Chapter 8: Examiners Are Actually Interesting Workers

The outside of the courtyard was quiet all of a sudden, and countless gazes were cast somewhat timidly at young Lord Fan, wondering what was wrong with that student. Fan Xian looked twice at the student carrying a ball of rotten bedding and suddenly asked, “Have you checked?”

The officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Supervisory Court reported at the same time, “It’s been checked, and there’s nothing unusual.”

The student looked at the young Lord Fan with his head up and chest out, his face calm and without a hint of panic. Fan Xian frowned slightly and asked again, “Checked with your clothes off?”

“Yes, my lord.” The official beside him saw more and more people blocking the entrance to the courtyard, and couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious; in half an hour, the imperial order from the palace would be coming, and if it was at this rate, it would be extremely difficult for the students to be fully let in.

Right at this moment, Fan Xian suddenly stood up from the eunuch’s chair, walked over to the calm-faced student, sized him up twice, suddenly smiled, and attached himself to his ear and said, “There’s something wrong with your clothes.”

He spoke in a very small voice, so only the student heard, the student in early February in the steep cold weather, but also some sweat came out on his forehead! The student, whose surname was Yang Wanli, had no idea how this young Lord Fan, who was famous for his poetic talent, had discovered his secret, and under Fan Xian’s quiet gaze, he was inclined to break down.

Fan Xian suddenly smiled and said, “You go in, if you tell it through at this point, your ten years of effort will be wasted, but remember, in the middle of the examination center these two days, you don’t want me to find out that you used your clothes.”

Yang Wanli was pleasantly surprised, fearful of the aftermath, and said with a crying face, “Thank you for your success.” Afraid that this young Jiuzhonglang with two eyes like eagles would back out again, he carried the tattered bedding and rushed into the examination center with his face covered, deciding in his heart that he would never be able to take apart his clothes and look at the inner lining in these two days.

After that, Fan Xian warned a few poor students who wanted to bring their cheat sheets into the examination center. Gradually, the officials around him understood what was going on, and although they were very surprised by Lord Fan’s eyesight and judgment, they were also a bit anxious that it might be too late for them to do so.

Fan Xian, however, seemed to be an official for the first time, and smiled as he scrutinized the students entering the courtyard one by one, carefully not sparing any of them, stripping off many pairs of shoes, many hats, and many brushes with paper clusters hidden behind them, which were piled up into a small mountain at the entrance of the examination courtyard. By this time, those students who lined up only know, this year this Jiuzhonglang is a murderous powerful figure, unlike people imagine that the poetry fairy salivation, will not pay much attention to their own people’s cheating, so hurriedly retreated, will be carried on the body of the things thrown into the gutter behind the examination center.

Today, the leader of the Supervisory Court was an acquaintance of Fan Xian’s, Lord Mu Tie Mu, who was currently temporarily acting as part of one of the departments. He heard the report from his men and hurried over here, seeing Fan Xian without saying a word was a big salute, and said with some difficulty, “My lord, it’s getting late, we have to hurry.”

Next to the Ministry of Rites officials and the Supervisory Yuan people saw him treating Fan Xian so respectfully, they could not help but be startled, thinking that the people of the Supervisory Yuan would actually be so courteous to a civil minister, and only then did they think of Fan Xian’s background behind him, a prime minister, a minister, a minister, and a county princess, and so they no longer dared to speak out of turn, and just quietly listened to Fan Xian’s reply.

Fan Xian touched his imported pocket watch and looked at it, realizing that it was indeed getting late, and only then did he shake his head to stop this fun game, stand up beside him, and say aloud to the hundreds of students at the entrance of the examination courtyard: “This official, Fan Xian, I think you have all heard of him. As you have all seen earlier, in order to avoid delaying the official time of the examination, there will be no strip search today.”

The students were overjoyed.

Fan Xian looked around with a smile and said, “If you throw the things you are carrying into this bamboo basket, you will not be blamed, but if you are found by this official in the examination in the next two days, I will have you stripped naked and thrown in front of the Imperial City, so that the world will know what you look like in terms of your civilization.”

The students were greatly afraid, and only then did they realize that the smile of the Poetry Fairy Lord Fan originally contained a bone-deep murderous aura. So the crowd of people each honestly fish in, as for whether there is still that first-class students who want to take risks, that is a matter for the future.

This release, the speed of a sudden a lot faster, not a moment of time, the entrance to the examination center immediately returned to the quiet, leaving only the ground stinking shoes, countless confetti, looks a little miserable. The Ministry of Rites officials hurriedly arranged for manpower to clean up to meet the palace to open the will of the examination, but also to set up incense firing, a time busy a lot of fun.

People are busy while thinking that this small Fan adults really act with the general Qing officials are very different, if you do not pay attention to those things that entrain just, which is like today, this kind of check out, and still let the students go in the examination of the reasoning? If this matter is spread on other examiners, I am afraid that the Imperial Historical Office will be disturbed for a while, but everyone knows that Fan Xian is not afraid of these things since he dares to do so.

Fan Xian sat on the eunuch’s chair, smiling as he watched the crowd go about their business, while conversing with Mu Tie at his side. Mu Tie’s position nowadays had risen early, and had always thought that it was thanks to Fan Xian, so he appeared to be extraordinarily cordial to Lord Fan, saying, “Lord Fan has worked hard, and once the decree arrives in a little while, and the cannons ring out to start the exams, Your Excellency will do your best to go back to the courtyard for a rest, and naturally, this matter of surveying and defending will be handed over to the subordinate officials to deal with.”

Fan Xian smiled and glanced at him, saying, “I’ll be wandering around the examination center later, so I don’t have any time to spare.”

“Your Excellency is leading this errand for the first time, so you don’t know, in fact, once you enter the examination hall, you don’t need to worry too much.” Mu Tie thought that this young dignitary was not clear about the unspoken rules of the examination and said with a smile.

Fan Xian suddenly turned to ask in a low voice, “This time when we go to Northern Qi, will Lord Mu go?”

Mu Tie froze, having little thought to prepare for his turn of phrase, and subconsciously replied, “The courtyard is still arranging it, but it should be the affairs over in the four directions, so I may not be able to intervene.” He suddenly had a twinkle in his eye, thinking that this little Lord Fan could write poems but didn’t love to do so, preferring to do some small business, and thinking he had guessed something, he smiled and said, “Is Lord Fan preparing to get some goods in the north? That I can help arrange.”

Fan Xian laughed and said, “It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m just casually asking.” A subordinate brought tea next to him, and Fan Xian made way to Mu Tie. Mu Tie asked curiously, “Lord Fan, it seems like you’re in a good mood today.”

The corners of Fan Xian’s lips curled slightly, and his pupils flashed an inexplicable look that seemed like a smile, not knowing what things he had remembered, and only after a long time did he say softly, “In fact,…… I’ve always thought that reading without having to take exams is the greatest pleasure in life. After entering the capital, I am most afraid of is the test, did not expect a year time, I even became a Juzhong Lang, can read, and do not have to test, more relaxed and incomparable look at the reading of the colleagues hard exams, it turned out, this is the greatest pleasure in life.”

The holy decree to, spring cannons sound, incense case withdrawn, courtyard door closed, the annual Qingguo Chunxin exam will test officially opened the curtain. Fan Xian listened to the heavy wooden door of the examination center slowly closed behind him, and in his heart a burst of suddenness, in his previous life when the college entrance examination, he did not participate in, at that time, he thought it was the biggest regret in his life, in this life, this will be unable to participate in the examination, although it is easy, but in his heart, he also still has some small regrets.

“Greetings to adults.” Entered the hall, the cold wind in the beginning of spring surged up from the door, Fan Xian made a bow to Guo Youzhi, the Minister of Rites sitting in the center, and said, “The door of the courtyard has been closed, without the adult’s order, shall not be opened again, at this time in the courtyard, all the counties, states and counties in the school have already got the examination paper, and started to do the questions, and is responsible for sending the water for food and water to the inner corner of the door, which is guarded by the Supervisory Court, Mr. Mu, and adults of the Ministry of Rites, and it should be not be in danger.”

Guo Youzhi looked at the young fifth grade official below and frowned imperceptibly at his handsome face, then said with a smile on his face, “Little Lord Fan has worked hard.” Then to the side of the two seat teacher commanded: “According to the rules of previous years, an hour later, you go down to inspect the field.”

These two chunxin exam masters of that year, one of them was the head of the Imperial College, and the other one was a university scholar of the Tongwen Pavilion, both of them were handpicked by his majesty, and listening to Guo Shangshu’s words, they nodded their heads and answered, “Listen to the arrangement of your majesty.”

Guo Youzhi then turned to Fan Xian and said, “Lord Fan, your duty is to keep order in the examination hall, assist the two coordinators, patrol the hall from time to time, and also keep an eye on the movements at the corner gate, and be ready to receive the decree at any time.”

This Minister of Rites sighed, clasped his fists to the sky and said, “The examination of the Chun Exam, selecting the best talent for the country, cannot be careless, all the adults are each more attentive.”

With Guo Shangshu’s words, the officials of all colors in the examination courtyard went to their respective duties, and a serious and tense atmosphere quietly and breathlessly permeated every corner of the examination courtyard. Everyone knows that His Majesty the Emperor after several Northern Expeditions, has shifted the center of gravity of the country to the rule of literature, so for the annual examination, seems to pay extra attention, and even some years ago there has been a precedent of micro-inspection, so no one dares to be careless.

And the spring exam for those who are buried in the head of the pen for students, is one of the most critical juncture in life, if you can successfully pass, that is to leap on the Dragon Gate, if not, can only be sadly back to their hometowns to prepare for the next year’s countryside test, a fold and a return, I do not know how many people’s youthful years will be wiped out, and more stubborn and proud of their generation, once they failed, it is even lingering in the capital refused to return home, decadent there, the prodigal there is, and more. Wanderer, more disappeared without a trace.

This is the grand ceremony of the country, and this is the life and death of the scholar.

Fan Xian stood on top of the stone steps, closed his eyes and listened to the sound of rustling in all directions in the examination center, and thought of the note handed over by the crown prince, and the corner of his lips floated up a strange smile.