Chapter 91

"Brother-in-law, can I participate in the autumn examination?"

Participating in the imperial examinations isn't necessarily better the more times you take them. If one has good psychological resilience, it can be a form of tempering, making one tougher and more composed, which can actually help performance. Moreover, the imperial examinations also have an element of luck, so the more times you participate, the better. However, for those with poor psychological resilience, participating in the imperial examinations can be a form of torment. The more times you participate and fail, the more likely you are to break down, even fearing the sight of exam papers.

Li Wan yuan wouldn't have a psychological issue.

"Second Brother, if you're not afraid of hardship, then participate. It's only three days anyway."

"You must pass," Li Fei'er said from the side.

"I'll do my best."

"Not only must you pass, but your ranking must be high."

"Don't worry, at least higher than Second Brother's."

"Why drag me into this?" Li Wan yuan said, feeling wronged.

Wang Ju prepared his luggage.

The autumn examination also implemented a lock-in system. The day before the examination, the students entered the examination hall, bringing some simple luggage and money, but they were strictly prohibited from bringing books. However, when writing poetry, considering the different accents of students from different regions, they were allowed to bring the "Qieyun" and "Yupian" into the examination hall.

But these two books were only allowed for poetry writing. During the policy and classics examinations, they were strictly prohibited to prevent students from writing "private goods" in the books and cheating during the classics examination.

During the day, the examination was held, and at night, the students rested in the dormitories, with food provided by the government.

However, considering that some wealthy students couldn't endure this hardship, there was an exception. Some soldiers guarding the examination hall were allowed to sell snacks and fruits, but these were prepared in advance. During these three days, the soldiers were not allowed to communicate with the outside world, and they could only sell after the students finished their exams, not during the exams to avoid disturbing them.

So, they had to prepare some luggage.

This was the registration process.

Not all students from the state school registered. A few saw no hope and didn't bother, while some who had left the state school or studied through other means, with the support of a candidate, also came to participate in the imperial examination.

This session, Yanzhou had over 340 students participating.

Over 300 people competing for these eight spots.

However, if Wang Ju had to choose, he would rather compete for these eight spots in Yanzhou than the dozens of spots in places like Quanzhou, Hongzhou, and Hangzhou, where education was more advanced and there were many talented people.

Wang Ju and Li Wan yuan registered with the candidate's guarantee.

Hearing that he had registered, You Tao and Yang Du, who were already established, also came to join in the excitement.

In a blink, it was July 25th, and all the candidates for the preliminary examination arrived, along with their families, many of them.

Wang Ju couldn't imagine what a battlefield with hundreds of thousands of people would look like, but even the Western Xia army that invaded Wang Family Village that year and the current candidates and their families looked like a sea of people.

Actually, it wasn't that many. According to statistics, during the reigns of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Yingzong, each session of the preliminary examination had over 400,000 scholars, with an average of over 1,000 people per state! Yanzhou had only about 300 people, which was relatively few.

You Tao and Yang Du came over to congratulate Wang Ju.

Wang Ju looked around. It was too early to congratulate him before the exam, wasn't it? But he couldn't say he might not pass, as that would make him seem insincere.

"I'll be happy if you congratulate me when I pass the Donghua Gate."

"This, this," Yang Du and You Tao both hesitated. Yanzhou was tough, like a war where they always lost, and even Wang Ju and the two of them couldn't guarantee success.

"Whether I pass or not, we'll see after the exam. Let's go in."

"Okay."

"Second Brother, we're going in." Wang Ju called to Li Wan yuan, who was talking with his family, and then waved to Li Fei'er.

But he found it amusing in his heart. Was this considered a budding romance? Now that they were engaged, there were no intimate actions, not even holding hands. Should he try to hold hands with this little girl?

"Wait for me." Li Wan yuan called out.

A few of them went in. The examination venue was the Yanzhou State School, with some rooms converted into dormitories where they all slept together, which Wang Ju found very tough. There was no choice; the place was small, and there were so many students, so they had to squeeze in. But Yanzhou was considered better; in more developed states, it could be even more crowded, with thousands of people in one session, almost forming a mass.

The large lecture hall was converted into the main examination hall.

However, from now on, soldiers would guard the place. Each student entering was searched, along with their luggage, and only after the search were they allowed to proceed.

But in the provinces, cheating in the examination hall was very serious, with some even openly bribing the chief examiner.

The provincial examination was much stricter, to the point where not even a fly could get in.

The students lined up to enter the examination hall. In the crowd, Wang Ju saw some elderly students with white hair.

To be honest, Wang Ju tried to gain wealth and status through the imperial examinations, but money alone wasn't enough. Without power, one was just a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered, either by the court or by the powerful.

Especially in the future, by the powerful Cai Jing.

But Wang Ju had a deep aversion to the imperial examinations.

Looking at these elderly students, it wasn't an examination, it was a torment.

This thought was a bit radical. The imperial examinations weren't entirely without merit. They provided a path for the poor to rise, easing social tensions.

The imperial examinations were mainly based on Confucianism, which, while not eliminating the harm of the official-centric mindset, contained positive ideas such as benevolence, righteousness, and governance.

The policy examination was one of the assessment contents, covering areas like people's livelihood, national affairs, classics, and history, which to some extent opened up students' attention to current events and the fate of the country.

The imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty could be said to have both advantages and disadvantages. The eight-part essay in the Ming Dynasty was truly pernicious.

After the soldiers finished the search, they went in, and students kept greeting Wang Ju. They were all students from the state school, but their gazes were different. Some were helpless, some admiring, and some even envious, thinking that if Zhang Zai had taken them as disciples and personally tutored them for over two years, they could also have a good chance of passing.

The clerks led them to their respective dormitories, and many students complained about the early examination.

For Wang Ju, the early examination had some benefits, but most students felt miserable.

How nice it would be to take the exam in autumn, neither too cold nor too hot, and without mosquito bites. Some even had farm work to do, which would be delayed by the exam. With so much on their minds, how could they perform well?

The clerk, hearing their complaints, suddenly said, "If you can't do well, don't come to take the exam."

Everyone was speechless.

Wang Ju said softly, "Yang Dalang, You Sanlang, Second Brother, once in the examination hall, don't panic. Once you panic, you can't think of anything. Don't be afraid of failing, but make sure to show what you've learned."

"Are you nervous?" Yang Du asked.

"Alright," Wang Ju said calmly.

It was just an exam. After living two lives and taking countless exams, what was there to be nervous about?

Looking at Wang Ju's expression, Yang Du suddenly shook his head, "You can't be nervous."

It was just an exam. Could it be more nerve-wracking than when the Western Xia invaded Wang Family Village?

The clerk, who knew them, deliberately took care of them and arranged them in the same dormitory.

A few of them entered the dormitory, and the other candidates also came in. The soldiers "bang" shut the state school's main gate.

The lock-in began!

PS: Thanks to Gu Yue Mo Hai for the 588起点币 (Qidian coins) donation.