Li Guolou went out before dawn. The streets were slippery after raining. Li Guolou jumped out of the carriage with an umbrella. There was already a sea of people in front of him. Two to three thousand people gathered in front of the Gongyuan gate, including poor students.
, as well as servants and the students’ family members.
Li Guolou closed his umbrella and stood under the eaves to take shelter from the rain, waiting for the door to open.
Young husband Zhu Danyu walked by and said with a smile: "Captain Li, you are here so early."
Li Guolou glanced at Zhu Danyu, who was dressed like a New Year's Eve, and looked down on the flashy Zhu Danyu. He raised the corners of his mouth and said with a smile: "Xiao Zhu, don't call me Captain Li from now on. Call me Mr. Li, or Little Lizi."
"
Zhu Danyu chuckled and said: "Actually, we all call you Little Lizi behind our backs. It's the same as calling me Little Xianggong behind others' backs." After saying this, Zhu Danyu laughed happily, making Li Guolou dumbfounded.
He said that he was the Eunuch Li in the palace and Zhu Danyu who didn't understand the world, which made the people around him laugh.
Li Guolou and Zhu Danyu stood side by side, chatting like good friends.
The people around me ranged from those in their fifties and sixties to those in their twenties. Some of them met at the cram school held in Gongyuan. They greeted each other, encouraged each other, and said a few auspicious words.
"Fan Tong!" Li Guolou saw five students, Cao Kexing, Zhu Dinghe, Fan Dahui, Wei Hanyu, and Xu Lan, and waved to greet them.
"Ah! Xiaolou, you've come to take the scientific examination too." Fan Dahui Le Dian Dian approached and was a little surprised to see Li Guolou here.
"Why, it's not possible? I'm also a Gongsheng student. Getting an admission ticket is not a piece of cake. Do you have to make a fuss?" Li Guolou rolled his eyes. He is ignorant of current affairs. Do you still want to hang out with him in the future?
Fan Dahui hurriedly said: "Xiaolou, don't be angry, I just didn't expect it. We were still talking about you in the morning, and I told them to prepare to live in the capital permanently. I said, if you don't pass the Jinshi exam, you won't be able to see the elders in your hometown.
I’ll stay with you for two years first. Hehehehehe!”
Li Guolou said casually: "Don't worry, Mr. Fan, I still want to hang out with you. We still don't know who will be the big one, right? We'll sort out the big ones after the exam."
Zhu Dinghe shouted indifferently: "Why are you being so modest? From now on, you will all hang out with me. The top thirty people will not be able to escape. What's the point of sitting on the wall and holding an umbrella? Who of you knows?"
As soon as he spoke loudly in the early morning, everyone around him looked at Zhu Dinghe. The person who was boasting didn't know what it was like to be ashamed.
Surrounded by students who are talking big words, those who are still humble when they come here are a bit hypocritical. Who doesn't want to be admitted to the Jinshi? Say a few big words to calm the tense atmosphere. The most words are words of encouragement to each other.
With a bang, the gate of Gongyuan opened, and the salute sounded. The auspicious time has come. The students who were talking and laughing stepped into the courtyard. Behind them were faces of eager expectation. The family members stood outside the gate and waved to the students.
Farewell. A door will change the fate of hundreds of people's lives. At this moment, Li Guolou walked with his head down, being a low-key person, and followed the crowds pouring into the Gongyuan.
When entering the Gongyuan, one must first register and have a roll call by the officers, and then check the admission ticket, household registration, and fingerprints. Then one by one they will take off their clothes and their bodies will be searched to see if they have any cheating materials.
At this time, people in the Qing Dynasty were selling a kind of must-have tool for exams, the Four Books and Five Classics, which was specifically used for cheating. It was a miniature cheating book. Selling this kind of miniature cheating book was punishable by confiscating your home and being sentenced, but there was a market and there were always people doing this business.
There are candidates who take desperate risks and hide the hidden secrets in their bodies. In the past, people who cheated to get admitted to the scholar level are now also brought into the Gongyuan Academy. The examinees who caught cheating were expelled from the exam, stripped of their pants, and spanked on the spot with their bare buttocks.
Board. However, there are always candidates who hide their secrets and slip through the net. They sneak into the examination room and carry a treasure book with them. They secretly rejoice that the chance of being admitted to the Jinshi is much higher.
Students entering the examination room must first worship God. The chief examiner Li Hongzao and six deputy examiners led nearly 2,000 students to offer incense to Confucius. The chief examiner Li Hongzao chanted a gorgeous poem and dedicated it to the sage Confucius.
After kneeling three times and knocking nine times, the cannon was fired again. The students filed into the examination room and sat in a small cubicle, waiting for the examination papers to be handed out.
Before the exam papers are handed out, candidates should make preparations first. Grinding ink is the first priority. Only when you calm down can you write well. An exam paper needs to be judged by the examiner first. The font must be beautiful and the paper must be neat. The candidates must bring their own writing brushes.
A must-have item for entering the examination room. Generally, a student needs to bring four or five writing brushes.
In the Qing Dynasty, the only way for ordinary people to become officials was through civil examination or military examination. This is a single-plank bridge that changes the destiny of life. It is sacred and solemn and cannot be desecrated by the world. However, the Manchus pay attention to practicality in government, and Manchu rules, cheating
Things happen one after another, and it has become the rule in the examination room.
Li Guolou got the first test paper and read it over first. He had to do one test paper in one day, so he had plenty of time. He first looked for topics he knew how to write, and two-thirds of the test paper was finished. Then he just enjoyed it.
He has a certain skill in writing by himself and can't find any faults in general. He is waiting for the answers to the test papers to be sent. He is not in a hurry at all, but the deputy examiners are! How many test answers should be written for the students who cheated?
.
At noon, a patrolling examiner seemed to appreciate Li Guolou's article. He stopped and walked into the cubicle. Suddenly, the middle-aged examiner took out a note from his sleeve and handed it to Li Guolou.
, hissed: "Li Guolou, don't worry, I'll stand at the door and write quietly, don't make any mistakes."
Li Guolou looked up to the examiner and remembered the face of the room master. He was his benefactor, and he would pay tribute to him every year in the future. This is how he got his fame. Li Guolou was like a gentleman, sitting upright and copying exercises.
As for the three- to four-hundred-word eight-legged essay at the end of the examination paper, Li Guolou studied it, slightly changed a few words, and copied the essay written by the examiner Li Hongzao.
"Return to the fact that people have accumulated strength throughout their lives, but they will not realize it themselves in the end, but they must wait for others to discover it. People who have accumulated a single-minded meditation and have nothing to try at the beginning, and do not know that others have already known it, God will tell them, so knowledge
Sincerity is deep, there is a prince, and there is no room for secrets;;;;;;"
As expected from the hand of the emperor's master, the colorful eight-legged essay is well-written and well-written. Li Guolou admired Li Hongzao from the bottom of his heart and even asked him to recite this essay. It was difficult, and he would have to work hard next.
Memorize this article and pass it on to his disciples in the future. It will be regarded as his life's masterpiece. If he writes a book and writes a biography in the future, he will also include it. His teacher Li Hongzao will not blame him for this behavior, nor will he expose his lies.
At noon, he ate white steamed buns and drank tea to quench his hunger. In the afternoon, Li Guolou heard the sound of cannons and could only endure it. He had nothing to do and used scratch paper to practice calligraphy. He remained calm and passed the time one stroke at a time. Examination room
There is a rule that draft paper is not allowed to be taken out
The door must be turned in, so Li Guolou did not dare to scribble out the exercises in the draft, as if he was trying to figure out the exercises. Others used the draft to write the article and then wrote the answers, but he did the opposite, deliberately writing the exercises in the draft.
Write down your experience on paper.
Hearing a cough, Li Guolou looked up and saw an old man standing at the door of the compartment, staring at him solemnly. This was the world-famous scholar Li Hongzao, the teacher of Emperor Tongzhi. As the emperor's teacher, he had the honor of being the emperor's teacher.
, worthy of the respect of all students in the world.
Li Guolou turned over and knelt down, kowtowed three times, and tears streamed down from his eyes. His mentor gave him a masterpiece to ensure his ranking as the second best, and he could only pay huge tribute in this life.
"Hmm!" Li Hongzao made a sound in his nasal cavity and left, tacitly pleased that this apprentice had an outstanding appearance, knew the rules, came from a scholarly family, and was wealthy. Such an apprentice was worthy of his guidance. As a teacher, in addition to the previous
Recruiting scholars is based on family status. Talent and wealth complement each other and complement each other. The accumulation of scholarly family is based on the accumulation of wealth. The temperament that those poor students do not have can only be seen from the disciples of scholarly family.
.
Li Hongzao said to the middle-aged examiner: "Sir Mao, that's right. Show me Li Guolou's examination papers directly later."
The examination papers are based on anonymity system. When the examination papers are handed in, even the teacher who graded the papers does not know who they are? But now that the first step of cheating is taken, the "anonymity system" has long existed in name only.
Mao Changxi said respectfully: "It's teacher. I'll go in later to collect the test papers. That guy is killing time."
"Well, I can see it." Li Hongzao smiled casually and walked into the lobby. He also knew that Li Guolou was wasting his time. He was a fool if he couldn't do the test paper well even though he had the answers. How could the "Japanese Six" be recommended to the examination room.
At dusk, when the salute sounded, Li Guolou stood up, respectfully handed the examination paper to Mao Changxi, and said, "Thank you, teacher." After saying that, Li Guolou, like other students who submitted examination papers, walked outside the examination room.
Most of the people in the examination room have left, and only a few students are still sitting in the cubicle racking their brains.
The exam is like this. I know a sentence by heart and memorize it by heart. I know how to write it, but when it comes to the exam, I can't remember it.
The people who walked out of the examination room were full of confidence and boasted that they were in control of today's test questions. When asked by the people next to him, Li Guolou smiled and said in a low-key voice: "It's okay. I've written it down. As for whether I can get into the teacher's class
With Dharma's eye, it depends on God's will."
Li Guolou didn't blush, and the people next to him couldn't see his inner thoughts, so they pretended to be unsure and didn't dare to recite the eight-legged essay that has been passed down through the ages.
Cao Kexing, Zhu Dinghe, Fan Dahui and several other students from the same hometown met on the street, whispering to each other and sharing their experiences on the first day of the exam. The next two days were equally crucial, cheering each other on.
Li Guolou shook his head and said: "Let's go have dinner together. Don't talk about the exam. We will continue to work hard tomorrow."
Fan Dahui smiled honestly and said: "There are six of us, and each of us has one tael of silver, so we should eat on the table for six taels of silver, don't you think?"
Li Guolou glanced at him and said, "I'm going to kill you as a loser. Two taels of silver is already a huge amount."
No one had eaten well at noon, and the group, whose stomachs were growling with hunger, almost finished the list of Bao Zhifang's signature dishes. The scholar's memorization skills were first-rate, and his impressive ability did not need to be on the right track.
It was impossible to call a carriage at the gate of Gongyuan. Li Guolou got on the carriage to pick him up, and Chen Xiangfang and Mayuzi sat in the carriage.
"Mike, how did you do on the exam?" Mayuko couldn't help but asked.
"Shhhhhhhh!" Li Guolou winked, fearing that the servant driving the carriage would see him, so he made an OK gesture.
"Oh;;;;;;" Chen Xiangfang and Zhen Youzi breathed a long sigh of relief and high-fived each other. All worries were unnecessary. Li Guolou was trustworthy, and the cheaters still maintained a mysterious and low profile until now.
Chen Xiangfang warned: "Xiaolou, don't be complacent. Practice calligraphy for me at night. No drinking."
"Oh! I know how to be Tang Monk and keep a low profile. But you, don't go to Baozhifang for dinner, go home to me." Li Guolou saw through Chen Xiangfang and couldn't help but snicker, and wouldn't even let her have dinner.
She goes.
Chen Xiangfang knew her weakness and nodded: "Mayuko, watch the small building, I'll wait for you at home." "Hi!" Mayuko nodded in agreement, and the three of them covered their mouths and snickered on the carriage, as if they were thieves.
, dare not let others know that they are happy in their hearts.
In the evening, Li Guolou returned home. After washing up and preparing to go to bed early, he couldn't hold it in any longer and couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, "The teacher came to see me specifically today."
"Really?" Chen Xiangfang was quite excited and asked, "What did Li Hongzao say to you?"
Li Guolou said with a smile: "First I snorted and coughed, then I knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. Finally, the teacher said 'hmm' and left."
"Chi chi chi chi!" Chen Xiangfang laughed so hard that she hugged Li Guolou tightly. The two of them fell on the big bed together and started playing around.
The rainy night was deep and the oil lamp was extinguished, but Li Guolou could not sleep well. He was afraid of what would happen in the next two days and hoped that the frightening days would pass quickly. He was thinking about what Emperor Tongzhi looked like?