The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

The over-the-counter exam is not much easier than the main exam. It is also a three-day exam. The first question is policy theory, followed by one question each of imperial edict, imperial edict, chapter and table. The essence is still making a fuss.

But the proportion of policy theory is the highest in the second game. Most examiners who grade papers will only look at how well you write the questions. If you do well, you will be admitted, if you do not do well, you will be rejected.

First, this policy review should be written in more than 2,000 words and controlled within 3,000 words. How could the eighteen housing examiners review such a long article one by one. The second is that the last four questions are all the work of water and stone. As long as you pay attention to the avoidance of taboos in the writing and the use of allusions, most of them are smooth and stable.

Most of the scholars who have the confidence to take part in the provincial examination have been trained in this matter, and they are most satisfactory. Therefore, candidates including Chen Heng focused their main energy on policy discussions.

The question in this rural examination is————Zhibian.

This question may be easy to write, but may be difficult to write. Fortunately, the situation is smooth and smooth, and the candidates can write freely. The difficulty lies in making sure that what you say is meaningful, logical, reasonable, and consistent.

As of today, more than 10 of the more than 5,000 candidates in the Gongyuan have been eliminated. Some of the remaining candidates are frowning and thinking, while others are writing furiously.

Chen Heng picked up the holding stone to hold down the white scroll, and wrote down his thoughts and inspirations on the draft paper next to him. The difficulty in writing lies in being consistent and integrating the upper and lower parts. To do this well, you must first find the thread.

Nowadays, the border battles are endless, Dayong and the grassland tribes are fighting over this, and both sides are jealous. Whether it is war or peace, the court is also debating endlessly. But this time the question was about controlling the border, not defeating the enemy. I think the court also made a decision.

After closing his eyes and thinking for a long time, Chen Heng wrote the word Anmin on the paper. This is the point he chose to break the topic and will also become the core of his writing. The debate between war and peace is nothing more than whether the people of Dayong can continue to bear it.

If every household of the people has a surplus, then the court will be able to mobilize troops with ease and confidence. On the contrary, it will be difficult to look at the head and tail, like a thorn in the back.

Once you have a judgment in your mind, you can think about specific writing. Chen Heng studied history in the academy for several years, and was tutored by the mountain chief for two years. The first thing that comes to mind is Ping Rong Ce throughout the ages.

It is difficult to distinguish between good and bad laws in the world. The distinction between good and bad depends entirely on heaven, earth, and people. You must keep in mind the principles of adapting to local conditions and changing times. Pei Huaizhen talked about the rise and fall of the Six Dynasties. I once used this sentence as an enlightenment sentence for students.

Shan Chang’s intention is to say that there were good and bad methods in the past, and we should not blindly believe in good methods because of the praise in history books, thinking that they can be applied today.

Learning to look at problems dialectically is what the ancient sages have always wanted to teach. Summarizing his ideas bit by bit, Chen Heng began to write.

If you want to cure border troubles, you must first cure the people. If it is difficult for the people of Dayong, it will also be difficult for the people of the grassland.

The beginning is just twenty-one words, like the cry of a young phoenix, concise and concise, and goes straight to the topic. It not only points out my own difficulties, but also expresses the difficulties of others. They are all ordinary people who have two shoulders to support one head and need to eat and rest. Chen Heng didn't believe it when he said that the other party could live in the open air.

With this tune in mind, Chen Heng continued to write on the paper. The conflicts between the people on both sides can be resolved, and it is not these people who influence promotion and wealth. Dayong's real opponents are the people who rule the grassland people.

The great method of 'seeking common ground and dividing' is to first divide the rulers and the people into two ends. It is an extension of previous remarks and a foreshadowing of the next point.

In the following article, Chen Heng only used border trade as the topic, briefly describing his thoughts on exchanging silk, tea, raw salt and other items for cattle, sheep, blankets, and horses of the grassland tribes. After looking through three hundred pages of history books, the predecessors have exhausted all the methods that can be found. Every time there is a large-scale change among the grassland tribes, the biggest background factor must be that their grasslands cannot support cattle and sheep.

Although it is an old talk, Chen Heng gave a more detailed overview of the current situation. Nowadays, the border troops are brave and the soldiers are good at fighting. They have been defending the enemy from the country for several years. This is an opportunity for negotiation. The people on both sides were exhausted, which was the reason for the negotiation.

But if he really wanted to accomplish this, Chen Heng knew that his superiors still lacked a reason to convince the main war faction. He thought for a while and wrote on the paper, Avoiding war means not not fighting. In fact, it is to complete the victory in one battle and achieve peace once and for all.

Based on Dayong's current national conditions, using border trade to gain a few years of breathing space is the most appropriate and practical way. Chen Heng again placed the main object of border trade on the grassland people, and then described the price changes of things obtained from the grassland and shipped to various places in the south of the Yangtze River.

The latter is Chen Heng's specialty, and he has the habit of paying attention to prices. We also know that there are bold adventurers at the border all year round, who make money from smuggling. What’s more, Qiupu Street’s practical operations are at hand. His arguments and operational methods are not generalized remarks based on imagination, but targeted remedies based on current factors.

In recent years, smuggling has decreased due to the war, causing the prices of things coming from the grasslands to be ridiculously high. Rare gadgets always have fans. There are many such people in Yangzhou city.

After quoting the data from Bo Zheng, Chen Heng talked about the benefits before starting to finish his article. Use the things that the grassland people need to survive to win over the grassland people, and use high-ranking officials and generous salaries to divide the grassland tribes. In the next three or five years, if we cultivate ourselves diligently, we will be thrifty at the top and broad at the bottom, we will be able to live in peace and contentment, and we will be able to eliminate external troubles.

After writing an impassioned article, Chen Heng couldn't help but feel lucky and regretful in his heart. Fortunately, the test questions this time are only about border governance, so there is no need to dwell too much on internal affairs, which can save some effort.

It's a pity that we don't have more information about the grassland at hand, and we don't know their internal relationship. If he had these information indexes, Chen Heng was confident that he could write a more detailed policy.

The rest of the time is spent revising and polishing, slightly deleting the sentences. After Chen Heng confirmed that a few articles were all right and he had done about the same in the second exam, the remaining third exam followed closely.

The third exam was relatively easy. Apart from the twenty arithmetic questions, the only one that could be called difficult was the judgment question. The so-called judgment refers to the judgment that once caused Chen Hengda to suffer.

Because those who succeed in the examination can become officials, the five examination questions issued by the examiner are related to the division of inheritance, neighborhood disputes, accidentally hurting others, and avoiding paying taxes and grain.

For these questions, Chen Heng, who was familiar with Dayong Code, quickly finished writing the judgments, but when he saw the last question, he couldn't help but be shocked.

It's about a daughter of a rich man's family who is engaged to the son of an official. It so happened that this young girl's beauty was noticed by another yamen. So the rich man went to an official to cancel the engagement. The latter did not agree, because it was his family who was the first to get engaged, so he accused the rich man's daughter of many marriages.

The rich man spent 3,000 taels to bribe the superior of the official family, forcing the latter to cancel the engagement. When the rich man's daughter heard that the divorce was successful, she was ashamed and blamed herself and hanged herself at home. When the son of an official family heard about this, he also threw himself into the river and died in love.

Ask the candidates how they should judge the case.

The facts listed in the question are all the facts, and candidates are not allowed to add any additional conditions.

Chen Heng couldn't help but frown. Why did this case look so similar to Wang Xifeng's attempt to gain power over the Iron Kan Temple? Even the amount and the ending are exactly the same. Except for the names of places and people, nothing is mentioned, which really makes people think a lot.

Thoughts flashed slightly, and Chen Heng decided to concentrate on the exam first. From this point of view, the crime of a daughter from a wealthy family, Xu, and the two families is definitely enough. But how should the yamen and the bribe-taking Shangguan be convicted?

If he were punished only for accepting bribes, it would be difficult to convince everyone. But they didn't kill anyone directly. The two deceased people said they committed suicide. It's really difficult to handle.

Chen Heng thought in his mind, thinking about what Pei Huaizhen taught, 'Govern people according to law, and more importantly, rule people according to morality. ’

The law is the bottom line, and morality is the standard for the people. There are always places in this world where the law cannot shine. In those dark places where the light cannot be seen, the only thing that can protect the people is the morality hanging in people's hearts. The essence of following the law is to maintain the existence of morality.

Thinking of this, Chen Heng already understood the key to solving the case. Shangguan was convicted of manslaughter, corruption, bribery, and abuse of power for personal gain. He was considered the mastermind of the case and was sentenced to three thousand miles of exile with no chance of pardon for life. The father-in-law was punished as an accessory and sentenced to a thousand miles of exile. Thinking of the recent loss of my daughter, I changed the number from 1,000 miles to 500 miles.

Although the matter started in the government office, it ultimately came down to the greed of the daughter's father. And because the life of an official's son was spared, the father-in-law could not spare his life.

Although Yameni was the main cause, he was not subjectively involved. He was sentenced to one year in prison and five years of hard labor as a warning. Another fine of five thousand taels of silver was delivered to the eunuch's family.

When he stopped writing, Chen Heng reviewed the question again and found that there was indeed no mention of the affair between the yamen and the official. Since the examiner had emphasized that no additional conditions were allowed, Chen Heng had no choice but to give up.

After several reviews, wait until the paper is submitted. Chen Heng, who was tired of being freed from his cage, finally walked out of the Gongyuan with a relaxed body.

At this point, the nine-day rural examination finally ended.

Afterwards, Xinda asked his brother what he thought on the carriage ride back.

Chen Heng couldn't help but laugh, This is satisfying and happy.

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Candidates can enjoy a stress-free vacation, but examiners have to start their most stressful work. There were more than 5,000 papers in total. Together with Cao and Yao, there were 18 room examiners accompanying them, including Li Bian, a scholar from Yangzhou.

This long-lost man no longer has the same energy as when we first met him. In the past two years in Yangzhou, his life was like a year and he was tortured. At one moment, he suspected that Lin Ruhai would look down on him, and at the other moment, he was worried that Xiang Gu would blame him. You can imagine how embarrassed he is now after living in panic.

Cao and Yao ignored him and only told the examiners in their room to examine the papers more carefully. He began to select talents among his students.

In order to avoid favoritism and malpractice, the examiners review the transcribed Red Scroll. The sealed original scroll is called the Ink Scroll because it was written by the examinee with an ink pen.

The five classics selected by the candidates are different, and their examination papers will be sent to different rooms for correction according to the different classics. The Five Classics were used to recruit officials, and twenty people were selected from each of the Five Classics, making a total of one hundred people. The top two in each round will be selected into the top twenty in the township examination, and then the best will be selected from the best.

The Five Classics have different levels of difficulty. The Spring and Autumn Annals are the most difficult and have the fewest papers. Therefore, there are only two room examiners in charge. There are several CEOs under the room examiner's name, helping to grade the papers together. These people are also from Juren background and have good literary talents.

The first thing to read must be the main four volumes. This one can directly determine the candidates' success. After all, they have to announce the results before the end of the month, so the examiners have to make some contingency measures.

In the middle of the night, candidates like Chen Heng have gone home and are fast asleep, while the examiners are still burning the midnight oil.

The explanations for the Yuan Dynasty in the provincial examinations every year mostly come from the Book of Rites, The Book of Songs and Shangshu, and most candidates take them as their classic texts. There are eighteen room examiners, and these three rooms alone occupy thirteen positions.

But tonight, the first laugh came from the Spring and Autumn room. The examiner surnamed Huang held a red scroll, patted the table with his left hand and said: Zhao Zhao is as bright as the sun and the moon, and separation is like the journey of stars. Good article , What a great article!! Lao Ye, come and read it, come and read this article.

The other examiner was moved when he heard this, and only halfway through, Examiner Huang said proudly again: This time, it's our turn to solve the problem.

As soon as he said this, the other four CEOs also got up out of curiosity and came over. Everyone gathered around Examiner Huang, scrambling to look at the exam paper.

When looking at talents, the most important thing is to gain insights. It should be promoted. Someone praised.

Another person saw half of it, and also said aloud: Exquisite reasoning and writing, delicate and brilliant. If you can complete it in one go, you are really an underachiever.

Examiner Ye also felt the same way. He looked around at everyone and said with a smile: Jing Kui must be the person who wrote this book. Congratulations to Brother Huang. I don't know, this time the solution to the problem is the hand of the emperor.

Jingkui is the first in the Five Classics, and Jie Yuan in the rural examination must also come from among the five people. When the five classics are combined together, they are commonly known as the Five Classics.

Examiner Huang shook his head and nodded, and only said: It is not easy for the Spring and Autumn Sutra Room to come up with a solution. I hope you will speak up for me when the time comes.

This is natural. Everyone said in unison.

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The next day, Cao Tingshou sat at the table and looked at the twenty articles selected from the Five Classics Room. The students who write these articles are the top candidates in this provincial examination.

The debate has been going on for some time, and a total of seventeen articles have withdrawn from the election of the first three. The articles left to the end are the articles from Chunqiu Fang, Shijingfang, and Shangshufang.

The honor of Jieyuan is so important that the examiner of the third room did not hesitate to give in and started arguing in front of the two adults, Cao and Yao. Among them, the people in the Spring and Autumn House suffered the most. They only had two house examiners, while the other two houses had four house examiners.

Seeing that his subordinates were all holding their own opinions, Cao Tingshou also knew some ways of being an official. After a second thought, he said: Since the essays are not good or bad, bring up all the papers for their second and third exams, and let's take a look at them together and rank them.

This is also the reason why. Although the provincial examination is more formal, the weight of the second and third examinations will not be much different. Over the years, Dayong has also had the qualifications to commentate on the Four Books and Five Classics, and has established the practice of formulating rankings.

Seeing that the deputy examiner Yao naturally nodded in agreement, the examiners from the third room hurried back to adjust the papers. At this juncture, it was no longer their turn to mark the papers. Cao and Yao personally picked up the red scroll and read it piece by piece.

Yao Ziran serves as a doctor in the Ministry of War, and is mainly responsible for the strategy of this provincial examination. His eyes passed over the three policy papers one by one, and he was immediately attracted by one of the articles.

The questions in this provincial examination are very large, and many candidates feel like they are just talking on paper when they are free to write. What kind of battlefield is the autumn deployment of troops? The more the better. If the soldiers are united, they will be able to conquer everything. They are all articles that you can listen to but have no practical use if you read them carefully.

Only this article, apart from writing the thesis, quoted data and judged the situation of all parties, which made people laugh endlessly.

Wonderful, really wonderful. Yao Ziran nodded repeatedly and said with great joy, Amazing talent and high ambition. This article deserves these eight words.

Follow the candidate's thinking and go through the strategies in the article again. Yao Ziran also felt that this policy was really indisputable. He immediately said to Cao Tingshou: The first person to discuss the policy should be this person.

The latter nodded and leaned forward to take a look. I saw the place where the number was written, and it was written: Spring and Autumn Sutra Room No. 26.

When the third test paper is adjusted again, the winner is still No. 26. At this point, before Cao Tingshou could say anything, the examiners in the Spring and Autumn Room were already overjoyed. They were used to observing words and expressions, so how could they not tell that one of their own students had won.

Cao Tingshou had an idea in his mind, and passed the three examination papers of the three students to the examiners. Seeing that the articles No. 26 were all excellent, everyone reached a consensus.

The examiners in the Spring and Autumn Room returned to the room like a victorious general, with faces full of joy.

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August 30th is the day when the results are released. After sleeping at home for several days, Chen Heng finally had enough energy to go out. He took Xinda and rushed to the vicinity of Gongyuan, only to find Xue Biao, Jiang Yuanbai and others waiting here.

The four of them met again, each with their own feelings in their hearts. Seeing the crowd in front of the Gongyuan Hall. The four of them walked to a nearby restaurant together and waited on the second floor.

Xue Biao and Jiang Yuanbai knew that they had little certainty, and they could not withstand the unexpected luck. Although his face was tight, he spoke fluently and naturally. Only one hand picked up and put it down from time to time, showing careful nervousness and stiffness pretending to be relaxed.

Qian Dayou has put in the most effort, and is worried about gains and losses the most right now. He hopes that Gongyuan will release the results soon, but also hopes that Gongyuan will release the results more slowly. Seeing Qian Dayou's appearance, Jiang Yuanbai couldn't help but joke about him, Dayou, you should learn more from Brother Heng's composure.

Chen Heng laughed when he heard the sound. He looked at Xue and Jiang sideways and said to Qian Dayou: Brother Qian, don't panic. You have tried your best. Just wait for good news.

Okay... okay... Qian Dayou began to tremble as he spoke.

Chen Heng had no choice but to get up and pour a cup of tea for his friend.

After that, the four of them were all bored, just waiting for the family members at the bottom of the list to report to them.

As the sun set a little bit, the gate of the Gongyuan finally opened. Dozens of officers cleared an open space among the crowd. Only then did several deacons arrive carrying long lists and worked together to post the lists on the wall.

The students in front of the list held their breaths at the same time, looking back and forth, looking for their names quickly. Immediately, the first burst of laughter spread among the crowd.

I won, I won!! Hahahahaha, I won! Hahaha... The wild and wanton laughter floated in people's envious eyes, and the candidates rushed out, laughing as they ran, Go wild all the way.

Chen Heng and others sitting in the teahouse also saw it. Before they could make any expressions, low cries could be heard from below. At this glance, it is the students who failed the exam.

By now, the ease and ease of Xue Biao and Jiang Yuanbai have disappeared. Both of them had uneasy expressions on their faces, but Qian Dayou's expression turned into a look of resignation.

After a while, the students at the bottom of the list became more lively. There are those who cry and howl, and there are even more people who beat their chests and stamp their feet. There are countless people. It’s really touching to watch.

The stairs of the restaurant were also very lively. From time to time, messengers would come up the stairs. Just by hearing the urgent footsteps, everyone knew that it must be someone bringing good news. People came one after another, and soon the servants of the Qian family appeared at the entrance of the stairs.

Master. The servant of the Qian family trembled.

Ah?! Qian Dayou opened his mouth, wanting to ask but not knowing what to ask.

Young... Young Master, you have passed the exam. Number seventy-three. You have passed the exam. Master, you have passed the examination. The servant said confusedly. Qian Dayou swayed, but he didn't faint in front of his friends.

His face, which was still pale, immediately turned red with ecstasy. Qian Dayou couldn't help but laugh and said: Hahahahaha, hahahahahaha.

He smiled happily, but did not forget to hold Chen Heng's hand, Brother Heng, thank you. Thank you so much. As he spoke, he couldn't help crying, which was frightening. the latter.

Before Chen Heng could reach out to dissuade him, a voice called Second Brother came from the stairs. Chen Heng also froze on the spot. He turned his head blankly and saw Xinda finally squeezed out of the crowd. He looked directly at the opponent and ran towards him, shouting repeatedly.

Second brother, you are number one.

You are number one, second brother.

He couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment, but Chen Heng felt relieved, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off him. Starting today, the old Chen family in Shanxi Village will have a Mr. Jie Yuangong.

When the candidates around him heard that Mr. Xie Yuangong was beside him, they were both frightened by his age and saddened by the good news. It's just that they are all waiting for news at the moment, and they won't pay much attention to Chen Heng when it arrives.

Qian Dayou was also very happy because of this news and quickly hugged Chen Heng.

Two friends passed the exam one after another. Xue Biao and Jiang Yuanbai both looked at the stairs. They both hoped that their family members would appear there with happy faces.

But when the servants of the Xue family appeared, they looked ashamed. Xue Biao had to swallow the bitterness in his throat and confessed to his two friends: Before, I only thought that the time ahead would be long. Only today did I know how difficult it would be to fail the exam. After forcing himself to finish this sentence, he could no longer continue and could only say 'Hey' There was a sound.

I...should read more books. If I had worked harder before...

Jiang Yuanbai couldn't help crying. He was smart, but sometimes he believed in his own intelligence too much. I hope that this opportunity can help them understand the hardships of the imperial examination.

Chen Heng comforted his two friends and took Xinda downstairs to go home.

My grandparents are still waiting for the letter at home. They have visited all the temples in Yangzhou recently, hoping that they can go to high school. Now they can live up to the expectations of their elders.

When the two of them walked to the door of their home, they saw the door open. The eagerly awaited family members, old and young, stood in the courtyard and watched Chen Heng walk in with a relaxed expression. Everyone couldn't help but feel relieved and really wanted to ask.

Suddenly there was the excitement of gongs and drums outside, and the sound of firecrackers was endless. Listening to the voice, Chen Heng did not expect that the announcer would come so quickly.

He simply gave it up and waved his hand, gesturing for his family members to come forward together. The family stood on the doorstep, already somewhat recalling the scene during the Chen Heng Academy exam.

It was the same queue with gongs and drums beating, but a different group of people were running errands to announce the good news. The musicians played loudly and the drums kept playing.

Quick, quick, quick, Lao Chen's children passed the exam.

Let's go, this is a great thing for our place, go and have a look.

I saw this kid was amazing when he was little.

Neighbors who heard the sound and moved around surrounded the policemen to the door of Chen's house.

Good news----

Just one sound lifted the mood of everyone present. Among them, Ms. Gu was very nervous as she held her daughter Chen Qing's hand. The latter became a mother for the first time and had just recovered her health. She was holding her daughter in one hand and holding Gu's hand tightly with the other.

Good news in the rural examination—— the announcer said with high spirits and frustration, Congratulations——Master Chen Heng High School in Shanxi Village, Taixing County, Yangzhou Prefecture——is ranked first in the provincial examination.

Wow.

The crowd roared instantly. This is Mr. Xie Yuangong, fifteen-year-old Mr. Xie Yuangong.

When he passed the exam to be a scholar, the onlookers only expressed congratulations. Now that it was Mr. Jie Yuangong who passed the examination at such a young age, everyone was shocked and dumbfounded. For a moment, they even forgot to ask for the wedding money.

Hu Xiangheng, the eldest brother-in-law, and Chen Qingyue, who were overjoyed, grabbed the coins and threw them out, waking these people up from the shock.

Jie Yuangong, Jie Yuangong.

I don’t know who took the lead in shouting, and then everyone shouted in unison, calling one after another, which finally made Chen Heng walk out from behind his family and come to the officer to receive the good news.

Jie Yuangong, Jie Yuangong.

Life is like a wave, mixed with sounds of firecrackers and drum music. Xinda carefully protected Chen Heng and separated from the crowd.

The officers who had received the reward kindly reminded the old Chen family before leaving, saying: Don't forget to make a plaque and hang it on the door.

Okay, okay, okay. Hahahahaha. Chen Gaishan nodded repeatedly, trembling his beard, and said happily: Good work, good work, thank you very much.

Hahahaha, please give me a monthly pass, please give me a monthly pass