Rebirth, end of the world, time travel, escape famine, make money!

Chapter 425 State Examination

Originally, the provincial examination was held in autumn, but it was affected by drought in recent years.

The imperial examinations were suspended for more than two years and there were no examinations of any kind.

So after the market conditions improved last year, and the third prince stood out among many princes and was eventually made the crown prince, the late emperor proposed to hold a large number of special examinations, and the subsequent series of examinations were given full responsibility to the third prince.

This is how the provincial examinations were held in late April and early May.

Luo Hong has been staying in the provincial capital for more than half a year with Lin Keyu, Li Yao and Wei Songbai.

After arriving in the provincial capital, they realized that there are always people better than you and there are always mountains higher than you. Through Chen Ziqi's relationship, they studied in a pretty good academy in the provincial capital.

The group, along with several classmates they had met at the county school, were discussing academic matters in the study room.

"The provincial examination is coming up soon. Does Uncle Luo have a prediction for the topic?"

Although Luo Hong is old and has no achievements, after spending more than half a year with him, they all know that Luo Hong is a man of great wisdom and are happy to ask him for advice on academic matters.

The flickering candlelight illuminates the focused and eager faces.

Luo Hong smiled and said, "Forget about guessing the topic, but I think as long as we understand the current situation and the examiner's mind, we can adapt to changes. This year, the court is turbulent and the border is restless. I guess the policy essay part may focus on statecraft and border defense strategies. As for the scriptures, you need to have a solid foundation and be flexible. Also, the new emperor is about to ascend the throne, so you can pay more attention to the new policies."

Hearing this, everyone nodded and pondered in their hearts. Chen Ziqi's eyes sparkled and he said, "Teacher Luo is right. I am studying the Zizhi Tongjian recently and have a lot of experience in the frontier governance of the past dynasties. Maybe I can find inspiration for answering the questions from it."

Wu Daqiang was more concerned about the poetry part. He was really weak in this area, so he could only cough awkwardly and said, "Poetry is about artistic conception and talent. I have seen that the test questions in recent years tend to express the feelings of worrying about the country and the people, or praising the beautiful mountains and rivers. I plan to practice more on this kind of subject matter, so that I can finish it in one stroke in the exam, and it won't be too exaggerated."

Luo Hong knew their level and that each of them was working on their weaknesses. He kindly reminded them, "Everyone, don't forget mathematics. In recent years, the court has attached increasing importance to mathematics, especially astronomy, calendar, and farmland irrigation, which may become one of the test questions. I have designed some questions myself recently and would like to share my experience with you."

Luo Hong converted some modern advanced mathematics problems into the common language of that time and simulated some problems, which should be able to cope with the arithmetic level of that time.

The atmosphere in the study suddenly became lively, and everyone was immersed in their vision and preparation for the future.

It was late at night, but no one wanted to sleep. They knew that this was not just preparation for an exam, but also a crucial step towards their career and the realization of their ambitions.

"Everyone, no matter what the result is, we will not let this trip down."

Luo Hong stood up and said earnestly, "The road to the imperial examination is long and difficult, but as long as we have ideals in our hearts and keep our feet on the ground, we will eventually achieve something."

The moonlight shines through the window lattices, onto everyone's face, illuminating their dreams and hopes.

In the following days, they studied harder, learned from each other, and made progress together, making full preparations for the upcoming provincial examination.

The time they spent at the provincial academy became one of the most unforgettable memories of their lives.

After the New Year, more and more students from other places came to the state capital to take the exam.

Compared to those who came and rented the yard years ago, the inn was more crowded for those who came later, and the prices went up sharply.

Many people cannot afford to live in a single room, so in order to increase income, the inn will temporarily convert the rooms into double or triple rooms. That is to say, two more beds can be added, but two more people can stay, and the income will also double. If someone who is lucky enough to stay in the inn wins, it will also be a good thing for the inn.

The day before the exam, Luo Hong and others went to the big bathhouse near the college.

The bathhouse is a bit like an indoor hot spring. Steam is coming out of the bath pools, and hot water is transported into the pools through bamboo tubes. A small hole on the other side of the pool is used to drain water out, so as to refresh the bath water in the pool.

The state capital is closer to the north and the weather is colder, so the exams are scheduled in May or September when the weather is neither too cold nor too hot. Otherwise, you will have to stay in there for more than ten days, which is really a torture.

After returning home, everyone checked their test boxes again.

The pens, inks, and inkstones needed for the exam and paper are not allowed to be brought in as they must be prepared by the examination center.

In addition, there was dry food. With the experience from the previous time, Luo Hong had people prepare a lot of instant rice and instant noodles. He cooked a lot of cabbage and radish early, cut them into dices and dried them. There was also diced bacon, which he would add to the rice or noodles and boil before eating.

Luo Hong also took advantage of the exam period to hire someone to make instant rice and instant noodles to sell, thus making a small profit.

Admission began on the morning of April 28th, and they were lucky enough to have rented a house not far from their examination venue.

They went to line up early for the inspection. The procedure was similar to that of previous exams. They arrived early and lined up at the front of the line. Soon the line behind them was filled with people.

Each candidate held his or her bookcase tightly to avoid being touched by others. Some people with dark hearts, who were not well educated, thought that the fewer people took the exam, the greater their chances would be, so they prepared many small notes to frame other candidates for cheating and disqualify them from the exam.

Luo Hong also reminded everyone to take good care of their book boxes and not let anyone touch them, and to wear clothes without pockets so that they could not carry any small notes.

We entered the examination room safely. It was still divided into cubicles, but the guards were stricter, with a soldier standing almost between two cubicles.

Luo Hong sat in his small cubicle, looking at the test paper in front of him. He was not in a hurry to answer, but was making drafts in his mind and on draft paper.

Go over the answers in your mind before you start answering them on the test paper.

Although the weather was still cool in late April and early May, there were too many people in the examination room.

Every breath can warm up the place. Luo Hong was very foresighted and asked everyone to wear removable outer clothes, which would be more convenient when it is hot or cold.

At night, it is even more difficult to fall asleep. It turns out that men are also afraid of snoring.

These tests are like a competition, with each one snoring louder than the other.

However, I got used to it after listening to it for a while. Maybe it was because I was tired, or maybe it was because I overused my brain, and soon the only sound in the examination room was snoring.

The examination room is closed and no one, including the examiners invigilating, can leave.

The entire examination room was closed, and even a fly flying in would be checked.

The first exam was mostly memorization and dictation, and the three days passed quickly.

Luo Hong worked hard to finish the test papers in the first two days. On the third day, he clearly felt that he was physically exhausted. He was glad that he had the foresight to exercise more in addition to studying, otherwise he really would not have been able to hold on for so many days.

After the first exam, everyone went home and had a full sleep. They didn't have time to clean themselves up. They fell asleep as soon as they lay on the bed. After replenishing their energy, they started the second exam without stopping.

I slept until the next morning, packed up and lined up for the second exam!