Jiangnan, Hangzhou, mid-autumn August.

Mid-Autumn Festival has just passed, but it is the time for autumn examination.

As the last test of the Zhejiang provincial examination, candidates from all over the country have gathered in Hangzhou City, waiting for the start of this exam that can change their own and even the entire family. To this end, two days ago, the public security in the city was several times stricter than usual, and several teams of inspectors were set up everywhere in Chengmen Street.

Hangzhou is an important place in Wenchang since ancient times. It has produced seven or eight top scholars in the Song Dynasty in the past hundred years, and there are many Jinshi like a cross-river. It is precisely because of this that local people and officials attach more importance to the imperial examinations. Almost every year, the autumn examinations of the provincial examinations will bring the sense of ritual to the extreme.

However, the situation this year always makes people feel a little different. Although candidates are still coming in a constant stream, the number of candidates has decreased by 30% in previous years, which is obviously a problem. Because the imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty were different from those in later Ming and Qing dynasties, the status of the candidates who were tested at this time cannot be used for life. That is to say, once you fail to be selected by the court in the following year's examination, you have to take the provincial examination again in your hometown to obtain the qualification to go to Beijing.

This will only increase the number of candidates in the provincial examination every year, and there will be no decrease in the number of people. However, when they reported to the Hangzhou Prefecture and other officials, they did not take it seriously: "This is only the impact of the changes in the imperial examination rules this year, so don't care too much." With just one sentence, the matter was pressed down.

But what followed showed that things were much worse than they thought-

On August 19th, early in the morning, genius was dawn, and countless people had already spontaneously left their homes, wanting to see the grand scenes of the candidates rushing to the examination room, and take the opportunity to let their children absorb some literary talent and think that they will lay a solid foundation in the future.

But today when everyone went out, they were surprised to find that the candidates who came out of various inns did not carry the exam basket. Instead, some people carried weapons such as sticks and gathered into a stream, rushing straight towards the streets ahead, as if they were taking the martial arts exam. But in fact, Hangzhou has never conducted any martial arts exams.

When the team arrived at a must-pass crossroads that were more than half a mile away from the examination room, they all stopped and then formed a huge array in an orderly manner, blocking the streets tightly.

Even if the streets here are not as prosperous as Hangzhou City, the streets are a bit narrow. Now, they are blocked by candidates with a total of 2,000, and the road has been completely cut off. If anyone wants to take the science exam outside or come out from inside, they have to negotiate with them first.

It was not until the situation was put on, that the candidates quickly pulled over two stall tables on the side of the road, and stood up from a candidate with a loud voice, took out a piece of paper, shook his head, and read out the contents on the top in a slight manner.

This article is full of ancient allusions, and the four and six are so scattered that it makes many people around him look at the question marks, but they don’t understand at all. It was not until other scholars or candidates were explaining loudly that everyone understood the content of the article. They were actually expressing their dissatisfaction with the sudden change of the imperial examination content of the government, and suggested that if the government refused to change the situation of using ancient texts as the examination, all candidates would stop the exam and protest until the government changed their minds!

After hearing this, the people around him all changed their faces and began to discuss, but they didn't know what to make. The candidates also did what they said at this time, standing upright there, no longer looking at the examination room behind them. From time to time, some people loudly chanted their hard work for ten years, believing that the sudden change of the imperial examination method of the government was the greatest injustice to them.

As time passes little by little, more and more people gather around it, and various statements are also rampant. It seems that the surrounding area of ​​the test room that should have been solemn and quiet into a vegetable market, which is really an unprecedented wonder.

But then, a more surprising scene also appeared-

Half an hour before the exam was about to start, more than a dozen young men with a slightly worn out clothes came hurriedly. After seeing the posture here, although they were a little surprised, they did not stay for a long time. They just leaned over and wanted to pass through the crowd of two thousand.

But they were stopped by a group of candidates after only taking two steps. Someone stared at them with a mighty look and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking the autumn examination. It's almost time to come. If I don't go to the exam room, I'll be late." One of the young men replied in a hurry, and pulled the other party with his hands: "I came from Zhuji County, which has been several days apart..." But he couldn't pull it away, but was surrounded by more people around him, which surprised him: "You...what are you doing?"

"Didn't you listen to our preaching just now? The court was unfair and wanted to do something to abandon ancient Chinese in my Jiangnan area. The demonic style of vernacular is really a disgrace. How can we scholars let this unhealthy trend rage? So we candidates have decided to stop the exam here. Since you are all candidates, let's express our opinion with us." The leader of the candidate immediately announced loudly.

The dozen or so candidates were stunned when they heard this, and then shook their heads and said, "I am different from you. We all support the vernacular science exam, so what do you have to do with us after the exam? Please give way."

His words were like pouring a scoop of cold water into a pan, which immediately made the whole scene explode. In a moment, someone shouted loudly: "It turns out that you are waiting for heresy to cause the court to be in trouble. You are really guilty of the great crime!"

"That's right, you guys who are only knowledgeable about literature are worthy of taking the sacred imperial examination? Today I still want to compete with our saints' children. I really don't know what's wrong!"

"It's just a shameful thing! I'll drive them out, and it's nothing to defile my eyes and ears!"

The ridicule and ridicule of all kinds of people, who thought they were superior to others, suddenly rushed towards these more than a dozen different candidates like a tide, which made them stunned. After a while, someone looked up at the sky and shouted: "What does it have to do with us when we take the self-study exam? What are you doing to prevent us from taking the exam?" As he spoke, the man pushed forward with his hand angrily, pushing one of them staggered.

Now he stabbed the hornet's nest. The ridicule of Zhihuye, who was just Zhihu, immediately turned into insults. Someone even waved his fists and even rod in his hand and shouted: "These guys dare to hurt people. Is it really bullying us scholars, but I dare not fight back? Beat me!"

These candidates were already full of anger, just like active volcanoes. Now that they were scorching by Mars, the flames that soared into the sky suddenly burst out. Countless fists and rods fell fiercely on the poor candidates who were completely unprepared and alone, and they screamed and had nowhere to dodge. In the end, they were knocked to the ground and lost their voices...

But this caused the anger in the hearts of thousands of candidates. Someone raised his fist and shouted loudly: "The government is unfair, and we should seek justice. This is not only for ourselves, but also for hundreds of thousands of scholars in the world and for the foundation of Confucianism in the future. Let's go to the examination room to meet the examiners and let them give us an explanation!"

More than half of the candidates were young people. After being incited like this, they were naturally excited. Without thinking too much, they turned around and ran towards the examination room behind. When they left, only a few pools of blood were left on the ground, and more than a dozen poor candidates who didn't know what to do and didn't move. The other people were stunned when they saw this, and they didn't know what to react for a while. Not many even dared to go over and watch the fun again.

Because many people have realized that the storm today must be quite big, I am afraid that Hangzhou City will have another big mess in a few years.

Two thousand candidates came in a turbulent manner, and immediately surrounded the examination room and frightened the soldiers guarding the dragon gate.

These soldiers and generals came from the north with Lin Chong. They had fought many major battles before, but had never done such a job to maintain order in the examination room. Therefore, although they felt that the candidates gathered in front of them were different, they did not care too much about it. They just thought that this was also a ceremony for local candidates before the exam.

It was not until later that the sound of fighting came from over there, and then these people rushed around with a fierce attitude, as if they were going to do it with themselves that they suddenly realized that these candidates were not coming to scream and take the exam, but to make trouble.

At this moment, the leader of Yu Hou quickly asked someone to go to the examination room to report to the officials inside, pressed his knife and shouted loudly: "What are you going to do when you are waiting? This is the imperial examination site, how can you be so arrogant here?"

"We want to meet the examiner, He Shishang, the Minister of Rites!" The leader immediately stepped forward and replied loudly.

"Yes, I'm going to see Mr. He. We're going to ask him why the court sets such a ridiculous rule that we've abandoned what we've learned for many years and wrote some nonsense vernacular texts!"

"Call Mr. He to speak, otherwise I will stay here..."

The more the examinees spoke, the more excited they became, and their voices rolled straight into the inside. Obviously, the soldiers did not use the soldiers to report, and the examiners inside could know that something had happened outside.

At this moment, He Dingkun, the Minister of Rites, was sitting in the hall in the examination room, holding a cup of tea in his hand and drinking slowly. When he heard the waves of shouting outside, he didn't even move his eyes, and he really wanted to collapse in front of him without looking at him. However, the local deputy examiners in front of him were already sweating with anxiety: "He, what should the candidates do this so randomly?"
Chapter completed!