Li Guolou went out before dawn. The streets were slippery after raining. Li Guolou jumped out of the carriage holding 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. There were poor students. .There are also 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. He looked down on the flashy Zhu Danyu in his heart. He raised the corners of his mouth and said with a smile: "Xiao Zhu, don't call me Captain Li in the future. Call me Mr. Li, or Xiao Lizi." "
Zhu Danyu chuckled evilly 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 ways of the world, which made the people around him laugh.
Li Guolou and Zhu Danyu stood side by side and chatted like good friends.
The people around me range from people in their fifties and sixties to people in their twenties. Some of them know each other in the cram school held in Gongyuan. They greet each other, encourage each other and say a few auspicious words.
"Fan Tong." Li Guolou saw five students: Cao Kexing, Zhu Dinghe, Fan Dahui, Wei Hanyu, and Xu Lan. He waved to greet them.
"Ah... Xiaolou, you're here for the scientific examination too." Fan Da Huile Dian Dian approached and was a little surprised to see Li Guolou here.
"What? It's not possible. I'm also a Gong student. It's not a piece of cake to get an admission ticket. 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: "Don't be angry, Xiaolou. I just didn't expect it. We were still talking about you in the morning. 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 whether he will be a big monster or not. We will sort out the big and small after the exam."
Zhu Dinghe shouted indifferently: "Why are you being so modest? Just hang out with me from now on. The top thirty will not be able to escape. What does it mean to sit on the wall and hold an umbrella? None of you know."
It was so early in the morning that everyone around him looked at Zhu Dinghe. The boastful person didn't know what it was like to be ashamed.
We are surrounded by students who talk big words. People 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.
There was a bang. The gate of the Gongyuan opened. The salute sounded. The auspicious time has arrived. The students who were chatting 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, as the crowd poured into the Gongyuan.
Enter the Gongyuan. First, register. There will be a roll call by the officers. Admission ticket, household registration, and fingerprints will be checked. Then one by one will take off their clothes. The body will be searched. Check whether there are four books and five classics used for cheating.
At this time, people in the Qing Dynasty were selling a kind of sharp tool that was necessary for exams. The Four Books and Five Classics were specially used for cheating. They were miniature cheating books. Selling this kind of miniature cheating books was punishable by confiscation of homes and sentences. But there was a market and there were always people doing this business.
Some candidates took desperate risks and hid them in the private parts of the body. In the past, those who were admitted to the scholar's examination relied on cheating. Nowadays, candidates who are admitted to the imperial examination are also brought into the Gongyuan. The guards caught the cheating candidates and were expelled from their jobs. They took off their pants and slapped their buttocks on the spot. .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 are secretly glad that the chance of being admitted to the Jinshi is much higher.
Students entering the examination room must first worship God. Nearly 2,000 students, led by the chief examiner Li Hongzao and six deputy examiners, offer incense to Confucius. The chief examiner Li Hongzao chants a gorgeous poem and presents it to the sage Confucius.
After kneeling three times and knocking nine times, the cannons were fired again. The students filed into the examination room and sat in a small cubicle, waiting for the examination papers to be handed out.
When the test paper has not been distributed, candidates should make preparations first. Grinding ink is the first priority. Only by calming down can you write well. An examination paper needs the examiner's discernment first. The font must be beautiful first. The examination paper must be neat. The candidate must bring his own writing brush. Necessary items for entering the examination room. Generally, a student needs to bring four or five writing brushes.
The only way for ordinary people to become officials in the Qing Dynasty was to pass the civil examination or the 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. But the Manchus pay attention to practicality in government and the Manchu rules. Cheating. Things keep happening and it has become a rule in the examination room.
Li Guolou got the first test paper. He read it over first. He had to do one test paper a day. There was plenty of time. He first looked for topics that he knew how to do and wrote. Two-thirds of the test paper was finished. Then he just enjoyed it. He has a certain skill in writing by himself. He 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. The deputy examiners are the ones who are in a hurry. How many test answers do they need to write for the cheating students? .
It was about noon. A patrolling examiner seemed to appreciate Li Guolou's article. He stopped and walked into the small 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 this examiner and remembered the face of this room master. He was his benefactor. From now on, he would pay tribute every year. This is how he got his fame. Li Guolou was like a gentleman, sitting upright and copying exercises. As for the last three- to four-hundred-word eight-part essay in the examination paper, Li Guolou studied it, slightly changed a few words, and copied the essay written by the examiner Li Hongzao.
"Huihu. People accumulate their own strength throughout their lives. In the end, they don't know it by themselves. But they must wait for others to discover it. People have accumulated a single-minded meditation. At first, they have nothing to try. If they don't know what others have already known, God will tell them. Therefore, knowledge Sincerity is deep. There is a prince who cannot allow it to be kept secret forever..."
It is indeed written by the emperor's master. It is a flowery eight-legged essay. It is on point and close to the topic. It is full of wonderful writing. Li Guolou admires Li Hongzao from the bottom of his heart. It is difficult for him to recite this article. He will have to work hard next. Memorize this article and teach it to his disciples in the future. It will be regarded as his life's masterpiece. If he writes a book and biography in the future, he will also include it. His mentor 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 satisfy his hunger. In the afternoon, Li Guolou heard the sound of cannons. He could only endure it. He had nothing to do. He used scratch paper to practice calligraphy. He remained calm, stroke by stroke, killing time in the examination room. There are regulations. Scratch paper is not allowed to be taken out and must be handed in. Therefore, Li Guolou does not dare to scribble on it. He writes exercises on the scratch paper as if he is trying to figure out the exercises. Others use the draft paper to write articles and then write the answers. But he does the opposite. Then, I deliberately wrote my thoughts and feelings on the scratch paper.
Hearing a cough, Li Guolou looked up. An old man stood at the door of the compartment. Su Rong stared at him. This is the world-famous scholar Li Hongzao, the teacher of Emperor Tongzhi. It is the honor to be the emperor's teacher. .Deserves the respect of all students in the world.
Li Guolou turned over and knelt down and kowtowed three times. Tears streamed down from his eyes. His mentor gave him a masterpiece to ensure his ranking in the top two. In this life, he can only pay huge tribute.
"Hmm." Li Hongzao made a sound in his nasal cavity and left with a tacit secret of joy. This apprentice has an outstanding appearance, understands the rules, comes from a scholarly family, and has a lot of money. Such an apprentice is worthy of his guidance. As a teacher, besides being talented, .It is to judge people based on family status. Talent and wealth complement each other and complement each other. The accumulation of scholarly family is 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: "Master Mao, that's right. Show me Li Guolou's examination paper directly later."
The examination papers are based on anonymity system. When the examination papers are handed in, even the teacher who marks the papers does not know who is who. 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 kid is killing time."
"Yeah, I can see it." Li Hongzao smiled casually and walked into the lobby. He also knew that Li Guolou was wasting his time. If he couldn't do the test paper well after he had the answer, he was a fool. How could "Ji Zi Six" be recommended to the examination room.
At dusk, the salute sounded. Li Guolou stood up and handed the examination paper to Mao Changxi respectfully. He said, "Thank you, teacher." After saying that, Li Guolou, like other students who submitted examination papers, walked outside the examination room. The huge Most of the people in the examination room have left. Only a few students are still sitting in the cubicle racking their brains.
The exam is like this. A sentence is familiar to me, and I know 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. They boasted that they were in control of today's test questions. When asked by the people next to them, Li Guolou smiled and said in a low-key voice: "It's not bad. I wrote it down. As for whether I can be admitted as a teacher." It depends on God’s will.”
Li Guolou didn't blush. The people next to him couldn't see his inner thoughts. He 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. They whispered to each other and shared their experiences on the first day of the exam. The next two days were equally critical. They cheered each other up.
Li Guolou shook his head and said: "Let's go and have dinner together. Don't talk about the exam. Keep working hard tomorrow."
Fan Dahui smiled honestly and said: "There are six of us. Each of us has one tael of silver. We should eat on the table for 6 taels of silver. Do you think so?"
Li Guolou glanced at him and said, "I'll eat you up. Two taels of silver is already a huge deal."
No one had eaten well at noon. The group was so hungry that they almost finished the list of Bao Zhifang's signature dishes. The scholar's memorization skills were first-class. The ability to impress people does not need to be on the right path.
It was impossible to call a carriage at the gate of Gongyuan. Li Guolou stepped onto the carriage to pick him up. Chen Xiangfang and Mayuko sat in the carriage.
"How did your exam go, Mike?" Mayuko couldn't help but asked.
"Shhhhhhhh." Li Guolou winked. He was afraid of being seen by the servant driving the carriage in front, so he made an OK gesture.
"Oh..." Chen Xiangfang and Mayuko let out a long sigh of relief and high-fived each other. All worries were unnecessary. Li Guolou is trustworthy. The cheaters have remained mysterious and low-key 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. It's up to you. Don't go to Baozhifang for dinner. Go home." Li Guolou saw through it that Chen Xiangfang couldn't help but snicker. He wouldn't even let her have dinner. She goes.
Chen Xiangfang knew her weakness. She nodded and said, "Mayuko, keep an eye on the small building. I'll wait for you at home." "Hi." Mayuko nodded in agreement. The three of them covered their mouths and snickered on the carriage, as if they were thieves. .Don’t dare to let people know that they are happy in their hearts.
In the evening, Li Guolou returned home. He had washed himself and was ready to go to bed early. He couldn't hold it in any longer. He 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 tell you?"
Li Guolou said with a smile: "Teacher Li hummed and coughed first. Then I knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. Finally, the teacher said 'hmm' and left."
"Chi chi chi chi." Chen Xiangfang laughed and 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. He hoped that the frightening days would pass quickly. He was thinking about what Emperor Tongzhi looked like.