March 9, today is the first day of the metropolitan examination.
The examination is held in three rounds, one round every three days: the first round is on the ninth day, the second on the twelfth, and the third on the fifteenth, with candidates entering the day before and leaving the day after.
This exam is hosted by the Ministry of Rites, with two chief examiners: Left Imperial Censor Deng Chenghong and Right Imperial Censor Song Shuqing. There are eighteen co-examiners, all from the Hanlin Academy.
In the early spring morning, it is naturally cold. Everyone is shivering in thin layers of clothing outside the examination hall.
The wind is especially strong today. Gu Chengyu, carrying his examination basket and holding his entry token, lined up at the entrance of the examination hall.
There are over four thousand candidates, but only three hundred will be accepted, illustrating the difficulty of the imperial examinations, harder than ascending to the heavens.
