Qingxian asked

Chapter 19 County Examination
When we arrived at the street in front of the county school, there was a bustling crowd. A cordon had been specially set up with lime, and only candidates holding test cards were allowed to enter.

Friends and relatives behind him watched the candidates leave, and Xu Qing felt as if he had taken the college entrance examination in his previous life.

The desire for one’s children to become successful is no different in ancient and modern times.

There were people of all ages in front of the county school, but now they all had only one identity, that is, a student.

Tongsheng is just a title. It does not have any special privileges and is not considered a real scholar.

Xu Qing arrived, and not long after, County Magistrate Wu arrived in court robes, speaking official documents, and after the formalities, the county examination began.

There are usually four or five county examinations, and the exact number is decided by the county magistrate himself.

For this county examination, County Magistrate Wu plans to take four exams.

I guess he also wanted to finish the county examination as soon as possible.

The first session of the county examination is called the main session, followed by the "first review", "second review", and the fourth session "face-to-face review".

In fact, after passing the main exam, you don’t need to take part in the next two exams, and can directly take part in the fourth “interview”.

There were more than a thousand candidates taking the exam this time, and it took a long time to verify the identities of each one. However, Xu Qing was the nephew of Li Dianshi, so he didn't have to wait long before a clerk verified his identity and let him enter the examination room first.

The advantage of entering the examination room first is that you can choose a good seat.

The examination papers for the county examination did not need to be covered or copied, so the examiner's intention basically determined the result of the county examination.

When the formal exam began, Xu Qing started answering questions with his writing brush.

The topic of the exam was "Take benevolence as one's own responsibility".

This was the latter sentence of what County Magistrate Wu said to Li Dianshi: "A scholar must be broad-minded and resolute, for he has a heavy responsibility and a long way to go."

Xu Qing had previously guessed that the question would be either the first sentence or the second sentence.

Things turned out as expected.

He had already put a lot of hard work into these possible questions.

After putting pen to paper, quickly enter a state of "absolute concentration".

Because he had already done the topic, Xu Qing was in a state of "absolute concentration". He combined the best essays he had done before with similar paragraphs from famous eight-part essays he had seen in his previous life to create a magnificent essay.

The Dayu Dynasty was not closed, and everyone from top to bottom favored child prodigies.

The better the articles Xu Qing produces at this time, combined with his age advantage, the more likely he is to become famous.

Being famous is not a bad thing, it can even be a talisman.

What's more, Xu Qing really wanted to know whether his "luck" would be blessed in a different way as his fame grew.

After Xu Qing finished, he checked it as usual and wrote a test poem at the same time.

After everything was ready, he was surprised to find that there was actually another candidate who had finished the test, but later than him and was still checking.

Xu Qing simply didn't wait and handed in his paper first.

As soon as he stood up, he naturally alarmed the candidates who had finished their papers later than him and were checking their work.

He was a little anxious, but he hadn't finished the inspection yet, so he had to continue.

When Magistrate Wu saw the name on the cover, he realized that it was Li Dianshi's nephew Xu Qing. He did not look at it for long, but waited until Xu Qing left the examination room before picking up the paper and looking at it.

Although it had been decided to give Xu Qing the first place in the case, Magistrate Wu himself did not have high expectations for the level of Xu Qing's writing.

But being able to reach an above-average level is enough to silence the critics.

"This……"

Because he had no expectations, Xu Qing's essay was so amazing that it far exceeded his expectations. He knew very well that even if he had leaked the topic, Xu Qing could prepare two or three months in advance. But the essay was too good. Even a top three scholar like him couldn't write such a good essay. "Good!" When he read to the climax, County Magistrate Wu slapped the table vigorously.

County Magistrate Wu understood the mood of the ancients who read books while drinking. Now that he saw such a good article, he really wanted to find a pot of wine to drink in order to express the excitement in his heart.

Because people like him have read many classics, when they read a new and good article that they have never read before, it is actually the same feeling as when Xu Qing, as an old bookworm, found a particularly good novel when he was reading novels in his previous life.

There are no words to describe it!
After a long time, County Magistrate Wu closed the paper reluctantly, and then found that there was one more candidate in front of him.

Magistrate Wu managed his expression and said calmly, "Put down the paper."

"Sir, please take a look at my paper as well."

"Of course I will."

The candidate hesitated for a moment and said through gritted teeth, "I saw that when the adults were looking at the first test paper, they were fascinated and wanted to know whose paper was better, mine or his. I guess the first place in this county exam must be between him and me."

Magistrate Wu looked at the candidate's name and said, "Yan Shan is from Dongting in this county. Who is Dongting Gong to you?"

"That's my great-grandfather."

Lord Dongting was Yan Jie, a famous official in the county. He had once been a provincial governor of the second rank. However, in the past thirty years, no one in Yan's family had passed the imperial examinations to achieve a degree above juren, so the family naturally fell into decline.

This is also one of the reasons why, since the rise of the imperial examination system, it has become more difficult for the gentry to compete with the imperial power as they did in the Middle Ages.

Once no one passes the imperial examination and continues to serve as an official in the court, the social class will slide down at a very fast speed.

By the time of the candidate named Yan, his father hadn't even passed the examination to become a scholar.

Of course, the Yan family is a large family. Although the great-grandfather of the candidate surnamed Yan was a second-rank official, their family is not the main branch. Over three generations, apart from the surname Yan, they have not benefited much from the great-grandfather's influence.

However, because of his background, it was very easy for him to borrow all kinds of books.

In order to take the imperial examination, Yan Shan spent his limited family wealth to study in Julu Academy, a famous academy in Southern Zhili. All the teachers there had passed the imperial examination.

This time Yan Shan had learned a lot and came back to take part in the county examination, determined to get the first place.

Magistrate Wu was willing to show some kindness to the descendants of famous officials. After all, everyone has to retire one day. If you don't respect your elders now, you still expect them to respect you when you retire in the future.

When you're out there, you give each other face.

Magistrate Wu then looked at his paper in front of Yan Shan.

It's really high level.

Magistrate Wu asked himself, this is the best he could do at the moment. In terms of writing style, he seemed to be a little worse than Yan Shan.

It seems that Yan Shan had been taught by a famous teacher who specialized in imperial examinations.

What a pity, what a pity.

If Xu Qing hadn't written such a good article, he might have wavered.

"Yes, you have passed the test."

Yan Shan's face was filled with disappointment. He knew what Magistrate Wu meant, but he still wanted to know for sure, so he said, "Sir, can you let me see his answer sheet?"

He looked pleading.

Magistrate Wu felt a little sympathetic towards Yan Shan's talent, and thought that with Yan Shan's current level, it would be only a matter of time before he passed the imperial examination, if not the imperial examination. It would be good to make a good relationship with him, so he said, "You see."

Yan Shan bowed deeply, then carefully read the words on Xu Qing's paper. After reading only half of it, he couldn't help but shout out loud: "It is unjust that this paper won't be ranked first."

This loud shout startled everyone inside and outside the examination room.

(End of this chapter)