We should thank Yuan!
Jieyuan is the ancient Chinese title for the first place in the provincial examination. During the Tang Dynasty in China, all those who passed the imperial examination were sent to the examination by the local area, so the first place in the provincial examination was called Jieyuan.
Our fellow examiner Song was concentrating on marking the papers. Every cell in his body was focused on the paper in his hand. He did not notice the examiner pushing open the door and entering the room, nor did he notice that the examiner picked up the paper he had thrown on the ground in disgust. Naturally, he did not notice that the examiner was shaking all over when he looked at Zhu Ping'an's paper... ...
So when the examiner threw the test paper on the ground and pressed it on his desk, and said the four words "Xie Yuan", our classmate Song was startled. He didn't react for a moment what the examiner was doing. When he finally reacted, our classmate Song was stunned.
stunned
Song Tongkao once again confirmed the test paper that the examiner placed in front of him. Yes, it was the test paper that made him feel like he had swallowed hot shit!
So, Song Tongkao, who was full of justice in selecting talents for the country, completely ignored the rank of the examiner at this moment. He stood up from his chair, and the sense of justice of being responsible for the country filled his chest.
"Sir Zhang, have you seen this test paper?" Song Tongkao stood up and pressed the table, asking righteously.
Examiner Zhang nodded.
Seeing this, Song Tongkao's chest was like a bellows, and he asked again, "Then can you still say what you just said?"
At this time, the examiner who was marking the papers next to Song Tongkao couldn't help but pull Song Tongkao's sleeve and whispered something, but Song Tongkao shook his head firmly. Song Tongkao was known for his seriousness and responsibility in the local area. He dared to fight and was used to fighting. He was good at fighting, no matter who the opponent was or what status he was in. As long as he thought it was wrong, he would bravely rush forward and open the battle gate! This time would be no exception.
"If I don't get the title of first prize for this essay, I will be ashamed of the two saints!"
Chief Examiner Zhang did not feel defeated by Song Tongkao's reaction. On the contrary, he appreciated it a little. But appreciation is appreciation. Song Tongkao has his own principles. So, do I, Zhang, not have my own principles? So, Chief Examiner Zhang nodded again.
"Please forgive my impoliteness!"
Song Tongkao left his desk and chair, bowed to Chief Examiner Zhang and said something, then he picked up the test paper that Chief Examiner Zhang had placed on the table, opened it, pointed at one of the places, and asked with a righteous look on his face:
"Mr. Zhang, this article, "A Gentleman Hates to Die Without a Name to Remember," begins with the title 'Lack of a Name in the Future. This is what the Sage worries about.' Is this appropriate?"
"There is also this passage, 'The sky does not speak, the earth does not talk. People establish principles and moral principles in the middle', you madman! Principles and moral principles are established by saints!"
"This is a madman. Please think twice."
Song Tongkao held the test paper and argued with reason.
"Yes. But that's not the case!" Chief Examiner Zhang shook his head. "A saint is also a human being. The opening of this essay, 'A gentleman hates to die without a good name', is very clever, and the continuation of the title is even more wonderful, 'A man's fame for the time being is unnecessary, but a name for the future generations is necessary'. The other essay is even more wonderful. This person is not a madman, but a pure child."
One insisted on failing the exam, while the other insisted on becoming the top scorer. It can be said that one is eighteen levels underground, and the other is nine levels in heaven. The gap is too big.
Moreover, the two examiners insisted on their own opinions and neither of them convinced the other.
Although Song Tongkao was a low-ranking official, he insisted on his own opinion; Zhang Zhukao was a high-ranking official, but he did not use his power to oppress others.
The dispute is unresolved.
At this time, the door was pushed open again, and another examiner, Lord Wang, came in. Lord Wang was startled by the noise in this room, and he could hear the noise in the next room.
"Dear colleagues, what's going on?" Lord Wang entered the room, rubbed his hands, walked over and asked.
Then someone told Examiner Wang the reason.
"Oh, I wonder what it is. Let me take a look." Lord Wang shook his head slightly, walked to the focus of the dispute, took the test paper and started to read it.
Lord Wang nodded as he read the paper. He probably spent about ten minutes reading it and made his own choice. However, Lord Wang was a seasoned official and did not express his opinion directly. Instead, he called the clerk standing by and ordered:
"You, bring this person's two or three test papers."
"Yes, sir." The clerk bowed and stepped back. After a moment, he took out the two test papers and handed them to Lord Wang.
After receiving the test papers, Lord Wang waved his hand and asked the clerk to leave. Then he gave one copy of the test papers to Chief Examiner Zhang and the other to Co-Examiner Song.
The second test paper in Zhang's hand was for application documents such as imperial edicts and judgments. They did not require literary talent, as long as they followed the official application document format. Zhang's original subordinate was Zhu Ping'an. After seeing Zhu Ping'an's second test paper with a good format that met the requirements of literary talent, he was naturally more satisfied.
The test paper in Song Tongkao's hand was the third one, which was a policy essay. The policy essay required not only literary talent but also knowledge.
Song Tongkao read it very carefully. The first policy paper is good, but it doesn't mean anything.
When Song Tongkao saw the second policy essay "What are the abilities of the Seventy-two Sages of Confucius", he read it for a long time and nodded.
Then, going down further, "Not bad, not bad," when he saw the policy on dealing with the Japanese pirates, Song Tongkao could not help but nod his head repeatedly. After a long time, he raised his head and looked at the two examiners.
"I almost destroyed a pillar of society." Song Tongkao bowed and sighed.
Chief Examiner Zhang helped Song Tongkao up and advised him, "Song Tongkao is also responsible for the emperor, so there is no need to worry about it."
Examiner Wang stroked his beard while watching the scene. Then he put Zhu Ping'an's three-point test paper aside, took a marking pen, and wrote a big "中" on it.
Afterwards, the marking scene resumed its busy life. The examiners were busy in an orderly manner, marking, recommending and grading the papers.
A few days later, when the marking was completed and the two examiners were filling in the draft list, they discovered that the test paper that was the center of the debate that day and that they favored was actually written by a thirteen-year-old boy.
"If I had known that this boy was only thirteen years old, I would not have accepted him." Chief Examiner Zhang sighed, feeling quite regretful.
"Why? Isn't this boy talented?" Chief Examiner Wang asked curiously.
"This boy is indeed a talented person. We will have no problem selecting him to pass the imperial examination this time. However, I think it would be better to let him postpone the examination for a few years. He is young and full of vigor and enthusiasm, and might be too aggressive. Postponing the examination for a few years will make him more mature, which will be good for his development." Chief Examiner Zhang stroked his beard and sighed.
Although Chief Examiner Zhang admired Zhu Ping'an's literary talent very much, he was worried that a boy who had just turned thirteen would pass the imperial examination. He was afraid that Zhu Ping'an would become proud and complacent, gradually lose his ambition, and would be ruined.
Chief Examiner Wang looked at Chief Examiner Zhang and shook his head. "It has already been approved and cannot be changed."
"Brother Zhang, do you know that more than sixty years ago, there was also a thirteen-year-old boy who took the imperial examination and passed it on the first try?" Examiner Wang asked Chief Examiner Zhang.
Chief Examiner Zhang pondered for a moment.
"That person is Lord Yang Tinghe, who has been making trouble for three dynasties and has great power over the world." Examiner Wang said with a complicated expression, and then added with a warning tone, "Brother Zhang, how can you know how far this boy will grow in the future?"
"That's why I have to be more responsible for him. I want him to understand that learning is endless, that it's not that easy to study hard and to remember the importance of studying hard." Chief Examiner Zhang said seriously.
“But we have already approved it and it cannot be changed.” Examiner Wang shook his head and said.
"I know, that's why I sigh!" Chief Examiner Zhang nodded and sighed. (To be continued...)
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