Life in the examination room is very boring, the daily examination is against the paper scroll and the four walls, and the small square hole that seems to be chiseled into the wall to steal the light, no one talks, and all I hear every day is the sound of gongs and insects.

Ji Ning finished the four questions of the Five Classics on the second day, but it was not until the afternoon of the third day that the first session began to be closed.

Candidates need to hand out their papers through small holes, and the sealing officer will use special glue to paste the candidate's name, and the paper will be displayed in a wooden box.

For Ji Ning, it was the examiner and the supervisor of the field, and he didn't need to worry about things outside the exam.

After the first exam, the candidates can also be appropriately relaxed, this night can not help but make noise, many arrogant candidates in their kettles with wine, after the first exam, some by drinking, at night in the poetry of the endowment, the voice is a little sad.

In the face of a group of people crying wolves, Ji Ning didn't care what kind of poems they chanted, or what kind of articles they improvized, he just wanted to lie down and sleep well at this time.

In the past two days, he was very unaccustomed to living in the examination house, and he had insomnia at night and did not sleep enough.

But that night, as he had done the previous two days, he had insomnia. This is a very headache, obviously very sleepy, but tossing and turning can't sleep, want to light the candle but are afraid that the next two exams will be in trouble and need to rush to the field overnight to do the questions, so I can only look at the small square hole and count the stars in the sky outside.

……

……

On the fourth day, August 12, the questions for the second exam were put down.

The second exam is not as formal and grand as the first one, and even the candidates are much more relaxed.

After all, we all know that the first three and four essays in the first game are the key to admission, and no matter how well you play later, even if the article is written wildly, it will not help.

There are a total of six questions in the second exam, of which one is a test argument, that is, a standard argumentative essay, which does not need to follow the principle of "speaking on behalf of the sage", does not need to solve the question with eight strands, and does not need to quote the words of the sage.

This topic made Ji Ning feel a little level: "No one is good." ”

At first glance, it resembles the title of a four-book text, and the word "supreme goodness" comes from the "University".

The first sentence of the first chapter of the opening chapter of "University": "The way of the university is in Mingmingde, in being close to the people, and in stopping at perfection." ”

This kind of topic is often very deceptive, this is a trial topic, so we should discuss it from the perspective of "no one is the best", rather than "stop at the best", the truth of the person is that there is no perfection in gold, and the meaning of stopping at the best is that the cultivation and cultivation must be impeccable.

There is a certain contradiction between the two.

Ji Ning wrote directly: "The gold has no color, and the white bi has slight flaws. People's hearts have their backs, and they are happy in the people's homes. ”

The direction of his argument is not to pursue the so-called perfection, but to do what you want to do. We must be strict with ourselves, but not ourselves, and everything must be reasonable and moderate.

In addition to the trial theory, there are several application essays, which are edicts, judgments, tables, and edicts.

The main purpose of the ruler to set up the imperial examination is to select talents, and the main purpose of the Confucian and Taoist imperial examinations is to select scholars.

Although Ji Ning knew that the content of the last two exams of the township examination might not be related to the overall situation, he still tried his best to write his articles more beautifully, which was also a responsibility and obligation for him to take the exam.

……

……

Soon it was August 15, which was the Mid-Autumn Festival and the day of the third exam of the township examination.

The content of the third exam is five current policies, just like the examination of current political content, so that the candidates of the township examination can comment on some things that have happened in the imperial court and Confucianism and Taoism recently, and write their own opinions.

Of the five current policies, what really caught Ji Ning's eyes was the last question, which was very brief and a commonplace question: "The Lord Shaoguo is suspicious." ”

Uttering the words of "Historical Records? The Biography of Sun Tzu Wu Qilie": "The lord is suspicious, the minister is not attached, and the people do not believe it. What does it belong to me? ”

The examiner came up with this kind of question here, which seems to be alluding to the current court situation, the prince died early, and now the new prince, the fifth prince and Princess Wenren are fighting against each other, and there is a hidden worry about the chaos of the court situation.

Ji Ning thought to himself, this examiner also has enough courage and courage, first let people talk about "the country has no way to die", and then let people talk about "the main young country is suspicious", could it be that this person is dissatisfied and prejudiced against the court situation, and wants to express his dissatisfaction with the court bureau by taking the Jinling Township test?

It's a pity that Ji Ning doesn't know who the examiner is.

Generally speaking, there are two examiners, one is sent by the imperial court, and the other is sent by the Confucian and Taoist Confucian Temple.

In order to prevent candidates from bribing the examiner in advance, before the exam, the identity of the examiner needs to be kept absolutely confidential, and the examinee does not know who the examiner of his township test is.

In the future, whether it is studying Confucianism and Taoism in the Temple of Literature, or being an official in the court, it is a very close friendship with the disciples of a famous Confucian.

In the face of this kind of topic, Ji Ning only made a simple exposition and did not write in depth, because he was afraid that this kind of article would violate the taboo of imperial power.

On August 15, Ji Ning finished the papers of his third examination, but there were regulations that he could not submit the papers in advance, and if he wanted to leave the Tribute Academy, he would have to wait for the first time after the Tribute Academy was released on August 16, if the candidates were not confident in their third papers, they could wait in the Tribute Academy for another day, and by the afternoon of August 17, they would be forced to collect the papers.

Ji Ning didn't plan to stay in the Tribute Courtyard for one more day, on the night of the full moon, Ji Ning lit his candle, so that he could also experience a bright night, and it was also his last night in the Township Tribute Courtyard.

Early in the morning of August 16, Ji Ning rang the bell in his examination room, which was a reminder to hand in the papers, and the soldiers in charge of guarding outside called the patrol officer who collected the papers to come and put Ji Ning's papers away, and closed the lock of the examination room for seven days and seven nights.