The Romance of the West Chamber: The Bells are Ringing

Qintong held the floating ticket tightly, beads of sweat oozing out from his palms. He walked on the stone road leading to the Rites Examination of the South Academy of the Ministry of Rites of the Shangshu Province and the Gongyuan Rites Examination, his steps trembling a little.

Although Zhang Sheng's clothes are a little too big and short, they are made of fine, soft material and are very comfortable. But the piano boy was not used to wearing the clothes. He must have been used to the coarse cloth clothes of slaves. He thought to himself: "I am just a slave, but now I have to take the rites examination as a master. This is really ridiculous."

When he came to the gate of the Gongyuan of the South Campus of the Ministry of Rites of the Shangshu Province, he saw a long line of scholars, and everyone's face was full of nervousness and expectation. Qintong took a deep breath and silently stood at the end of the queue.

He saw that the invigilator strictly checked each scholar's score and actual situation. The invigilator's eyes were as sharp as a hawk, not missing any detail.

When it was the turn of the scholar in front of the piano boy, he was dressed in shabby clothes, but he was neither humble nor arrogant.

The invigilator stared at the scholar's face carefully for a long time, then held up the floating ticket to compare it, and asked loudly: "Is this floating ticket yours?"

"Of course it is!" the candidate replied proudly.

Seeing that he could not be frightened, the invigilator waved his hand impatiently and let the scholar in.

Qintong prayed secretly in his heart: "I hope everything goes well."

Finally it's the piano boy's turn. He stepped forward and handed over the float. The invigilator took a glance and raised his head unconsciously when he saw the word "Zhang Gong". Qintong's heart skipped a beat, but he tried to stay calm.

The invigilator glanced casually at the piano boy's face, then looked at the ticket, then nodded and said, "Okay, let's go in."

Qintong breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself: "It's okay, it's okay."

He walked into the examination room and found his seat. Surrounded by a dense crowd of scholars, everyone was bowing their heads in deep thought, preparing for the next exam.

After the piano boy sat down, he was still feeling uneasy. He looked at the brush in his hand and thought to himself: "It seems that Zhang Gong is right. His family and Du Que have already taken care of everything!"

The moment Qin Tong stepped into the examination room, he was both nervous and curious. His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings and saw all kinds of scholars. He noticed some scholars wearing luxurious clothes. Although their clothes were exquisite, they did not seem to fit them properly and they looked a little uncomfortable.

He thought in his mind: "These people may just come here for the status. Their clothes are so gorgeous, but they don't necessarily take this exam sincerely. Maybe they are the same as me?"

His eyes turned to the scholars in simple clothes. They were sitting there with focused expressions and their pens moving casually, looking very serious. Qintong felt a hint of admiration in his heart: "These people are the ones who really take learning at heart."

He sat in his seat, spread out the test paper, took a deep breath, and then began to answer the questions calmly. He felt as if he had become one of those serious scholars, which made him feel unprecedentedly excited and proud.

Qintong's pen tip slid quickly across the rice paper, and every word was written neatly and clearly. He was well prepared for the exam questions because he had been imitating Zhang Sheng's studies over the years and had already accumulated a wealth of knowledge and insights in his mind.

He thought in his mind: "This is an extremely important moment in my life. I must use my own efforts to prove my worth."

During the examination, he looked up from time to time to observe the scholars around him. He saw some scholars in colorful clothes looking flustered and their pens trembling on the paper, while those in plain clothes still maintained a peaceful mind and concentrated on answering questions.

Qintong thought to himself: "Whether I am a noble or a servant, I must rely on my true talents and knowledge to win this exam."

The piano boy dropped the paper like flying paper and concentrated on writing the last word. His pen tip is steady, and the ink spreads out on the rice paper, as if telling a story. He thought in his heart: "This is a life that a slave like me cannot experience. Every word carries my dream."

When he finished answering the last question, he looked up and noticed that many well-dressed scholars had already handed in their papers and left in advance. His eyes fell on those poor scholars who were still busy writing. Although their faces showed fatigue, their eyes shone with perseverance and expectation. There was a resonance in Qintong's heart: "These people, like me, are writing their destiny with their own efforts."

As the bell rang for the end of the exam, Qin Tong put away his pen and ink, sorted out the test papers, and walked slowly towards the table where the papers were handed in. He handed his test paper to the examiner. When the examiner saw the name "Zhang Gong" on it, he raised his eyebrows slightly, and then carefully placed the test paper aside on the table.

Qintong noticed the examiner's actions and thought to himself: "Will my paper get special attention just like this?"

The examiner glanced at Qin Tong, and there seemed to be complicated emotions in his eyes. He didn't say anything more, just said softly: "You can leave now."

Qin Tong inadvertently looked back as he left the entrance of the examination room. He saw a plainly dressed scholar from a poor family carefully presenting the test paper. The scholar's hands were trembling, and his eyes were full of desire and anxiety.

The examiner looked at the poor scholar, a trace of impatience flashed in his eyes. He looked the scholar up and down, with a contemptuous smile on his face, and then threw the test paper under the table. He waved his hand and signaled the scholar to leave.

Qintong was shocked and thought: "Is this the status of a poor scholar in this society?"

He secretly looked under the table, where there were piles of messy test papers, like a pile of waste paper that no one cared about. On the table, his test papers were placed in a conspicuous position and neatly arranged, forming a sharp contrast with those test papers that were randomly discarded.

Qintong felt deep emotion in his heart, and he thought to himself: "In this world, no matter how hard the poor people work, their fate seems to have been determined by this society."

He saw the poor scholar lowering his head and leaving the examination room silently. The figure of the scholar looked a little lonely and helpless, as if the whole world was closing the door to him.

Qin Tong slowly walked out of the Gongyuan of the South Campus of the Ministry of Rites of Shangshu Province and stepped into the noisy world outside. His ears echoed with the voices of the scholars who had not left outside the Gongyuan. They gathered together with complex expressions on their faces, some angry, some disappointed, and some hesitant. Their conversation was full of dissatisfaction and doubts about this exam.

As Qin Tong approached, he could only hear them discussing words such as "darkness, bribery, fraud, writing papers, public recommendations, forming cliques, and selfish interests" in low voices. There was a slight movement in his heart and he thought: "It turns out that there are so many unknown secrets hidden behind this exam."

Qintong heard the words of some scholars full of indignation: "This exam is too unfair." "I heard that some people bribed and cheated, saying that they would definitely get good results." "How can it be possible to elect under such a system? A real talent?"

He hesitated, wanting to get closer and listen more, but when the scholars saw Qin Tong's gorgeous clothes, their expressions immediately changed. The originally passionate words came to an abrupt end, and there was a hint of suspicion and alienation in his eyes.

Qintong thought to himself: "They may think that I am one of those people who benefited through unfair means."

An older-looking scholar frowned and said to the piano boy, "Brother, your outfit is unmatched by ordinary scholars."

Qintong's heart tightened and he replied: "I am just a scholar. I came here to take the exam. I never expected that there would be so many criticisms."

He felt an indescribable alienation. He wanted to explain to these scholars, telling them that he also started from a humble place and felt the same way about the injustice they suffered. But the scholars had begun to disperse and were no longer willing to continue the discussion.

Qintong stood there, watching the retreating figures of these scholars, with complex emotions welling up in his heart. He thought: "At least you can still take part in the imperial examination, and what about me? As a slave, I will never have a chance to take the exam. The injustice in this world is not just the experience of individual people, but a universal problem. These poor people His indignation and helplessness are the epitome of the entire imperial court."

Back at the house, Zhang Sheng was not there as usual, thinking he was wandering in some brothel again.

Qintong sat at the table and thought for a long time. He remembered everything he had just experienced, as well as the disappointed and angry expressions of those scholars. He thought in his mind: "Is all this just the work of a few corrupt officials? What if we kill them all? It is true that these noble families control the government, but what is the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty doing?"