Xiaoyaoshanjun

Chapter 18 Going through the motions

February, exam time.

Early in the morning, Damselfly starts helping to boil water and cook.

The three children in my family have no concept of exams at all.

Tian Buli was just going through the motions.

Dou Niangzi didn't believe that Tian Buli could pass the exam, nor did she believe that the sick guy who had taken the exam for several years and then lay in bed for several more could pass the exam.

Mr. Bing himself had no thoughts about it, and even called his three sons to his side early in the morning and gave them instructions on what to do in the future.

He also put the letter he had written long ago under his pillow, so that when he could no longer hold on and had no time to explain, his family would be able to live a good life with Tian Buli.

It is better to die in the examination room than to die at home.

After everything was ready, Tian Buli and Mr. Bing had breakfast and went to the county government examination hall together.

The first thing is to verify the identity of the parents, grandparents, their first and last names, and where they live.

Tian Buli specifically asked someone in the village and learned that he was not a slave, but a countryman and a farmer.

Fortunately, their accents were normal, and they were basically all local candidates. In the end, there was an interview and examination by the county magistrate, so there could be no faking.

The main thing is the guarantor, and not everyone who claims to be a scholar is qualified to be a guarantor. One must be a person with a meritorious title, or at least a student.

There is no shortage of scholars and teachers in wealthy families, so this is very simple.

Tian Buli found that there were quite a few people applying for the exam, apparently more than a thousand people.

“I didn’t expect there were so many educated people in the county.”

Tian Buli thought there weren't many people, but it turned out that more than a thousand people were competing for fifty places.

However, when we thought about the fact that we were both poor scholars with little money, we no longer thought it was strange that these scholars were from scholarly families.

Mr. Bing reminded quietly: "Many people here have taken the exam for many years. Don't talk or laugh here to avoid trouble."

Tian Buli quickly nodded and queued up to enter with a serious expression.

There are gray-haired old men in their sixties and seventies, as well as young people around fourteen or fifteen years old.

The majority are those between the ages of 16 or 17 and over 30.

Yanque City is not a place with many intellectuals, but fame, wealth and honor will always be fought for by many people.

To be an official one must at least be a Tongsheng (a student of traditional Chinese medicine), while some important positions require Jinshi (a scholar of traditional Chinese medicine).

At the beginning, scholars were all common people, also called white-clothed people.

After passing the county examination, one becomes a Tongsheng.

Only students with advanced degrees were eligible to take the imperial examinations.

After obtaining the status of a tongsheng, one can take part in the provincial examination and obtain a place as a scholar.

Generally, scholars cannot become officials directly, but they can become a staff member or legal advisor when there is no hope for advancement, or they can run a private school supported by the government.

Tongsheng can also run private schools, but there are usually not many people.

Scholars were the backbone of the army, also called students, and they were given rice subsidies by the imperial court.

In addition to the number of admitted places, sometimes a few more places are given as a special favor, but there is no subsidy, which is equivalent to being a self-funded college student.

Some people who perform well and are noticed can obtain the qualification to be submitted and are called Gongsheng.

After Tian Buli entered the examination room, he was locked in a small hut that looked like a toilet.

Apart from the multiple tables, the rest is pretty much like a toilet, even with a shit bucket.

Tian Buli didn't come here to take a shit, he started grinding ink and looking at the test paper.

The test paper is surprisingly long!

There was no writing on the three-meter-long white test paper.

There are three pieces of paper next to it, divided into A, B and C, each with a question on it.

One is to translate ancient stories and explain what the story expresses.

One is a brief summary of a historical event.

The last one is an explanation of a sentence from a historical figure.

Calligraphy does take up space, and a three-meter-long paper can only hold two or three thousand words at most.

You have to write smaller.

The paper must not be dirty and the writing must be completed in one go.

The purpose of the Tongsheng examination is to select a group of people who can really read, and it is generally not difficult.

But most of them are not ordinary people. After all, Tian Buli has lived two lives, and his mentality is much more stable than many people.

Whether it was the "rapid progress" in the outer martial arts or just going through the motions of entering the examination hall, it was not worth making a fuss about for Tian Buli.

I want to cultivate immortality! !
Tian Buli gave a general idea in his mind and decided how to write each word.

Soon, the sound of farts was heard all around.

Exams are stressful, and people in this era don’t pay much attention to their diet. The digestive system cannot handle all the carrots, sweet potatoes, etc., so the exam room easily becomes smelly.

The Tongsheng examination lasted six hours, and Tian Buli had enough time to write two to three thousand words.

While looking at the length of the test paper, calculate the area occupied by each question.

“Let’s fill it up.”

Tian Buli pondered over every word, but he couldn't get out anyway.

Breaking into an examination hall by force is a more serious crime than robbing an execution ground.

Putting aside other things, if he rushed out and tore up the test papers of other people, it would definitely be recorded in the county annals, and maybe even go down in history and be known directly to the emperor!
Let's give such a good opportunity to become famous to others.

Tian Buli started writing quickly.

After finishing a question, I sat quietly for a while, and then continued answering the questions after the ink was dry.

Although I can't see the other people, I can feel their boredom.

Some people may not be born to take exams, and they soon find themselves crying in the toilet!
There are many police officers patrolling nearby to catch cheaters.

There really are cheaters!

Tian Buli couldn’t understand. How many words could there be on a few pages of paper?
Can’t you memorize it?
***
Liu Mansion
Mrs. Liu was waiting anxiously at home.

"What time is it?" Mrs. Liu raised her head and looked at the door.

The maid next to her said, "Madam, the exam is over. I'll send someone to check it out."

Madam Liu shook her head. "No need. Six people have already gone."

Mrs. Liu was still very anxious. She stood up and said, "Let's go out for a walk."

"Yes! Madam!" The maid followed with her people.

Mrs. Liu did not stroll around the garden, but walked towards the door.

When I reached the door, an old man who looked like a butler came over quickly.

"Madam, the young master's servant sent a message saying that the young master has finished answering the test questions and is now going out to play with his friends."

Madam Liu breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, I'll ask someone to go to the county government office and ask."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Mrs. Liu turned around and took her people back.

At night, Master Liu San still didn't come back, as he went to the brothel to play.

Mrs. Liu waited for her husband to come back and went up to serve him tea.

"Master, how is Jing'er's matter going?"

Liu Tiegu said coldly: "I have given him all the answers. If he fails the exam again, I will teach him a lesson!"

Madam Liu handed the teacup to the maid, "I heard that a few people were caught cheating this time."

"It happens every year. I've taken care of the people in this county and they know the severity of it. As long as he doesn't do anything stupid openly, it'll be fine."

This was not the first time Liu Tiegu had done this. Although his three sons could not become scholars, it was not a problem for them to become students of traditional Chinese medicine.

However, this kind of thing has to be done secretly, and you dare not do it all the time, otherwise you will lose your head if the matter gets serious.

There are ten places available every year, and at most ten of them can be obtained through connections.

County officials were also afraid of taking responsibility, so they would often ask questions to the students during the interview, and would only allow them to take the lower-level exams if they felt there were no problems.

At this time, the servants brought up snacks.

After Liu Tiegu sat down, he picked up his chopsticks and ate a piece of tofu, and soon frowned.

"Why does the tofu taste so bad these days?"

Mrs. Liu knew about this matter. "The housekeeper told me that the tofu delivery man got into a fight with someone and ruined the business, so they changed to a more trustworthy tofu delivery man."

Liu Tiegu didn't want to eat anymore and threw his chopsticks directly on the table.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Mrs. Liu knew the reason. She had spent a lot of money on building relationships this time, and she couldn't tell anyone else too much.

(End of this chapter)