After paying homage to the Holy Master, the 5,000 tributes lined up in the square in front of the main hall of the Temple of Literature suddenly collapsed and scattered. Under the guidance of the officials, go to the examination room where you are.

A few cases that are half-new and not old, and a round stool that has lost its paint, this is Han Gang's position. I don't know how many years it took the students of Guozijian on weekdays, and now they are put out. In the entire side hall, there are more than 60 locked hall tribute students, and the assigned seats are all dilapidated.

In the corner of several cases, a piece of paper was pasted, with Han Gang's name on it, and at the same time, there was also a place of origin and a year of age. Even if you have the same name and surname, as long as you have different origins and different ages, you will not sit in the wrong position. There is also a small bucket next to the case, and the water in it is prepared for grinding ink.

This kind of careful preparation is the result of more than 100 years of experience accumulated step by step. It's not just the arrangement of the seats, from before entering the door, Han Gang has already felt the level of organization shown by the Song people at the talent ceremony.

However, he does not have the extra energy to praise the preparation for the exam, which is not much different from that of later generations. The questions of today's Ministry of Science and Rites Examination have been posted in front of the Confucian Temple. And its manuscript was brought to the hall by the examiner and hung high in front of the eyes of all the candidates.

Han Gang glanced at the question of the scripture and Moyi, and sure enough, compared to the lock hall test, the difficulty was far beyond the outstanding. He had already been mentally prepared in advance to select 300 people from 5,100 people, and with such a high elimination rate, the difficulty of the test questions would inevitably be greatly enhanced, so as to widen the ranking distance and make it easy for the examiner to judge the superiority.

Scooping up a little water from a small bucket and grinding the ink, Han Gang opened the paper he had just sent out for the draft text, and began to copy the exam questions on the scratch paper.

The four treasures of the study room such as pen, ink, paper, and inkstone can be brought in by the candidates themselves, but anthologies and other books are not allowed to be brought into the examination room. However, when Han Gang entered the examination room, he was not strictly inspected. It wasn't that he was relaxed because he was an official, Han Gang looked at the other Gongsheng, and he also checked loosely.

The examination of Jinshi is a whole day, and most candidates rarely submit their papers quickly, basically from the early morning to the light, such a long time, of course, you can eat halfway. Almost every candidate came in with a basket, pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and dry food. But the soldiers who searched for the candidates did not break the cooking cakes to see if there were small notes hidden inside.

Probably because in the past, poetry was used to make scholars, and it was impossible to do harm by entrainment. This is the first time that this subject has changed, and the scope of the examination is much smaller than that of poetry. Han Gang estimated that when it came to the future exam, the search and inspection work to prevent entrainment would be doubly strict.

Han Gang's pen was flying, and he copied all the topics neatly. Although the Thirty Texts are unpopular, there is not much of a problem for Han Gang, who has studied deeply and often used letters to listen to the teachings of the two great Confucians of the time. And after reading the only strategy, it also made him feel a lot more relieved.

Policy theory is actually two types of writing, policy is to ask questions, to give a feasible strategy for a certain political matter. Argument is to discuss, to comment on something, someone, or a certain historical fact. This time, the question is not a strategy, but a theory. Although the title is awkward to read, the essence of the content is very simple - about Qin and Shang Jun.

Shang Jun is Shang Marting. Speaking of the Shang Dynasty reform, as well as the rise and fall of Qin, the birth and death of the Six Kingdoms. Since the Han Dynasty, it has been mentioned a lot. "On the Passage of Qin" will not be mentioned. "The Theory of the Six Kingdoms", Lao Su has done it, Da Su has done it, and Xiao Su has also done it. The success or failure of Shang Ying's reform method, Xie Anshi said, and Wang Anshi also said.

Han Gang still remembers a poem written by Wang Anshi about Shang Yang - since ancient times, the people have been driven in Xincheng, and a word is heavy and light. Today's people can not be Shang Ying, and Shang Yang can make the government must be done.

Wang Anshi admired Shang Jun Wei Ying, and today's changes are also like Shang Ying's back then. As long as the candidates present are not fools, I am afraid they will use them as arguments.

It's just a seemingly simple topic, because there are too many people who write it, it is difficult to write well. It seems that Zeng Bulu Huiqing used such questions to brush off most of the candidates at once.

Han Gang, on the other hand, gently put the question aside and began to bow his head and write the answer to the scriptures. Unlike others, he has a knack for key decisions.

……………………

The soldiers who patrol the inside and outside of the examination hall will walk back and forth, while the examiners will sit in the wings on either side of the main hall, waiting for the candidates to complete their exams.

Zeng Bu, Lu Huiqing and several other examiners can now rest behind the palace. And Ye Zuqia, a junior official with an equal level of officials, must wait in the small corner room at the door of the palace.

There were a dozen officials in total, all of whom wore the lowest level of cyan official robes. Ye Zuqia's errand is to check the test papers, which is actually to test the school's examination papers, approve the scores, and draw up the rankings. In other words, they are the first point of entry for marking exam papers.

Ye Zuqia is the champion of the previous subject, and Shangguan Jun and Lu Dianke are the leaders of the previous subject. These invigilators, with one or two exceptions, are basically the top 10 Jinshi in the previous subject or the first two subjects.

The weather at the beginning of February was a bit out of the normal year. It's fine in the early morning, but by noon, it's as hot as late spring at the end of March. Lu Dian sat by the window, just in the sun, the leather jacket in the official robe couldn't be worn at all, and he could only sit down after taking it off.

A dozen or so ex-sci scholars sat together bored, and there was nothing else to do except gossip.

"I don't know who will be the champion of today's department?" Ye Zuqia asked very leisurely, and only he, the champion of the father, could speak in the tone of such a senior.

"It's still very early for the palace exam, so guess who is the first in the ritual exam." Shu Yan is the first in the Ministry of Rites Examination in the second year of Zhiping, that is, the provincial yuan. Talking-for-tat, in fact, is also a half-joke.

"It should be in the middle of the rest...... He is quite famous in the country. "Gong Yuan is a direct speaker of Guozijian, and he knows the situation in Guozijian very well

"Huzhou Zhufu is not famous." The other said.

Ye Zuqia immediately denied it: "His style of writing is only the second cooperation, and he can't be the champion." ”

Zhu Fu is Su Shi's disciple, and it is strange that Ye Zuqia can get used to it.

"Ye Tao's article is not bad."

"He does have some possibilities."

"And Shao Gang."

"There are too many ordinary people in literary insight."

Among the more than 5,000 tribute students gathered in the capital from all over the world, most of them are not simple people who can spread their names in Tokyo, and most of them have the strength to impact the champion. Yu Zhong, Zhu Fu, Ye Tao, and Shao Gang are all among the best.

"Where's Han Gang?" Suddenly, someone coldly mentioned the name

In terms of fame, Han Gang is deservedly the most famous among today's Kegong students.

Lu Dian, a student of Wang Anshi; Ye Zuqia wrote a bunch of good things about the new law on the strategy test paper of the palace exam, and was almost deposed by Su Shi. The top Jinshi in the previous subject were all biased towards the side of the New Party without exception. But none of them were optimistic about Han Gang.

Lu Dian shook his head: "I'm afraid Han Gang won't succeed." is that he is really talented and learned, he can be in the forefront when grading, and he will be forcibly pulled down after the paper is opened. The suspicion of melon fields and plums, Zeng and Lu, who is willing to get involved? ”

"What's more, he has never had a literary name, and he has not seen any poems circulated." Ye Zuqia also said.

"Speaking of poems...... Shangguan Jun got up, "Do you remember the dead vine and old tree in the West Taiyi Palace?" ”

"Impossible, Han Gang's age experience can't be written!" Gong Yuan denied it, "Isn't it rumored in the world that he is an old man who has been trying for a long time?" ”

"The rumors are not wrong, of course this one is not Han Gang's handwriting, at least not all." Shangguan Junshen said mysteriously, "Han Gang just added four words!" ”

“…… Sunset! Lu Dian's brain spun quickly, and he exclaimed, "But these four words?!" ”

"Exactly!" Shangguan Jun nodded, "When you went to the West Taiyi Palace to see that dead vine and old tree, didn't you think those four words were added later?" ”

“…… Truly. In retrospect, Gong Yuan did have this feeling. But after thinking about it, I felt that there was something wrong, "But why didn't he have a title for this poem?!" ”

Because he just added a sentence, Han Gang didn't take credit...... But because it was Han Gang's wonderful pen that added brilliance, the old Gongsheng did not claim that it was made by himself. ”

"Really?" Ye Zuqia was still a little skeptical, "Isn't he scolding us?" ”

Shangguan Jun was slightly angry: "The junior brother and Cai Yuanchang were both present at the beginning, and I watched them leave with my own eyes. The ink is all new, how can anyone else write it?! ”

But Lu Yan still had doubts in his heart, "The last time my little brother went to look at the question wall, how did he think that the four words 'sunset' are the same as the font of the whole article!" ”

"It's still a slight difference. Probably Han Gang deliberately wrote close to it in order to match the font in front of him. ”

Lu Yan nodded, "If this is true, Han Yukun's talent should be beyond doubt, and the finishing touch is nothing more than that." ”

Without those four words, the whole poem is a harmonious work of Wang Anshi's two inscription wall poems, and even Zhongping's evaluation is not qualified, but he is just deeply resentful. If you write such a work, it is natural that you will not be able to pass the Jinshi examination. But as soon as the words 'sunset' came out, it was the finishing touch, and even overwhelmed Wang Anshi.

"What's wrong with that old Gongsheng?" Gong Yuan asked about the author of the original poem.

"A song of withered vines and old trees has been written, what else do you think?" Shangguan Jun recalled the poem in the Xitai Palace, even if the four words added by Han Gang were missing, he could feel the sadness and vicissitudes of life that were full of between the lines, how could the author of this poem still have the heart to pay attention to his career, "This person's surname is Lu Ming." When he failed the exam repeatedly, when he left poems in the West Taiyi Palace, he was woken up by Han Gang's four words like a stick. ”

"This ...... It's really humiliating. Take this poem and dedicate it to the Son of Heaven, how can you get an official position and come back! ”

"Poor officials are not as good as rich businessmen." Shangguan Jun sneered. He also said: "If it weren't for the wax moon, Cai Yuanchang returned to Beijing after his term of office, and happened to meet Zhang Zihou's house, and no one would know the joints in the road. ”

"Cai Yuanchang saw him last time, why didn't he mention it?" Ye Zuqia asked strangely.