Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 209: The Imperial Examination Hall

The capital, the Imperial Examination Hall.

As the sky was just getting light, a large number of students taking the special examinations had gathered in front of the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall, and the place was crowded with people.

Referring to the number of people who passed the Yongzhou Academy Examination last year, there will be two thousand people taking the Enke County Examination this time.

The scale of this provincial examination is second to none except for one or two major provinces in the south that hold imperial examinations.

Shenjing is the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the seat of the emperor. The government treats such gatherings of people with extreme caution to avoid unexpected disasters.

Since yesterday afternoon, one thousand regiments of imperial guards have been mobilized to guard the perimeter of the Imperial Examination Hall and the intersections on all four sides, with swords and guns ready and on high alert.

This special provincial examination was divided into three sessions.

The first session, from May 8th to May 10th, will test essays based on the Four Books;
The second session, from May 11th to May 13th, will test the essays on the Five Classics;
There are three sessions, from May 14th to May 16th, testing the candidates' policy papers on current affairs.

A provincial examination lasts for nine days, and tests not only talent, intelligence, endurance, but also physical strength...

The Zhen'an Prefecture and the Qinian Prefecture of the Shenjing capital dispatched 200 yamen runners to maintain order in front of the crowd at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall, guard the entrances and exits of the Imperial Examination Hall, check the clothes and belongings of the examinees, and strictly prevent them from smuggling items for cheating.

Jia Cong remembered that when the academy examination was held, many candidates were found to have smuggled items, but those who were able to enter the provincial examination were all people with certain talents and ambitions, and very few people would lose the big picture for the small.

But there are exceptions to everything. With nearly two thousand candidates, there will always be people who are eager to advance and take risks.

Jia Cong saw with his own eyes that four or five people were searched and found to have smuggled items, which were hidden in their hair, underwear, pen tubes, and even in their dry food.

The candidates who were found to have cheating items were all trembling all over and pale, and were taken away by the imperial guards without any courtesy. What awaited them was being banned from taking the exam, or even having their titles revoked and never being able to take the exam again.

This kind of thing happens in every imperial examination, except that the candidate who was found to have smuggled stuff in his dry food caused trouble for others.

Needless to say, Jia Cong was searched all over his body. Even the ginseng and poria cocos cake sent by Baochai was cut into pieces for inspection. Although it was a bit disgusting, it was still enough to fill his stomach.

The white wax that Daiyu had prepared in her book box was also broken and checked. Fortunately, it could still be used for lighting...

After finally passing the entrance inspection, Jia Cong took the number plate he was issued and looked for his own examination room.

There were fifty examination rooms in a row in the Shenjing Imperial Examination Hall. There was a numbered toilet at the right end of each row. If a candidate was unlucky, he would be assigned to the examination room at the end of the right side.

During the three days and two nights, it is estimated that out of ten talents, fifty percent would be eliminated. Fortunately, Jia Cong was lucky and the examination room he was assigned was at the front left.

When the drum announcing the success of the imperial examination sounded loudly, a solemn and dignified atmosphere enveloped the entire examination hall, and the special provincial examination of the 13th year of Jiazhao began.

The officials of the Imperial Examination Hall went to each examination room and distributed answer sheets and manuscript papers one by one.

When the second drum sounded, dozens of Imperial Examination Hall officials held up examination plaques with the first test questions inscribed on them, and walked back and forth in front of the rows of examination halls.

This process will last for half an hour until all candidates have read and copied the test questions.

Jia Cong saw clearly that there were four small questions written on the examination paper, which were taken from the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, and Mencius:
Only when the country is well governed can the world be at peace.

When a gentleman is sincere and respectful, the world will be at peace.

If everyone loves his relatives and respects his elders, the world will be peaceful.

Cultivate yourself and the world will be at peace.

Finally, the key point of the topic: Saints have said that there are four different kinds of peace in the world. Why?

When Jia Cong saw the question clearly, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He didn't know how other candidates performed, but this question was not difficult for him. As long as he was familiar with the Four Books and had some accumulated knowledge, he would be fine.

The first exam requires students to write eight-part essays using each of the four sentences, and then elaborate and argue based on the differences between the four. There are five questions in total.

He has done many similar excerpts from the Four Books, among which "A gentleman is sincere and respectful and the world is at peace", and he also happened to do an exercise on Cheng Wen.

Although he had not done the same questions for the rest of the exam, Liu Jing'an had made many similar and ingenious annotations, which made him feel confident. He decided to finish drafting all the questions on the first day, polish them on the second day, and transcribe the answers on the third day, which gave him plenty of time.

In fact, according to his level, one and a half days would be enough, but he should not be too conspicuous in the examination room and should just endure the three days honestly.

He copied the test questions neatly onto the manuscript paper, thought for some time, and then began to draft.

A candidate sitting in the examination room opposite was nearly 40 years old, with a face full of experience and vicissitudes. He must have taken examinations many times.

He saw that after the question was asked, it took only a short while for Jia Cong opposite him to start answering the question with great interest. He was a little surprised at first, and then a little disdainful.

I couldn't help but complain in my heart that a half-grown kid actually took the provincial examination. He was still young and full of energy, and a little ignorant of the immensity of the world.

This time the exam questions are taken from similar sentences in the Four Books, and they have to verify each other. They are more novel than the questions in the previous two provincial examinations. If you write without careful consideration, wouldn't that be the beginning of failure?

The child is still shallow and ignorant. It would be better if he could go through a few more provincial examinations. I also went to school as a teenager, and I went through the same process, didn’t I?

Thinking of this, he felt a little sigh in his heart, and continued to close his eyes and ponder, no longer paying attention to the young boy opposite him.

Over there, Jia Cong had already made up his mind and was writing quickly, as if he had finished it in one go.

The Great Learning says that "only after the state is well governed can the world be at peace", which is in accordance with the order.

......

When Mencius said "cultivate oneself and the world will be at peace", he was tracing back to the original meaning.

......

"To love one's relatives, to respect one's elders, and to bring peace to the world" is the whole matter of governing a country and cultivating oneself.

......

When you come across a crucial point, stop writing to think about the appropriate wording, and then pick up the pen and continue writing.

After writing for a long time, I felt hungry, so I used the brazier in the examination room to heat up some dry food and mixed it with water to fill my stomach. It was quite difficult.

In the Imperial Examination Hall, people drank in the open air and ate enough food to fill their stomachs. No matter whether they were dukes or nobles, or children from poor families, they were all treated equally.

Meanwhile, the senior in the exam room opposite him had just started writing calmly.

After eating some dry food and taking a short rest, Jia Cong picked up his pen and continued writing:

If a scholar possesses the ability to investigate things and acquire knowledge, holds on to the learning of rectifying his mind and cultivating himself and bringing order to his family, then the way to bring peace to the country and the world is nothing more than this...

At this time, my inspiration flowed freely and I was getting into the right mood. I was writing with great enthusiasm. However, it was getting dark outside and the air was getting colder. It took me half a candle to finish writing the answers.

He read the draft carefully several times, revised a few places, and then took some dry food to eat.

He took down the table top and put it together with the seat board to form a wooden bed. He spread the quilt prepared by Daiyu on it, carefully placed the draft and answer sheets, rolled up the quilt, and fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, the senior examinees in the examination room opposite were still racking their brains and writing with difficulty. Seeing Jia Cong being so lazy and sleepy, they shook their heads and sighed as if angry at his lack of ambition, and then continued to work late into the night to answer the questions.

On the second day, Jia Cong carefully polished the draft until there were no more mistakes or omissions, and then carefully copied part of it on the answer sheet. As it happened to be dark and rainy, he stopped to rest for fear of dirtying the answer sheet.

By the third day, before the sun rose high in the sky, he had already copied all the answer sheets and was just waiting for the first group of people to hand in their papers so that he could follow suit.

After finishing the first exam, he did not wash for three days. When he returned to Qingzhizhai, he was more disheveled than ever before. However, he had done very well in the exam and his mind was clear. He was then groomed and tidied by the maids.

On the eleventh day of May, the second session of the provincial examination was slightly easier than the first one and I still passed it smoothly.

It seems that we have seen the dawn of success...

(End of this chapter)