process of the Song Dynasty is different from that of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it is not the real Song Dynasty here.) Please do not question the Ming and Qing imperial examination process. ）

The first silent writing of the words of the sages was very simple for Xu Xian, he had already memorized the Four Books and the Five Classics upside down, and he could easily answer them without the need for a library in his mind.

Besides, in the first question, Yang Zheng was more benevolent, and the first three questions were all given points.

For example, Zi said: "____? Have friends come from afar, are you happy? ____" and so on.

The difficulty of the questions in the middle gradually deepens, and the questions in the back are more remote and unpopular, and you can't answer them unless you memorize the Four Books and the Five Classics.

Xu Xian replied easily, and after checking to confirm that it was correct, he lay on the desk and closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

The duration of the exam is too long, counting the time to enter the gate, more than seven hours, and the exam is highly stressful, very consuming brain power, if you do not take advantage of the time in front of you to take a break, the exam to the back is very easy to lose energy, affecting the performance.

When—

Xu Xian slept for about half an hour, and was awakened by the sound of the bell, knowing that the second exam had begun to be released.

Xu Xian stood up and went to the main hall to read the topic in high spirits.

On the way, he saw many candidates looking sluggish.

It's no wonder that if you don't finish the first question, most people can't help but meditate on the answers they can't answer. It's okay if you don't know the answer at all, but these questions are all from the Four Books and Five Classics, and the candidates have read them at least once and have a vague memory. Such hard thinking and meditation can be imagined to consume brain power.

Moreover, the vast majority of candidates get up at the end of the third and fourth watches, and by this time it has lasted for more than three hours.

Of course, there are also some candidates who are in good spirits. Some of these candidates finished answering smoothly like Xu Xian and then lay on the desk and closed their eyes and pretended to sleep, and some of them knew the trade-offs and saved their energy for the next three exams although they failed to answer all the questions.

The second scene is the scriptures, and the topic is still easy in the front and difficult in the back.

However, for Xu Xian, it is all a question to be given.

After answering the second scripture, Xu Xian opened the test basket and took out steamed rice balls to eat to fill his stomach.

After eating his fill, he once again hurried to sleep on the desk.

At noon, the bell of "dang-" sounded, and the third exam began to be released.

The third scene is poetry, Yang Zheng's question is very simple, with filial piety as the theme, compose a poem and write a poem.

"The line in the mother's hand, the wanderer's shirt.

Before leaving, I am afraid that I will return late.

Whoever says an inch is careless, and he will be rewarded with three springs. ”

Xu Xian walked back to his seat from the front of the main hall and immediately wrote down this famous poem "The Wanderer's Yin" with a brush.

After writing the poem, the next thing is Fu.

In ancient China, there were not too many essays on the topic of filial piety, and Xu Xian easily found a suitable famous one. Of course, Fuwen is not a poem, it focuses on narrative, cannot be used directly, and needs to be modified.

In the afternoon, the last exam strategy finally came, which was the most critical one for Xu Xian.

I saw that the title read: "Jin Wuping Wu was defeated by arbitrariness, and Fu Jian and Jin died with arbitrariness; Qi Huan is a full-time manager and hegemon, and Yan Xu is a full-time son and loses, the same thing but the difference in success, why not? ”

The translation of this sentence into the vernacular is an attempt to describe the advantages and disadvantages of autocracy.

"Sure enough." Xu Xian couldn't help but say secretly in his heart.

The last question looks neutral, but it involves the chief examiner Yang Zheng's political philosophy.

Candidates who do not know Yang Zheng's personality preferences and attitude and concept of learning and politics are extremely big, is Yang Zheng biased towards authoritarianism, or democracy, or impartiality?

Xu Xian thought for a while, had the answer in his heart, and then began to discuss on the scratch paper.

“…… Students hear that justice is in heaven and earth, and they can't be overwhelmed in a day, so those who are clear and purified will be held accountable by the prime minister. However, it is the responsibility of the prime minister to support justice, and the justice of the Lord is the ...... of the Son of Heaven."

In addition to speculating on the examiner's ideological bias, the strategy question is completely a comprehensive play of talent, insight and wisdom.

After all, Xu Xian is a human being in two lives, and he has the world's great Confucian Zhang Jingming as his teacher, and his knowledge is extraordinary, so he has a feeling of writing like a god when he answers.

It didn't take long to write the thousand-word essay, and then carefully and neatly copied it onto the test paper.

After completing the thesis questions, Xu Xian went back and carefully checked the test papers of the previous three sessions, and after confirming that there were no negligence and mistakes, he pressed all the test papers on the upper right corner of the desk with a paperweight, and waited for the exam to end.

When the sun sets, the bell rings, the exam ends, and the examination room begins to be arranged in batches, opening the gate, and allowing candidates to hand in their papers and leave the examination room in an orderly manner.

At this time, the examination room shows some humane places, although the exam is over, it will not immediately drive all candidates out of the venue, and unwilling candidates are allowed to answer until dark.

After dark, there were no lights, it was pitch black, and I couldn't answer at all, even if I was unwilling, I had to leave the examination room.

Xu Xian was the first batch of candidates to hand in the papers, Li Xu and Li Gongfu came up, and when they saw Xu Xian with a smile on his face and a steady pace, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense face showed a smile.