The spring cold is precipitous, and the people who are cold on the day of the imperial examination are shivering.

Xu Erlang has been practicing martial arts all year round and is physically strong, so he is not afraid of this bit of wind and cold, but many people who came to the scientific expedition obviously did not think so.

They looked at the gloomy sky with sad faces, lest God be unhappy and there would be a light rain or a light snow, which would really make people want to cry without tears.

Scholars are generally weak, and even if they are not sick, their bodies will not be much better than those of normal young people. So at this time, when the cold wind blew to the bone, their hearts were really cold.

Xu Erlang was wearing a cloak and Suqian stood in the corner, sheltered from the wind here, not cold at all. While gossiping, the two watched where Mohe and Suqian's little guys lined up, so that they could go over in time to replace them from the line.

Suqian was very well prepared this time, and he had enough of the lessons of the last autumn season. Therefore, in the market this time, I inquired about a lot of ways to avoid the cold and keep warm in the tribute courtyard, as follows:

The fabric of the clothes worn on the body should be thick, if the family situation allows, you can carefully peel the leather and find a skilled embroiderer to make clothes and wear on the body. Not to mention keeping warm, it is also resistant to wind.

The charcoal fire is limited in the Gongyuan, and there is no way to bring more, so you have to find another way to heat up. You can bring some solid copper balls or eggs, carefully bury them in the charcoal fire, and when the flame is not strong or the body is cold, you can take out the copper balls or eggs and hide them on your body to keep warm.

If you don't feel that it hurts your face, you can also bring a soup lady in. Of course, the feasibility of this idea is very low, after all, students want to lose face, and they are afraid that this move will become black history and be ridiculed and ridiculed in the officialdom in the future. They are even more worried that the invigilator will know that this move will leave a bad impression, and the possibility of making progress in the imperial examination will be eliminated. So this method can really only be used when it is very, very unavoidable.

In addition to these, special attention should also be paid to food and other foods. Medicine to prevent wind and cold must be brought, ginger slices and other things are also indispensable, and the next nine days in the Gongyuan is the best thing to eat to warm up the body, to keep the physical strength in the best state. The quick-frozen mutton soup is undoubtedly one of the best, and when you eat it, boil it in a small pot, break the cake and put it in, it is a delicious meal.

Su Qianzheng and Xu Erlang were muttering about what he was carrying, and they saw Xu Erlang gesture to him with his chin, "Let's go, it's our turn." ”

When Suqian looked over, he saw that three or two more people had checked Mohe and his little servant, and hurried over to replace him.

Seeing this, the officer in charge of the body search just glanced up at them and looked away, obviously seeing too much of this kind of operation, and was no longer surprised.

After entering the Gongyuan, Xu Erlang and Suqian separated, one of them went to the east and the other to the west, and they did not go the same way. In the Gongyuan Academy, there are three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry, and it is forbidden for students to make noise and talk, so the two just made eye contact, and then they each looked for their own seats.

Xu Erlang was assigned a good location this time, but the room was not good. There was a large hole in the top of the head and behind the back, and the cold wind penetrated through the gap, blowing chills all over the body.

It's not yet time for the scientific examination, and the students are still entering. Xu Erlang stood up and looked at the two loopholes, thinking about how to plug them.

Looking around, all the items in the room are in full view, there is only a single bed less than three feet in the room, a table and a stool, and a thin quilt, and it is obviously unscientific to repair the room with these things.

Xu Erlang thought about it, and resigned himself to taking out a few branches and a small piece of oiled paper cloth from the basket he brought in.

Whether it is a tree branch or an oiled paper cloth, it is not a prohibited item in the exam, but because these things are too "poor and sour", the average candidate can't think of carrying them.

Xu Wenqing specially sent these "treasures" to Xu Erlang on the eve of the exam. According to him, the number room of the Gongyuan in the capital is in disrepair - I don't know if the household department is short of those few taels of silver, or the imperial court feels that this kind of "hard work and hard work" can better hone the will of the candidates and select officials who meet the needs of Daqi. Therefore, although there are many imperial history books and tribute temples before each imperial examination, year after year, the tribute courtyard is still the same as before, and it is even more dilapidated than before.

To put it mildly, if you are not afraid of ridicule from outsiders, the Gongyuan in Kyoto is not as good as the thatched houses of the poor people.

After all, the thatched house can still be repaired well, and it can still leak wind and rain. But the number room of the Gongyuan is different, you don't have the tools and materials to repair it, and the number room assigned to you is dilapidated, how can you do it? I had no choice but to endure the cold wind and stay up.

Xu Wenqing was kind, and Xu Erlang naturally accepted it. Not only that, but he also sent a letter to Suqian, telling him to "just in case". Now I don't know what the situation is in Suqian, but he has to use the spare things here.

The soldiers standing guard in front of the room watched Xu Erlang like this, easily pasted the leaky hole with oiled paper cloth, and then easily inserted a few branches around the oiled paper cloth to fix it, and the hole was instantly blocked, and the soldier was dumbfounded.

Can you still do this?

The holes are all muddled, so how do they, the errands who stand guard, still look at these old men who make a fool of themselves?

The only pleasure was "confiscated", and the errand pulled his face, unhappy.

Xu Erlang blocked both holes, and the room was suddenly much warmer. Although I can still feel the slightest chill running in, it is more comfortable than the big hole is open.

When he was done, he threw the remaining branch into the basket for the scientific expedition, and when he looked up, he saw the messenger staring at him.

Xu Erlang paused, arched his hand and asked, "But what I did was wrong?" ”

The messenger said in a loud voice, "No." ”

"That's fine."

“……”

As the sky gradually darkened, Xu Erlang turned on the charcoal fire, put a small pot, took out a piece of the fast-frozen mutton soup and threw it into the pot, and began to prepare dinner.

The pungent and spicy fragrance came to his face, Xu Erlang's expression became a little more pleasant, and then he broke the cake and threw it in, and after eating the food in this small pot, his whole body was warm, and then he lay down on the couch to rest.

Although the test papers have been distributed, it is even colder at night, and if you don't do it properly, you will get a cold. Besides, if you don't recuperate, you don't have enough energy during the day, and it also affects the answering of questions, and some of the gains outweigh the losses. So, let's go to bed first.

He blew out the candle and closed his eyes. I couldn't stop thinking about the questions on the test paper, and I wondered where to start answering and writing.

When the day was about to dawn, Xu Erlang opened his eyes, he got up and quickly dressed and cleaned up, and after rinsing his mouth with green salt, he didn't have time to eat, so he took advantage of this moment when Shentai was the most clear, and began to grind ink and answer questions.

At this time, many candidates got up, and the lights were lit on the tables. While they were gasping from the cold, they had to take care of the candles so that they didn't go out, and they had to beckon them to keep the candle tears from falling on the test papers, and they were a little scrambling.

Xu Erlang didn't have this trouble, his eyesight was amazing, and he could see the test papers clearly without lighting the lamp. What's more, there is an errand officer holding a torch in front of him to monitor the candidates' every move, and the candidates on the left and right sides also lit candles and prepared to answer the questions.

Shure coughed a few times, and the entire examination room was silent for a few minutes.

On the first day, there were candidates who couldn't bear the wind chill and had cough, which really sounded the alarm for everyone, making everyone more cautious, and when they lit a charcoal fire to keep warm, they were especially worried about being frozen, and they really hated to put the quilt on their bodies.

There was silence in the courtyard, except for the rustle of brushstrokes rubbing against the paper.

Xu Erlang had already thought of the idea of solving the problem last night, and now if he writes with divine help, the answer is very smooth.

The day passed without waves.

The next day the clouds cleared, the sun leaped out from behind the dark clouds, and the whole sky finally cleared.

The sound of the candidates panting soundly came from the examination room, and it was obvious that the severe cold of the past two days had left a deep psychological shadow on everyone. Now that the weather is finally clear, it is really a good sign.

Xu Erlang's mood was already very stable, and he answered the questions safely.

He felt that the first two were quite smooth, but when he didn't think about the third exam, his handwriting was stagnant.

The first topic: The military system since the Han and Sui dynasties is evidenced by today's situation. ①

Subtopic: To the people of the world, gather the world's own goods, trade and retreat, each has its own meaning. ②

Question 3: If you want to make the evil in the four seas not flourish, and you are learning day by day, what is the way to go? ③

The difficulty of these test questions is seriously beyond the difficulty of the previous years' examinations, not to mention, I am afraid that the difficulty is not much worse than the palace examinations in the past few sessions. Xu Erlang felt that it was a fluke to be able to pass the examination, and it was really more difficult to pass the palace examination than to cross a single-plank bridge with thousands of troops.

In layman's terms, according to his accumulation and heritage, it is too whimsical to answer these questions comprehensively, brilliantly, and with new ideas.

I'm afraid that even Mr. Qian and Mr. Ming will come over and scratch their heads on these questions.

Xu Erlang frowned and thought deeply, and the corner of his eye flashed, and he saw that many students should have also answered here, and they all scratched their ears and cheeks at this time, looking very distressed. A few of them even showed a depressed and decrepit expression, which shows how hard this exam question has hit everyone.

Seeing this, Xu Erlang was much more relaxed. What's more, even if it is difficult, it is not only difficult for him, all the people who participated in the examination now answer the same set of test questions, which is difficult for everyone to work together.

If Jin Niang knew Xu Erlang's thoughts, I am afraid that she would take his hand and say "a fellow person". This spirit of Ah Q has really been learned by candidates throughout the ages. It seems that no matter what dynasty or generation of students they are, they are all the same when they are taking scientific examinations.

Don't talk about Jin Niang, and continue to talk about Xu Erlang, he has already started to answer the question.

At this time, he was in a good state of mind, because he remembered that he had another advantage over other students - he had practiced martial arts since he was a child, and he was expected to enter the military camp, and the military books at home were almost rotten by him, so he knew the pros and cons of various military systems. There was even a plan for proposing a new military system. For him, this question is tantamount to sending a score question, as for the next two questions...... Let's finish answering this question first.

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