71, First Place in the Provincial Examination

Ms. Zhou San was a pretty girl with a fair oval face, two buns tied in a spiral bun, a tuft of black shiny hair hanging down from her forehead, and a thin and weak figure. Read

Ms. Zhou San wore a pair of blue satin trousers with wide edges, and her collar was tied with an orange ribbon, hanging on her shoulders. The hem of her skirt and trouser legs were all embroidered with black flowers. On the boat, she gathered her sleeves, revealing half of her white wrist.

As a daughter of a wealthy family in the countryside, although she lived a life of luxury, she was not a sleepy girl.

She was no less capable than several men in operating a boat.

They rented this boat, which could accommodate about seven or eight people, and it was also very spacious for people to sit on.

On the boat, Miss Zhou San also revealed some of her feelings to Bai Gui, but when she saw that Bai Gui did not reply, she stopped pestering him and acted generously.

"There are thousands of people in Chang'an, and each has his own business. Only I and the Master are riding leisurely. When we reach the end of Qujiang River, the reflection of the grass and trees is bright. The South Mountain is beautiful..."

How can you not recite Qujiang Pond when visiting Qujiang Pond?

This poem is written by Bai Juyi.

"When the lotus leaves grow, spring hatred grows, and when the lotus leaves wither, autumn hatred grows..."

Someone else recited a poem by Du Mu, and there was bitterness in his mouth when he recited the poem.

This is a person who was not satisfied with the imperial examination.

There is a Qujiang Banquet in Qujiang Pond, which was a banquet held in Qujiang Pond after the announcement of the results of the Jinshi in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, scholars who have finished the imperial examination, whether they are in a good mood or a bad mood, will go to Qujiang Pond, one is to pray for good luck, and the other is to enjoy the scenery and relieve their worries.

The announcement of the results of the new Jinshi in the Tang Dynasty was before the Shangsi Festival, which was on March 3rd. It was very prosperous from the pre-Qin to the Tang Dynasty, and this day was also a legal day of rest. Therefore, the emperor often gave banquets, which were usually held in the royal garden of Qujiang Lake. Over time, it was associated with Qujiang Banquet. Later, the Song Dynasty had Qionglin Banquet, which was similar to Qujiang Banquet, but the name of Qionglin Banquet was inherited.

Going to Qujiang Banquet is to seek a good omen.

However, this trip to Qujiang also completely made Miss Zhou San give up. In the subsequent classmates' gatherings, she also went less frequently and no longer had to go every time.

The next day, the prefectural examination was announced.

Early in the morning of that day, three classmates came to him to watch the announcement of the results.

Like the county examination, it was crowded with people, shoulder to shoulder, and no one could escape the customs. This result was related to their future career, not just an exam.

When Bai Gui and the three classmates arrived, the list was already hanging high. It was still the same as the county examination, with seat numbers instead of names, and it was also divided into the main list and the deputy list. The main list was for group cases, and the deputy list was for Confucian scholars who were qualified to take the next exam.

Only fifty people are selected from the group exam!

That is to say, these fifty Confucian scholars selected from each county will have to compete, and the selection ratio is almost 20 to 1, before someone can advance to the next exam.

Bai Gui also saw the Confucian scholars in Zishui County who laughed at him for being the first in the auspicious exam. At this moment, they were standing there with their heads down. It was obvious that they failed the exam. Not only did they not get admitted to the main list, but they also did not get on the secondary list.

"First in the exam..., I am the first in the exam..."

He squeezed in and saw that his seat number was the first. He felt his mind go blank all of a sudden. He was so excited that he could not keep calm. First in the exam, this is the first in the exam, and he will definitely be selected as a scholar.

But he bit his lips and did not say anything.

Otherwise, these jealous candidates would not know how to treat him. If anyone made a hidden move in this crowded time, it would be bad.

"It's over, not admitted..."

Zhou Yuan and the other two were almost completely wiped out. Only Zhou Yuan was still on the secondary list, but he was also the last one on the secondary list.

The others were depressed, but they had expected it, and they quickly calmed down.

However, when they saw Bai Gui's excitement, they had some guesses in their hearts, but they were not sure. If he was just admitted, he would not be so excited, because the county chief must be in the first place, so there is only one possibility...

Zhou Yuan and the other two exchanged glances and quickly dragged the excited Bai Gui out of the crowd.

Walked to a place with few people.

Bai Gui also slowly recovered, and excitedly slapped the wall of an alley. His palm was slightly painful. He looked at the three people and said, "I am the first place, I won the first place..."

From the time he entered Bailu Village to now, he has been tense all the time, studying hard, walking on thin ice, and never relaxed for a moment. This time, he won the first place in the prefectural examination, and the title of scholar is within his reach. It can be said that his first goal has been basically achieved...

How can I not be excited!

How can I not be happy!

"Brother Bai, I didn't expect you to hide it from us!" Zhou Yuan also smiled. Although he felt a little disappointed, it was a happy day for his friends, and he couldn't spoil the fun.

He and Bai Gui had been in the same kitchen, but he knew Bai Gui's hard work best. What was there to be jealous of? Bai Gui was also very righteous and benevolent. If he became successful, he would not forget his classmates.

"Congratulations, Brother Bai, for winning the first place!"

Several people bowed to congratulate him.

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Bai Gui also hurriedly returned the greetings and restrained his mood.

After the results of the first formal examination were announced, the next day was the second examination. This time, the questions were the Four Books and Five Classics questions of the original imperial examination, which was also a relatively important examination.

However, in this examination, the candidates who were able to enter the group case basically did the eight-part essay, so even if they did not do well, they would not be too bad, and they would not be rejected.

The third test is interesting, it is about judgment.

In the Tang Dynasty, the selection of the imperial examination was body, speech, writing, and judgment. Body refers to the body and appearance, speech refers to clear language, writing refers to neat and beautiful handwriting, and judgment refers to the ability to judge.

In ancient times, the law was ruled by man. Even if there were written laws, the case should be judged and the punishment should be determined according to secular morality.

The question is: "How to judge the old neighbor who stole the cow and returned the land after plowing it?"

Mao refers to a man who is already in his seventies or eighties.

A neighbor in his seventies or eighties stole the cow, then plowed the land, and then returned the cow. How to punish this case?

The law is to whip fifty times for stealing private property, but this man in his seventies or eighties would definitely not be able to bear it.

And it is used for plowing the land.

This question can only answer how much grain and property the old neighbor should be fined, and it cannot be punished at all. Punishing is against secular morality.

This question only requires a reasonable answer, not a fair judgment. The best solution is to give each of them fifty lashes. Asking the neighbor why he didn't lend the old neighbor the cow, so that he had to steal, is a lack of public morality, and the old neighbor can only be punished with some money...

The three provincial examinations ended like this.

After leaving Longmen, Bai Gui heard someone talking about the old neighbor stealing the cow. What surprised him was that some people thought this question was a bit difficult to answer and was making things difficult for them.

He shook his head, ignored it, and walked away.