Chapter 74 The answer seems to be right before my eyes.

Fusu had nothing to say about Mei Yaochen's overconfidence. But since the scholar who had taken the imperial examinations countless times claimed that his literary level was at the level of writing doggerel, Fusu readily agreed and focused on preparing his policy essay.

Therefore, when he saw the questions for this autumn imperial examination, he hesitated for a moment.

The source of the topic is clear, and the main idea is also evident. So the question is, should his article present a positive argument or a negative one?

The main argument is to follow the meaning of the topic, first praise several ancient sages, then use the past to illustrate the present, talking about how the Three Dynasties were, how the previous dynasty was, how the current dynasty is, and how the emperor is—the current emperor's virtue is comparable to Yao and Shun, and he will surely be able to restore the purity of customs!

The problem is that, while this writing style certainly reflects the benevolent spirit of the Song Dynasty and the virtue of Emperor Renzong, it still feels a bit like flattery. The object of this flattery is his beloved father. Fusu finds it difficult to swallow his pride.

As for counterarguments, it's like what he did to Emperor Renzong in the Fengxian Hall a few months ago—speaking frankly and criticizing current affairs. The risk is like writing a zero-score essay on a college entrance exam; there's the risk of deliberately contradicting the examiner. If the examiner is conservative and doesn't dare to touch upon right and wrong, he deserves to be dismissed immediately.

One went against their conscience, the other risked their own safety.

Fusu toyed with the soft wolf-hair brush tip with his fingers, pondering deeply as he did so. After a while, he finally came up with a good idea—he would be a fence-sitter!

In later job interviews, there's a common tactic called "saying the opposite of what you mean." When the interviewer asks, "What are your weaknesses?", the standard online answer is often, "I'm too much of a perfectionist," or "I love staying up late and don't take good care of my health." The subtext is, "I'm willing to work overtime." The same applies here. What shortcomings does the emperor have compared to Yao and Shun? He's too prone to internal strife and too self-critical—even though it was a collective decision made by the officials of Yanzhou, when it came time to reflect on the outcome, the emperor himself bore all the blame.

Don't believe me?

Just look at the letter of self-reproach he wrote to him! The emperor really is that kind of person.

Fusu's writing became increasingly heartfelt. Only those who have experienced society truly understand how valuable a leader willing to take responsibility is. Take Emperor Wu of Han, for example. Although he became quite warlike in his later years, didn't his edict at Luntai bring the focus back to the Han Dynasty? Otherwise, how could Huo Guang have had the confidence to debate with Sang Hongyang, Shangguan Jie, and others? As a counter-example, Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty thought that by taking credit for the good deeds and outsourcing the bad ones to his ministers, he could achieve lasting fame. In reality, Hai Rui had already seen through this: "Jiajing means every household is clean but lacks resources," he said, implying that such actions would surely lead to eternal infamy.

Of course, the example of Jiajing cannot be applied to the Song Dynasty. But what about Li Longji? He didn't leave the bad reputation to his ministers, but to his son, Emperor Suzong of Tang. Criticizing him was perfectly politically correct in the Song Dynasty. Because, in a sense, the An Lushan Rebellion was actually a precursor to the fragmentation of the late Tang and even the Five Dynasties period, with its regional warlords and regional military governors.

After listing these two examples, Fusu began another paragraph: Compared to his predecessors, Your Majesty has perhaps gone too far. Take the recent unrest on the Guangnan border, for instance. With the north embroiled in war with the Western Xia, leniently releasing Guangnan and temporarily avoiding the brunt of the conflict with Jiaozhi would have been the most correct course of action, an option agreed upon by all the officials in the court. Yet today, Your Majesty has taken full responsibility, admitted your mistakes, and re-selected and appointed capable generals. In truth, Your Majesty, you didn't need to be so harsh on yourself.

Those who govern together should also slander each other.

—If we govern the country together with the scholar-officials, then we should also share the blame with them.

He poured all the words he had used to comfort his elderly father in the letter into the article. Because of its genuine emotion, the entire piece flowed smoothly and without any awkwardness. As for the five-character poem? Fusu certainly had the ability to compose a limerick based on his own writing. It soon appeared on the draft as well.

He let out a long sigh of relief. He twisted his stiff ears and neck, and glanced at the sky outside the window; it was still quite bright. So he rustled his way to the exam basket, grabbed a handful of fried dough twists, and stuffed them into his mouth.

The oil used to fry the fried dough twists appeared to be animal fat, giving them a richer flavor than those of later generations. Furthermore, they were evenly sprinkled with white sesame seeds. Fusu chewed one, his mouth filled with the aroma of fried starch. He wiped his mouth, still savoring the taste, and a moment later, he heard the sound of crumpled paper coming from the next examination room, followed by a muffled thud as someone slumped onto the table.

Fusu paused subtly for a moment.

Could it be that the person next door hadn't even finished their draft yet, and was already on edge because of his leisurely eating?

He silently apologized to himself and re-dipped the brush in ink. Next came the copying process.

By the time of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, the practice of "anonymizing and copying examination papers" had been adopted to prevent cheating through handwriting analysis. This was a significant advantage for Fusu, as he was far too young, with small, chubby hands—the kind that wouldn't hurt even if slapped. It was already a struggle for him to hold a brush and write clear, complete characters; expecting him to produce strokes with finesse or connections was simply unrealistic. Judging a person solely by their handwriting, his examination papers would be significantly less impressive.

Although the papers were anonymously filled out, the opening words "臣对" (your subject's reply) still had to be reviewed by the examiners. Fusu wrote over fifteen "臣对" on the draft paper in one go, carefully selecting the best-looking one, imitating it more than ten times before finally copying it down. He copied the rest of the text more slowly, silently reciting each word in his mind to ensure he was focused and mentally unified, so as not to make mistakes.

Fusu's method was very effective. He copied it in one go, without needing to do it a second time. By the time everything was settled, it was still early, and a large portion of the candle hadn't burned out. But Fusu patted his stomach and didn't take out any more fried dough twists to satisfy his craving—the examinee next door was probably rushing to finish his work, and the wooden room wasn't very soundproof; the clattering sounds would easily distract him.

When he was bored, he would draw Gomoku on his draft and play with it until he finished writing it down.

"After I finished writing, I drew tic-tac-toe on the draft paper and played with it."

When the first exam papers were collected and the group gathered outside the examination hall, Su Shi said this. Fu Su couldn't help but glance at him: "Save your breath, Su Xiaolang. Can't you see everyone around you is glaring at you?"

Fan Chunren: "Oh? Does that mean you have plenty of time, Su Xiaolang?"

"No, that's not it!" Su Shi waved his hand, seemingly still shaken, and said, "I was so nervous at the time. I copied the article once, but when I was almost finished, I made a mistake and had to copy it again. I thought I was going to run out of time, and I was so anxious that I broke out in a cold sweat. I hurriedly copied it a second time, and when I finished, I found that the candle was still this long."

Fusu: "...That does fit your persona quite well."

He then shared his method for avoiding spelling mistakes, successfully earning Su Shi's rare admiring gaze: "That's great! How did you come up with that? How are you so clever?"

Fusu slightly raised his chin.

It's not that they're smart; it's that they've taken too many big tests.

They didn't compare answers or discuss what each other had written. Some of the neighboring candidates did, while others tried to pull them aside for a discussion. Su Shi seemed eager to share his brilliant insights, but Fu Su tugged at his clothes, deftly dodging his attempts.

"Hurry up and get out of this place of trouble."

Fan Chunren agreed wholeheartedly, and together with Zeng Gong and the others, they carried the two little ones in the middle and headed towards the Imperial College.

Only after leaving the examination hall did Fusu breathe a sigh of relief.

"What's going on? Why won't you let me talk?"

"It's to prevent others from smuggling things onto you..."

"I'm afraid someone might deliberately give a wrong answer, then turn around and accuse me of going off-topic, trying to mess with my mindset."

Fan Chunren paused, a look of surprise on his face, before saying, "I hadn't thought of that. Father never mentioned it either. Zhao Xiaolang, you're so thoughtful."

Fusu wiped his sweat: It's not just thoughtfulness; it's also experience he gained from countless exams. It's all tears when I talk about it!

The first round of the autumn imperial examinations concluded smoothly, and Fusu felt much more at ease. It wasn't so much because he was overly confident in himself, but rather because he discovered that the people he encountered seemed far more restless than he was. He also began to lower his expectations of the Song Dynasty's scholars. The candidates a thousand years ago were not so different from those a thousand years later.

He slept soundly in his dorm room, preparing for the next two exams.

The second exam examined the meaning of the classics.

There are three questions in total.

Interpretation of the phrase "Even a nine-generation feud can be avenged" from the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals.

What is the meaning of the saying in the Book of Rites, "When the Great Way prevails, the world is for all"?

Why does Mencius say "the people are more important than the ruler"?

Having just finished the fasting examination, Fusu still possessed a brain that hadn't yet degenerated. The questions on these scriptures weren't obscure, so he naturally answered them with ease.

But when he writes with great flair, there's always a subtle feeling.

The saying "Even a nine-generation feud can be avenged" is very old-fashioned. Looking back, it was the mainstream ideology during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, and it was also the theoretical basis and public opinion mobilization for his attack on the Xiongnu.

So why did this sentence appear on this year's autumn exam paper?

Fusu harbored a secret doubt in his heart. But fearing that it would disturb those around him, he said nothing to anyone.

As it turned out, his premonition came true.

The third day's policy discussion consisted of five questions. Besides the predictable topics of agriculture, water conservancy, and canal transport, the last and most important question was surprisingly about "how the Song Dynasty dealt with its relationship with the southwestern border people."

When Fusu turned to this side of the exam paper, he could clearly hear gasps coming from all directions of the examination room.

Southwestern border residents?

No, who are the people living in the southwestern border region?

Some people are completely bewildered, their eyes glazed over, and no matter how much they scratch their heads, their minds remain blank.

Some people know about the Ly Dynasty of "Jiaozhi" (交趾国) – after all, the name of this country has existed since ancient times, and a little reading of history books will give you an impression.

Some people know about the "Champa Kingdom" because Emperor Zhenzong once discovered Champa rice, which could be harvested three times a year, in this country and ordered its cultivation to be promoted within the Song Dynasty.

Does anyone know about "Nong Zhigao" and his Guangyuan Prefecture? Isn't that the very place the government recently ordered to be attacked?

But as soon as Fusu closed his eyes, the map of the southwestern border that the emperor had sent him under the cover of night seemed to appear before his eyes.