The imperial examination of the Qing Dynasty followed the old practice of the Ming Dynasty and was divided into four levels, which were divided into the courtyard examination, the township examination, the meeting examination, and the palace examination.

The college examination, in the nearest prefecture, prefecture, county to take the examination, by the provincial school administration unified arrangement of the examination, the admission of the "student", into the government, the county, is commonly known as Xiucai. Even if Xiucai has fame, he is no longer a cloth cloth, and he doesn't have to bow down when he sees a county official.

The township examination was held in the provincial capital, and the chief examiner and the deputy chief examiner were appointed by the imperial court to invigilate the examination. The admitter is "Juren", and the first place is "Xie Yuan". If you raise people, you can be called "master", and you can have ordinary friendships with county officials. If you are willing to spend money, you can directly make up for the seven-grade officials.

According to the rules, you must obtain the qualification of being a fellow supervisor in order to participate in the township examination. Xiucai must take the exam in his hometown, and if the supervisor is the same as the tribute student, he can go to the capital to take the exam without being restricted by his hometown.

The township examination is held once every three years, and the annual year of the meridian is the main subject, and other imperial examinations such as the imperial examination that are added to the royal celebration are called Enke.

The second year of the township examination is the period of the general examination.

The examination was held in the capital, and all the people from all provinces could participate in it, and the number of candidates was about 500 to 600. Usually take 100 people, and those who are admitted are "Gongsheng", and the first is "Huiyuan".

After the meeting, it was the palace test presided over by the emperor himself, but this one did not fall off the list, but it was newly ranked among the tribute students, first, second, and third. The first class is "Jinshi and the first", the second list is "Jinshi origin", and the third list is "Tongjinshi origin".

The first three are taken from the top three, the champion, the list eye, and the flower, and these three people are directly awarded officials. Those on the list of the second and third grades passed the examination, some were awarded officials, and some were admitted to the Hanlin Academy for Shujishi, and after three years, the examination results were passed and then awarded.

Here in the capital, the location of the township test and the same test is the "Tribute Courtyard" in the Chongwen Gate.

The Gongyuan here was built in the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, it was originally a shed built of wooden planks, and later there were several times when the Gongyuan was burned to death or burned the test papers, and it was transformed into a brick and wood structure.

Because this side is also the examination room of the township examination and the same examination, there are more than 9,000 rooms in the number room, which can accommodate more than 9,000 scholars to take the examination at the same time.

In the early morning of the eighteenth, Cao Hao got up.

He really felt a little bit like a parent who sent students to take the exam, and he unconsciously linked the ancient imperial examination with the examination-oriented education hundreds of years later. If you compare the four levels of the imperial examination, it seems to have a bit of a feeling of elementary school, middle school, university, and graduate school. This township exam feels very similar to the college entrance examination hundreds of years later.

On the Gongyuan side, you have to enter at the beginning of the morning (5 o'clock in the morning), and there is a pre-exam inspection in the middle, so you need to go there early.

On the side of the Shaoyuan, Zhao Jia's family has prepared a bamboo basket full of food and water, as well as two toilets. I also made preparations early, and specially ordered the kitchen to make a plate of amber walnuts.

This is still a custom handed down from ancient times, and you should try to eat more walnuts, thinking that walnuts can replenish the brain.

Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang also got up, and both of them changed into half-new and old clothes, and came to say goodbye to their mother. Seeing that Cao Hao and Chu Yu were also there, both of them bowed down to greet their brother and sister-in-law.

Zhao Jiashi touched Cao Shuo's body and said, "This dress is not cold, if it is frozen, how can it be good?" Or ask someone to change two sets of thick clothes, even if you get dirty with two sets of new clothes, what does it matter to your body? ”

Cao Shuo's eye circles were a little dark, and it seemed that he hadn't rested well last night. Hearing Zhaojia say this, he whispered back: "Mother, you are not allowed to wear a jacket in the examination room, and if it is, it must be removed." My son wore two single clothes and would not be cold. ”

When Zhao Jiashi heard this, he couldn't help but "tsk" twice, and said: "Where is this going to the exam, I really suffered." Hurry up and have breakfast, and let your brother send you there!" ”

Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang agreed, but it was not good to sit down, so please sit down.

Cao Hao said: "I have just eaten with your sister-in-law, you two eat quickly." I don't know how long we'll have to wait in line, so let's go there early. ”

Zhao Jiashi also said: "In the middle of the night, where can I eat?" You two need to eat more, and you must be full before you have the strength to write. ”

Cao Shuo sat down with Cao Xiang and ate breakfast silently.

After the two brothers finished eating, Cao Song came in with a yawn, saw that this side had been cleaned up, looked at the sky outside and said, "It's only ugly early (two o'clock in the morning), isn't it early?" ”

Zhao Jiashi said: "Hurry up early or not late, where can this be delayed?" ”

Cao Hao saw that Cao Shuo and his brothers had finished breakfast, so he said, "Since we have finished eating, let's go!" ”

While talking, the group left the Shao Courtyard, and Zhao Jia's family and Chu Yu personally sent them outside the second gate. Zhao Jia's family had to ask again and again, but he asked the two brothers to take care of each other and take care of their bodies, but they didn't mention the exam again.

When I got to the front yard, Mr. Zhuang also got up.

Since Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang entered Beijing in May last year, Mr. Zhuang can be regarded as half a master for them. Now that the students are gone, he has to come out to send them off. instructed a few words to avoid words in the examination room, all of which were said before.

The brothers all lowered their hands to listen, and Mr. Zhuang had to send it to the Gongyuan in person. Cao Hao stopped him because he was old and had been afraid of cold for the past two years, so he didn't let him toss.

Because it was the third watch in the middle of the night, Cao Hao did not ask someone to prepare horses, but prepared a few carriages. The four brothers sat in two carriages, and Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang's scholar carried baskets filled with pen, ink, paper, inkstones, and food and sat in a carriage. Wei Hei and Zheng Hu followed behind with more than a dozen long-term guards.

With a lantern hanging in front of the carriage to lead the way, the group went to Chongwen Gate.

The distance from the Cao family to the Gongyuan is not close, but fortunately, because the sky is not yet dawn, there is no one on the road, and the carriage can also run. Occasionally, when I met a car and a horse passing by, I also went in the direction of Gongyuan.

When it was still half a street away from the Gongyuan, it was already brightly lit, and there were crowds of people everywhere, and the carriage could no longer catch up.

Cao Hao and his brothers got out of the carriage, leaving two people here to watch the carriage, and the others carried their things and followed inside.

Everywhere are relatives and friends who send the scholar down, and there are some auspicious words that are "on the list".

Although they are all township examinations, the number of people in the Shuntianfu Township Examination is one or two thousand because the inmates can participate in the examination without restriction on their place of origin. Among these people, they can only take more than 100 people, and it is not easy to be on the list.

In front of the Tribute Courtyard, countless torches and lanterns were lit here, and the hall was bright. Under the reflection of the lights, you can see the gate of the Gongyuan standing tall in the middle of the top, hanging with an ink-character plaque, on which the word "Gongyuan" is written.

On the east and west sides of the gate, each build a memorial arch, the memorial arch on the east side is written with "Ming Jing to take scholars", and the memorial arch on the west side is written with "seeking talents for the country".

Outside the gate is the east and west gates, and the relatives and friends who send off the scholars can only go outside the gate. Inside the gate, there are soldiers with handles, and the soldiers line up with baskets, and they must be checked in turn before they can get off the field.

Cao Hao and the others didn't come late, but they weren't too early, and there were already scholars entering the gate.

Cao Hao remembered an old news about the imperial examination, saying that there was a talented man in the previous dynasty, because the scholar mistakenly put a book into the basket, he was identified as cheating during the inspection, and was banned for three times, and he was allowed to take the exam again for more than ten years. Therefore, he couldn't help his mother-in-law to get up, and said to Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang: "Don't rush in first, check the contents of the basket carefully." Don't mix a piece of paper with handwriting, it's not the end of the mess. ”

Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang brothers, when they arrived at this tribute courtyard, they were all holding their breath and concentrating, with a bit of solemnity on their faces.

After listening to Cao Hao's words, the two brothers took the bamboo basket from the scholar's hand and looked at the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone one by one.

At this time, I saw someone in the gate shouting in a cloak and scattered: "Wronged! ”

The voice was extremely miserable, but the officials who were inspecting next to him looked like wolves and tigers, pulling the man aside.

Cao Hao and the others were still surprised, so they heard someone whisper: "I stuffed a cheat sheet in my braid, isn't this a fool?" ”

Cao Shuo and the Cao Xiang brothers were so frightened that their faces turned white, Cao Shuo turned his head and asked in a low voice, "Big brother, do you need to check your braids?" ”

Cao Hao couldn't cry or laugh, and said, "What are you panicking about? If you don't cheat, you haven't counted it in your heart? I asked to check the things I carried, but I was also afraid that I would bring books or writing paper because of carelessness. As he spoke, he looked at the two brothers again, and there should be no problem with the single clothes and shoes.

Seeing that the time was about the same, Cao Hao took out a few snuff bottles from his arms, looked at the different colors, and one gave two, and said: "The glass is filled with mint oil, and the jade is filled with snuff." Peppermint oil is poured into the water, and the rest of the snuff is poured onto the placket, and if you feel that your brain is sinking when answering the question, you can use it on the placket. Although it volatilizes quickly, it can be useful. ”

Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang took it with both hands, and according to what Cao Hao said, he unscrewed the snuffbox, sprinkled a few drops of mint into the kettle, and poured the rest onto the placket.

All of a sudden, the smell of mint spreads, and it also makes people's minds a little clearer.

Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang carried the bamboo basket by themselves, said goodbye to the two brothers, and went to Yuanmen.

Cao Song saw Cao Hao's carefulness, and felt a little guilty, and said: "I'm tired of my brother, I don't have to prepare for this." ”

Cao Hao smiled: "Xu is superfluous, something that I use in the summer." Now that the Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, the autumn is crisp, and it may not be able to use this. It's just that you're prepared, even if the two little ones are nervous, maybe they will be safe when they sniff this thing. ”

Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang had a lot of soldiers in line before, and the two of them were at the end of the line, and they had to wait for a while to get to the inspection office.

Cao Hao and Cao Song did not leave, but waited outside the gate, thinking about waiting for them to end. At this time, I heard someone behind me: "Cousin? ”

Cao Haoyin looked ahead, but he didn't care at first. It wasn't until someone shouted behind him that he felt that the voice was a little familiar, and when he looked back, it was Fu Nai's eldest son, Changling.

Chang Ling was wearing a half-new single coat, with two long entourages carrying bamboo baskets, which was exactly the costume of the exam-taker.

Cao Hao was a little surprised, and said, "My cousin is also here to take the exam?" ”

Chang Ling nodded with a smile and said, "After eating military food for a few years, I am a little tired of the martial arts, and I want to find a proper background." ”

The Fucha family is a Manchurian punishment, Fu Nai is now also the deputy commander of the second grade, and Changling himself has also done the martial arts of the fifth grade, but now he is retaking the township test. This courage made Cao Hao also have a little admiration.

Chang Ling looked at Cao Song next to Cao Hao and said, "Cousin is sending my brother to take the exam?" Didn't I hear that these people are making up errands, why did they go to the imperial examination again? ”

Cao Hao pointed to Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang in the queue and said, "It's the third and fourth in my family, they are out for the first time this year!" ”

Chang Ling knew that Cao Hao had several cousins, but except for the one in front of him who had reached the age of a weak crown, the others were only teenagers. Hearing that it was the two little ones who took the exam, he was a little surprised, and said: "It's the two of them, they are very young, and most students of this age are studying in the academy!" ”

Cao Hao smiled: "The left and right are still young, but I just came to Zhang Chang to see!" ”

Because the scholars all went to line up for inspection, Chang Ling exchanged a few words with Cao Hao, and then also entered the gate.

It took half an hour before Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang arrived for the inspection.

The messengers searched the two of them from beginning to end, and told them to take off their shoes. In the end, they also squatted down and twisted their socks, and only got up when they saw that it was a single layer. The things in the bamboo basket were also turned over one by one, but there was no personal belt, so the two of them were called over.

Cao Hao and Cao Song watched here, already breathing a sigh of relief. After Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang finished checking, they turned around and saw that their brothers were still there, so they waved at them before entering the examination room......

(To be continued)