BSI Chapter 51 The First Round of the Provincial Examination
Chapter 51 The First Round of the Provincial Examination
The "floating ticket" was actually the examination admission ticket in later times. Candidates participating in the provincial examination had to bring a guarantee letter to verify their eligibility before they could receive the floating ticket.
After receiving the floating ticket, on the day of the provincial examination, one could enter the examination hall with the ticket and draw a number to participate in the provincial examination.
The five men, accompanied by their entourage, arrived at the Tongzhou Examination Hall. Since there were still more than ten days until the deadline, there weren't many people coming to exchange their floating tickets each day, so there was no need to queue.
Perhaps because of what they had said at the inn earlier, Sun Zhigao and Guo Xun behaved very well. After exchanging their floating tickets, they followed Zhou An and the others back to the inn.
Because of the two people's delay, it was almost noon when they returned to the inn.
Zhou An read for a while, ate lunch, took a nap, and then went out for a stroll in the afternoon. He returned to the inn in the evening.
The next few days were almost the same: reading in the morning, taking a nap in the afternoon and then going out for a stroll, and then reading again and resting in the evening.
Sun Zhigao and Guo Xun behaved themselves for a few days, but then they started staying out all night again.
However, this time the two learned their lesson and would inform Xiao Er in advance even if they weren't going to reply.
Zhou An and his group were too lazy to care. As long as they didn't get into trouble, they could do whatever they wanted.
Since Sun Zhigao and his gang were willing to seek pleasure in brothels, it meant they had two fewer competitors.
And so, time passed day by day, and before we knew it, it was March 20th, and the provincial examination officially began.
Early that morning, as dawn broke, the five men, each accompanied by their attendants, carrying large and small bags, headed to the examination hall.
During the imperial examinations, no food or bedding was provided, and each exam could last for several days, so it was impossible to go without food and water.
Candidates must prepare and bring all of these themselves.
Along the way, we encountered many candidates, and the closer we got to the examination hall, the more we encountered.
When they arrived near the examination hall, the roads were all blocked.
Fortunately, there were yamen runners maintaining order, and they moved forward little by little. After about an incense stick's time, it was Zhou An's turn.
They each took the items from their attendants, carried them on their backs, and lined up.
After the clerk at the gate checked the floating tickets, he let them draw numbers from the box next to them.
When it was Zhou An's turn, he drew number 31.
Seeing this number, Zhou An breathed a sigh of relief.
Although candidates had to eat, drink, and relieve themselves in the examination hall during the exam, it was impossible for them to do so in their examination cells.
The examination cells are cramped; if this were done, how could the candidates possibly endure it?
Candidates had to be led to the latrine by yamen runners whenever they needed to use the restroom. And if their cell was near the latrine, the experience was... well...
The examination hall has been established for so many years that the locations of the examination cells near the latrines have long been recorded.
The booklet that Zhou An bought earlier was still somewhat useful; it recorded which cells were located near the latrines.
However, the number Shen Thirty-One that he drew was not among them.
After drawing their numbers, Sun Zhigao and the others all smiled, and it seemed that none of them went near the latrine.
After drawing their numbers, they were able to enter the examination hall. There were three lines in the courtyard, and they lined up in the left-hand line under the guidance of the yamen runners.
They entered the room in groups of five, and it was soon their turn.
Upon entering the room, a minor official pointed to the ground on the left and said, "Put your things here, and have the person over there take off their clothes!"
The five people did as instructed, put down their belongings, and went to the right to start taking off their clothes.
To prevent cheating, candidates were required to remove their clothes for inspection during the imperial examinations, and even their food and bedding were thoroughly checked.
How meticulous?
Foods like steamed buns and pastries need to be broken apart.
After taking off their clothes, they would not only check for any hidden layers in the clothes, but also check any places on the person's body where they might have hidden cheat sheets.
The Mencius said in “Gao Tianxia”: “When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test his mind, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body, and leave him destitute.”
Zhou An felt that some of the procedures and rules of the imperial examinations were very consistent with this passage.
Leaving aside the hardships of years of studying, the prospect of being stripped naked and inspected by a group of people during the imperial examinations was a trampling of dignity for scholars.
They were naked, their food was broken in half, and they didn't even know if the people around them had washed their hands.
But no matter how disgusting it is, they still have to eat it later, because they will be hungry if they don't.
But these scholars, who used to be quick to condemn even the slightest inappropriate words or actions as disgraceful, are quite composed when faced with such situations.
Perhaps it's because it offers the opportunity to become an official.
It's no wonder that some people go crazy after failing exams repeatedly, and also go crazy after suddenly passing them.
"You can get dressed now!"
"After confirming that there were no problems," the official said.
The five men immediately picked up their clothes and put them on, then carried their belongings and entered the examination hall's examination cell area through the back door.
"Go left for the Heavenly Stems, go right for the Earthly Branches! Each area is marked. Enter the corresponding area and find your cell. Anyone who talks to others, wanders around at will, or enters the wrong cell will be disqualified!" the constable shouted.
The five remained silent. Zhou An and Guo Xun walked to the right, while Sun Zhigao and the others walked to the left.
The long corridor was lined with rows of cells, with less than two meters between the front and back rows, and there was a door at the entrance.
There was a sign written on a wooden board on the wall by the entrance.
Zhou An found the area corresponding to his license plate number, pushed open the door, and went inside.
On one side of the narrow passageway was a wall, and on the other side were cells slightly larger than coffins.
The examination cells only had half a door, which was to facilitate patrols by the yamen runners to check on the candidates.
Zhou An found his cell, pushed open the door, and went inside.
The cramped space smelled musty; there was a table on the outside and a bed board on the inside.
A bamboo basket was hanging above the table.
Zhou An put the things down, took down the bamboo basket, and saw that inside were writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, candles, tinder, and two bamboo rafts.
The two bamboo rafts had signs indicating "Toilet" and "Water Refill," and a rope was tied to one end.
If someone needs to use the restroom or add drinking water, they can hang up the corresponding bamboo raft, and the patrolling constables will make arrangements upon seeing it.
The cell was dimly lit. Zhou An lit a candle, then opened the bundle, laid out the bedding, and put out the food.
After he finished his work, he sat and waited for the provincial examination to begin.
After waiting for more than an hour, the faint sound of shouts to close the gates and seal the courtyard could be heard outside.
During the provincial examinations, entry and exit from the examination hall were prohibited, and those inside were not allowed any contact with the outside world.
About an incense stick's time had passed since the courtyard was sealed off, when the shouts of the yamen runners came from outside.
"Get the water containers ready, the water's coming right away!"
The shouts of the yamen runners echoed throughout the examination hall, and the candidates hurriedly took out their cups or bamboo tubes to wait.
Zhou An carried a bamboo tube; if the porcelain tube broke, he would have to stay thirsty during the exam.
Thirst can be endured, but grinding ink requires water. If the inkstone is damaged and can no longer hold water, then there is no ink to use, and the exam will come to an end.
By the time the water was added and the answer sheets were handed out, it was already noon.
Zhou An didn't rush to grind ink and answer the questions. He glanced at the questions briefly, found them not too difficult, and then put them aside and took out some dry rations to eat.
After eating and drinking some water, I picked up the answer sheet and began to read it carefully.
Like the provincial examination, the provincial examination consisted of three parts: poetry and prose, classical texts, and policy essays.
The first exam was on poetry and prose, requiring participants to write a poem and a piece of parallel prose on a given topic.
The poems used in the imperial examinations were different from those used in ordinary poetry writing, and it was difficult to distinguish between them in terms of difficulty.