Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 40: Dislike at First Glance

……

The candidate Jia Rong is fifteen years old.

His ancestral home is Jinling, and he currently lives in the Ningguo Mansion in Shenjing.

He ranked first in the Shuntian Prefecture County Examination in the first year of Anping.

In the second year of Anping, he ranked second in the Shuntian Prefecture examination.

Great-grandfather: Jia Daihua, the hereditary first-class general and former governor of the Beijing Camp.

Ancestor: Jia Jing, a Jinshi in the Yimao year, currently serving as the Minister of War and the hereditary second-class General Zhenbei.

Father: Jia Zhen.

Looking at this resume document, the clerk in charge of checking it shook his hands unconsciously.

Although there are many wealthy and powerful people in Kyoto, only a few of them can produce such a resume.

The family of a noble or a noble! The family of a scholar! It is nothing more than this!

"Brother? Are you still searching?" Seeing that the man was stunned, Jia Rong could not help but remind him.

"Oh, ah."

The clerk did not dare to be negligent and simply checked the examination basket twice before letting him go.

He didn't have the courage to turn over Jia Rong.

The examiner Zhou Zhengguan, who had been observing from above, happened to notice this scene and couldn't help but frown slightly and asked, "Who is that candidate?"

"Sir, which one do you mean?"

A clerk next to him asked with a smile.

"That's the one!"

Zhou Zhengguan stretched out his hand and pointed lightly in the direction of Jia Rong.

Jia Rong seemed to have sensed something, looked back and smiled slightly.

Zhou Zhengguan frowned even deeper!
What's the meaning? !

Is this a provocation to him?

With the help of the light from the door, the clerk took a closer look and said with a smile, "It seems to be Jia Shunzhi, the son of the Ningguo Mansion."

"Oh, it's him!"

Zhou Zhengguan frowned and stroked his beard.

Jia Rong had frequently attended literary gatherings in the past two years and had gradually become somewhat famous. He had even received personal instruction from the famous Jiangnan figure Mr. Li at the last gathering at Mu Garden, so naturally he had heard of him.

Seeing Zhou Zhengguan remained silent, the clerk smiled and said, "Don't worry, old man. With his county and prefectural exam results, he will definitely pass the academy exam. There should be no need to bring transcripts."

"A sure win? Haha..."

Zhou Zhengguan waved his hand and said, "Pass my order. All the examination papers of candidates must be sealed and their names covered after they are handed in. No examiner may open them before the ranking is determined. Violators will be severely punished!"

I want to see whether it is real gold and silver or scrap metal.

The clerk's expression changed when he heard this.

"Sir, the usual college entrance examination does not need to be..."

Zhou Zhengguan's face darkened! He interrupted sternly, "What? As the examiner, I don't have the final say on whether it's a fuzzy name or not?"

The clerk was startled.

"You have the final say, sir. I made a mistake."

Zhou Zhengguan waved his hand: "Then get ready quickly!"

The clerk went down to pass on the message helplessly.

In the past, the names of candidates for the college entrance examination did not need to be covered. Although the final 300 candidates were all decided by the chief examiner, there were more than 5,000 candidates and more than 20,000 essays. The chief examiner could not be comprehensive. This gave the examiners below an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. For example, they might suppress someone's essay and not recommend it, or recommend a few essays of average quality...

He has a nephew who originally had hope for this year's exam!

This time it’s hanging!

Zhou Zhengguan sent away the clerks around him and went down himself. He stared at the clerks in charge of the inspection and said in a serious tone, "Make sure to check carefully! Don't let anyone off the hook! If anyone is found to have cheated for personal gain, they will be punished as well!"

Several clerks were frightened and began to check carefully, from head to toe, from outside to inside, leaving no one out, all according to the regulations of the provincial examination.

The candidates behind him immediately complained bitterly.

……

The candidates entered the examination room, each took a number plate, and went inside to find their own examination room.

Jia Rong looked at his examination number: Official No. 16.

Good, there is a six, it should be stable!
"Follow it, follow it!"

Jia Rong looked back and saw Ye Mengshu standing not far behind him, tying her hair up while walking. Her clothes were in disarray and she looked extremely dishevelled.

"Brother Ye, what's wrong with you?"

"Oh, don't mention it." Ye Mengshu sighed, "Shunzhi, you are so lucky! As soon as you left, the chief examiner came over. In order to please their superiors, those clerks searched like crazy, leaving nothing behind from head to toe. Some candidates were even cleared out. It was really disgraceful!"

"Is it really clean?"

Jia Rong didn't know it was because of him, he just felt it was really insulting...

"real!"

Ye Mengshu had already tied her hair into a bun. She looked at the cakes in the basket that had been wasted by the clerk and gritted her teeth and said, "This cake cannot be eaten. Brother Shunzhi, do you have any extra food?"

Jia Rong opened the examination basket and said with a smile, "Here are some of the old minister's cakes. Take them and have some."

The Grand Secretary's Cake is made by the daughter of a noble family. It's such a good bargain for you!

"Thank you, thank you!"

Ye Mengshu hurriedly took two and left two for Jia Rong.

"No whispering in the examination room, go to your own examination room immediately!"

The prosecutor passed by and found that everyone was whispering and cursing to each other, without any courtesy of scholars, so he couldn't help but scold them.

Everyone stopped talking and went to find their own examination rooms.

Let’s talk about Jia Rong. He came to the examination room No. 16, sorted out the things in the baking basket, wiped the tables and chairs, and then sat on the chair, closed his eyes and waited for the test questions.

Due to the strict entrance inspection, all candidates were not allowed to enter until noon. The dragon gate was closed, and Jia Rong, who was in a good mood, had already sat down and taken a nap.

The test paper has arrived!

"Question 1: There were no righteous wars in the Spring and Autumn Period."

"Second question: I have not tasted meat for three months, and I did not expect to enjoy it to such an extent."

"Question 3: Confucius said: Do I have any knowledge? I have no knowledge. A vulgar man asked me a question, which was empty, but I pressed both ends and exhausted it."

The five questions in the college examination were all standard, without any unconventional questions such as connecting questions or splitting questions. Jia Rong set up the inkstone, took out the grinding ingot, and while grinding ink, he carefully thought about how to solve the questions.

A good solution is half the battle!
"The Bible does not teach the princes, because they do not know that there is a king."

……

Before the hour of You, Jia Rong had already completed five eight-part essays and wrote them on the main paper. He carefully checked the essays twice to make sure there were no taboos or typos, and then prepared to hand in the paper early.

Generally, the first few candidates who submit their papers can get comments from the examiner. If the paper catches the examiner's eye, it will be directly selected.

Jia Rong ranked first in the county examination and second in the prefectural examination. Generally speaking, the examiner would give me face and not fail to submit my test paper.

"carry out an assignment!"

Jia Rong stood up and left the examination room.

A soldier at the door came forward with a smile and led Jia Rong to the lobby to hand in his paper.

"My husband is amazing. You are the seventh candidate to hand in the paper."

Jia Rong nodded.

Those who can hand in their papers early must be confident in their essays, otherwise they will not be looking for comments from the examiner but for scolding.

To the lobby.

There was no chief examiner commenting on the essay as Jia Rong had imagined. Instead, there was a group of clerks busy sealing the test papers, and several candidates looked confused.

Jia Rong's examination paper was also taken away and sealed by the clerk.

Zhou Zhengguan recognized Jia Rong at a glance and frowned, "What are you still looking at? You can leave after you hand in your papers. The results will be announced in three days!"

"Yes."

Jia Rong bowed and left the hall.

Do you want to take the test anonymously?

It does not matter!

Jia Rong passed the exams with first place in the county exam and second place in the prefectural exam. It was not because of luck or Jia Jing's face, but because of his real talent and knowledge!

……

(End of this chapter)