lcionline Chapter 382 Etiquette Training, Entering the Palace Examination Venue
Chapter 382 Etiquette Training, Entering the Palace Examination Venue
Chapter 382 Etiquette Training, Entering the Palace Examination Venue
three days later
The Jiang residence was fully equipped with carriages, with the six tribute students riding in three separate carriages, two to a time.
The horses' hooves clattered as they entered the palace for "training."
Horse-drawn carriages were not allowed to enter the palace. The hundreds of carriages belonging to the three hundred tribute students were neatly parked outside the palace, with none of them veering off course.
The students, dressed in blue robes and holding documents, stood solemnly outside the palace gates. Guided by officials from the Ministry of Rites, they entered the palace early in the morning.
The palace gates were majestic and imposing, exuding a powerful sense of oppression. Guards stood solemnly on both sides, and the tribute students lined up to undergo inspection one by one.
After their identities were verified, the students were led by palace staff and officials from the Ministry of Rites to the designated training area within the palace.
The palace gates slowly opened, and officials from the Ministry of Rites led them through the long palace corridor to the Wenhua Hall.
The hall was solemn and dignified, with a plaque bearing the inscription "Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trustworthiness" hanging on the wall.
Palace eunuchs stood in front of the hall, loudly recounting the precautions to be taken during the training.
Subsequently, officials from the Ministry of Rites explained in detail the etiquette for meeting the emperor, including actions such as kneeling, kowtowing, and advancing and retreating.
Inside the hall, a special etiquette officer demonstrated the standard movements, which the students then practiced.
The etiquette officer corrected the students' movements one by one to ensure that everyone could accurately complete the rituals of kneeling, bowing, and kowtowing.
The hall was quiet, with only the commands of the ceremonial official and the sounds of the students' movements and the rustling of their robes.
After the etiquette training, the next step will be a mock palace examination.
In the mock palace examination, the candidates practiced according to the official procedures. The hall was arranged similarly to the real palace examination, with a throne and examiners' seats.
The tribute students entered in turn, bowed to the throne, and the etiquette officer continued to supervise and correct them throughout the process.
After the training, officials from the Ministry of Rites inspected the attire of the tribute students to ensure that their blue robes, scholar's caps, and cloth shoes met the standards, and those that did not were required to make immediate adjustments.
At the end of the training, officials or eunuchs from the Ministry of Rites would give a final admonition, reminding the candidates to remain dignified and not to be impolite.
The students stood in neat rows, listened to the instructions, and then left the palace in an orderly manner under guidance.
At this time, the sun was setting and the sky was gradually getting dark.
After completing all the training programs, the three hundred tribute students were finally able to leave the palace, their bodies aching and exhausted.
The reason for arranging etiquette training during this period is to allow the candidates time to recuperate after the training, so as not to affect their performance in the formal palace examination.
It was quite humane, but the training process was not only about etiquette, but also about tempering the minds of the candidates to ensure they performed at their best in the palace examination.
The most important part was the training on the part about entering the palace for the imperial examination and taking one's seat, so that the candidates could be prepared.
After all, many people would take the provincial examination and the metropolitan examination a second or third time, but no one would take the palace examination a second time.
The fish leaps over the dragon gate—only once in a lifetime.
From then on, whether they defied fate or faded into obscurity depended on their true abilities and luck.
After all, luck is also a part of ability in the imperial examination.
Jiang Xiaoqi left the palace with the group and didn't feel too tired. After all, she had a foundation of martial arts training for many years, and the health-preserving pills she used to eat like candy weren't for nothing.
The rest of the Jiang family were also fine. Even the eldest, Jiang Changfeng and Jiang Changgeng, only felt a little soreness in their waist and legs, but a night's rest should alleviate the symptoms.
When Jiang Xiaoqi and the others returned to the Jiang residence, their family had already prepared hot soup and meals.
First, everyone took off the blue robes that were uniform for tribute students and changed into their everyday clothes before sitting down together to eat.
Dinner is over.
Jiang Changfeng and Jiang Changgeng received their own special tonic soup, something the younger people didn't get this time.
“Mingfei, this…”
"Both of you uncles, drink up. You've been working hard all day and it's taken a toll on your energy. You'll be entering the arena in a few days, so it's best to play it safe."
Upon hearing this, the two stopped being coy, but felt a little embarrassed, as if they had been eating alone.
“We’re feeling alright, so don’t worry about anything else, Uncles. Mingfei prepared this for you, so drink it while it’s hot,” Jiang Lin and Jiang Yan chimed in.
The two old men gulped down the nourishing soup, but predictably, they would have to get up at night.
The servants of the Jiang family were very professional, after all, this was not the first time they had experienced their master taking the imperial examination.
Last time there were five people, this time there are eight. We are lucky to have chosen the right master.
Even a servant could see the prosperity of the Jiang family, given their circumstances.
Therefore, during this crucial period, everyone was on high alert, meticulously serving the scholars in their households.
Three days before the palace examination, Jiang Wenhai and Jiang Wenhan moved to the Jiang family home again, and the eight of them set off for the palace together.
For the past three days, Old Li, the gatekeeper of the Jiang family, locked the gate with a large chain and hung a sign outside that read "Closed to guests".
This was Jiang Xiaoqi's order. It wasn't that he needed to lead everyone to "sharpen their weapons at the last minute" for the next three days, but mainly to avoid some unnecessary trouble.
Time flies, and three more days have passed.
Before dawn, the eight scholars of the Jiang family, dressed in their finest attire, set off in a neat procession towards the palace.
Just like the day of etiquette training, except this time there were fewer carriages, and most people rode in one carriage.
Presumably, they were close friends who decided to come together, so the carriage procession wouldn't have been as long as it was that day.
The Jiang family only used two horse-drawn carriages this time, with four people riding in each carriage.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, there were already many tribute students waiting. They were neither the earliest nor the latest, but were lined up in the middle of the queue.
The palace examination was presided over by the emperor himself, but the emperor would not supervise the entire examination, as it would take several hours.
Now that you're the emperor, why bother with all this hardship? Why force yourself to suffer when there's no suffering to be had?
Officials readily agreed to the task, and all eagerly took the initiative to perform.
The emperor would personally visit the examination hall as a gesture of respect, and sometimes say a few words of encouragement.
The questions in the palace examination were generally policy essays, requiring candidates to offer their own insights and suggestions on a specific political, economic, or social issue.
It's said that the questions were set by the emperor himself, but if they were written by someone else, you wouldn't know. They say that His Majesty the Emperor set the questions himself, so that's it!
After another round of checks, we finally entered the palace gates. This time, we weren't going to the Hall of Literary Glory, but to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Upon entering the hall, the master of ceremonies prompted the students to kneel and pay their respects in unison, with no one making a mistake.
"Rise! Sit down!"
The chief eunuch spoke in a loud voice, and the three hundred people rose in response, straightened their posture, and sat down in an orderly fashion.
No one dared to look directly at the emperor's face; they could only keep their eyes on the table.