As soon as Huang Junheng ca over, he saw Gu Chengyu quickly and elegantly stuffing jerky into his mouth, and couldn’t help thinking, This young man has quite the appetite early in the morning! anwhile, he’s been eating dry food for the past few days to the point of nausea.
Gu Chengyu wanted to roll his eyes, but he had to smile and greet him.
More and more people were gathering, even Sun Xian and Zheng Lun ca over.
"Chengyu! You’re really early!" Zheng Lun’s eyes lit up upon seeing Gu Chengyu, as if he had anticipated Gu Chengyu’s early arrival.
As he got closer to Gu Chengyu, he caught a strange sll. "What is that sll on you? Is your jerky spoiled? How can you eat it with such a strong odor?"
Zheng Lun and the others didn’t know that Gu Chengyu had been given a slly nickna, assuming the odor ca from the jerky and buns in his examination basket.
Gu Chengyu choked, nearly rolled his eyes, and quickly grabbed a bamboo tube to take a sip of water.
Isn’t this just to make fun of him? Didn’t they see Min Feng couldn’t stop smiling, even taking two steps back as if he were sothing detestable?
Gu Chengyu took a deep breath. He had beco accustod to the sll and thought it might not be that strong after all.
"I was given the slly nickna," Gu Chengyu said with feigned calmness.
Zheng Lun and the arriving Ye Zhiqiu were dumbfounded, then Zheng Lun forced a laugh, "Well, you carry on then."
Afterward, the others sat across from Gu Chengyu, leaving him speechless with anger.
Other candidates looked at him sympathetically and then took two steps to the side.
Gu Chengyu thought, After three days when the sll intensifies, I’ll stand right among them. Why suffer alone when you can share the misfortune?
"Oh dear, what an unfortunate situation!" Liu Haonan exclaid dramatically, taking a big step back.
The second exam was on strategies, with five questions to answer.
Gu Chengyu tore a piece from an outer robe and made a simple mask to wear. It indeed felt much better.
As he glanced at the questions, he found them not difficult, similar to previous exams’ strategies. He was puzzled that this ti’s examination questions seed too easy. However, to write sothing outstanding might not be easy, as the topics were ordinary, making it hard for candidates to offer new perspectives.
Actually, Gu Chengyu didn’t know that while he found it simple, others found it hard!
After enduring three more days in the room, Gu Chengyu submitted his answers early and headed to the corridor. He felt a bit dizzy, probably from the fus.
"Chengyu! Just three more days, you must hold on!" Sun Xian noticed Gu Chengyu’s slightly haggard appearance and quickly comforted him.
Thinking of the sll on himself, Gu Chengyu still felt a bit nauseous. He had already thrown up once today.
He waved his hand, "Only three days left, I can definitely endure."
"I wonder what happened to the candidate caught cheating two days ago, Chengyu! He was right opposite you, wasn’t he?" Ye Zhiqiu recalled the cheating candidate from two days ago. Since they couldn’t leave the examination hall, they didn’t know how the candidate was dealt with.
"Strangely enough, it was said to be written on the outer robe. How did they not find it during the search?" Sun Xian found it odd, thinking of bribery, but couldn’t ntion it as there were two constables watching from the corner of the wall!
"Right? Sigh! I must say, those cheaters are truly hateful. We exert ourselves to the fullest for this exam, practically living on the edge, while they don’t put in any effort and want to take shortcuts. It’s sheer wishful thinking."
Another candidate, upon hearing Sun Xian and the others discussing the cheating, interjected indignantly.
The third examination was on the Four Books. Gu Chengyu recalled hearing from the Imperial College’s Doctor that this exam might change the format of the Four Books, making it more stringent than before, imdiately thinking of Eight-legged essays.
When the exam papers were distributed, Gu Chengyu carefully looked at the questions: seven in total, each with specific word counts—200 to 300 words for the shorter ones and up to 600 for the longer ones.
Gu Chengyu looked at the first question, "Where the people settle," which cos from the "Songs of Shang" in the Book of Poetry, "With lands a thousand miles wide, where the people settle, founding the realm to the four seas..."
Seeing "Where the people settle," Gu Chengyu was reminded of the literary inquisition during Yong Zheng’s era in the past life.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a misleading topic. If it had only been "settle," many candidates indeed wouldn’t know the origin.
Gu Chengyu continued to the second question, titled "The king issues orders to reverse." What kind of question is this? After thinking for a mont, he recalled it ca from ncius: "The king hastily issues orders, reversing the aged."
Gu Chengyu shook his head, having just declared there wasn’t a misleading question, yet here it is.
Luckily, the next few questions were more standard. He checked all the way to the last question, which contained only the character "Two." Gu Chengyu almost spat out blood; with just a "Two," who knows its origin?
It seems the difficulty of this examination lies toward the end! Of course, they wouldn’t let you pass easily; the last question might take so ti to figure out, so he decided to tackle the earlier questions first, leaving the last one until everything else was done.
Gu Chengyu spent two days completing the earlier questions, and when it ca to the last one, he began to ponder deeply.
Thinking of the Chapters in the Analects where "Two" appeared frequently, he had to discern exactly which one it was.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. Confidence surged as he broke down the question on scrap paper, believing that the "Two" character stood independently, "Said: Two, I am still insufficient, how could I thoroughly understand it?"
This phrase cos from the "Yanyuan" Chapter in the Analects. Gu Chengyu was sure it ca from this Chapter, feeling that the official who set this question was quite "dull" for proposing such a topic. He could imagine how the candidates might curse in their hearts.
These questions were quite challenging. This ti, accepting around three hundred people would be tough, not to ntion the last question; even the previous ones could block many candidates lacking strong fundantals.
Fortunately, Gu Chengyu had a near photographic mory; otherwise, even in ancient tis, taking the imperial examination wouldn’t be easy! A good essay requires adaptability; rely reading books isn’t enough. Thus, experience is necessary, no wonder the ancients favored traveling to gain knowledge.
The examination room opposite Gu Chengyu’s was empty, making him reflect that the now-absent candidate would probably miss slling even the stench of the latrines.
As the day darkened, Gu Chengyu, having completed halfway, put away his exam paper and writing materials. He had worked quickly enough, already copying the previous questions onto the exam sheet, only needing to finish writing the last question.
Blowing out the candle and checking things over, Gu Chengyu took off his outer robe and lay down. He felt that his clothes resembled pickled vegetables, wrinkled and emitting a strong stench.
He encouraged himself internally, assuring that tonight was the last night; once he completed the paper the next day, he could leave this slly number. He could no longer endure it even for another day; it was sheer tornt.
Especially those passing candidates he could feel their sympathetic gaze even through the brick wall.
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