Ancient scholars all have a common goal, hoping that they can win the laurel on the first day and become the number one scholar in all subjects, so as to serve the country and honor their ancestors. However, the reality is cruel, there can only be one champion at a time, and it is not said that the first place is not tied. According to historical records, during the 1000 years since the implementation of the imperial examination system, * * * produced about 780 liberal arts champions.
The champion was appointed by the emperor, and his examination papers must be managed by the imperial court in a unified way and must not be taken out of the palace without permission. With the replacement of ancient dynasties and frequent wars, these top papers disappeared, and nine times out of ten they were destroyed by wars. However, a top-ranked examination paper in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty was inadvertently spread to the people, and it is also the only existing ancient top-ranked examination paper. The champion's name is Zhao.
There are not many records about Zhao in history. He was born in Yidu County, Qingzhou Prefecture, Ming Dynasty (now Qingzhou City, Shandong Province), and his father was the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites. Because of his talent and hard work the day after tomorrow, Zhao always gets excellent results. At the age of 25, he was admitted to the top prize. From then on, he became an official in the DPRK and eventually became an official of the Ministry of Rites.
Because of his straightforward personality, Zhao offended many colleagues. Later, he was dismissed and had to return to his hometown. It is estimated that no one knows how his test paper got out of the palace. 1983, Zhao Huanbin, Zhao's first 13 generation grandson, donated the textual research of his ancestors to the local museum, giving the world a chance to see him.
It is understood that the test paper is a 19 folded page, with a horizontal length of ***268 cm, a height of 47.6 cm and a width of 14. 1 cm. * * has 2460 words, mainly because he gave the emperor a lot of suggestions and opinions on governing the country according to the social phenomenon at that time. Zhao Juan is an important document to study the imperial examination system in ancient China and the history of Ming Dynasty. It is listed as a national first-class cultural relic and is now preserved in Qingzhou Museum.
Not to mention the strategy of governing the country in the test paper, Zhao's neat handwriting alone is enough for future generations to worship. Now it is estimated that it is difficult for ordinary "calligraphers" to reach this level!