control the heavens

Chapter 12 Many Students
In spring, the greenery is glowing and the most vibrant.

In February, the annual county-level children's examination began. Students from all over Huayin rushed to Huayin County to participate in the children's examination.

The county magistrate treated this matter as a top priority, and there were constant head arresters appearing on the street to prevent the students who came to take the exam from being disturbed by small thieves.

Tang Han held the examination box in one hand and the burden in the other, bid farewell to his father and mother, and headed towards the county government office.

The imperial examination is a major event in the country. At this time, the entire Huayin County is under martial law. From time to time, you can see head-hunters on the street, or groups of city guards patrolling from both sides of the gate. 'Vehicles with lanterns are prohibited from driving, so as not to cause street congestion and delay candidates' admission.

After all, once you are late for the exam, you will not be able to take the exam again.

A total of a thousand students from Huayin County took the county-level children's examination. Tang Han really felt like he had passed the high school entrance examination in his previous life.

In this era, the imperial examination is really taken seriously. It can be said that it is implemented as a national policy. Now that the civil service group is in power, of course the imperial examination is more important.

"This man, you are also here to participate in the Tongsheng Examination!" A young man with a slightly plump face who was standing in front of Tang Han was slightly turning his side to greet him in a low voice.

This young man looks to be about 20 years old.

Tang Han smiled slightly, nodded and didn't say anything. He had already revisited the content of the Tongsheng Examination during this time. Although it was the first scientific examination, Tang Han was very confident that he would pass the exam smoothly and obtain the Eligibility to go to the government to study.

Seeing that Tang Han didn't speak, the round-faced young man no longer wanted to make fun of himself, shrugged his shoulders, then turned around and waited quietly to enter.

The imperial examinations, even for children, are still very strict. Tang Han waited for more than half an hour before it was his turn to check. The yamen guard searched his package and checked his clothes again. After finding nothing unusual, he gave it to Tang Han. A sign, let Tang Han go to the position marked by the sign.

Each student has an independent location about three square meters in size, separated from each other by a rolling curtain. The children's exam is held five times in a row, once every half day. During the exam, they are not allowed to leave the exam location except to relieve their hands. Yamen guards patrol, and if someone violates the rules, they will be expelled from the examination room and banned from taking the examination for three years.

Tang Han put the test box and package in his place. Seeing that there were still two or three hours before the test, he was not impatient and sat cross-legged on the couch, meditating.

In the afternoon, three bells rang, and immediately one by one the yamen servants handed out blank papers, as well as the questions for this exam. An exam lasted for three hours, and when the time came, the yamen servants came to collect the exam papers.

Tang Han studied the grind, took a pen and wrote down his name, hometown, and the academy he belonged to, and then began to browse the questions, pondered for a while, Tang Han settled down, and started to answer the questions with a pen.

In his previous life, his handwriting was not ugly, but it was not good-looking either. It could only be regarded as mediocre. In this life, Tang Han deliberately started again, and it took him a few years to practice good handwriting. Even the professors of Lushan College are full of praise.

In about an hour or so, Tang Han wrote the test paper to the brim. Tang Han read it once and was very satisfied, so he closed the test paper and waited for the time to come when the yamen servant came to collect the test paper.

At this time, the candidates around them sighed from time to time, complained about being "disgraceful to the gentleman", or complained that the questions were too difficult.

The yamen servants walked through the passage from time to time, like robots, but no one dared to make a loud noise, lest they be mistaken for cheating and be kicked out of the examination room.

The imperial examination is the only way for common people to be promoted. This way may not be easy, but it is indeed the only fair way in the Ming Dynasty. In order to prevent cheating, the emperors and court officials of the Ming Dynasty also took great pains. A lot of thought.

Since the period of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, a strict punishment system for cheating has been formulated. Candidates who are found to be cheating must be "shackled for one month" outside the examination room, and they will be banned from participating in the children's examination for three years.

Zhu Yuanzhang was born in poverty, and he had a natural aversion to officials, and his attitude towards officials was extremely harsh, and he was executed and exiled at every turn.

But he is very good to ordinary people. In his opinion, those candidates who are about to take the imperial examination are all future officials. If even being an official needs to be obtained by cheating, how can we be a person who is dedicated to serving the people in the future? Parents officer?
In this regard, Lao Zhu's cheating punishment measures have been repeatedly severe, like a knife hanging over the heads of those dishonest candidates, so that they will stop, so as not to be an official in the future and harm the people!

But even so, the temptation to be an official is too strong. No matter how strict the inspection is, some candidates will still take risks and do things that are entrained.

No, Tang Han and his party of ten people found a piece of paper from the other party's writing brush when the soldiers inspected the eighth person!

Immediately, the yamen servants shouted excitedly, dragged out the cheater who was in mourning, and searched out one cheater. Each of them could get a reward of one tael of silver, which was already worth their one month's salary up.

Seeing this scene, other examinees who hadn't started the search all had gloomy faces, and they couldn't help but feel sad in their hearts. Some examinees even took out a note from somewhere and stuffed it into their mouths, with a hideous look on their faces. Colored chewing.

Tang Han smiled lightly.

No matter in this era or in later generations, there are always students who want to go astray when they don’t work hard in exams. As the saying goes, there are always a few students who don’t wet their shoes when they often stand by the river. Get caught cheating.

Tang Han sat up cross-legged to meditate, silently practicing the Huashan Mind Method. The internal force cultivated by this Huashan Mind Method is neutral and peaceful. Tang Han thought it was quite amazing, so even if he could switch to other internal skills, Tang Han did not choose Hunyuan Gong and other high-level ones. Inner strength mental method, but continue to practice Huashan mental method.

In the evening, just as it was getting dark, Tang Han started to light a fire to cook, and heated up the meals prepared by his mother. After eating and drinking, Tang Han squinted slightly, taking a nap to refresh himself.

The Tongsheng examination lasted for two and a half days, and when it was dark on the third day, the bell rang nine times in a row, and a yamen servant came to collect the last examination paper.

Everyone packed their luggage, left their seats, and left the yamen. Tang Han had already packed his luggage. After the bell rang, he handed in the test papers, walked out of the yamen, and went home.

In the back, some students kept shaking their heads and sighing. It was obvious that they did not perform well in this exam, while some students were red-faced and obviously performed well. Most of the students were sick in the three-day exam. After all, there are more scholars than few. Those who exercise, such a test that lasts for nearly three days, are generally unbearable for people with weak health.

Unlike Tang Han's family who can go home in Huayin County, most of the students will stay in the inn for one night, because tomorrow will be the day when the rankings are released, and who is on the list and who is not will be known tomorrow afternoon.

Those who are not on the list can only continue to work hard for a year to prepare for the child entrance examination next year, while those who are on the list can go to state schools to prepare for the government examination next year.

The days of waiting for the results to be announced were extremely difficult for most candidates, but it was nothing to Tang Han. After returning home, Tang Han drank the soup made by his mother and started playing with his sister 'Tang Tingyu'.

At first the little guy was afraid of strangers, but after playing with Tang Tingyu at home a few times, Tang Tingyu liked to stay with Tang Han, his brother, and every time he called 'brother' crisply, Tang Han was very unhappy.

As for Tang Zhengde and Li Qingzhu asking how the exam was going, Tang Han just said "I will know tomorrow" and dismissed it.

On the afternoon of the second day, Tang Han was not even interested in going to the yamen to read the list, so he asked the housekeeper to read it. After the Tongsheng Examination released the list, the butler returned to the Tang Mansion excitedly, and shouted: "Young Master is ranked first in the Tongsheng Examination!"

Immediately everyone became happy. Although the Tongsheng Examination is not counted as fame, and only the Zhongju can be counted as fame, but it is not ordinary to be the first in the Tongsheng Examination.

Tang Zhengde was very happy when he heard the news, and directly announced that each person in the Tang House would be rewarded with one tael of silver.
When Tang Han learned that he was ranked first, he was not the slightest bit excited. He just smiled and didn't care at all.

(End of this chapter)