Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 442

The official examiner of this Shuntianfu Township Examination is Guozijian Jijiu Xu Rixuan, and the deputy examiner is Henan Dao Yushi Tianxuanlai.

The start of the exam was on August [-]th, but the examiner was appointed on the sixth day of August.Since the sixth day of junior high school, the two chief examiners have closed their doors to thank guests. In order to avoid suspicion, they are not allowed to interact with any colleagues.

Because they are all Beijing officials, Cao Yong also knows Xu Rixuan.He was a Jinshi in the 27th year of Kangxi, and he was born in a major class. He also served as the chief examiner of the local examination before.

But because they are not in the same yamen, and they have no friendship with each other, Cao Yong just knows him.

Coming out of the Gongyuan, Cao Song was a bit depressed, and said to Cao Yong: "Brother, is my younger brother really worthless? Xiao Si is only a little older, and he didn't say stage fright, but I am an older brother, but I am worthless. "

Cao Yong said: "Well, but it's a bit irresponsible. In life, there are many times of stage fright. Sometimes you can take a step back, and sometimes you have to bite the bullet. However, the value of a person is to have self-knowledge , It’s also good to have a heart of fear. Isn’t that kind of self-righteous guy a joke?”

Cao Song was confused, but he didn't know whether his brother was reprimanding him or comforting him.

Without him, Cao Yong is just laughing at himself.

I just saw Changling take the exam, which touched Cao Yong a lot.Everyone is about the same age, it seems that everyone has some pursuits, but he is quite depressed.

For some reason, he felt a little stuffy in his heart, and he took a few breaths, but he didn't feel refreshed.

The stars in the sky are still twinkling, but the shadows of the trees on the side of the road are a little faded.

While talking, the two brothers arrived at the entrance of the alley, where the carriage was parked.

A bell sounded from far away from the direction of the Gongyuan, and it was time to close the courtyard.Cao Yong and Cao Song turned their heads to look, one after another, they were all relatives and friends who had sent out the scholars...

*
When the bell for the closure of the Gong Yuan rang, Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang brothers had already entered their respective test booths carrying baskets and holding the two candles they received when they entered the arena.

Some guards locked the door from the outside, and there is a saying in it, which is called "Shuoyuan tribute test".

In addition to a set of tables and chairs, there is only one charcoal basin in the test shed, and a candlestick is also prepared.

Although Cao Xiang is young, he is not afraid of stereotyped writing.He untied the small toilet tied to the basket and put it in the corner of the wall, and took out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the basket and spread it on the table.

Cao Xiang's test shed is in the same row as Cao Shuo's, but Cao Shuo's is closer to the inside, and Cao Xiang's is on the outside. There are seven or eight rooms between the two test sheds.

First, there are teams of soldiers patrolling, and then the invigilators distribute test questions according to the row of rooms.

Cao Xiang held the test questions, but his heart was a little bit excited.As a bastard, although he is not very old, compared with his elder brothers, he has more ambition for fame.

When the sound of drums came from Mingyuan Tower, Cao Xiang opened the test paper, and there was a line written on it: "One day, self-restraint and self-recovery, the world will be benevolent."

This is a sentence in "The Analects of Confucius", which is not a problem for Cao Xiang.He was still a little nervous, but when he saw the exam questions, he felt more at ease.

He took out the water bag from the basket by the table, poured some water from the inkstone, and began to grind the ink.Since one exam would take three days, he was not in a hurry, so he seemed more determined.While grinding the ink, I was thinking about how to start the chapter and break the topic.

The format of the eight-legged essay is fixed, and it is composed of breaking the topic, inheriting the topic, starting the lecture, starting, starting the section, middle section, back section and closing the section, collectively called the eight-part essay.

In addition to the format, the number of characters is also fixed. It was 550 characters in the Shunzhi Dynasty and increased to 650 characters in this dynasty.

It takes three days to figure out an eight-legged essay, which is not difficult for ordinary scholars.The rest is up to luck.

After grinding the ink, Cao Xiang picked up the pen, and he already had a sentence in his mind to solve the problem and inherit the problem.Just as I was about to write, I heard a commotion not far away, and someone shouted: "Please, examiner, a scholar here has fainted!"

Along with the voice, a patrolling soldier ran up "dumping", and it seemed that the examiner was invited.

All the examinees in the examination room popped their heads to look around, but Cao Xiang remained as still as a mountain, and had already written down the sentence that broke the question.

When he was about to write the sentence of the title, an examiner had already rushed over, and asked the soldier who reported the letter as he walked, "How many rooms are there?"

"No. 32, my lord!" the soldier replied.

When Cao Xiang heard this, he quickly put down his pen like a bolt from the blue, and leaned over to look anxiously.

The tribute courtyard is divided into East and West Wenchang.Cao Xiang and his elder brother are both in Dongwenchang. There are 61 test sheds in total, Cao Shuo is at No. 32, and Cao Xiang is at No. 41.

Just now I came in with my brother, he was fine, what's the matter now?
Cao Xiangben also hoped that he was a servant, or that the soldier made a mistake.But how could the reality be as expected, the one surrounded by several soldiers was the examination tent of his elder brother Cao Shuo.

Cao Xiang was anxious, got up and went to the door, but it was locked outside, so he couldn't go out.

The examiner had already arrived in front of the examination booth No. 32, and looking with his head, he saw the examinee fell down with his chair, foaming at the mouth, and convulsing.

The examiner looked at the lock on the test booth, but the lock could not be opened lightly. Candidates who left the test booth would lose their qualifications for the exam.He himself had studied hard for ten years, and he knew the importance of the imperial examination for scholars, so he didn't want to make a rash decision. He leaned forward and asked, "Scholar, is it important? Is it important?"

Maybe his tongue was bitten off, and the scholar on the ground had blood foam coming out of his mouth, and there was a stench coming from the shed.

The examiner was taken aback, but he didn't dare to delay any longer, he hurriedly went to ask the chief examiner for instructions.

Those few ordinary soldiers saw that the scholar was incontinent, rolled his eyes, and spit blood at the mouth, and said, "Is this dead?"

The one said, "What kind of rare thing is this? In this tribute courtyard, how many people in that department are constantly angry? Poor, is there no such thing as wealth?"

Cao Xiang heard this, but his heart was full of turmoil. He knocked on the door vigorously, and raised his head and said loudly: "Several officials, that's my brother. What's wrong with my brother?"

A soldier replied: "Looking at this posture, it's really scary. Whether it's good or not, you'll have to see the doctor to know."

When Cao Xiang heard this, he couldn't help shaking with fright.Although he looked more sensible in the past, in the end he is just a 14-year-old child.

He really couldn't figure out how his brother, who was still fine just now, fell ill just like that.He was burning with anxiety, but he didn't know what to do.

Speaking of which, in the second room, although Cao Song is the eldest brother, but because of his age is much younger, Cao Shuo is more likely to take care of Cao Xiang on weekdays.Therefore, in Cao Xiang's heart, he was closer to this third brother.

Knowing that the third brother's homework is not good, Cao Xiang was a little worried before, fearing that he would not perform well in the examination room.But because the cousin repeatedly said that for people like them, the imperial examination is nothing, so let the two brothers not take it too seriously, so Cao Xiang was less worried.

That's right, even if he doesn't pass the imperial examination, his brother's future is still supported by his cousin, so he doesn't think too much about fame.

Unexpectedly, this has already entered the examination room, but such a thing happened.

Cao Xiang's tears were already coming out, and he poked his head out and said to the soldiers, "Officer, let me go, my brother needs someone to take care of me."

When the soldier heard this, he shook his head like a rattle, and said, "How can it be so easy? The keys are all kept by the chief examiner, and it will take three days to open the shed. Who can come out in advance?"

Cao Xiang became more anxious after hearing this, and said, "Then my brother...then my brother..."

Not only can they not leave the shed for three days, but the gate of the Gongyuan is sealed, and the gate can only be opened after three consecutive exams.Thinking of this, Cao Xiang felt his eyes darken.

A soldier looked at Cao Xiang's young age and couldn't bear to see him in such a hurry, he said: "Don't be too anxious, there are doctors in this tribute courtyard. The examiner is going to ask the chief examiner for instructions. If you agree, I will take your elder brother to the hospital for treatment. You can’t get out from the left or right, so it’s not in vain, you should answer the questions with peace of mind.”

How could Cao Xiang feel at ease, sticking his head out, waiting for the examiner to come back.

After a while, the examiner came back quickly, followed by a doctor carrying a medicine box.

When we arrived in front of the examination shed at No. 32, the doctor looked with his head and saw Cao Shuo rolled his eyes, and said to the examiner, "Master, it's not like a small problem, let's open the shed!"

The examiner had already taken the key from the chief examiner and handed it over to the soldiers to unlock the outside of the shed.

The doctor entered the examination shed, carefully examined Cao Shuo's symptoms, and took his pulse again. His face was a little heavy, and he said, "My lord, this scholar is seriously ill. Let's carry him to the next room."

The examiner nodded and called two soldiers to carry him.Because of Cao Shuo's incontinence, his clothes were dirty and his body smelled foul. The two soldiers reluctantly dragged him by the arms and legs to move people out.

Cao Xiang kept staring at him, seeing his brother being carried out unconsciously, he couldn't help it, he stretched out his hand and said loudly: "My lord, my lord, that's the student brother, what's wrong with my brother, let the students out Watch it!"

The examiner was annoyed by what happened in the examination shed that he was in charge of. Hearing Cao Xiang's loud voice, he scolded: "The examination room is a heavy place, no noise is allowed!" Walk.

Cao Xiang saw that the examiner ignored his size, and the two soldiers who were dragging his brother stumbled, causing his arms and legs to bump into the bluestone slabs on the ground from time to time, how could he not be in a hurry?
There is really no way out, Cao Xiang shouted: "My lord, He Shuo's son-in-law, Mr. Cao, Minister of the Taipu Temple, is our elder brother, and we are from the Earl's Mansion. For the sake of being officials in the same dynasty as our elder brother, please let us know." On the one hand, let the students go out and take care of brother!"

The examiner was just a small officer from the six departments. Although he didn't know Cao Yong, as a Beijing official, he had to memorize the resumes of the officials from the six departments and nine ministers.

After listening to Cao Xiang's words, the examiner took out the list of the row of test booths from his waist.From top to bottom, in turn to No.30 No. [-], it is written "Cao Shuo, Zhili supervisor, father, late fellow acquaintance Cao Quan; ancestor, late Minister of Industry Cao Xi; great-grandfather, late Guanglu The third-rank doctor and the fourth-rank Cao Zhenyan
He looked down again and went to No. 40. Except that the candidate's name was changed to "Cao Xiang" and the year of receiving the donation was changed to "Kangxi 49", the other fathers, ancestors, and great-grandfathers were the same as Cao Shuo. Generally the same.

Looking at the resumes of the scholars, it is no doubt that these two young scholars are the cousins ​​of Cao Yong, the Minister of Taipusi.

Thinking of the situation, the examiner didn't dare to be self-confident, and asked the two soldiers to carry Cao Shuo to the row of rooms where the doctor was on duty.He was tall, and walked quickly to the examiner's courtroom.

Examiner Xu Rixuan dressed neatly, sat in the hall, and listened to the examiners who came and went to each room to report the situation in the examination room.

Hearing that the scholar who came to report just now was seriously ill, Xu Rixuan couldn't help frowning.It will take a few days for the gate of the tribute courtyard to be opened. Although there are some commonly used medicines in the tribute courtyard, they are not as complete as the ones outside.

But, this is also impossible.In his early years, he also served as an examiner in other provinces, and it is not uncommon to see scholars who fell to death in the examination room, but he could only sigh.

The examiner hesitated for a moment, and said the identities of Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang brothers.

Xu Rixuan listened, but was a little surprised.This Cao family is a bannerman, a close minister of the emperor, and a relative of the emperor. Why should their disciples bother to take the imperial examination?
He asked the examiner for the roster of candidates, and when he saw the two brothers, one was sixteen and the other was only fourteen, he felt a little admiration in his heart.Not to mention wealthy and powerful families, even the children of ordinary scholarly families rarely take the exam at this age.

After pondering for a while, Xu Rixuan got up from his seat and said, "Go, take me there to have a look!"

I went to the doctor's side first, and according to the doctor, he had some symptoms of epilepsy, and he also had acute typhoid fever.Although there are some medicinal materials in the tribute courtyard, whether they can survive or not depends on the fate of the scholar himself.

After hearing this, Xu Rixuan felt a little scruples in his heart, and his expression became heavy. He said to the examiner, "Which shed is his brother in? Go and see!"

While talking, a group of people came to Dongwenchang again.

Cao Xiang stood at the entrance of the test shed, already waiting desperately.Seeing the examiner turn around, followed by an official wearing a four-pin top, his face showed a bit of sincerity.

Xu Rixuan stood in front of the examination shed and asked, "Are you Cao Shuo's younger brother? You said you wanted to come out and take care of your brother?"

Cao Xiang saw that there was a sense of relaxation in his words, nodded his head hastily, and said: "Yes, my lord, the student is worried about my brother's illness and has no intention of taking the exam. Please forgive me and let the student go out to take care of my brother." I can't afford it.

Because the sky was already bright, Xu Rixuan could see the handwriting on the test papers on the table even with the window open.

Seeing that Cao Xiang is only half a boy, but he knows Brother Youai, Xu Rixuan also has a little affection for him.Seeing that there were two lines written on the paper, he pointed to it and said, "You bring that to me!"

Cao Xiang listened, although he was puzzled, he still took the test paper respectfully, and handed it to Xu Rixuan with both hands.

Xu Rixuan stretched out his hand to take it. Although there were only a few sentences that broke the topic, they were good at writing, and one could see that it was not vulgar.He loved talent and said, "Although you are young, the imperial examination is a major event in life. Your brother is under the care of a doctor. Even if you go there, you may not be able to help a little. Why don't you feel at ease?" Take the test here, wait for your brother to be ready, and I will send someone to tell you again."

Cao Xiang burst into tears when he heard this, and said, "My lord, although fame is important, the brotherhood makes the student eager. The student is willing to skip this subject and wants to serve his brother! Please help the student ardent heart!"

Seeing him like this, Xu Rixuan didn't feel a little moved. He nodded and said, "Since that's the case, I will rely on you. If you have this kind of filial piety, even if you miss this subject, you will have great prospects in the future. Cao It is really enviable for adults to have younger brothers like this!"

Seeing that he agreed, Cao Xiang bowed again to thank him.

Xu Rixuan sent someone to fetch the key, opened the examination shed here, and let Cao Xiang out.

After Cao Xiang thanked the two adults, he hurriedly went with the soldier who had received him without delay.

The examiner breathed a sigh of relief. The Cao family will take care of it. If anything goes wrong, they won't do anything about it.Otherwise, if something goes wrong and the Cao family really gets angry, how can he bear it...

It took only an hour before and after, but Cao Xiang felt that his throat was swollen and his mouth was already bubbling.What happened to my brother?

The two brothers played together, if the elder brother... then what face would he have to face the elder brothers...

*
(End of this chapter)