Joy of Life: Starting from Teacher Fan Xian

Chapter 48: The First Spring Examination

The long corridor of the Ministry of Rites Imperial College was filled with students in the single rooms on both sides.

Whether high-ranking officials or poor students, they had to stay in a small closed room that was five feet long, four feet wide and eight feet high.

Soon after the bell rang for the exam to begin, many officials from the Ministry of Rites had already begun conducting the final review in each room.

Shu Wu led Lin Ruo to a room at the end of the corridor.

The guard of the Ministry of Rites saw this and asked in confusion: "This examinee didn't bring any bedding?"

There are three spring examinations, on the 9th, 12th and 15th of February. Each examination tests one type of question and lasts for three days.

Without bedding, one would have to lie on a wooden board for three days, which is simply unbearable for ordinary people.

Shu Wu also had this doubt, but thinking that Lin Ruo came in a hurry, he guessed that he must be in big trouble, so he didn't ask more questions.

Looking straight over there, Lin Ruo nodded indifferently.

Shu Wu immediately said: "He doesn't need bedding."

"Okay." The clerk responded and opened the door with a lot of questions in his mind. Then he searched Lin Ruo according to the rules and handed him three candles after finishing.

As soon as Lin Ruo entered the room, the clerk locked the door immediately. The only window in the room through which people could be seen was a small square window, which was used to pass papers and for officials outside the curtain to inspect.

"I hope that's okay."

Shu Wu took one last look and left the examination room with a little worry.

"There are actually students who come to check out the place without even bringing bedding or other daily necessities. I don't know what they are doing."

The officials from the Ministry of Rites who were in charge of off-site inspections walked into the lobby of the Ministry of Rites Examination Hall in twos and threes, chatting and complaining to the other officials.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

"How can he survive a night without bedding?" an official from the Ministry of Rites asked, "Why don't we send him some?"

"It's a rule that requires us to be cautious." Chief judge Lin Ruofu spoke solemnly while sitting in the main seat.

The officials in the hall did not discuss the matter further.

At this time, Shu Wu, who was the outer curtain officer, returned to the lobby.

The official from the Ministry of Rites who had previously sparked the discussion was moved when he saw this, and stepped forward to ask with concern, "Master Shu, has the student been sent off?"

If we talk about the most popular people around His Majesty in the current court, apart from the Chief Judge Lin Ruofu, Shu Wu is undoubtedly the one.

Perhaps because he was taught by the great writer Zhuang Mohan, His Majesty highly appreciates Shu Wu and often calls him the founder of Qing's future literary world. He hopes that he can bring vitality to Qing's literature so that he will not always be mocked by Northern Qi.

"The person has been sent away." Shu Wu replied simply.

"Master Shu has worked hard. He has been inspecting the examination halls before the exam even started, helping students solve their problems."

An official from the Ministry of Rites flattered him again, saying that most of the smart people in the hall had noticed that Academician Shu had a close relationship with that student.

They all began to curry favor with the other party, using every possible means to do so. As long as there were many people, it could be considered a social occasion.

"Since you are a disciple of Shu Daxueshi, why not..." The Deputy Judge and Minister of Rites Wei An, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. He first glanced at Lin Ruofu's brows calmly, and seeing that he was indifferent, he was relieved and said gently, "It's okay to send some bedding."

Lin Ruofu smiled and said nothing.

The noise in the hall became louder and louder. Shu Wu suddenly frowned and said, "Thank you for your kindness, gentlemen, but the rules cannot be broken." He clearly rejected the idea of ​​the Ministry of Rites officials.

The officials smiled it off to hide their embarrassment, thinking that Shu Wu was worthy of being a disciple of a great master, and truly inherited the integrity and selflessness of his character.

But he couldn't help but say that the student was suffering. How could a scholar who was not good at both literature and martial arts survive for three days? In the corridor where the students gathered, the buglers began to distribute the test papers in turn. The small window made a click, and the bugler said with a smile: "Sir, your paper is here."

Those who could take part in the Spring Examination were basically Juren who passed the provincial examination, or students of the Imperial Academy. Without exception, they had the qualifications to become officials, so most of them were addressed as "Master".

The bugler glanced at the empty room, a little puzzled, but did not dare to ask more questions.

Lin Ruo, who was resting quietly, opened his eyes, took the test paper from the window and spread it flat on the small wooden table.

The first examination of the Spring Examination is mainly about the interpretation of classics, which is also the most important examination. It is similar to the Four Books and Five Classics in previous lives. The questions are numerous and complicated, and the test is based on the profoundness and solidity of one's subjective knowledge of Neo-Confucianism.

It is similar to a stepping stone. One needs to have a solid literary foundation, follow the thoughts of saints, and abandon unorthodox ways.

He picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and spread the long draft on the table.

Students basically answer the questions with a rough draft as a note first, and then explain the questions in order. Only when they are satisfied will they copy the contents of the draft paper word for word onto the test paper, making sure there are no erasers or scribbles and no dirty marks.

Neatness of the paper is an important criterion for scoring. During the three days, in addition to doing the exercises, all students have to spend time and effort to polish their characters.

The early spring breeze rushed in through the window, bringing with it a lingering chill. Looking at the questions, Lin Ruowei closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

For three whole days, no one chose to start writing.

But Lin Ruo was different. He only thought for a moment before picking up his pen, putting the draft on the table, and answering every word on the test paper with all his heart.

As the sun rose higher, the sounds of grinding ink and turning papers could be heard sporadically in the silent examination room, and the students began to answer their questions one after another.

The latest one started writing cautiously when the sun was high in the sky.

The time had come, and as usual, officials began their inspections behind the curtains.

Outside the examination room, Shu Wu gave detailed instructions to a group of inspecting officials and began to check one by one.

The examination halls to be inspected were very large, and it was extremely time-consuming to walk through them one by one. The officials had clear division of labor and walked and inspected within their own areas.

Shu Wu was patrolling the area outside the examination room. In order to prevent cheating, the patrollers had to observe the examinees' every move through the window, which was likely to affect the examinees' performance.

Therefore, all officials walked very lightly, trying not to disturb the candidates' thoughts.

After a while, an official from the end of the examination room came back from his inspection and reported on the situation.

"My Lord, everything is normal, except..."

"What's wrong?" Shu Wu nodded and asked.

There was gossip among the examiners, and the official naturally wanted to share when he saw something new, so he whispered, "Sir, one of the students didn't even use a draft."

The inspecting officials were often surprised, but they seldom saw such an unusual scene. However, generally speaking, they would be sarcastic and laugh at the students for being too arrogant.

However, the official's expression showed an incredibly solemn look.

"How's your answer?" Shu Wu guessed who it was based on the location. In order to avoid giving others a chance to talk, he had no intention of going on patrol.

"The answer is very good and it is very well written." The official could not help but keep praising. He stayed for quite some time and did not find anything wrong.

Shu Wu nodded in satisfaction and said with emotion: "This year, the literary world is going to change."

This statement was an exaggeration, but the official found it quite appropriate.

News of the inspection will basically be passed on to the lobby, and as examiners, they will also discuss interesting things on the field.

But this interesting fact is really shocking.

(End of this chapter)