Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 27 County Examination
  Maybe it was because of the plug-in. Nowadays, Jia Lian has a super strong memory and sensitive senses, so he is aware that someone is observing him. Following the feeling, he looked over and saw the county magistrate in official robes looking over. Their eyes collided. Jia Lian put down the test box and shook his hand.

Magistrate Wang was secretly frightened, and calmly averted his gaze, thinking: How does this guy know that I am looking at him? How do you feel guilty about being a thief? Magistrate Wang was frightened, but he couldn't help but feel ashamed and angry, hum!

When it was Jia Lian's turn to inspect, Magistrate Wang suddenly said: "Wait a minute, I'll inspect it myself!"

The candidates inside and outside the door looked over and found that Jia Lian was being examined, and they immediately admired Magistrate Wang.

Character! This is the character of a civil servant, and this is the character of a civil servant influenced by the books of sages.

Damn it, it turned out to be a Duan inkstone, damn it turned out to be a Langhao Huibi brush, this ink...

Magistrate Wang didn't want to check any more, for fear that he could not help but take away Jia Lian's set of stationery.

Hum hum, bad students have too much stationery! Don't blame me for being strict with you later.

Magistrate Wang took a step back and asked his subordinates to continue the inspection. Naturally, there was nothing wrong with it.

Jia Lian was also a little confused. Why did the county magistrate treat me like this? Ordinarily, when the emperor serves as a county magistrate, shouldn't he be more diplomatic? Otherwise, this official wouldn't last long. Let’s learn from Jia Yucun, oh, Jia Yucun has not yet had an “epiphany”.

Magistrate Wang was very surprised that during the whole process, even though he knew he was being targeted, Jia Lian showed no signs of impatience at all. He was upset and showed no expression at all, as steady as a mountain in the dark night.

The two checking officers found nothing. They looked back at Magistrate Wang and waved their hands without waiting for the order: "Go over there and hurry up."

Jia Lian looked at the messy test box, reluctantly closed the lid, carried it inside, and was not in a hurry to clean it up.

Is this fourteen years old? Is the grandson and heir of Duke Rong Guo so well-behaved?
  Magistrate Wang suddenly felt admiration!
  There is nothing wrong with the behavior of a boy from a poor family. The direct descendants of such top nobles have been supported and supported since birth, and they can actually do this. The level of tutoring in Jia's family is not well received by the outside world. It can only be attributed to his own quality.

It is difficult for someone who is not an official to survive in a county under Shuntian Prefecture. After County Magistrate Wang showed his "character", he quickly regained his composure. Everything is too much and too little is too much. Don't be too immersed in acting and take the role seriously. That would be too silly.

After getting the number plate and finding the dormitory, Jia Lian felt much more relaxed. The space is quite small. The legendary 1.16-square-meter dormitory is obviously much larger. But the enlarged ones are also very limited, and can barely accommodate an armchair, just like the adjustable armchairs in Qingyun Academy. It was impossible to sleep flat on my back, so I had to sleep with my back tilted.

Taizu's purpose of treating candidates well, judging from the sanitary conditions in the dormitory, has not been fully implemented. The only thing that has been carried out is probably that the roof of the shed has been repaired to ensure that it does not leak.

A clerk appeared next to Jia Lian and greeted him with a smile: "Sir, do you need cleaning services?"

To be honest, these petty officials don't have many opportunities to earn income. They rarely take the exam every three years, and they are not allowed to make money even if they die.

Jia Lian, who had expected it, was not angry, smiled and handed over his hands: "Thank you for your hard work, how much will it cost?"

"Cleaning costs a hundred cents. It's hot. Why don't you add an awning?" The clerk's price was not ordinary, and there was a follow-up. You know, a second-class maid in the Jia family only earns 500 yuan a month.

Jia Lian looked up and saw that the eaves of the dormitory were pitifully short. No wonder there was some wind and rain, and the candidates had to protect their papers, even if they got wet. "How much does it cost to add the awning?" Jia Lian was not in the mood to bargain. He was still fine and had money with him. While queuing up, I saw many candidates with pudding on their clothes. They were really not rich.

No, the candidates next door were already cleaning the examination room by themselves. No wonder many candidates brought brooms with them when they came in.

"Thank you, Chenghui, five hundred essays." The clerk smiled and handed over his hand. Such candidates are the most popular candidates. If you want to embarrass scholars, you must have the opportunity. Only scholars at this juncture can figure it out.

He took out five coins and handed them to the clerk. Jia Lian stood aside and waited for him to collect them. The clerk acted very quickly. He said hello and two companions came. They came with brooms, buckets and rags. They worked really neatly. The former clerk went on to find the next customer.

In about fifteen minutes, the dormitory was cleaned, and the awning was made with a piece of white cloth and three bamboos, one long and two short.

Jia Lian saw the same thing. An awning of more than one meter protruded from the eaves. As long as it was not too big, it should be able to hold up safely.

The weather is very hot. If we stay here for two days without a sunshade, we might get heatstroke.

Fortunately, it was only a county examination and it lasted only two days, so it was not a special hardship.

After a lot of trouble, it was already dawn, the sky in the east was red, and the sun would come out soon.

Only by sitting in the dormitory in person can you appreciate the cramped space inside. Taking exams in such an environment is really frustrating. It is really rare for ancient scholars to take exams in such an environment and write beautiful articles.

The situation Jia Lian faced was still good, at least the Taizu of this dynasty was relatively kind. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was normal for the dormitories to fall into disrepair. A poisonous snake jumped out of the dormitory and bit a candidate to death.

Candidates are required to bring a piece of tarpaulin when entering the venue. Nails and hammers are all necessary items. The tarpaulin is fixed on the top with nails to prevent rain. I clean the house myself with a broom, and all the dry food I bring in has to be cut open and inspected.

Fortunately, this is a county examination, and the inspection is not that strict. In Jia Lian's case, it is relatively strict.

The real strictness begins with the provincial examination. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a practice of asking candidates to strip naked and inspect their chrysanthemums.

Being able to pass such a perverted operation shows how perverted these scholars are.

Jia Lian, who once again proved that money can solve most problems, wiped the inside with a rag again, then opened the test box, arranged things neatly, sat in the dormitory, and waited for the test to start.

When the sun came out, Jia Lian, who was dozing on the horizontal board, was woken up with test papers, candles, and manuscript paper. The county examination lasted for two days. On the first day, there were three and four book questions. Jia Lian, who got the paper, was not in a hurry. He read the questions first, and then started to think about the questions he was most confident about.

Jia Lian didn't care at all about the shortcomings of the stereotyped ideology of recruiting scholars and imprisoning them. It was originally a stepping stone, and individuals should not go against the system. Jia Lian saw this truth very clearly. Jia Lian felt that he was a layman and just wanted to live his own life well. For the rest, after I die, I will let the flood flow to the sky.

Jia Lian, who knows the tactics of the sea, knows that the essence of the eight-legged essay is the first, solving the problem! Therefore, one must be cautious, list several broken topics on the manuscript paper, and finally choose one. This is one of Jia Lian's tactics.

Jia Lian, who was concentrating on doing the questions, didn't even have a good lunch. He even had a piece of snack, but he actually had no appetite because it was too hot.

While going to the toilet, Jia Lian saw several candidates exposing their breasts, and one candidate had ink stains all over his mouth.

It can be said that there are many different situations. Even if you fail the exam, it is still a special life experience.

The business of awnings is not good. Only a small number of candidates have awnings. From another perspective, they can see that studying is not easy. It is not easy at all for a family to support a scholar.

As the sun set, Jia Lian, who had finished the draft, was not in a hurry to copy it. Instead, he borrowed a basin from a clerk and went to the water tank to get water. He wiped it with a towel, and after feeling refreshed, he returned to his dormitory. He sat down and began a careful final inspection.

The inspection at this time mainly looked at whether there were any taboos. For example, the taboo names of several emperors in the emperor's own dynasty had to be avoided.

No problems were found, so I started copying. I copied the three articles very carefully. I couldn't make any mistakes, and I couldn't correct any mistakes. The roll surface must not be dirty, otherwise it will be lost.

Such rules are really torturing people's emotions. People with a slightly impatient personality will really be fooled.

Jia Lian said that he was emotionally stable and had seen many scenes that raised blood pressure. After all, in his previous life, he had worked at the grassroots level from the grassroots level to the department level for thirty years. What monsters and monsters had he not seen before?

The calligraphy skills I have been practicing hard since time travel have come into play. My hands are as steady as a rock and my heart is as calm as water. Whether the article is good or not is another matter. Judging whether it is good or bad is very subjective. You must write this word well.

After writing three articles, only a small section of a candle was used. There was no need to check at this time. Jia Lian called the clerk and handed in the paper. After feeling relaxed all over, Jia Lian returned to the dormitory and his stomach began to growl. He picked up the cup and went to the clerk, handed over fifty coins, and asked for the service of boiling water on call. You can also choose to drink raw water, but don’t worry if it will cause diarrhea.

Magistrate Wang has been waiting for Jia Lian's paper. Normally, the paper must be handed in before nine o'clock in the evening on the first day.

Jia Lian handed in his paper at eight o'clock, not too fast, not too slow, just at a medium speed.

County Magistrate Wang took the paper and read it. After reading it, he expressed that his mood was stable. He was not particularly surprised, but it was enough to be called excellent. If it were 100 points, Jia Lian's paper would have a guaranteed score of 85 points. Any less points would be deducted without conscience. . The key is that the level of the three articles is almost the same, there is no slight difference, they are all of this high level.

Well, that's good. Magistrate Wang drew a circle without any pressure, indicating that he passed the county examination. As for tomorrow's arithmetic test, as long as you can pass it, you can pass it. Although Taizu attaches great importance to the arithmetic test, the actual operation is another matter.

Early the next morning, Jia Lian went to bed early and got up early, and "enjoyed" the smell of the toilet in the examination room. When he came out, he was bent over. It was so smelly. Fortunately, I didn't have breakfast before, otherwise I'm not sure I would have vomited all over the floor.

After briefly freshening up, I calmed down a lot and looked at the time. It looked like six in the morning. I took a bowl and went to the clerk, a bowl of boiling water, a bowl of boiling water to soak the fried rice I brought with me, and bought two white water eggs for twenty coins. This was breakfast. The main reason is that the weather is so terrible that I don’t even dare to bring in something good to eat.

Yesterday's experience made Jia Lian decide that the arithmetic test must be completed in one morning, and staying here for one more minute would be torture. And it comes from torture that I have never experienced in two lifetimes. In a previous life, during the college entrance examination, the most powerful aunts would not dare to dance in the square. So as not to make parents anxious and desperate.

Parents in this era, no one dares to challenge the imperial examination system. The lighter case will be jailed, and the worst case will be beheaded. The consequences of this are too serious. If cheating in the imperial examination is discovered or suspected, the results will be extremely miserable.

When he got the arithmetic paper, Jia Lian almost stared out of his eyes. That's it? Can it be at the fifth grade level? At this time, Jia Lian seemed to understand that for questions of this level, the advantage of arithmetic had been suppressed to a minimum in the initial stage of the imperial examination. This paper still needs one more day? I can do it in two hours, okay?
  It took Jia Lian two hours to complete the three papers and half an hour to check them. Thanks to the Emperor, the sutra calculation paper could be altered, as long as the process and answers were correct, there would be no problem. Well, this is actually very problematic and greatly facilitates cheating.

When it comes to cheating, the truly high-end cheating is not cheating at all, but leaving secret codes on the papers. The examiner can manipulate them if they see it. Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't be able to investigate, unless the cheater is out of his mind and voluntarily surrenders.

After handing in the papers, Jia Lian almost collapsed when facing the clerk guarding the door. I have memorized all the test boxes. Are you telling me that I can't go out now and that I have to wait until the time to open the door? So what's the point of me doing it so quickly?
  Just when Jia Lian was emotionally unstable, the clerk said with a smile: "Master, you can rest in the ear room, and tea and snacks will be served." After hearing this, Jia Lian sneered and said: "It's true that money can make all the difference, brothel." Can you call the sister here?"

The clerk was smiling and not angry at all, he was a big customer.

"To tell you, this is an examination room. Sister can't get in. If it were in a prison, she could get in."

"Can you speak? Can you speak? If you can't speak, shut up." Jia Lian fumed, feeling that he was being targeted. He was indeed right. He was really being targeted. He also paid for services. His price was twice that of others. This was deliberately ordered by Magistrate Wang. I'm disgusted that Jia Lian is just a piggybacker.

As long as they have a good sense of proportion, people like Jia Lian will not care too much.

Magistrate Wang's idea is very simple, I can't "stop" you, I can disgust you.

In the future, if word spreads, Magistrate Wang's "character" will be added to the civil service circle.

This is what can be done for county and provincial examinations. When it comes to the college examination, provincial-level examiners no longer need to do these things, because at that stage, weighing the pros and cons is more important.

He spent fifty cents and took a nap on the couch in the second room, but was finally woken up by the clerk. Jia Lian, who was carrying the test box out of the house in a daze, always felt that there was a pair of eyes staring at him. When he turned around to confirm I didn't notice it, I just heard a faint sigh, I don't know who made it.

No matter what, when he saw Xiao An and Guixiang waiting at the door, Jia Lian threw away his things, got on the carriage and lay down, not wanting to move his fingers. As the saying goes, both physically and mentally exhausted.

(End of this chapter)