On the tenth day of August in the first year of Qingli, Du Zhongxiao has been studying in Guozijian for more than a year, and it is time to find relief. From a few days ago, I didn't see shadow students, but these days come every day, not to study, but to see what new policies are available this year.

Du Zhongxiao and Su Song together took their newly written article to show him.

Su Song read it and said with a smile: "In one year, Brother Du's article should be impressive. When I first met Brother Du, the article was stuck in format, and I was inevitably sick. Today, it has been done in one go, quite imposing. With an article like this, why not be worried. ”

Du Zhongxiao sighed: "I have worked hard this year, and it is not an exaggeration to say that I forgot to sleep and eat, and I have made a lot of progress consciously." It's just that now that the autumn test is coming, my heart is worried. Alas, after all, he is still young and can't hold his breath. ”

At this moment, a student from the Guozijian ran in from outside and said loudly: "The imperial court decrees that all public papers will be cancelled this year." Ladies and gentlemen, there are still those who are still preparing, but you can breathe a sigh of relief, and you don't have to think about it! ”

The person who shouted looked elated, obviously unprepared and gloating.

When the students listened, their expressions were different, some were overjoyed, some were disappointed, and they were in a mess for a while.

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "I have no relatives with the officials of the DPRK and China, and I feel that my literary skills are not outstanding. That's it, it's exactly what I want. It's just that Brother Su has to suffer some losses and has a lot less to take care of. ”

Su Song smiled indifferently: "I'm not ready to do such a thing, so why should I suffer a loss?" ”

Gongjuan is a custom inherited from the Tang Dynasty, and before the imperial examination, candidates choose their usual poems and texts, which are compiled into a booklet and presented to the examiner of the main examination. Even if you don't play well in the exam, you may not be able to understand it if you have the impression of a public paper. However, with the implementation of the sealing and transcription system in the release test, the role of the public file is dispensable. However, there are those candidates who the examiner attaches great importance to can still find clues from the idiomatic language of the article, and some even set the code as a way to cheat. This year, Jia Changchao, who was in Kaifeng Prefecture, was completely abolished, which was a major reform of the imperial examination system. At this point, the imperial examination system that future generations are familiar with can be regarded as officially formed.

According to the usual practice, the examination of the state army is mainly examined by the general judge, and the subjects are examined by the record officer to join the army. Only Guozijian and Kaifeng Mansion are exceptions, and special officials are appointed by the imperial court to conduct the examination. At this time, it is the time to determine the chief examiner, and the candidates who have the way are working hard to prepare the official paper, and this edict has made many people's efforts come to naught.

Du Zhongxiao came from a small family, and he knew a Li Dui in the court, and he had nowhere to cast if he wanted to cast the public roll. Moreover, the articles he did this year were all to cope with the imperial examination, which was decent and lackluster, and he exposed his shortcomings when he dedicated them to others. The cancellation of the public file is a good thing for him.

Guozijian has hundreds of students, but the management is loose, although there are direct lectures, but it is not mandatory, and there are not many people who usually listen to the lectures here. Like Du Zhongxiao and Su Song, they each choose their favorite subjects and lecturers, and come here to study intermittently. This year's students did not have an impression of Du Zhongxiao's previous life, and they had even fewer interactions with students.

At this time, the leader of Guozijian's students was Yang Ning, and his brother Yang Cha was the leader of Zhang Tangqing's list in the first year of Jingyou, and his writing was good. The ministers of the court and even the emperor knew his name, and he was the most eye-catching person in this section, and he himself considered himself the best candidate. As for some other people who were born in official eunuchs, such as Wang Jue, Han Jiang, Han Zhen and others, they all already have official positions and are only registered in the Guozijian. The biggest role of Guozijian is to arrange for some officials' children to go back to their hometowns to study and understand, and there are no people with household registration in Kaifeng Prefecture.

At this time, the imperial examination education was still based on family learning, and the college was beginning to emerge, and there was no climate. Yang Cha and Yang Ning can be seen, in addition to their brothers, there are many fathers, sons, and brothers in each session.

In the past year, Du Zhongxiao has made great progress. From the beginning of the fugue and poetry rigidity, now I have become accustomed to the format, and I can write poems freely under the established format, and even make poems on the spot, which is also so-so. There is nothing eye-catching, but decent poetry can be made, and it will not suffocate there.

According to Du Zhongxiao's current level, he can already be regarded as a qualified jinshi. With this level, the imperial examination is sufficient, and the ranking of the imperial examination cannot be forced. It's not an outstanding character, it takes luck.

After studying the poems for a while, and seeing that the students gradually dispersed, Du Zhongxiao said to Su Song: "I'm bored from reading these days, let's go and see the steam engine that is made." It will be of great use in the future, and it will be worth the effort. ”

Su Song is open-minded, happy with fame and fortune, not angry when he loses, and is not keen on the imperial examination. In the words of Du Zhongxiao's previous life, he lived a Buddhist life. I have a strong interest in astronomy and geography, all kinds of technical things. The steam engine Su Song has been working with Du Zhongxiao for a year, and it can be practical, and it is a good plaything. As soon as Du Zhongxiao mentioned it, he happily went to see it together.

The steam engines of the two were placed in a small courtyard in Guozijian, where a petty official from Fujian taught the "Records of the Historians" and the "Book of Han". This person has a comfortable temperament, does not understand the affairs of officials, but is very good at learning, and is transferred to the Guozijian to teach, which is exactly what he wants. This person didn't care about anything except teaching, and it became a place for Du Zhongxiao and Su Song to study steam engines.

When I arrived at the small courtyard, I saw that there was already a circle of people there, judging the steam engine shaking the fan.

Seeing Du Zhongxiao and Su Song walking in, someone said, "Okay, Brother Su and Brother Du have arrived!" They have made it their own, and if you have anything to ask, just ask them. ”

A man about thirty years old in a green shirt stepped forward and arched his hand: "In Xia Hanjiang, because of the imminent liberation, I have only come to the country these days. Seeing what kind of steam engine you have made, it is very exquisite, I wonder if you can point me out? ”

Su Song and Du Zhongxiao hurriedly returned the salute, but they didn't dare to say anything.

Han Jiang is the son of Han Yi, the former governor of the political council, and he has already been in the shadows. However, he didn't have a Jinshi background, and he didn't have any interest after all, so he still came back to take the Jinshi exam. In fact, not only him, but also his younger brother Han Jin, also wants to participate in this imperial examination. These people all held official positions, and they did not ask for dismissal until the exam was approaching and concentrated on preparing for the exam. There are many such people in the Guozi Prison. When Han Jiang understood the direct speech of the Guozijian, he entered this small courtyard and saw the steam engine, and he was fascinated for a while, and stood here with a group of people to watch.

The current steam engine is less than three feet long, two feet high, and has a fan behind it, which constantly blows a cool breeze. The weather was hot in the past few months, and the machine was placed here, attracting many students to come and enjoy the coolness. The direct lecture of this school is also around the machine, even if the sound of the machine makes his lecture sound inaudible, he does not care.

Du Zhongxiao and Su Song made a model, burning charcoal, and the cost of bringing a fan was actually too high, just a plaything. However, such a rare thing is placed here, attracting many people, and it is a scene in the Guozi Prison.