Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 360 The Merging of the Examination Hall and the Application for the Provincial Examination (Part 2)

"Gululu!"

"Gululu!"

"..."

With the sound of a carriage, Sheng Changquan quickly left the street where the Sheng family lived.

"Xu~"

Xu Changqing let out a long sigh, sat down in the driver's seat, and picked up the reins to control the speed of the carriage.

"What's the sky like?"

He shifted his position in his seat, glanced at the sky, and his expression changed!
He realized that it was getting late, and the sun was beginning to peek out from the east.

However, since it was getting late, he decided not to linger any longer and simply sped up.

"drive!"

Xu Changqing cracked his whip in mid-air, then skillfully steered the carriage, quickly heading towards their destination.

In fact, in principle, the provincial examination should have been taken in one's place of origin. However, considering the advantages for officials in the capital, the imperial court specially set up a number of examination venues in the capital to serve the sons of those officials.

However, don't mistake this for preferential treatment. It's important to know that the closer a place is to the central government, the more difficult the imperial examinations become.

Generally speaking, if one were to return to their ancestral home, the difficulty of the provincial examination would likely be lower, and the feasibility of such an examination would also be greatly increased.

However, the exam in Bianliang City was different. Not only were the questions more difficult, but the invigilation was also extremely strict, leaving no room for bribery or favoritism.

Of course, every disadvantage has its advantage. The provincial examinations in Bianjing City are naturally more prestigious, and they are specifically prepared for those proud and confident students.

Sheng Changquan was among them.

As for Shen Li, who also had to take the provincial examination, he returned to his hometown in Shandong, preparing to take the exam in the ancestral home of his Shen family. Although the literary atmosphere there was very strong, the difficulty of the provincial examination there was not necessarily lower than that in Bianjing.

However, since the Shen family is a powerful local force, there might be some room for maneuver that could make the examiners relax a little.

After all, the law is no different from human sentiment. If the examiners did something, they could still skirt the rules and give the Shen family some benefits.

However, don't assume that having these things guarantees success. Both sides understand the situation. As long as Shen Li's writing isn't too bad, even if it's a bit poor, as long as it's still passable, it'll be enough to make them reluctantly give up.

As the saying goes, "In literature there is no first place, but in martial arts there is no second." The quality of an article is not as immediately apparent as that of a martial arts contest.

Therefore, Shen Li traveled a long way back to prepare to take the provincial examination in his hometown of Shandong.

"drive!"

Xu Changqing sat in front, carefully maneuvering the horses on the carriage to avoid disturbing Sheng Changquan, who was inside preparing to depart.

After a long while, when they reached a relatively flat road, Xu Changqing turned around and asked Sheng Changquan in the carriage, "Young Master, are you confident this time?"

Xu Changqing didn't like reading, so he didn't know how much skill Sheng Changquan had. Although his grandfather highly praised Sheng Changquan, saying that he had the potential to be the top scholar and that this small provincial examination would be a piece of cake for Sheng Changquan.

Even Grandpa Xu said that Sheng Changquan could also obtain the title of Jieyuan, one of the three top scholars in the imperial examination.

Xu Changqing, however, expressed his doubts.

Of course, he didn't doubt that Sheng Changquan couldn't pass the provincial examination, but he felt that he might not be able to win the top spot this time. After all, the provincial examination in Bianjing City was full of hidden talents, and although his young master was strong, he might not be able to win for sure.

That's why he spoke in that way.

"hehe!"

When Xu Changqing asked this question, Sheng Changquan, who was sitting in the carriage with his eyes closed, smiled easily.

"Changqing, you can rest assured!"

Even in front of his longtime best friend, Sheng Changquan still didn't tell the truth, only conservatively saying, "I dare not say much about other things, but I am sure I will have no problem with the provincial examination!"

"Ah? Young Master!"

Xu Changqing said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, I know you will definitely pass this provincial examination, but what I want to ask is whether you will be able to become the top scholar in the provincial examination this time?"

Got it!
Xu Changqing's words left Sheng Changquan speechless.

If you say he's bad, he's confident in himself and thinks he can definitely pass; but if you say he's good, you feel uneasy, like something's not quite right.

Sheng Changquan didn't speak, but just glanced at Xu Changqing quietly, and then said in a low voice, "I don't know either."

"After all, the position of the top scholar in the imperial examination still depends on luck."

"Whoo~"

"That's good! That's good!"

Xu Changqing felt a little guilty under his young master's gaze and immediately understood that Sheng Changquan was unhappy.

However, he knew he had spoken out of turn and asked a difficult question. But as long as he could get confirmation from Sheng Changquan that he would definitely pass the provincial examination, he would be very happy.

After all, just passing the provincial examination and becoming a successful candidate in the imperial examinations would be a great joy.

As for other things, he hadn't thought about them in detail; his question just now was merely out of curiosity.

"Alright, Changqing!"

Sheng Changquan opened the carriage curtain, glanced outside, and then instructed, "Speed ​​up a bit, let's get in as soon as possible!"

"Yes, Master!"

After receiving Sheng Changquan's answer, Xu Changqing was no longer nervous. Now that his young master was eager to enter, he naturally had no objections.

So Xu Changqing responded and then cracked his whip again!
"Crack!"

The horse was startled!
It immediately reared up and started running at full speed!
……

When Xu Changqing drove his carriage to the examination hall with Sheng Changquan, it was already packed with people.

Among them, besides a large number of students taking the exam, there was also a large group of soldiers in iron armor. They had taken great responsibility in surrounding the examination hall, ensuring that no accidents would occur.

"Young Master, we can't get in here anymore!"

Xu Changqing jumped off the carriage, grabbed the horse by the reins, and turned to his young master, saying, "There are too many people; they've already blocked the way!"

"Ok!"

Sheng Changquan naturally saw this as well.

"All right!"

Sheng Changquan got out of the carriage and looked at Xu Changqing, saying, "Since that's the case, find a place to park this carriage properly!" "Yes, young master!"

Xu Changqing took Sheng Changquan's examination case from the car and handed it to him, saying, "Young Master, here is your examination case!"

"it is good!"

Sheng Changquan took the exam kit, then looked back at the exam room not far away, feeling somewhat surprised.

"I never expected that so many people would dare to come here for scientific research!"

Sheng Changquan really hadn't expected this situation.

After all, although a chief examiner was appointed for the provincial examination, it did not mean that he was responsible for all the students' exam papers.

According to the rules set by Emperors Taizu and Taizong, the provincial examination required the cooperation of local officials, each responsible for a specific area, to grade the examination papers they approved.

Among them, the lowest administrative venue for the provincial examination was the prefecture. That is to say, all students whose ancestral home was in this prefecture had to go to the prefectural city to take the exam. Their exam papers were then reviewed by officials at all levels in the prefectural city before they were selected and reported to higher authorities.

Of course, students here can also go to Bianjing to take the exams; after all, that's allowed.

On the other hand, there are only fifty places available for the provincial examination in this prefectural city. The top thirty candidates need to be reported to the higher-level administrative units, who will then compile the list and finally hand it over to the chief examiner in Bianjing.

For example, in this provincial examination, all the submitted examination papers need to be handed over to Zhai Jingnian, Lord Zhai.

After receiving the exam papers, the examiners would need to create a list and rank the candidates into three levels. The rankings would not be specific, but they would be used to assess the candidates' strengths and weaknesses and allow them to participate in the next round of the imperial examination.

Of course, there was also the issue of checking whether there were any improper rankings, such as someone with extremely poor academic ability being able to pass the exam. The purpose of doing this was not only to check whether there was any cheating, but more importantly, to see how well the students in different regions were doing, so as to understand the local education system, and then to understand the people's livelihood there, in order to consolidate the rule of the imperial court.

Furthermore, those students who were not reported but were recruited by the local prefectural city were not necessarily disqualified from continuing the imperial examinations. In fact, they were still successful candidates and could continue to take the metropolitan examinations. However, they did not have a greater advantage when the imperial court selected officials.

When the imperial court was short of manpower, it would often choose the former first and recruit them, while those who ranked lower were the last reserves and were only chosen as a last resort.

For example, there is simply no one available.

Finally, the so-called "Jieyuan" (top scholar in the provincial examination) is not unique. Just like the top scholar in the county examination, the examination is conducted in different examination halls. However, the Jieyuan who is personally supervised by the chief examiner in the Bianjing (Kaifeng) examination hall is the most formal and carries the most weight.

This title of Jieyuan (解元) is the one that Sheng Changquan is pursuing among the three highest honors.

"when!"

Just like during the county-level examinations, every half hour, the officials in the examination hall would pick up a gong and strike it to remind the students that the examination was about to begin.

"Master!"

Xu Changqing took two large bundles from the carriage and handed them to Sheng Changquan, saying, "These are the food and supplies prepared for you by the manor, which you can use inside."

Sheng Changquan nodded, then said, "Alright, I understand!"

"Changqing, you don't need to wait for me here for a few days. Just come back on the day it ends!"

Since the provincial examination is held over two days, plus today's examination day, it will take a total of three days. Sheng Changquan felt that there was no point in keeping Xu Changqing here, so he simply gave him a holiday.

"Okay, Master!"

Xu Changqing nodded, not surprised at all.

After all, Sheng Changquan treated him exceptionally well. Except for special occasions, he was treated as he was, and he never deliberately flaunted his status as the master of the house. He was very considerate.

"Ok!"

Sheng Changquan nodded, but did not deliberately make things difficult for Xu Changqing because of his questions on the way.

"Alright, I'll be going now!"

Sheng Changquan carried a box in one hand and two huge bundles in the other, which looked quite comical. However, when all the other examinees around him were carrying similar bundles, or even more extravagant ones, Sheng Changquan's appearance didn't seem so bad anymore.

"stop!"

When Sheng Changquan reached the entrance of the examination hall, the constables in charge of the search immediately reached out to stop him.

"Yes, sir!"

Sheng Changquan smiled gently, but didn't put on any airs of being a son of an official. He even humbly addressed the two constables, and then obediently opened all the things in his hands, including the examination box and the bundle.

The two constables opposite him relaxed upon seeing this, especially after hearing Sheng Changquan's address; their expressions became much more relaxed.

However, because of their duties, they dared not relax and continued to check these items very carefully to see if there were any smuggled items inside.

However, compared to the previous guys whose belongings were ransacked, Sheng Changquan's situation was much better this time; the food and clothing inside were basically kept in their original state.

As seasoned searchers, they were naturally capable of doing this. As for the fellow from before, he probably offended these two constables, which is why he ended up like that.
half an hour.

"excuse me!"

After inspecting everything, the constable on the left bowed and apologized to Sheng Changquan.

"It doesn't matter!"

Sheng Changquan smiled, maintaining his persona in front of outsiders—gentle and refined, a graceful gentleman.

"Since the officer has already investigated, I will go in first!"

"please!"

"Thank you!"

After exchanging a few polite words, Sheng Changquan maintained his composure and walked inside at a leisurely pace.

Later, upon seeing Sheng Changquan's treatment, the other students showed joy on their faces, assuming that the two constables were only acting out of fear of their status.

In other words, they didn't see what happened to the guy in front of Sheng Changquan. The clothes were fine, but the food was almost all crushed to pieces by the two constables.

Its scattered appearance is just like excrement, it's disgusting to look at!
"Hey! It's my turn!"

A student standing behind Sheng Changquan casually shoved his things forward, displaying an extremely arrogant attitude.

The two seasoned veterans opposite him exchanged a glance, "meeting hands," and quickly gave him a painful lesson!

"Ah! My pastries!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changquan, who was walking ahead, couldn't help but grin.

"Heh heh, these fools!"

I'll fix it tomorrow!
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(End of this chapter)