Although Mingzhou City was a provincial capital similar to Kyoto, it was not directly under the emperor's jurisdiction. Instead, it was directly governed by local military governors, and military power and political power were also separate.
As the lord of Mingzhou City, Qiao Shan could not mobilize the local army. If he wanted to send troops, he had to write a petition to his superiors and wait for approval before he could use the army.
The Jiedushi residence of Mingzhou City is just ten kilometers away from the outskirts of the city. The stationed troops also set up camp around the residence. They usually come into the city to purchase large quantities of things every ten days. The life there is not as convenient as that of the people in Mingzhou City, and the conditions are much more difficult than those of the people in Mingzhou City.
Jiang Mengzhen's carriage was stopped in front of the army. Soldiers in armor pointed their swords at the horses that were stopped and said, "This is a restricted area of the military camp. No one is allowed to enter!"
The woman driving the carriage took out a sign from her bosom and showed it to the officer who stopped her: "My master wants to see the governor Bu, why don't you go and inform him?"
She didn't give the officers and soldiers money, but she was very arrogant and had no intention of currying favor with them. Most of the nobles from the capital had this kind of temperament, because they were the only ones who were flattered.
But sometimes there are those who are too arrogant and ignorant. The soldier took the sign and said politely, "Please wait a moment. I will go in and report."
She walked quickly when she entered, and trotted when she came out, with a smile on her face. She held the sign in both hands and returned it to the coachwoman: "I'm sorry for treating you badly just now. Please don't hold it against me. The master said, please come in!"
She made a gesture, and the swords that blocked the carriage were taken back by the soldiers on both sides. From beginning to end, Jiang Mengzhen had been sitting safely in the carriage, and even the curtains were not opened.
When Jiang Mengzhen's carriage slowly drove into the governor's mansion, Hao Cheng's carriage also successfully arrived at the place where she was going to take the exam.
The imperial examination system of the Jin Dynasty was relatively complete, with subjects clearly divided into classics and Jinshi. It was also divided into state examinations, provincial and municipal examinations, and palace examinations.
In fact, Hao Cheng would rather choose the Mingjing subject, which is about memorizing numbers and arithmetic, because it is easier. However, the original owner chose the regular subject, and it was not easy for her to change. Thinking that the regular subject had a brighter future and faster promotion, she gritted her teeth and took it.
Jiang Mengzhen had previously told Hao Cheng that as a scholar, she already had a reputation, and if she passed the provincial examination, she would be awarded the title of Juren. Then she would go to the capital to take the palace examination. The emperor would select the top three candidates in the palace examination. In the Jin Dynasty, only one Jinshi was selected from a hundred miles away, and the provincial examinations in various places could select about 2,000 people to go to the capital.
The three examinations were held almost throughout the year, once every three years. Because they involved the selection of talents for official positions, the court attached great importance to them. If there were cheaters, the punishment would be extremely severe.
Moreover, in her memory, the examination environment for ancient novels was very cruel. It was better in winter, but in summer, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating were all done in a small room, which was filled with stench and flies flying everywhere.
Therefore, before the formal exam, she was still very nervous, fearing that she would be assigned to a toilet and pass out from the stench during the exam.
As a result, she took a carriage to the examination site, and what appeared in front of her were several rows of very beautiful houses. These houses were divided into three floors, with seven rooms on each floor, a bit like the teaching buildings of modern schools. However, these houses were surrounded by a high wall, and she could only observe the general situation of the examination room through the large iron gate similar to a fence.
But just the situation she saw through the iron gate was enough to break her previous fixed impression. Hao Cheng's uneasiness immediately disappeared without a trace, and she asked in shock, "Is this really the place for the exam?"
The carriage woman said in surprise, "I know Mingzhou City very well. How could I have recognized the wrong place? If you don't believe me, look at that gate. Aren't there many examinees entering the examination hall? Look, the inspecting official is wearing a green official uniform!"
She had been in Mingzhou City for so many years, and she knew the place like the back of her hand. There was no way she would make any mistakes in such matters! If she took Hao Cheng to the wrong place, and the news got out, she would not have to live here anymore.
Hao Cheng looked in the direction she pointed and saw that there were indeed a few small doors on the high wall. The candidates lined up in turn holding their scholar certificates and application documents to enter the door. The officials in charge of the inspection touched them all over and only let them in after making sure there was no foreign object.
Hao Cheng sighed, "It's just that I thought the examination environment was harsh before, and I was a little surprised to see Mingzhou City like this.
The carriage woman said disapprovingly, "This is nothing special. Mingzhou City is just average. When you pass the imperial examination and go to Kyoto, the place where the palace examination is held will be truly magnificent."
Hao Cheng thought to himself that the palace examination was held in the Golden Palace, and there was no place in the world more magnificent than the Golden Palace.
The carriage woman continued, "The entrance is only the first barrier. There is a stone house inside. It seems that you are required to take off all your clothes to make sure that there is nothing mixed with your body before you are allowed in. The writing materials are also prepared by the government. There are also meals inside. The first exam is two hours, and the rest and meal time is half an hour. Your master has already paid for your salary, so just take the exam with peace of mind."
The court provided pens, ink, paper, and examination venues, as well as food, all of which cost money. Of course, the money could not have come from the government.
The wool comes from the sheep, and the better the treatment the examinees receive, the more money they pay. The original candidate took the state examination in the town and paid five taels of silver. The place where the imperial examination took place was rich, and he had to pay another thirty taels of silver.
The palace examination does not require money, but when going to the court to meet the emperor, one must prepare the luggage properly. Except for local people in Kyoto, those who go to Beijing to take the exam and stay in an inn will have to spend money on the journey.
If you don’t have money, then don’t take the exam. It’s not that no one protested, but the government’s attitude was very tough—if you really have talent and can guarantee that you will pass the exam, you can definitely borrow money from others! If you don’t have money and can’t guarantee that you will pass the exam, then don’t waste your money!
This is the reason why most people cannot afford to go to school. When I was fourteen or fifteen, I passed the Tongshi exam and became a scholar. Later, I did not have enough money and did not participate in the provincial exam. I waited for three years just to save money for the provincial exam.
Unfortunately, misfortune struck, and all the money he had saved to support his parents as a scholar was spent. In addition, he was abandoned by his lover, and his relatives were heartbroken. He was so desperate that he committed suicide.
However, if you pass the provincial examination, you will have the title of juren. If you are poor, you can receive three years of government salary. The money saved will be enough to support the next examination in the following year.
Hao Cheng got off the carriage, took his own documents and joined the team. As the carriage woman said, she and other candidates were led to a stone house. At the official's command, everyone immediately took off their clothes. The clothes were placed outside for the examiner to check.
Of course, to prevent candidates from being falsely accused, if something is found, the candidates can still continue to take the exam. However, if they are caught cheating for personal gain, they will be punished regardless of whether they have a grievance.
Still a bit shy from her past life, Hao Cheng moved slowly. When she took off her clothes, all she could see were the chests and buttocks of the examinees. Although they were all scholars, they had different skin colors because of their different backgrounds. Some were black, some were white, and some were yellow. Some were fat, some were thin.
Some of the taller women had thick sweat hair on their bodies and strong backs. Some were very flat, and if they didn't have Adam's apples, Hao Cheng would almost think that a man had sneaked in.
In such an environment, Hao Cheng subconsciously covered her chest shyly. The tall and strong official came over and gently hit her arm with his hand: "Put your hand down!"
In such an environment, it is easy to tell whether someone is a man or a woman. Hao Cheng thought to herself: No wonder Jiang Mengzhen burst out laughing when she talked about men dressing up as women to take the imperial examination. It is okay for men to take the provincial examination, but they will be exposed in an instant.
Each batch was checked very quickly, and in just a moment, everyone in the room picked up their clothes and put them on. In this batch, Hao Cheng only saw one particularly beautiful person.
The woman had a gorgeous face, fair skin, big breasts and a thin waist. When Hao Cheng looked over, she gave him a charming smile, which was like a hook, and Hao Cheng blushed unconsciously.
Someone in the same examination room as Hao Cheng looked at her and said with some disgust: "Don't pay attention to that masculine voice of the Fang family. Look at her masculine appearance! She looks so coquettish when she smiles. She is so shameless."
Hao Cheng remembered at this time that a woman who advocates female supremacy and looks like that can only be considered masculine. She could not agree with the aesthetic view of the people around her, but she did not say that women are beautiful only in this way, which would be shocking to the world.
It wasn't until she got to the examination room that she realized she was destined to meet him. The beautiful woman was sitting in front of Hao Cheng. She took a look at her documents and saw that her surname was Fang and her given name was Yu. Judging from her clothes, she must be from a wealthy family. She didn't know if she had any connection with the Fang family, a wealthy merchant in Mingzhou City.
When the examination room was full, the examiner knocked on the table with a ruler to signal silence: "The examination will begin. I will hand out the questions and papers. Wait until the bell rings outside before you can answer."
The provincial examination papers were unified throughout the State of Jin and were all prepared by the Ministry of Rites. Except for some subjects such as mathematics that had standard answers, the scores of other subjective questions were all judged by the local examiners.
The chief examiner of Mingzhou City was also sent from the capital, but the other two examiners were from Mingzhou City, and their opinions often played a decisive role in the candidates' scores.
The morning exams were all about basic skills. Hao Cheng took the papers and marked them according to her past life habits. She looked at a few questions with high scores and found that they were all ancient poems that she had seen in the materials Jiang Mengzhen had given her. The math questions were not the same, but Jiang Shang had changed the names and numbers, but the medicine remained the same.
She had memorized the information by heart, but despite her joy, she still calmed down and answered the questions with peace of mind. As she was confident, Hao Cheng started writing fluently. Halfway through her paper, there was a sudden commotion outside the examination room.
Hao Cheng was still concentrating on answering questions, but the door to their examination room was pushed open, and several officials in green robes walked in from outside: "Someone reported that the examinee bribed the examiner to cheat. The exam will be extended by a quarter of an hour. We will conduct a thorough investigation. We will not slander the innocent, and we will never let the cheaters go! We will definitely provide a clear and fair environment for all students!"