Chapter 721: Collective Bathing
In the hall, Madam He had already prepared examination supplies for Sun Shan and the others. The pens, ink, paper and inkstone were all very practical and were the result of many years of experience.
They complained, "It's so cold today, and you are only allowed to enter wearing light clothes. How can you bear it?"
Sun Shan also felt very uncomfortable, but he had to endure it.
The biggest problem in the imperial examination is keeping warm.
There are slight differences between the metropolitan examination and the provincial examination in preventing cheating.
During the imperial examination, "only the body can be searched and the towel can be lifted for inspection. There is no need to take off clothes or expose the skin."
During the joint examination, there was no need to take off clothes and expose the body like in the provincial examination.
The main reason is that the candidates who can take the joint examination are all juren, and their identity and status are no longer comparable to those of scholars, so the candidates have a certain dignity.
There is also no urgent need to "put to death" those who cheat to get on the list.
Therefore, the requirement for strip searches is less strict.
However, in order to prevent cheating, you need to "shower and check naked" before entering.
Before the exam, candidates are required to take a collective bath, take off all their clothes, and then change into the uniform prepared by the authorities for each candidate before they can enter the examination room.
They also call it: taking a bath makes you feel refreshed, and when you start writing, your brain becomes doubly flexible, your ideas flow like a fountain, and you write like a god.
Sun Shan trembled all over at the thought of taking a bath with a group of men in a big bathroom.
He would rather have a small group strip search.
Group bathing is so inhumane.
There are many bathhouses in the capital, and the baths are divided into different grades according to their conditions and sizes.
The high-end bathhouse has a pleasant environment, good sanitary conditions, and is equipped with bathrooms, guest rooms, tea rooms, and brothel girls come and go.
Guests can bathe, rest, sleep, eat snacks, drink tea, play mahjong, socialize, discuss business, and even receive accommodation here.
Sun Shan had been in the capital for so long but had never been there.
His nominal cousin He Shujun and cousin He who came with him had never been there, nor had they even mentioned it.
Sun Shan thought about the bathhouse incident. It was Kong Yi from Texas who asked him to go out for a bath.
Sun Shan was unable to react at first, but when he found out what it was, he refused repeatedly.
What a joke, a group of grown men go to take a shower naked and let others push them around. I would never go there even if you kill me.
Kong Yi couldn't help feeling disappointed when he heard him refuse without even thinking.
He also said that he was going to introduce him to some good brothers, so that if they could scrub each other's backs together, it would be easier for them to become good friends and their feelings would be more easily sublimated.
When Sun Shan heard this, he ran away quickly.
It’s okay to be good friends, but taking a shower together is out of the question.
In this examination, Sun Shan was about to take part in the collective bathing activity. He couldn't help but shiver and curled up into a ball.
Madam He continued, "Alas, I don't know if the quilts issued by the court are warm enough, and you have to spend the night in them. Last time, the grandson of one of my elder sisters also entered the examination room. He was afraid to use the wet quilt in the first examination. He had a runny nose on the second day of the examination, and had a fever on the third day. Fortunately, he survived and was able to see a doctor. That kid almost became stupid due to the fever. It was pitiful."
I fell ill after the first exam, so naturally I gave up the second one and was bound to fail.
Of course, the old lady was not worried about failing the exam, but about getting sick.
Although the imperial examination is more humane than the provincial examination, one still has to endure it for three days and can only come out after three days.
If he can’t survive three days in there, it would be a tragedy for the elderly to see their loved ones die.
He Shujun quickly comforted her, "Grandma, don't worry. Except for Ah Shan and my cousin, who are entering the examination hall for the first time, the rest of us have had experience in the examination, so we will be fine."
He Clan Brother and Sun Shan looked at each other, curious but also afraid of the imperial examination. 】
I feel like what they say is so scary, what should I do?
He Shujun turned around and said, "Brother, Ashan, don't worry, nothing will happen. We have said everything we should and shouldn't say. You just need to do as we say. We guarantee that you will come out intact."
Sun Shan and He Zudi looked at each other again.
What did He Shujun say? How did they know?
He's cousin is only 18 years old this year, unmarried, and a simple little boy. He chased He Shujun and asked, "Brother, you haven't explained the situation in the examination room to us. I don't know what you said."
He Shujun was stunned, scratched his head, and asked in confusion: "Didn't I tell you about the examination? Haha, it seems I forgot."
As soon as he finished speaking, He's cousin and Sun Shan couldn't help but roll their eyes at him.
Madam He was also angry, and scolded with a smile: "Junzi, you should talk to them nicely, explain everything clearly, so that they won't go in with nothing in the dark. If they break any taboos, they will be kicked out before they even take the exam."
When He Shujun saw that his grandmother was angry, he quickly bent down and apologized in a humble manner.
In this way, he explained to Sun Shan and He Zudi the situation of entering the venue, and several failed students from previous years supplemented their explanations.
Sun Shan had already asked someone and knew how to enter.
In fact, the most important point is: don’t cheat and prevent yourself from being framed for cheating.
Cheating is a big deal. Once it is discovered that someone is smuggling something private, the emperor will "strictly prohibit smuggling and passing it on. The offender will be arrested and sent to the court for questioning and will be shackled in front of the Ministry of Rites for one month."
That is, if a candidate is found to have "smuggled" materials during the search, he will be punished by being shackled for one month before being questioned.
And those who help them "smuggle" will also be punished.
Even with such strict measures, some people still take risks and some even frame others.
Sun Shan thought about it and realized that he definitely would not cheat and had not offended anyone, so most people would not want to frame him.
Sun Shan was just an unknown candidate among many candidates. It was costly and unprofitable to frame him. Unless one was mentally ill, no one would choose him as the target of the frame-up.
I also thought of Du Liubo, one of the favorites for this year's top scholar. If there was any false accusation, he should be the one to look for.
If we pull down such a talented person, those who come after him will have a better chance to come forward.
I haven't seen Du Liubo since the last time I saw him from afar in the teahouse with Kong Yi.
However, his legend has been circulating among the candidates, and many guilds or teahouses want to invite Du Liubo to participate in poetry competitions.
Du Liubo told everyone that he would study hard at home and prepare for the imperial examination.
After hearing this, many candidates expressed their desire to learn from Du Liubo and stopped attending the poetry competition to concentrate on preparing for the exam.
Some people curled their lips, thinking that Du Liu was too arrogant, cold, and unsociable. Even if he became the top scholar and entered the official career, his bad temper would make it difficult for him to have an official career.
There are those who envy, those who are jealous, those who gossip, and those who admire.
Sun Shan is a gossiper, all thanks to Kong Yi.
With such a friend who loves to watch fun and gossip, Sun Shan is bound to be influenced by the company he keeps.
Sun Shan is not a white lotus, he cannot remain untainted by the mud.