GBP Chapter 69 The Crowded Cell
Chapter 69 The Crowded Cell
As Wen Zongji had expected, two long queues formed at the entrance of the examination hall.
Wen Zongji and his companion arrived at no later than others, but they couldn't compete with the fact that the other party had arrived much earlier.
Wen Zongjing patted Wen Zongji on the shoulder: "Let's get in line first."
Seeing that the two lines were about the same length, the two each chose a line and joined the back of it.
At this moment, a touch of red appeared on the distant horizon, gradually dispelling the darkness of the sky.
The sun is about to rise!
The group moved forward little by little, and Wen Zongji also moved from the back of the group to the middle.
The sky was bright and it wasn't as cold as before, but my palms still weren't very warm.
After an unknown amount of time, it was finally Wen Zongji's turn.
The person in charge of the inspection at the entrance was a minor official sent by the Ministry of Rites, while the people on both sides responsible for maintaining order were all from the Infantry Commander's Office. They were all armored, with long swords at their waists, and their sharp eyes were fixed on each person being inspected.
If anyone is found to be carrying contraband, these soldiers will immediately step forward and drag them out.
Wen Zongji had just seen several people being dragged out like dead dogs.
When it was Wen Zongji's turn, the clerk first looked at Wen Zongji's ticket, compared it with Wen Zongji's appearance and characteristics, and after confirming that it was correct, tore off a corner to keep as a record in case someone took the exam for him.
Another minor official was inspecting Wen Zongji's examination basket, examining the writing brushes, ink sticks, and inkstone inside very carefully. In addition, the pastries, roast chicken, and other food that Wen Zongji had brought were also being broken apart and inspected bit by bit.
The bedding was checked over and over again.
After the inspection, the exam basket was a complete mess.
Wen Zongji was mentally prepared for this.
With so many people queuing for inspection, the lower-level officials simply couldn't be patient; it was already a good thing if they didn't deliberately make things difficult for each other.
Entering the examination hall, you can't go directly to your examination room; there's one last step.
Led by a servant from the examination hall, Wen Zongji entered a small hut, where two minor officials were also present.
After Wen Zongji went inside, he didn't need to be reminded at all. He put down the exam basket and started taking off his clothes.
This is the final step in the examination.
Candidates must strip completely naked for inspection to ensure that there are no writings or concealed items on any part of their body.
note!
Any part of the body!
This naturally includes the anus.
Wen Zongji's expression remained relatively calm, after all, he was from the future and not as thin-skinned as the original owner.
After getting dressed and leaving the hut, Wen Zongji felt somewhat sorry for the two minor officials who had to examine so many men's buttocks, thinking about the process of examining their anuses.
After all the checks were completed, Wen Zongji took his number tag and went to find his assigned room.
I was very lucky that I wasn't assigned to a place next to a latrine.
Although you can go back to your residence to rest for one night after each exam, your room number will not change.
In other words, Wen Zongji didn't have to worry about smelling bad while eating and answering questions.
However, there are downsides as well. It involves undergoing three examinations, which would likely take the original owner a long time to calm down.
The room was three feet wide and four feet deep, which translates to a little over one square meter of floor space in modern times. It was impossible to fit a table and a bed in such a large space at the same time.
Therefore, the design of the cell was very peculiar; the cell was surrounded by walls on three sides and had no door.
There are two brick supports on each side wall for placing two number boards. During the day, the two number boards can be used as a table and a stool, and at night they can be put together as a bed board.
In such a small space, there is a wooden bucket to meet personal needs.
Although each cell has a toilet, candidates are not allowed to use it at will in order to prevent cheating; they can only go to the toilet at specific times each day.
This meant that wooden buckets were needed to meet personal needs, and when people were allowed to use the latrine, they mainly emptied the waste from the buckets.
The moment Wen Zongji saw the wooden bucket, he decided to drink as little water as possible. Eating while smelling urine was truly disgusting, even if it was his own.
I believe that most people here would make this choice.
Wen Zongji hung his number outside the cell, then went inside, placed his exam basket in the innermost corner, took out his exam supplies and placed them on the table, then sat upright and waited for the exam to begin.
As all the candidates entered the examination hall, all the gates of the examination hall were locked, and soldiers guarded every passageway of each examination cell.
The examiners then began checking each cell, calling out names one by one to confirm that no one had taken the exam on behalf of another.
This step was handled very carefully. The examiner stood in front of Wen Zongji and carefully checked Wen Zongji's number information. Only after confirming that it was correct did he move on to the next number room.
After all the checks were completed, the examiners began distributing the question sheets and exam papers.
With three cannon shots fired, the exam officially began!
The first part of the imperial examination tested knowledge of the Four Books and the Five Classics. There were three questions on the Four Books, and all of them had to be answered. For the Five Classics, there was one question on each classic, but it was not necessary to answer all of them; only one question needed to be answered.
That is why many test takers will choose one book and study it carefully.
After all, most people study to pass the imperial examinations and become officials, not to become great Confucian scholars; they only need enough knowledge to get by.
The original owner was good at the Book of Songs, so Wen Zongji would naturally choose the Book of Songs as well.
This test focused on the candidates' basic skills, which were the original owner's strengths, so Wen Zongji was naturally not afraid.
The cell was quiet, except for the occasional rustling sound of exam papers being sorted.
Wen Zongji devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work, eating when he was hungry and drinking water when he was unbearably thirsty.
As the sun began to set, footsteps started to echo from the examination cells; the examination hall was distributing candles.
Three per person!
These three candles aren't just for this one night, but for tonight and tomorrow night.
The specific allocation method is up to the candidates to decide.
Wen Zongji wasn't too bothered. The imperial court had extremely high requirements for the appearance of the examination papers; they had to be neat and there couldn't be a single mistake.
It was dark at night, and Wen Zongji wasn't at his best, so he tried to avoid answering questions at night.
After neatly and accurately transcribing the half-finished answer onto the question paper, Wen Zongji put down his brush, deciding not to answer any more questions that night.
Carefully arrange the question paper and exam paper in the exam basket, then remove the number board that serves as the table and place it horizontally next to the number board that serves as the chair.
That's it, the bed board is done!
Wen Zongji spread the bedding out on the bed, lay down, and wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, feeling his body gradually warm up.
As he lay down, the cell became even more cramped, making it difficult to even turn over.
Wen Zongji closed his eyes, forcing himself to fall asleep as soon as possible so that he could continue answering questions with full energy the next day.
Meanwhile, some candidates in other rooms continued answering questions, while others, like Wen Zongji, began to drift off to sleep.
The next day, while it was still barely dawn, Wen Zongji woke up, patted his cheeks, and struggled to get out of his warm bed.
After putting away all the bedding and restoring the ceremonial board to its original uneven position, Wen Zongji took out some pastries to fill his stomach.
Once fully awake, he picked up his brush and continued answering the questions.