11th year of the Apocalypse, February 10th.

Chen Ping has been in this world for more than four years, and he will be twelve years old in half a year.

This day is the day of the prefectural examination.

Just after the fourth watch, before dawn, in an inn in the city, Li Yang was checking the examination items of the three of them in case they were missing.

And once again emphasize the precautions related to the exam, and tell them to concentrate.

Chen Ping and the three of them didn't think Li Yang was verbose, they all knew that this was the teacher's care, and they all nodded yes.

More than half an hour later, the three of them walked out of the inn, got into Li Yang's carriage, and went straight to the examination shed.

When they arrived, it was already crowded outside the examination booth.

I saw a mahogany compound standing in front, Liang Yu was wide and neat, sitting north and facing south.

There is the east-west gate in the southernmost part of the examination shed, surrounded by a wooden fence, and the north is the main gate, which is also called the dragon gate.

Only by jumping over the dragon gate can they truly step into the path of the imperial examination.

The outside of the north gate was originally quite open and could accommodate 100 people, but now it was crowded.

The carriages and ox carts that sent the exams, the relatives and friends who escorted them, the people who joined in the fun, and even the maids and servants of various families were crowded here.

Some parents are holding their children's hands and urging them earnestly, some students are leaning against the teacher and their heads are in a cold sweat, and the officials are shouting in front of them to maintain order.

"There are too many people, let's go to the front and look at the seats!" He Qingxuan shouted loudly.

Chen Ping and Ye Chongwen hugged the examination basket, replied loudly, and squeezed in with the group.

I finally squeezed to the front, only to see a few huge billboards full of candidates' names, all in groups of fifty.

No one wants to waste time looking for a place in the exam room, so the position is clearly marked on this signboard.

Chen Ping looked down from above, and found his name next to Ye Chongwen, He Qingxuan, and two other students from Huating Academy.

"Here!" He pointed directly in the direction of the right-hand side, "A-word examination room!" ”

"Good!"

Ye Chongwen also saw it, and hurriedly wrote down his location, so as not to make a mistake when he went in.

There were too many people in front of the billboard, and Chen Ping was squeezed to the point that his head was hot and sweaty, but he firmly protected the exam basket in front of his chest.

You can't lose this thing!

There is not only stationery to eat, but also his household registration and identification.

Without this, you can't get into the exam room.

The way of the imperial examination is extremely strict, and mistakes will ruin the future, and we must be prepared for it.

After a while, there was a sudden commotion ahead.

Yacha shouted in a deep voice: "The county test is about to start, and the irrelevant people will retreat quickly!" Don't make a fuss! ”

"Open the door!!"

I saw the dragon gate slowly open, and the empty courtyard behind was revealed.

In the north of the compound, three halls come into view, with seats in the middle of the house, neatly arranged, and of equal size.

That's the real prefectural exam room.

Candidates immediately swarmed in.

The official stepped out of the examination room, his eyes swept over the crowd sharply, "Above the examination room, is there a lot of noise?" It's not quiet yet! ”

The noisy sound of the scene was instantly suppressed.

Then he turned around and bowed respectfully to the back, "My lord, the hour has come." ”

The new county magistrate slowly walked out of the inner hall.

This is the person sent by the imperial court to replace Huang Laosan, and the new county order is surnamed Wu.

Wu Xianling held a roll call list, which recorded the origin, family background, appearance, and even information on whether the three generations of ancestors had committed adultery.

Wu Xianling's expression was serious, and he said to everyone one by one: "Today's county exam is open, Wang'er and the others are honest and clean, concentrate on the exam, and have no distractions when they enter the examination room." ”

"When the official read the name of the candidate, he stepped forward."

The examination hall was crowded with people, but they didn't dare to come out.

After a while, Wu County's hoarse voice came.

"Zheng Bo, Qi Heng, Wang Dafu, Liu Chengqun, Bai Yuanzhu ......"

The student who was called hurriedly answered "yes" and walked forward to get the answer sheet.

The paper used for answering questions is called "test paper" or "roll", which is a thick paper fold with red lines printed on the inside, and the name column on the cover needs to be filled in so-and-so.

Before entering the examination booth, there will be a small official on the scene to conduct an inventory search, and the items and clothes brought by the candidates will be carefully checked to prevent entrainment, and they will be released after being confirmed.

Soon it was time for Chen Ping and their team.

When Wu Xianling read Chen Ping's name, he was slightly stunned.

Maybe I came to Yongshun County to hear about this prodigy who was once ready to participate in the boys' lift, but was later canceled.

He couldn't help but look at it a few more times, "The identity is correct, let's enter." ”

Chen Ping glanced at the people around him, lifted the test basket and walked in with doubts.

After verifying their identities and checking and searching, all the candidates have entered the venue and sat down.

Wu Xian Ling personally went to the gate to lock and seal it, leaving only the county magistrate and the necessary test personnel at the scene, and everyone waited for the test questions to be announced.

The seats in the examination room are far apart, and there are two tables next to the examiner's seat.

This is to ensure the fairness of the examination, in addition to the chief examiner, there will be two additional deputy examiners, one of whom is an observer sent by the imperial court.

After Chen Ping took his seat, he took a serious look at the answer sheet of this era.

In fact, it is similar to modern times, the name and age are printed on one side of the red line, and the answer is on the other side.

However, the content of the test in the same examination room is different, and the test questions of those who have not yet passed the crown are different from those of those who have won the crown.

Chen Ping and the three of them are not yet crowned, so what they will get after a while is the uncrowned essay question.

The total score of the county test is five, one per day.

Start with the first game, and then enter the second and third rounds, and even the fourth and fifth consecutive games.

Those who can persist until the end will have the final qualification to compete for the government examination.

The content of the exam is nothing more than the four books, the test poems, or the scriptures, the Vinaya, etc., and the difficulty will increase gradually.

This header should be based on the four books, mainly to clarify the meaning of the scriptures, and it should not be too difficult.

Chen Ping adjusted his sitting posture, took out the pen and ink, and studied the ink first to prepare.

Hour and moment.

Wu Xian Ling swept over the full audience of candidates and took out the first test question from the table.

Seeing this, everyone's breath was slightly suffocated, and their eyes were burning.

Chen Ping concentrated on the edge of the scratch paper for fear that he had missed something, and his fingers lightly rolled over the edge of the scratch paper.

I couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

The deputy examiner took the exam questions and got up and sent them out one by one.

Chen Ping took the exam question with both hands and opened it to take a look.

"One day of violence, ten days of cold, and no one who can survive."

This is from "Mencius, Gaozi I", which can be regarded as a famous sentence.

Its meaning is very wide, that is, half-hearted, anticlimactic.

Chen Ping made up his mind, but he didn't write easily.

It is easy to explain, but to solve the problem, you need to explain and express your opinions, and you need to try to write it on the scratch paper first, and then copy it on the answer sheet after you feel safe.

Chen Ping's expression is calm, his handwriting is upright and elegant, and every word is written unhurriedly.

An hour later, many candidates put down their pens one after another.

Then I saw an examiner get up, holding the red seal clay, and personally stamped at the end of everyone's answers.

If you have not written a word and have been stamped, then no matter how well the answers are written, there will be suspicion of cheating in the exam.

As soon as the hour passed, the second question was also handed out.

"The matter of the temple, if it is the same, Duan Zhangfu, I am willing to be a small minister."

Although this sentence is not common, those who are familiar with the Analects will be able to understand why it is true.

This article is from "Zi Lu, Zeng Hui, Ran You, Gong Xihua Sitting", the original meaning is probably the work of the temple sacrifice, or when the princes meet the alliance and the court to meet the Son of Heaven, I am willing to wear a dress and hat to be a small master of ceremonies.

In fact, it is also talking about his ambition, which is not difficult to understand.

Chen Ping finished answering at noon in an orderly manner and had a lunch.

Although the pie was broken at the entrance, the jerky was spicy and appetizing, and it still tasted good.