43. Fool

Just after he left the examination room, there was no brazier, and he was cold in his single clothes. He tightened his clothes and stepped out of the dragon gate. Read 520 official website

Soon after he left, the main gate closed. The candidates who were collecting their papers inside had to wait until the dragon gate was reopened before they could line up to prevent trampling.

This is the benefit of handing in the papers early.

But Zhou Yuan and others who came with him were still in the examination room, so he waited at the door.

From time to time, a few people also walked out of the examination room.

It is estimated that they had the same idea as Bai Gui, and handed in their papers in advance when the clerks collected the papers, so that they could come out earlier.

"Brother, I wonder how you answered the questions in the Four Books? How did you solve it?"

When a middle-aged Confucian scholar in a county town walked out of the dragon gate, he saw Bai Gui waiting with his examination basket, and his eyes lit up immediately, and he hurried forward to ask.

The county town is not big, and the four young men studying in Bailu Academy are particularly eye-catching. They can be in the same class with the students, although there are some tricks, but if they can do this, as long as they are not mediocre, their knowledge must not be too bad.

Therefore, he wanted to ask Bai Gui how he answered the test paper to give him some confidence.

"By the way, there are also historical questions..."

The middle-aged scholar walked to Bai Gui and asked.

"I don't remember."

Bai Gui shook his head. How could he easily reveal these things in the examination room to others. Tang Yin of the former Ming Dynasty said that he would definitely pass the examination after the spring examination. Everyone knew that Tang Yin was talented, but Tang Yin was still deprived of his fame and was involved in the imperial examination fraud case, and he never raised his head in his life.

In February of the twelfth year of Hongzhi, Tang Yin, Xu Jing, Du Mu, and a group of candidates who had participated in the joint examination had a dinner to celebrate the end of the examination. Tang Bohu was the first in the provincial examination of Yingtian Prefecture. The first in the provincial examination of Yingtian Prefecture was too valuable. Then Tang Yin got drunk and said that he would definitely win the first prize in the imperial examination. There is no first prize in literature. When other candidates asked, Tang Yin immediately told the contents of the imperial examination paper. As a result, when the imperial examination results were announced, Tang Yin was not on the list. He was arrested by the Jinyiwei and imprisoned in the Zhenfu Division on the charge of cheating in the imperial examination. At the same time, the unlucky Minister of Rites Cheng Minzheng was also tricked by Tang Yin.

After the exam, it is no good to be a big mouth.

This is a society ruled by man.

The middle-aged Confucian scholar looked much bleak, but he still maintained his demeanor, bowed to Bai Guixu, and prepared to leave.

"What a rampant young man, the senior asked, but he was so perfunctory?"

Some candidates were angry, thinking that this was a contempt for the middle-aged Confucian scholar, and immediately stood up for him. But they were limited to pointing fingers at Bai Gui in the same place, and for a while, he became a crazy student.

"Everyone, now that we have left the examination room, what is the benefit of thinking about the content of the paper?"

"It is better to empty your mind and face the next exam."

Bai Gui apologized to everyone and said.

He was not angry about this. He was worried about the lessons learned from the past, so he was cautious, but other candidates were different.

Besides, although his tone was humble, the content was indeed a bit too much. Today, these candidates can help the middle-aged scholar to fight for justice, and tomorrow they can also help him to fight for justice. They are also just and there is nothing to blame.

Hearing this, the candidates who had just ridiculed him also showed shame on their faces and bowed to apologize to each other. For a while, everyone was in harmony and the atmosphere was more harmonious.

Although fame is a struggle for thousands of people, it is not that everyone hates each other.

Judging by talent and learning!

Soon, the dragon gate opened.

The candidates who walked out at this time were not as high-spirited as the previous candidates. Some candidates burst into tears and covered their faces with their sleeves. Relatives and friends who had been prepared for a long time came forward to comfort them.

Several elderly candidates looked sad, shook their heads, sighed, and carried their shabby exam baskets and disappeared in the crowd. Soon, they disappeared.

They were young men and had relatives and friends to comfort them.

Now, they are all alone.

All living beings are like this.

"Brother Bai, I didn't expect you to hand in your paper so early. No wonder we didn't see you."

Zhou Yuan said with a smile.

As long as County Magistrate Gu doesn't interfere, it's a sure win for this county exam!

"Go back first."

Bai Gui glanced at the three people taking the exam. Zhou Yuan looked the most proud. He was the most proficient in classics and had a good idea of ​​County Magistrate Gu's temperament. It shouldn't be a big problem. The remaining Bai Xiaowen was neither happy nor disappointed. Lu Zhaopeng was a little worried...

At this moment, Zhou Yuan was proud again, which was no less than rubbing salt on someone's wound.

Zhou Yuan also realized something, apologized to several people, and then took the test basket to the academy in the dark.

They were almost at the entrance of the academy. ,

The frustrated Lu Zhaopeng fell behind several people by three or four steps, and Bai Gui stepped forward to comfort him, "Zhaopeng, it's just a failure in the county exam. Your other knowledge is also very good. Now there is more than one way out."

During the Westernization Movement, the imperial examination system was changed a lot, which was different from the previous dynasty.

For example, in the third year of Tongzhi, the Guangdong Province Translation Provincial Examination was established to cultivate translation talents for the Qing court to communicate with foreigners. It was stipulated that if you have achieved success in Tongwenguan for three years, you can be allowed to take the translation provincial examination, and your qualifications are equivalent to those of the students of the Imperial Academy. If there are people who are proficient in Western languages, they can be transferred directly to Beijing for examination and granted official positions.

When the Westernization Movement was underway, it was discovered that "the strength of the navy was mainly determined by ships and guns, and the skill of ships and guns was based on mathematics." Therefore, in the ninth year of Tongzhi, Shen Baozhen and Ying Gui jointly proposed a plan to set up a special mathematics department. Those who were admitted could "work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, and in the Navy, Customs, Salt and Grain Departments, and the various departments of ships and guns." Although it was rejected in the end, after the Sino-French War, a special mathematics department was also established.

However, mathematics students in the mathematics department had to learn modern literature and science knowledge as well as the words of the sages in the Four Books and Five Classics, and the number of admissions was also quite limited.

In the Jichou Enke County Examination in 1889, there were only 15 mathematics students who applied for the examination, which did not even meet the most basic requirement of 20 people to set up an examination room.

In addition, there were also art departments.

Later, the Reform Movement of 1898 made many improvements to the imperial examination and added many special departments.

However, compared with the above special examinations, the traditional eight-part essay is the right way to select scholars.

Of course, the current eight-part essay selection is different from the previous dynasty. In the Reform Movement of 1898, it was mentioned that "the regular examination and the annual economic examination will be merged into one, and both will be tested on policy essays. The essay will be tested on historical events; the policy essay will be tested on current affairs and specialization."

The censor Song Bolu wrote a letter and said bluntly: "Those who come from the imperial examination have never heard of Western learning; those who come from the academy are confused about Chinese studies."

Therefore, in the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu, the Ministry of Rites re-drafted the 13 articles of the provincial and metropolitan examination regulations: "Each person expresses his own opinions in the policy essay, and the format should be lenient. This is to test scholars, so as to emphasize the practical economics, especially the actual application, and not empty words..."

But...

All of this involves the provincial and metropolitan examinations.

Whether it is the Westernization Movement or the Reform Movement of 1898, it is a top-down reform. The provincial and metropolitan examinations above have changed, but the county, prefectural, and academy examinations below are still the same, with only slight additions and modifications.

For example, the county exam in Zishui County, which just ended, did not have any historical essay questions according to convention, but only questions about the Four Books, the Five Classics, and test poems.

Poetry and prose were not important in the Ming and Qing dynasties, so the test poems were cancelled in the first county exam.

"Yes, Brother Gui, it's just an exam!"

Lu Zhaopeng murmured to himself, tears falling down his cheeks, "My father and grandfather supported me and my brother to go to school, just so that they could set off a few strings of cannons on my ancestors' graves before they died, so that they could face their ancestors after they went down..."

"I am not a human being. I clearly knew the temperament of the ancient county magistrate, but I just...just wrote that the reform should be carried out..."

"I am sorry to my ancestors!"

He whispered softly, and then turned to crying loudly.

Bai Gui was silent, and could only gently stroke Lu Zhaopeng's back, comforting Lu Zhaopeng with silent words.

Writing about the reform seems to be the behavior of a fool.

But... there are some fools.

Foolish and cute.

Knowing that it is impossible to do it, but doing it anyway.

There was a popular saying in my past life: "The reason why life is beautiful is that someone is carrying the burden for you."