A moment before dawn, the sky turned dark again.
The inn was brightly lit, and students and scholars got up, washed, packed their things, and prepared to face a crucial battle in their lives.
"Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu, have you finished washing up? Come on, come on..." Before the fat man Xue Chi arrived, the loud voice came from afar.
Fatty Xue Chi panted as he walked to the door of Zhu Ping'an's room. Just as he raised his hand to knock on the door, it opened.
"Let's go." Zhu Ping'an pushed open the door and said.
Zhu Pingan walked in front, and the fat man Xue Chi followed closely behind, panting heavily. Being fat, he couldn't walk fast. Both of them were empty-handed, without bringing anything. The fat man didn't even bring his gold lock and two rings. The college examination was similar to the prefectural examination. All the items used in the examination should be provided by the examination room, and the examination rules should be strictly enforced to prevent cheating.
From time to time on the way, I met students and scholars who were going to the Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall to take the exam. They were in groups of three or four and seemed quite serious. There were few who were relaxed and cheerful.
"Ahem,hem,hem, wait for us." A call came from a distance.
Zhu Pingan stopped and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw several students walking breathlessly on the bridge connecting the two banks of the Qinhuai River. They were all acquaintances. The one who called Zhu Pingan was Zhu Shouren, Zhu Pingan's uncle. Those who followed him were all Zhu Pingan's fellow villagers, including his uncle's fat friend.
Zhu Ping'an looked at his uncle and others crossing the bridge from the opposite side and didn't know what to say. It was almost time for the exam, but they still didn't forget to deal with all kinds of things!
Because time was tight, Zhu Ping'an did not introduce himself to Fatty Xue Chi and the others, and they walked towards the Jiangnan Examination Hall together.
When we arrived at the gate of Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall, the rising sun in the eastern sky was as red as blood, soaking half the sky, as if indicating that today would be an extremely bloody battle for the students.
Nearly a hundred yamen runners with serious expressions were maintaining order at the entrance of Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall, and dozens of soldiers in armor stood on both sides with swords drawn, looking very serious. The examinees lined up according to the prefectures they came from, and the examinees from each prefecture were divided into two teams under the command of the yamen runners.
There were several desks at the door, and behind each desk there were two officials in yamen uniforms, who were identifying the candidates from each prefecture based on the roll call list.
In the roll call list, each person's place of origin, age, appearance, and three generations of resume are recorded in detail. All of them have been stamped in advance by a guarantor or signed in person. This is more cautious than the prefecture and county examinations to prevent cheating such as impersonation and substitution.
The superintendent of education sat on a chair in the middle of the gate, and standing in two rows were the sponsored students of the candidates.
The official calls out the names of the candidates from the roll call list. The candidates step forward to answer and say loudly that so-and-so is the guarantor. At this time, the student who is supposed to guaranty the candidate will step forward to identify the candidate. If he finds that the candidate is not the one he is supposed to guaranty, he will bring it up on the spot. The official will then punish him on the spot as a test-taker, which has very serious consequences. If the student who is supposed to guaranty finds that it is indeed him who is supposed to guaranty, he will say loudly that student so-and-so is the guarantor. Only then is the roll call completed and the candidates can enter the examination room.
"Zhu Ping'an, a native of Xiahe Village, is guaranteed by the academy students Sun Hongzhi, Liu Chuanwen, and Zhang Fangweng."
When it was Zhu Ping'an's turn, he stepped forward, bowed, and sang loudly.
Soon I heard that my teacher, Mr. Sun, and several of my teacher's friends had promised to protect him. "The student on the government stipend, Sun Hongzhi, promised to protect him," "The student on the government stipend, Liu Chuanwen, promised to protect him." "The student on the government stipend, Zhang Fangweng, promised to protect him."
After the guarantee was completed, the official nodded to signal Zhu Ping'an to enter. Zhu Ping'an now had time to communicate with his mentor, Mr. Sun, and others.
This time, Master Sun's eyes were full of approval.
After Zhu Ping'an and Master Sun looked at each other, he quickly glanced at the Superintendent of Education. The Superintendent of Education was a man in his fifties with great authority, a strong aura, a square face and a long beard, and he looked quite fair.
After just one look, Zhu Ping'an was urged to move forward by the clerk who was leading the way.
The main gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan is a three-que gate with a wooden structure. The middle is open to pedestrians and the two sides are closed. The main gate has five rooms. On the middle door is a plaque with the words "Jiangnan Gongyuan". The left plaque reads "Pi Men" and the right plaque reads "Yu Jun". There is a pair of stone lions more than one meter high at the main gate, and there are archways on both sides, with the words "Selecting Scholars through Studying Classics" and "Seeking Talents for the Country".
Zhu Ping'an was led by a minor official into the main gate of the Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall. Less than two meters from the gate, he saw two stele pavilions. One of the stones had the word "neat" engraved in red, and the other had the word "serious" engraved on it.
The clerk led Zhu Ping'an forward a short distance, and Zhu Ping'an was shocked by a magnificent building. It was a square three-story tall building with a banner with three golden characters "Mingyuan Tower" hung on the gate. The ground floor was surrounded by walls on all four sides, and each side had a round door. Four pillars reached the top like golden hoop sticks, and each floor had countless windows to ensure that people in the building had sufficient vision and could monitor the entire examination room without obstacles. At that time, the academic official and the invigilator would command the entire venue in this building.
This place is worthy of being used as an examination venue for the provincial examination. It is truly incomparable to the county and prefectural examinations held in those shabby sheds.
"Stop looking and follow me to the examination room. There are people behind us." The clerk who led the way was already accustomed to the surprise of candidates who came to take the exam for the first time. However, habit was habit and he still had to urge them to do so. He dared not delay the examination schedule.
"Oh." Zhu Ping'an came back to his senses and followed the clerk who led the way to the inn.
The so-called "haoshe" is the examination room for students to take exams. Zhu Ping'an followed the clerk who led the way around Mingyuan Tower and came to the west. Of course, there were also "haoshe" in the east, but the one where Zhu Ping'an was was in the west.
Nima
When Zhu Ping'an saw the houses, only these two words were in his mind. The houses were about 1.8 meters high, 1.2 meters deep, about 1 meter wide, with an outer wall of more than 2 meters and no doors. There were nearly 100 houses in a house, all facing south, and brick walls between the houses. The "Zi" number was written in large letters on the lintel of each alley, and the number was determined according to the order of the "Thousand Character Classic".
"What are you looking at? Come in quickly." The clerk who led the way led Zhu Ping'an to a cell and urged him to go in quickly.
At the urging of the clerk, Zhu Ping'an walked in and looked around the cell. The two brick walls were about one or two feet above the ground, with two brick supports built on top to place the upper and lower wooden boards. The two wooden boards were staggered front and back, with the upper boards facing forward and the lower boards facing back. The lower boards were benches and the upper boards were tables. It was very simple.
"Your college examinations are fine, each lasting only one day. But if it's a provincial examination, it will take several days. At night, take out the upper wooden board and put it on the lower wooden board to make a bed." The clerk who led the way simply said this to Zhu Ping'an and left.
Sitting in the cell, Zhu Pingan had only two feelings: one was aggrieved, and the other was fair.
It is said to be cramped because this room is too narrow and you cannot stretch your legs or relax your waist, and you have to be careful not to hit your head when you stand up; it is said to be fair because no matter you are the son of a county magistrate or a poor commoner, no matter you are rich or poor, as long as you come to take the exam, you have to sit here without crossing your legs, which fully reflects the fairness.
Speaking of being frustrated, I can't help but think of the fat guy Xue Chi. Haha, that guy will definitely lose a layer of skin if he stays in the dormitory for a day.
Soon someone brought the exam supplies over in a basket. Zhu Ping'an took it, thanked him, and began to arrange and pack up. Soon, the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone were all ready.
Everything is ready, only waiting for the east wind.