In Chunhui Prefecture of Jizhou, where the provincial imperial examination was held, a group of examinees, some confident and some anxious, were waiting outside.
Gongyuan is a special examination venue for all levels of the imperial examination, but its size varies according to the level. Candidates who have qualified in the county and prefectural examinations will go to the prefectural capital to take the prefectural examination. For Jizhou, it is Chunhui Prefecture.
The Chunhui Mansion Examination Hall has high eaves and deep roofs. It is a large enclosed house covering a considerable area. Inside, there are wooden doors, screens and other things that divide it into simple small rooms. All candidates have to complete their essays individually here.
However, this was the period before the exam, and also the most tense time for everyone. Including Yin Zhaoxian, a group of scholars of all ages had lined up in two long rows outside the Imperial Examination Hall, whispering to each other or flipping through books from time to time.
Unlike Ji Yuan's previous life, most of the candidates waiting for the exam here are adults. Although Yin Zhaoxian jokes that he is no longer a young scholar, in fact his age is not considered old here. There are even candidates with gray hair in the queue.
Yin Zhaoxian did not try to cram at the last minute, but just looked at the examination hall with some emotion.
Thinking back to those days, Scholar Yin was full of vigor and energy. He easily won the top spot in the county examination and ranked first in the prefectural examination. However, he missed the top spot in the state examination by three places and lost the qualification to go to Zhili Jingji Prefecture.
The failure in the imperial examination left Yin Zhaoxian quite devastated. In addition, an elder in his family passed away, and his wife and children needed support and care in life, so he settled down in Ning'an County.
Some scholars can rely on their wives to support them and continue to study hard and refer to reference books, but Yin Zhaoxian is not such a person. He does not want to let his wife suffer too much. With his knowledge, many wealthy families in the county invited him to be a teacher.
Although a comfortable life is good, it can sometimes wear down one's spirit. Even though his family was doing well and had savings, Yin Zhaoxian had no intention of taking the imperial examination again until three years ago when Ji Yuan left a letter, which made his ambition clear.
At this moment, a provincial official came out of the Imperial Examination Hall after inspecting the examination room and nodded to the officers who were maintaining order on the side.
The officer pumped up his energy in his chest and lungs, and shouted:
"This state examination begins now. All candidates may bring their writing brushes, inkstones, food boxes, etc. Paper and water will be provided by the Imperial Examination Hall. Please prepare your own application letter, official documents, etc. before entering the Imperial Examination Hall, and accept body searches by the officers. Enter now~~~~"
There were hundreds of candidates this time, most of whom had passed the exam from various prefectures and counties in Jizhou based on their talent and knowledge. Some of the candidates who were ranked at the top had their ears buzzing because of the shouting of the officials.
Several officers who were skilled in martial arts searched the tribute candidates one by one and checked their personal belongings. They even used chopsticks to rummage through the food in the tribute candidates' lunch boxes to see if there was anything hidden.
The four officials sitting nearby checked the official documents of each candidate one by one to confirm their identity.
Except for the lack of cameras and the occasional presence of connections, the entire process is actually more rigorous than that of modern student references.
Yin Zhaoxian was carrying his exam preparation box, which contained stationery and "tribute scholar meals" purchased from a restaurant near the Zigongyuan. While he was still being searched, a provincial official who was checking official documents suddenly asked him:
"Are you Yin Zhaoxian?"
Yin Zhaoxian was stunned for a moment and bowed to him.
"That's right. Does this gentleman recognize me?"
"I don't recognize it, but when I went to Huafeng Academy, I read the Tongsheng Chapter and Xunhuan Yeyou Chapter of "On Birds" that the students brought with them. They are quite interesting."
Yin Zhaoxian hurriedly bowed again.
"This is a humble work, and I don't deserve your praise!"
"Well, go in, I hope you can rank first."
"Students should do their best!"
The official picked up a pen and ticked Yin Zhaoxian's name in the book, then handed him a badge, indicating to the officer that he could pass.
After watching Yin Zhaoxian enter the Imperial Examination Hall, the official stroked his beard before continuing to examine the next candidate.
Inside the Imperial Examination Hall, the compartments had some subtle differences from the original ones. Yin Zhaoxian looked at the number plates and found his own number, "Ding 27".
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, when all the students had entered and found their seats, the examiners checked the official documents and numbers one by one to ensure that no one sat in the wrong seat.
At the front of the examination room, an examiner was already standing and shouting.
"Today's exam will last for two hours. Light the incense as soon as the time comes and hand in your paper before it burns out, otherwise it will be invalid! Now, show me the test questions!"
As the words fell, guards hung large signboards with white cloth as the background on all four sides of the examination room, on which the contents of this examination were written.
There are two test questions, namely "Discussing strategies for drought control" and "A poem praising autumn".
Unlike the county and prefectural examinations, the state examinations no longer place too much emphasis on basic skills such as copying essays, but have begun to focus on ability. This year, it was particularly rare to include a policy discussion topic in the state examinations, which attracted many candidates to discuss.
"Silence~~~~"
The officer yelled at luck.
"The exam begins, the clepsydra starts, and the gong is struck~~~~"
The officer beside him held the wooden hammer tightly and hit the gong hard.
"Dang~~~"
The sound was like a knock on the hearts of all the candidates. Everyone hurriedly sat down and concentrated, some thought hard while others started writing...
I believe that poetry is not difficult for most talented people, but it is difficult to discuss strategies. Yin Zhaoxian has clear ideas. Regarding drought control, perhaps hundreds of people would write the same thing, but there are not many scholars who can really write something useful. Yin Zhaoxian is one of the exceptions.
'Drought is not just a disaster. As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for people. When drought strikes, human disasters will come. Human disasters will lead to epidemics. If the government is not well governed, resentment will arise. If violence causes miasma, it will be dangerous...'
Yin Zhaoxian wrote as if inspired by a god, and his brush kept flowing. His writing was continuous from the beginning. Not only was his thinking clear, but his calligraphy also improved greatly because he kept copying calligraphy from time to time.
. . .
After the exam papers are handed in, it is naturally time for the busy marking process, and many state government officials are involved.
In the end, even the prefect and the governor read Yin Zhaoxian's article "On Drought Control". Although Jizhou had good weather and harvests almost every year, officials were not fixed on one place. Many of them had experienced droughts in other states and knew the importance of Yin Zhaoxian's article which took all aspects into consideration.
The prefect Li Hou even said: "Although the article has some empty fanciful parts, it is comprehensive and detailed. Officials with little talent and strength can use this policy to control drought!"
This is a very high evaluation.
. . .
Because the provincial examinations of Dazhen were often held in autumn, the results were usually announced when osmanthus flowers were in full bloom, so it was also called the "Guibang".
Half a month later, the results of the imperial examinations in Chunhui Prefecture were announced.
Yin Zhaoxian did not try to squeeze to the front like others to see the result. The result has already been decided and it cannot be changed by squeezing your head here.
However, there are some positions on the list that can be seen clearly from the periphery without having to squeeze too far forward.
The name at the top of the Jizhou Guibang is the largest, and the first column is written in large characters:
First Class Prize: Yin Zhaoxian
"Who is Yin Zhaoxian?" "Is he the top scholar?"
"Who knows Yin Zhaoxian?" "I don't know..."
…
The many discussions in the front gradually spread to the back. Although Yin Zhaoxian had long expected that he would get first place, he had never dreamed of getting the top prize. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly rubbed his heart.
From the provincial examinations to the metropolitan examinations and the palace examinations, the first place winner was given the word "yuan", which means Jieyuan, Huiyuan and Zhuangyuan respectively, each of which was an achievement that brought honor to the family.
In the future, when people address Yin Zhaoxian, they will most likely respectfully call him "Yin Jieyuan".
As the final list was revealed, it became customary to congratulate those on the list, regardless of whether it was sincere or not, and Yin Zhaoxian naturally became the focus of attention.
That night, the provincial government officials held a Lu Ming Banquet to celebrate the successful candidates and the inner and outer curtain officials. Even though Yin Zhaoxian was sure that he could not drink much, it was impossible for him not to drink in such an occasion.
By the time he was finally carried to the inn by the officers, he was almost unconscious.
In the middle of the night, a red shadow loomed from outside Chunhui Mansion. When it was near the edge of the city, it was like taking a short walk, walking up the city wall and stepping into the city.
There were not many places with lights on in the city. Hong Ying was walking on the street like a dream or smoke. Suddenly, she saw a parade of the underworld passing by, and she flashed around the corner with a smile.
"Hmmmm..."
After the two patrolmen passed by with the cold wind, Hongying continued to move forward with a smile.
It crossed the streets and alleys at a very fast speed, as if it had its own purpose, and soon arrived at the Guixiang Inn near the Imperial Examination Hall.
Looking up at the inn, the red shadow slid into the second floor of the inn like a red ribbon.
Occasionally, hoarse and painful sounds could be heard from the inn.
“Huh…” “Uh…”…
After a while, Hongying finally found the room where Yin Zhaoxian was.
"Crack~Squeak~~"
The door unlocked and opened automatically, Hongying walked into the room, and the door closed automatically behind her.
Glancing across the table, he could see the official document stating that he had won the first place in the imperial examination.
“Hehehe…Yin Jieyuan…”
The red shadow slid to the bedside, and a slender white hand with long red nails stroked Yin Zhaoxian's chest. Yin Zhaoxian's righteous energy emerged, revealing a majestic image.
Hongying's body shook and her arm was actually bounced away, and Yin Zhaoxian immediately woke up at this moment.
Seeing a woman suddenly appear in the room, Master Yin subconsciously shrank back, looking a little panicked. Seeing a strange woman in the room was more terrifying than seeing any other monster.
"You, you, you... who are you? Breaking into a man's room at night is so disrespectful!"
"Hehehe... Yin Jieyuan, you can call me Madam Hong. I haven't seen a scholar like you in many years. Do you think I'm beautiful~~"
The woman sat at the head of the bed, wrapped in a veil, looking back at Yin Zhaoxian with her side profile.
Originally he just wanted to absorb some Yang energy to prolong his life, but now there is a sinister look in the depths of his eyes.
But Yin Zhaoxian's scalp was numb and his hands and feet were cold. Under the pressure of his righteous spirit, for a moment, he seemed to see a red skull...
"This is a monster...!"