"It's really cold in the morning. I wonder what questions will be tested this year."
On the morning of the first day of February, many examinees were waiting outside the Fanglin Gate of Fanglin Garden.
It was very cold in early spring. There was even frost on the roof tiles.
The examinees felt cold on their hands and faces, but their bodies and feet were not cold. They changed into new shoes and clothes.
Just like last year, the Emperor provided them with new clothes and shoes. After the exam, they left with their old clothes and shoes.
Wang Xu put his hands in front of his mouth and blew, trying to warm his small hands with the warmth of his breath.
The three people who went to Liangpo Village to be village officials were beside him. They got along well.
"They're coming. One serving each. Don't eat too much. Go inside and sleep." The imperial court's carriages came out.
Stacks of pottery bowls and bamboo chopsticks came out.
A large barrel was filled with mutton stew and lean meat. Some examinees might have a stomachache if they ate too much without oil for a few days.
There were also tea eggs, cucumbers, pickles, and steamed buns.
Each person was given half a bowl of mutton. A big steamed bun was placed on top of the soup. The tea eggs and pickles were soaked in the soup.
There were many examinees this year. Those who did not pass the exam and went to be village officials in the previous years all had to take the exam.
There were also new examinees from various prefectures squeezing on the road.
"The imperial court is getting richer and richer. They're willing to pay for floor heating, clothes, and the four treasures of the study. This year, I must pass the exam and become a good official who works for the people."
Xia Hao held his mutton stew and squatted beside Wang Xu.
Wang Xu looked at the people in front of him enviously. They were all examinees.
The difference was that they did well as village officials. Without taking the exam, they were already exiled officials. If they were not exiled first rank, they would be exiled second rank.
These people did not need to take the imperial exam. There were places to arrange for them.
They came to take the exam because they wanted to be promoted to a higher rank after passing the exam.
If they passed the exam, they would be promoted faster. If they did not pass the exam, they would be able to enter the ninth rank after two years.
Like Wang Xu, after studying hard, the village gave him a good evaluation.
He had the identity of an exiled sixth rank, but there was no place to arrange it. Unless he continued to be a village official.
The minor officials in the county were all exiled third rank and above. The capital government did not lack officials.
In fact, all the examinees who went to the countryside had an exiled official. The most was a seventh rank official. It was a reward for them.
At the very least, they could read and write, which was many times better than ordinary people.
If they were not even given an official position, how were they going to live?
"The officials from the Li Family Zhuangzi who passed last year's exam have replaced us as village officials. Do you think they will be rejected?"
Not far away, someone was talking with an expectant look.
Everyone knew what he meant. You passed the exam, and you even got first class. When you reached the village, you were still not as good as us. What did that mean?
"Brother Donglai, who went to Liangpo Village? Will he do well?" Chai Baohong asked Wang Xu.
Wang Xu took a sip of the hot soup. "We've all been to the Li Family Zhuangzi before. Do you really need to explain how Li Dongzhu teaches people?
If there were people who wanted to see him make a fool of himself, just wait and see. Those 220 students would not be given away for nothing.
Previously, the 40 students became county magistrates, and their limelight overshadowed the county magistrate and deputy county magistrate. "
"That's true. Other people with Li Family Zhuangzi's background would try their best to get promoted quickly, but they aren't in a hurry." Zhu An expressed his admiration.
Out of the 42 students, the best was first class. Everyone else had an official position, but Zhao Donglin did not.
However, someone in the imperial court said that whenever Zhao Donglin wanted to be an official, he could join the army. If he waited a little longer, he could be promoted to provincial governor.
Zhao Donglin was in charge of 41 students and mobilized 20 counties in the imperial government.
Wasn't that just being a provincial governor? Being a provincial governor was nothing more than military affairs.
Zhao Donglin was trained by Li Yi in the Li Family Zhuangzi. How could he not learn military affairs?
The others were still working hard in their positions as registrars and county officers. They never mentioned anything about being promoted.
"It's a pity that I didn't make it." Xia Hao said and lowered his head to eat cucumber and pickled vegetables.
He regretted it. The Li Family Zhuangzi had given him two chances, but he had rejected them both. Since then, there were only a group of students who lived outside the village.
They would also take part in the imperial examination this year. On normal days, they would help the people to file lawsuits for free.
After being baptized by the village officials, those who had become officials outside the village were not so arrogant anymore.
The new examinees were different. They felt that they were more confident and easy to take the exam. They were outstanding people in their local areas.
Therefore, they gathered together and looked relaxed. They thought that the imperial examination was just a formality for them.
…
In Liangpo Village, which was mentioned by Wang Xu and the others, a man in a military coat was recording the location of the toilets.
"Changyu, come and eat some steamed buns. They are stuffed with pickled vegetables and oil dregs." A woman called Zhou Changyu.
Zhou Changyu was first class in the imperial examination last year. He was arranged to be a village official in the village.
He did not look like an official at all. If it were not for his straight back, he would look no different from a farmer.
His face showed that he had been through hardships. There were even small cracks on his hands.
There were skin cream and hand cream, but he did not use them.
When he arrived at the village, he first looked at the toilets, the size, the terrain, and the surroundings.
He took out a notebook and wrote and drew. He smiled at all the villagers.
He did not ask the village chief, Chen Mo, for the account books. He knew how to behave. How could he ask for the account books casually?
"Third Madam Chen, I have leftovers from last night. They won't go bad in the cold weather. I can heat them up when I go back."
Zhou Changyu smiled and waved his hand to refuse.
The woman came over and pulled his sleeve. "Heat up your food at noon. Eat steamed buns in the morning. I have money. I don't need a pair of chopsticks."
Zhou Changyu was pulled to the house of Third Madam Chen. There were a son and a daughter-in-law. There were also two children, a boy and a girl. The boy was big and the girl was still breastfeeding.
He greeted them one by one and chose a seat opposite the daughter-in-law. She was pregnant with a baby.
"Little Zhou, you have been here for some days. All you do is look at other people's houses … Don't you have any ideas? You are from the Li Family Zhuangzi. "
The old man sat in the main seat. There was a small bowl in front of him. The bowl was filled with rice wine. He drank it early in the morning. After drinking it, he would not feel so cold when he went out to work.
"Third Master Chen, it's almost time. After breakfast, I will go see the village chief and discuss with him to see if my ideas are right."
Zhou Changyu picked up a steamed bun and gave it to the six-year-old boy and answered respectfully.
"What's there to discuss? Your family is from the Zhuangzi. You can't trust other people, but you can trust Li Dongzhu." The old man said casually.
"Dongzhu said that every matter must be discussed and not taken lightly. If we do it right, we should do it right. If we do it wrong, the people will suffer. "Zhou Changyu was still so respectful.
The old man nodded. "That's right. Li Dongzhu is better than others in teaching people. The four children who came in the first year thought they were very capable. In the end, they couldn't even cook."
"They are actually not bad. They are thinking for the village. Their starting point is good." Zhou Changyu did not criticize others.
"You little brat …"
"Let's eat." Third Madam Chen grabbed two steamed buns and put them on Zhou Changyu's plate.
"Let's eat. After eating, I will go with you." The old man did not say anything more. He picked up the bowl and drank.
Zhou Changyu did not stand on ceremony and ate. This family was indeed rich. They planted ten mu of greenhouses and even hired two outsiders to work together.
After eating, he helped the old man to the village chief's house.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
