It was only after Lu Yao entered the examination room that he realized that on the first examination day, nearly half a day had been delayed due to the need to welcome candidates into the examination room, body searches, showers and other procedures. He originally thought that this would make the examination easier.
The progress was delayed, but the Song Dynasty, which attached great importance to the imperial examinations, had indeed come up with countermeasures, that is, after bathing, they went directly to the examination room for the first examination. In this case, the lunch of these candidates would probably be
Don't want to eat it.
After all, after this exam, although you can hand in the paper in advance, but unlike modern times, in this Gongyuan, even if you hand in the paper in advance, you can only go to the designated place and wait for the exam to end, instead of allowing you to return directly.
dormitory.
Basically, an exam takes two or three hours, sometimes more, and because the first exam starts at a special time, most of the people take the exam hungry.
However, Lu Yao didn't think there was anything wrong with this. Firstly, he had eaten breakfast at home this morning, and now he didn't feel very hungry. Secondly, taking the fasting exam actually helped to improve his concentration.
Most candidates have the same idea as Lu Yao, so they have no objection to the examiner's arrangement.
After everyone found their seats according to their tickets, the examiner, Ouyang Xiu, walked to the front row of candidates and began to read out some words similar to the rules of the examination room. Lu Yao and Su Shi and Su Che
The seats were all assigned to the back, so Lu Yao didn't hear clearly what Ouyang Xiu said, but it was nothing more than whispering about prohibiting cheating, so he didn't listen.
After Ouyang Xiu finished speaking, the exam officially began.
Although the subjects of the provincial examinations in the Song Dynasty have undergone many changes, there are four subjects that are almost compulsory: poetry, classics and meanings, theory, and policy. The palace examination is usually a test of policy. Each subject has its own function, in the words of the Song Dynasty people.
Said, "The state uses subjects to collect the world's elites, righteousness to observe their mastery of classics, endowment to observe their erudition, theory to observe their knowledge, policy to observe their talents."
From the perspective of the answer format, the test on classics, theory, and strategies are a bit like today's college entrance examination essays, which are all based on argumentative essays. The purpose is of course to test the candidates' opinions on classics, historical events, and current affairs.
Specifically, in the test on the meaning of the classics, the examiner intercepted a sentence from the Confucian classics and asked the candidates to explain the meaning contained in it. In the Song Dynasty, unlike other dynasties, the test on the meaning of the classics in the Ming and Qing Dynasties evolved into a test on the eight-legged essay.
The literary form and inner thoughts are seriously rigid. However, in the Song Dynasty, people advocated "independent spirit and free thought". Candidates could freely interpret scriptures, pass on annotations, question ancient doctrines, elucidate new opinions, and "use other topics to explain their own truths"
”, and there are even some who “ignored the scriptures and insisted on independent theory, and were bold and bold, daring to make new and strange theories.”
Of course, if we want to say that the master of this weird theory is Lu Yao, he is naturally Lu Yao. With modern thinking, he interprets the words of these Four Books and Five Classics. His understanding is different from those poor scholars, and even the great talents Su Shi and Su Zhe
, it must be different. Lu Yao does not want to stick to the old rules and make old answers that are in line with the current scholars. Instead, he must not only draw on the classics, but also introduce new ideas and put forward some brand-new viewpoints. Because
From Lu Yao's point of view, the examiner Ouyang Xiu has a pretty good relationship with him, so even if he writes a little out of the ordinary, there shouldn't be any problems and it will leave a deep impression on him.
So, the first exam ended like this.
In this exam, Lu Yao was one of the few people who handed in his paper in advance. After he handed in his paper, he was taken to a separate room by the examiner and waited for the time to end. Lu Yao looked around
, the area of this room is not large. Compared with a modern house, it is the size of a living room. It can be seen from this that in fact, there are not too many candidates who submitted their papers in advance. With so many candidates, they only prepared this place.
Give breaks to candidates who submit papers in advance.
Lu Yao found a chair and sat down. He also wanted to see if any other candidates had submitted their papers in advance.
About a quarter of an hour later, two people also came to the room, but their expressions looked very different from Lu Yao's relaxed and comfortable look. It could be said that they were very depressed, and Lu Yao understood immediately.
Needless to say, these two people must have not understood the questions in the test paper too much. In the end, they really couldn't think of anything, so they could only write nonsense and submit the paper in advance.
In fact, the examination mentality of ancient scholars was actually very fragile. Once they encountered a problem that they did not know or had not memorized, they usually became helpless. This is a very common problem between ancient and modern people.
There is an obvious difference. If this were put into modern times, you would not be able to hand in a blank paper no matter what. Even if you are blind, you have to write whatever you think of.
Lu Yao looked at the two people. There should be no way for them to pass the provincial examination this time. This year, maybe several years of hard work should have been in vain, and they can only come back next time. But even so, the two of them
You cannot ask to leave Gongyuan just because you will definitely fail the exam. Once you enter, you must complete the exam for three days before you can leave. This is a rule and cannot be broken.
The two people had the same experience, and then they found a corner to chat. Because of what happened just now, they had naturally recognized Lu Yao, but in their opinion, Lu Yao, the rich second generation, must be the same as them.
He came out without much answer. How did they know that Lu Yao had used modern thinking to perfectly answer the questions on the test paper just now.
After another half hour, there were gradually more people in the room. Su Shi and Su Che also came to the room at this time.
As soon as the two of them came in, they went straight to Lu Yao.
Su Shi said: "Brother Lu, you are really amazing. I originally thought that my answer speed was fast enough, but I didn't expect that you turned in the paper so long before me. It seems that you must be very confident?"
Lu Yao thought for a while and said: "I think I have written everything I wanted to write. As for the result, it can only depend on the examiner's intention."
When Su Che heard this, he came forward and said to Lu Yao in a very low voice: "I heard that Ouyang Xiu has a good relationship with you. I think there should be no problem."
Just as Lu Yao was about to reply, an examiner entered the room and said that the first exam was over and asked all candidates to gather outside.
Lu Yao was walking on the road, thinking to himself, overall, his answer in this first test should be pretty good. Although there is definitely a gap compared with Su Shi, Su Zhe and others, but when it comes to being unconventional, he should be considered a good one.
He's the number one person.
After the exam, the candidates who were already very hungry felt even hungrier after passing what may be the most important exam in their lives. However, because there are a lot of candidates, they have to call according to the dormitory number.
Students in the dormitory whose number is called can come out and go to the designated place to eat, while those in the dormitory whose number is not called must go back to the dormitory and wait until they are called before they can come out to eat.
Basically, the process on the first day is like this. After eating, students should go back to the dormitory to rest and prepare for the second exam the next day.
Lu Yao temporarily forgot what his dormitory number was, so he asked Su Shi. Su Shi said that their dormitory number was relatively low, so they had to wait at least half an hour before they could eat.
Lu Yao didn't think it mattered. He didn't plan to eat the food cooked by the chef in the Gongyuan. Needless to say, it must be a big pot of rice and not delicious. Of course, Su Shi and Su Zhe, who had already seen the ingredients Lu Yao brought, did the same.
I made up my mind to eat the food cooked by Lu Yao today.
I just don’t know if the examiners in the Gongyuan will allow Lu Yao to light a fire and cook in the Gongyuan?
After brothers Lu Yao and Su Shi and Su Zhe returned to their dormitory, they began to rest. Almost forty minutes later, they heard someone outside shouting the number of their dormitory, which meant that they could go out to eat.
The other people seemed to be very hungry. As soon as they heard the examiner's call, they immediately scrambled to get out, but only Lu Yao and Su Shi and Su Zhe were sitting on the bed and didn't move at all.
Those few people thought that Lu Yao had brought two big bags with him when he came this morning. He must have prepared some dry food and the like, so he didn't have to worry about eating and drinking. But they were different. They were very hungry and didn't bother.
Guan Lu Yao left one after another.
Lu Yao and Su Shi and Su Che looked at each other. Lu Yao sighed and said, "Well, I originally wanted to say that it was fate that we were able to live under the same roof during the imperial examinations. I wanted to treat them to some good food at night. Unfortunately,
They don’t have this blessing.”
Su Shi and Su Che were a little worried. Su Che said, "It's not an option for us to just wait here. Why don't you go and ask if you can go into the kitchen?"
Su Shi said from the side: "Even if we want to ask, we have to wait until all the candidates have finished eating. They definitely don't have time to care about us now."
Lu Yao nodded in agreement.
Less than two minutes after the seven people in the dormitory left, an invigilator entered Lu Yao's dormitory. Needless to say, every person in the dormitory must be counted when they go out. He should have found that there were three people missing from their dormitory.
No one came out, so he came over to ask.
"Why don't you go to eat?" the examiner looked at the three of them and said.
Lu Yao pointed to the package he had brought, got off the bed, and said very respectfully: "That's it, I brought the ingredients myself, and I want to make a fire to cook. Is that okay?"
When this idea came up, the three people originally thought that the examiner should have a surprised look on his face, but the invigilator did not show that look.
Instead, he looked the three of them up and down, and then asked, "Who among you is Lu Yao?"
This time, Lu Yao was stunned for a moment when he was asked, and then raised his hand to indicate. Then, the examiner looked at Lu Yao's floating ticket and said: "We received your Majesty's order before, saying that Lu Yao can use the money from the Gongyuan.
You can cook your own meals in the kitchen, but you need to wait until everyone has finished eating before you can go to the small kitchen to light a fire and cook."
Hearing what the invigilator said, Lu Yao understood instantly. He thought it was because he was too conspicuous when he entered the Gongyuan today. As the emperor, Zhao Zhen could not ignore such a large-scale examination. After all, there would be palace examinations after that.
It was presided over by the emperor himself.
Someone must have told Zhao Zhen what he brought today, and Zhao Zhen, as a diner who had already tasted Lu Yao's delicious food, thought of giving Lu Yao a backdoor and allowing him to light a fire in the kitchen in the Gongyuan.
, but out of fairness, the time can only be chosen after everyone has finished eating.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Could you please tell me after everyone has finished eating and then take me to the kitchen?" Lu Yao bowed to the examiner and said.
The examiner thought for a while and realized that after eating, the candidates all went back to their rooms to rest. In fact, the examiner's day's work ended here. Since the emperor had given permission for Lu Yao to light a fire to cook, it was very convenient to think about it.
If you value this person, there is no harm in giving him face, not to mention that Lu Yao seems to be a person who understands etiquette.
So, the examiner said: "Okay, since you have decided, just wait here. I will call you again after everything is over."
After saying that, the examiner turned and left the dormitory.
Lu Yao turned around, looked at Su Shi and Su Che, and said, "It seems that we have to wait for a while. If the two brothers feel hungry, you can go and have a meal with them first."
Su Shi and Su Che waved their hands at the same time. They were people who had tasted the dishes made by Lu Yao, especially Su Zhe. It can be said that he had a soft spot for the Dongpo Pork made by Lu Yao, but neither of them had the taste.
Thinking of it, you can still eat such delicious food in the Gongyuan where the imperial examination is held. What does it matter if you go hungry for an hour just for the sake of delicious food?
Lu Yao just said casually. He already had an idea in his mind. These two would never go out to eat with those people, but it was okay. What he made by himself might not be wasted, and
It's true that eating alone is a bit boring, so it doesn't hurt to share some with them.
So, the three people started waiting in the dormitory again. Because the dormitory number where the three people lived was already relatively late, it took nearly an hour for the other candidates who had left the dormitory to return.
Arrive at the dormitory.
The seven of them found it a little ridiculous when they saw that Lu Yao, Su Shi and Su Zhe hadn't eaten yet. Originally, they thought Su Shi and Su Zhe were somewhat talented, but now they saw that they were as stupid as Lu Yao, and it seemed that these three
Personally, they didn't mean to bring dry food. They thought it might be that these people were spoiled and couldn't get used to the food here, so they chose not to eat a big pot of rice in the canteen here.
However, they could understand why Lu Yao did this, but they didn't know why Su Shi and Su Che would do the same.
Lu Yao looked at the other students in the dormitory. It seemed that they really liked the food in the cafeteria and were very full. Lu Yao didn't know why the food in the cafeteria was really delicious.
Or maybe they were really hungry and that's why they ate so much, Lu Yao didn't bother to think about it.
Those seven people already knew about Lu Yao's early submission of papers, and they looked down upon Lu Yao even more. After all the students had finished eating, it was already dark because they did not bring any review materials such as books.
So the seven of them were also going to wash up and go to bed.
"The way to a university lies in Ming Ming De..." One of them was lying on the bed and still spoke plausibly.
Lu Yao smiled bitterly. At this time, the examiner came to the dormitory and gave Lu Yao and Su Shi Su Zhe a look.
Lu Yao understood, then took out some things from the cloth bag he brought, and then left the dormitory with Su Shi and Su Che.
The remaining seven people looked at each other in confusion. They did not see clearly what Lu Yao had just brought out. However, even if these people were interested in Lu Yao's package and it was next to the bed, they would not go.
Moving. In terms of integrity and character, ancient people were much better than modern people.
Lu Yao also thought the same thing in his heart. Even though these people were bookish, they would not do these kinds of thefts.
Su Shi and Su Che followed Lu Yao and the examiner to the kitchen of Gongyuan.
Lu Yao took a look and saw that it was indeed true. There were several large pots placed in the kitchen. Naturally, with so many candidates here, they naturally wanted to eat from a large pot of rice and dishes.
In order not to waste time, Lu Yao also started to get busy here.
Su Shi and Su Che sat aside and waited for him. Because the kitchen was big enough, the few of them had just discussed that they could eat directly in the kitchen. There were tables and chairs as well. This would save the trouble of going to the cafeteria.
As for the examiner who led the way, he did not leave after taking these people to the kitchen. After all, this Lu Yao was the one who was personally ordered by the emperor to make a fire and cook by himself. The examiner also wanted to see what Mr. Lu was doing.
If he had any ability, he simply moved a chair and sat aside, watching Lu Yao cooking with interest.
Su Shi and Su Che felt a little embarrassed, but they thought, Come on, now there is another one trying to grab the food.
In a short time, Lu Yao had already prepared several dishes. Dongpo pork, of course, was made from a piece of pork belly in the kitchen, because it was left over from cooking today.
The ingredients must be fresh on the day. After all, Zhao Zhen attaches great importance to the imperial examination, so he issued an order that the ingredients that these candidates eat every day must be fresh on that day. So this piece of meat will be saved until tomorrow.
It also had to be thrown away, so the examiner allowed Lu Yao to use the ingredients that were still available in the kitchen.
Dongpo pork, tomato, egg, and shredded pork with pepper. Since there is no beef, I can only make a potato and tomato soup.
Each person is served with a large bowl of rice, and the table is considered ready.
Not to mention Su Shi and Su Che, the examiner who had been watching Lu Yao cook saw that Lu Yao had made this table of dishes. The aroma was overwhelming, and he felt a little hungry again. Moreover, he and Su Shi
Zhe was different. He had never eaten the food cooked by Lu Yao. The aroma on the table was so overwhelming that he couldn't help it. However, due to his identity, he was too embarrassed to speak.
Lu Yao naturally knew what the examiner was thinking, so he said: "You can come and have some too. If it weren't for your permission, I wouldn't be able to make this dish with the pork belly. I just want to thank you."
Lu Yao clearly wanted to step down for the examiner, so the examiner cleared his throat and said, "In that case, I would rather obey your orders than be respectful."
Then, the four people started eating around a dining table in the kitchen. During this period, the examiner said that in the next two days of the exam, they would still have to go to the cafeteria to eat with other candidates at noon, but in the evening, they would still have to eat together.
Just like today, after everyone has finished eating, they come to the kitchen to eat.
Lu Yao naturally agreed to the examiner's suggestion. After all, the time at noon was too short. There would be two exams in the morning and afternoon for the next two days. Taken together, there should be five exams in these three days. He
The food I brought was indeed not enough to last three days.
For breakfast tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, basically every student will have the same steamed buns and a bowl of porridge, so naturally they don’t have to cook it themselves.
Therefore, Lu Yao and the examiner reached a consensus.
After eating, Lu Yao poured out the sour plum soup that he had cooked before. It was still hot when it was first cooked, but it has cooled down a lot now. Each of the four people had a bowl, which was exactly one pot, and there was no
waste.
After eating and drinking, Lu Yao took Su Shi and Su Che back to the dormitory.
"There are still two days until the exam is over." After washing up, Lu Yao lay on the bed and chatted with Su Shi and Su Che.
"Brother Lu, the way you look today, you should be full of confidence in this exam." Su Zhe said.
Su Shi didn't care much about this, but he asked Lu Yao another question.
"Brother Lu, have you ever thought about it, if you pass the imperial examination and become an official in the imperial court, what are your plans or ambitions in the future?"
Lu Yao smiled. Su Shi's thoughts were indeed much more mature than Su Che's. What he meant by this was that he already felt that Lu Yao would definitely be able to gain fame and become an official in the court.
However, although Lu Yao deeply recognized Su Shi's talent, being an official and writing poems were actually completely different things. As a representative of the bold and unconstrained poetry, Su Shi actually had many twists and turns in his official career. Lu Yao
Now I don’t know whether Su Shi will become his companion or his enemy one day.
It seems that Su Shi can only distract Su Shi's inquiry with some other topics.
