I make a popular science video and all the emperors learn from it!

[Popular Science Short Video Collection Series 8. ]

[18. How did the candidates for the imperial examinations in the Ming and Qing Dynasties take the exam? ]

[A "room" for the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty has a total of three walls and two boards. ]

[During the day, all candidates sat on one board or lay on another board to write essays for the exam. ]

[At night, two boards were put together to form a bed. ]

[Whether you have 2-meter long legs or 200-pound heavyweights, you have to curl up to sleep. ]

[The entire exam lasts nine days and six nights. ]

[All candidates are treated equally, without any special treatment. ]

[This is called enduring hardships and becoming a superior person. ]

[Many people don't understand why it is nine days and six nights. Shouldn't nine days be eight nights? 】

[Because the imperial examination is divided into three sessions, each lasting three days and two nights. 】

[After the first session of three days and two nights, all candidates can walk out of the examination room and go to the inn to take a good bath. 】

[Find a restaurant to have a good meal, meet relatives and friends, or go to the Qinlou Chuguan on the other side of the Qinhuai River to have a good time. 】

[Then go back to the examination room and take the second three days and two nights exam. 】

[The same is true after the second exam, you can take a break. 】

[Then the third three days and two nights exam will follow. 】

[So the three sessions add up to exactly nine days and six nights. 】

[So how do candidates solve the problem of food and drink during the three days and two nights of the exam? 】

[Let's talk about drinking first. 】

[There is a big water tank at the top of each row of rooms. 】

【During the exam, this water tank will be filled with water. 】

【This is the drinking water for the examinees. 】

【The water here is all from the well of the Gongyuan. However, the Gongyuan only uses it once every three years, so the quality of the water cannot be guaranteed. 】

【Usually, alum is used to make it clear. 】

【At the same time, so many water tanks are filled with water. If a fire occurs, it can also be used to put out the fire, killing two birds with one stone. 】

【Then what about food? 】

【There are two types. One is provided by the examination room. 】

【Two meals are provided to each examinee every day, one portion of rice and three side dishes for each person. 】

【But the amount of rice is really small. 】

【Most people don’t have enough to eat. The dishes are basically some vegetarian dishes and pickles. 】

[So candidates with good conditions will bring some rice from home, bring a simple pot, and cook by themselves. 】

[You are allowed to cook in the examination room. 】

[Or you can ask the "Xiaojun" to cook for you, but of course you have to pay extra! 】

[What do candidates from poor families do? 】

[They will bring some buns, pancakes and other dry food from home. 】

【However, these dry food must be cut and inspected before entering the examination room, so when you eat it, it will become crumbs. 】

【So what if someone needs to go to the toilet during the three-day and two-night imperial examination? 】

【First of all, each room will be given a small toilet, placed in the corner. 】

【There is definitely no problem with going to the small toilet. 】

【What about going to the big toilet? 】

【Since the Ming Dynasty, a toilet has been set up at the top of each row of rooms. 】

【And in front of each room, there will be a small wooden sign hanging there, one side says "Enter the Clean Room", and the other side says "Out of the Toilet". 】

【If you want to go to the toilet, turn this small sign to "Out of the Toilet". 】

【At this time, a soldier will come to take you there, and you are not allowed to talk during the whole process. 】

【However, going to the toilet has certain risks. 】

【Because this thing is dirty, smelly and troublesome. 】

【If you do this during the exam, people think it is disrespectful to the saints. 】

【At this time, the invigilator will quietly leave a mark on your paper, commonly known as a shit stamp. 】

【Any test paper with a shit stamp is basically not passed. 】

【So during the three days and two nights of the exam, most candidates will choose to eat less and try not to go to the toilet. 】

【If you can't hold it anymore, you can solve it in the small toilet in the good community. 】

【The most unlucky candidate is the student sitting in the last row next to the toilet. 】

【This room is also called the shit room! 】

[...]

"Oh, don't say it. I was in that manure pit at the beginning. The stench was so bad that I lost interest in the exam and eventually failed."

"Haha, it's too miserable."

"Scholars also have such a hard time?"

"Oh, so the exam room is like this. I finally saw it today."

"The provincial exam will be held in two months. Thank you sincerely. Otherwise, you don't know the rules and will definitely feel uneasy when you go."

"......"

After reading this, scholars in Ming and Qing dynasties felt the same way.

Those who have not taken the exam yet are very grateful.

[The provincial exam is held in August of the lunar calendar, which is September of the solar calendar. 】

[The Jiangnan provincial exam is held in Nanjing. In September in Nanjing, there is often a hot autumn, sometimes cold and sometimes hot. People sit next to the toilet for nine days and six nights. 】

[Don't even think about the exam, you'll be suffocated by the fumes. 】

[Plus, it was rainy and sunny at that time, which was quite uncomfortable. 】

[Some candidates went to the first exam in the hot sun because the weather was good. 】

[Unexpectedly, it suddenly rained heavily in the middle of the night and the temperature dropped sharply. 】

[I was freezing. 】

[I learned from my experience and wore aI wore thick clothes to enter the examination room, but I was overwhelmed by the high temperature for three consecutive days. 】

[So taking the provincial examination in Nanjing is like ice and fire. 】

[What does it mean to be a farmer in the morning and enter the emperor's hall in the evening? No matter how hard it is, there is no way. 】

[At that time, taking the imperial examination was the only way to make a name for yourself! 】

[So what did you take the exam for after all the effort? 】

[During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were three main exams: eight-part essays, test poems, and policy essays. 】

[Eight-part essays are essays with strict format requirements. 】

[You have to write in every exam, but the number of essays and the topics are different. 】

[Writing poems may be relatively better. 】

[Policy essays are difficult, which are opinions and countermeasures on national affairs and current political views. 】(To read the novel of great excitement, go to Flylu Novel Network!)

[This is a hit! ]

[It is also easier to see the thoughts and strategies of the examinees. Anyway, it is very difficult. ]

[Since it is so difficult, is there any cheating? ]

[Of course there is. ]

[However, the supervision of the examination room is also very strict. There is a strict body search before entering the examination room. ][]

[For example, the clothes, shoes, and hats you wear must be single-layered. ]

[The blue, brush, inkstone, and all the stationery you use must be solid or hollow. ]

[You have to take off your clothes for inspection at the last stage to prevent the examination content from being written on you. ]

[So it is impossible for a woman to disguise herself as a man to enter the examination room for the exam. ]

[The female prince consort disguised herself as a man, and the top scholar in the imperial list, this is purely artistic creation. 】

【During the examination, each person had a room, and each row of rooms had a number guard patrolling back and forth. 】

【And Mingyuan Building was also where the chief examiner patrolled. 】

【So it was very difficult for you to cheat. 】

【Although the inspection was so strict, there were still some brave candidates who took the risk. 】

【There is a cheating book in the Imperial Examination Museum. 】

【It is only the size of a matchbox, but it contains the Four Books and Five Classics, and the entire Analects of Confucius. The characters are very, very small, and they are written with a pen made of mouse whiskers. 】

【It is equivalent to the current micro-printing technology. 】

【Where is it placed? 】

【It is the interlayer in the middle of the cloth shoes that we wore before, and then it is sewn up and brought into the examination room. 】

[In the past, cheating was actually quite risky. 】

[Once caught, the lightest punishment was to be put in shackles and displayed to the public, the worst punishment was to be exiled to the army, or even beheaded. 】

[So most candidates would still be honest and take the exam for nine days and six nights. 】

[In ancient times, it was actually a high-risk thing for candidates to take the imperial examination. 】

[It was not only your culture that was tested, but also your]

[Because many candidates had the chance to enter the examination room but not to leave. ]

[They lost their lives in the examination room. ]

[When the candidates entered the examination room, the door outside was locked tightly. ]

[No matter what happened inside, they had to wait until the three-day and two-night examination was over before they could deal with it. ]

[Some candidates died because of poor physical fitness. ]

[In the end, they died of sudden illness. ]

[Some candidates died of poisoning after eating moldy food. ]

[There were even some unlucky ones who were bitten to death by poisonous snakes that crawled into the dormitory in the middle of the night. ]

[No matter how you died, the door of the examination room could not be opened! ]

[The soldiers would wrap the body with mats and put it in a pile next to it. 】

【Wait until the exam is over in three days and two nights before handling it. 】

【Including this dormitory, some places were relatively simple in the past, and some were made of wood, so it was easy to catch fire. 】

【There are many records of fires in dormitory in history. 】

【Each time there was a fire, dozens or even hundreds of candidates were killed. 】

【But even in such a situation, the door of the examination room is not allowed to be opened. 】

【Still have to wait until the exam is over in three days and two nights before handling it and opening the door. 】

【It is true that life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by heaven. 】

【So, you tell me, is it the ancient candidates who suffered more, or the current candidates who suffered more? 】

[...]

"Hey, I've learned it. I use rat whiskers as pens and hide cheat sheets in the soles of my shoes."

"Fuck! What are you doing? Don't do anything stupid!"

"Damn, the imperial examination is too difficult. It's not enough to have knowledge. It also depends on whether your body is strong enough and your luck is good."

"Studying late at night must have been harder for our ancient candidates."

"......"

Qin Dynasty.

(Qian Li Zhao) Ying Zheng seemed to have some feelings.

"Imperial examination?"

"Candidates from all over the world can participate, and officials are selected..."

In the Qin Dynasty, those who wanted to become officials relied more on recommendations or military exploits.

Taking the exam and selecting officials based on their scores broadened his mind.

After thinking about it, Ying Zheng felt that this method was very good!

It suddenly added a path for the people to climb up.

If it is promoted, what kind of talents can the Qin Dynasty want?

It’s just that it can’t be implemented immediately, and it must be carried out slowly.

Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly after reading it.

“We select officials, not to let them enjoy a leisurely life.”

“Toiling is only the first step.”

“If you can’t pass this level, don’t be an official, just go back to being a farmer and farm.”

Speaking of it, he was a little confused.

OfficialsThey all worked so hard to get in, why don't they know how to cherish it.

Not long after he became an official, someone immediately wanted to take bribes by relying on the power in his hands.

So he had to kill and select new officials.

Zhu Yuanzhang was angry when he thought of this. When he saw the cheating method in the video, he glared and said angrily: "How dare you!"

"You can think of this method. If you focus on studying, you will still fail the exam!"

"Come on, listen to us clearly. This year's imperial examination must be more strictly searched!"

"Even the soles of the shoes must not be spared. Let's see how they can take advantage of the situation."