Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 2 Let's get ashore first
"Son, drink the porridge while it's hot."

Jiang placed a bowl of hot porridge in front of Song Shi'an, then sat on the edge of the bed, watching him drink the porridge with a smile.

Holding the porridge, Song Shi'an drank it with a copper spoon while reflecting on the current situation.

He stumbled upon this world on the national highway at midnight after a stroke of luck.

It wasn't any dynasty in ancient China; the country he lived in was called Dayu.

Before the Great Yu Dynasty, there were more than a dozen dynasties.

Just like the world he knew, the development of civilization gradually transitioned from slave society to feudal society.

There was also a period like the Warring States period, during which various schools of thought emerged, and were gradually unified by 'sacred learning' which was more conducive to feudal rule.

Sacred learning, as the name suggests, is the learning of sages.

Correspondingly, this is basically Confucianism.

In essence, they are all the same: the art of governing the people.

Perhaps by sheer coincidence, Song Shi'an's soul transmigrated into the body of a wealthy young master also named Song Shi'an.

His father, Song Jing, was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) of the time and held the official position of magistrate of Sheng'an, which was equivalent to mayor.

Song Jing's family was also quite prestigious; the Song family of Huai County had produced high-ranking officials such as the Nine Ministers in the past.

Of course, this does not mean that one's status is equally distinguished.

Because his birth mother, Jiang, was originally a maid in the Song family, a lowly status that didn't even qualify him as a commoner.

What was the equivalent of being born out of wedlock in ancient times?

Yuan Shu, the Skeleton King of the Han Dynasty, once made this sarcastic comment about his own brother: Yuan Shao? He's just a servant in my household!

So even though Song Jing only had two sons, he had no connection with the family fortune.

This is the logic of inheritance in ancient China.

Not only in the royal family, but also in ordinary families, there is a 'succession to the throne'.

Because the political and financial resources controlled by aristocratic families are limited, in order to maintain the prosperity and development of the family and not weaken its strength, they can only pass on their power to only one son per generation.

Unlike now, where the distribution is either equal or a 30/70 split with a preference, in ancient times it was basically a 10/0 split.

It's alright if they're born of the principal wife, but it's even worse if they're born of a concubine. Emotionally, they might not even be as close as one's own nephew.

Just like Cao Cao, who had 25 sons according to statistics.

But what everyone knows are Cao, Ren, Zhen, and Shuang.

Ah no, it's Pi, Zhang, Zhi, Xiong, Ang.

At most, add another boost.

And this Song Shi'an is a stupid playboy. If he doesn't work hard, he'll be stuck in the middle for the rest of his life.

"Son." As Song Shi'an ate his porridge with a somber expression, Jiang Shi said with relief, "It's good that you're awake now, so you won't miss tomorrow's provincial examination."

Song Shi'an nodded.

"You must study hard for the exam and try to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). Then your father will find you a government post in the capital. Don't be fooled by his stern words; if you really pass the exam, he won't abandon you," Jiang said earnestly.

The imperial examination system was established by the reigning emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty.

It was not much different from the imperial examinations that Song Shi'an knew, but it only had three levels.

The preliminary examination for children, which was held annually, awarded the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

The provincial examination, which was held every two years, awarded the title of Juren to those who passed.

The imperial examination, held every two years, produced the Jinshi degree. The top three were the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua.

It's reasonable to have one less palace examination, given the large population base.

The well-known story of "Fan Jin's Success in the Imperial Examination" is about the ancient imperial examination system.

Moreover, this article has led to two common misconceptions about the Juren (successful candidates in the imperial examinations) among people today.

First, the examination for the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations) was extremely difficult.

Second, passing the imperial examination and becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations) would lead to an official position.

It was indeed difficult to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), but it wasn't extremely difficult, because after the establishment of the imperial examination system, becoming a Juren was a prerequisite for entering the system. However, after passing the Juren exam, the vast majority of people could only become 'clerks' (a low-ranking official).

Only a very small number of those who rank very high have the opportunity to become alternate officials.

The reason Fan Jin was so impressive for passing the imperial examination was not because he actually passed the exam.

Instead, he was the seventh person in the entire province to pass the imperial examination.

Each province has a quota of hundreds of people who pass the imperial examinations.

If someone comes from a powerful bureaucratic family and has a significant advantage in educational resources at the start, failing the imperial examinations is simply a sign of mediocrity.

If Song Shi'an fails the exam again this time, it will be his third time failing.

It really fell short.

Therefore, we should not only talk about the harm that the Song family, Song Shi'an's original family, caused him.

Song Shi'an nearly drowned after falling into the river while drunk at Shang K. Isn't that also a form of harm to his family of origin?
"Mom, I've finished drinking."

After finishing his porridge, Song Shi'an handed the bowl to Jiang.

Seeing that he was about to get up, Jiang quickly asked, "What are you going to do? You just woke up, you should rest more. If there's anything you need, I'll do it for you."

Song Shi'an shook his head, then walked to his desk and slowly sat down: "Mother, I want to study."

Hearing this, Madam Jiang smiled with delight: "My son has real guts! He'll definitely pass the imperial examination tomorrow and show your father!"

"Will do."

Song Shi'an smiled at Jiang Shi and said gently, "Then Mother, please go ahead with your work. If there's nothing else, please don't come into the room."

"Mmm, Mother won't bother you, won't bother you."

Jiang smiled and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Song Shi'an looked at the examination papers on the table, found the paper from the previous provincial examination, stretched his muscles, and smiled easily.

Even though the exam is tomorrow, he is not flustered at all.

People who say that passing the imperial examination is not difficult are probably just showing off.

But he really wasn't pretending.

In 1998, a boy was born in a rural area of ​​Shandong.

Twenty-seven years later, a Guizhou graduate selected through a targeted recruitment program threw himself into the vast ocean of modernization.

Looking back on my journey, there were no enemies, only exams!

Therefore, the current goal is to get ashore first.

Then, he became a seasoned feudalist fighter.

……

Inside the antique-style study of the Song residence.

A handsome young boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old sat at his desk, looked up, and listened attentively to the lecture while Song Jing, who was holding a book beside him, was looking up at him intently.

Just then, someone gently knocked on the door and came in carrying tea and snacks.

Song Jing initially thought it was a maid and ignored it, until he heard a familiar voice, who chuckled softly and said, "Master, Shi An is awake."

Upon hearing this, Song Ce turned his head and looked over expressionlessly.

Song Jing replied without any change in expression, "I understand, you can leave now."

Seeing that Song Jing was not furious, Jiang knew that he was not so angry anymore, so she smiled and put the tea and snacks aside.

“Ce’er,” Song Jing continued, “the provincial examination is divided into two parts. One is poetry and prose, which I’m sure you’ll be fine with. The other part is policy essays. Generally speaking, the questions for policy essays are related to the national situation of the year, so this year’s questions are very likely to be about the war with Qi in the north…”

He stopped halfway through his sentence.

Seeing that Jiang was still standing there, he asked impatiently, "Is there anything else?"

With her head bowed and a smile on her face, Jiang tentatively said, "Master, Shi'an also has an exam tomorrow. Should we call him over to listen as well..."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Jing immediately shouted angrily, "Get out! Don't let me see that beast again!"

(End of this chapter)