A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 172: Submit the paper ahead of time (Part )
Hear Yan Shu's explanation.

Cao Liyong, who was extremely experienced in political struggles, immediately raised his eyebrows:

"I saw smiles on both of their faces. It turns out they were just acting for each other!"

Although Cao Liyong was a military general, he had been in the court for many years and had experienced many ups and downs.

He naturally has insights beyond those of ordinary people.

He was used to seeing people fighting in official circles, smiling on the surface but stabbing each other in the back.

The cruelty of scholars is no less than that of those useless eunuchs.

In order to avoid suspicion, Yan Shu did not have any communication with Song Xuan during this period.

Because Yan Shu was a little worried.

He knew Song Xuan was a smart man.

Smart people like to "take shortcuts and save effort".

That's what Yan Shu was like.

Use yourself to save others.

He knew Song Xuan's thoughts too well.

Yan Shu was trying to prevent Song Xuan from guessing the content of the test questions from his few words.

That would be unfair to other students.

Don't think it's impossible. Even though Yan Shu had been in the court for so many years, he could still easily fall into the trap of other people's words.

Yan Shu wanted Song Xuan to strive for the goal of winning three top prizes in a row, but the prerequisite was relative fairness.

Instead of deliberately leaking the questions and elevating Song Xuan to the altar.

Yan Shu would not do such a thing, nor would he bother to do it.

Because he believed that given Song Xuan's arrogance, he would definitely ridicule him and look down on him.

Yan Shu understood his youthful and energetic self too well.

Therefore, he also believed that Song Xuan had the same ambition!
Young Yan Shu had the experience of having his exam questions leaked.

At that time, it was a showdown between southerners and northerners, and he did not want to get involved. He said that he happened to have done the questions given by the emperor in advance, so he asked Emperor Zhenzong to give another question on the spot.

He doesn't need to resort to such despicable means.

Because Yan Shu has extremely strong confidence in himself!

Could it be that Song Xuan is such a proud person, would he do something so shameful?

Yan Shu didn't even need to ask Song Xuan about this matter, he knew it was obviously impossible!

"Uncle Tong, is Gu Zimo planning to do something bad in secret?"

Cao Liyong knew the plan Song Xuan had mentioned, and he was just reminding Yan Shu at this time.

His old friend is smart, but he is only good at protecting himself.

Not good at political struggles and protecting others.

"Yes, there is a possibility. I will personally keep an eye on him and not give him the opportunity to mess up the test paper."

Although Yan Shu did not communicate directly with Song Xuan, he understood that he had a guard with him.

It seems that Song Xuan suspects that someone is threatening his life and property.

Cao Liyong nodded.

Some things don't need to be said too obviously.

Song Xuan arrived at the examination room and came to his area, only to find that the area around him was full of people.

At this time, the imperial examination environment in the Northern Song Dynasty was still okay, but not as bad as that in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The students huddled in a small tent, eating, drinking and urinating in it for the entire three-day exam. They even had to apply for permission to go to the bathroom in advance.

Some students will hold back on going to the toilet in order to avoid making the examiner dislike them and leaving a bad impression.

At this time, there were sheds above the heads of the candidates from the Song Dynasty to provide shade, and tables and chairs were placed under the sheds, separated by intervals.

Because it is not used frequently, only twice in three years, it is built temporarily for easy restoration.

On the high platform.

When the examiner gets tired, he sits on it or comes down to patrol.

In short, all the students' actions must be observed.

No small gestures that go unseen by anyone are tolerated.

Being an invigilator is also an extremely serious job, at least it can guarantee the government's external credibility.

Once cheating in the imperial examination occurs, both the candidates and the examiners will be in trouble and will be easily used as evidence in the hands of political opponents.

Moreover, there is not only one examiner in the examination room.

Song Xuan looked around and saw soldiers patrolling back and forth.

As the chief examiner, Yan Shu also patrolled around, and when the time came, the gong would be struck.

The second year of Tiansheng.

Yingtian Prefecture examination.

The exam has begun.

Before the gong sounds, all students are forbidden to talk to each other.

Those who need to grind the ink are grinding the ink, and those who need to smooth the brush bristles are smoothing the brush. All of this is preparation work.

The first subject of today's test is the interpretation of scriptures.

There are fifteen in total.

All of them were selected by Yan Shu himself from Confucian classics.

The Four Books: The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects, and Mencius;
The Five Classics are "The Book of Songs", "The Book of History", "The Book of Rites", "The Book of Changes", and "The Spring and Autumn Annals".

Soldiers walked back and forth in the examination room holding signs.

Make sure all students have seen it.

Wait for them to copy it onto draft paper.

Then another four people held up signs indicating the next question.

Compared with making the test paper public, this approach makes it less likely that the questions will be leaked.

It is better to write the sign on the spot, which is relatively less likely to be leaked in advance.

When it comes to test papers, there is always someone who can easily take them away or leak the questions.

At present, the Song Dynasty has not yet introduced a separate "separate test" for the imperial examination to further enhance fairness.

Otherwise, if this continues for a long time, the number of students from commoner backgrounds will decrease, and many Jinshi will serve as officials for generations.

If the first generation of a family passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, they would naturally do their best to train the next generation to pass the imperial examination and become Jinshi as well.

This will prolong the family's wealth.

In addition, to take the exam in Beijing, one needs to have a relationship with an official as a guarantor. How could a commoner have such connections?
Song Xuan really didn't expect that he was so lucky. The first two were actually Spring and Autumn.

The first question was a test I asked Sun Fu.

Sun Fu was accepted into Fan Zhongyan's academy and taught everyone the Spring and Autumn Annals. He must have been very good at it.

So Song Xuan wrote down the answer to the question without even thinking about it.

Next came two questions from the Book of Songs. He could still write "Guan Guan Ju Jiu", but he had some difficulty with the next one, "Jiang Jia Cang Cang, Bai Lu Wei Frost".

The fifteen questions posed by Yan Shu covered all the Four Books and Five Classics.

It not only tests the candidates' understanding of the original text of the classics, but also requires them to elaborate their own views in light of historical background and current issues. It can comprehensively examine the candidates' level of understanding of the classics and the depth of their thoughts.

After Song Xuan finished writing on the draft paper, he began to copy it on the test paper.

In this exam, he was unsure about two out of the fifteen questions.

The passing standard is twelve questions, but these questions have different focuses.

Song Xuan didn’t know which questions would be listed as key questions, and the answers to these questions would directly affect the final score.

Especially in the Northern Song Dynasty, the imperial examinations were highly competitive and had an extremely low admission rate. One had to excel in all aspects to stand out.

Although I read the classics during this period, my focus was on poetry and prose, and I didn't pay enough attention to the meaning of the classics.

Cao Liyong strolled slowly.

Many candidates had solemn or anxious expressions on their faces.

Some people even burst into tears and were dragged out by the soldiers.

Stay calm in the room so as not to disturb other students taking the exam.

There are almost no students who are directly expelled from the examination hall.

Because those who make a big fuss will go to jail.

Cao Liyong had to admire Yan Shu, who was quite skilled in setting questions.

As he patrolled the venue, he saw that only a few students were able to remain calm.

Cao Liyong walked slowly.

He glanced at Song Xuan and saw that he had put down his pen and started waiting.

Cao Liyong deliberately paused for a moment. He carefully looked at Song Xuan's paper and found that the first fifteen questions were all filled in.

Cao Liyong nodded with satisfaction and walked past him to continue investigating the rest of the people.

"Uncle Yan Tong is right. Twelve Lang really has the ability to become the top scholar."

Gu Zimo also followed closely and took a glance.

The test papers written by Song Xuan were all full.

"Oh, it's no use writing quickly and accurately!"

Gu Zimo pondered secretly and felt extremely proud.

"After tonight, everything you do will be in vain."

Seeing Gu Zimo standing beside him and not leaving, Song Xuan raised his hand to signal the examiner.

Seeing this, Su Qi walked over.

He glanced at Gu Zimo and understood why he stayed alone here with Song Xuan.

It would be a good idea for Song Xuan to be careful so as to avoid any rumors from spreading.

"how?"

Su Qi asked.

Gu Zimo was stunned for a moment. He was also confused by Song Xuan's actions.

It was as if I was staying here on purpose to target him!
Song Xuan ignored Gu Zimo and said to the operator in front of him:

"Sir, I've unfortunately caught a cold. Now that I've finished answering the questions, can I leave the exam room?"

"I want to go back and rest early, so I can get enough rest and prepare for tomorrow's exam."

Su Qi looked at Song Xuan and he did not look healthy. He never thought that he would take the exam while sick.

It's not impossible to hand in the paper early.

Generally, students take their own test papers and go up to the platform to hand them in.

Song Xuan is used to raising his hand first and then taking action after getting permission.

Su Qi saw that Song Xuan had finished all the test papers.

He glanced at Gu Zimo again, then reached out and collected all of Song Xuan's papers, indicating that he could leave.

Song Xuan stood up, bowed to express his gratitude, and packed his things.

Led by the soldiers, Song Xuan walked out slowly.

Many candidates in this venue looked at Song Xuan. They really didn't expect that someone had handed in the paper.

I wonder if he has answered all the questions?

Shouldn't it be that strong?
Han Qi glanced at Song Xuan.

He quickly regained his composure and continued to slowly work out his answer.

Fan Xiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Song Xuan leave early.

Knowing that he had not affected Song Twelve's performance, he focused all his attention on the test paper in front of him.

The door of the examination room cannot be opened whenever you want, you have to wait for a while.

Or get together a group of people and go out together.

Song Xuan put down his exam basket and squatted in the shade of the doorstep.

Yan Shu, who was patrolling the area, saw Song Xuan sitting there alone waiting for the door to open.

He walked over slowly and said, "Song Twelve, have you answered all the questions?"

"Replying to Mr. Yan, I have finished answering."

Yan Shu knew that the outcome of the palace examination for those who were quick shooters was dismissal, and there was some dissatisfaction in his eyes:
"Ensure that all fifteen questions are written in accordance with the examiner's intentions?"

"That's not possible." Song Xuan pointed at himself:

"I unfortunately caught a cold, so I wanted to go back and rest early, and try to feel better in the next two days."

"If I just keep wasting time here, I'm afraid I won't do very well in the exams tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

Yan Shu looked at Song Xuan's expression and said nothing more.

But since Song Xuan said he was not sure, it meant that he did not give a good answer.

Otherwise, given his personality, how could he be so submissive and not have any desire to refute?
Yan Shu sighed in his heart. It seemed that he would need to be extra strict with Song Xuan in the future.

Otherwise, such a good seedling would be wasted.

Cao Liyong saw Yan Shu and the other two talking, so he came over.

After all, it is common for examiners to ask targeted questions to candidates after they have submitted their papers.

"how?"

Cao Liyong looked at Yan Shu's rather unpleasant expression and said, "Song Twelve's paper is already filled out, why is it still like this?"

Yan Shu had not seen Song Xuan's paper, as everyone would have to cover their names on it later.

This will better ensure fairness.

Yan Shu glanced at Cao Liyong:
"Even if the test paper is full, you may not get all the answers right. There are many tricks involved."

Cao Liyong didn't care:
"Shi Er Lang, why don't you dare to pat your chest and tell Mr. Yan that you got all the answers right?"

Song Xuan: ???
"I'm not sure."

Song Xuan pointed to his head:

"Even if I didn't catch a cold, I still don't remember all the interpretations of the Four Books and Five Classics."

"So there are two questions I'm unsure about, otherwise I would have been showing off a lot."

"Hahaha."

Cao Liyong held his belly and laughed.

Of course he knew that Song Xuan would habitually add the word "old" in front of his name, and no one else dared to call him that.

"It doesn't matter."

Cao Liyong waved his hand casually: "There are still three subjects left. If you study hard, it won't be a problem to get the first place."

"I'll try my best!"

Cao Liyong and Yan Shu were both very satisfied with Song Xuan's answer.

After a while, still no one came to hand in the paper, except Song Xuan.

Yan Shu waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to open the door and let Song Xuan out.

As the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall opened, Song Xuan walked out and stood at the door looking for Wang Gui's whereabouts.

Ding Zhe was suddenly startled, and he quickly took the yamen runners forward to protect Song Xuan.

These people outside are all buying sprees.

When everyone heard that it was Shi Er Lang who came out, many people immediately became excited.

After all, the top ten students from Yingtianfu Academy are within their betting range.

At this time, Song Xuan was the first to come out.

Wouldn't it be a safe bet to bet on him winning the first place?

"Why are there so many people?"

Song Xuan became alert and pulled Ding Zhe over to protect him.

If the assassin took the opportunity to attack, he would have little room to escape.

When Ding Zhe heard the question, he quickly whispered:

"So that Twelve-year-old will know that someone has set up a betting platform to bet on who will be the champion this year."

"You ranked third in the entrance exam, wrote a poem that became famous in Songcheng, and you were able to defeat even the imperial officials. Therefore, many people bet on you to be the top scorer."

"With so many people betting on me to win, doesn't that mean the odds are really low, leaving me with no real profit margin?"

"That's right, everyone chose you just for the sake of safety."

Captain Ding Zhe didn't expect Song Xuan to know so much about the odds.

"You didn't buy it too, did you?" Song Xuan was still supporting Ding Zhe.

"This is also a small gift from me. It's not much. I hope Shi Er Lang can get into high school."

"Give up on this idea as soon as possible. I'm already sick, how much strength can I exert?"

Ding Zhe's originally smiling face froze when he heard Song Xuan's words.

"Captain Ding, please ask the crowd to disperse. I've caught a cold and am feeling dizzy. Seeing so many people surrounding me is really uncomfortable."

"If anyone suddenly approaches me, I will subconsciously attack."

Ding Zhe quickly ordered his men to drive these people away. Song Xuan didn't breathe a sigh of relief until Wang Gui appeared with the donkey.

"Twelve Lang, slow down."

Ding Zhe helped Song Xuan onto the donkey, and then he heard:
"Captain Ding, I won't cheat you. Transfer the bet as soon as possible to avoid losses."

(End of this chapter)