Ordinary scientific research sheds, large and small, are located in the north and face south. There are east and west gates in the south, surrounded by wooden fences, and a large courtyard.

The north of the courtyard is the main entrance, called Longmen, and behind the Longmen is a large courtyard for candidates to wait for their names to be called.

The cultural movement in Pingcang County is not at its peak, but the examination room is a must. Compared with the surrounding counties, it is quite spacious and spacious.

The candidates were arranged in the order of their respective numbers in the spacious courtyard, and the officials in front of the dragon gate called them in one by one.

The officers who went through the door for inspection were all capable people, and they came in very quickly, so Zhou Bai didn't have to wait long.

When it was Zhou Rui and Zhou Bai's turn, the search officer happened to recognize Zhou Rui, so even the search was just a pretense to save the two young masters from "embarrassment".

The guarding county soldiers standing on both sides turned a blind eye to this. They were transferred by the county captain just to prove the importance of the court and suppress any unrest elements.

Anyone who dares to bring in cheat sheets can only seek death. Of course, there are always a few unscrupulous people every year who try to hide the truth.

Little do they know that with officials sitting in charge and gods patrolling, how can ordinary mortals engage in crooked ways?

When you actually step into the examination hall, all the noise disappears and there is silence all around.

No candidate dared to make any unnecessary moves and acted cautiously for fear of causing trouble.

Zhou Bai and Zhou Rui separated, found the location of their respective test number representatives, and then sat down quietly to wait.

The other candidates were more or less nervous and did not dare to look around, but Zhou Bai was confident and looked around calmly.

All the examiners in the hall have already taken their seats. In the middle is the county magistrate, and on the left and right are the county magistrates. Jiao Yu serves as the invigilator. In the corner not far away are the two Taoist officials Zhou Bai has seen.

Just like in previous lives, in recent years, the imperial court has attached great importance to the imperial examination, and the county magistrate personally presided over the county examination.

Otherwise, the past practice was for the county magistrate to preside over the affairs on his behalf, and it would be enough for the county magistrate to come to inspect occasionally.

Ji Hongzhe, who has been working here from outside the county for a year, usually keeps a low profile and often relies on the powerful families in the county to govern and bring peace to the people.

Soon, all kinds of information emerged from the depths of my mind. At first glance, it seems that this county magistrate is easy to deal with?

In fact, this is not the case. Based on his behavior in the following years, this person is not a peaceful person. He stayed dormant for a year just to gain a firm foothold.

Recruit refugees and issue land reclamation orders; support supplies and repair the Kukou Pass city wall; recruit powerful servants to clean up the bandits in Cangshan...

Although there are many mistakes in various government decrees, it can be seen that he is a man of action, so he has to find ways to win over and leverage, Zhou Bai thought to himself.

As for the county magistrate and Jiaoyu, they are both from Beian County families and have deep roots, so there is no need to cooperate with his Zhou family.

Bang bang bang~

While Zhou Bai was thinking, three clear whip sounds came from outside. This was the end of the entry time and the dragon gate was closed.

The candidates were all seated. Two clerks took out two stacks of thick examination papers from the back hall and placed them on the desk. The examination papers were not opened, but were wrapped in butter paper with runes on them. The seals also had the signature of Bei'an County Government.

Fire seal.

That's right, even the county examinations are uniformly issued by the superior county government to avoid insufficient standards of the children selected by each county.

Ji Hongzhe stood up and nodded slightly towards the Taoist officials in the corners on both sides. The two Taoist officials also understood and immediately walked to the table.

"Your Majesty, please show me your seal."

The official seal of Qipin County Magistrate represents the ruling authority of Daxu court in Pingcang County and is the hub of luck.

Ji Hongzhe raised the simple and heavy seal and made a false seal to the hundreds of candidates in the hall.

Nothing strange happened, and Zhou Bai didn't dare to use his entry-level Qi-gazing technique. He just suddenly felt a sense of oppression covering his whole body, making him sit upright.

Using the luck of the country to suppress the luck of the candidates allows everyone to display their literary talents at the same level, so that those with strong luck will not gain much advantage.

This is the reason why in every imperial examination, there are always scholars from poor families or even farmers who stand out. Even if they are few, there are still some.

When your literary talent and talent are amazing enough, even the biggest fortune-mongering powerhouse in the world, the imperial court, is willing to supplement your fortune to train you.

I would like to ask how those people who can still write brilliant works under the suppression of official seals are let go.

The seventh-grade seal was then placed in the center of the desk, which was also the central axis of the entire county examination booth.

As soon as the official seal comes out, it reminds the supervising spirit to be in place, and the Taoist official can safely open the test paper.

I saw one of them take out a palm-sized peach wood sword, then cut through the fire paint, and put away the yellow paper with runes sealing the scroll.

The magic power of the two Taoist officials was not weak, and the power of the sealed Taoist method did not escape. Several obscure fluctuations were cut away by the peach wood sword.

The unsealed test papers were handed out one by one in the hands of clerks. During this time, the candidates were either studying ink or testing their writing on blank rice paper.

Finally, when the county magistrate ordered the answer, Zhou Bai and other candidates started writing.

Since the Heavenly Court deposed the Taoist throne and regarded the imperial examination as the only avenue, various processes related to the imperial examination have been extremely perfected.

Among the subjects of the child examination, the first test is the dictation of the classics of saints. It is not limited to the Four Books and Five Classics. As long as there are explicit records of the great Confucians who ascended to heaven, excerpts from their articles may appear.

In this way, even if the first subject is purely a memory test, many people with weak foundations will be screened out.

It's enough to be able to read and make sentences and be enlightened, but you can't be a child.

Of course, you can write most of the classic dictation writing if you work hard, and you don’t have to spend the entire session immersed in answering questions.

Zhou Bai was no exception, but he didn't need to pause and ponder like other candidates. His pen was full of flowers and he quickly finished dictating a paper.

Not only does he write quickly, but the words he has polished over two lifetimes are also vigorous and powerful, giving him a sense of grandeur at a glance.

The second subject is a poem test, with spring as the theme, and you can express yourself freely.

Zhou Bai did not intend to go all out and copy the poems in his memory, but just improvised on the spot.

...I also feel that the clouds are no longer rolling, and the white clothes are spring-like to the world.

It was also written quickly, but even though it was so casual, after finishing a trial poem, there was still a faint redness oozing out.

This is Wen Qi, and ordinary people can see it without using Qi reading techniques.

However, only a place like this imperial examination room, where literati gather and the atmosphere of culture is dense, can appear out of thin air.

Zhou Bai did not feel happy that he had written a red text, but continued to answer questions and write a policy essay for the third subject.

However, the red air came to the surface here, but it caused a discussion among the invigilators in the hall.

"Whose boy is this? He has just finished the second subject and is still popular." The instructor was obviously more concerned about the candidates and asked in a low voice immediately.

"It should be the Zhou family. I remember that his father was born in the 26th year of Xiangxing County. He is not bad. He can write red poems under the suppression of the official seal." The county magistrate immediately responded. He has been in Pingcang County since he became the

Cheng, who has not moved for twenty years, is very familiar with the families in the county.

As for Ji Hongzhe, after all, he was born in the top three Jinshi. He said calmly: "It's nothing to try to post poems to become popular. The key is to read the article."
Chapter completed!