Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 681 Husband and wife both enter the examination room
As of September 1793, 9, all candidates for the new imperial examination in Beihai Town had completed their registration.According to the plan, the exam will be held in three days.

The candidates who came to take the test this time were all Tongsheng and Xiucai, a total of 241 people.

The total number of Tongsheng is 179, of which 133 are from the four counties of Jiaodong, 18 are from Yangzhou, 15 are from Changzhou, and 13 are from Funing County, Huai’an Prefecture, which is the earliest stronghold of Beihai Town in the Guan. Jurisdiction.

The total number of scholars, that is, Gongsheng students, is 62, of which 5 are exiles from Ninggu Pagoda who were exiled to Ninggu Pagoda because of the literary inquisition. The oldest of them is 55 years old; the remaining 47 are from Yangzhou, Jiangning, Zhenjiang, Taizhou, and Zhaowen (Changshu) are all disciples of Yuan Mei and Zhao Yi.

However, on the afternoon of September 9th, an unexpected registration application caused an uproar in the examination committee, and everyone was instantly divided into two factions, and a heated discussion was launched on this.

"No! This old man won't agree! Even if King Zhao is here, this old man will still say the same!"

Seeing Zhao Yi blowing his beard and staring, the 77-year-old Yuan Mei put down his teacup and said with a smile, "Brother Yunsong, don't worry. Sit down and talk."

"Brother Zicai, you said that you are almost eighty, how can you let your disciples mess around! What about Sun Zixiao, call him here! Is this how he usually manages the family?"

Zhao Yi looked at Yuan Mei's appearance, his stomach was full of anger, and he said that you are not in a hurry, Xi Peilan is the "chief disciple" among the female disciples, if she can take the imperial examination, you, Yuan Zicai, will be a great student Have a face.

Hong Liangji on the side spoke persuasively: "Mr. Oubei, you have been in Beihai Town for more than two months. There are women in factories, schools, hospitals, security police and the army. King Zhao's rule is about equality between men and women. , You have also been to an administrative school, but there are female students."

"Don't do this with the old man! You, Mr. Hong, have been holding the salary from Beihai Town, so you will naturally say good things, but the old man didn't take it! Women can read and write, that's for the sake of being polite, and take good care of their husbands and children at home. Don't use Beihai Town's salary. The situation confuses me, Zhao Wang told me that it was because of insufficient manpower that women were allowed to come out to do things. Furthermore, the imperial examination is a grand ceremony for the state to select talents, how can women be allowed to participate? It is ridiculous!"

After Zhao Yi finished speaking, he looked at Duan Yucai and Liu Taigongji who were silent, stared and said, "What do you two say!"

Liu Taigong opened his mouth, then closed it again.He thought to himself that this is really a fight between gods and little devils, and you two Jinshi quarreled, why did you bring us in.

On the other hand, Duan Yucai also felt that it was inappropriate for women to take part in the first imperial examination in Beihai Town. He pondered for a moment and said to Yuan Mei: "Mr. Cangshan, you should persuade Mrs. Sun, or wait for the next time."

Zhao Yi slapped the table: "Not next time! Since ancient times, no woman has participated in the imperial examination!"

Yuan Mei picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. The water temperature was just right. He turned his head to look at the silent Wang Zhong, and smiled, "Rong Fu, what do you say?"

Hearing Yuan Mei ask himself, Wang Zhong frowned and said, "I think this matter is really wrong. But..."

"But what?"

"The words of the princes in Oubei are not entirely correct. Since ancient times, there have been women who participated in the child birth examination and were admitted, and they were still students of the Son of Heaven."

Hearing this, everyone present was stunned except Yuan Mei who remained calm.Although all of you present here are all great scholars, Wang Zhong is the number one in terms of the amount of books he reads and the one who has the most vivid memory. After all, he has the reputation of "reading everything without a book".

Yuan Mei said, "Tell me about it."

Wang Zhong said helplessly: "It is recorded in "Miscellaneous Records of the Court and the Field since Jianyan" that in the summer of the first year of Chunxi, the girl Lin Youyu asked for a test in the middle school and the province, and all 43 scriptures were recited. Feng Ruren."

Yuan Mei nodded slowly, and said to Zhao Yi: "Brother Yunsong, Rong Fu was famous for reading without books when he was young, and I believe in him. Zhao Song, who is in a remote corner, can accommodate a female tribute student. Could it be that Beihai Town, which pays attention to equality between men and women? Can't bear it?"

In the feudal history of China, there is only one woman who participated in and passed the imperial examination, that is, Lin Youyu, the second emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty in the era of Song Xiaozong, who was only nine years old when she participated in the Boys' Section.Because the imperial examination law at that time did not explicitly prohibit women from participating, Lin Youyu took advantage of this loophole, not only registered for the exam, but also passed the re-examination by the Ministry of Education, and was finally awarded the title of Qipin Ruren by the emperor.

Of course, Lin Youyu's ability to pass is also related to the tolerant social atmosphere of the Song Dynasty.Women before the Ming and Qing Dynasties focused on "virtue" rather than "sexual chastity" in terms of chastity, so talented women will not only not be criticized, but even admired by the world.

However, the fact that Lin Youyu was admitted to Gongsheng still slapped the ministers of Neo Confucianism in the face, so when the fourth emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Song Ningzong, another eight-year-old girl named Wu Zhiduan took the boy's test and passed the written test.But this time, she was not so lucky. When she participated in the re-examination by the Ministry of Education, she failed to pass due to the collective objections of the court ministers.

By the way, the "female number one scholar" of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom who is familiar in another time and space. Hehe, it was fabricated by later generations.

Speaking of Xi Peilan's application for the imperial examination, Yuan Mei agreed after repeated consideration.

We must know that the Ming and Qing Dynasties paid attention to "the defense of men and women", and it was even more serious in the Qing Dynasty.Most women go to school with female teachers, or they are taught by their father and brother at home. It is rare for Yuan Mei to accept dozens of female disciples without any shyness.His behavior naturally brought him a lot of criticism.

Zhao Yi once teased him that he is "the hometown is gentle, no matter whether it is a man or a woman." Even old friends say that, and other people naturally have more ugly things.

Specifically speaking of Sun Yuanxiang's wife, Xi Peilan, she, Yan Ruizhu, and Jin Yi were the most valued by Yuan Mei among the dozens of Suiyuan female disciples. Her poetic and literary talents were first-class, and even Wang Zhenyi admired her.

Xi Peilan was intelligent since she was a child. She finished studying "Mao Shi" at the age of eight, and then "Ode to the Green Window". At the age of 14, she worshiped Yuan Mei and married Sun Yuanxiang at the age of 17.Her husband, Sun Yuanxiang, is also a back-and-forth. He was able to read Li Du's poems at the age of four, and started to learn the Four Books at the age of eight. He was famous in the capital when he was young, but he failed repeatedly.That is to say, his father passed away three years ago, and now that the filial piety is over, the couple were abducted by Yuan Mei.

Xi Peilan originally didn't want to take part in the new imperial examination in Beihai Town, she was just a husband and wife.Unexpectedly, after arriving in Beihai Town, she found that not only the scenery here is different from that in the Guan, but also the high social status of women surprised and puzzled her; women who show their faces can be seen everywhere on the street, and they, like other men, are engaged in various activities. kind of work.

Later, when she visited the elementary school in Beihai Town, she happened to meet Wang Zhenyi who had just finished class.When the two talked with each other in the first day of junior high school, they had the intention of seeing each other and hating it later, and they soon became confidants.Xi Peilan was extremely shocked when she learned that there were not only female doctors and teachers in Beihai Town, but also many women in factories, the army, and security police.

But what surprised her even more was what was behind.Wang Zhenyi told her that the key to Beihai Town's ability to do all this is that the law clearly prohibits infanticide, child brides, and concubines; boys and girls must study at the age of seven, otherwise the government has the right to confiscate the land in the family.Only in this way has the social status of women been fundamentally improved.

As for women working as migrant workers, it was because there were more women than men in Beihai Town at the beginning of its establishment, and King Zhao did not discriminate, so the foundation was laid.

Well, although Wang Zhenyi didn't blush when she mentioned the words "no concubinage", she was still a little flustered.

When she learned that Wang Zhenyi had not only participated in map surveying and mapping, learned mathematics from teachers, and would soon become the first batch of students of Beihai Higher Institute of Technology, Xi Peilan had a bold idea that she would take the imperial examination.

Although Sun Yuanxiang admired his wife's talent in poetry and prose, and the couple was very affectionate on weekdays, after learning about each other's thoughts, he actually laughed and joked.

Don't look at Xi Peilan's graceful and quiet temperament on weekdays, but she is just like Wang Zhenyi, she is also unyielding; otherwise, she would not ask Yuan Mei for help after the proposal of marriage between the Xi family and the Sun family was rejected.Later, when they got engaged, she even posed a question to Sun Yuanxiang, and she was anxious that the other party would not think about food and drink.

So in a fit of anger, Xi Peilan went directly to the teacher Yuan Mei and expressed her thoughts.Yuan Mei was originally a lover of nature, he dared to accept so many female disciples, so he was not afraid of criticism from all over the world.Furthermore, through a chat with Zhao Xin a few days ago, he felt that this person's attitude and approach to many things were different from all the kings who rebelled and seized the world since Zulong, and the system of Beihai Town did not discriminate against women, so he decided Try it out and see if Beihai Town really dares to be the first in the world.

Although Wang Zhong presented examples from the previous dynasty, Zhao Yi still refused to agree. He said that if Xi Peilan dared to take the exam with other candidates, he would resign as the consultant and honorary examiner of Lao Shizi, and the disciples he brought would also quit the exam. .

Seeing Zhao Yi's stubbornness, Yuan Mei had no choice but to write a letter and asked Wang Zhong to forward it to Zhao Xin.Although Wang Zhong didn't like Yuan Mei, he also knew the meaning of the other party's coming to Beihai Town, so he agreed.

In the eyes of outsiders, "Prince Zhao"'s house was heavily guarded, but Wang Zhong came whenever he wanted, and he came to the door that afternoon with a letter.Zhao Xin listened to Wang Zhong's story, and after reading Yuan Mei's letter, Gu Lu pondered for a long while.

This matter is really difficult to handle, if Xi Peilan is a teenage girl, it will be fine.But she is 23 this year, and even her son is five years old.That's right, in the ancients there were women who took part in the imperial examinations, but never a mother could take the imperial examinations, and it might become a big joke.

But he thought about it again, if he disagreed, wouldn't the "equality between men and women" in Beihai Town become a self-indulgent nonsense?And what about women who are already wives and mothers and are engaged in various jobs?The technical rating also needs to be tested!
Immediately, Zhao Xin was furious at Zhao Yi's unrepentant attitude, thinking what's wrong with being in the same examination room, can he become a tiger and cannibalize people? !This old thing actually wants to take his disciples to stop the exam.Whatever, without butcher Zhang, I wouldn't eat mixed-haired pigs either!
Hey?Zhao Xin suddenly had a thought, put his hand on his chin and said to Wang Zhong: "Mr. Rong Fu, can you repeat the last sentence that Mr. Ou Bei said?"

"He said that if Xi Peilan dared to take the exam with other candidates, he would bring his disciples to stop the exam."

"That's it!" Zhao Xin slapped his palms together and said with a smile, "Let's do this."

After hearing Zhao Xin's idea, Wang Zhong couldn't laugh or cry, and thought that if Zhao Yi knew about it, he might have to protest again.Zhao Xin said indifferently: "It's okay, as soon as the test results come out, it will be too late for him to know. I just want to show the people under Beihai Town that women can be husbands."

At noon the next day, Xi Peilan accepted the admission ticket from her husband in disbelief, and her excitement was beyond words.Sun Yuanxiang smiled wryly, and said to himself, no wonder the Manchu court said that Beihai town was a group of monsters, and it was really shocking for women to take part in the imperial examination.The problem is that this woman is still his wife, there is really no place to reason.

Before Yuan Mei called him over and handed him the examination admission ticket, he also said that the husband and wife took the imperial examination together, which has never happened since ancient times.King Zhao admired Yunfen (Xi Peilan's name) for her actions. In order to make her the first female scholar in Beihai Town and to avoid controversy, he will arrange a separate examination room for her in the School of Administration.If she passes the exam, Zhao Wang and Wang Hao will personally issue a certificate to her.Sun Yuanxiang heard Zhao Wang said this, and he could only agree with his head downcast.

In the early morning two days later, the first new imperial examination in Beihai Town was held as scheduled.

Chen Qingsong didn't brag to Zhao Xin. When a group of examinees walked into the examination hall with schoolbags containing stationery, they saw the sound of gongs and drums, firecrackers, and flags of various colors fluttering in the wind. There were a few huge red cloth hanging down, and there were slogans in large white characters on them. Everyone who saw it was refreshed, thinking that this was the first time they had seen this scene.

"Observe the discipline of the examination room, maintain the dignity of knowledge!", "Calm down, keep your feet on the ground!", "Looking at the heights of life, the only way to achieve success is through suffering!" Well, these are all copied from exam slogans in another time and space .

Since Beihai Town had its own means of checking and cheating, no body search was arranged for all the candidates.However, in the eyes of all the test takers, it is a new atmosphere in the new dynasty.

Many people think to themselves when they see the slogan, although the words are straightforward, the truth is not simple.Knowledge has dignity, and we scholars also have dignity. Stripping and body-searching like the imperial court is really humiliating!
Because the number of candidates is only 241, and the scholars and students are divided into two buildings, even if there are only 20 people in each examination room, many rooms are still empty, which are just used as dormitories during the examination.

All candidates are provided with a set of bedding, and the classrooms used as dormitories are also divided. The invigilators will remind candidates not to communicate with each other.In addition, the three meals during the exam are provided by the Beihai Town Canteen, which is comprehensive in nutrition and must be full.

Taking into account the candidates' educational background and habits, this imperial examination still has stereotyped essay content, but it was shortened to two sessions, whether it is a child student or a scholar, it will last for six days and five nights.The first session is the Four Books, and the second session is the Discussion.

At 8 o'clock in the morning, all the test takers found a place to sit in the test room according to the test admission ticket number. A glass of water was placed on each person's desk, which could be used for drinking or grinding.While everyone was busy taking out their pens and ink to prepare, the invigilators read the "Examination Room Discipline" hanging in the room.

At 8:15, as the piercing bell rang, the invigilators handed out kraft paper bags containing test questions, answer sheets and draft paper to the candidates.

At 8:30, the bell rang for the second time and the exam began.

(End of this chapter)