Cui Xie's desk was indeed tested by himself.
On February 13, he took the county test. At the beginning of the month, he took out 12 pieces of the test paper and 12 draft papers prepared by himself, and went to the county ceremony room to fill in the names of the three generations of his ancestors, origin, place of origin, scripture, and guarantor... After writing It was handed over to the book office to have the seal on the registration form printed, and it was received by the ceremony room.
The Zhao family next door knew that he was going to take the county test. Grandma Zhao asked someone to send him a test basket in advance based on her grandson’s experience in the test. There are roll bags in the basket, a bamboo box for the four treasures of the study room, small items such as arm rests, paperweights, and copper-shaped grids, and a small bench that folds in half. You can sit outside the examination room and wait for entry.
She asked someone to bring some other desserts, and let him taste which one suits his taste, and brought it to him on the day of the exam: rice cakes as delicate as cakes, white pancakes as tuckahoe-like cakes, bean fillings and The puff pastry with jujube paste, and the soft salty food and egg patties from the stall are all delicious and digestible things.
Cui Xie took the dim sum and tasted it a few times. He felt that the taste was very good, and praised it again and again. Grandma Zhao was delighted to hear it and said with a smile that she wanted to make snacks for him on the day of the exam. He hurriedly stopped the old lady: "I have to get up in the middle of the night on the day of the exam, so why bother grandma to follow along? My newly hired cook is quite capable. Yes, if Nanny Zhao doesn't dislike it, ask someone to give him some pointers and let him do it for me."
Grandma Zhao tutted and sighed: "What's the trouble with this, you are so polite... Well, the others are not uncommon, I will go back and give you the copper clips with round heads at home, teach you Your cook cooks the flying noodles."
What do you need to eat for a pancake? Cui Xie, a big man who doesn't like desserts very much, persuaded Grandma Zhao not to bring anything from home, but to ask his cook to make some soft steamed cakes.
A few days before the exam, Cui Xie was suffocating to write a few questions that Mencius could come up with in a paragraph. Cui Yuan and his son, hired cooks, and long-term workers helped him prepare for the exam. It's time for the first game.
On the day of taking the test, I entered the hall at three in the morning. Chef Niu got up in the middle of the night and steamed the steamed cakes and cakes, accompanied by steamed sausages and preserved meats cut into small pieces, and put them in the food box. Cui Yuan and his son didn't fall asleep all night, listening to Bangzi getting up early in the night, urging him to get up to take a shower, and put him on a six-layer unstitched single coat, thin-soled single shoes, and a large piece of hair that was not covered on the outside. clothes.
This time, Mr. Lin personally took Cui Xie to the exam. Because he was a junior student, he wanted to be a guarantor for the candidates, and by the way, he also found a few elementary school students who were familiar with scholars and taught each other to guaranty each other. When the students took the exam, he would also stand outside the Dragon Gate, waiting for the officials of the prison to vouch for their names.
The cold wind was blowing in the early morning, and the candidates were shivering in the wind. Fortunately, there were human flesh formations in the front and back, which could block the wind a little, but the ears and nose were cold and painful.
After queuing for a while, Zao Li, who was patrolling the field, recognized him and said to him, "Young Master Cui, don't stay here, come with me to the examination room to warm up."
Someone above is different after all.
He and several primary school students who signed up for the guarantee enjoyed the advanced treatment of first inspection. The security guard treated him very gently, he only told him to take off his clothes, shoes and socks, and hair, and then he casually flipped through the test basket and let him in. He didn't want to check into the chrysanthemum as he did to others. . Mr. Lin stood beside them to prove their identities. The book office took out the paper and handed it to him, asking him to go in and find a seat according to the number printed on it.
The examination shed in the Confucian Temple was a temporary construction, but the shed was two or three feet high, extremely transparent and wide, and it was completely covered on all sides. At this time, the exam has not yet started, and the windows of the exam shed are closed, and coming in from the outside feels warm like spring. There are rows of tables and chairs connected by bamboo poles in the examination room. You can't move even if you want to sit in it to prevent cheating.
Exam numbers are posted on the corner of the table in the order of "A, B, C, D" and "1, 2, 3, 4". Cui Xie opened the paper and found a seat according to the number "A-4" written in a red pen on the front of the front of the paper. He sat in and set out the four treasures of the study. He fell on the table and slept for a while. After that, people entered one after another, and there were Zaoli patrolling the field, carrying hot water and cooking cakes to sell to this group of candidates.
When he visited Cui Xie's place, he had already rested his head and took out some snacks to eat. The Zaoli poured him a cup of tea, smiled and left. Cui Xie also smiled gratefully at him, ate two steamed cakes with hot water, a few slices of pork jerky, and wiped his hands to prepare for the exam.
The sky was about to dawn, and a yamen came in and opened the window of the examination shed. Sunlight and cold air poured in at the same time, and all living beings shivered, and the drowsiness of the morning was blown away by the wind. The magistrate Qi walked into the examination room in the sunshine, glanced majestically at the crowd of boys, took out the new questions from his sleeves, and instructed Zaoli: "Take the questions and ask them to copy them."
Several clerks walked back and forth between the examinees holding wooden boards and asked them to copy the test questions.
On the first day of the county exam, there are only two questions, one of the four scriptures and one of the five classics. There is only one of the four scriptures, and it really is the "people of the world" that he has practiced many times. The Book of Poetry inscribes the sentence "Only a gentleman is happy, and the parents of the people" in "Nanshan Youtai".
When he made the mock questions by himself, he also tossed a lot of small questions with the phrase "the people of the world are safe". Unexpectedly, the county magistrate Qi simply gave a one-sentence question, which is really a clear stream in the world of children's exams full of small questions. The title of the Book of Songs is also a whole sentence, and it is still imported from the "Four Books". Even if the "Poetry" is not well studied, Zhu Zi's interpretation of this sentence must be remembered when reading the Four Books, and it will not be deviated from the topic.
Take a closer look, the Book of Changes, the Book of Rites, and the Book of Shang are also familiar sentences in the four books, but the Spring and Autumn Period only uses the "Gong Ru Jin" in the section of Wen Gong.
He first copied the title on the draft paper, and first wrote the article "The People of the World", which he knew by heart.
In the section of Mencius going to Qi, the core of what Mencius talked about was that he met the king for the sake of the peace of Qi and the world. Even if the king of Qi was not the master of Ming, he hoped that the king could repent and use him again, so he had to stay in the state of Qi for three days, and then travel during the day, so that the king of Qi had room to repent and use him to protect the country and the people.
In his mind, he pondered what the county magistrate Qi said that day, "Only in the middle of the court and in the hands of authority can the people of the world live and work in peace and contentment." from the perspective of "safety in the world" on the surface of the title.
If you want to bring peace to the world, the most important thing is to have a worthy ruler and a clear master, and the ruler and his ministers can achieve each other. Daxian has the world in his heart, and he must first obtain the use of the king, and then the holy way can help the people. If there is talent and virtue but cannot stand in the court, even if there are sages of sub-sages, they will not be able to be favored by the common people.
He neatly wrote on the draft, "The great sages plan to secure the world, and they look to the king as great!"
After the topic was broken, the acceptance of the topic and the beginning of the speech were closely related to the three characters of "the world is safe" in the broken topic, extending from the safety of the people to the expectation of King Qi in the section "Mencius goes to Qi".
"The king of Qi has a simple talent, he likes bravery, goods, lust, and worldly pleasures." He did not have the aptitude for peace in the world. However, Mencius still wanted to stay in the state of Qi for the sake of livelihood, and restrain the desire of the king of Qi and grow his benevolence. Happy heart.
If the King of Qi did not use Mencius, he would only be a mediocre ruler; if Mencius were not useful, he would not be able to benefit the common people if he left a sage to the countryside. Only by making the king of Qi use the virtuous, the ruler and his ministers can gain each other, and rule Qi with the way of the king, can all the talents in the world want to enter Qi, the people of the world are happy to be people of Qi, and the state of Qi can be used by the world, and the hearts of all countries to attack the tyranny can be calmed. Governing the world, "Is it possible that the people of the world will be safe, and the people of the world will be safe".
Therefore, Mencius was not used by the King of Qi, and then stayed for three days, because of his own power? Instead, he was responsible for the state of Qi and the people of the world, so he had to let go of the arrogance in his chest and hoped that the king would enable him.
Because the energy in the examination room was extremely concentrated, and the brain became more active under pressure, he got two more precise sentences in the second-two match. So he added those two sentences to the two-part couplet sentence in the original middle, and merged them into two longer bilingual sentences. He read it up and down several times, and felt that the tone was smoother and the cohesion was smoother after the addition. The question tape is copied into the test paper.
A four-book essay is only 300 words, and it is a familiar question rather than a new question. Although there are slight additions and subtractions in the middle, and repeated checks for typos, taboos, and blank spaces, the final transcription was completed, and it only took more than an hour. .
At this time, many students hadn't even typed out a few sentences from the draft. Cui Xie glanced left and right, took a sip of tea with peace of mind, and continued to work with his head down.
The second question is "Let only the gentleman be the parent of the people".
Poems say: "Love and benefit the people, so it is called the parents of the people". "Let only a gentleman" appear repeatedly in the poem "Nanshan Youtai", only to praise and praise the gentleman, you can ignore it. The key to this topic lies in the four characters of "the parents of the people". Only by deducting the "gentleman" and how to govern can he be worthy" The parents of the people", I am not afraid that the article will be off topic.
But for the people's parents... do you want to write "love for the benefit and the people"? "Protect what he loves"? Or should we take what the people like well, and what the people hate and dislike in the Four Books
These meanings need to be included in the text, but at the same time, they should aim at a higher level, and they should also hold the entire chapter of "Nanshan Youtai". Then a gentleman should not only be the parents of the common people, but also the foundation of the state family. He should not write from the perspective of benevolence, forgiveness and caring for the common people, but should look at the common people from a higher position from the perspective of a gentleman in the court.
Cui Xie thought about it again and again, and wrote down, "Those who are parents of the people, but don't regard the people as the people." In the first paragraph of the title, I wrote that the people's heart is my heart, just like parents raising their children without regard for their own interests, loving the people's love and benefiting the people's interests. Rather than first reaffirming the meaning of protecting the common people and making the people live and work in peace and contentment under the rule, it is then extended from this that to make the common people live in peace, it is necessary for a gentleman to "be good in government in the DPRK, and be in good customs" and become the pillars of the imperial court.
At this point, the title sentence is introduced into the whole poem, from the positive and negative contrasts between the virtues of the gentleman raising the people and the people's respect and love for the gentleman, and finally returning to the meaning of taking the people's hearts as one's own heart and treating the people as children, echoing the previous chapter. , stick to the topic.
Although this article was written on the spot, this kind of main theme article is his specialty, and the sentence Qi County magistrate mentioned to him before, he also thought about it over and over again. The meaning of the article is in the heart, as long as the layout is planned and the syntax is sculpted, it does not take much time.
By the time Zaoli came over to deliver water and meals at noon, he had already typed out the draft and revised it several times. After a short break at noon, I checked it several times, and when the official transcription was completed, it was not too long ago. There are already a few elementary school students who have submitted their papers first by the Longmen, waiting to gather enough people to go out together.
Cui Xie checked that it was correct, and put away the papers, took them to the county hall, and handed in the papers in person. The county magistrate Qi didn't even look up at him. He took the paper and looked at it first, his face gradually relaxed, he drew a circle on the paper with a pen, raised his eyelids and glanced at him approvingly.
The county magistrate Qi also knew that he couldn't write poetry, so he didn't take the poetry pairing test like other elementary school students, he waved his hand and said, "Go, the next two exams are going to take the test too, don't think that you will be able to do it after I circle you. Quit the exam!"
Cui Xie's dangling heart suddenly relaxed, he let out a soft sigh, and listened to the instructions of the magistrate with his hands down, and walked to the Longmen to line up.
A day later, a circle case was posted outside the county office. The first fifty selected were arranged in two concentric circles, with thirty people in the outer circle and 20 people in the inner circle. Candidates who did not enter the circle were placed on a separate sheet of paper. Zhao Yinglin followed him over to see the list, and when he looked up, he saw that the "A-4" test number was at the top of the big circle, he hurriedly tugged at the hem of his clothes, and exclaimed excitedly, "Look! Your test No. It's not over there!"
Cui Xie looked up, and sure enough, he was the first.
He didn't know if it was because he was really good at writing, or whether the magistrate Qi deliberately favored him and didn't dare to be too high-profile, he pulled Zhao Yinglin's sleeve and said, "I've seen it all, let's go home first, there are two more games left. ."
Zhao Yinglin was so excited that he almost took him to the street for a drink. Seeing that he was addicted to studying and unintentional, he had to shake his head: "Then you should study hard and try to get a county case first, and you really passed the test. , let's go to Fucheng and have a meal at the best Yunxiang Building!"
Cui Xie promised him that he would take the exam well, and then he went back home to read "The Law of the Great Ming" and "The Proclamation of Famous Officials of Past Dynasties".
The county exam is three days. On the first day, the scriptures and meanings are tested. The second day is also the test of the edicts and the judgment of these applied texts. The third day is the test of current affairs. In the few days before the exam, Mr. Lin gave him a strategy topic, he had done all the classics, history and current affairs, and the edict was only in the correct format, so there was no need to be too nervous. On the contrary, he was "sentenced" to do a little less, and he had to be crammed for the past two days.
Two days have passed in a blink of an eye, and it's time for the second game.
The treatment of these students who are in the top ten in the exam is different from that of ordinary candidates. The top ten have to take the exam, can sit in the Confucian temple, have a more comfortable single table and chair, drink free hot tea, and write essays under the eyes of the county magistrate.
The county magistrate Qi had a solemn expression, and first taught them not to cheat, not to be arrogant because of their good performance in the test... The students were so trained that they didn't dare to lift their heads, and this caused the question that was just drawn up in the morning to be passed on.
If it is in other counties, two or three games will be perfunctory. However, under the Qixian magistrate, there were just three Jinshi, and this year's plan has passed. It is estimated that he can stay for another term. It is the time when the ambition is to teach a good style of study, so Jiayi carefully drafted two judgments, one thesis:
The first sentence is for underpayment of the tea and salt trade tax, with forty sticks equal to one-tenth of the tax owed, with a maximum of 80 sticks, and the tax and silver will be paid by the end of the year; the other is for those who fail to pay the pilgrimage, and should be fined half a month, the picket officer Failing to find, is guilty of it.
The discussion is about Empress Zhang Xianliu of Song Dynasty, that is, Empress Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, the protagonist of the famous "civet cat for prince case". The records in the history books are not as interesting as those on TV, and writing historical theories is even more boring. Basically, it is to write the Chinese history of the Song Dynasty. First, it is said that she was born in a silversmith's family. experience. Then he praised her for nurturing Renzong's kindness, not ruling the palace, listening to wise ministers persuading the wise, and finally stabbed him for the fault of Concubine Li Chen.
This test was much easier than the first one, and in the final test three days later, there was only one policy question, and the question was "Promoting Water Conservancy".
Although it wasn't the disaster relief that Cui Xie had prepared for these days, he wasn't the kind of scholar who knew the four books and five scriptures, except for the scholar who didn't know anything about the scriptures and meanings. He did not dare to write about modern technology, so he wrote about building waterwheels, digging canals to divert water, diverting water to irrigate saline-alkali soils, planting rice, and other techniques that existed in the Song and Ming Dynasties. After scrutinizing the text according to the style of Mr. Liu’s collection of works, it can be considered as written. The above words are clear and clear, and there is something in the words.
After the three exams, the county government office put up the list, and his exam number was always hanging high in the circle. When the list was officially released, his name was written alone at the highest point outside the circle - he actually won the top case.
The family cried a few times with excitement, and the younger classmates also came to congratulate. Mr. Lin proudly took him out for a few drinks, and said without a low profile that he had taught a child prodigy. The new recruit Tang Ning and the scholars all said that they knew at the Chongyang Poetry Conference that he would have great prospects in the future. of.
Only Cui Xie felt a little panic in his heart.
As a traveler, can he really write better articles than these students who were born in the Ming Dynasty and grew up reading the Four Books and Five Classics? Or did the magistrate Qi promote Su Ri specially for his sake
After the county exam was out, and before going to Yongping Prefecture for the exam, he asked the county magistrate Qi alone and asked this question. Qi County magistrate is now in good order and his face is radiant. He has a bit of the meaning of the beautiful man in the travel notes without retouching the pictures with human flesh. But listening to Cui Xie's question, the corners of his mouth tensed up again, and he said with a sullen face, "How could you have such a thought! This is the imperial court's grand ceremony, how can this county be a little Confucian for you? Child Fraud!"
He was righteous, and he didn't remember what he said when he said, "Being in the middle of the court, so that the people of the world can live and work in peace and contentment".
However, Cui Xie didn't care about his attitude at all, and even liked it very much. The worries that had been pressing on his chest for a few days disappeared at once, the smile came out from the bottom of his heart, and the whole face showed a bright brilliance.
He felt that he might be disrespectful, and quickly lowered his head deeply to admit his mistake: "It was the student who thought wrong. The student just felt that his morality was weak and he did not expect to be so loved by adults..."
Although the county magistrate was stern, he was not really angry, he just snorted lightly, called him up, and taught him a lesson: "What I love is your research paper, not you, I need you Be humble here? Since ancient times, "I don't want the article to be in the world, but I hope the examiner is in the article." Test paper, what are you afraid of?!"
Cui Xie listened "Wei Wei". Seeing that his attitude was acceptable, the county magistrate reminded him again: "What about the exam papers that Master Fu Zun gave you a few days ago? Take it out and carefully try to imitate his writing style. Master Wang is different from this county. I don’t like the indifferent style that is biased towards the ancient prose, but I like the strict, noble and solemn ones.”
The author has something to say: I forgot to write it, "Le Only Gentleman" was changed from the title of the four books "Poem Cloud Music Only Gentleman" by Xiong Kaiyuan in the Chongzhen year, and "The People of the World" was written by Jin Sheng, a scholar in the first year of Chongzhen.