The news that Jiang Liu was going to take the county test quickly spread throughout Qingyang Village, and even people in some nearby villages heard about it.
Although there is no explicit limit on the age of the candidates in the imperial examinations, generally speaking, the people who take the county examination are teenagers in their teens and twenties. A well-bred child.
The son of an ordinary widow's family, who has only studied for more than a year, has the confidence to participate in the scientific examination.
Not only people outside the village were waiting to see the joke, but even the people in the village were very puzzled.
It is no wonder that others underestimate Jiang Liu. After all, the notion that the imperial examination is difficult has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. I have never seen a lot of scholars in the village who have failed the exams. Although Jiang Fangzheng often praises Jiang Liu as a student, he is also a scholar himself. , How can you believe what he said
"Niang Yun, you don't persuade your boss, do you really let him waste money according to his nature?"
Early in the morning, Meng Yunniang was washing clothes by hammering on the beach, and a group of good women who used to work with her kindly persuaded her.
You must know that the examination is not. There are three procedures for the examination of the subject report: personal confession, mutual agreement, and reconciliation.
The first two items are very simple. The personal confession is to fill in the candidate's age, place of origin, physique, and facial features. In addition, three generations of direct blood relatives are filled in. Mutual insurance means that the candidate and the five candidates who participated in the test write insurance policies for each other. Five people sit together.
The first two are no trouble, the trouble is the last one.
The so-called guarantor is to ask the county's surnames to provide insurance to ensure that the candidates do not pretend to be registered, do not hide their bereavement, do not substitute, and do not use false names, and ensure that the candidates' net worth is innocent. It has become a default custom to give money in compensation when asking Linsheng to bail.
Generally speaking, it costs at least one tael of silver to ask Linsheng for insurance. Every year during the county exam, Linsheng can make a small fortune by this, but for candidates who fail to pass the test repeatedly, the consumption of insurance It makes it a bit overwhelming.
Everyone thinks that Jiang Liu's taking the exam is like playing, it's just a waste of money, so out of good intentions, they want to persuade Meng Yunniang.
"Dalang is quite confident. I am just such a son. If he wants to take the test, I have to support him by tightening his belt."
Meng Yunniang had confidence in her son. Her boss was the best in the world. The other party said that she was sure to be admitted to Tongsheng, and she even wanted to become a scholar. Meng Yunniang naturally had to support her.
"Lovely mothers have many losers."
Her idea was so righteous, and others didn't say much. She could only sigh that the son who was raised by a widowed mother was extremely coddled.
While on the other side, Su Panyun was hammering and washing the large winter jacket, he listened to the conversation of several people, and then he hastily passed the cotton jacket through the water, and went home nervously.
"I heard that the kid in the big room is going to take the county exam. If he gets lucky, we will figure out the mother of Master Xiucai, will he be in trouble?"
Su Panyun was a little flustered. Of course, Steward Liu was the steward of Wang Ju's family, but he was just a servant. He had never heard that a servant could accept a scholar's mother as a child.
"Heh, the patriarch is confused, and you are also confused, do you believe that a seven-year-old toothless child can pass the exam?"
Jiang Erchun has also heard the rumors these days, but he doesn't take it to heart at all: "As I see it, he is extremely lucky to be able to pass the Tongsheng exam this time. Forget it."
The gap between Tong Sheng and Xiucai has become too big. The so-called Tong Sheng, maybe seven or eight of the ten scholars who were killed are Tong Sheng. When the scandal spreads out of his mother, it is not certain whether he can study or not. What is there to be afraid of? .
"A woman is a woman, and I tell you, this time is a good opportunity for us."
But Jiang Erchun found out that during the time when Jiang Liu was participating in the scientific examination, Meng Yunniang would also leave to go to the county seat, and then they would have the opportunity to do something.
Jiang Erchun squinted his eyes, full of ruthless expression.
*****
In order to prevent accidents, the candidates set off ten days in advance, and Jiang Fangzheng led the team to the county seat.
One night, after everyone fell asleep, two sneaky shadows appeared in front of the Jiang family's old house.
"You use some force."
Su Panyun stepped on Jiang Erchun's shoulder and whispered to him.
"What are you eating so fat, sows are better than you."
Jiang Erchun couldn't help complaining a few words, no wonder he couldn't hold the woman's waist when he was on the kang.
Su Panyun actually wanted to have a theory with him, but he was worried about waking up the neighbors, so he had to swallow his anger and have a good theory with him later.
After a lot of effort, the couple finally climbed over the wall and touched the outside of the house.
Jiang Erchun took out a thin copper wire, aimed it at the keyhole of the locked door, and stirred it for a while. After about a stick of incense, when the two of them were about to get impatient, the copper lock should be opened.
"Don't touch anything valuable, those are ours sooner or later anyway."
Jiang Erchun was afraid that his daughter-in-law would have shallow eyelids, so he warned in a low voice.
"I know."
Su Panyun also cared about the man saying that she was like a sow, and answered impatiently. She went straight to Meng Yunniang's bedroom, and then opened the closet to rummage.
"This sassy fox looks good on the outside, but the saucy spirit in his bones is about to burst out."
Su Panyun pulled a peony embroidered apron and said through gritted teeth.
The embroidery of this apron is too informal, the shoulder straps are thin, the fabric is not much bigger than a palm, and it is embroidered with bright red peonies. Su Panyun gestured to himself, this apron could not hold the woman's chest The two balls of meat that you can imagine the coquettishness of wearing on the body.
It didn't look like a widow's clothes at all. Su Panyun had hated Meng Yunniang's appearance before, but now that she saw this apron, she consciously found the reason for it.
On the other hand, men and women have completely different ideas. Jiang Erchun imagined what this apron would look like when he was wearing it on his sister-in-law, and his lower body suddenly became hot. Thinking that such a beautiful sister-in-law was about to be cheap to outsiders, he suddenly felt a little distressed.
But compared to beauty, for Jiang Erchun, silver and tofu recipes are more important.
"Just this one, do you want to take a few more?"
They came here today to look for some Meng Yunniang's intimate clothing. When these things appear in the hands of people other than his eldest brother, Meng Yunniang would not be able to wash them even if they jumped into the Yellow River.
"This one is enough. Then Meng Yunniang dares to say that she is innocent. No girl in the kiln can wear such a chest pocket."
Su Panyun squeezed the apron tightly, she naturally didn't miss the greed and lust that flashed in her man's eyes, and hated the big sister-in-law who seemed coquettish to her.
"Since you found it, let's go quickly."
Jiang Erchun was afraid that their deeds would be discovered over time, so he hurriedly urged.
Because the sky was dark, neither of the couple took a close look at the apron, but even if they looked carefully, they probably wouldn't be able to see the mystery here.
After listening to her husband's words, Su Panyun hurriedly rolled her apron into a ball and stuffed it into her sleeve.
When they left, under the light of the moonlight, two very small characters could be vaguely seen on the piece of fabric of the apron that was exposed from Su Panyun's sleeve, and I didn't know what was written.
******
There are four county exams in total. The first one is the main one, and the admission scope is wide. As long as the handwriting is correct and the essay is fluent, it can be admitted. This time, nine candidates from the Jiang clan passed the first exam.
There is one day between each exam. This day is used to announce the admission list for the previous exam. When the last exam is over, there are still six candidates from the Jiang clan who survived. For Jiang Fangzheng, this is It's been an unexpectedly good result.
In particular, Jiang Liu, who had high hopes for him, persisted until the last game. Jiang Fangzheng was very concerned about his ranking in this game.
In the examination room, the examiners are also arguing about the top name this time.
The county exam, the prefectural exam, and the academy exam, only those who pass the academy exam can get the title of scholar, but don't underestimate the initial county exam.
The name of the county test head is also known as the county case head, which means that this time the exam is the most outstanding talent in the county. Generally speaking, there are no special circumstances. The county case head does not need to take the test all the way to the hospital examination, but can directly enter the school and gain the reputation of being a scholar.
In other words, the county case chief is actually equivalent to passing the exam as a scholar.
Of course, according to the situation in previous years, few county clerks went directly to school, and those who gave up the next two exams, because those who could pass the exams would not be ordinary people, they had higher requirements for themselves, and their goals were often They are all students of the hospital examination, but even so, the value of the representative of the county case cannot be ignored.
Therefore, the examiners are also very strict in the judgment of the case leader.
In fact, before the seal was opened, the examiners had already judged the case, but the problem was after the seal was removed.
"The seven-year-old county case chief, isn't it too absurd? It seems that his pen power is slightly weaker. Although his writing is fluent, he is slightly inferior to the second and third candidates in calligraphy."
Before the opening of the seal, the examiners were still very satisfied with the case that they had judged. The basic skills were solid, and the strategy was right. Although the poems they wrote lacked a bit of aura, they rhymed enough to be catchy, and they were not handed down. It can also be called a small boutique.
The problem is that this candidate is too young, a seven-year-old child, if it is spread out, will people feel that they are judged unfairly by the examiners.
"I don't think so. The grades were set before the unsealing, which means that we agree with the value of this paper. Now we have deprived him of the first title because of his age, and replaced the original second as the county case chief. How can this little prodigy be fair?"
There are also people who speak for Jiang Liu. Anyway, after the results are announced, the top three papers will be announced together. Whether they are favoritism or not will naturally be judged by all the scholars.
No one on both sides could convince the other, so he turned his attention to the county magistrate who had never spoken.
And the county magistrate at this moment has already fallen into contemplation.
The seven-year-old county case chief, the examiners wondered whether this age could convince the public, and the county magistrate thought more.
Seven years old, for the vast majority of people, this is still the age of playing with mud or enlightenment, and the county under his jurisdiction actually already has a prodigy who may not be able to meet one for thousands of years.
The seven-year-old county case chief is not only the honor of the other party, but also the political achievements of his county magistrate. If the other party can go all the way, and even get three yuan in the government examination and the hospital examination, I am afraid that even the one in the capital will be alarmed. .
When the year-end debriefing comes, this achievement will be written, and his position will not be moved up.
The more she thought about it, the more beautiful she became, and the magistrate no longer hesitated, and decided directly that the seven-year-old child prodigy was the chief of the case this time.
The county magistrate has spoken, and the two sides who had been arguing naturally stopped bickering, and quickly entered the list of candidates who passed the county exam, and the case will happen tomorrow morning.
*****
The sky was bright, and there were already many people guarding the county bulletin board. When the red list came out, they were instantly surrounded.
"It's over, I'm over!"
"Master, I didn't see your name."
"Why didn't you see my name? You hurry up and read it a few times. Maybe you missed it."
Some people were happy and some were worried, but Jiang Liu was very calm when he heard these words. He sat at the wonton booth with the beautiful lady and ordered two bowls of wontons.
When Jiang Fangzheng saw him like this, he deeply felt that he was not something in the pool. This kind of bearing alone was not something that an ordinary seven-year-old would have. Thanks to him, he was more than twenty years older than him, and he was one more senior than him. The endurance is not as good as his.
"Why is the head of the case a seven-year-old child who has not been weaned at this age."
"Did I read it wrong, seventeen, not seven?"
Another burst of discussion reached the ears of several people at the wonton stall, Jiang Fangzheng stood up abruptly, and then rushed to the bulletin board.
seven years old! seven years old!
He heard it right, even if he had high hopes for Jiang Liu, he never thought that the other party would be able to hit the county case.
But he knew very well that Jiang Liu was the only seven-year-old boy who took the exam this time, and it was no surprise that the county case chief in everyone's mouth was Jiang Liu of their Jiang clan.
Jiang Fangzheng's heart was fiery, he opened up the candidates crowded in front of the bulletin board one after another, and then aimed at the first name on the red list, and carefully checked the other party's place of origin, name, and age.
"Yes, yes!"
He repeated several sentences, their Jiang family might be about to rise.
"Hahaha!"
Jiang Fangzheng was overjoyed, "Did you see that, the county chief, who is only seven years old, is of the same clan as me. He is weaned, and he is still eating wontons."
Holding someone, Jiang Fangzheng had to say a few words excitedly.
Jiang Liu, who had watched the whole process, looked at the steaming bowl of wontons in front of him, and suddenly lost his appetite for them.
He raised his head and was about to say a few words to the beautiful lady, but found that the opposite mother had burst into tears at some point.
The author has something to say: Regarding the process of the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the hospital examination, I took a look at the regulations of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but on this basis, a little change was made. For example, the interval between the three examinations was shorter. This is to serve the plot. Don't be serious.