Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 334 The end of the examination
"Captain Yang!" Johann Adam Schall von Bell asked, "May I ask what law have we violated to cause such a commotion among the Imperial Guards?"

"Don't be in a hurry. Sit down and talk." Yang Huan made a gesture of invitation, then turned his head and shouted, "Someone, serve tea to Tang Guanzheng." Yang Huan's tone was as matter-of-fact as if this place was his home.

Tang Ruowang frowned and did not sit down. Since he did not sit down, Yang Huan simply leaned back and picked up the tea.

The arm cannot twist the thigh. After a short standoff, Tang Ruowang finally sat down.

"That's right." Yang Huan really enjoyed the feeling of controlling others. He put down his tea, stood up, and turned sideways to face Tang Ruowang. "Didn't Tang Guanzheng ask about this before he came?"

"No, I only know that you surrounded my house." Tang Ruowang met Yang Huan's gaze and had the illusion that a fox was staring at him.

"Tang Guanzheng. You can eat whatever you want, but it's better not to say anything nonsense." Yang Huan said slowly.

"Nonsense?" asked Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

"This is clearly a den of thieves." Yang Huan reached out and tapped the ground. "Yet you claim it's your home. Aren't you willingly becoming a thief?"

Tang Ruowang immediately retorted: "We have never had any thieves here."

"Yes!" Yang Huan's voice rose several notches. "Those are the people you sent to Liaodong. They slandered the emperor and father, colluded with the Jiannu, and intended to incite a mutiny in Liaoshen, causing the Ming Dynasty to lose cities and territory. Aren't they thieves?" Yang Huan added his own interpretation.

"Ah!" Tang Ruowang's brain froze. "What the hell is going on?"

"What good things have you done that you need to ask me?" Yang Huan asked back.

"Could it be that Father Mendoza is preaching in the army?" Johann Adam Schall von Bell asked tentatively.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell and Mendoza traveled to the East together on the same ship, and he was well aware of Mendoza's extreme fanaticism. It's no exaggeration to say that Mendoza was the most fervent of their crew. Mendoza seized every opportunity to preach. If there were no faithful followers around, he would pull other Jesuits to join him in prayer and vows. It can be said that Mendoza demonstrated his devotion to Jesus Christ at every turn.

"Isn't this very clear to you?" Yang Huan asked with a smile, "Come on, tell me, who ordered him to do this?"

"No one is telling him to do that. He is just that kind of person," said Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

"Tsk." Yang Huan rolled his eyes. "Then who is his boss?"

"We in the Jesuit Order do not have a strict hierarchical relationship, and Mendoza has no boss." Tang Ruowang was both stating the facts and responding to Yang Huan's questioning.

"Where is Long Huamin? He calls himself the president, but isn't he your boss?" Yang Huan stared at Tang Ruowang's face intently.

"We believe only in God, not in his service. President Long's official position is merely overseer of the mission," Tang Ruowang said, feeling somewhat guilty. Long Huamin, after all, was recognized by both the General Assembly and the Vatican, and the Society of Jesus' rules required members to obey both the Vatican and the order absolutely.

"Supervisor, censor? You're quite good at clearing people of any connection," Yang Huan said slyly, "but Chairman Long said that the traitor surnamed Men was recommended to Liaodong by you, Officer Tang."

Tang Ruowang was startled, but immediately calmed down. Although he didn't agree with Long Huamin's philosophy, he didn't doubt Long Huamin's character. "That's impossible! No one recommended him. Father Mendoza took the initiative to go!"

At the time, Long Huamin convened a meeting of all monks in Beijing to arrange for a "translator" for the mercenaries heading north to Liaodong. Mendoza was the first to raise his hand, expressing his willingness to bring the Lord's gospel to that barbaric land filled with slaughter and bloodshed.

Although there were several competitors, Mendoza received the support of almost all senior priests, including Long Huamin. Even Guo Jujing, who held opposite views from Long Huamin on many issues, did not raise any objections.

"." Yang Huan didn't like this answer, which he had already heard once.

"Has Mendoza been arrested?" Johann Adam Schall von Bell asked.

"He's dead." Yang Huan said lightly.

"Dead!" Tang Ruowang suddenly realized that the seriousness of the matter might far exceed his expectations. "How did he die?"

"How else can a traitor die?" Yang Huan shrugged. "Of course, beheading him."

"Where are the mercenaries?" Johann Adam Schall von Bell asked.

"How should I know?" Yang Huan didn't want to talk to Tang Ruowang anymore, so he ordered him to leave. "If you have nothing else to do, Mr. Tang, please return to the yamen and continue your work."

"Where is President Long? I want to see President Long." said Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

"You are only an official of the Imperial Observatory. You don't have that authority." Yang Huan ordered. "Send Tang Guanzheng out."

As soon as Yang Huan finished speaking, two ferocious-looking captains came over, grabbed Tang Ruowang's arms and dragged him out.

"You can't do this!" Johann Adam Schall von Bell shouted.

"Hmph." Yang Huan's response was just a light snort.

After Tang Ruowang disappeared, a general standing beside Yang Huan came up and asked, "Captain, why don't you just arrest him?"

"We can't arrest this person just yet." Yang Huan took a sip of tea and explained, "Although he's just a minor official at the Imperial Observatory, his robes were at least granted by the Emperor himself, and we don't have his imperial seal. If we arrest him now, even if the Western Depot doesn't say anything, I'm afraid his old boss will come after us. We need to send secret agents to follow him and make sure he doesn't escape."

"You have thought it through carefully. I will send someone right away." The general immediately flattered him.

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The place where candidates were tested was called the Gongyuan; the accommodations for students were called Haofang; and the troops guarding it were called Haojun. The Beijing Gongyuan was built on the site of the former Yuan Dynasty Ministry of Rites. It faced south and had a main gate with five bays and a second gate with five bays. Further afield, there were the Dragon Gate, Mingyuan Tower, Zhigong Hall, Inner Dragon Gate, Jukui Hall, Huijing Hall, and Eighteen Rooms.

During the examination, the Imperial Examination Hall would be sealed off, with no one allowed in or out. Only after the exam was over would the doors be opened and anyone allowed out. This format was known as the "Locking the Hall" examination, also known as the "Locking the Hall" examination because the hall was surrounded by thorns.

The invigilation of the imperial examinations was extremely strict. Upon entering the Imperial Examination Hall, candidates were subjected to a thorough body search to detect any hidden "material." These materials were small, condensed summaries of the Four Books and Five Classics, hidden on their person. Discovering such material during the body search was a serious matter. The candidate was immediately brought to the Ministry of Justice for rigorous interrogation, and the news was quickly reported to the Forbidden City for the emperor's information.

The place where candidates took the exam was called a "hao fang". The hao fang was very simple. Although it was one room for each person, it only had three walls and a roof. The shape was similar to a single cowshed lined up in a row, so the hao fang was also called an examination shed.

The Imperial Examination Hall's halls and offices were imposing and majestic, but the examination halls were quite simple. Construction of the Imperial Examination Hall in Beijing began in the 13th year of the Yongle Emperor's reign. At the time, the Forbidden City was still under construction, and the capital's walls had yet to be closed. The nation's financial and material resources were largely absorbed by these two massive, unstoppable projects, while various regions also had to build important government offices.

As for the examination halls at the Imperial Academy, they were simply built with wooden planks and reed mats. Since the halls were usually unused, and the Shuntian County Examination and the National Examinations took less than a month in two years, it would be a waste to use high-quality materials.

But this poses a serious fire hazard.

During the first session of the imperial examination in the seventh year of Emperor Yingzong's Tianshun reign, a charcoal fire ignited reed mats, causing a fire. The imperial censors, rigidly adhering to the rule of locking the entrance hall for the examination, tightly closed the gates. This prevented the candidates inside from escaping, and the soldiers outside from entering to put out the blaze. The fire spread, killing over ninety candidates and injuring countless others. Subsequently, the imperial court added large water tanks to the entrance hall to increase firefighting capabilities, but these efforts did not fundamentally alleviate the frequent fires.

It was not until the second year of the Wanli reign that Zhang Juzheng took power. While expanding the tribute academy, he also completely transformed the shabby houses built of grass and wood into houses with brick walls and tile roofs, thus fundamentally eliminating the basis for large-scale fire hazards.

Before the official start of the examination, the imperial court would prepare a charcoal fire and a candle for each occupied examination room for warmth and illumination. Once the examination questions were distributed and drums were played in Mingyuan Tower, candidates could begin answering the questions and writing the most important essays of their lives.

In addition to charcoal, candles, and examination papers, the court also assigned each candidate a soldier to watch them. Because they were assigned scores in front of numbered examination halls, these soldiers were also called "haojun" during the examination.

It can be said that during the entire Spring Examination period, the candidates were treated like livestock and prisoners.

At noon, the incense burnt out and the drums began to beat again from the Mingyuan Tower. This signaled the official end of the Taichang Enke examination. The examiners would remain in the Imperial Academy for the next few days, marking the papers, but this no longer affected the candidates. All they could do was wait patiently.

Wen Zhenmeng had already stopped writing before the drums began to beat in Mingyuan Tower, and had even packed his luggage. Now, he sat quietly at his desk, waiting for the clerk to come and collect his papers.

Wen Zhenmeng was a juren (a scholar) in the 22nd year of the Wanli reign. When he passed, he was only a young man, a man of extraordinary talent. But now, he is nearly fifty, his temples gray. If his name is still not on this year's Taichang Gold List, then he will have failed to pass the tenth imperial examination.

But Wen Zhenmeng's mentality was still good. Even if he didn't pass the special examination this year, there would still be a regular examination next year. As long as he could pass the Jinshi exam in one of these two exams, he would still be a "young Jinshi."

After a while, a clerk came to collect the papers. Wen Zhenmeng glanced at him but made no move. Just because the clerk collected the papers didn't mean the candidates could leave. Each imperial examination had thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of candidates. To facilitate management and maintain order, the examination rooms were divided into sections of 1,000 people each, numbered using the Thousand Character Classic. Only after the candidates in the previous section were released could the candidates in the next section leave the Imperial Examination Hall. Based on past experience, Wen Zhenmeng knew he would have to wait a while longer.

After waiting for a while, the signal troops began to withdraw from the examination area and gather in the open space between the examination areas. This indicated that the candidates could leave the examination hall.

Wen Zhenmeng removed the plank that served as his desk by day and his bed by night, walked into the narrow corridor, and stretched out long and lazily. After stretching his waist and legs, Wen Zhenmeng followed the other candidates out of the examination area and came to a large water tank nearby. He washed his hands with water from the tank, then turned and silently gazed at the other row of examination rooms.

Not long after, the person Wen Zhenmeng was waiting for appeared, and that person obviously saw him as well.

The man quickened his pace, approached Wen Zhenmeng, and bowed. "Brother Wenqi, I've been waiting for you."

"Brother Liangfu, there's no need to be so polite. I just came out too." Wen Zhenmeng returned the greeting.

Wen Zhenmeng and Wang Zheng met in the examination hall. The reason for their acquaintance was simple: pure chemistry. After the first round of eight-part essays, everyone left their cells for some fresh air. Whether acquaintances or strangers, the moment they met, everyone started chatting about the exam questions and their essays. Only Wen Zhenmeng and Wang Zheng, two elderly men with white hair, stood apart from the crowd, maintaining a distance.

Seeing Wang Zheng's remarkable presence, Wen Zhenmeng immediately sought friendship. He approached him and struck up a conversation, only to discover that they had both passed the 22nd imperial examination in the Wanli reign, and that Wang Zheng, already over 50, couldn't possibly have passed the imperial examination at a young age. A feeling of mutual admiration, perhaps even sympathy, arose, and Wen Zhenmeng suggested they meet by the water vat after the exam and get drunk together.

"Let's go." Wang Zheng made a gesture of invitation.

"Yes, please."

"Brother Wenqi, do you think you can make it to the gold list this year?" Wang Zheng suddenly asked when they were about to reach Mingyuan Tower.

"I don't know." Wen Zhenmeng's steps didn't slow at all. He chuckled and said frankly, "Whether I pass or fail isn't determined by my own thoughts, but by the examiner's pen." Wen Zhenmeng passed the imperial examination at a young age, and after those first few spring exams, he believed his impressive essays would surely secure him fame. But if everything had gone as he expected, he wouldn't be here today. "If I don't pass, I'll keep taking the exam. I've already taken ten. What about you, Brother Liangfu? Are you still taking the exam?"

"I'm not taking the exam anymore," Wang Zheng shook his head. "If I don't pass this year, I'll report to the Ministry of Personnel. Even if I'm assigned a minor position in the frontier, it'll still be considered serving my country."

"I'm not as good as you." Wen Zhenmeng said.

"Brother Wenqi, you're joking." Wang Zheng smiled and waved his hand, changing the subject: "Where are you staying, Brother Wenqi?"

"I've rented a small courtyard near the armory. Regardless of whether I pass or not, I won't be returning home this year." Wen Zhenmeng also asked, "There are still many vacancies in the courtyard. If Brother Liangfu doesn't mind, you can move in with me while we wait for the results."

Wang Zheng's heart was slightly moved, but he still declined and said, "I have booked a room at Sanyuanlou."

"Just unsubscribe." Wen Zhenmeng was very enthusiastic.

The two walked and talked all the way, and soon arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall.

There was a slight congestion at the entrance to the Imperial Examination Hall, as if there had been some commotion. Wen Zhenmeng craned his neck to look, only to see a sixth-rank official, his face anxiously shouting, "Let me in! I have something very urgent to report to Lord Xu!"

　Tip: In today’s daily spoken language, the cells in prisons are commonly referred to as “haozi”. The “hao” here actually originated from the imperial examinations in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

　　At thirty, one is old enough to pass the imperial examination; at fifty, one is not old enough to pass the imperial examination. This is how difficult it is to pass the imperial examination.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)