Chapter 8 Chapter 2 Romance of becoming an official: From a palace guard to a minister of military affairs

Imperial Examination Failed According to the regulations of the imperial examination system in the Qing Dynasty, scholars must first pass the three-stage examinations of the county examination, the government examination and the college examination, which are collectively called the Tongsheng Examination, referred to as the Tongsi Examination, or the Quiz Examination.Candidates, regardless of age, are called Tongsheng, Rutong or Wentong.Only after passing the hospital examination can one get the title of student or scholar. Otherwise, regardless of age, from the prime of life to the old man with the head of the head, they are collectively called Tongsheng or Mengtong.

The county examination is an examination presided over by the magistrates of each county, and the examination period is generally in February.If you want to obtain the birth of a child, you must register at the Zhonglifang of the county yamen before the exam, fill in your name, place of origin, age, and three-generation resume, and obtain a guarantee letter from an official student in the county before you are allowed to take the exam.The exam is divided into five sessions, including stereotyped essays, test post poems, scriptures, rhyme and Fu, and "Sacred Edicts and Guang Xun".After passing the county test, you can take the government test.

Most of the government examinations are held in April, and the procedures and content of the examination are basically the same as those of the county examination, which is similar to the reexamination of the county examination.After being admitted in the government examination, one is eligible to participate in the college examination presided over by Xuezheng, the official in charge of education in each province. The registration procedures for the college examination are basically the same as those for prefectural and county examinations, which are omitted here.The nearest prefectures and counties where the Xuezheng is stationed take the exam, and the other prefectures will be presided over by the Xuezheng in stages.There is a formal exam and a re-examination, and the list of admitted candidates is announced on the red list. This is called a case.Those who pass the hospital examination can get the title of student or scholar, and can also enjoy the preferential treatment of entering prefectures and counties to study, exempt from taxes, labor and food.After the case is revealed, those who are admitted will also go to pay homage to Xuezheng and other officials, and send gift money, which is called red case fee or teacher appreciation ceremony.This kind of examination is not held every year, and the number of admitted students is small, so the competition is very fierce, and the winners are often very outstanding.

After untold hardships, if you are lucky enough to pass the children's examination, you must also pass the yearly examination and scientific examination held by the provincial Xuezheng in various places, so as to be eligible to participate in the rural examination.Under normal circumstances, the years of Chou, Chen, Wei, and Xu are the annual exams, and the years of Yin, Si, Shen, and Hai are scientific exams.Those with good grades in the annual examination will be rewarded with different rewards such as pens, ink, paper and inkstones, while those with poor grades will be punished with reduced food (living expenses) and deprivation of student status.Candidates with excellent results in the scientific examination can be directly qualified to participate in the provincial examination.

In addition, those who are not admitted or fail to take the exam for some reason can also make up the exam before the township exam.The township examination is held every three years in the provincial capitals (including the capital) of each province. It is the Zhengke during the Zi, Wu, Mao, and You years, and the Enke when it meets the celebration.Because the examination period is generally in August, it is also called Qiuwei. If you pass the provincial examination, you can get the title of Juren or Xiaolian, and you are qualified to be an official, but you may not be able to be an official, just like today's university graduation does not include distribution.Only Juren can be qualified to participate in the general examination. Those who fail the list and have better grades can be Gongsheng students and can enter the Imperial Academy to study.Those who are over 50 years old but not in the first place can enjoy preferential policies of exemption from military service and crown belts.

The general examination is held every three years, and the place of the examination is the capital. It is generally held in March of the second year of the rural examination and is presided over by the Ministry of Rites, so it is also called Chunwei or Liwei.Those admitted in the examination are called Gongshi.Then the emperor conducted a palace examination, and the candidates in the mid-level examination were divided into three classes, called first, second, and third-class.The top three in the first class, this is what we are familiar with, the number one scholar, second place in the list, and Tanhua, who are awarded Jinshi and rank;

The first name in the provincial examination is Jieyuan, and the first name in the general examination is Huiyuan. If the same person is the first in the provincial examination, the first in the general examination, and the first in the imperial examination, it is called Sanyuan Jidi;It is very difficult to win the Sanyuan. There are only a few dozen people in the ancient Chinese imperial examinations. If you fail the general examination and are willing to be an official, you can pass certain exams and be promoted to be an official, county magistrate, general judge, etc., but because there are too many people queuing up, the chances are very slim.

The imperial examination system in the Qing Dynasty was inherited from the Ming Dynasty, with the four scriptures as the mainstay.In the first round of the township examination in the early Qing Dynasty, there were three questions in the four books and essays, and four questions in each of the five classics. Candidates chose one classic; , affairs, policy five questions.The first four scriptures and five scriptures use the eight-legged style, which is called Zhiyi, also known as Shiwen.In the twenty-sixth year of Kangxi (1687), imperial edicts and imperial edicts were abolished.In the 22nd year of Qianlong (1757), the imperial edict moved the scriptures to the second stage, abolished theories, tables, and judgments, and added five-character and eight-rhyme poems.The next year, it was resumed in the first session.In the forty-seventh year of Qianlong (1782), the poems were revised after the first four scriptures, and the theory was changed after the second scriptures.Fifty-two years after Qianlong's reign, each of the five subjects took a round of examinations, and the theory was discarded after the five classics were tested in turn.

This is the case for the children's home examination and the usual yearly and scientific examinations of the students.According to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, Tongshengyuan had two questions on four-character essays, one question on five-character six-rhyme poems, and one question on four-book essays, one question on five scriptures, and one poem on five-character six-rhyme poems in the re-examination. one.In the yearly examination of the students, they try to write one question in four books, one question in five scriptures, one poem in five characters and six rhymes, and silently write a few words of "Sheng Yu Guang Xun".In the subject test, one question of four books, one question of policy, one poem of five characters and eight rhymes, a few words of "Sheng Yu Guang Xun", and a paragraph of Five Classics.Students have monthly classes and quarterly exams at school, which are conducted in the form of interviews. The exam questions include one piece of four books, one piece of rhythmic poem, or one piece of Jiace question.

Articles discussing current affairs have their own strictly stipulated article procedures, and candidates must strictly abide by them, follow the scriptures, and must not violate the rules.There are even regulations on the content and the scriptures and commentaries on which it is based. Authors can only quote the words of the ancients and are not allowed to create new ones without authorization, which really restricts thinking. In any case, this is the only shortcut to an official career.After getting married, He Shen naturally has the responsibility of supporting the family, which objectively requires him to have a stable income.As an outstanding student in the Xian'an Palace Official School, it was Heshen's natural choice to gain fame through the imperial examination.So, He Shen began to try to enter the official career.

He Shen participated in the children's examination while studying in Xian'an Palace, and won the scholar.So Heshen took the Shuntianfu Township Examination of Wuzike in the second year after marriage, that is, the thirty-third year of Qianlong (1768), which is a provincial-level examination.It's a pity that although Heshen was quick-witted, studious and wise, perhaps because his family was overburdened, he was not allowed to continue to take the road of entering an official career through the imperial examination, and Heshen eventually lost his name. Under the persuasion of his father-in-law Yinglian, he resolutely gave up his efforts to continue taking the exam, and chose the method of Manchu children to enter the officialdom by picking out guards. In any case, after all, after several years of studying in Xian'an Palace, Heshen was appreciated and helped by Ying Lian, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs and Minister of Internal Affairs, but he failed in the imperial examination. lifelong regret.Because, in the feudal era where family background was important, no matter how talented you are, if you cannot pass the exam and become an official, you will not be reused by the court.Passing the imperial examinations and becoming an official is the only way out for ordinary people.