Many people say that the ancient imperial examinations were very cruel. So where is the cruelty?

In ancient times, the imperial examination was a major event that scholars must participate in. The so-called four great joys in life: the wedding night, meeting an old friend in a foreign land, the rain after a long drought, and the time of being named on the gold medal list.

In the Tang Dynasty, Du Mu, who was a Jinshi and later in the imperial examination, once wrote a poem: "The spring breeze is proud of the horse's hoofs, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day." In the Song Dynasty, the Jinshi would roll their names outside Donghua Gate, and there were interesting stories about catching their son-in-law under the list.

However, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, when candidates took the imperial examination, the process was a bit like going through the gate of hell, and the candidates' expressions changed.

You may find it strange that the imperial examination is just about writing and answering questions. Why is this so? In fact, the key is that the environment in the examination room is too bad.

There are four stages in the ancient imperial examination, namely the child examination, the provincial examination, the general examination and the palace examination. If you pass the child examination, you will be a scholar, if you pass the provincial examination, you will be a scholar, if you pass the provincial examination, you will be a tribute scholar, and if you pass the palace examination, you will be a scholar. Jinshi.

Historically, the reputation of a scholar was of little use, and he could just teach in a private school in the countryside to earn a living. However, it was different when he was elected as a scholar. If he was elected, he could enjoy many privileges of scholars, even if he would try in the future. Even if you fail the imperial examination, you can become a country squire. Therefore, in the story "Fan Jin Passed the Imperial Examination", Fan Jin was yelled at by his father-in-law when he was a scholar. After he won the imperial examination, his father-in-law did not dare to beat him, and he went crazy with joy.

Many people may not know about Gongshi, because the joint examination and the palace examination are connected together. After passing the joint examination, you will not fail in the palace examination. It is just a matter of ranking, so Gongshi is actually completely qualified. From a Jinshi perspective, generally not many people mention this short transitional stage.

The place in charge of the provincial examination in the imperial examination is called Gongyuan. After entering the Gongyuan, the candidates have to stay for three days and three nights, eating, drinking, sleeping and eating.

Smells are common in Gongyuan, especially since the exam time is usually in summer and the weather is hot. Just thinking about it makes people feel horrified.

The examinee’s dormitory, that is, the examination room, generally only has an area of ??about one square meter. Not only is the environment small, some may even be connected to a cesspool.

Throughout the year, candidates have died of heat stroke in the high temperature. They don’t know whether they died from the heat or the smell.

Furthermore, the Gongyuan itself is hot in summer and cold in winter. Historically, once the Gongyuan was renovated because of this, the examination time was postponed to winter. As a result, due to the cold weather, those who were in poor health froze to death inside.

There was another time in history when a fire broke out in the Gongyuan. Because the dormitory itself was locked, the candidates could not get out, and no one could open the lock when the fire broke out. According to records, more than 90 people were killed in that fire. The candidates were burned to death in the Gongyuan of the capital, so the emperor gave each of them a coffin and buried them hastily. The place where these people were buried was also called the "Juren Tomb."

Candidates must answer well in such an environment, otherwise they may have to come back next time.

As for why the environment is so bad, candidates still flock to it because money and silk are so attractive. If you succeed in the examination, you will be a gentry at least. Such generous rewards naturally attract countless people.

Officials of the Ming and Qing Dynasties fought their way to the court in such a battlefield of life and death. It seems that no matter what era it is, it is never easy to stand out. The palace examination is probably the time when the environment is the best and the psychological pressure is the least. The environment is much better when answering questions from the emperor, and there is no need to worry about failing during the palace examination.

Just thinking about those people who fell in Gongyuan, I couldn’t help but sigh. Throughout the ages, how many people have lost their lives for the sake of fame and fortune.