In March, the county trials in each county came to an end.

The counties and counties in central Fujian tried to take the scholars and entered the city.

In addition to these scholars, there are also scholars who have passed the county examination but are stuck in the government examination. There are more than 3,000 of these candidates, and even if the candidates in the Jinke County Examination are selected, even if the Nagong Academy is the examination room for the government examination, it will not be able to accommodate so many people. Therefore, at the end of March, the Fuzhou government conducted a review for these previous candidates, eliminated some of them, and screened out 2,000 candidates from the 3,000 people to participate in this government examination together with the candidates who passed the county examination this year.

Lin Yanchao and Huang Biyou came to the government to sign up together, the yamen has not yet opened, and it is in front of them that they see this lively registration scene, of course, this face is more than the Houguan County test, and it is all better.

The tea houses and restaurants on Fuqian Street are full of candidates from all over the county, and they are all chatting and chatting, discussing interesting stories about the county examination. In order to do business, many tea houses and restaurants also set up sheds on the street, which made the already small Fuqian Street even more crowded.

Huang Biyou couldn't help but be surprised: "There are so many people, this time the government test will be almost 3,000 people." ”

Lin Yanchao said: "Yes, this is also beyond my expectations." If it weren't for the fact that more than 1,000 people were screened out during the previous government examination, I'm afraid there would be more here. ”

Seeing this scene, Lin Yanchao finally understood why the government test was the most difficult in the primary three levels. Although the number of candidates for the prefectural examination is large, there is no threshold limit, and you can take the exam if you can write your name. Take Houguan County as an example, among the thousands of candidates, there are really candidates who are fluent in speech and worthy of a look, and there are only a few hundred candidates.

Houguan, this is still a big county seat, a strong county in the imperial examination, and if it is placed in a small county seat. It would be nice to have a few hundred people take the county exam.

And what about the college exam? Although the number of candidates is limited to children, the number of candidates is small, and the candidates who mention the Tao are generally candidates from the two provinces of one province, and the test is submitted on the spot, so the admission rate is relatively high.

But the government test is different, and the number of candidates is large. It's not enough for you to be at the top of the county exam just now, but you also have to compete again with the candidates who were screened out in the previous government exam.

Huang Biyou said to Lin Yanchao: "You and I have passed the county test now, and the government test has to go further, others call the government test the government pass, and they are talking about how many people have been stopped at this pass, but I don't think it is as difficult as they say." ”

Huang Biyou was elated, not feeling that he had passed the crane tail in the county. It's very reluctant. He felt that he could still try it out. Lin Yanchao knew that Huang Biyou had just passed the county exam, and now he was a little full, he had been unknown in the past, and he was pressed by others in the academy.

Lin Yanchao persuaded: "Brother Huang, it's better to be cautious. ”

Huang Biyou listened and said, "You think I'm a little inflated." To tell you the truth, I am very sober, and I have been reading every day until three watches these days. ”

Lin Yanchao knew that he couldn't listen. I can only sigh that drunk people always say that they are not drunk, and if they are really sober, they should praise you for your courage.

So the two ordered a pot of tea outside a tea shed, and the two talked about something while drinking. At this time, but a black skinny skin. The white-bearded candidate walked over and asked the official with a salute: "Dare to ask the eldest brother, can the candidates from Yongfu County sign up?" ”

The official glanced at the old candidate with disgust and said, "Didn't you see that the gate of the government hasn't opened yet?" Go to a distance and wait. ”

"Yes." The old examinee hurriedly saluted. Trembling to the side.

He wanted to rest, but found that there was no vacant land, and his robe was torn in many places, so he was reluctant to spend money to drink tea in the tea shed, and he was obviously from a poor family.

Lin Yanchao couldn't bear to say in his heart: "This senior, it's better to get together!" ”

The candidate glanced at Lin Yanchao, smiled flatteringly and arched his hand: "Thank you for this son, no need." ”

After saying that, the man swept his sleeve on the pedestal, and sat down next to each other.

Huang Biyou drank a cup of tea and said: "Brother Yanchao, you are too kind, this person has wasted his time, he is old, and he knows at a glance that it is not a material for reading." Drinking tea at the same table with him, it is indispensable to have a preface, he is old, and the two of us are young, so it is not a shame to spread it. ”

Lin Yanchao sighed: "I just don't understand, I'm thinking about what these candidates have to be, if they are forty or fifty years old, it's just that, after all, if they become students, they can be exempted from service, and personally, they can also see officials and not worship, and they can be regarded as having an identity in the township." But if you don't pass the school exam at the age of forty or fifty, even if you are lucky, you are just a child. Tong Sheng doesn't sound good, but it's really useless. ”

Since the Ming Dynasty, the word "child" is slowly changing, at the beginning, all scholars who practice the profession, regardless of age, have not been admitted to the examination, can be called children. But later, only candidates who passed the county examination and the government examination were eligible to become children.

Huang Biyou shook his head and said, "Brother Lin, you don't know anything. Don't look at these people so old, but if they are admitted to the children's students, even if they are a handful of loess in the future, they can also write the five words 'to be given to Deng Shilang' on the stele, if they are not even children, they can only write the words 'virgin'. With a child, it can be regarded as an explanation for his own life, and his children and grandchildren are also a little face-saving, and they are also beautiful in the township, so they can be called a scholar. ”

"It turns out that these people are for, before and after death, they are famous!" Lin Yanchao was stunned.

Huang Biyou said with a smile: "It is also good for me to be admitted to the children's school, if you pass the government examination and take the middle school children's students, don't think about social studies, but in some remote places, you will be invited to teach social studies." Otherwise, go to the Yin Shiren's house and make a western banquet, with a remuneration of ten taels a year, although it is not a big fish and meat, but it is also the best meal for their family. If you don't want to work hard to teach, then you have a skill, chanting poetry and writing on weekdays, a little bit of Kunqu horse hanging, going to a big family to be a clear guest, and the idle days are also common. ”

Lin Yanchao said with a smile: "Listen to you, if I don't rank in the future, it's not bad to be a Qingke, at least better than a dog minion." ”

After Lin Yanchao finished speaking, the two couldn't help laughing.

Huang Biyou smiled and said: "The most important thing is that after passing this house examination, you will be eligible to go to the hospital for the examination." But you haven't passed the government exam, and you have also seen the next government exam, you may not be qualified to take the test, and you have to take the test again. ”

While the two were talking, there was a bang in the yamen, and the door of the government opened. Suddenly, outside the shed, the people who drank tea and ate snacks all got up together and hugged the government office.

The clerk in the government shouted: "Don't squeeze, don't squeeze, come one county at a time, first Min County, then Houguan County!" ”

Lin Yanchao was too lazy to line up, so he immediately took Master Zhang's name card and handed it to the officials. The official quietly led Lin Yanchao and Huang Biyou into the palace. Bypassing the lobby of the row office, Lin Yanchao was led to the officer's room, and wrote his resume again at the moment, and Lin Chengyi and Huang Biyou's guarantors also vouched for him. The government immediately issued a citation to Lin Yanchao and pasted a floating ticket.

Lin Yanchao glanced at the floating ticket, but saw that it was a little above, with a moderate figure, a white face and a mediocre appearance. Lin Yanchao said in his heart This is completely a standard scholar portrait, we are not handsome, but we don't look tacky.

After taking the test citation, the other party learned that Lin Yanchao was the top ten in the county, and stamped another hall word on the examination ticket.

After completing the process, Lin Yanchao went home to study, and finally went to Lin's mansion to study.

After writing the last article by himself, Lin Yan pointed to the thick stack of articles that Lin Yanchao had written in the past and said: "After writing these, you won't be used for half a month before the government exam, you can go to the exam." Lin Yanchao was full of joy when he heard it, thinking that Lin Yan said that his level could pass the test. How do you know that Lin Yan added later: "Even if you don't pass the government exam, your hard work is in place, even if you don't pass, there will be no regrets." ”

Lin Yanchao was speechless when he heard this.

As soon as the Cold Food Festival passes, there is still half a month before the government examination, and the scholars gathered in the provincial capital will inevitably compose poems and travel.

It has to be said that the annual government test and township test have injected strong vitality into the three major industrial chains of the provincial capital. These three major industries are inns, green buildings, and temples.

On this day, Chen Xinggui, Huang Biyoufei and Lin Yanchao, who were studying at home, came out together, and the three of them went to a big temple in the east of the city.

This big temple heard Chen Xinggui say that it was the place where Ye Zuqia, the champion of the Northern Song Dynasty, lived before going to the township for the test.

It is said that one night, Ye Zuqia spent the night in the temple and had a strange dream. He dreamed of a dog, jumped on the case, barked at him, and saw a bunch of bamboos under the case.

After he woke up, he kept thinking about this matter, and asked someone to analyze the dream for him, saying that he had this dream before the township test, and what were the signs.

The person who gave Ye Zuqia to analyze his dreams, smiled and gave Ye Zuqia a gift, Ye Zuqia asked why?

That man congratulates Gongzi not only for winning the township test, but also for winning the champion.

Ye Zuqia was surprised and happy and asked, what do you mean by this, I haven't even passed the township test, how can I talk about trying.

That human, Champion Gong, you think. The dog is the dog, and lie on a few cases, the case is two feet, the dog and the case together is the champion of the character, this dream is a good omen, said that the public will be the champion.

Ye Zuqia was overjoyed when he heard this, and then asked again, what does the bamboo bunch mean in that case. The man told him that this was the way to get the champion, and you had to guess from it.

Ye Zuqia pondered for a while, and said in his heart, a bunch of bamboo is a strategy. At that time, Wang Anshi wanted to quit the poem, and intended to use the three classics to learn from the scholars, and the court asked questions about the use of strategies.

The meaning of this dream together is that if you want to win the top prize, you must work hard to study and ask! Ye Zuqia was inspired by this dream, studied hard at the moment, and later really won the champion. Lin Yanchao listened to Chen Xinggui finish telling this story, and couldn't help but sigh that this story is really told with a nose and eyes, no wonder so many readers are convinced of it.

After Lin Yanchao and Chen Xinggui came, the monk's room was already full, and many scholars who came to the government to take the exam wanted to stay here for a night to see if there were any gods who supported their dreams and pointed out their ways to win the top prize.

Even Chen Xinggui and Huang Biyou looked convinced, Lin Yanchao couldn't say anything more, so he had to agree to sleep with the two of them in the meditation room in this temple for one night. (To be continued......)