The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

The shops near the government office opened extra early today. This was an event that only happened once every few years. On the one hand, they wanted to join in the fun, and on the other hand, they could take the opportunity to sell some expensive tea and make some money.

Zhang Ping'an knew that this would not happen overnight and he would have to wait for at least one or two hours, so he ordered three cups of the cheapest tea at a nearby teahouse and sat down to wait. At least he had a stool to sit on and did not have to squeeze so tightly, which was much more comfortable.

The price was more than ten times higher than usual, and the private rooms on the second floor were booked early on.

Zhang Pingan was quite energetic when he was waiting at first, but he became too bored and gradually fell asleep, nodding off with his elbows on the table.

They waited until almost noon when there was a sudden commotion around them. The clattering of other guests standing up and carrying their chairs was endless. Zhang Laoer also nudged his son and said excitedly, "Son, wake up! The results are about to be announced! The government officials have already arrived from the Imperial Examination Hall!"

Zhang Ping'an instantly came to his senses after hearing this, stood up and looked outside, only to see that the notice was placed in a specially prepared yellow and colorful pavilion, carried by sedan chair bearers, with drums and music, ceremonial guards leading the way in front, and yamen runners and bugle soldiers escorting and clearing the way on the side. At this moment, he was passing by the teahouse and walking towards the yamen gate, and the crowd of people who came to see the notice was already packed.

Zhang Laoer said anxiously, "Ping'an, you stay here. Sanlang and I will go and check the list!"

After saying that, he rushed over.

Liu Sanlang held his father-in-law and said, "Dad, you stay here too. I can go alone. I'm tall and can see farther, so it's more convenient for me to go alone. If I take you with me, I'm afraid you'll get hurt by the crowd and become timid."

Zhang Lao Er hesitated and said, "Can you do it alone?"

Seeing more and more people coming, Zhang Pingan said decisively, "Dad, let my brother-in-law go. It's more convenient for him to go alone. Let's finish the viewing sooner and go back sooner!"

Liu Sanlang plunged into the crowd before Zhang Ping'an finished speaking. He was tall and strong, like an iron tower. Even if he walked from a distance, he could be seen at a glance. Zhang Ping'an was still quite relieved.

Soon it was noon and the list had been posted. The yamen runners and the soldiers stood in a circle with their hands on the swords at their waists, standing under the list. A clerk stood on a chair next to them and began to call out the names, shouting "No. x, ...

The singing list always starts from the sixth place. After the end of the list is written, the top five are filled in, from the fifth to the first, which is called "Noisy Five Kui".

So the first person to be called out was the 6th place, not the 1st place. Instead, the first place winner was the last one to be called out, which was a bit like the last person to appear.

All the candidates whose names were called were extremely excited. Those with a better mentality could still suppress their excitement and communicate normally with people around them. Those with a worse mentality burst into tears as soon as their names were called, and did not care about their manners at all.

The teahouse where Zhang Ping'an was was actually not too far from the government office. If his name was being called out normally, he would definitely be able to hear it. However, today there were too many people and the noise was too loud. Even with his ear tilted, he could only hear vaguely and could not hear clearly.

Zhang Laoer clenched his fists, stared straight ahead, and muttered some prayer words.

No matter how Zhang Pingan tried to comfort him, it was useless.

According to the previous practice of the Great Xia Dynasty, only 600 people were admitted to each provincial examination nationwide, and each province had an average of about 50 to 60 places. In fact, the number of places in each province would vary depending on the economic situation of each province.

Zhang Ping'an's ancestral home province is Huguang, a large province that is also a land of fish and rice. In previous years, the number of admission quotas for the provincial examinations could reach about 90, while the remote provinces in the north could only have thirty or forty, or even fewer.

This year's provincial examination was a special case. Only half of the imperial court was left. The final number of admissions to the provincial examination was 360 people in the Southern Dynasty this year, and Lin'an accounted for 120 of the admissions quotas. This was the main list, and those who passed would become Juren.

There is also a deputy list, which selects 25 people. Those on the deputy list are called deputy tribute students. Juren can continue to take the imperial examination and have the opportunity to become the emperor's disciples, while deputy tribute students can only wait for the next provincial examination to take the exam. Those who do not want to take the exam can also choose deputy positions in prefectures and counties or teaching positions to make a living. For example, Professor Han of Ezhou Prefecture School was a deputy tribute student in the 18th year of Ningwu.

After a while, the person who called the roll finished singing and got down from the chair.

The escorting yamen runners and soldiers also returned to the yamen. Later, people from the yamen would go to the homes of the successful candidates to announce the good news one by one.

The rest of those who didn’t hear clearly or are unwilling to give up can continue to look at the list.

In less than a quarter of an hour, all kinds of people were revealed under the list.

Some hangers-on in the city would squeeze under the list early, write down the names, and start reporting the good news to teahouses along the street. They would always run into a few successful students and get some money as a gift.

On such a happy day, the successful candidates would usually be extra generous.

Zhang Ping'an hasn't heard his name yet.

After a while, I saw my brother-in-law pushing through the crowd and walking back. He looked very excited and started running as he walked.

Zhang Laoer and his son looked at each other. Could it be that he had won?!

"Dad, I passed... passed!" Liu Sanlang shouted loudly before entering the teahouse. His voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of people nearby. Some students who didn't know him came forward to congratulate him and wanted to get to know him and make friends with him. After all, these would be his future connections.

Zhang Pingan asked, "Which place is it?"

He was still quite curious about his ranking. After working so hard for so long, he also wanted to know what level he was at.

Liu Sanlang stretched out his two hands and gestured: "Fifty-five... five!"

I was so excited that I started stuttering again!

"Have you seen Lin Junhui? What rank is he?" Zhang Pingan continued to ask.

"I saw it. He is very good. He is third," Liu Sanlang nodded in reply.

"Huh, we've finally taken a step forward. Let's go back," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile after breathing a sigh of relief.

Zhang Laoer rubbed his hands together and said excitedly, "Let's go, hurry back! If someone with good news arrives, it would be embarrassing for us to have only your mother as a woman in the family and no one to take care of her!"

In fact, he wanted to go home quickly to inform his relatives and let everyone accompany him to witness this moment of glory for his family. This is a great honor, and smoke is coming out of the ancestral graves. This may be the only chance in his life, and he must not miss it!

Before the three of them left, the teahouse owner learned that one of the customers drinking tea on the first floor had passed the imperial examination, and came to ask Zhang Pingan to leave a calligraphy work so that he could waive the tea fee.

Seeing that his boss looked like a dishonest businessman, Zhang Ping'an was too lazy to write for the money of a few cups of tea. He waved his hand to refuse and went back home with his father and brother-in-law.

As soon as Zhang Laoer turned into the alley, he couldn't wait to go to the courtyard shared by Zhang Laoda and Zhang Laosan. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted happily: "Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Little Brother, my son has passed the imperial examination safely. Our ancestral tomb is really full of smoke. The person who announced the good news will be here soon. Come with me to my house and wait!"

"What, second brother, you really got it right, oh my god, Ping An is so amazing", Mrs. Li was sewing shoe soles in the yard, she was so surprised when she heard it that she burst into laughter.

"How could it be fake? I just took Sanlang and Ping'an to check out the list, and I saw it clearly. It's number 55," Zhang Laoer said loudly. He usually spoke in a sullen tone and liked to keep a low profile. It was rare for him to speak so loudly, which showed that he was really excited now.

Zhang heard the voice coming out of the main room and confirmed again: "Is it really true?"

"Nah, you really got it right!" Liu Sanlang laughed.

Zhang Pingan also smiled.

Zhang, such a strong woman, burst into tears upon hearing this. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and sighed, "Good! Ping An has made it!"

After saying this, he instructed Li and the others, "Hurry up and change into some decent clothes, comb your hair and face, and let's go to the second brother's house together. This is a great event that will bring honor to our family, so we can't neglect it!"