Two hundred and eighty-sixth civil service examination (5)
As the time cannon and the bell and drum tower chimed the time, the front door of the Gongyuan slowly opened.
In the past, there were many ways to enter the venue: roll call of students from each county, getting photos and signing in, undressing for inspection... Those who were taking the exam were students from all over the province, thousands of them, all queuing up from the dragon gate.
Entering is usually called at roll call in the morning of the first day, entering in the afternoon, and the entry is not completed until dark. Only the person himself can appreciate the hard work involved.
Neither Yuan Shuzhi nor Zeng Juan had ever experienced this, but Hu Ming, on the other hand, was not here for the first time. He entered school at the age of eighteen and was a young talent who was very popular. However, since then, he has been "spectating the scene" many times.
"No, I am already nearly forty years old in a blink of an eye. Now I am queuing up in front of the dragon gate, and I have a different feeling in my heart.
Although he was fully confident that the elders would "hand-pick" him to pass the exam, he still had to put his knowledge of articles to use. Hu Ming was very meticulous and went to several teahouses to compile the past "Yangcheng Express"
"I have read through them all to understand the Australian writing style and ideas.
At this moment, he was 70% to 80% sure about the essay, but he didn't have much chance of winning the practical test - after all, taking the public examination was a last-minute thing. He couldn't recite all the reference books in just a few days.
.
We can only try our luck! Hu Ming thought to himself.
Yuan Shuzhi and Zeng Juan followed the flow of people and slowly moved towards Longmen. Zeng Juan suddenly saw Wu Ji, who was also carrying a small package and was looking around. Zeng Juan quickly greeted: "Senior Wu!"
Wu Ji heard someone saying hello, but when he turned around and saw it was Zeng Juan, he waved his hand and said, "Ah Juan! I'm here."
Zeng Juan and Yuan Shuzhi hurriedly squeezed past, but before they spoke, Wu Ji asked: "Ah Juan, you are here to take the public examination too? What about your shop?"
"There is no future for the young shopkeeper of a scented wax shop. Why don't you come and take the cadre exam - at least you will have money and food!" Zeng Juan said, "Senior Wu, aren't you here too?"
"I'm just like you, and I'm willing to give up for five pecks of rice. Now that the Yuyuan Club is closed, Mr. Liang lives at home and doesn't see any guests. We idle people have nowhere to go, so we have to find a way out." Wu Yi.
He smiled and said, "I heard that Ziyu did well, passed the Australian police exam, and is now prosperous..."
"Exactly, he has solved major cases and made great contributions. Now he has been sent to Lingao to study, and he will be promoted when he comes back. Several of our friends are very happy for him. Mr. Wu, you are talented and have a pass in Australia.
If we pass the exam this time, we will definitely be prosperous. If we are lucky enough to pass the exam, we will need your support in the future."
"Don't make fun of my brother." Wu Dai shook his head repeatedly, "I just read a few Australian books, so I don't make any sense. Let's encourage each other."
Zeng Juan remembered that Yuan Shuzhi had not been introduced to him yet, so he turned around to introduce him, but saw that Yuan Shuzhi's expression was dull, his face seemed happy and sad, he was deaf to the sounds around him, and he just kept walking forward. It turned out that he had been taking the boy examination for many years, baba
I thought that one day I would be able to go to school and take such an exam in the Gongyuan in this provincial capital. But I still couldn't do it. Now I see myself standing at the gate of the dragon gate, and I can't help but feel astringent in my eyes, with a mixture of sweetness and bitterness.
The thoughts came to my mind and my mind was so confused that I didn't even notice that Zeng Juan and Wu Ji were talking.
But Wu Ji didn't know well, this person was afraid that he had gone "crazy": he was probably an old scholar who had failed to pass the exam for many years, or he suddenly failed or entered the examination room and was moved by the scene, and was temporarily confused. If
If you let him go, he might go crazy, crying and laughing. Every year in the examination room, there are such crazy people who are kicked out. He hurriedly motioned to Zeng Juan to "wake him up".
Zeng Juan hurriedly called him several times, but Yuan Shuzhi turned a deaf ear and his expression was even more confused, as if he couldn't recognize the person. Zeng Juan was worried and was about to shout loudly when Wu Ji took out a message from his pocket.
The small medicine bottle came, poured some into the palm of my hand, and blew it on Yuan Shuzhi's face.
This medicinal powder is "Zhuge Xingjun Powder", which is the most effective in rejuvenating the body and calming the nerves. As soon as the powder is sprayed, a chill suddenly enters the nose and reaches the brain. Yuan Shuzhi screams and immediately collapses to the ground.
At this time, not only Zeng Juan and Wu Ji were startled, but also the candidates lining up around him were shocked. The police who maintained order hurried over and carried Yuan Shuzhi aside. The health worker who had been prepared had come over and opened the lid first.
He glanced at it and said, "It doesn't matter." Sure enough, Yuan Shuzhi woke up leisurely, with a confused face.
Zeng Juan hurried over and asked, "Lao Yuan! Are you feeling better?"
Yuan Shuzhi felt that his mind was clear and asked: "Why am I sitting here?" He then said: "I have been feeling groggy for half the day, as if I was in a dream."
Zeng Juan said: "You probably had phlegm just now, and this senior Wu sprayed medicine on you just now, and it's better now."
Yuan Shuzhi hurriedly said: "This senior Wu has a debt of gratitude to me, so I must pay my respects." When he saw Wu Ji coming, he bowed down and called him "Senior Wu".
Wu Ji shook his hands wildly and said: "Ajuan calls me senior, You Ke said, the old gentleman calls me that way even at his age, how can I be worthy of my younger brother?"
The three of them wanted to be polite to each other, but the police drove them inside: "If you have anything to say, say it later. Don't block the road here!"
A group of people crowded together and came to the dragon gate. According to the rules, they had to take off their shoes and clothes here to check for "entrainment". Some young and handsome scholars had to be inspected.
Those scholars had their breasts exposed, and the guards reached out and searched all over their bodies. After the search, they were not allowed to be put away properly, so they rushed away. Each of the scholars covered their lapels and held their bags.
Being embarrassed is the most unbearable memory for a scholar taking the exam.
Nowadays, Australians take exams. There are also inspection checkpoints at the dragon gate, but they only inspect the admission ticket and household registration certificate. After the two certificates are verified, the person is allowed in. There is no body search. There is only a banner hanging high at the dragon gate: Those who cheat in the exam will be exiled.
place!
The scholars were relieved when they saw that the search was not called, and they all said it was "virtuous government".
Zhang Yunmi was in the court hall at this time, and saw countless candidates pouring in from Longmen. There were young and old, well-groomed, deer-headed and rat-like, well-dressed, and ragged. Although the climate in Guangdong was warm, it was already ten o'clock in the morning.
In early February, the poor were still wearing linen and cotton robes. They were all begging and shrinking from the cold, carrying packages and reading admission tickets to read the font size.
Overall, it seems that the candidates are much poorer and less rich. Less than half of them are well-dressed. Moreover, most of the candidates who applied for the examination this time are children, and scholars are rare - they are probably reluctant to bear the fame of the Ming Dynasty.
Although it is a bit cold in December, the advantage of the cold weather is that it is easier to keep candidates in charge of the exam, various gastrointestinal infectious diseases common in summer and autumn are not easy to spread, and emergencies such as heat stroke and dehydration will not occur. For Zhang Yunmi, who presided over the exam, it is also
Easier.
The three of them said goodbye as soon as they entered the venue, and each went to take the exam according to the number on the admission ticket.
Yuan Shuzhi was Cheng Zi No. 15. According to the number distribution table downstairs in Mingyuan, he walked through countless number houses and saw the three characters "Cheng Zi Hao" written in big white plaster on the gable outside the door of one house.
.I felt relieved and walked over quickly.
There is an original fence at the entrance of this alleyway. This fence is not an openable door, but is nailed to the wall. Candidates are only allowed to pull out the piece of wood in the middle and drill in. After the exam starts, it will be sealed with a seal.
It was not reopened until the first sign was put up. Zhang Yunmi came to inspect it in advance and found the design really weird, so he asked people to remove all the fences at the entrances of the alleys and replace them with fence gates.
There was a staff member who was a naturalized citizen standing at the door of the alleyway. This was the second time to check the admission ticket to prevent someone from going to the wrong place. Yuan Shuzhi checked the admission ticket for him, walked in and quickly found the exam number 15.
.
The examination number had been cleaned and repaired in advance and was quite neat. Yuan Shuzhi set up the number board and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief.
The civil service exam is not as complicated as the fake one. It only takes one day. You take the test in the morning, apply for papers in the afternoon, and leave after the exam. There is no need to nail the number curtains, and the wind stove is used to cook tea and porridge... Of course, there is no need for the old man to read the numbers.
Military money and rice. This made Yuan Shuzhi feel that he had a new dynasty atmosphere - he did things so cleanly and neatly.
Several candidates settled down and followed their past habits, walking around in the alleyways, chatting, and some simply smoking. They were all persuaded to go back one by one by the patrolling naturalized staff.
When a gong was heard outside, the staff began to distribute the test papers. The test paper was put in a brown paper bag with a seal and placed on the number board with the admission ticket number written on it. The staff patrolled the alleyway to remind
Candidates: They are not allowed to open papers before the exam begins. The handymen carry large baskets and distribute bamboo kettles filled with boiled cold water to each booth.
"This Australian is really thoughtful."
Yuan Shuzhi put the test paper bag aside, took out the brush and inkstone that he had prepared long ago, and began to sharpen the ink. Zeng Juan advised him to use a dip pen to answer the questions, but he was used to using brushes, and he was really not used to using a dip pen. But the ruler,
Charcoal pencils and other items are all new from Australia.
Gradually, the sounds of people and footsteps outside gradually stopped. Yuan Shuzhi knew that the exam was about to begin, and he couldn't help but become nervous. He knew that whether he could change his destiny depended on this one try!
Not long after, a huge voice sounded in the venue, making the air buzz. This was the loudspeaker announcing the precautions and disciplines in the examination room:
"First, there are five parts to this administrative vocational aptitude test, with a total time limit of one and a half hours. Second, please fill in your name and admission ticket number in the designated position with a black pen or brush. Others are invalid;
third……"
The sound of the loudspeaker finally stopped, and there was silence in the venue. After a while, there was only one cannon shot from the Zhenhai Tower, and the bell and drum towers in the city rang nine times: nine o'clock!
At Zhang Yunmi's signal, a naturalized civilian cadre rang the gong to signify the start of the exam, and the first Guangzhou Civil Service Examination officially began.