Three Kingdoms

The imperial examination system in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the imperial examinations in the feudal dynasty. It was extremely mature in terms of organizational structure and registration division.

Well, strictly speaking, the imperial examination should have matured in the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty was just a continuation.

In the Ming Dynasty, the five-level imperial examination system made talent promotion like an upgrade game for later generations, with clear goals and related benefits. This made almost all scholars across the country crazy to invest in such a level. During the imperial examination.

Children's examination, college examination, rural examination, general examination, palace examination, if these words were replaced by black iron, bronze, silver, gold, diamond, wouldn't it make more sense? In order to be illusory in later generations, virtual accounts that clearly indicate only the right to use but not ownership can cause madness, let alone a feudal dynasty with no entertainment?

So could Fei Qian's copying of Ming Taizu's "Imperial Examination Form" establish the heyday of the imperial examination that lasted for thousands of years?

Actually, it can't. If Fei Qian really did this, it would only be to undermine the situation.

Everything has its own inherent laws of development.

The same is true for the imperial examination.

To put it simply, if the examinations were carried out according to the five levels of black iron, bronze... bah, the children's examination, the college examination, the provincial examination, the general examination, and the palace examination, how much manpower and material resources would be needed? There are already some shortages of officials in various counties and counties. When will additional positions be added? Once the imperial examination personnel are in place, how will they be supervised? These series of problems cannot be solved by simply knowing a few hierarchical systems.

It was precisely with these problems in mind that Fei Qian asked Sima Yi and others to go to various surrounding counties and counties to carry out pilot work in advance, collect problems, and then solve the problems. In the process of solving the problems, the feudal dynasty that followed was gradually The imperial examination system was improved and used.

After Sima Yi arrived in Hedong, he immediately sorted out the Hedong examination institutions.

He felt sincere admiration for Qiusi's move.

People's knowledge is limited, and most people are full of fear of things beyond their knowledge and refuse to know. To put it simply, most people know that they don’t know, but they pretend to know because they are afraid of seeing the truth and prefer to immerse themselves in illusion.

They are clearly aware of the boundaries they know, but they can pretend that they don't exist. The reason is usually that they are unwilling to leave the old bed and the territory they are accustomed to. After all, this bed and territory have rules that they are accustomed to, and it also has a reputation. and interests, and even the authority to dampen the curiosity of young people to explore.

Such as religion, and such as...

A small number of people can touch the transparent wall that isolates the cognition of the current era, and even overcome this cognitive barrier. However, facing the chaotic and confused outside world, they have no direction, and sometimes it is inevitable to take what they find in their hands. Treated as a treasure.

Sima Yi is a young man, he is curious, and he is not stupid, so he realized the limits of the world he knew very early...

He saw his own limits, but he couldn't see Feiqian's limits.

So Sima Yi felt surprised and frightened, and tried to figure out and explore Fei Qian's boundaries.

Just like this time when he came to Hedong, Sima Yi also wanted to inspect Fei Qian's layout of the imperial examination and the political significance of the entire scientific examination, so that one day in the future, it could become an ability that Sima Yi could use.

Sima Yi discovered that most of the outstanding young students from Hedong were admitted to Shoushan Academy.

Those who stay in Hedong are generally older or relatively poor children, who may not even be able to raise the basic tuition fees to go to the academy.

Moriyama Academy offers tuition exemptions, but that does not mean that everyone can be exempted. First, they must have a certain level of their own. It is definitely impossible for people who are dawdling to get tuition exemptions or loans. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be the case? Is it a heavy psychological blow to other students?

Therefore, these students who have not been able to obtain the tuition fee exemption from Moriyama Academy and cannot go to Pingyang, which is not far away, to study at the academy, may have more or less the same problems.

Of course, it is also possible that something happened to the students themselves or their families, such as illness, accident, etc. After all, no one knew which one would come first, death or accident.

Not everyone can have a comfortable and comfortable environment to study. Many people have to face various terrible family events and then struggle among them...

To put it simply, these students from Hedong who were unable to go to Chang'an for reference have been delayed until now due to various reasons.

General Fei Qian of the Hussars held scientific expeditions not for welfare purposes, but to recruit scholars.

Therefore, although it is said to be a local examination, it is certainly not possible for everyone to have something to eat, and the admission rate is actually still not high.

Everyone has something to eat, but often in the end no one has anything to eat.

But how should this admission rate be determined, and what is an appropriate rate?

General Fei Qian of the Hussars did not give Sima Yi a fixed indicator, and Sima Yi needed to make his own judgment.

Sima Yi originally wanted to report the specific situation in Hedong directly to the Hussar General Fei Qian, but after thinking about it, he stopped writing and hesitated. In the end, he did not write the report for the time being, but came to see Sima Fang first. .

"Father...it has been a hard journey. The child was unable to fulfill his filial piety, which made the father run around and work hard..."

Sima Yi lowered his head and bowed before Sima Fang's bed.

Sima Fang came from Hanoi with a large group of Sima clan, and when they arrived east of Hedong, he didn't know whether it was due to the fatigue from the journey or the recurrence of his old illness. Anyway, he couldn't walk anymore, so he could only ask for help first. Physicians from Baiyi Medical Center came to diagnose and treat him, and also stopped at Hedong for recuperation.

"The doctors from the Hundred Medical Center have seen it, and I won't die for a while..." Sima Fang half-leaned on the bed, "How's the business going?" 』

Sima Yi handed over his hand and briefly described his errand.

After Sima Fang heard this, he closed his eyes slightly and began to think.

Sima Yi didn't urge him, he just waited on the side.

The Sima clan, during the ancestors' time, was leaning towards martial arts, that is, the route of military strategists.

Sima Fang's fifteenth generation ancestor, Sima Kai, was a Mohist figure during the Warring States Period. His fourteenth generation ancestor, Sima Kuai'ai, was a swordsman of the Zhao State during the Warring States Period. His eleventh generation ancestor was Sima Yan, who was named King of Yin of the Western Han Dynasty due to his military exploits. Until the time of Sima Jun, Sima Fang's great-grandfather, he still appeared as a general in the Eastern Han Dynasty...

It wasn't until Sima Fang's father, Sima Jun, that he began to be relatively successful in his laundering, and he promoted Xiaolian to become the prefect of Yingchuan. Being able to be a prefect in a place like Yingchuan, where literary talents flourish, is impossible without having a good grasp of literature. Otherwise, you won't even know what others are saying when you are scolded.

As for why during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Sima clan began to focus on literature and began to focus on literature, it may have something to do with Liu Xiu's suppression of the generals in Bingzhou and Liangzhou, but it has to be said that at least when the Sima clan faced a turning point, He chose a better direction keenly and was not limited by the so-called traditions and precepts of Sima's ancestors.

Therefore, this time, Sima Fang once again broke through the original limits. He left the Hanoi that he was accustomed to and carried the accumulation of the Sima clan for many years. He abandoned his original routine, dragged his heavy body, and took Sima's remaining The tribesmen below arrived in Hedong.

This is undoubtedly a huge wall-climbing activity, crossing the boundary wall of the Sima family.

In other words, Sima has washed his hands again.

This time, the cleansing point is not to cleanse the civil and military affairs, but to wash away the traces on Cao Cao's side and in Shandong, and move to Chang'an and Fei Qian's side.

Sima Fang's father's purge allowed the Sima clan to break through the category of military generals and successfully penetrate into the Confucian heirlooms. What will Sima Fang gain from his purge this time?

"Don't doubt..." Sima Fang said slowly. Although he was old, his eyes were still like a knife, prying away Sima Yi's doubts, "Don't doubt Qiusi, don't doubt yourself, let alone because of us. When you come to Hedong, you start to worry about gains and losses..."

"..." Sima Yi fell silent.

"The one who made the decision to move to Chang'an..." Sima Fang pointed to himself, "It was me." So since it was my decision, why are you hesitating? The scientific research in Hedong is exactly how it should be! 』

"Child..." Sima Yi said half of the sentence, but swallowed the rest.

Sima Fang glanced at Sima Yi, "You are worried that if you do something wrong... In your opinion, our whole family has moved to the east of Hedong, and we have lost our way out, so you have begun to worry about gains and losses, and you no longer have the spirit you had before..." Afraid of this and worried about that..."

Sima Yi opened his mouth. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt that he couldn't deny it, because the person in front of him was his father, "Yes, Father... I'm a little... a little scared... and a little worried..."

“But aren’t the things you fear and worry about already lost? Sima Fang smiled and said, "What's the point of being afraid and worried about things that have already been lost?" Although you say you have grown up, but... you are not calm enough..."

Sima Yi was stunned, "I have lost..."

Sima Fang nodded, "What you should consider is the future and how to regain..."

『Σ(⊙▽⊙“a!』 Sima Yi was startled.

"I keep the boss by my side, not because I prefer him, but because he has a calm personality and can't do anything big. It's good to follow the steps step by step," Sima Fang said slowly, "As for you, it's different. When you were young, you It’s not the same, so... I believe in you, even if the Sima family loses everything, they can still stand up again..."

Sima Yi lowered his head and prostrated himself in front of Sima Fang's bed, "Father..."

"Okay, I don't want to say these words again. Sima Fang stretched out his hand to help Sima Yi, "Now think about it again and think about what you should do... General Qiusi has gone very far. If you can't keep up... sooner or later something will happen." ...You put your thoughts on my side, so you naturally think less about that side...You, I'm afraid you haven't thought about why the Hussars sent you to Hedong..."

Sima Yi was stunned, then slowly lowered his head.

After a long silence, Sima Yi slowly raised his head and said, "I thought of it." 』

"Tell me. ” Sima Fang said softly.

Sima Yi's eyes flashed, as if seeing the morning sun again, clear and bright, "Father, it is a limit...or, according to the Lord, it is a "class"..."

"Limits, "classes"..." Sima Fang repeated, then nodded and said, "Well... just keep talking..."

"When people eat grains, they have various forms." Sima Yi said slowly, "There are those who are born in the northern desert, there are those who live in the mountains and forests of southern Xinjiang, there are those who are born healthy, and there are those who are plagued by illness. Therefore, these people in the world cannot be treated fairly. They must have their own strength." Boundaries can be described as "classes". 』

"Is this what Qiusi said?" ” asked Sima Fang.

Sima Yi replied: "Part of it is." 』

"Well..." Sima Fang nodded, seeming to be thinking about something, and did not continue to speak. He just waved his hand to signal Sima Yi to continue talking.

"Once this kind of boundary is formed, it will be like a fence, trapping subsequent people within it. It's like..." Sima Yi stood up, turned and looked outside the hall, "It's like these houses, these courtyards, these cities... First they made fences, then built walls, then repaired the city walls, and then felt that the city walls It’s not enough, so we just built the Great Wall..."

"This is a wonderful metaphor. ” Sima Fang nodded, “Since Hussar said this, he naturally guided you in which direction this scientific examination should go... Is it possible that you haven’t figured it out yet? 』

"Lord..." Sima Yi looked in the direction of Chang'an, "Chang'an... the big man... I see, that's it!" Father, I...I understand! 』

Sima Fang glanced at Sima Yi and said, "Now that you understand it, let's do it!" 』

"only! ” Sima Yi responded in a deep voice, then bowed before Sima Fang’s bed, then stood up and left.

Sima Fang looked at Sima Yi's back, smiled, and then shook his head, "It's still the same...it's really...but what does this kid want to understand?" 』

……(～￣▽￣)～……

"Father!" You're back! 』

A young boy's childish voice sounded after the courtyard door was pushed open, and then he stepped forward to greet his father.

"Well, I'm back. ” The middle-aged man came in, took off his coat, and handed it to his wife who also came forward, “How is father? 』

"At noon, the doctor came. He took some medicine and some food. He said he felt better. He just went to bed..." The wife said softly, pointing to the room on one side.

The middle-aged man nodded, "Okay, that's good..."

A family of three entered the house.

The wife served the food quickly and the three of them ate in silence.

It was already dusk, and the light in the room was not very good, but the three of them did not light lamps or candles, but took advantage of the last remaining light of the setting sun to eat in a hurry.

The meal is very simple, beans and rice.

The dish is pickled vegetables, a small dish.

Bean rice is boiled beans in water, pure beans.

It’s not like later generations mixed some japonica rice...

If you want it to be more chewy, cook it longer and then mash it. But if you want to cook for a long time, you have to spend firewood, and most residential houses do not have unlimited firewood. You either have to collect it yourself, or you have to pay to buy it.

So basically, unless there are special circumstances, most bean rice is just cooked beans. In addition, there is no seasoning, hard and beany smell, and it is definitely not a gourmet meal.

However, the three of them still ate very carefully, not even leaving the residue on the edge of the bowl. After finishing the bean rice, they took some water for cooking the beans, rinsed the bowl, and drank.

The three of them had finished their meal. The small plate of pickles on the table seemed to be the same amount when it was served. It had not decreased much. It was not because the pickles were not delicious. Well, in fact, it was. It’s not delicious, but because pickles also cost money.

After finishing the meal, the middle-aged man took out a small money bag from Zhongyi's arms, then smiled and handed it to his wife.

"This... this is..." Listening to the familiar yet unfamiliar sound of coins, the wife opened the purse with a hint of surprise, "Where did this money come from?" 』

coin. In this era, sometimes it is like a certain treasure or a letter from later generations, not everyone has it. In many places in the Han Dynasty, people still lived without coins, bartering with food grown in the fields, firewood collected from the mountains, etc.

There was a bit of pride on the middle-aged man's face, "This is congratulatory money... I heard that I am going to take the Hedong County Entrance Examination. This is a congratulatory gift given to me by several classmates... You can take it first." , first pay back some of the money we owe others..."

"ah? Pay back the money? ” The wife seemed a little reluctant to leave, but nodded quickly, “Okay, I’ll go right away. 』

The wife took the money and left.

The middle-aged man took a scroll, sat down by the stove, and started reading through the remaining light of the stove fire. While reading, he muttered something, as if he was reciting the scroll. He needs to seize every moment and prepare more before the exam.

This is a rare opportunity...

He has an old man above him and a young man below him. He must bear the burden of the family. If he leaves Hedong to take the exam in Chang'an, let alone travel expenses, food, accommodation, etc., what will happen to the old man and the young man in the family? So he couldn't leave. He could only watch others go to Chang'an to pursue their future, but he could only stay here, burying his regrets in his heart, smiling and saying to his father and his wife, "It's okay, it's okay. Anyway, if I go there, I may not be able to pass the exam. It's a waste of money..."

However, who doesn’t have a dream in his heart?

Not all salted fish want to be a salted fish, but sometimes, they can only be a salted fish.

After a while, the wife came back with a somewhat complicated expression and handed the money bag to the middle-aged man, "They... they didn't ask for it..."

"ah? ” The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, looked at the number of coins in the wallet again, and said in confusion, “What do you mean? Not to mention others, didn't Zhao Laoliu come to our house two days ago, asking for money in the morning and leaving at night? 』

"Yes," the wife was also puzzled. "He asked me where the money came from, and I told him. Then he said he didn't want us to pay it back in a hurry, saying he still had money..."

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then suddenly shook his head and smiled, "I understand... just keep the money first..."

The wife didn't know what was going on, but she wouldn't disobey the middle-aged man, so she just accepted it and went to do other housework.

The middle-aged man squatted beside the stove, tilted his head and turned his head sideways, facing the remaining light in the stove cave with the book in his hand.

That little bit of stove light was like a little light of hope, weak, but it illuminated his face and the book in his hand.