Whether it is the ancient imperial examination or the modern college entrance examination, marking test papers is a physical job.
Absolutely perfect!
Moreover, excellent papers will occupy the time of ordinary papers. For example, for a full-score essay, one person cannot make the final decision in marking, and multiple markers are required to pass it together.
Under normal circumstances, the grading teacher will finish scanning the essay you have worked so hard on in a few seconds.
The ancient imperial examinations were all short essays, and this phenomenon was even more serious.
Of course, the most tiring thing is the copying officer, who needs to copy all the test papers.
Coupled with repeatedly checking the transcripts and original papers, these processes are extremely time-consuming and leave little time for the marking officers.
The marking officer has been reading the article for many days in a row. Within a day or two, he will become dizzy and judge the paper in a daze. This is why Lin Zexu said: "Determination and abandonment can be determined in a moment, and judgment can rise and fall in a trance."
occasion."
"With the addition of sentence reading symbols, it is indeed much easier than before." Wu Yanzhang said with emotion.
In the eleventh year of Shaoxing, Jin Wushu led an army to invade the south. Wu Yanzhang's position was to be the general leader and raise money and food for the army.
This important official of the Southern Song Dynasty had not found any job in the Ming Dynasty and had been sent to the Hanlin Academy to compile books. Now he was finally ordered to become an imperial examination examiner.
Candidates are required to write commas and periods, which Wu Yanzhang found extremely convenient.
After reading one article, Wu Yanzhang began to give grades and wrote in the red scroll: "The words are well-reasoned and clear and beautiful, which is enough to overcome the doubts of the crowd and return to the truth. This article should be awarded nine points. Wu Yanzhang."
The 100-point scoring system was of course Ju Ming’s order.
This is not only to connect with the mathematics and physics test papers, but also to ensure that non-classical questions are paid attention to.
After Wang Anshi's reform, the imperial examinations in the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties focused more and more on classic questions.
Even if you write your policy papers and official documents to perfection, as long as you fail to pass the questions on classics and meanings, you will definitely fail the exam.
This is certainly not Wang Anshi's fault, because he also had a focus before the reform. At that time, you wrote the classics, meanings, and policies in a very colorful way, but as long as the poems and poems were not up to standard, you would definitely fail.
Ju Ming directly implemented a hundred-point system. All test papers were graded and then added up to calculate the total score to prevent mathematics, physics, official documents, and policy theories from being ignored.
Currently, the four-day exam contains a total of 400 points, which means one day is 100 points.
These 100 points are further broken down into different questions, with a full score set for each question.
There are also more detailed things, such as the chicken and rabbit in the same cage problem. Regardless of using new mathematics or traditional arithmetic, full points will be given for writing the specific calculation process, and half points will be given for just writing the correct answer.
Even the question about picking locks is like this. You have to write down why it is more labor-saving to pick locks with a long stick.
Since many candidates have never studied physics, the criteria for judging papers are looser and they only need to write down why they answered the questions the way they did.
For example, Li Gongjian wrote that he did an experiment with a bowl and a brush, and he could also get full marks for this question.
In addition, papers with too high or too low scores need to be cross-marked and signed by at least three marking officers.
For example, if A gives a certain paper a score of 95, which is too high, the score will be given to B and C again, and the average of the three scores will be taken.
After half a month of continuous grading work, dozens of examiners gathered together, and the proctor from the Supervisory Office stood beside them.
"Remove the name." Xiao Chu ordered.
Huan Guo was also present and was extremely exhausted. He just wanted to sleep now.
The chief examiner was Dong Xixian, a Tai student who followed Ju Ming to Guizhou. He picked up the Zhu roll with only the number and said: "First place, No. 109 in Field B, total score 394 points. Check the paper."
!”
Another supervisor found the corresponding ink roll according to the site number, and after comparing it repeatedly, he said: "The name of the ink roll has not been damaged."
The ink scroll was held up for public display, and all the main examiners and proctors could see it clearly. Officials from further away could also come over and have a look if they had any questions.
Xiao Chu said: "Remove the name!"
Before Mingming was completely taken apart, several heads came over to him.
Dong Xixian announced: "The first place in the examination of the Ministry of Rites is Li Dong from Nanjianzhou!"
"Whose disciple is this man?" Huan Guo asked.
"I don't know."
Everyone shook their heads.
Everyone has read the answer sheet for the first place. Not only are the articles on classics and meanings written well, but the answers to mathematics and physics are all standard.
Even how to predict disaster years, provide relief through work, and prevent civil unrest, they are all written clearly and logically.
Huang Shang said: "Since he is a scholar from Nanjianzhou, he is probably a student of Chen Zhimo (Chen Yuan)."
"Most likely." Huan Guo said.
They guessed wrong.
Li Tong was just Chen Yuan's nephew and a disciple of Chen Yuan's junior brother Luo Congyan.
Zhu Xi had many teachers, the most important of whom was Li Tong, who came first in this year's examination of the Ministry of Rites.
When Li Tong was young, he liked to drive drunk. He would often get drunk in the middle of the night, and then ride a horse for several miles with a sword. This man had a very impatient personality, as if he had ADHD. After becoming a disciple of Luo Congyan, he became calm.
Moreover, he devoted himself to studying knowledge and never participated in the imperial examination.
Chen Yuan brought "Tao Yong Ce" back to Fujian. Li Tong copied a copy and began to study it on his own. He occasionally went to listen to Chen Yuan's lectures.
He greatly admired Ju Ming's talent and learning, and secretly asked someone to obtain all of Ju Ming's articles.
Although this important figure in Cheng-Ju Neo-Confucianism had never met Ju Ming, his academic thoughts had long been distorted by Ju Ming.
He even couldn’t help but take the imperial examination!
Continue unwinding.
"Second place in the Ministry of Rites exam, Hu Quan from Jizhou!"
When Xiao Chu announced his name, he smiled and stroked his beard. This was his own direct disciple.
The first place is from Fujian and the second place is from Jiangxi.
As expected, these two provinces scored very well in the imperial examinations. Fortunately, the three provinces were classified as one and their quotas for Jinshi were strictly limited.
"Third place in the Rites Examination, Chaozhou Wang Dabao!"
Chaozhou belongs to Guangnan Road and has not been completely recovered yet, so it is not within the scope of this imperial examination.
Just when everyone was confused, Xiao Chu took another careful look and said: "This person is a student of the old Song Dynasty. It was difficult to return to his hometown due to the emperor's separatist rule, so he sent his residence in Kaifeng to take the exam."
There are a particularly large number of Jinshi places in Kaifeng this year, mainly to facilitate scholars who are staying in the capital and whose native place is in unconquered provinces.
Wu Yanzhang said: "My native place is Chaozhou, and my surname is Wang. I should be the queen of the King of Fujian."
The King of Fujian was Wang Shenzhi, the warlord of the late Tang Dynasty who burned down Southern Shaolin. He was a leader of the peasant uprising who occupied the entire territory of Fujian but did not proclaim himself emperor. Instead, he appointed only the most capable people, took corvee lightly and paid little in taxes, and obeyed the imperial court from afar.
Although the imperial examination flourished in the Song Dynasty, it had not really spread to the lower class peasants.
Every one of the previous Jinshis was at least a rich man like the Bai family. Or they might have been temporarily poor but were down-and-out gentry, like Qin Hui.
Only in the Ming Dynasty, when the cost of printing and papermaking became even lower, were there truly poor peasants who relied on the imperial examination to turn themselves around!
If you look at the top three in this Rites Examination, you will know what the Jinshi group is like.
…
"Brother Bang Heng, go check out the ranking list!" Li Yi stood at the door of the guest room and shouted.
"I'm coming."
Hu Quan pushed open the door and walked out.
The two of them went downstairs together and met a few scholars at the top of the stairs. They gathered some more on the street and started to fight towards Gongyuan Street.
The place was already crowded with people, including wealthy businessmen and their servants, waiting to play the game of catching their son-in-law.
After waiting left and right, an officer finally came out of Gongyuan.
Soon, a list was posted, and the scholars were in an uproar.
This is because there are too few Jinshi places this year. When Huizong of the Song Dynasty was the emperor, there were often six to seven hundred Jinshi in one list.
In the first imperial examination held during the founding of the Ming Dynasty, only 350 Jinshi candidates were admitted.
How mean and unkind!
Li Yi muttered: "Why are there only three hundred and fifty people?"
Hu Quan said: "Go back a hundred years, and the old Song Dynasty only took three to four hundred people. The old dynasty had the problem of redundant officials, but it took more and more Jinshi. The Ming Dynasty and the new dynasty have learned their lesson."
"That makes sense." Li Yi nodded.
"I got it! I got it..."
Among the crowd, some people were already cheering and shouting.
The imperial examination has not been held yet, so the current ranking does not count, but it does have some reference value.
Officials or wealthy businessmen with a higher vision will not catch their son-in-law from the bottom list. But those small and medium-sized businessmen are very self-aware and specialize in catching the low-ranking tributes.
"Has your husband ever been married?"
"My little girl is only twenty-eight years old, gentle and virtuous..."
"My family has several shops in Tokyo, and my eldest son has been sent to the state to serve as Cao Cao."
"..."
Min Anguo stood at the bottom of the list and was overjoyed. He was the second in the final list of the Ministry of Rites examination and the second Jinshi of the Min family in recent decades.
Uncle Min Zishun has an old relationship with the prince, and now that there is a Jinshi in the family, the Min family in Yangzhou will definitely prosper!
List after list was posted, and the top list was finally made public.
"First place in the Rites Examination, Li Tong from Jianpu County, Nanjian Prefecture!"
The troublemaker shouted loudly, stood on tiptoes and looked around: "Where is Mr. Li? Where is Mr. Li?"
Li Tong didn't look at the rankings at all. He was studying calculus in the inn. He knew he would win this time.
Li Yi raised his hands and congratulated: "Congratulations to Brother Bang Heng."
"Same joy, same joy." Hu Quan returned the courtesy.
Of the two of them, Hu Quan is second and Li Yi is seventh.
The two brothers Li Gongmao and Li Gongjian were both happily standing at the bottom of the list. Li Gongmao ranked fifth and Li Gongjian ranked 174th.
Li, who had been dormant for thirty years, is now back!
Due to the special content of the exam, several people from Nanjianzhou were on the list this time. In addition to Chen Yuan's nephew Li Tong, there were also Chen Yuan's disciple Deng Zha and others.
There are also many winners in Hanzhong and Kaifeng, all of whom have systematically studied mathematics and physics.
Among the top ten, there are three from Fujian, three from Sichuan, two from Jiangxi, one from Gyeonggi and one from Huainan. (Wang Dabao from Guangdong is classified as a Kaifeng candidate this time.)
Wang Dabao looked up at the list and saw that he was ranked third.
Over there in my hometown, it’s time to build an ancestral temple!
He does belong to the descendants of the Kai-Min Holy King, but he is a branch that migrated to Chaozhou, and it is also a branch of the branch.
Although the family was very rich in business, they had never hired a sergeant.
This time I passed the Jinshi exam, and after the results of the palace examination are over, it’s time to write a letter home. There is enough reason to open a separate ancestral hall.
From now on, his descendants can all walk in the world with the name he founded.
He had already thought of a name for the hall, so he called it "Liugang Wang Family"!
This is the same as founding a sect, and it is another kind of honor for ancient scholars. It is as fulfilling as leaving a name in history.