On February 11th, the first session of the examination ended.
After Zhu Hao appeared, he went back to rest briefly and saw no one. Even Sun Ru and Gong Sunyi wanted to ask him about the exam, but he turned them away.
Then in the afternoon of the same day, I had to go in again to prepare for the second exam.
On February 12th, there will be a second test.
Zhu Hao's topic on the Five Classics is "The Book of Songs", and the title is: "When the situation is declining, when the situation is declining, Hu will not return? When the emperor bows, why will Hu end up in the mud?"
It means: "It's dark, it's dark, why don't you go home? Who would work in the mud if it weren't for the monarch?"
It has the meaning that water can carry and capsize a boat, and it also means that there is a clear division of labor in society.
There is probably a kind of self-pity of the courtiers, who are we working so hard for? Not for you, the emperor? And what is the emperor doing right now? Doing nonsense! Doesn't this hurt our hearts?
The Five Classics texts are still in use during the examinations. When the results of the examinations are released, the candidates' texts will be listed under their names. They are listed in the examination records of the Ming Dynasty.
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The topic of "Discussion" in the second scene: "Discussion, a gentleman does not move but respects."
The phrase comes from "The Doctrine of the Mean".
The literal meaning is that a gentleman does not need to do anything to gain respect.
Depending on the source and context, it also means that a gentleman is consistent in appearance and inwardness.
This is about the cultivation of a gentleman.
The "Argument" question does not need to be written in eight-part essay. It is simply to write an argumentative essay of about 200 to 300 words to test the students' personal performance on the spot. However, even if it is not written in eight-legged essay, the format is still the same as that of the other two.
The eight-part essay is similar and should not be ridiculed or ridiculed.
There are three questions in "Edict Table Internal Medicine".
One of the titles is: "It is assumed that after the Song Dynasty changed the title of Confucius to the title of Duke Wenxuan, he would like to be the Duke of Yansheng."
This topic is somewhat interesting to Zhu Hao.
Yan Shenggong, a descendant of the Confucian family, drafted such an edict in the name of the Song Dynasty court, which was an examination of the candidates' practical writing skills.
Duke Yansheng is passed down to the present as Kong Wenshao, the son of Kong Hongxu. It belongs to an intergenerational inheritance. Because Kong Hongxu committed rape and murder at that time, he was deprived of the inheritance. He was succeeded by Kong Wenshao's uncle, and later passed back to Kong Wenshao in the 16th year of Hongzhi.
under the name.
Kong Wenshao was related by marriage to the great scholar Li Dongyang, and his son was also related by marriage to Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang.
This man is a typical "son of a criminal official". In the Ming Dynasty, the descendants of criminals were not even qualified to take the imperial examination, let alone be a model for the world's literati.
This title seems to be an allusion to the internal inheritance of the Confucian family.
The "Judgment" question is similar to a court trial, testing the candidates' understanding of the "Da Ming Law".
There are contents in the title such as "the cloth and silk used for the utensils are not as good as the law" and "the envoys will not be returned". This is not for you to discuss, but to punish them in the way of a court trial.
It also belongs to the category of practical writing.
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End of the second game.
On February 15th, the third exam will start as scheduled.
In the policy question, the first question involves family and state affairs: "Ask, the Han and Tang Dynasties used military force to establish the country, and inherited the rule of the country, but then the country was disrupted by military force. The Fu and Song Dynasties used civilized rule to stabilize the world, and the world was peaceful, but they were disturbed by foreign barbarians and overturned.
The nest orders all living beings to be safe..."
The first question examines the issue of civil and military establishment of a country.
This is for candidates to elaborate on whether it is more important to build a country with culture or to build a country with force when it comes to running a country and ensuring its security.
In short, all the dynasties in the examples have been played. Whether it is to establish a country with culture or military force, the final result is to decline. Therefore, this question does not have an accurate direction. You can say that it is okay to build a country with culture or to establish a country with force.
Nothing is impossible.
But if the direction of discussion takes the founding of the Ming Dynasty as the standard, you can no longer compare the Han, Tang and Song Dynasties, but directly write... How the Ming Dynasty was founded as your basic argument.
Of course, ordinary literati advocate building a country with literature and elevating the status of scholar-bureaucrats, but is this the real purpose of the examiner's questions?
If the tone is changed to moderation and both civil and military power are used, the discussion direction of the topic will be brought to moderation.
This is the most typical question examination direction in policy questions. It requires "preset premise". Whether it is to build a country with literature or force, it must talk about a prerequisite and the development of the situation. When encountering policy problems in the examination questions
The purpose is to talk about dialectical materialism.
The direction of Zhu Hao's discussion simply started with "Taizu used saddle horses to rule the world and drive away the Tartars".
Zhu Hao's point of view is to use military force to stabilize the country and to use culture and education to educate the people. Although they are both pursued simultaneously, military force is the first. This is a reflection of Zhu Hao's true thoughts.
There is no point in building a country just by relying on literature. Whether it is an invasion by foreigners or an internal turmoil in the country, can you solve the problem with your words?
Wouldn't force be used in the end?
Scholars don’t like to hear this, but you have to admit that reading is to educate the world, right? You have to admit that you can’t rely on the Four Books and Five Classics to kill the enemy on the battlefield, right?
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The second question asks about "the time of day and the rites of the week".
The three-question discussion on "The Way of Etiquette, Pleasure and Peace of the People, and the Way of Convincing the People" mentions the arguments of several sages, which is a bit like the "Four Sons Achievements" examination question that failed in the twelfth year of Hongzhi in the Tang Dynasty. This is probably also a tone set by policy issues.
, which is to use the words of some sages in the third question to discuss a topic about the direction of sages in governing the country.
But this time, because the direction of the questions was simple, unlike Cheng Minzheng, who insisted on showing off his skills, the questions were quite satisfactory and would not make the candidates confused about where to write.
The first three questions all belong to the classics and history policy.
Only the first question leads to the foundation of the Ming Dynasty, which has a shadow of current affairs policy.
The fourth question is a serious current affairs policy. It discusses the details of reassuring the people after the rebellion in Jiangxi and Jiangxi. It is nothing more than tax reduction and exemption. Whether it is a scholar or a military man, this is a commonplace issue.
The fifth question is about sea pirates. This is a bit of a shift from current affairs policy to strategic policy. The title mentions many times that "Taizu took the sea people and brought them home", which refers to the maritime ban policy that has been implemented for a long time in the Ming Dynasty.
, and finally ends with the point of view of etiquette and peace of mind, which feels a bit like literati running the country for granted.
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…
One general exam, three exams, all the questions were answered quite satisfactorily.
There are no particularly outstanding questions. It can be regarded as keeping up with the pulse of the times. There are several questions related to Prince Ning's rebellion.
Compared with the examination before the provincial examination, which mainly tests the candidates' mastery of the meaning of the Four Books, the examination at this level focuses more on the examination of the candidates' ability to govern the world. If they are just the kind of nerds who study by rote and memorize, they will luckily pass the examination.
, or people like Zhu Yunming and Wen Zhengming, who are only talented and knowledgeable but have no vision for governing the country, have very few chances of passing this kind of exam.
Zhu Hao was also thinking about this issue after completing his third exam.
Although the feudal imperial examinations are said to be very poisonous to people's hearts, the intuition and foresight in some aspects cannot be compared with some examinations in later generations.
In many examinations in later generations, the main test was practical essays, which were fixed answers, and then they were tested on personal connections and on-the-spot responses. The examination of the general trend of the world was limited to a one-sided examination after setting the answers.
The feudal imperial examinations seem to be based on the Four Books and Five Classics and the words of the sages. However, because the sages did not stipulate that the sky must be round and the earth must be round, the candidates' opinions on family and country affairs can go in different directions.
To judge the candidate’s ability to govern the country.
It is not limited to the family background, but also the talents, knowledge and political ambitions reflected in the articles. There can also be noble sons with great foresight and foresight from poor families, and it is possible to achieve success in one step.
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…
Three exams are over.
Zhu Hao was just like taking a provincial examination. He had a good rest after returning and saw no one.
When his tired body and mind recovered, he focused on the things at hand first. Even when Tang Yin asked Yu San to come over and inform everyone to get together for a drink, Zhu Hao didn't have time to pay attention.
"Zhu Hao, I don't know how he did in the exam. He seemed to have disappeared when he came out of the exam room. The prince didn't go there. It's not possible to invite him here. Or did he fail in the exam?"
When Tang Yin was drinking with Jiang Lun and Lu Song, he couldn't help but shake his head.
Jiang Lun smiled and said: "Mr. Zhu Xiao is very capable, maybe he will pass the exam? Old Tang, don't you think it's disgusting?"
"How?"
Tang Yin was unhappy.
Lu Song hurriedly poured wine.
Just at this time, the old servant Tang Yin brought to the capital came in and reported: "Sir, Master Su has returned to the capital and made an appointment with Master Zhu, but he has no way of submitting his request, so he specially sent someone to inquire."
Tang Yin frowned: "Didn't you see he was drinking? It's not me that Mr. Su is looking for."
Lu Song was a little nervous: "Will it involve Anlu's palace business?"
Lu Song was about to stand up, but Jiang Lun pushed him back to his seat: "It doesn't matter, even if we are in the capital, can we get involved in doing business with the palace? I think it's probably Dongzhu Su, and
I have something to ask Mr. Zhu Xiao. Let’s drink from you.”
Tang Yin said to the old servant: "Let me inform the person who came here and tell me that we can't find anyone here for the time being. The interview has just ended. If it's not an urgent matter, wait for two days."
"yes."
The old servant took the order and went out to inform.
Several people drank a few more drinks.
Jiang Lun asked: "I don't know what Mr. Tang's recent plans are? I heard from Marquis Jianchang that your Majesty will return to the capital in the near future and will arrive in the capital in about April or May. By then, the prince may successfully inherit the throne. Wait for the prince
When you return home, you don’t want to go to Jiangnan, do you?”
Apparently Tang Yin had mentioned before Jiang Lun, Lu Song and others that he wanted to return to his hometown to visit relatives.
Tang Yin seems to be alone, but at least he has a daughter. Even if he gets married, he still wants to see her every once in a while, so that he always has a sense of belonging.
"Say it again, say it again."
Tang Yin is not in a hurry to decide something.
Before, his attitude was quite firm and he had the intention of leaving Prince Xing's Mansion, but now Lou Suzhen persuaded him to stay because of Xiao Yi's righteousness, and Tang Yin was hesitant again.
"If I want to go back, I don't know what to buy in the capital. Bring more souvenirs and so on."
Jiang Lun is not a person who does practical things, and has a lot of crooked ideas. "The other is the Crown Prince... It's time to call him King Xing. My sister's letter clearly stated that he is not young anymore. Even if he cannot get married this year, he should still be called King Xing."
The marriage has been decided. It’s rare to get to the capital. Are there any daughters from famous families in the capital, from the families of princes and nobles... Let me inquire more."
Tang Yin said: "I'm afraid no one is willing to marry with Prince Xing's Mansion now."
Jiang Lun curled his lips and said, "That's impossible to say. No matter how bad the daughters of those families are, they are still princesses, and they can enjoy endless glory and wealth. If they don't work well, let His Majesty grant them a marriage, a succession, and a betrothal contract.
We will get married when the prince passes the age of great auspiciousness, and my coming to the capital will be regarded as a mission. Please help me inquire about it recently, and I will write to my sister again."