In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

Bianliang Qiuwei is in August, and the list is released in October.

After about ten days of warming from late autumn to early winter, the temperature began to drop sharply in early October.

The cold wind from Siberia blew through the Shangjingdao prairie of the Liao Kingdom, caressed the Xingqing Mansion of Yinchuan in the Western Xia Dynasty, passed through states and provinces, entered the Fengxiang Road of the Song Dynasty, and finally arrived in Hebei and stopped in Bianliang.

Today's sky was gloomy, as if it was going to rain, but it did not stop the students' enthusiasm.

In the Song Dynasty, more than 100,000 or even 200,000 people took the examination every two years, and the admission rate was basically between 1% and 3%. That is to say, thousands of candidates were selected in two years, and then among these candidates, one was admitted. More than a hundred Jinshi.

There are many people in Bianliang, tens of thousands of people have applied for admission, and the admission rate is relatively high. There may be three to four hundred people on the list at one time, so there are a lot of people coming to see the list.

The common people were accustomed to it. Except for the latest issue of the newspaper, most of them didn't pay much attention to it.

The main reason is that although the provincial examinations in the Song Dynasty, that is, the provincial examinations in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, all tested candidates, the candidates in the Song Dynasty were similar to the scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Only those who have the power to exempt themselves from corvee and taxation cannot be officials. Only those who have failed the examination more than four times have the opportunity to get a special title.

So to a certain extent, the candidates in the Song Dynasty were actually the poor scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Only winning the Jinshi would be as gratifying as winning the imperial examination in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Before becoming a Jinshi, there was no difference between a candidate and ordinary people.

But even so, for many students, it is still full of tension and expectations.

After all, for them, passing the imperial examination is the first step in the imperial examination. Only after passing the imperial examination can they start towards the next goal of becoming a Jinshi. Therefore, passing the imperial examination is the threshold. If they do not cross this threshold, they will not even have the chance to become an official.

Outside the courtyard of the Ministry of Rites, the autumn wind was blowing coldly. A huge team came to the street that should have been empty. The nearby tea shops, restaurants, and inns were almost full of students.

Song Cai was also sitting in the tea shop, and with him were more than a dozen friends, occupying two tables.

Although one of them looks similar to the Song people, he is quite short in height, only a little over five feet, which is about 1.6 meters, which is very different from the Song people next to him who are basically over 1.7 meters tall.

At this moment, there was a sea of ​​people outside the ceremony hall.

"Don't push, don't push. There will be a list of you in the newspaper tomorrow. What's the rush?"

"Then why are you still pushing in?"

"The sooner you know it, the sooner you'll feel at peace."

"Brother Wang, with your talent, you will definitely be on the list."

"No matter where you are, it's better than Brother Zhuo!"

"Hey, Brother Zhang, do you want to see the list today too?"

"Yeah, come and take a look."

Many students crowded under the rankings to watch the situation. In addition to the students, there were also some vendors gathered, selling top scholar food, tea, sachets and the like.

Occasionally, you can see a few red figures, either looking out from the restaurants on both sides, or standing in the distance, looking at the scholars curiously.

Catching a son-in-law under the ranking list appeared in the Song Dynasty, but it rarely happened during the examination. They were always caught during the Jinshi examination. Therefore, the woman standing here is either accompanying her family to look at the ranking list, or she is curious to watch them.

In the nearby tea shop, Song Cai and others were not in a hurry to squeeze in. After all, only a few people could win. Most people could only leave sadly when they saw that their names were not on the list. People would disperse soon.

"Brother Song, when I saw you on the list the year before last, I was so anxious that I wanted to crane my neck to see. Why did you come out on the list this year, but I am no longer anxious."

"Brother Song took the exam for "Spring and Autumn" last year, and this year he took the exam for "The Classic of Filial Piety". If nothing unexpected happens, he will definitely be on the list. I'm not in a hurry."

"Hahahahaha."

Everyone laughed. In the circle of scholars, studying the "Book of Filial Piety" is indeed not very honorable.

Song Cai said with a smile: "You don't have to make fun of me. I know my ability. I probably won't be able to pass the Jinshi exam, but at least I can take the exam to give my parents some comfort."

"Brother Song is still free and easy."

Another scholar was still quite nervous and looked over from time to time.

Song Cai smiled and said: "Brother Zhang, even Brother Su is not in a hurry, so why are you in a hurry?"

The Su brother he was talking about was the Great Health Sanlang, whose Chinese name was Su Jian.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, foreigners could also take the imperial examinations. There were even many Koreans, Japanese, and Dali people who served as officials in the Song Dynasty.

For example, in the third year of Chunhua, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, there were as many as 40 Bingong Jinshis in Korea. The more famous foreign officials who became official through the imperial examination include Abe Nakamaro, Jin Xingcheng, Kang Jian, etc.

The Saburo family were Japanese businessmen who had lived in Bianliang for a long time. Because they admired Han culture and wanted to blend in with the local Han population, they also took Chinese names. The main surnames were Chao, Su, Su, etc.

The surname Chao comes from Abe Nakamaru, the surname Su comes from Ono Meizi, the Japanese envoy sent to the Sui Dynasty during the Sui Dynasty, and the surname Su comes from Awada Zhenren, the envoy sent to the Tang Dynasty during the Xuanzong period.

Awada Zenmao was born in the Izumo Kingdom, the hometown of Saburo the Great. Therefore, Japanese people who came to the Song Dynasty from the Izumo Kingdom were often named Awata.

After hearing Song Cai's words, the shorter Su Jian hurriedly said: "You are all great talents and must be on the list. I know that I will not pass the exam, so I treat it with a normal heart."

"Brother Su, please don't belittle yourself. I think you will definitely pass the exam."

Song Cai said with a smile.

People around him were puzzled that Su Jian had always been a marginalized figure in their group.

First, the Japanese had a relatively low self-esteem at that time. After coming to the Tang and Song Dynasties, they kept a low profile, and there were even instances of cheating.

Secondly, he is a foreigner. Scholars think highly of themselves and look down upon Japanese people.

Therefore, since Su Jian has low self-esteem and is taciturn, and the people around him look down on him, his status in their group is relatively low.

But I don’t know what happened recently. Song Cai, the central figure in this small group, always talks to Su Jian, and their relationship is getting better and better. Does Su Jian really have any great talent that Song Cai values?

While several people were talking, a voice suddenly came from outside the ceremony hall: "The results have been released, the results have been released!"

In an instant, the crowd in front became even more turbulent.

Several officials in green robes came out from the Ministry of Etiquette and posted the list on the notice board at the door.

When the list was posted, the notice board was instantly surrounded by people, who crowded over.

However, there are officials from the Ministry of Etiquette around the sign to maintain order, and they are not allowed to get close. They can only watch it from a distance of one foot. And there are four doors of the Ministry of Etiquette on the left and right sides. There are a total of sixteen notice boards, so there is no chance of people stepping on them. .

Just a moment later, the outside of the ceremony hall turned into another world. Originally, many scholars were in high spirits, anxious, or calm, but after the list came down, their colors suddenly changed.

Someone was wailing and lamenting: "I missed again." Some people said happily: "I won, I won.". There are also people whose faces are ashen as if they have lost their souls.

There was chaos.

The people who were watching the excitement were already not surprised. Someone said: "It seems that many scholars have failed the exam this year."

"There are tens of thousands of candidates in Bianliang, but only a few hundred people are admitted each time. Of course, some people are proud and some are frustrated."

"Yes, even Liu Sanbian, a great talent, took the exam for decades before becoming a Jinshi. And he was only a third-class Jinshi, let alone others."

"This is just a test."

Someone sighed.

After all, only a few can win. For the vast majority of people, releasing the results means being sentenced to death.

After years of hard work, nothing is achieved. Compared with failing the college entrance examination, crying bitterly after not getting into the university of your dreams, there are few people who are crazy.

If you fail the college entrance examination, even if you don't pass the key points, you still have one or two books, and you can even study at a junior college.

But the imperial examination is a real test of thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge. If you fail to pass, you will fail. There is no reason at all.

From a certain perspective, some people say that the ancient imperial examination system broke the monopoly of aristocratic families and gave children from poor families a path to upward advancement.

But at least in the Song Dynasty, the imperial examination was only a path for advancement for a few children from poor families.

Even at that time, more than 95% of the senior officials in the court were Jinshi. By the Southern Song Dynasty and even the Manchu Dynasty, they were all scholars, and 100% of them were Jinshi.

But it can't change the fact that there were millions of students studying at that time, but only a few could actually pass the exam. Most of them just wasted their lives.

Soon, as time passed by, fewer and fewer people were watching under the bulletin board outside the ceremony hall, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

The rich people sitting nearby had already spent money to buy people to copy the rankings. Song Cai and the others had the money, but they didn't want to spend it. After waiting for nearly half an hour, there were fewer people, and they finally got up and approached. .

Along the way, some people were depressed, some were crying, some were expressionless, and only a few were happy.

Just to pass the test, more than 100,000 people have to be eliminated every year. When spring comes in March of next year, counting the previous years' candidates, tens of thousands more candidates will have to be eliminated, and more than 100 Jinshi will be selected.

Song Cai and others came to the card and immediately stretched their necks to look for it. Several people knew very well that they did not look from top to bottom for the first time, but started looking upward from the bottom of the list.

When he saw Song Cai's name third from the bottom at the end of the list, he immediately became excited and said, "I actually won."

The friend next to me said sourly: "The Classic of Filial Piety is really easy to win. If I had known, I would have solved the Classic of Filial Piety first."

"Brother Zhang was also hit."

"Brother Wang won, congratulations."

When several people saw the names one after another, they were all overjoyed.

There were a total of twelve people in their group, and three of them were successful. Although there were only three, it was already impressive.

There was a culture of association in Bianliang, and many scholars also formed poetry societies, article societies, and the like. Many scholar societies were completely wiped out, which was a terrible tragedy.

Their small community has won three awards, and their reputation in Bianliang may have greatly increased.

Although lifting people is still of no use.

But in the spring of next March, if you get a Jinshi, it will be different.

As a classmate, he might be able to ascend to heaven and receive certain care. Even if he goes to work as an official in the county government, his financial future will be bright.

"Brother Song, congratulations on high school. Let's go have a drink."

Su Jian couldn't help but feel disappointed.

However, he was originally a Japanese, and he was not like the scholars of the Song Dynasty who had been immersed in it for decades. The probability of winning the examination was low, but he could relax, so it was okay.

Song Cai did not leave immediately, but continued to look for something on the list.

Everyone was curious: "What is Brother Song looking for?"

"nothing."

While searching, Song Cai said, "A friend I met before asked me to help him take a look."

Knowing Zhao Jun was his biggest gain from this imperial examination, but he didn't dare to spread the word.

He searched the list with his eyes, from the end to almost the head, but he still couldn't find Zhao Jun's name, and he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Is it possible that the academy is not a high school?

I think so.

Zhao Zhiyuan has already taken charge of the Political System Institute and concurrently served as the Imperial City Department. He has great power in the court and the country, so there is no need for him to take the imperial examination again.

I think he participated in it for fun at that time, so there is no need to appear on the list.

Song Cai thought to herself.

Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she caught a glimpse of the names below the top of the list.

At the seventh place on the list, a name came into view.

Zhao Jun!

Seventh place in the test?

I went to the hospital for a check-up this morning. I have a sore throat and a sore waist recently. The update is late, and there will be another chapter later.

Another recommended book: "Three Kingdoms: Guan Family Rebellious Son, Dragon Protects Jingxiang": In order to change Guan Yu's own tragedy caused by his arrogant character, the protagonist turned into a rebellious son and tried to change Guan Yu's character. At the same time, he used his own prophecy to try to change the disadvantages of Liu Bei's group.