These days, Chu Tianxiu is busy with the imperial examination.

The reason why the imperial examination works is not only required for this idea, but also for "hardware".

This hardware is Hunhou paper and movable type printing technology.

In order to provide enough test papers to the huge number of candidates, a large amount of paper and printing the test questions are required.

Otherwise, there is no chance.

You can't just copy the test questions with your hands, right?

If it were the others in Da Chu, even if they thought of this idea in their minds, it would be useless if they lacked these two things.

Xiaohunhou Papermaking Workshop and Shenfu Papermaking Workshop completely monopolized the papermaking industry of Dachu. In order to supply the huge paper demand of the Great Chu Dynasty, they were rapidly expanding the scale of the workshop.

After the imperial court's order to replace paper with bamboo slips was issued, hundreds of counties and counties in the world began to use paper in full and handle local government affairs.

This has caused paper demand to soar.

The two papermaking workshops expanded their production capacity crazily. In just one month, they almost expanded dozens of times. More than one million pieces of Huohou paper were made every day and made into books and sold to counties and counties in Dachu.

Of course, the price of paper has also dropped a lot, to a piece of two cents of copper coins, making it possible for the yamen to afford paper.

Despite this, every paper workshop can easily earn 30,000 taels of silver per month.

This is simply a treasure pot, with 300,000 or 400,000 taels of silver a year. It is extremely rare to be able to earn so much money in a legitimate business.

This made Shen Dafu so happy that he would not mention the matter that Xiaohunhou owed a large sum of money from the Shen family before, so he naturally stopped mentioning it.

The Xiaohunhou Printing Factory also expanded rapidly, hiring thousands of printing craftsmen to print test papers and various books day and night.

In addition to "Stone Story" and county test papers.

Other ancient books on pre-Qin were also printed using movable type printing, and began to be printed in large quantities, sold to Jinling Bookstores and booksellers from all over the country, and sold to the entire Great Chu Dynasty.

The price of a paper book is not expensive, it is only one tael of silver.

Although civilians still can't afford it, most wealthy families and small landlords can naturally afford the money.

...

Soon, it was the day when the first round of "county examination" of the scientific expedition was launched.

This day.

Chu Tian got up early one morning, and Zuer helped him put on a new marquis robe.

Use up breakfast.

Then Chu Tianxiu came to the most prosperous place on the Qinhuai River.

A low-low rubble house was demolished here and a new Jinling Gongyuan was built.

Tribute, select talents in the imperial examination, and give tribute to the emperor.

This Jinling Gongyuan is very large, with rows of neat houses that can accommodate thousands of people to take the exam at the same time.

In order to save venues, the children's students and scholar's exams in Jinling City were also held in the Jinling Gongyuan.

At this time, senior officials gathered in the Jinling Gongyuan.

The chief examiner of the imperial examination, Xiaohunhou Hou, Chu Tianxiu, deputy examiner, prime minister Kong Hanyou, censor Wang Su, as well as officials from all over the city, including Wang Xu, the chief prefect of Jinling, and other officials from all over the city.

Chu Tianxiu was actually the examiner of the "third round of national examinations" and selected electors for the court.

In the first round of county examinations, the chief examiner was a local official.

The real examiner of the first round of county examinations was responsible for presiding over the big exams and was the county magistrate of one thousand county towns of the Great Chu Dynasty.

The examiner of the second round of county examinations was the prefect of the county.

Chu Tianxiu was responsible for the third round of national examinations.

Jinling City does not belong to any county, but is a separate county and directly under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Office.

The chief examiners of the county and county examinations in Jinling City are both the prefectural prefect Wang Xu.

However, the emperor ordered Xiao Hunhou to be responsible for the test papers and examination systems of the first three rounds of examinations, and he designed the entire system.

Of course, Chu Tianxiu has to come and see the admission status of the Jinling Gongyuan and the Tongsheng Examination.

The senior officials gathered in the main hall of the Gongyuan, waiting for the imperial examination to begin.

There are more than a dozen officials of all sizes.

"Sir, the big test is about to begin, please take a seat. Please sit in the main seat, sir!"

Wang Xu hurriedly said.

"It's not appropriate. I am the deputy chief examiner of the National Examination. Since this is the imperial examination, of course, it is not judged by the official position. The examiner should sit in the main seat. The prefect, you are the chief examiner in Jinling City, and you will take the main seat!"

Kong Hanyou shook his head and said.

"If you don't dare, how can the subordinates sit in the main seat? Uh... Otherwise, the little marquis sit in the main seat?!"

Wang Xu waved his hand quickly and was covered in cold sweat.

The prime minister is here, and his father, the censor Wang Su, is here, so how dare he, a prefect, sit in the main seat?

"Yes, this is the examiner of the examination. Since he is here, he should be the chief."

The officials said one after another.

"Okay!"

Chu Tianxiu did not refuse and sat in the main hall.

His official position is low, but his title is high.

This imperial examination is the biggest one except the emperor.

...

at this time.

There was a long queue outside the gate of Jinling Gongyuan, with tens of thousands of people.

At the door, there were dozens of guards searching every candidate entering the tribute school to prevent the incorporation of cheats from being entrained into the tribute school to take the exam.

They are all local scholars with household registration in Jinling City. They have signed up for the first imperial examination and received a test card.

There are scholars of all major families, children of officials, and ordinary Confucian scholars, from young boys in their teens to white-haired old men in their fifties and sixties, they can't see the end at a glance.

There are vast crowds around the streets, more of the parents, wives, relatives and friends who come to take the exam.

There are no restrictions on admission to children in this county, so of course they are willing to take the exam.

Among the candidates, Jia Sheng was holding a pair of pen bags in his hand and his face was excited.

He is over fifty years old, and has been studying hard all his life, and has been able to finally get on the exam room. After all, the private school teacher was not what he wished for throughout his life.

If he is lucky enough to pass the imperial examination, he can become an official of the court as a civilian Confucian scholar.

Speaking of which, he was a little lucky.

Although he was a Confucian scholar who studied Confucianism throughout his life, he worked as a private school teacher in the Pingwang Mansion for the past twenty years. He was most addicted to reading and often read books all night long.

After borrowing the light of the Pingwang Mansion, he has read a lot of books in the past twenty years, and most of the books in the mansion have been read. Even the books from the sidelines have some impressions.

This is not an ordinary Confucian scholar, who has such good luck.

I heard that Jia Sheng was not afraid of the full examination in the imperial examination.

"I am fifty or sixty years old and am still dreaming of becoming an official. I don't think about whether I am the material. When I fail this exam, I will be clear!"

Jia Sheng's fat woman stood by the street and came to see him take him to the exam. Although she was mumbled and complained, she still brought Jia Sheng a bag of dry food and water.

Outside the Jinling Gongyuan, relatives and friends were sending their children to the exam and giving them a careful advice.

...

In the morning, at the Si hour.

A chief official from Jinling Prefecture came to report: "Report to all the candidates, all the candidates have been admitted to the tribute school! A total of 9,800 examination cards were collected. There are still dozens of them missing."

Chu Tianxiu said lightly: "Well, the auspicious time has come, so I won't wait! Close the gate of the tribute school, and those who miss the point are not allowed to enter the examination room again.

Lord Wang Xu can start distributing county test papers, with a time limit of three hours, and the papers will be collected in the afternoon. He ordered the Jinling yamen runners to patrol and monitor the examination room and strictly investigate fraud."

"yes!"

Wang Xudao immediately ordered the minor officials of Jinling Prefecture to start distributing county test papers to the candidates.

In the Jinling Gongyuan, the candidates were a little shocked when they received this long-rumored general examination paper.

Sure enough, it is broad and miscellaneous.

There are 50 questions in total, and only seven or eight of them are involved in Confucian books. Others include Taoism, Legalism, Military Arts, Mohism, and even medical books and test questions.

This is simply a hodgepodge.

It made many candidates confused and feel brain-burning.

The only thing that made them feel relieved was that the test questions were written out of the original text, just remember the original text and memorize it.
To be continued...