On December 13, the second session of the examination was completed.

Today's examination will start on the ninth day of December, and there will be three consecutive exams, one for three days. Enter the venue one day earlier for each session and leave the venue one day after the test. The first exam day is the ninth year, and the second is the twelfth. I just finished the second exam yesterday, and today is a halftime break.

When Huang Zongxi walked out of the examination room, he felt a little strange, there was a taste of only one day in the mountains and a thousand years in the world.

"Taichong, why are you stunned!"

A sound next to him pulled him back from his thoughts, and Huang Zongxi didn't need to look back, he also heard that this voice was his friend Gu Jikun. Gu Jikun admired Wen Tianxiang's student Wang Yanwu, so he renamed himself Gu Yanwu.

"Brother Gu, do you feel that something is different?"

Gu Yanwu had just come out of the examination booth, still thinking about the exam, and didn't pay attention to the outside for a while. Hearing Huang Zongxi's words, he looked up and left and right, and sure enough, he felt that there was something different.

Outside the Dragon Gate of the Gongyuan in the examination room, there are many signs, and large advertisements are posted on them, which was not there before.

"The great man of the prosperous world, the four seas are peaceful! ――Dahan Taiping Insurance Company! ”

"Integrity all over the world, freight to home - four seas ship!"

"How did the advertisement hit the Gongyuan!" Gu Yanwu looked at these advertising words, and there was some admiration, the advertising words are very atmospheric and appropriate, the person who came up with this advertising words must be a talent.

As he was talking, he saw that many tents had been set up outside, and many people had set up tables there.

"I feel that the questions in this exam are very simple, and I have taken two exams, and each one is easier than the other."

Huang Zongxi felt that this was not a good thing, as Xie Yuan of the township test, his level was still relatively high. The more difficult the exam questions, the better it is to highlight his level. If the topic is simple, then it doesn't show his strength.

After all, the admission quota has been set in advance, and the quota for participating in the examination is also fixed. 6,000 reference candidates, chasing 600 Jinshi places. If 6,000 people do well in the exam, it will be very troublesome to select 600 jinshi at that time. If the exam questions were more difficult, the top 600 people at that time could be easily selected, and no one could say anything.

Standing outside the dragon gate and waiting for a while, several of Huang Zongxi's brothers also came out, and there were many candidates from the Restoration Society. This time, there are hundreds of candidates who took the entrance examination, and because it is divided into three examination rooms, and the examination rooms are divided according to their place of origin, most of the students of the Restoration Society are in the same examination room.

This is divided into three exams. The method of admitting jinshi with three rankings is not good for Fusha, because it means that they have to compete with themselves.

"Brother, what are you doing out here, there are advertisements everywhere!"

The candidates who came out looked at this new scene outside with great curiosity, they didn't know that when they were locked in the examination booth for the exam, Shuntianfu had just launched a sponsor program for the imperial examination, surrounding the imperial examination and their candidates. Shuntianfu easily attracted many sponsors and made millions of dollars.

At this time, the officials of Shuntianfu finally came, and he asked the candidates to line up and pass by the tents and tables one by one.

Fill out the form. Register the sex name and record the admission ticket number.

Huang Zongxi sat in front of the first tent as required, filling out the form, and then silently watched all this.

After filling out the form, an official stepped forward with a box in his hand.

"President Huang. Please check in and change your clothes. ”

Huang Zongxi was a little surprised when he saw that the box was opened, revealing a complete set of clothes, boots, socks, hats, and belts inside. "What is this?"

"This is provided by the sponsors and suppliers of the imperial examination."

I listened to the explanations of the officials. Only then did Huang Zongxi know that these new clothes, boots, etc. were all provided for free. He carried the box into the tent at the back and began to change his clothes.

The clothes are made of excellent materials and are made of excellent workmanship. The stitches were fine, especially on the clothes, and there were auspicious patterns, but on the left chest of the silk robe, he found that there was embroidery, which was a pattern with words underneath.

"Hengxingyuan!"

Isn't this the famous silk line of Kyoshi?

Huang Zongxi then changed into boots, belts, and hats, all of which were of the best quality, and all of them had their own business house markings. After changing clothes, boots and hats, there are money bags, sachets, purses, pendants, leather bags and other items in the box.

"Brother, are these all given to us for free?" The brother next to him asked with a happy face.

Huang Zongxi nodded, he now has some understanding of this sponsor plan, isn't it similar to advertising in the newspaper, but this time Shuntianfu is obviously more powerful.

After changing clothes and going out, there were many horse-drawn carriages waiting on the side, which was also the supplier, providing the carriages.

The people of the car dealer smiled and invited them to get into the car.

"Go to the Shaoxing Hall." Huang Zongxi and they lived in the Shaoxing guild hall when they entered Beijing, and this guild hall was also built by Shaoxing businessmen.

Unexpectedly, the official of the Shuntian Mansion next to him said, "The government arranges for all the candidates and scholars to stay in the Diaoyutai Hotel, which is the supplier of this imperial examination and is responsible for providing accommodation." ”

Diaoyutai Hotel is a large restaurant integrating food and accommodation newly built in recent years, with branches in Beijing and other places, with a large scale and extremely high grade. Especially at the end of the year, several stores in Jingshi can't live in it at all.

"How much does it cost to live in Diaoyutai?"

"Don't worry, Diaoyutai is our partner in the imperial examination, you don't need to pay a penny, and you will live in their store during the next exam in Beijing."

Huang Zongxi couldn't help but ask, "Six thousand candidates, all living in Diaoyutai?" ”

"Of course, the Diaoyutai has been specially vacated, and 6,000 people can live there." Diaoyutai was able to win the hotel project, not only because of the high cost of sponsorship, but because they did have enough accommodation. Diaoyutai originally had several stores in Beijing, and there were still several stores under renovation, so in order to win the exclusive occupancy of the imperial examination candidates, they accelerated the renovation process and put these new stores into operation in advance.

The first guests are the proud sons of these days.

For the next whole day, Huang Zongxi and the others all felt a little foggy. Food, clothing, housing and transportation, there are sponsor suppliers to provide brand new, even paper, ink, pen and inkstone, also by the supplier to provide a new free.

Shuntianfu even gave each candidate a big red envelope of twenty silver dollars per person.

Holding the red envelope and looking at the few green tickets inside, Huang Zongxi and the others couldn't believe it.

In the past, it was not easy for scholars to enter Beijing to catch the exam, and the wealthy family was fine, but if it was an ordinary family, in order to enter Beijing once, they had to buy land and borrow money, and they worked hard along the way, not to mention saving in every possible way. When you arrive in Beijing, you have to save money, and in order to save some money, you have to use private houses and even temples.

But now, food, clothing, housing and transportation are all covered by the imperial court, and you can still get red envelopes, not to mention, the conditions in the examination shed of the Gongyuan Academy are so good during the examination room, although it is a cold winter, there is no need to freeze in the examination shed.

Gu Yanwu was also full of sighs.

The Restoration Society was reorganized this year, and he was elected vice president, and he received a monthly allowance.

"The imperial court is really kind to me and other scholars."

"But the court didn't lose money, they made millions of dollars by engaging in this sponsor."

"That's also the power of the imperial court, otherwise the businessmen wouldn't be fighting for money, right?"

Huang Zongxi put away the twenty silver dollar coupons, "Don't make a fuss, everyone is going to enter the venue tomorrow, and there is still the last one that has not been examined." We didn't come here to get these enjoyments, to get this red envelope. The most important thing is the title of the gold list, and the most important thing is to be admitted to the Jinshi. ”

When the Huang Zongyan brothers heard their brother's words, they also put away a little excitement. Participating in the imperial examination is indeed to be able to be named on the gold list, and the rest is secondary.

"Big brother, I guess I may not be able to hit this time." Although it is 6,000 and 600, it is divided into three exams, and the candidates in the Jiangnan area are all in the same examination room, and the best 2,000 candidates can only compete for 200 places, which is quite difficult.

If the 6,000 candidates were to chase the 600 places fairly, then Huang Zong would feel that he might still have a chance. But now, the best 2,000 Jiangnan candidates can only compete for 200 places, and he feels that it is difficult for him.

"There's still one more exam that hasn't been examined, what are you anxious about?" Huang Zongxi comforted his brother.

"If I don't get it, I plan to go directly to Beijing Normal University. Read for two years and be an official for two years, and then go down to start from Jiupin, study while being an official, and then continue to take the next exam when you are sure. ”

According to the new will of the imperial court, this time, all the people who participated in the examination, even if they did not get the Jinshi, had the opportunity to directly enter the Beijing Normal University to study. After studying for two years, he went to the ministry and provincial government for internships, and then went to the township to become an official.

According to the new system, the starting point of raising people and jinshi is different, that is, the starting point of becoming an official, and jinshi also has to go through the Jingshi University to study, and then they also have to go to the Jingshi Department and the local provincial government for internship.

It's just that after the internship expires, Jinshi goes directly to the county and starts from the county master's book. And to lift people, you have to start with the deputy township head and deputy town head, and their starting point is only one or two levels apart.

There are no restrictions on promoting people to be officials, and if you do well, you can be promoted to a position in the county. If you can do the same as the prefect of the county, the prefect and other official seals, it will be no problem to be a political envoy or even a squire in the future.

Besides, even if you become an official, you can still take the imperial examination again.

In that case, why not go to Jingshi University to study?

Huang Zongxi didn't expect that his brother had already thought so far, and after pondering for a moment, he felt that this was also a good idea.

"That's okay, it's better to study at Beijing Normal University than to stay at home and study."

Gu Yanwu said with a smile on the side, "Maybe Brother Tai will be on the list this time, it's too early to think about this." I heard that Shuntianfu is going to give 100 red envelopes to each of the new science and technology scholars on the list. It is said that the three heads of the armor, the champion Lang has a red envelope of 3,000 yuan, the list has 1,000 yuan, and the tanhua also has 500 yuan. ”

When all the people in the room heard this, they couldn't help but be amazed. Once you win the champion, it is really fame and fortune! (To be continued.) )