Chapter 802: Inscription on the Monument
On March 21st, Sun Shan got up early as usual.
He yawned numbly, had breakfast, and gathered at the Imperial College early.
Alas, Sun Shan never expected that there were so many rules, and he was so busy that he was exhausted.
The worst thing was having to get up early in the morning. He didn’t have dark circles under his eyes, but after these days of torture, the young and handsome Sun Shan looked ten years older.
Twenty-three is clearly the prime of life, and some people might believe you are thirty-three.
Sun Shan stood at the door doing nothing, and had no idea what the staff in front were doing.
Sun Shan experienced it personally, but it was as if he had not experienced it.
He just does whatever others do, and his soul is without any thoughts.
When the time came, Du Zhuangyuan led Sun Shan and a group of Jinshi to pay homage to the Confucius Temple and held the "Releasing Vegetable Ceremony".
The significance of this ceremony is to remind the newly-appointed scholars that when they become officials in the future, they must use Confucianism to assist the monarch in governing the country.
At the end of the ceremony, Sun Shan and other Jinshi changed into their hats and clothes, which was considered as "release from the official position".
The so-called "Shihe" means taking off civilian clothes and from then on being no longer a "commoner" but an "official".
Afterwards, according to convention, the Imperial College erected a monument with the emperor's name on it and placed it outside the Dacheng Gate of the Imperial College.
When Sun Shan saw his name, he couldn't help but get excited.
He wished he could move the inscription back to Sunjia Village so that the villagers there could be excited with him.
What a pity, there is no way to do this. If I did, I might be dragged out of the Meridian Gate and beheaded.
Sun Shan once heard a story about "erecting a monument and inscribing a name": After the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court gradually declined, and the imperial examination system also declined.
By the time of the last imperial examination in the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the government could no longer afford the money to erect the monument, so the successful candidates had to raise funds to erect the monument themselves.
Among them was a man named "Shen Junru". Sun Shan was glad that he lived in the early dynasty, not the last dynasty, otherwise all his hard work in passing the imperial examination would have been in vain.
It would be even more frustrating if you have to pay for and write the inscription yourself.
Sun Shan shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
After the stele was erected and the names were inscribed, the triennial imperial examination officially came to an end. Sun Shan and his fellow Jinshi candidates then went their separate ways to find their own way out.
On February 22nd, Sun Shan got up early as usual.
Today is the day for the imperial examination. Actually, Sun Shan didn't want to attend, but it has been decided, so attending is just a formality.
But I couldn't be absent, so I had to do the questions yawning and in a depressed mood.
The content of the imperial examination is more than that of the palace examination, and it includes: imperial edicts, imperial decrees, memorials, poems, fu, essays, etc.
After all, the Hanlin Academy was responsible for compiling national history and classics, drafting imperial edicts and memorials, serving as an advisor, and making recommendations on policies.
Therefore, the selected Jinshi must not only master the format of official documents but also be proficient in it.
If you write it wrong, you might be punished.
Of course, there is another necessary condition for being selected into the Hanlin Academy: being able to write good regular script.
If you can't even write well, you will be kicked out even if the content is fantastic.
Especially since the documents you write may be read by His Majesty, it would be a huge sin if it pollutes His Majesty's eyes.
Because of this condition, Sun Shan has a 0% chance of entering the Hanlin Academy.
Sun Shan became even more desperate.
Knowing the result, Sun Shan decided to give up and did the questions leisurely without being nervous at all.
After finishing, he handed in the paper immediately, walked out of the palace leisurely, and walked to the Daqian Gate.
Gui Ge'er had been waiting there long ago.
Gui Ge'er asked with concern: "Brother Shan, have you finished writing?"
Gui Ge sent his brother Shan to take the exam early in the morning and never left since then.
After waiting for a long time, the first person to come out was his brother Shan. Gui Ge felt strange and hurried forward to ask.
Sun Shan said calmly, "I've definitely finished it. I won't stop until I finish my paper. You know me well."
Gui Ge'er understands, but Shan Ge has never been the first to come out, so it's strange that he came out so early this time.
But if Brother Shan said it’s done, then it’s definitely done.
Gui Ge'er said with a smile: "Brother Shan, this is the last exam, right? Will there be no more exams in the future?"
It was indeed the last exam. Sun Shan said with a sense of loss, "Yes, it is the last time. Oh, I am not used to the thought that I won't have to take exams in the future."
Not only Sun Shan was not used to it, Gui Ge'er was not used to it either.
Unlike Sun Shan, Gui Ge'er is not confused about his future. He has already found a "regular" job for himself.
Wherever Sun Shan went, he followed; if Sun Shan had rice to eat, he had porridge to drink.
Haha, Gui Ge'er thinks that he is not smart and is rather stupid, so he decides to follow the smartest man in Sunjia Village for the rest of his life.
That way he won't have to worry about the future.
Sun Shan took Gui Ge'er for a stroll and they even went into a jewelry store and bought some inexpensive but very exquisite jewelry.
Then I saw a pair of gold bracelets inlaid with gemstones, shining so brightly that it would blind your eyes.
When Sun Shan saw the pair of gold bracelets, his first thought was that Su would definitely like them very much.
Such an extravagant bracelet is what Su likes the most.
Sun Shan looked at them again and again and asked Gui Ge'er, "Gui Ge'er, do you like this pair of bracelets?"
Gui Ge'er's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Brother Shan, it looks great, so shiny."
Look, this is the vision of Sunjia Village, and Gui Ge'er has inherited the true teachings of the Su family.
Sun Shan asked the price, one hundred taels.
I put the bracelet down immediately. It was too expensive. It was simply a cannibalistic jewelry shop.
Gui Ge'er was also dumbfounded. He knew that things in the capital were expensive, but he didn't expect them to be so expensive.
Oh, one hundred taels. A family in Sunjia Village could not save more than one hundred taels even if they worked all their lives.
Sun Shan bargained with the shopkeeper.
As a result, the shopkeeper said directly: No bargaining!
This is a definite statement, and it looks like the person doesn't want to do business.
Gui tugged at Sun Shan's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Shan, let's go. It's too expensive, we won't buy it."
Sun Shan nodded and said, "You are right. It is too expensive. I cannot afford it."
Whoever buys it is a sucker!
Sun Shan looked at the pair of gold bracelets inlaid with gems reluctantly and left without looking back.
But he slowed down so that the shopkeeper could call him.
As a result, he walked out of the door and walked a long way, but the shopkeeper didn't come out to call him.
Alas, the bargaining strategy failed.
It seems that there are many rich people in Beijing and there is no shortage of customers.
Finally, Sun Shan fell back and decided to buy the pair of gold bracelets.
The shopkeeper was very happy and packed the things for Sun Shan carefully. He also said that their packing boxes were made of high-quality wood and were worth a lot of money.
Sun Shan's heart was bleeding, but he still smiled as he took the packaged gold bracelet.
The shopkeeper complimented him, "Master, you are such a good and filial son. The old lady will definitely like you when she sees you."
After Sun Shan walked out of the jewelry store, Gui Ge'er asked anxiously, "Brother Shan, why did you buy it when it's so expensive? Your aunt will definitely scold you when she goes back."
It’s too expensive, too expensive, and it doesn’t conform to the traditional fine virtues of Sunjia Village of “being thrifty and economical” at all.
Sun Shan waved his hand and said, "Don't tell anyone about this, not even Brother Nan or Uncle Dali."
Gui Ge'er didn't understand why Shan Ge, who was always stingy, was willing to buy such an expensive bracelet, but he obeyed whatever Shan Ge said unconditionally.
Sun Shan didn't know why he bought the pair of gold bracelets. He knew that Su liked them very much at first sight, so he bought them.
Sun Shan knew that Su was not likable and had a bad temper, but Sun Shan also knew that Su was really good to him, the kind that loved him wholeheartedly.
Sun Shan remembered that when he was a child, he went to the market with Su family. An unhygienic man spat on his little cloth shoes.
Sun Shan's scalp was numb at that time and he felt extremely disgusting.
Su wanted to argue, but seeing that the other party was big and strong, he immediately pulled Sun Shan away, then squatted down and carefully wiped the spit off Sun Shan's shoes himself.
While wiping the dirt, he taught Sun Shan that a good man should not suffer a loss in front of him, and should run away when he sees a bad guy, and not argue with him.
Sun Shan always kept this little thing in mind. Perhaps Su was the only one in the world who would not hesitate to wipe away that disgusting phlegm for him!