novelaction Chapter 314 Ancient Farmer Scholars 6
Chapter 314 Ancient Farmer Scholars 6
It is estimated that in the eyes of his classmates, he should be a diligent but dull person, because he is so busy every day, but his grades have not improved much. He always ranks tenth in Class D in every exam, and he is the one with the most stable grades in the whole class.
However, extensive memorization is still useful. As Liu Yuxi memorized more and more books, the quantitative change finally led to a qualitative change. Six months after she enrolled, her grades improved by two places in every monthly exam. It was really tough for her!
When he came in second place, he began to slow down his studies. Why? Because he was afraid to get first place.
He knew that if he got first place three times in a row, he would be promoted to Class C. However, he couldn't guarantee that his grades would continue to improve after being promoted to Class C. If he got last place three times in a row, he would have to go back to Class D.
It would be better to hold off for now, let him memorize more, improve his level, and then try to get first place again. We need to avoid him ending up like the other top students, constantly switching between classrooms – that really affects his mindset.
This is a good opportunity to reconnect with the students in my class; these are all valuable connections. In the previous six months, although he had interacted with the students, he was too busy and had to take care of his young children at home, so the interactions weren't very deep.
So, the students in Class D noticed that Zhengqing began to appear frequently in their studies and lives (Zhengqing was the courtesy name given to Liu Yuxi by Master Zhao). They didn't encounter any exclusion or anything like that. Nowadays, most students are thin-skinned and don't know how to refuse people.
The academy has very strict requirements for its students. Gambling, drinking and womanizing are strictly prohibited. You can do these things secretly, but don't let the teachers know. If they find out, you'll be expelled.
Students rarely have extracurricular group activities. They either get together for a meal at a restaurant, go on a day trip somewhere, or go to a temple to pray for peace.
Of course, all of these activities revolve around one thing—writing poetry!
Liu Yuxi now understood why these ancient literati could compose poems so readily. They'd write a poem after a good drink, another after seeing a beautiful scene, and a rant about someone they disliked the day after. If you were in that environment, you could easily whip up a couple of poems too.
He was the same. Originally, his poetry writing level was just about slowly working through the topic. This was thanks to him receiving the original owner's memories. If it were up to his own level, he would have had a hard time even writing doggerel.
Now, his poems still lack any inspiration, but he's picked up the pace. At least it's not like before, when the gatherings would be over and he still hadn't finished his poems. He was truly ashamed!
Another six months passed, and Liu Yuxi felt that he would no longer be at the bottom of Class C every time, so he started to work hard to get first place in every monthly exam. Why use the word "work hard"? Because he was weak in one subject, and the exam poem was dragging him down.
After five months, he was promoted to Class C. The students in Class C were indeed better than those in Class D. At least they had a broader knowledge base and their insights into current affairs were more substantial.
Day after day, year after year, more than three years passed, and it was time for the provincial examination again. At this time, Liu Yuxi was promoted to Class A, but his monthly exam results were still among the lowest in the class.
Before this year's provincial examination, the teacher said that the top three students in the class had a great chance of passing, while the students ranked fourth to tenth would have to rely on their luck. If the exam happened to be on their strengths, or if their answers resonated with the examiners, they would have a certain probability of passing; otherwise, they would have to wait for the next exam.
As for Liu Yuxi, who was at the bottom of the class, there was definitely no hope for him. But Liu Yuxi still participated in this provincial examination just to gain some exam experience.
There was an examination hall in Fengzhou Prefecture, so Liu Yuxi took the exam there. It only cost a little more money, but taking the exam earlier would help him get used to the examination environment in the examination hall next time.
Although she had asked some of her classmates, she still couldn't imagine how small the examination cells in the examination hall were until she entered the examination hall herself.
Liu Yuxi was stunned. After the yamen runner who escorted her to the cell left, she carefully examined the cell in front of her. It had walls on three sides, no door on the south side, and was open. The inside was 3 feet wide and 4 feet deep, with the front eaves 6 feet high and the back wall 8 feet high.
On the brick walls on both sides, at heights of 47 cm and 78 cm from the ground, there are brick supports for using as number holders.
The number board consists of two wooden boards. If both boards are placed in the lower brick support, they can cover the entire cell and become a bed.
If candidates need to answer questions and write, they move the outermost number board to the upper brick support, leaving the inner number board unchanged, thus forming a set of table and chairs.
When candidates slept, they lay on a wooden board with their feet sticking out. It was just a makeshift arrangement. Fortunately, people in ancient times weren't very tall, and most of those taking the imperial examinations were quite thin.
The provincial examination consisted of three sessions, each lasting three days and two nights. This meant that Liu Yuxi had to stay in this small house for nine days and six nights, eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping there, until he could leave after submitting his exam paper for each session.
The provincial examination was the same as the metropolitan examination. Only the examination venue was moved to the capital. She finally understood why Fan Jin went mad after passing the examination. He had spent most of his life trying to pass it, how much money he had poured into it, how much effort he had expended, and how much hardship he had endured.
Keep in mind that the imperial examinations were held in mid-August. In such hot weather, in such a small room, even if one could go to the toilet to defecate, one had to urinate in a small black wooden bucket in the cell.
Then, you can't take a shower, and you have to eat, drink, and do your homework all in this room. You can't even get up and stretch your muscles; all you can do is stretch!
Heavens above! Earth below! Is there any passing fairy maiden who can save me?
Leaving is out of the question, but next time, he certainly won't come until he's completely certain.
The first exam tested the meaning of the Four Books and the interpretation of the classics (also called the Five Classics essay, modeled after the Four Books essay), both in the form of the eight-legged essay. Therefore, the eight-legged essay was of paramount importance for those participating in the imperial examinations.
The second session consisted of examinations, judgments, edicts, proclamations, memorials, and petitions.
The third exam consisted of tests on classics and history, as well as policy essays.
Having endured the grueling nine days, even with Liu Yuxi's robust physique, he nearly suffered heatstroke. Now, he had no time to worry about how well he did on the exam; he was going to fail anyway.
After being helped into the carriage by Mo Qing, she went home and had a full day of bathing, eating, and sleeping.
The next day, when I arrived at the county school, I found that all the other students in my class who had taken the provincial examination had handed in their answers, which they had written down at home, to the teacher so that he could see how they had done and what areas needed improvement.
Well, this is quite awkward. He knew he wouldn't pass the exam and had no intention of doing so. Fortunately, the teacher knew his level and didn't ask him anything since he hadn't submitted his work.