For the vast majority of ancient readers, taking the imperial examination was their only chance to change their destiny, and it was also the fairest opportunity. After all, everyone is equal before the exam.
However, if candidates encounter strange examiners, they will have to go crazy - whether they are bullies or scum, they have to kneel.
In 1801, Wu Tingjue, a candidate in Jiangxi, met such a strange examiner.
Wu Tingjue is a native of Fuliang, Jiangxi, and has been diligent and studious since childhood. In 1801, Wu Took part in a township examination held in Jiangxi Province. At that time, the chief examiner of the Jiangxi Township Examination was Zhou Xingdai, a waiter in the household department, and the deputy examiner was Chen Tinggui, the head of the household department.
Let's introduce these two examiners first.
Zhou Xingdai was a native of Fuzhou, Sichuan (present-day Fuling District, Chongqing), born in 1744. Zhou Xingdai's identity is very special, he is the second son of zhou huang, a famous minister of the Qing Dynasty, and the father-in-law of the great qing dynasty poet Zhang Chuanshan. Zhou Xingdai himself was a scholar of qianlong for thirty-six years, who ordered Hanlin and successively served as an editor of the Hanlin Academy, a bachelor of attendants, a bachelor of cabinet, a waiter of the ceremonial department, a waiter of the official department, and a waiter of the household department.
Chen Tinggui was a native of Hexian County, Anhui Province, born in 1768, younger than Zhou Xingdai, who entered the Hanlin Academy in the 60th year of Qianlong, and after the dispersal of the museum, he served as the chief of the Punishment Department, the editor of the Law and Customs Museum, and the chief of the household department.
Judging from the resumes of Zhou Xingdai and Chen Tinggui, they were all well-known scholars, who had been golden and noble Hanlin, and belonged to high-level intellectuals. According to the rules, they shouldn't be strange examiners. But the development of things is often unexpected...
When Wu Tingjue participated in the township examination, he thought about the spring and wrote like a god. After the exam, Zhou Xingdai flipped through Wu Tingjue's exam papers during the appraisal, admired his articles very much, and rated his exam papers as the first place early. Unexpectedly, on the day of the release of the list, Zhou Xingdai and Chen Tinggui could not find Wu Tingjue's examination papers over and over again, and they could not fill in the list.
Wu Tingjue's examination paper could not be found, so there was no way to rate him as the first place. In desperation, Zhou Xingdai had no choice but to top the examination paper of Li Guanli, a candidate in Lichuan, Jiangxi, and rated it as the first place, that is, Xie Yuan. As a result, Wu Tingjue not only failed to pass the examination, but also was declared to be behind.
After the township examination, Wu Tingjue's examination paper mysteriously appeared. When Zhou Xingdai was packing his luggage and preparing to return to Beijing, he found an examination paper in front of the account, which was not Wu Tingjue's examination paper? I must have accidentally forgotten where to put it when I was admiring Diệm's exam papers. Zhou Xingdai's heart had been resentful for a long time, but it was already overwhelmed by water and difficult to harvest.
According to the "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty", Zhou Xingdai was punished by withdrawing from the South Study Room because he accepted gifts and asked for clothes in this Jiangxi Township Examination, and was also demoted from Hubu Shilang to a bachelor's attendant. Zhou Xingdai naturally deserved it, but Wu Tingjue suffered a major setback in his life because of his carelessness.
Where you fall, you get up. Since then, Wu Tingjue has participated in the township examination many times, but they have not played well, and there is no gold list title, and it is in a slump. It was not until 20 years later, in 1821, that Wu Tingjue once again played his divine courage and was admitted to the first place in the township examination and tasted the taste of understanding yuan. However, Wu Tingjue paid for 20 years of good youth.
Although Diệm was admitted to the Yuan, because of his old age, he had no intention of continuing to participate in the examination, and was only awarded the position of a teaching as a person.
[References: "Qing Barnyard Banknotes", etc.]