A Complete Explanation of the Negative Textbooks of the Imperial Examination

Chapter 45: Mystery

There is something outside the scope of the imperial examination in the imperial examination, how can this be done? The students in the Gongyuan suddenly exploded, and many people disregarded the rules of the examination room and protested one after another.

In order to save time, I have never read other articles except the Four Books and Five Classics. However, who would have thought that the imperial court suddenly came to such a hand, not only did the main exam topic come from “Tianwen”, but they even asked them to write an essay about it.

The Minister of Rites had long expected this scene. He was standing on the ground at the front. After the students were no longer so excited, he cleared his throat and shouted loudly: “Quiet! It was jointly formulated by the saints. Those who do not agree can now submit the papers and leave without affecting other people’s answers. This exam is limited to incense, and it will stop answering when it is out of date. Students should pay attention to the time limit, and do not delay writing articles!

However, at this moment, no matter how much dissatisfaction they have, they can only swallow it temporarily. The exam questions are already very rare. If there is not enough time, what article would they write.

After the initial surprise, Xiao Jingduo quickly calmed down and devoted himself to reviewing the question. The other candidates were still chattering about the exam questions, but Xiao Jingduo was thinking about where to start the questions.

“Tianwen” involves astronomy, geography, nature, agriculture, and the human world. The examiner who asked the question took “Tianwen” as the question, not asking them to answer Qu Zi’s question, but to ask Take the opportunity to examine their views on heaven and earth, history and even kingship.

So this time the title is biased, but it is also very bold. To do the right thing for “Tianwen”, gorgeous and exquisite diction is essential, and the accumulation of history, astronomy, geography and other miscellaneous studies is also required Very high.

Xiao Jingduo felt that it was difficult, but also a strong desire to challenge. The examiner who asked the question had such big ambitions, and dared to ask the question, he would also like to meet for a while.

After Xiao Jingduo clarified his thoughts, he started from the rising of the sun and the falling of the moon, and cut into his test essay this time.

The first introduction, followed by the dialogue, the following is the main body of the answer, which is where he knocks again and again. When the core part was finished, Xiao Jingduo naturally moved to the end of the strategy, and finally ended with his routine humility.

After he finished writing this eloquent article, he breathed a long sigh of relief, and then he felt that his wrists were stiff and sore. Xiao Jingduo slowly moved his wrist while checking his own article. After reading it through, he made a few changes, took the test paper, and took the pen to copy it on the official seal.

Although the articles were read only in the imperial examinations, the handwriting was a tacit barrier. People with poor handwriting, not to mention the imperial examinations, even if they become officials in the future, I am afraid that they will not be seen by their superiors. Therefore, everyone in the Xuan Dynasty is proud of writing good handwriting. Xiao Jingduo’s handwriting is like his own. Neat and handsome, thin and powerful, no matter how you look at it, you can’t go wrong. Therefore, although Xiao Jingduo’s article has a large number of words, it is clean and tidy at first glance and pleasing to the eye.

Xiao Jingduo spent almost half of the time transcribing, and finally he will check the name and place of origin, and the exam time is up.

There was a lot of mourning in the examination room. There were many people who didn’t write well, who went off the rails, and who complained that the imperial sword went off the beaten path.

Xiao Jingduo also has some regrets in his heart. This time he really did not expect to test the contents of Chu Ci. Although he had read the Chu Ci, he did not read it intensively before the test, so it was inevitable that some parts could not be remembered well, etc. After it is used in the article, it can only be vaguely passed.

But this is also impossible, who can know the questions of the scientific examination in advance? Xiao Jingduo sighed in his heart, then put it aside without thinking about it.

The thing is, the government affairs question is actually about the plague and medical relief.

The two agricultural problems are quite satisfactory. They only ask how to encourage farmers to cultivate and improve grain yields. Water conservancy is also a must test every year. There have been many examples in previous years. There are two questions left, one is about the flood in Zezhou, how to restrain the epidemic after the flood occurs frequently? Another question asked about the severe drought in the north, and then the plague of locusts followed, and the land was starving.

Xiao Jingduo grew up in the countryside of Zhuo County before the age of eight. Plague, how can it be difficult for him to live with mere policy issues? He easily wrote down the measures to prevent and control the plague after the disaster, and almost wrote the prescription along the way.

Five questions were easily written, and Xiao Jingduo himself felt inconceivable that the waiting strategy exam was so easy. If he didn’t know it was impossible, he would have thought that these questions were tailor-made for him.

Why is it so fast, even the most difficult policy theory is so quickly submitted, this kid is not going through the back door, right?

Xiao Jingduo left the examination room and walked out of the Gongyuan with ease. In the first month of the first month, the smell of the New Year had not dissipated, and the cold air seemed to still smell of firecrackers. He stood outside the gate of the Gongyuan and took a deep breath.

I have been preparing for the imperial examination for seven or eight years, and it is finally over. Ten days later, the Ministry of Rites will release the list, and at that time, the answer will be revealed, whether it is in the middle of the ranking or not, whether he becomes an official in the court or is forced to get engaged.

The exam is over, and there is no need for Xiao Jingduo to continue living outside. It is too late today. If you pack your things now, you will most likely hit the curfew. Anyway, Xiao Jingduo is not in a hurry. He plans to stay here for one more night and return to the Hou’s mansion tomorrow.

“Lang Jun, do you have any other orders?”

“No, you go back first, we are not in a hurry, we will have time to move things to the car tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Xiao Lin responded, then quietly retreated to the door. After sending Xiao Lin away, Xiao Jingduo remembered today’s exam again, so he simply dug up the Chu Ci and studied it carefully.

Not long after this time, Dong Peng returned. The noise they made was so loud that Xiao Jingduo could hear their noise from a distance.

“Brother Dong, hurry up, I have an appointment with my fellow villagers to go to Pingkangfang. If we arrive late, there will be no good place.”

Pingkang…

How long have they been in Chang’an, they all knew about Pingkangfang.

What is Pingkangfang, Xiao Jingduo has been in Chang’an for so many years, naturally he knows. Every day at night, the lights of all houses in Chang’an are silent, only the red lights of Pingkangfang hang high, attracting people to send them, all night long.

It is the favorite place of many literati and writers. As early as when he was in the Imperial College, Xiao Jingduo was constantly invited to go to Pingkangfang with him. Naturally, he refused once, but Xiao Jingduo never imagined that these out-of-town students who had just finished their exams would come out of the exam room with their front feet and plan to go to Pingkang Square with their back feet. Kangfang is having fun.

But it wasn’t over yet, Xiao Jingduo’s sigh didn’t even fall, and his door was pushed open. Dong Peng stood outside the door and excitedly asked Xiao Jingduo: “Brother Xiao, some of our fellow villagers plan to go to Pingkangfang, do you want to go with us?”

“No.” Xiao Jingduo spit out two words expressionlessly.

Dong Peng showed a dull look, and then sincerely persuaded Xiao Jingduo: “Brother Xiao, although you are still young, it is not a big deal to go to Pingkangfang to open your eyes. The girl of Pingkangfang You are knowledgeable and considerate, but you are much more interesting than the wives and concubines at home. By the way, you should not be married yet, right?”

“Not yet.” Seeing that Dong Pengyue’s words were not good enough, Xiao Jingduo quickly interrupted him, “Brother Dong, you don’t have to say it, I won’t go. Since you have an appointment with your fellow villagers, you might as well go first. stop.”

“Hey, you are a son of a powerful family, and you are more proficient in these things, why are you more rigid than those old pedants?” Dong Peng came to call out of good intentions, and he There are also some secret thoughts. After the dinner is drunk, he can also take the opportunity to talk to Xiao Jingduo a few words, such as what to test for the official examination in May. But Dong Peng really did not expect that Xiao Jingduo would not go, and Xiao Jingduo himself would not go, what else could these outsiders do? Dong Peng could only shake his head inexplicably, and walked out while sighing. When he was about to cross the threshold, Dong Peng suddenly saw a volume of books on Xiao Jingduo’s bookcase.

Dong Peng’s eyes shrank, he abruptly retracted his half-stepped foot, and took two quick steps forward. After seeing the contents of Xiao Jingduo’s book case, he sighed in disappointment: “Why are Chu Ci?”

Dong Peng has been weird since he entered the door, Xiao Jingduo stared at him inquisitively, and now hearing Dong Peng’s words, Xiao Jingduo’s heart became more and more suspicious: “Today’s essay test Tianwen, I don’t After reading Chu Ci, what else can you see?”

Dong Peng smiled and said: “Okay, I won’t argue with you, what you say is what you say. But I said Brother Xiao, the exam is over, you can see it now Saying goodbye is too far-fetched?”

“Far-fetched? What do you mean?”

Seeing Xiao Jingduo’s completely serious face, Dong Peng knew that he had said it, so he quickly waved his hand and said vaguely: “Oh, Brother Wu is calling me, it is not too late, I go first.”

After Dong Peng left, Xiao Jingduo’s eyes returned to the scroll, but this time, after a long time, he did not scroll a page.

There is something wrong with what Dong Peng just said, what is he alluding to?

Xiao Jingduo thought about this question all night and didn’t come up with a reason. After dawn the next day, Xiao Jingduo could only temporarily suppress his mind and pack his luggage first.

When half the morning passed, Dong Peng and Wu Taicai came back drunk. The two of them supported each other, shouting some drunk words that no one could understand, and walked towards the yard three steps at a time. Dong Peng stumbled suddenly on his right foot. The reaction of drunk people was slow. Dong Peng staggered to the side of the road. Xiao Jingduo couldn’t bear it, so he couldn’t help but stretch out his hand to help him.

“Brother Dong, Brother Wu, you guys are drinking too much.”

Dong Peng leaned on Xiao Jingduo and didn’t know about the personnel. Wu Tai, who was still a little sober, raised his head and stared for a long time before recognizing this person. Brother, thank you, thank you!”

“The exam is over in just one day. If you drink like this, you are not afraid that the examiner will not like it?”

“Oh, what are we afraid of! I’m safe this time!” After getting drunk, Wu Tai’s mind was dazed, and many words blurted out, “We are different from you, look at you and decide After taking the examinations for the imperial examinations, I still have to pave the way for my family, and I will become a jinshi before I enter the office. How can a child of a wealthy family understand the hardships of a poor student? This is the first time I have seen a prosperous place like Chang’an, and I also want to stay forever. Here!”

These remarks are out of line, but every word is Wu Tai’s heart. Xu Shi was drunk and showed his emotions, and Dong Peng was so drunk that he didn’t know about personnel, and there was no one around to remind Wu Tai to speak more and more wanton. After he complained for a while, he suddenly laughed: “But my fate is about to change, and soon I can be an official in high school, and I’ll be on the rise!”

It’s exactly the same as what Dong Peng said last night! Xiao Jingduo’s strange premonition came again, he glanced at Dong Peng, and suddenly decided to change the target of the cliché. Dong Peng’s mind is still very thoughtful, and he won’t say much no matter how he asks. Maybe he can find a breakthrough point from the drunk Wu Tai.

So Xiao Jingduo also lowered his voice, followed Wu Tai’s words and asked: “Really, you are confident in high school? Why do you dare to say this, who knows if you are talking big?”

Wu Tai laughed loudly, he patted Xiao Jingduo on the shoulder with difficulty, and said staggeringly: “I’m sure, it’s because of you, Brother Xiao! Don’t worry, brother, we have a game in the same year. In the future, I will also serve as an official of the same dynasty, and I will not speak out about it.”

Because of him? Xiao Jingduo was both shocked and suspicious, he asked a few more questions, but Wu Tai couldn’t say anything, just at this time Xiao Lin called him to set off, Xiao Jingduo saw that Wu Tai couldn’t ask anything here, so he could only put it aside for the time being.

But even so, the information revealed in Wu Tai’s words was enough to make Xiao Jingduo vigilant. Xiao Jingduo rode his horse to the Dingyonghou Mansion, thinking about this all the way.

Completing the imperial examinations is a happy thing. The servants of Hou’s mansion are willing to join in the fun, but Xiao Jingduo’s face is not good, they can only swallow all the good and obedient words.

Xiao Lin was the most taciturn, but when he saw Xiao Jingduo’s face was wrong, he didn’t ask more, just drove the carriage and silently followed Xiao Jingduo all the way.

“Xiao Lin”, Xiao Jingduo suddenly asked, “Have Dong Peng and Wu Tai behaved abnormally in the past few days for the exam? Or have they been to my house?”

Hearing Xiao Jingduo’s question, Xiao Lin squinted and thought for a while, and finally shook his head firmly: “No, I kept looking at Lang Jun’s room and didn’t let anyone in. Hey, But…” Xiao Lin suddenly thought of something, and his voice suddenly stopped.

“But what?” Xiao Jingduo asked.

“The day we first went, when I was moving things, I seemed to see Dong Peng standing by the door, as if he was carrying something.”

“What’s next to the threshold?”

“A few boxes for collecting clothes… Oh, there seems to be a book box for Da Langjun.”

Xiao Jingduo nodded thoughtfully, collecting the clothes box, and his bookcase, although he felt that there was no problem with these two, but his luggage was handled by Qiu Ju, go back Ask Qiu Ju, maybe there will be a harvest.

Xiao Jingduo went back to the mansion with a solemn face all the way, the servants on the road saw his face, and they all retreated to the side, not daring to say a word, but this also confirmed the people in the Hou mansion. My guess, this time, Dalang-jun, the test results are really not optimistic.

The Qing Zeyuan received the news that Xiao Jingduo was coming back and started preparations early. Qiu Ju ran all the way to open the door, happily welcoming Xiao Jingduo and others in.

“Lang Jun, you are back!”

“Yes.” Xiao Jingduo responded casually.

“It’s good that Langjun is back. Just now, Miss Biao sent someone to ask. Who would have thought that as soon as their people left, Dalangjun came back on the back. It’s such a coincidence. But That’s right, Miss Biao was the same last time, she came to Qingzeyuan to stand and left without seeing Dalang-Jun…”

Xiao Jingduo suddenly stopped, looked back and stared at Qiu Ju: “What did you say?”

Qiu Ju was frightened by Xiao Jingduo’s eyes and stammered: “The day before Lang Jun left the residence, Miss Biao also came to Qingzeyuan, what’s wrong?”

The author has something to say:

Tang Dynasty Jinshi subject is the result of one subject and one subject, and those who pass the test will move on to the next subject. , you can imagine it as the ancient version of the college entrance examination…