Chapter 048 Formal County Examination
The so-called "official seal of recognition" can be simply understood as an admission ticket, but it is relatively more complicated.
In ancient times, there were no image recognition tools such as ID cards and photos, and the soldiers guarding the gate could not know what all the candidates looked like. In order to prevent someone from taking the exam or writing for someone else, this anti-cheating method was developed.
"The identification official's seal" is an administrative document. When Shen Yichen applied for the exam and filled in the information at the county's etiquette office, the identification officer next to him would fill in this administrative document, which also contained Shen Yichen's basic information and was stamped with an official seal.
More importantly, this administrative document will also have the identification officer's own signature.
If there is any suspicion that a candidate has a problem, the identification officer will come out to identify the signature and determine whether the admission ticket is forged.
This method is equivalent to adding an official insurance in addition to the guarantee, in order to ensure the fairness and justice of the imperial examination as much as possible .
It is impossible for Shen Yichen to ask someone to take the exam for him. If he had this idea, he would not have remained a student for so many years. In addition, the food and clothes prepared were also very clear about the taboos, so the search was quickly released.
After entering the examination hall, the first thing you see is not the examination room, but a two-story main building called Dushi Building. This is where the chief examiner and the deacon officials are on guard and give orders during the entire county examination.
After entering the examination room, each candidate must first go to the main hall of the building to meet the chief examiner to verify his identity. Then, the clerk will lead him to his own room and distribute the examination paper.
Shen Yichen was very familiar with the terrain here, and strode into the main hall of Duzhi Building. However, he seemed to have forgotten one thing, that is, today's chief examiner could barely be called an "old acquaintance."
Jiangning County Magistrate Zhou Shun sat upright in the middle of the hall, with the county magistrate and the teaching officer on his left and right.
Today's county exam was the first one that Zhou Shun presided over after he became the magistrate of Jiangning. Although the county exam was not like the imperial exam, where the chief examiner had the title of teacher, it was still for the emperor to recruit talents, so this sense of honor was great.
However, as time went by, Zhou Shun felt his back ache from sitting in a dignified posture for a long time. The sense of honor he had at the beginning had long disappeared, and he was looking forward to the students coming in quickly so that he could finish the greeting and start the exam.
The previous student had just left, and another student was about to come in. Zhou Shun was already numb to such scenes today. He didn't even have the time to look carefully at who was coming, and just prepared to go through the process.
"Jiangning student Shen Yichen pays homage to the officials."
"Well, I hope you will win the first prize. Go down."
"Students please leave."
Shen Yichen bowed and said goodbye, preparing to follow the clerk to the dormitory, but at this moment he suddenly heard a voice from the hall: "Wait!"
"I wonder what else the parents have to say?"
Shen Yichen asked with his head down.
But it was useless to lower his head at this time. Zhou Shun looked at him with a very strange expression on his face and said, "Friend Shen, we meet again."
When the name "Shen Xiaoyou" came out, the county magistrates and teachers on both sides of Zhou Shun looked at him with strange eyes. He was just a student who had not yet entered school, and the dignified Jiangning County Magistrate called him "Xiaoyou"?
Could it be that this young man from a noble family has greeted County Magistrate Zhou and needs special care?
Even so, it is better for everyone to understand the unspoken rules and not to engage in shady operations so openly. It seems that this new county magistrate still does not know how to be an official.
Unlike other officials in the hall, as soon as Shen Yichen heard the name Shen Xiaoyou, he understood that Zhou Shun remembered the past when he was fooled by him.
The reason why he lowered his head and wanted to greet and leave quickly was because he was afraid that Zhou Shun would be petty and hold a grudge. What if he tried to make things difficult for him?
You have to know that there are good and bad dormitories. New dormitories are all made of brick walls, which can reduce the cold wind in February. The inferior dormitories may not even have a roof, and you will be soaked when it rains.
It would be fine if I got wet in the rain, but the ink on my test paper was smudged by the rain, so I would have to take the county exam again next year.
So this is not a secret operation at all, it's clearly because they are afraid of retaliation!
"Hehe, you are too polite, I can't afford it."
Shen Yichen smiled awkwardly. Calling him "little friend" in front of everyone seemed like he had bad intentions.
In fact, Shen Yichen really misunderstood County Magistrate Zhou. He called him "little friend" not because he wanted to retaliate, so he deliberately teased him. It was just that he didn't react immediately and called him subconsciously.
At the family dinner at Duke Chengguo's mansion that day, although he was fooled by Shen Yichen and accepted as a student, County Magistrate Zhou did not hold a grudge for such a small issue of respect and etiquette.
On the contrary, if Shen Yichen had not been there that day, he would have been the lowest-ranking official at the table, and would have been extremely restrained and humble in front of a group of bigwigs and high-ranking officials.
In a sense, Shen Yichen's existence made Zhou Shun feel like he was a "kindred spirit". They could have a relaxed conversation without caring about status or formalities.
Not to mention the talent that Shen Yichen displayed later, which made Zhou Shun admire him so much that it was not an exaggeration to call him "young friend".
Of course, at this moment in the county examination hall, and as the chief examiner, it would not be appropriate to call him "young friend". It would be easy for people to think that I am being partial.
So when Zhou Shun discovered this problem, he immediately put on a stern face and replied expressionlessly: "Well, go into the examination room."
Zhou Shun's reaction made Shen Yichen even more uneasy!
Damn it, County Magistrate Zhou has given me a cold shoulder, it seems I will definitely be in trouble this time. If I had known earlier, I should have told the students at the family dinner, but I had to hide it and acquiesce for the sake of face, lowering County Magistrate Zhou's seniority. Now it's too late to regret...
With a heavy heart, Shen Yichen took the test paper from the clerk and walked out of the main hall.
As he walked, he thought to himself, let alone whether the roof was good or not, he might be assigned to the "stinky cellar". He was afraid that he would have to spend the next few days like a year.
The so-called "stinky cell" is a cell next to the toilet. Sixty or seventy people in a row share one toilet. You can imagine the smell when sitting next to it.
It's OK if it's cold, but the temperature is high in the autumn , just like a poison gas bomb. If you are unlucky and meet two people with diarrhea, you will experience what it means to be devastated and live a life worse than death!
With this trepidation, Shen Yichen was brought to the "Yu" room. The rooms in Xiajiang Examination Hall were numbered according to the order of the Thousand Character Classic. The "Yu" room was an old room and was located right in the middle of the rooms.
You should know that in ancient times, the middle of the rooms were the prime locations. There was no need to worry about wind and rain, and it could also avoid the "stinky rooms" at the end, the "fire rooms" close to cooking, and the "front rooms" close to the aisles, where one's thoughts would be interrupted by the footsteps of patrolling corvées.
"Mr. Shen, please come in and I wish you a quick pass in high school."
The clerk had a flattering smile on his face, and after saying this, he retreated, leaving Shen Yichen still a little confused.
what's the situation?
Shen Yichen vaguely remembered that in the previous county examinations, the clerks acted like they were worth two and a half million. After bringing him to the examination room, they just waved their hands and left.
How could it be like today, where not only did he greet people with a smile, but he also gave them a blessing?
Another thing is the location of this house. Shen Yichen is very clear that this kind of prime location will be allocated in advance by the children of high-ranking officials.
Cheating in the imperial examination is a serious crime, so there should be no problem in picking a number and position. So under normal circumstances, it is impossible for me to be brought here. Could it be that my good luck has exploded?
Shen Yichen didn't understand why, but the clerk knew it very well, because when leaving the main hall, County Magistrate Zhou gave him a look.
This look was the customary code for the county examination. Once a relative came in, they would be arranged to the best room. This practice of using connections to find convenience was inevitable in that dynasty.
No matter what the reason was, it was better to sit in a good seat than a bad one. So Shen Yichen quickly put these doubts behind him, walked into the Yuzi dormitory, put out the pen, ink, paper, inkstone and other examination tools, and waited for the exam time to come.
Perhaps because of the large number of people, Shen Yichen waited for almost an hour before he heard the gong sound that signaled the start of the exam. At this moment, the entire examination room suddenly became quiet, with only the rustling sound of turning over the test papers.
Shen Yichen was naturally not idle either. He spread out the test paper and pressed it with a paperweight to prevent it from being blown by the wind. After doing all this, he waited for the military service officer holding the sign to announce the test questions.
The first round of the county examination had three questions in total, two essays from the Four Books and one five-character six-rhyme test poem. The first two essays from the Four Books were particularly important, while the latter poem was not so important.
In addition, the county exam does not require filling in the name, so there is no traditional practice of writing the name first. However, there is a number on the upper left corner of each test paper, and the examiner uses this to determine which candidate wrote it.
Even when you hand in your paper, you can still have a chat with the examiner, and you might even develop a liking for him or her.
Of course, this opportunity only comes to those who hand in their papers first. If you hand in your papers late in the morning, there won’t be time or opportunity for the examiner to chat with you even if he wants to.
This is why Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong held a family banquet before leaving Nanjing, so that the students of the private school could leave a good impression in front of the examiners at all levels.
It may be this first glance that determines whether you can get into high school!
Shen Yichen didn't have to wait long, and soon a soldier holding a wooden sign came towards him. On the wooden sign was a piece of white paper with the test questions for this county exam written on it.
The first question in the Four Books is titled: If the people are well-off, how can the ruler be dissatisfied?
The second question from the Four Books is titled: The heartless cannot express their true intentions, and they greatly fear the people’s will. This is called knowing the root.
The third question requires a poem of five words and six rhymes. There are no requirements for the question, so candidates can express themselves freely.
However, this free expression only applies to the content, not the format. It must follow the rules of five words and six rhymes, and must be based on ancient poems or idioms, so it is called a trial poem.
After seeing the two Four Books questions, Shen Yichen immediately copied them down on a piece of draft paper. Otherwise, he would forget the questions and have to wait for the military service sign to be raised before walking around again.
Thus, Shen Yichen's first imperial examination after traveling back to the Ming Dynasty began.
