Outside the window is dark, this moment before dawn the darkest and darkest and coldest, the usual sleepy students in the inn at the moment are all packed up, bring their own things out of the house.
It’s a moth to a flame.
Or is it the phoenix rising from the ashes?
This is the beginning of the day to decide the fate of their own future, the Ming February county exams began, the inn out of the scholars or anxious or hesitant, of course, there are also expressionless, unperturbed.
Zhu Pingan also went out at this time, with a large pile of things, like moving: the bag has a mile of rabbit skin blanket, a thin mattress; carry a large bamboo basket, which is full of food and drink, preserved fruits, pastries, delicatessen, marinated meat, cups and so on a wide range of things; of course, ink and paper is also essential.
After all, Zhu Pingan is only thirteen years old, is not tall, with so many things, are fast to cover the people can not be seen, like an awkward turtle with a shell.
The other students who went out to see Zhu Pingan have laughed at what he brought too much, most of them brought more lightweight, some also brought a lot of things, but none of them brought so much like Zhu Pingan.
For the ridicule of his peers, Zhu Pingan turned a deaf ear to it.
Passing by the lobby, Zhu Pingan was a little surprised to find that his elder brother Zhu Shouren was leisurely ordering a table of good wine and good food to eat, and did not have the intention to move at all, the other scholars who were travelling with him were enviously looking at them, and his elder brother Zhu Shouren was enjoying the attention and envy of the crowd.
“Swine child, do not need to be nervous, this time do not win no harm, and when the long experience, the next day will be long.”
Zhu Shouren, who was enjoying the envy of the crowd, saw his nephew Zhu Pingan, who was carrying a large pile of things, and his face became more complacent, using the tone of an elder to teach.
This has not yet examined it, how to open mouth I do not win, closed mouth long experience, Zhu Pingan looked at a elder kindly preaching uncle Zhu Shouren, heart face ten thousand grass mud horse whistling past.
“Why has the eldest uncle not moved yet?” Zhu Pingan asked in a faint voice.
Hearing Zhu Pingan’s doubts, eldest uncle Zhu Shouren looked like he had drunk three bowls of shochu in one breath, he was about to float up, his face was also red with excitement, but he pretended to look like it was nothing.
“Uncle is already a student, county exams, government exams do not need to participate in, only to participate in the courtyard exams.”
Uncle Zhu Shouren a stroke beard, full of pride, waiting to see Zhu Pingan’s envy and jealousy.
“Oh, then the swine will go first.” Zhu Pingan did not care at all about his eldest uncle’s pride, faintly returned a sentence, and carried his travelling bag along with the crowd to go out.
Just oh ah ah
The eldest uncle who was waiting for Zhu Pingan to be envious and jealous, looked at Zhu Pingan’s departing back with a bewildered face.
Zhu Pingan along with the crowd to the county examination point, the examination point is located in the county government office is not far from a market, during the examination of the market shut down and cleaned up, set up a huge examination shed, sitting north to south. The southernmost East and West Regulator, ringed with a wooden fence, there is a large courtyard, the courtyard north of the main door, called “Dragon Gate”, after the Dragon Gate for a large courtyard for candidates to stand in the courtyard waiting for the name shouting. Further north there are three halls, the centre is the aisle, the examiner sits in the west, face east roll-call. To the further north there are many simple rows of seats for candidates to write.
In front of the examination shed, there were five teams of government officials in front of the main gate, checking the certificates of the scholars and the gifts they brought with them, and the checking was very careful: the bedding could not have a lining, the socks had to be single-layered, and the clothes had to have a tear-off seam, the inkstone could not be too thick, and the pastries all had to be cut.
The magistrate checked so carefully, is afraid of entrapment cheating, lest later be held accountable.
In front of a number of test students brought things failed, but fortunately also not been found to entrap cheating, unqualified things just yamen piled up at the door, people also went in.
The imperial examinations so many years, cheating punishment is also very serious, at least Zhu Pingan queuing up for this time did not find to find out any entrainment cheating things.
With the modern security check, Zhu Pingan with a large pile of all things are opened to check, cooked food and preserved fruit are by the magistrate cut just enough to be able to enter the mouth.
There was not a single unqualified item in such a large pile, not only were the students who were waiting to see the jokes surprised, but also the inspecting government officials were a little surprised.
After entering the main gate, there is a minor official who is slightly proficient in writing and ink to check and verify Zhu Pingan’s identity history, after checking and guiding Zhu Pingan to an open space, where there are already four scholars of about twenty years of age waiting, which should be the four candidates that Sun’s old man made the guarantee together. These four people think highly of themselves and communicate with each other, none of them pay attention to Zhu Pingan, they all know in their hearts that Zhu Pingan is the Sun old man looking for to make up the numbers.
Several people’s performance, Zhu Pingan see in the eyes, the original idea of saying hello also disappeared, naive stand there and wait.
Big colour fast dawn time, wearing the official robe of the county governor arrived, waiting for the schoolchildren and scholars stirred up, so that the magistrates to guard the order of some strain.
There are too many people, Zhu Pingan is young and short, did not see clearly what the county magistrate looks like.
Through the exchange of people around, Zhu Pingan knows that the county governor generally said a round of words of encouragement, and then said the examination of the matter, the county test a total of four exams and so on, in fact, the county test four exams can be examined five can also be decided by the county officials, the examination of the four, Zhu Pingan is also happy to see.
Then the county magistrate left the field, the officials began to roll call, by a few magistrates loudly repeat the words of the county magistrate, so that the students heard.
It took a long time for Zhu Pingan to hear his own name, and along with the several scholars who had been bailed out by Old Master Sun along with himself, he headed inside.
In the courtyard, there are paper-pasted light boards, so it is easy to see, Zhu Pingan entered the atrium hall with a few people, and saluted to the person who looked like an examiner in front of him.
“Li Lanshan, a native of Shanghe Village, is insured by GG Sun Hongzhi.” One of the four men stepped forward and received a copy of the examination paper singing the bail in a loud voice.
Then Zhu Pingan heard the voice of Old Master Sun come through, “Grange student Sun Hongzhi bails.”
Zhu Pingan looked up and saw Old Master Sun sitting in one of the halls, and there were several other people sitting with Old Master Sun.
After hearing Sun Lao Fu Zi’s confirmation, the examiner nodded his head and then a junior official guided Li Lan Shan to the examination hall to take the test.
Zhu Pingan was the last of the five to sing for the bail, and after Sun Laofu Zi answered the bail, Zhu Pingan didn’t even have a chance to make eye contact with Sun Laofu Zi before he was led to the examination hall by a minor official to take the test.
It is also understandable that so many candidates and as a guarantor have to go through this process yet, time is very tight.
Zhu Pingan has a seat number on the roll cover in his hand, Ding Chou. This is in accordance with the heavenly stem and earthly branch arrangement, but used to seeing the Arabic numerals of Zhu Pingan is still confused about this, fortunately, there is a small official caused by the seat, or find the seat is a trouble.
The field set up ten rows of simple seats, a long table, a chair, that’s all.
Zhu Pingan sat down on the seat and set up the pen, ink, paper and inkstone one by one before opening the test paper.
The test paper had red lines across the grid, a total of more than ten sheets, twelve lines per page twenty words per line, in addition there were two sheets of white paper for drafting.
But did not see the title of the test questions, Zhu Pingan some doubt, was about to raise his hand to ask the examiner, but saw a number of magistrates with a lamp patrol field, two magistrates and hold up a large wooden board circuit display, the examination questions are posted on this large wooden board.
I see, Zhu Pingan suddenly realised
