Three Kingdoms

There are many things happening in the world, and although many things have happened during this period, for scholars, books are often a unified entity. Regardless of the age outside the window, there is only one thing that they care about the most, which is the most likely to affect the internal organs and cause pain at every turn. To be honest, that is the exam.

Some people say that before the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty, there were no examinations, or that they could not be called imperial examinations. However, in fact, the earliest record of examinations in China is the legend of Yao selecting Shun as his successor in ancient times.

Yao was already old and wanted to choose a successor. Everyone said to Yao: "There is a man named Yu Shun among the people." Yao said: "Yes, I heard about it." How is it? Yue said: "Son of the blind man." The father is stubborn, the mother is arrogant, and the younger brother is proud. If he can be harmonious, he should be filial, and he should be disciplined, and he will not commit adultery. Yao said: "Let me try it." 』

This is the earliest exam, and the prize of the exam is the throne.

The first one to eat crabs always gets some preferential treatment...

The next ones to eat the crab legs were a group of people from the Zhou Dynasty. It is recorded in "The Rites of Zhou" that "this is the ancient system of the emperor. Every year, the princes present their tributes to the emperor, and the emperor tests them in the archery palace." Its appearance is compared to etiquette, its style is compared to music, and those who have more of them can be compared to sacrifices. 』

Those who pass the exam can only accompany Emperor Zhou to attend the memorial ceremony. The salary seems to have dropped a lot, but you must know that those who can participate in the memorial ceremony beside Emperor Zhou can usually inherit the positions of some princes and ministers, so in general Not bad at all.

In the Han Dynasty, there were also examinations. In the second and fifteenth years of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the "countermeasures" after twice recommending the virtuous and upright were "...the important points of the three ways for the officials, and I will always be the one who is not moral, the officials are unfair, and the government is unfair." If you don't announce it, the people will be restless, and the four obstacles will be revealed. Tell your ambitions clearly and don't hide anything..." At that time, "there were more than a hundred people who took countermeasures, but they made the mistake of being high."

Dong Zhongshu's "Theory of Heaven and Man" was also directly handed over to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty through countermeasures during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, how could such a thing be sent through normal channels when Minister Huang was in control of the court?

In the Han Dynasty, a relatively complete examination model had been formed. The written examination was first, which was the "countermeasure". The emperor's test questions are strategies, and the candidates' answers are correct. "Written in Pian", Pian is a bamboo slip. If there is an additional on-the-spot oral examination, it will be called "Cewen".

So in fact, when Fei Qian came up with the examination method, it was not a ground-breaking initiative. Even Dong Zhongshu himself said: "The method of examination is to combine the title and salary, to rank, to accumulate the days, to show the facts, and to calculate the amount of work." For sins, divide the few by the more, determine the reality by name, and treat it internally first. 』

Of course, just listen to what happened about Yao and Shun, but there were indeed exams in the Han Dynasty. However, although the Han Dynasty created examinations and specified methods, the selection of talents in the Han Dynasty was not carried out according to examinations, but still used the examination system.

Although the inspection system also has examinations after recommendation, such as the virtuous and upright subjects, the basic method of selection is recommendation, the main criterion is "morality", and the main targets are filial sons, honest officials, etc., and the examination is often a formality, even if the candidates are There were some problems, but for the sake of the recommenders, they kept them secret, which led to the loss of the original intention of the exam.

For those who want to take the exam, especially the students in Moriyama Academy, whether they can shake up or not depends on this jump. If they fail to pass the exam this time, they don’t know what they will do next time. How long to wait, so no matter from which point of view, this is a very important thing.

It is the custom of Chinese people to eat at happy events, funerals, big events, and small things. Therefore, before Du Yuan's two children went to Chang'an to take the exam, they also held a banquet as a preparatory blessing for the two children. Ichiban.

Du Yuan was also one of the first officials to sneak into the North with Fei. Although he said that he had the word "Wen Zheng" in his handwriting, in fact he didn't have much "Wen Zheng" in his belly, so he got mixed up with the county governor. , that is to say, he knew his weight and did not dare to ask for anything further, so he put all his hopes on his two sons.

Du Yuan's son was a little too young in the previous gushing competitions, so he stayed in Shoushan Academy and did not take the exam. But this year, he is almost the same age, so he is naturally ready to give it a try.

Although he said it was just a wish, Du Yuan also set up a flowing banquet for the surrounding people to come and eat. The inner courtyard was full of guests, wishing the two sons of the Du family a good result in the exam in Chang'an. .

Congratulations are of course wonderful, but Du Yuan knows it well in his heart. He knows that among the two children, the eldest son may be okay, while the younger son is a little worse. This trip is probably just to gain experience, and he has to put his hope in it. Although he never praised his eldest son Du Yu, he actually had a lot of expectations in his heart.

So for the first time, Du Yuan personally sent someone to Shoushan Academy to pick up his two sons and take them home. After staying there for three or four days, he was ready to let the two of them go to Chang'an with some officials' children from Xihe.

At the banquet, after a few drinks, it was natural to reminisce about the past and look forward to the future. Du Yuan, perhaps because he was deeply touched, or perhaps because he was saddened by the scene, said rather emotionally: "A certain Du family is also an heir of poetry and calligraphy, but why?" The Qiang were in chaos, their homes were burned in the flames of war, and they perished on the way south. Now that I have gained the trust of my lord and am a shepherd and guardian, this life is enough. However, the scriptures are vast and the common things are complicated, so I cannot truly pass them down. I deeply regret that..."

Speaking of the emotional part, Du Yuan's eyes filled with tears, and then he said some words of encouragement, such as taking the exam well, continuing the tradition, and carrying forward the glory of the ancestors.

Du Yuan's eldest son, Du Yu, also brought the Xihe students who were traveling with him to express his gratitude.

When we set off the next day, the scene was even more grand. Although it was said that due to the short days in autumn, it was necessary to set off as early as possible, so it was just dawn when the journey started, but the Xihe officials who had eaten and drank yesterday still got up early and put on formal clothes. Clothes, came to see Du Yu and others off, telling him this and that along the way. If he couldn't leave his post without permission, he almost wanted to follow him all the way to Chang'an.

Most of the candidates were not very old, so they were somewhat at a loss when it came to such a thing. They were obedient and didn't know what to say or do. Only Du Yu, who was older, finally led all the candidates to thank the villagers. Farewell also made Du Yuan Laohuai very happy.

After sending off again and again, but finally saying goodbye, the candidates embarked on their journey one after another, behind them were the sounds of blessings and exhortations from relatives and friends, and this voice, perhaps, is like this, year after year, year after year, generation after generation. It was passed down, lingering around, and even thousands of years later, it still sounds from time to time.

In addition to students from Xihe, there are also students from other counties and counties. As long as they can make it, they will naturally arrive sooner or later, or they will familiarize themselves with the venue in advance, or they will only get there during the exam period. Anyway, it is Lu One after another they all gathered in Chang'an.

Du Yu, for example, came relatively late this time.

The original exam venue in Chang'an was relatively simple. Because more and more people were taking exams, it couldn't be accommodated in an ordinary courtyard, so we simply set up a piece of land outside the city to take the exam. The conditions can be imagined. , even if some temporary examination tents are built, there are still many things that are not satisfactory, such as the fragrance of the soil and the embrace of mosquitoes, not to mention those who pick their noses, feet, fart and leak urine, and some people have poor psychological quality. , I was so nervous that I had vomiting and diarrhea...

Of course, there may be extreme reactions caused by acclimatization, panic, and high pressure, but as long as there are one or two, the surrounding candidates will be unlucky.

But this year is much better. After the completion of Qinglong Temple, there will be ample space and venue to accommodate a large number of candidates to take the exam. At the same time, it is better to at least have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, so as not to have to sit on the mud. Struggled.

Finally, it was time for the exam. All the streets in Chang'an City were guarded by soldiers. The children of wealthy families took their own carriages to Longshouyuan. Students who had no money could also line up outside the city. There were special Free vehicle pick-up and drop-off. Of course, the condition of the vehicle is average, either a horse-drawn carriage or an ox-cart. Anyway, when a vehicle is full, it will leave.

Nowadays, most of the people taking the hussar exam are from the younger generation, but some older ones are also gradually appearing. Of course, there is no situation like the imperial examination in later generations where 60-year-olds were born and 70-year-olds were born.

Naturally, the first wave is still about economics, and the vast majority of people refer to it. If it counts as a subject, we have to wait until the economics exam is over and the results are announced before the exam can begin. Because these days there are not many people who specialize in studying scriptures or majoring in general arithmetic, so the levels are very different, and the two subjects are not at the same level.

When these candidates gradually gathered in the main square of Qinglong Temple, they were led by soldiers to line up and stand one by one. Candidates need to bring their own pens and ink, while the paper is provided by Qiusi. Of course, if you do not bring pens and ink, there will be some in the examination room, but whether you are comfortable with it or whether it is easy to use cannot make too many demands.

Xun You wore a Jinxian crown on his head, a red and black court uniform, and a ribbon around his waist. He looked dignified, graceful, and luxurious. When the time was almost up, Xun You began to lecture. Basically, he just praised the hussar general and talked about the rules of the examination room. , there is nothing special, and then the candidates are arranged to enter.

At this time, there are no specific rules for the eight-part essay, so it is Fei Qian who has the final say on how to take the test. This time the test is divided into three sessions, divided into "main test", and then "supplementary" the next day, and finally "Revisit" the next day.

As long as you pass the main exam, you don’t need to take the second supplement and just wait for the interview on the last day. However, if you fail the first test, you can still take the second supplement. Give these candidates, who are either nervous and did not perform well, or who got stuck on the spot, a chance again.

Of course, if you fail in both exams and don’t get the chance to get the final interview, you can’t blame others, or blame the pen for being too hard and too soft, the seat for being too soft and prickly, or the voice for being too loud and too loud. It’s nothing, I can only wait for the next exam opportunity...

Because there are no memorization and dictation questions in the test, but questions set by Fei Qian temporarily, so there is no point in cheat sheets. Of course, it is also possible to guess the questions, and then write and memorize them in advance, but once you come to inspect To be strict, there were soldiers in the outer circle, and there were patrol examiners in the field; secondly, even in later generations, it was inevitable to guess questions before the exam and a few people got it wrong, so there was no strip search or anything like later generations.

Because Du Yu was more or less within the system, he received some preferential treatment. He was ranked relatively high in the rankings, so he naturally entered the examination room, which was the main hall, earlier. The average candidates were arranged in the side hall, and the worse ones were in the cloister. Although it was ventilated, they were somewhat protected from the sun and rain.

The biggest advantage of going to the examination room first is that you can choose a seat you like.

After Du Yu and Du Zi entered the hall one after another, some people from before had already chosen their seats and sat down, nodding slightly to each other. Du Yu looked around and motioned to Du Zi behind him to follow him to the table closer to the window of the main hall and sit down.

After all, if you are too close to doors and windows, you will inevitably be exposed to direct light. Not only will you be exposed to the sun, it will also be hot and uncomfortable, so you can just go closer to it, and it will not lack light and will not be exposed to direct sunlight.

The tables came one after another, just like the tables in a restaurant. They all seemed empty at first, but at meal time they were full in the blink of an eye. After everyone was seated, an attendant brought bamboo paper and distributed it to everyone at each table.

Although bamboo paper is yellowed and has thick fibers, it is naturally much easier to write on than the previous bamboo slips and wooden slips. Moreover, this is also a disguised requirement that candidates must have a more complete answer before they can write. After all, bamboo paper Unlike bamboo slips and wooden slips, which can be scraped with a knife, every correction is just a ball of black ink. If there is too much black ink, even the examiner will be too lazy to look at it.

Repeated revisions represent unclear thinking and hesitation. Even if such a person writes well, he has no definite rules for doing things and is naturally unusable...

Before the exam questions are announced, you must first write your name, place of origin, etc. on the edge of your bamboo paper as a way of identification.

After all the candidates had basically finished their preparations, Xun You took out the sealed test questions. It was very simple, with only two questions, but it was not simple either, because one of the questions was "Re-Fu to Xijing" and the second question was "Salt" "I'll talk again!"

As soon as the test questions came out, there was a huge inhalation sound in the originally silent examination room of Qinglong Temple, which seemed to shake the air twice. Because they saw the title almost at the same time, they inhaled in unison, causing them to flow together, creating a resonance effect.

Xijing Fu and Salt and Iron Theory both have beauty first, and many people are very familiar with it, so they cannot be simpler, but we must innovate, break out of the old framework, and find new ideas. and direction, it’s not that simple...

Du Yu also felt shocked. The former question is obviously a test of literary talent, with some discussions on current affairs, while the latter question is a test of civil affairs, with some discussion of law. If the former question only knows how to show off literary talent and piles up words, it will be average at best, and if the latter question is basic If you don't talk about laws and just talk about civil affairs and commerce, you will probably not get good reviews.

I have long heard that the questions given by Qiusi are very tricky, and this time I have seen it.

Du Yu cursed a few words, then began to frown in thought. This is not only writing, but also related to the "interview" in the third session. Due to the limitations of the text, many things cannot be stated in detail. When the interview comes, we will ask detailed questions based on the article. If the article is well written, As a result, when talking about specific matters, it was chaotic and out of order. It was regarded as "old work" for no reason. Although it was not punished as cheating, it was not possible to get a good position.

The most important thing about an article is to break the topic and establish the purpose. Otherwise, if you go astray along the way, you will never be able to get it back. Du Yu looked at Du Zi beside him. It was obvious that Du Zi hadn't thought about the topic clearly yet. His face was wrinkled as if he had taken a big gulp of Shanxi vinegar. Du Yu could only cheer Du Zi secretly, and then immersed himself in it. in your own thoughts.

Xun You looked around slowly along the way. In fact, when he first got these two questions, Xun You also studied them a little. In fact, this question is roughly divided into three levels. If he can see the first level and write it well, It's probably around the middle or lower level, and then you can see the second level, and if it's well written, you can at least get it in the middle. If you can see the third level...

After all, reaching the third level basically involves discussing the political environment, which is beyond the scope of what most people can consider.

In the examination room, there are people who are bowing their heads in deep thought, scratching their heads and scratching their heads, or writing like a god. Anyway, there are all kinds of things.

Du Yu, the son of Du Yuan, was quite good. After solving the topic, he followed his own ideas and began to think about it secretly. Then he wrote the manuscript on the manuscript paper. After finishing writing, he checked whether it was neat. For some sentences and words, Or the structure has been fine-tuned, and some words have been added or deleted to make the overall idea of ​​the article smoother and the language expression more pure.

After finishing writing, I read it again silently from the beginning until I was sure that the tone was harmonious and catchy, and then I copied it carefully onto another piece of bamboo paper.

Although the hussar examination system has only been carried out a few times, some people have already summarized the best examination method, and it has been circulated among the students of the academy as a small circle of exchanges.

After walking down according to the best steps, Du Yu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He turned his head slightly and looked at his younger brother Du Zi. He still looked bitter and resentful, and could only shake his head with a wry smile. After all, Du Zi was four years younger than him, and his father, Du Yuan, didn't expect Du Zi to pass the exam in one go. This time, it was mainly Du Yu himself, and Du Zi was probably just accumulating experience.

Changes in writing tools also caused the Chinese characters to begin to change. From swords and pens, bamboo and wood, to pens, inks, paper and inkstones, the cumbersome and complicated seal script was gradually eliminated by the children of the gentry. Although they could understand it, they did not use it much, and the simple script Yixue is more suitable for official script written with a brush on a flat surface. This writing method was originally a lowly writing method in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but now it has become a basic writing mode in the Han Dynasty.

Times are always changing. Maybe what was considered beautiful before became ugly, and what was considered inferior before became popular later. The same is true for the exam, but this time the exam went relatively smoothly for Du Yu, but during the second "Supplement", something unexpected happened...