Taoyuan Farmhouse Daily

The township examination is divided into three sessions, each of which takes three days. After each session, you can go home and rest for a day, so that you can start the next session with enough energy.

Because it takes three days to enter, and you don't have to pay attention to your appearance like the college exam. You have to wear a long gown during the college exam, but there is no such regulation in the township exam, so you can wear it however conveniently.Many people took the exam in the most comfortable and convenient way, and some even looked like small handymen, so they couldn't tell that they were scholars at all.

When Chang Xile came to the examination room, there were already many people around outside, not only the candidates but also the servants who helped the candidates carry things, etc., and there were also scenes like the later generations, where one person took the exam and the whole family came to deliver it.But no one dared to make loud noises, although there were many people, they were extremely orderly.

At this time, no one dares to be troublesome, otherwise it is very likely that they will not be able to take the exam this year.Seriously, they will even be blacklisted, and they will miss the scientific examination in this life.

There were also two sergeants standing at the entrance of the examination room who were dedicated to body searches. They had to check everything from hairdos to feet and shoes.Candidates even have to open their skirts and check inside and out, which is very strict.

Song Wancheng said in a low voice: "Nowadays, the inspection in the examination room is getting stricter and stricter. I heard that someone was caught cheating in the last rural examination, and was severely punished later."

As soon as the voice fell, there was movement over there.

"You are so brave, you dare to cheat!"

The sergeant took out a slip of paper from a candidate's bedding and handed it to the reviewing outreach officer. The outreach officer was furious when he saw it.

"Your Excellency is wronged. The student didn't put this thing in, and the student doesn't know why there is such a thing in it!" The examinee was so frightened that his legs went limp when he saw this, and he quickly defended himself.

"It's really shameless to still argue about things until now! If a person like you enters the court and becomes an official, how can I have a peaceful day in Daliang, and the people of the world will have a peaceful life! Come on, put me in the shackles and punish me!" He stood at the gate of the Gongyuan for a month!"

As soon as the outreach officer gave an order, the sergeant rushed forward and handcuffed the scholar swiftly.

The shackles weigh at least a few dozen catties, and for a frail scholar, it is not only a shame, but also a punishment.

The examinee was frightened immediately, and kept groaning for himself, "My lord, the student was wronged. The student really didn't put this in. Someone must have intentionally harmed me. My lord, please look into it!"

The outreach officer sneered, "I'm still talking about it now, you know that lying is adding to the crime. You only need to compare the handwriting on it to know what it is! Even if you are wronged, as an examinee, even this You can’t do anything properly, and you’re not qualified for scientific examinations!”

Hearing this, the entraining examinee immediately collapsed to the ground, dared not speak again, and was dragged aside by the sergeant.

With such a big commotion, many people were taken aback.

Some people obviously have no ghosts in their hearts, but they can't help but check it again before going in. They are afraid that they accidentally put things in that shouldn't be put in when cleaning up, and their future will be ruined, and they will be severely punished. , I'm afraid my life will be in danger.

Although most of them were because of nervousness, there were also a small number of people with ulterior motives who were deterred and secretly discarded them.There are also people who consciously hide deeply, but have not given up.And obviously those sergeants were more experienced, and later arrested two more people.

What kind of paper slips are hidden in the crotch, the soles of the shoes are tricky, and the methods are very clever. Before I saw it, I did my homework.But it was obviously not smart enough, and he was caught.

What Chang Xile admired was that these people were able to write such small characters with a calligraphy brush, it was amazing.

In one exam, three cheaters were caught, and the whole face of the external relations officer who checked was ashen.

Chang Xile and Song Wancheng checked carefully last night. Although they were a little scared, they were still calm.

It was almost Chang Xile's turn to go in, and Chang Yu looked at him with reluctance in his eyes.Only then did Chang Xile respond, this was the first time since the two of them had known each other that they had been away from each other for such a long time.

"You stay at home and wait for me to come back. Don't stay here, or if you let me know, I will be angry." Chang Xile stared into Chang Yu's eyes and said seriously.

Chang Yu was taken into consideration by the words, and his eyes were a little erratic.

Chang Xile didn't know what he was thinking, and whispered in Chang Yu's ear: "If you dare not listen to me, then we have to sleep in separate rooms!"

This threat was very effective for Chang Yu, and he froze immediately.

Chang Xi was glad to see that he knew he had listened to him like this. Although he was a little embarrassed to threaten him in this way, he couldn't control so much now, as long as it was effective.

"Don't try to lie to me. You should know that I hate others lying to me the most. If I know, I will be even angrier. You should know that you can't hide it from me."

Chang Yu's shoulders became more and more slumped, making Song Wancheng beside him very curious about what Chang Xile said just now, which made Chang Yu, who was always full of energy, look like this.I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, these two people are too tired, and newly married couples are not like this.

Finally it was Chang Xile's turn to be searched. Because of the careful investigation, it was inevitable that people would touch her. Chang Yu's eyes seemed to tear people apart.

The two sergeants who were carefully checking didn't know about it, they just felt chills down their spines, and because they felt evil, they checked Chang Xile more loosely, and Chang Xile went in very quickly.But this is also because of the scars on Chang Xile's face. They knew that no matter how good Chang Xile did in the exam, she would be hindered by her appearance. For peace of mind.

Only in this way can they dare to be a little sloppy, and if they are found to be involved in fraud in the scientific research, they will be punished if they have not been found out in the previous inspection, so there is no room for error.

All candidates entered the venue, and the outer curtain officials sealed the door and locked the courtyard.

After Chang Xile went in, she received the test paper. There were no questions on the test paper, and it would not be delivered to the dormitory until midnight, that is, twelve o'clock in the middle of the night.Chang Xile was very speechless about such a schedule, it was hardly a rhythm that made people sleep.

Not only that, the first thing Chang Xile did when she entered the examination room was not to answer the questions or review what she had learned, but to start tidying up the small and cramped dormitory.

The people here are very irresponsible. They don't even hire someone to clean up before the exam. The dormitory is full of cobwebs and dust. You have to clean it yourself before answering the questions.No wonder they let people in ahead of time, so they had to do these things.If it was left in later generations, the parents would have to bombard the Education Bureau.

Chang Xile also felt a little wronged by the government here, and the government didn't completely ignore it. Two months ago, they had already organized people to clean it up, and even hired people to catch snakes, rats, insects, and ants. Otherwise, the place would have been closed for three years. Just a little cobwebs and dust and the grass is overgrown.

Fortunately for Chang Xile, his position is not bad. If he is placed near the latrine - known as the "shit number", he will really faint in the toilet. There are already some candidates who are unfortunate enough to be placed there Howling, 'God is going to kill me'.

There were three brick walls in the house, and the south side was open. Chang Xile hung up the oilcloth curtains that had been prepared by Realization to keep out the wind and rain. This was prepared by Gao Yuan, and they hadn't thought of this before.If there is extreme weather and the test paper gets wet, then this time the test will have to be over.The government doesn't care about this kind of mistake, and all the consequences are conceited, and there is no place to reason at all, it's just so dragging.

Each room is three feet wide and four feet deep, which is about one square meter.If it’s okay to answer the exam questions, but if you want to sleep here, you can’t stretch your whole body at all. At this time, you have to be thankful that you are not a big or fat person.He had to stay here for three days, so Chang Xile lit the wax for himself.

Because Chang Xile packed the things he brought in according to his own habits before he came in, and he usually does it by himself, so the packing speed is very fast.So while other candidates are still busy, he has already started to live and cook.

Chang Xile brought a complete set of food, and she couldn't sleep well here, and if she couldn't eat well, she couldn't resist it even more.Therefore, there are a lot of things to bring. If it is not for regular exercise and putting it on the thinner scholar, I can't pick it out.However, the government was thoughtful and sent special handymen to take care of such chores.

Although Chang Xile didn't know how many exams he had gone through since he was a child, it was the first time he took such an exam, which made him feel a little funny.Probably because of this kind of experience, he relaxed instead, and started to cook dinner very leisurely.

For the sake of convenience, Chang Xile made assorted casserole rice noodles, which were actually stewed in a pot.There are meat and vegetables and staple food in it, which is nutritious and healthy without the hassle of cooking and cooking.He likes to eat rice noodles very much, and he will not get tired of eating them for three days in a row.

The soup base was boiled on the spot with the chicken that had been slaughtered before. Anyway, it was still early, so Chang Xile asked him to boil it first, so as to make a delicious chicken soup before continuing.

Because the exam has not started yet, so you can walk around in the exam room at will, as long as you don't make too much noise and chat with people at will, Chang Xile took advantage of this time to find Song Wancheng.

Song Wancheng was a little far away from him, and it took him a long time to find him.At this time, Song Wancheng had already lit the fire, and there was a pre-prepared snail and pig's trotter stew in it, which was strongly requested by Song Wancheng.

Chang Xile's ability to find Song Wancheng was partly due to this snail and pig's trotter stew. Although it was covered with a lid, the smell was still very strong, and it could be smelled from a long way away.

Chang Xile planned to eat such a strong food during the exam, and it was very spicy.In these three days, a layer of human skin will be peeled off, and the spleen must be weak. It is not appropriate to eat irritating things at this time.If you accidentally get diarrhea or get angry, you will be in trouble.

But Song Wancheng insisted that as long as this thing was needed, he said that it was spicy and refreshed, and it was not so difficult to have this mouthful for the past three days.

When I came to the mansion, because snails are not popular, no one sells them and it is quite difficult to find them, so I rarely do them on weekdays.Song Wancheng has always liked this mouthful, taking advantage of the exam to make himself happy.Chang Xi was happy to see that there was nothing to say, so he could only let him go, and even became an accomplice, cooking for him himself.

"Do you think you will be beaten?" Chang Xile inhaled the strong fragrance, shook her head and sighed.

Some people didn't bring their own pots, and they just planned to eat some dry food to survive, or let the horned army cook it for them.

In fact, there is no need to do it yourself, you just need to take out the ingredients and hand them over to the responsible number army to cook in the kitchen.It's just that they only care about the cooking, regardless of the taste, and the cooked food is hard to describe, so many people choose to do it themselves.

Even if they do it by themselves, there are not many scholars here who can toss about these things on weekdays, and their level is only a little better than cooking.Isn't it annoying to produce such a strong aroma now?Look, there are already many people gathered here, still swallowing secretly.

Chang Xile was originally joking, but now she is really worried. The first day was fine, but after the next two days... the picture is too beautiful to imagine.

"Who told them not to prepare themselves well? If they can't even resist this temptation, how will they become officials in the court in the future? It's just that I help the court to screen out these people."

Chang Xile's eyes widened, and she was able to do this, "I never thought you would be so scheming!"

Song Wancheng laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "Little brother, you are still too tender. How about it, do you want to eat here with my brother? Let's talk about life while sucking snails in the tribute courtyard. Opportunities are rare."

"No, I haven't eaten spicy food for a long time. I don't know how many dogwoods you put in this pot. I don't want to kill you here." Chang Xile thought of something, and said: "Don't give it to others indiscriminately. If the other party If you have diarrhea, you will definitely be blamed at that time. Even if you remind in advance, you will be blamed."

"Don't worry about it. I'm like a little old man at such a young age. I'm about ten years older than you, so I still have this kind of care. You should go back quickly. Don't be drugged, but it will be troublesome." gone."

Chang Xile said in disbelief, "It's not that bad, is it? Isn't there someone watching it?"

Song Wancheng shrugged, "It's hard to say. During the last provincial examination, something like this happened."

Chang Xile didn't know what to say, "There are so many people staring at her, it's really bold. Besides, one of them was poisoned, isn't there many more?"

"Who knows, those who can do this are not normal people, who can figure it out. Anyway, be careful in everything, don't walk around when you go back this time, and remember to put down the tarpaulin curtain when you leave the dormitory. There are a lot of tricks."

Chang Xile responded repeatedly, and returned to her place without any further delay.At this time, the chicken he stewed has already exuded bursts of aroma, although it is not as rich as Song Wancheng's, but there are a lot of good ingredients in it, so the taste is also very delicious, which makes many people salivate.

But even so, most people still have a good face, and they have to swallow the dry food they bring with their teeth. No one has the cheek to ask for it, so as not to make people feel embarrassed.

So the people around Chang Xile looked at him holding a large bowl of assorted casserole rice noodles with all kinds of color and fragrance, eating sweetly, and he could only smell the taste while eating tasteless dry food or the clear soup he made randomly. .

After eating and drinking enough, Chang Xile fell asleep in the dormitory.Because the place is too small, I can only lie down curled up.He had always complained that he was not very tall in this life, estimated to be only about 1.7 meters, but now it seems that it is quite good.If he had Chang Xiwang's body now, he really didn't know how he would survive the past few nights.

Chang Xile thought that he would not be able to fall asleep, but he didn't expect to fall asleep soon after lying down, and didn't wake up until the question was asked.Twelve o'clock in the middle of the night was the time to go to bed, but everyone just got the question, so they couldn't bear to sleep, they all looked at the question and thought about how to answer it.

The first test was "Four Books" and "Five Classics", and the questions were from the areas Chang Xile was most familiar with. He closed his eyes and thought about it, and he probably had an idea in his head.However, he was not in a hurry to answer. Instead, he wrote down his thoughts with a piece of waste paper, and then continued to read the next question, and it was the same for the next question.

It took about an hour for everything to go smoothly.Chang Xile did not start writing like everyone else, but continued to sleep with the quilt rolled up.If you stay up so late at night, you will be sad during the day.I didn't sleep well at first, if black and white are still reversed, it will be very difficult to survive on the third day.

Chang Xile used to be in poor health, so she is also very familiar with the functions of the human body, and she is even more clear about herself, so she has already planned the procedure to answer the questions.

But he had just slept for a while, when he heard a scream from the next door, "My test paper! It's over, it's over, my test paper is on fire!"

At this time, the invigilator immediately reprimanded, "Don't make any noise!"

"My lord, my test paper is on fire, but can you still give me a copy?"

"There is only one copy of all the test papers, there is no extra, you can't even protect the test papers yourself, so why do you take the test!"

The person whose test paper was burned didn't dare to wail, but started to cry. In the middle of the night, it was another old man, and his voice was quite scary.

Chang Xile fell asleep in a daze while crying, and when she woke up the next day, that person had already asked to leave.Because of a small mistake, there is no other way but to wait for another three years to continue.

Because everyone has lingering fears about this matter, they are very careful when answering the questions at night, for fear that they will accidentally set their test papers on fire.

But there are always things that cannot be guarded against. Some people are anxious to answer the questions on the first day, and start to sleep the next day when they are too sleepy during the day. As a result, black and white are reversed. Moreover, many people feel that their minds are clearer at night, so many people answer questions at night. As a result, the probability of accidental accidents also increases.

Especially on the last night, everyone's spirits were already very sluggish, and many people were struggling to hold on. If they lost their minds, they could easily knock over the oil lamps. After working hard for more than two days, the results fell short.

Chang Xile felt that she had come to the right place in the provincial examination. Even if she failed to pass the examination, it would not be a waste of time to experience how scholars took the examination in ancient times.

The first exam was finally over. Although Chang Xile ate well inside, she didn't sleep well, and she was still mentally tortured. As soon as she came out of the exam room, she saw Chang Yu and lay on top of him.

"I'm so sleepy, I have to go back to sleep. No, I have to take a shower first! I haven't showered for three days, I'm going to be rotten!"

"Okay, let's go back now, Lele, go to sleep, and I'll wake you up later."

With Chang Yu by her side, Chang Xile felt very at ease. Not long after getting into the carriage, she fell asleep in Chang Yu's arms and didn't know when she would return home.When he woke up, he had been stripped naked and put into the bathtub.

"Lele, you're awake, I'll help you rub your back."

Chang Xile didn't refuse this time, he didn't know how dirty it was without washing for three days, and he really didn't have any strength at all.In the first two days in the examination room, there was nothing wrong with it, but the third day became very difficult.But because the spirit has been tense all the time, it can hold it, but as soon as I get out of the examination room, I relax, and the whole person is lazy and doesn't even want to move a finger.

Those who are not in good health, some people have already fainted in the first match, and they may not be able to come later.

This is not only a test of willpower, but also a test of the physical fitness of the candidates.

"It's so comfortable. It's like being in a prison. I can't stretch my body." Chang Xile sighed while lying in the tub with her eyes closed.

"I'll help you press and feel comfortable."

Chang Yu rubbed Chang Xile's back, massaged and washed his hair, and waited for the bath. Chang Xile felt that she was several catties lighter than before.He wanted to go to bed directly, but was stopped by Chang Yu.

"Lele's hair hasn't dried yet, and she has to eat something. Do you remember to take medicine these days?"

"I'm almost sleepy, let's talk about what's going on later."

As he said that, he wanted to throw himself into the bed again, but Chang Yu fished him out.

"Lele is obedient, not willful."

Hearing this, Chang Xile suddenly became sober, and suddenly realized why his and Chang Yu's roles had started to switch.Wasn't he the one who said this in the past? I didn't expect that he would be respected by the other party now.

Chang Xile broke away from Chang Yu's arms, squinting her eyes full of threats and said: "You kid, you have also started to teach me a lesson."

Chang Yu said seriously: "Threesomes must have my teacher."

"Get lost! It's nonsense to say anything." Chang Yu pretended to stretch out his foot to kick, and Chang Yu dodged it with a smile.

"Lele is so energetic, so let's eat something and go to sleep after eating, good boy." Chang Yu looked at him lovingly, exactly the same expression as he used to.

It is said that people will look alike when they are together for a long time, most of the reason is because of the mutual influence of facial expressions, movements and tone of voice, etc. Chang Xile and Chang Yu are like this now.

Chang Xile almost wanted to roll her eyes, "Forget that I'm afraid of you, why don't I get up? I didn't expect Feng Shui to turn around. It's only been a while, and my position is going to be hard to protect."

Chang Yu promised: "I will always listen to Lele's words."

"Then I'm going to sleep now."

"except this."

"Didn't you just listen to me?"

"But you said that you can't follow blindly. It's not good for your health to go to bed hungry without food. You're self-willed now, so you can't listen to what you say."

"You kid has more and more truths. I let you finish everything. What else can I say?"

Chang Yu smiled and said, "It's Lele who taught well."

Chang Xile gave him an angry look, "I'm getting more and more flattering, isn't it about eating, how can I eat without food? By the way, I want to eat white rice. I've been eating rice noodles for the past few days, and I always feel a little empty in my stomach." .”

Chang Yu asked his mother-in-law to prepare all the dishes that Chang Xile likes to eat, just for his body to use less or no chili.

Although Chang Xile regretted not being able to enjoy spicy food when he came to this world, he cherished his life more than his appetite, so he insisted on eating less spicy and less irritating food.

The second exam was similar to the first one, and the situation was still constant. There were always people who lost the chance to advance this time because of carelessness.

And after the second game, more people fell.Especially those who were in different places and did not come to the mansion in advance, many people failed to carry it.They were already very sleepy, and after such a toss, unless their physical fitness was very good, they would either fall down or perform abnormally.

Just when Chang Xile thought that the third exam was going to be tough, the reversal happened. The scene of the third exam left Chang Xile dumbfounded.

The author has something to say: The rural examination here refers to the appearance of the Ming and Qing imperial examinations recorded in the book "Crazy Imperial Examination", which I find very interesting.

Regarding cooking and eating in the examination room, it is recorded in the book that Mr. Huang Kan, a master of Chinese studies who was accepted by everyone, once fought with the National People's Congress in the examination room because of eating.Someone boiled a duck that was very delicious. He went to ask others not to give it to him, but he kicked the duck when it was cooked. He was beaten up by Fatty, but he was still very happy. If he couldn't eat it, neither could anyone else...