On the fourth day of the eleventh month, in the middle of winter, the yellow bell in the law.
At the break of dawn, the north wind is bitterly cold, silver-grey clouds are rushing and galloping across the sky, and cold currents are rolling in, brewing a heavy snowfall.
November Yingtian, cold evil, the Qinhuai River also changed its usual lively, seems to be quiet asleep.
On this day, the Enke Township Examination officially kicked off. The countryside examination is divided into three sessions, each session of the examination three days and two nights, a total of nine days and six nights. It was a comprehensive game of intelligence, physical strength, and physical fitness. For the candidates, this game has begun from before entering the door. The entire South Zhili to participate in the countryside examination candidates are to participate in the examination in Jiangnan Gongyuan, the number of candidates up to more than 10,000 people, to be named early in the morning into the entrance examination often can not be done. Therefore, many candidates are last night rushed over to queue up, strive to line up in front of earlier into the examination room.
More people, it is easy to chaos, even if there are magistrates and heavily armed sergeants pressure, but the tribute courtyard outside the door is still crowded and chaotic, has not yet opened it, last night there are more than a dozen candidates in the crowded, squeezed injured, head broken and bleeding ah.
Zhu Pingan and Fatty Xuechi came to queue in the early hours of the morning, came to the two will be separated from the queue, in the crowd is not yet serious, Zhu Pingan decisively ran to a corner to hide. It was only after the reinforcement of the soldiers bounced off that they ran back into the queue to line up.
The weather was very cloudy and cold, and Zhu Pingan wore thicker clothes, a leather jacket made by his mother Chen from rabbit fur, which made Zhu Pingan much warmer compared to the other students. In addition to the clothes, Zhu Pingan also brought two rabbit skin felt blankets, which were used for sleeping in the examination centre, one to lay on and one to cover. Of course, other things such as food and exam supplies were also brought along, and the food was also very sumptuous!
At around three in the morning, after hearing a drum beat on the Mingyuan Building of the Jiangnan Tribute Academy, the government officials and soldiers started to check the entrance of the candidates.
It was around six o’clock when Zhu Ping’an arrived at the queue. Zhu Ping’an had brought a lot of things with him, and the officer in charge of checking took a long time to check, and the people in the queue behind him had a lot of opinions. The people in the queue behind him had a lot of opinions. They thought that Zhu Ping An had brought too many things, he had brought two felt blankets, and the sergeant had checked them for half a day, and he had also brought too much food.
This kind of complaint is too much, Zhu Ping An is somewhat used to it.
It took about 15 or 16 minutes for Zhu Ping An to finish checking his things. The magistrate let Zhu Ping An in.
However when entering, something went wrong.
An examiner surnamed Hu who was responsible for checking the candidates at the entrance stopped Zhu Pingan, this examiner was serious about his work, dull might be a better term. When supervising the examination, according to the roster, the age and appearance of the candidates, the check is very strict.
“Thou art recorded as having a short and slightly chubby body, with a naive and beardless face. However, the old man today to see you, why come slightly fat a say? Thou. Substitute examination?” Hu Supervisor stopped Zhu Pingan, sternly questioned.
Er
To be honest, Zhu Pingan had not foreseen this accident at all, as this type of problem had not arisen in any of the previous county, government, or academy exams. However, despite the suddenness, Zhu Pingan was not flustered at all.
“No, the student is none other than Zhu Pingan. After the hospital test, students study day and night, also lost weight; and Zhu Zi note micro “no also” meaning. Micro fat person also no fat also; also please sir clear understanding.” Zhu Pingan was calm and collected himself, arching his hand and answering calmly. Anyway, he is Zhu Pingan, this point is not wrong.
“Well, that makes sense. But the face is naive?” The examiner surnamed Hu looked at Zhu Pingan and nodded, but immediately followed with another question.
Zhu Pingan had no choice but to reveal his signature Bean smile.
“May.” The examiner nodded and allowed entry.
After entering, Zhu Pingan entered a numbered house under the guidance of an errand boy. This was a relatively good dormitory, far away from the “stinking number” which was the toilet. It was far away from the “Stinky Horn”, which was the toilet, and belonged to the top grade of the number house.
Putting all the things in the house, Zhu Pingan looked around, the same as the last courtyard examination, the number room is very narrow, only the upper and lower two boards, the upper board as a table for writing the answer sheet, the lower one as a chair, and at night sleep on the two boards together as a bed. The difference is that there is now an extra pot of charcoal and two candles in the house. The charcoal fire can be used for heating and cooking. Candidates are isolated from the outside world during the examination period, so they have to solve the problem of food by themselves. The invigilator, who only cares about cheating in the examination, does not ask about the other actions of the candidates in the numbered room.
The next three days and two nights, “eat, drink, sh*t, sleep” will be spent in this cubicle!
It was around nine o’clock when all the candidates outside had finished entering. While waiting for the examination, Zhu Pingan heard several government officials say that they had checked out seven or eight candidates with cheat sheets, and there were also five substitutes who had been uncovered, and were locked up in the small cell of the Tribute Court waiting to be sentenced by the relevant authorities.
I did not expect, there are really cheating, after these brothers can be no chance with the examination, or perhaps will be exiled to the army.
Now think about the scene at the gate, Zhu Pingan felt some back sweat. If not for some of his own quick wits, I’m afraid it would be hard to say. He is Zhu Pingan, this can not be denied, can be proved, but to prove it, I am afraid that I will miss the examination.
Nine o’clock after all the candidates entered, the gate is also locked, not until the end of the examination will not open the door, even if there is a fire or flood in the tribute courtyard will not open the door.
Mingyuan building shadows long, there are two examiners, the same exam four people, a transfer, in addition there are responsible for receiving the volume, mass seal, transcription, reading, patrol nick supervise the door, searching and checking the officials of the hostage. By the older examiner signalled the drums to open the examination, and then the other officials methodically in their respective duties, are with a sense of nostalgia looking at the following candidates, with the sophomore and junior siblings to see the younger siblings to start the feeling of military training is almost the same.
After the drums were rung, there were government officials who started to hand out the papers, test papers and draft papers were handed out one after another.
Then, it is the announcement of the examination questions.
Today is the first session of the Enke Township Examination, and according to the usual practice, the number of questions in this session is as follows: three for the Four Books and four for the Scriptures.
When the magistrate holding the questions came, Zhu Pingan quickly and neatly copied the questions onto the draft paper.
This year, just like the previous years, this one also consisted of three questions on the Four Books and four questions on the Scriptures. The “Scriptures” is one of the subjects in the imperial examination, using the text of the scriptures as the title, the examinee will write a composition to clarify the meaning of the text. Of course, you have to use the eight-legged writing style to do this. These questions should be answered in three days and two nights, no matter how you answer, no matter how you arrange the time, as long as you do not cheat, as you toss.
Because Zhu Pingan hadn’t eaten a bit of food since the early hours of the morning, after copying the test questions, he cleaned up his things, spread a cloth on the table, and then ate the food he had brought with him by roasting it slightly on the charcoal fire.
After eating and drinking enough, Zhu Pingan cleaned up the table, laid down pen, ink, paper and inkstones, and formally began his journey to the countryside examination.
