The arrival of the eldest brother and the second brother disrupted Zhang Zijun's previous life pattern. He had to live in a row first. Fortunately, the left and right wing rooms in the front yard were empty, enough to accommodate dozens of people. The private school he opened could only come to an end.

Because the next step is to take the proficiency test. Whether he can pass the test or not, Zhang Zijun will not be able to enroll in a private school.

That night, the "three brothers" had a table and after three drinks, the eldest brother Xing Kai asked many things about Li Xian.

Xing Kai rescued Li Xian once when he was in Zhangjiayao Village by the Yanghe River. Thinking about Li Xian's escape, there were rebels everywhere, so it was not easy to get such "rescue" from Xing Kai.

, It's a pity that Zhang Zijun has not had more contact with Li Xian since he came to the capital. In addition to the housing here, it was also arranged through Li Sheng's friend Liu Sheng. However, Zhang Zijun still encouraged his eldest brother to give it a try, and the visit was also

You have to have connections. Li Xian is currently a noble person in the cabinet, so I asked my eldest brother to stay calm and call Liu Sheng in a few days. I want Liu Sheng to inform me. If Li Xian wants to see him, he can go. If he becomes a big official now, right?

If you don't want to see the old feelings anymore, then you will consider yourself unlucky.

Zhang Zijun consoled him: "But judging from the current chaos in the court, it shouldn't be a big problem. There are many vacancies in various positions. Think about it. After the Yuan Dynasty was changed this time, almost half of the people in the court were demoted. Thousands of people were demoted.

Man, the eldest brother has a military position and is originally a fifth-grade official. It is not difficult to get a corresponding position in the three major battalions."

Not long after, Zhang Zijun told Liu Sheng that his eldest brother wanted to see Li Xian. He wrote back two days later and said: "Let Xing Kai wait. Mr. Li Xian has just joined the cabinet and has many things to do and has no time."

Xing Kai was so angry that the officials in the capital were all old foxes who would burn bridges by crossing rivers. He just kept lamenting and sighing in his room all day long.

The day for Zhang Zijun's examination has also arrived. As before, the examination lasted for nine days and seven nights. He got up early that day and the whole family prepared the test basket. The eldest brother and the second brother also got up. This time Xing Kai wanted to send Zhang Zijun off in person.

When it came to the examination room, it was said that we were riding a horse and there was no need to call a car. However, Zhang Zijun didn’t know how to ride a horse, so Zhang Erbao finally called a big green donkey cart.

The ancients all respected the imperial examination. No matter you were a monk or a porter, a soldier or a businessman, they took the imperial examination very seriously. As the eldest brother, Xing Kai, he would go with him no matter what.

The joint examination and the palace examination are the highest-level examinations. Among them, the joint examination is the decisive examination, while the palace examination only determines the ranking, and there is no issue of being dismissed.

Although the national examination is the highest level, it is not very difficult. Compared with the provincial examination, the competition is not very fierce. After all, some people are satisfied after passing the imperial examination. They give up the examination because they have no worries about food and drink.

The examination is sponsored by the Ministry of Rites and held at the Gongyuan in the capital. It is usually held in the second year of the rural examination, which is Chou, Chen, Wei and Xu years. The examination period is usually in February or March in spring, so the examination is also called "Li Wei".

"Chunwei". Those who are admitted in the examination are called Gongshi, and their first life is Huiyuan. When the results of the examination are released, the apricot blossoms are often in full bloom, so it is also called the "apricot list". The examiner of the examination

, in the Ming Dynasty, they were mostly Hanlin officials and cabinet bachelors.

Since the joint examination is the highest-level examination, it is very grand, and the number of co-examiners is twice as many as that of the provincial examination. The chief examiner, co-examiner and promotion officers are all served by higher-ranking officials. The chief examiner is called the president, also known as the chairperson or chairperson.

Zuoshi. Those who pass the examination are called Gongshi, commonly known as Gong, also known as Mingjing, and the first one is called Huiyuan.

The last test faced by the elites who passed the examination was the palace examination. The palace examination was held in the year after the examination. It was originally held on the first day of March. After the eighth year of Emperor Xianzong's founding in the Ming Dynasty, it was changed to March 15th. Candidates for the examination were paid tribute.

Scholars and Gongshi did not fail in the palace examination, but the emperor re-arranged their rankings. The palace examination was presided over by the emperor himself, and only one test was about current affairs. After the palace examination, the papers were read the next day, and the results were released the next day. The palace examination is the highest level of the imperial examination system

In the imperial examination, the emperor personally questioned the tributes admitted in the imperial examination in order to determine the first place. In fact, the emperor sometimes appointed ministers to be in charge of the imperial examination and did not personally examine them.

The emperor and ministers will divide the grades according to the performance of the candidates. There are three grades. There are only three people in the first grade. They are called Jinshi and the third grade. They are the number one scholar, the second grade, the third flower. Some people in the second grade are given the title of Jinshi. Those who are in the third grade are given the title.

He was born with Jinshi. The number one scholar is the third element among the three elements.

Everyone who comes to take the exam is not a novice. Some candidates have already taken the exam ten or eight times, and they are experts in taking the exam. However, most candidates have learned all the way and are familiar with the road, so the rules in the exam room are clear and they will be able to take the exam.

The examination is basically the same as the provincial examination. There are three examinations. The most important one is the eight-legged art in the first examination. Whether it is the college examination, the provincial examination, or the general examination, there are candidates who are qualified for the examination. From the late Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, there are more and more professional households.

For example, Pu Songling's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" is exquisitely conceived and superbly worded, but its eight-legged prose is mediocre. From the age of eighteen to seventy-one, due to its commendable spirit, it was listed as one of the "

"Sui Gongsheng". It can be seen that there are many skills in the eight-part writing art. Some people are born to be able to do it in one stroke, while some people can't write well no matter how hard they try.

Let’s take the prodigy Gong Zizhen, who passed the imperial examination four times and the imperial examination six times. Jin Shengtan, a madman in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, couldn’t understand what he meant when writing eight-legged essay. Once he went to take part in the provincial examination, and the question was “The West is Coming.” He knew the question clearly.

He wanted to translate the historical facts of Xi Shi from the Yue Kingdom on his mission to the Wu Kingdom, but he deliberately answered in a secret way. Open the east gate, but the West Gate will not come; open the South Gate, but the West Gate will not come; open the North Gate, but the West Gate will not come; open the West Gate alone, and the West Gate will not come.

Xizi has come." After reading it, the examiner felt angry and annoyed, and wrote four words: "The scholar has gone."

There is another story, which was also during the exam. The question was "Are you tempted by this?" This phrase comes from "Mencius". Gongsun Chou asked: "If you were asked to be the prime minister of Qi, would you dare to take this job?" Mencius

Answer: "No. After I turn forty, I will no longer be tempted."

After reading this, Jin Shengtan smiled coldly and wrote a poem: "In the empty mountains and poor valleys, there are thousands of taels of gold; outside the white and pale grass, there is a beautiful person.

I would like to ask Master if you are moved? He said: Move, move, move (he wrote 39 characters of "moving" in a row).

The examiner asked: Then why did you write 39 "moving"? Jin Shengtan replied: "Master Meng said, 'You can't be tempted at forty', so of course you can be tempted in the first 39 years." The examiner turned pale: "Get out!" Such cynicism is also

It’s just Jin Shengtan! It’s like the “Stephen Chow” in a scientific examination.

Although Zhang Zijun has "cheating" methods, he still has to be in a hurry when faced with some eight-legged questions, such as: "Pi Xianzai, Wen Wangmo! Pichengzai, Wu Wanglie! Bless my descendants, Xian Yizheng is perfect

." This is a passage in Mencius's "Shangshu", which means: "Great and bright, the strategy of King Wen! Inherit and carry forward the achievements of King Wu! Help enlighten our future generations, and they will all follow the right path without flaws."

This left Zhang Zijun inexplicable and disgraced. Although he had been trained and refined in Bagu in the past few years, it was not easy to write an outstanding article. This is why many "great talents" have lost their reputation.

.

From the "Tumu Change" to this time's "Seizing the Gate Change", the imperial court has been tossing, and the Ming Dynasty is also tossing like this. The wind and rain are misty, and a large number of officials have been replaced one after another.

What springs up from below is also the bamboo shoots that spring up after the rain. The Ming Dynasty has never been short of officials. After this examination, more than 300 people will become Jinshi and go to various places to fill the real vacancies.
Chapter completed!