Chapter 730: The First Examination (1)
The departure of some candidates caused Sun Shan some brief trouble, but he then continued with what he was doing.
Perhaps because of the departure of the candidates, fewer people go to the toilet, which is a happy thing despite the misfortune.
I don’t know if it was a psychological effect or a practical situation, but Sun Shan felt that the smell in the toilet was not so bad anymore.
I took the exam from morning to noon, then had a meal and continued doing the questions. In the evening, the servant came to bring me lunch.
The staple food was still big white steamed buns. Sun Shan was numb at this time and mechanically broke them apart piece by piece and stuffed them into his mouth.
One steamed bun is enough for three meals. After Sun Shan ate a few slices, he felt full. He still picked up the rest and waited to bake steamed buns to eat in the evening.
While doing the exercises, I felt hungry and could have this as a midnight snack.
After resting for a while, I asked to go to the toilet.
The servant waved his hand from a distance and told Sun Shan to get out of here quickly. When he came back, he stamped a "shit stamp" on Sun Shan's secret stamp and ran away as if he had seen a ghost.
Sun Shan was so annoyed: "Is it really that smelly? It's obviously not that smelly. It's like a ghost patting the backrest. How useless."
The promising Sun Shan sat upright on a wooden board and lit a charcoal fire. It was late at night and a cold wind was blowing. Although the room was wrapped in oilcloth on three sides, it still leaked air.
Moreover, the quality of these oilcloths is not good at all. It is obvious that they were made by cutting corners and using kickbacks.
Sun Shan's legs were a bit cold, and he warmed them over the charcoal fire for a while before they felt better.
Sun Shan had finished six questions yesterday and today, and planned to finish them before doing the last question.
Now is the best time to concentrate on doing things while the charcoal fire is burning, the candlelight is bright, and the candidates are asleep.
Sun Shan checked the articles again and again, and found that the name and temple name of the emperor of the current dynasty should be avoided in the text, and it was not allowed to introduce the family background of the author, and personal information should not be disclosed.
If you violate these taboos, you will be thrown aside without even looking at the paper.
I don’t know how long it took, but my hands and feet became numb again.
The wind is howling, the firelight is dimming, the road to the imperial examination is long, and no one knows whether this time can end Sun Shan’s imperial examination journey.
After twenty years of study, although it is a wise saying that one should keep learning throughout life, Sun Shan really did not want to continue studying endlessly on the endless road to imperial examinations.
If it is a subject you like, it would be fine to study it this way, but Sun Shan was indeed not good at the subjects related to the imperial examination.
Reading like this will not allow you to understand any truth, let alone create a school of thought.
Sun Shan sighed and stretched his muscles.
The six articles were finally finished. After waiting for a while and the ink dried, they were carefully put away and put aside.
There is one last question, and I have to finish it tonight, otherwise I really won’t have time to do it.
Sun Shan rested for a while and took out the remaining buns to bake.
Eat toasted steamed buns and drink wolfberry wine.
This combination shouldn’t be poisonous, and if it was harmful, the old lady wouldn’t have let them bring it in to warm themselves up.
Sun Shan glanced furtively at the next room. Because of the shoddy oilcloth, the light had strong penetrating power. Leng Mojun next door was also not asleep and was writing as furiously as he was. It seemed that he was also planning to stay up late.
After eating the toasted buns, my stomach felt full, and after drinking a few sips of medicinal wine, my body felt warm.
The charcoal fire was still burning brightly, and it should last until dawn. As for the candles, they were really durable, worthy of being produced in Dongyang, and worthy of being a high-end luxury candle.
Sun Shan was stunned for a moment, and his mind began to wander again.
He shook his head, took another sip of the medicinal wine, and continued to write the article with the test paper.
I don’t know how long it took, but when I finished writing the essay, the examination room was completely quiet, with no sound at all.
Sun Shan didn't want to think too much about it. He was so sleepy that he collected the papers and hid them in his clothes before going to bed.
I was sleeping soundly when I was suddenly awakened by the ringing of a bell. I sat up abruptly and saw the servant coming to deliver breakfast.
Sun Shan felt his stomach and found he was not hungry at all. He then looked at the charcoal fire next to him and found it had gone out long ago. His charcoal was also used up.
I poured water from the bucket and washed my face. The biting coldness made me wake up completely.
Some people say that it is best to wash with cold water when you get up in the morning, so that you can stay energetic all day long.
Sun Shan didn't believe such words, but at this moment, the cold water woke him up and he began to believe them.
It was still very cold early in the morning, and Sun Shan gulped down the hot soup.
As for steamed buns and dumplings, I won’t eat them. I ate toasted steamed buns last night and the food in my stomach hasn’t been digested yet.
I applied to go to the toilet again and found that the toilet conditions in the imperial examination were much better than those in the provincial examination. I don’t know whether some candidates left early or it was such a cold day that the candidates didn’t like to go to the toilet.
In short, the goodness of this situation has exceeded Sun Shan's imagination. Compared with the provincial examination, it is not so terrible.
Sun Shan comforted himself in a very Ah Q way. Even though the toilet still emitted a foul smell, Sun Shan did not dare to complain too much.
Back in the examination room, I quickly reviewed the essay for the last question from last night.
After you finish writing, the bell will ring again. This is to remind the candidates that the exam time is almost over, and you should write what you need to write quickly, otherwise you will really have no time to write.
The bell rang every half an hour until the last bell rang very quickly and loudly. Then a staff member came to collect the papers, and Sun Shan's first imperial examination officially ended.
During the first examination, someone came to inspect. He was wearing an official uniform. Sun Shan didn't dare to look directly at who he was and pretended to be very calm while doing the test paper.
The official who came to inspect was also very responsible. He walked straight to the toilet.
I don’t know if his facial color changed, but he was able to come over, which shows that he is very responsible.
Unlike some patrol officers, who turned around and left when they reached Lengmojun's position, showing no dedication at all.
After the papers were collected, Sun Shan carried his things and followed the other examinees closely.
Sun Shan looked at Leng Mojun's examination room next door. The person had disappeared long ago. It seems that tall people run faster.
His speed was not slow at all, who knew there were people faster than him.
Oh, I have to hurry up next time so I don’t have to wait in the long line.
When Sun Shan walked to the door, Gui Ge'er and the other two had been waiting eagerly. When they saw Sun Shan wearing a thin and ill-fitting uniform, they were shocked.
He ran over and shouted distressedly: "Brother Shan, put on your coat quickly, you must be freezing."
Gui Ge'er almost yelled that the examiner was a pervert. He actually let the examinee wear only one layer of clothes. He was simply not a human being.
However, thinking that walls have ears and that too much talk will lead to mistakes, he was afraid of causing trouble for Sun Shan, so he swallowed the curse in his stomach.
Sun Dali and Sun Dingnan could not understand why the imperial court was so inhumane as to force their scholar to endure the cold to take the exam.
Who came up with this rule?
Sun Dali and Sun Dingnan decided to go to the bridgehead at night to "beat the villain" and send the designer of the examination to the eighteenth level of hell.
Sun Shan shook his head and quickly put on his coat, feeling much warmer instantly.
Asked: "Where are Jun and the others? Are they all out?"
Sun Dingnan nodded and said, "I came out and went back to rest. The old lady arranged several cars. Whoever came out will go back first. There is no need for everyone to leave together."