March 28.

The date of registration for the government examination.

Wei Chen, Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun came to the mansion to sign up.

Before the yamen was opened, there was already a lively scene in front of him.

The teahouses and restaurants on Fuqian Street were full of candidates from all over the county, all of whom were chatting and chatting about the anecdotes of the county exam.

In order to attract business, many restaurants have set up sheds on the street, making the already small Fuqian Street more and more crowded.

"Why are there so many people?"

Chen Jun looked at the crowd of people in front of him and said in surprise: "I'm afraid it's not about to be 3,000 people, right?" ”

"I'm afraid I have."

Sheng Changbai nodded and said: "In the ten counties of Jiangning, there are 100 to 200 people admitted to each county and county examination, and there are also scholars who have passed the county examination but are stuck in the government examination. ”

Seeing this scene, Wei Chen finally understood why the government test was the most difficult level in the junior level.

Although the number of candidates for the county examination is also quite large, there is no threshold limit, and you can write a name to take the exam.

But the government test is different, the number of candidates is large, and they have all passed the county test, and the level is not too bad.

However, there are only 50 places in the government examination, and the current candidates have to fight with the previous candidates, so it's no wonder if you don't kill the head and break the blood!

At this time, I only heard a bang in the yamen, and the door of the yamen opened.

Suddenly, thousands of scholars waiting outside got up together and hugged the mansion.

A dark, thin, gray-haired candidate squeezed to the door, only to be pushed away by the soapman guarding the door.

The soap official shouted: "Don't squeeze, don't squeeze, come one county at a time, first Jiangning County, then Shangyuan County!" ”

"Yes."

The old examinee hurriedly saluted and walked to the side tremblingly.

Not far away, Wei Chen, who was in the queue of candidates in Youyang County, saw the back of the old candidate Xiao Suo, and couldn't help sighing: "I can't figure it out, these candidates have been poor all their lives, what are they trying to do, they still come to the exam at the age of forty or fifty, even if they win, they are just a child." ”

"Brother Wei, you don't know this, there are many benefits to being a child!"

There is such an old boy in the village where Chen Jun lives, and he only passed the government examination at the age of fifty-four, so he has the most say in this.

Chen Jun pointed to the old candidate and said: "Don't look at this person so old, but as long as he is admitted to the Tongsheng, when he turns into a handful of loess in the future, he can also engrave the five characters [to be given to Deng Shilang] on the stele, but if he is not even a child, he can only write the word "Virgin". With the name of a child, it can be regarded as an explanation of the books he has read for a lifetime, and his children and grandchildren also have some face, so they can be regarded as a scholar. ”

Wei Chen and Sheng Changbai were stunned when they heard this: "It turned out to be for the name behind him." ”

"And that's not all!"

Chen Jun continued: "If you take a middle school child, you can go to the social school hall, or you can go to the Yin Shi family, and become a teacher, and the honorarium of ten taels a year is not a problem. If you can recite poetry and write or something, go to a big family to be a guest, and your life is also leisurely. ”

Wei Chen slapped his hands and smiled: "Brother Chen said this, I have the bottom in my heart, even if I don't win in the future, I can rely on some poetry in my belly to go to a big family to be a guest, but it is also leisurely." ”

After Wei Chen finished speaking, the three of them all laughed.

Of course, Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun knew that Wei Chen was joking, Wei Chen was the head of the Tangtang County test, and the government test was stable, but the ranking was uncertain, so how could there be any worries?

The three of them followed the team into the government office, and the subsequent process was almost the same as when the county test was registered, first writing a resume in the officer's room, then issuing an examination citation, and finally pasting a floating ticket recording the candidate's appearance and characteristics.

It's just that this time Wei Chen's floating ticket is finally no longer short, but moderately tall, I think it is because Wei Chen has grown a little taller in the past few months.

After taking the examination citation, the scribe learned that Wei Chen was the head of the county examination and Sheng Changbai was the third in the county examination, and added the word "Tang" to their examination card, which means to sit in the hall.

The so-called sitting-hall number means that the examination room is set up in the lobby and sits under the nose of the examiner, which makes it more difficult for candidates to cheat.

There are benefits, though.

Candidates who sit in the hall are more likely to get the attention of the examiner, and they can also be interviewed by the examiner in the classroom, and the chance of being selected is greater.

The number of the county exam is only the top ten in the county test, and Chen Jun was only ranked more than 50 in the county test, but he didn't have the opportunity to enjoy it.

However, Chen Jun was not discouraged, he reviewed with Wei Chensheng Changbai, the two top students, during this time, and gained a lot from it, and he was confident that he would be able to achieve good results in the house exam, and it didn't matter to him whether he could get a hall number or not.

After finishing the process, the three of them left the mansion and were about to go home to continue their hard study, but they heard Chen Jun suddenly say: "Brother Wei, look, isn't that Tao Dazhi!" ”

Wei Chen looked up, and saw a little chubby dun with a horizontal development of his body coming towards him, who was it not Tao Dazhi?

Wei Chen immediately smiled and saluted: "Brother Tao, don't come unharmed!" ”

"Haha, Brother Wei and Brother Chen, when we meet again, I know that with your talents, the county test will definitely not be difficult for you!"

Tao Dazhi greeted him with a grin, a pair of small eyes that were squinted were bright, giving people a hint of shrewdness, but after he laughed, that shrewdness turned into a simple face.

Several people greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries, and Wei Chen also introduced Sheng Changbai to Tao Dazhi for acquaintance.

Sheng Changbai did not despise Tao Dazhi because he was born in a merchant family, and respectfully greeted him.

Tao Dazhi also has a good impression of this approachable son, and after smiling and arching his hand, he gushed about his experience in Jiangning during this time.

Only then did Wei Chen know that the little fat man in front of him, who was not amazing, actually won the third place in the Jiangning County test.

Jiangning County and Shangyuan County are attached to Jiangning City, which is the two most prosperous counties in Jiangning Prefecture, and is also the place where Jiangnan Wenhua gathers.

But Tao Dazhi was able to stand out from it and won the third place in the county examination.

Speaking of which, when he was in the first righteous monthly class, Tao Dazhi was often the second in the monthly class, and even Lu Qingzhou and He Jinchao, who were born in regular academies, couldn't compare to him.

As soon as he thought of this, Wei Chen's eyes when he looked at Tao Dazhi became more and more playful.

This little fat man is really hidden!

Hearing that Wei Chen and the three of them have been studying hard behind closed doors since they came to Jiangning, and they haven't gone out for a walk yet, Tao Dazhi showed a look of surprise on his face, and he immediately took the three of them to the city to hang out and have a good taste of Jiangning, the capital city in the south of the Yangtze River.

"Brother Tao, you don't want to invite us to your bathhouse to take a bath!"

Chen Jun shook his head with a wry smile and said: "There are still more than ten days before the house test, where is there still time to go out to play, don't hurt me!" ”

"Brother Chen misunderstood."

Tao Dazhi waved his hand and said: "The place I want to take you to is not the Qin Mansion Chu Pavilion or the Garden Pavilion, but it is greatly related to this government test!" ”

"Something to do with the government exam?"

Hearing Tao Dazhi's words, a trace of surprise flashed on Wei Chen and Sheng Changbai's faces.

Chen Jun couldn't wait to say: "What the hell is the place, Brother Tao, don't sell it, hurry up!" ”

Tao Dazhi smiled and didn't answer, but said mysteriously: "When you get to the place, you will know, rest assured, I will definitely not disappoint you!" ”