This time the prefectural examination will be held more than a month after the county examination, which is the fifth day of October. Like the previous county examination, it will be held from next spring to this year, so the time schedule is very tight.
The location of the prefecture examination is naturally in Fucheng. The prefecture of Yanzhou Prefecture is located in Jiande County on the lower reaches of the Xin'an River, more than a hundred miles away from Chun'an County.
Fang Yingwu carried the package and set off for Fucheng two days in advance. The land route from Chun'an to other places is difficult, but the waterway is extremely convenient. There are several docks along the Xin'an River in the county, and there are ships that can go directly to the lower reaches.
If you go to Fucheng, you can go to Hangzhou.
Fang Yingwu boarded the boat at Qingxi Ferry in the south of the county seat. He huddled up in the cabin and took a nap that night, and arrived at Fucheng South Pier at noon the next day.
Yanzhou City, like Chun'an County City, is also built in a basin surrounded by mountains, but it has a solid city wall as high as two feet and four feet. Unlike Chun'an County City, which is almost undefended. After all, it guards the strategic point in western Zhejiang, so it should have
The armaments must be available.
When Fang Yingwu got off the boat, what he saw was a long embankment made of huge rocks, which firmly blocked the river and defended the city wall. I heard that this long embankment was a major project built by the prefect Zhu personally after he took office.
Going up the embankment again, there is an east-west street along the river. There are various tea shops beside the road, selling loose tea and supplying tea. It is so lively that it reminds Fang Yingwu of the bar streets and the like in his previous life.
.
But Fang Yingwu did not stay, and went straight through the Qingcheng Gate located directly south of the city wall and entered the city.
The examination facilities in Fucheng are naturally not comparable to those in small counties like Chun'an. There are examination rooms specially used for various examinations, also called examination courtyards. In addition, whenever the provincial chief academic officer comes to visit the Fucheng,
He is also stationed here to preside over various examinations.
Fang Yingwu inquired about the location of the examination room, and after finding the place, he looked for accommodation nearby. Fortunately, he got lucky. There was a hotel not far away that specialized in business for examinees, and it happened to have the last room left.
Fang Yingwu said nothing and quickly paid for the hotel. If he couldn't find a suitable hotel, he would have to rent a house nearby, which would cost several times more.
At present, Yingwu has just escaped from poverty and has not reached the level of wealth. It is good to save a little. It can be seen that the imperial examination is a costly undertaking, and it is just a government examination. As the saying goes, "The poor do not study, and the rich do not teach."
"It makes sense.
Fang Yingwu had no interpersonal relationships in Fucheng, so he didn't go out to socialize. Of course, it was also because he didn't have enough money. Without money, there would be no scene. So apart from resting, he just quietly studied in his room.
It wasn't until the early morning of the third day that Fang Yingwu got up just after the fourth watch. This hotel was occupied by schoolchildren from various counties and had a special wake-up service.
It was still dark, so Fang Yingwu headed to the examination room holding a lantern in one hand and an examination basket in the other.
Many tall lanterns were lit outside the gate and hung high in the air. Each lantern had the name of the county written on it, including Chun'an, Jiande, Fenshui, Shouchang, etc. School children from each county were there.
They gathered under the lanterns of the county, and after their names were called, they lined up to wait for inspection.
Under the lantern in Chun'an County, Fang Yingwu met Mr. Wu Chuo, a top student, and received a cold snort.
After the inspection and verification, the candidates passed through the gantry, received the test papers from the entrance hall, and then entered the examination booth in the courtyard of the examination hall, where they looked for their seats according to the test number on the test paper.
After this series of tedious processes, Fang Yingwu felt a little tired when he sat down on his seat. He took the time to take a nap to regain some energy.
There are seats every two feet in the examination room. The table is a rectangular case and the stools are three-foot long benches. The wood used is very thin and wobbly, so Fang Yingwu is always worried that the table and stools will suddenly collapse.
.
"It must be that the subordinate officials in the yamen ran out of funds when buying tables and chairs, so they used such thin wood!" Fang Yingwu complained in his mind as he touched the desk case.
While I was thinking wildly, several drums rang out and the test questions came out.
Fang Yingwu hurriedly looked at it and saw only two questions. One was: "A gentleman has benevolence in his heart and etiquette in his heart. A benevolent person loves others, and a polite person respects others. Those who love others will always love them, and those who respect others will always respect them." From
Mencius.
Another way is: "A gentleman has himself and then seeks others; he has no self and then he is not others. He who hides in his body and does not forgive others, but who can describe others, has never existed." It comes from the university.
This time, no one leaked the questions to Fang Yingwu in advance, so he could only think hard and answer the questions word by word on the draft.
However, Fang Yingwu doesn't have any psychological pressure. He is the first recommended student in the county. No matter what answer he answers, he will definitely pass as long as he doesn't violate the taboos. Therefore, he can write decisively and happily without being too particular or careful. In addition, Fang Yingwu is inherently smart.
He is an astute person, so he can answer questions faster than others.
In the whole morning, I wrote a few hundred words for each of the two questions, and I almost finished it. By noon, Fang Yingwu couldn't sit still.
During the county examination, he felt guilty and did not dare to show off, and after answering the questions, he did not dare to be the first to hand in the paper. But this time he had nothing to feel guilty about, so he transcribed the paper and checked that there were no typos. Fang Yingwu got up and handed in the paper.
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According to convention, in the primary three exams, the first few people to submit papers can have a cordial conversation with the examiner and request an interview. But Fang Yingwu didn't have this intention, and it was really not necessary. He was recommended anyway.
Magistrate Zhu seemed to be about fifty years old, with a slightly chubby body, a round face, and an amiable demeanor. Fang Yingwu said a few words to him in a programmed manner, and was about to leave when he heard the governor stop him:
"Wait a minute, wait until I read your article."
Are you taking the initiative to interview him? Fang Yingwu could only stand aside respectfully, waiting for the governor to speak.
The Master read Fang Yingwu's two test papers, frowned and thought for a moment, then raised his head, "I want to take a test on you. You came here by boat from Qingxi Ferry in Chun'an to take the test, so I will use this as the question."
A poem."
Fang Yingwu frowned, and walked around the hall for several times before he could hold back a reply: "The guest boat is slowly opening, at the ancient ferry of Qingxi River. The forest is dim, the moon is setting, the water is clear, and the dawn smoke is floating. The shadow of the sail is surrounded by the sand.
On the shore, the sound of bells is heard across the temple tower. The dawn and crows are gradually getting further away, and they are paddling away leisurely."
"The poetry is good, it's written quickly, and the talent is really there." Magistrate Zhu nodded in appreciation.
Fang Yingwu lowered his eyes and accepted the praise, feeling a little happy in his heart. Sure enough, poetry was also a golden finger among scholars.
Bang! Magistrate Zhu suddenly slapped the case violently, and he was startled. However, he saw his expression change, and scolded Fang Yingwu: "You are not only the head of the county case, but also talented, and you are also the son of Duke Xie Yuan, who is an undergraduate!"
Then why is today’s article so mediocre and lackluster?”
Damn! This prefect is too serious. He doesn’t know what it means to go through the motions! Fang Yingwu really didn’t know how to answer, so he could only lower his head lower and pretend to be humble and accepting.
Just scold him, his father is Jieyuan anyway, and he is the head of the county case. If the magistrate is not afraid of the slander from the scholars in the prefecture, just remove him from his position, Fang Yingwu thought with confidence.
Besides, if he had superhuman ability in writing eight-part essays, would he still need to go to all the trouble to cheat to get a county prosecutor?
Magistrate Zhu continued to reprimand: "It must be that you are unwilling to do your best, deal with it randomly, and do it on purpose! Do you think that I am jealous of talents and can't tolerate others?"
Fang Yingwu finally heard it. The subtext of the prefect was, "Does it mean that you look down on me as the prefect? So you are trying to fool me with this kind of bad article?"
This is a huge injustice! Fang Yingwu looked grim and had no way to defend himself. Could he tell the prefect that his strength was like this?
These two eight-part essays are his true level. Poems can be copied from impressions. Where can one copy eight-part essays? Who in that era in his previous life would have memorized a bunch of eight-part essays?
But thinking of this, Fang Yingwu still felt a little unhappy. No one would be happy if what he wrote was looked down upon. But he was really not outstanding in this aspect, and there was a bit of a gap between Mr. Xie Yuan's aura, so there was nothing he could do.
After thinking about it, Fang Yingwu could only helplessly step forward and bow to him: "Thanks to the lesson taught by the boss, I realized that I was wrong!"
Magistrate Zhu's expression softened, "But at such a young age, you still know how to hide your edge, keep a low profile, become calm after being scolded, and admit your mistakes when you acknowledge them. This sophisticated and mellow attitude is commendable and worthy of praise."
Good things turned into bad things, bad things turned into good things, and this time his attitude took another 180-degree turn, which made Fang Yingwu stunned. What on earth did the prefect boss want to do?
Magistrate Zhu picked up his pen, wrote a few words on Fang Yingwu's test paper, and said: "It won't happen next time, but you will be chosen this time! But the head of the prefecture can't give it to you, so I'll take your second place!"
Isn't this the case next time? Can he have the next government examination? Fang Yingwu shouted silently in his heart, "Xiaosheng, I never thought about being the first in the government, nor did I think about the second or third place. Sir, please don't make it seem like you owe me something."
It’s like a favor!
"Ah, there is one more thing." Zhu Zhifu said nonchalantly: "Shang Xianggong has returned to his hometown and is almost at the prefecture. You, Mr. Jieyuan, are his fellow countrymen. Don't be in a hurry to go back after the results are released. You can follow me when the time comes.
Welcome Mr. Shang in the palace!"
Can you deal with Sanyuan Prime Minister Shang Lu? He is really the great master of Qingtian! Fang Yingwu was so happy that he wiped away all kinds of slander against Magistrate Zhu. He bowed with tears in his eyes and said: "The old man has his life, the boy has no fate."
