Chapter 249 Sun Shan is here to take the exam, not to die

Chapter 249 Sun Shan is here to take the exam, not to die

In the afternoon, I was woken up by the yamen runners to eat. Just as I finished eating, it was already dark.

Sun Shan lit the candles. The most satisfying thing about the college examination was that there were enough candles. Perhaps the examiner knew that the candidates were also writing furiously at night.

The legal questions have been completed, and the only things left are two art questions.

These two questions are not difficult. You can find the source quickly and connect the context to know what they are talking about.

The difficulty of art questions lies in the fact that the format is rigidly prescribed, leaving no room for free expression.

If you want to write well, you must break through the fixed format.

After several months of practicing the tactic of solving a large number of questions, Sun Shan became very familiar with the format of the eight-part essay.

Under the candlelight, I began to grind the ink and started writing.

I don’t know how long it took, but by the time I finished writing one article, I was already sweating all over.

The stuffy feeling came back, and the stench that lingered in my nose all the time made me even more crazy.

Sun Shan didn't dare to breathe, but he had to breathe.

Breathe in and out carefully.

It all stinks.

I heard that some students, after knowing that they were assigned a bad number, would simply give up the exam and try again two or three years later.

After all, not everyone can stand staying next to the toilet all the time.

Sun Shan stared blankly at the night sky, his mind running wild.

Thinking about all sorts of things and daydreaming.

I sat next to the smelly cell, and then it occurred to me that there were four main types of cells.

They are "old number, bottom number, small number and seat number" respectively.

The so-called "old number" is in the middle of the room, with candidates in front, behind, left and right.

Even so, the "old number" is what students pray for when they burn incense and pray to Buddha.

Even though there are other candidates around, if someone talks in their sleep, farts, or grinds their teeth at night, it will affect your rest, but it is already the best dormitory.

Chen Zufan, a candidate in the Qing Dynasty, took part in 24 imperial examinations in his life. It is said that he was the person who took the most imperial examinations since the implementation of the imperial examination system.

In his article "Bie Hao She Wen", he described how he felt "both happy and sad" after entering the examination room.

When I am assigned the "old number", "what others lose I gain, like being an official in a good position, my heart is moved".

If you are assigned the "bottom number", "if you are sick, you will spit it out; if you lie down, you will vomit, have diarrhea, and feel dizzy. This is a sign of a major recovery."

As for the "bottom number", which is also the "stinky number", Sun Shan is experiencing it. The pain can only be understood by those who have experienced it.

The "small room" is much smaller than the average room. It is particularly small during construction due to the terrain or cutting corners.

If you are assigned to the "small cell", forget about sleeping or sitting, you will probably be surrounded by the walls and unable to move.

As for "Xihao", it is also an unlucky number.

Due to the increase in the number of candidates, there were not enough rooms, so they were temporarily built with straw mats.

If you draw this kind of number, it may seem fine at first glance, but if it encounters windy, rainy, or scorching sun, you will die miserably.

How can you do the questions when you are blown by strong winds, drenched by rain and exposed to the sun?

"Seat number" is a big pitfall.

Sun Shan thought wildly for a while, then shook his head. He was clearly thinking about writing an article, so why did he think of other things?

I quickly put away the test papers, poured water on the towel, and washed my face thoroughly to wake myself up quickly.

After taking a sip of mint water and taking advantage of his fresh energy, Sun Shan copied the revised eight-part essay onto the answer sheet. When he finished, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Now there is only one question on art left, which means that if he perseveres a little longer, he will finish all the questions in the college examination.

Sun Shan encouraged himself and started to do the questions.

I don't know how long I took. I was in a daze, my head was buzzing, and a swarm of mosquitoes were flying around the examination room.

Sun Shan didn't know how many mosquitoes he had killed. Even though he wrapped himself tightly, mosquitoes still managed to get in.

Especially stinging his fingers and ears, trying to suck his blood.

Suddenly, there was another "bang bang bang" sound outside. Sun Shan was startled and the draft paper was messed up again.

This has happened more than once.

This time, one of the candidates must have turned around and hit his head against the wall.

For big people, the examination room is indeed an "inhuman" design.

Alas, I don’t know who created such an inhumane examination environment.

Could this be what Mencius meant when he said, "When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a man, it is first to test his mind and will, to toil his muscles and bones, to starve his body, and to deprive him of all possessions."

Sun Shan was once again thankful that he had put away his answer sheet to avoid damaging it due to excessive shock.

I dipped the towel in water again and applied it to my head, and it felt a little better.

Pick up your pen and continue thinking.

My train of thought was interrupted by a loud noise, and I have to start over again.

No one knew how much time had passed, but Sun Shan's body became hotter and hotter, and his head seemed to swell up.

After looking at the half-written article, I felt a little discouraged and didn’t want to continue.

Maybe it’s not that I don’t want to write, but that I can’t write. I have no idea and no patience to write.

My chest feels tight and I am also very irritable.

My mind started to wander again, thinking about my past and present life.

Suddenly, the snoring of the guy next door woke Sun Shan up from his sleep, and Sun Shan poured water to wash his face again.

He sighed deeply and continued to do the questions.

If you calm your mind, you will naturally feel cool. But Sun Shan couldn't calm his mind, and he felt no coolness anywhere on his body.

After taking a deep breath, the stench filled my head again.

Before writing a single word, he washed his face with a towel dipped in water.

For this examination, Sun Shan brought with him the large kettle from the dormitory. He climbed the mountains and waded through the water, not minding the weight, just for this moment.

Fill the kettle and use it to wash your face and wake up.

Sun Shan thought that if he passed the examination, this kettle would become a family heirloom, and could be left for his descendants to use in the imperial examinations.

If it hadn't passed away, the kettle would still be a family heirloom of the Sun family. After all, it was used by the descendants' ancestor Sun Shan, and they have deep feelings for it.

The flickering flame and candlelight dripped onto Sun Shan's arm. A pain came over him and he woke up again.

Nima!

I just had a mental problem.

Whatever I saw or even thought of had nothing to do with the exam. If I continue like this, I won't be able to do the test.

Quickly organize your thoughts, force yourself to read the questions, and force yourself to write.

Write word by word. It doesn't matter if you don't write well, just write.

I don’t know how long it took, but Sun Shan finally finished writing the article and he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

My chest was still stuffy and my forehead was getting hotter and hotter. Not only my forehead, but also my body, soles of my feet and soles of my hands were very hot.

Sun Shan quickly dipped a towel in water and wiped his entire body.

The feeling is like when the little match girl lights a match and there is a few seconds of warmth.

As soon as I wiped myself with the towel, my body felt a little cooler, but after a few seconds, it started to heat up again.

I looked at the sky and felt that it was getting late. It seemed that dawn was almost approaching.

Sun Shan had to finish writing and copying the article before dawn because it was hotter and more difficult to do the questions during the day.

Besides, he was feeling extremely uncomfortable right now and was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold on any longer.

Sun Shan quickly revised the eight-part essay he had written. He did not pursue perfection, but just wanted to write an essay that would not lose points.

I don't know how many times I revised it, but I was never satisfied with it. In the end, I just stopped revising it.

Read it again and pay attention to whether there are any taboos.

This is very important. The test questions must avoid mentioning royal names. Failure to do so will result in severe punishment.

Sun Shan came here just to take the exam, not to die.

After copying the article and carefully putting it away, Sun Shan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The time was not up yet, but he had already finished answering the college examination.

At this time, a ray of light appeared outside. The night will eventually go away and dawn will eventually come.