Chapter 237: Palace Examination, Food and Beverage

Zhang Bai was a candidate who was suspended from the last palace examination and had to wait until this year to take the examination. He yawned again, "No, the palace examinations in previous years all started around noon."

He then turned his gaze to the third person, who was a tribute student who had been banned twice. This was the third time he stood outside the Anhe Hall. "Brother Li, is this true?"

Brother Li nodded.

"This time the palace examination was held two hours earlier than in previous years. It's really strange."

Zhang Bai rubbed his eyes and said, "Perhaps the officials from the Ministry of Rites want to go home early. Alas, they don't know how hard it is for us scholars to study late into the night...

Brother Li, could you please give me two slaps? I am really, really too sleepy..."

Brother Li shook his head and ignored him. He turned around and recited the article silently.

After decades of hard study, countless people have exhausted their inkstones and burned out their lamps, before finally reaching this point.

As the vermilion door of the Anhe Hall slowly opened, everyone couldn't help but raise their eyes slightly, as if they wanted to see clearly the scenery behind the door that seemed far and near, with a yearning that was difficult to conceal in their eyes.

The carp leaps over the Dragon Gate and travels thousands of miles to seek a title, only now.

…

In the Anhe Hall, the tables and chairs used in the re-examination were not moved, and everything was arranged as before. However, in order to prevent the tribute students from leaving marks on the tables, the seats were rearranged this time.

The emperor did not come in person. Yan Yuze walked in from outside the door, still with a smile on his face.

After Zhou Xianqing read out the rules of the palace examination, he announced to all the candidates that Yan Yuze was the minister in charge of supervising the examination, acting on behalf of the emperor.

After kneeling and paying their respects, the candidates each found their own examination table, sat down and received their test papers.

Zhou Xianqing announced the start of the exam. Everyone started grinding ink, dipping their pens in ink, and picking up their pens. The only sounds heard throughout the Anhe Hall were the rustling sounds of pens hitting paper and the grinding of inkstones.

Zhu Lan followed her habit of flipping through the paper first to see how long the question was, but this time she was stunned.

The palace examination usually only has one policy essay question, which is divided into four questions. Emperor Liang chose a historical essay question from the topics proposed by several examiners to discuss whether governing a country should focus more on the outside than on the inside, or more on the inside than on the outside.

However, Zhu Lan was surprised to find that after the essay topic which was several hundred words long, there was actually a small question. No wonder today's palace examination started so much earlier than in previous years.

The question is very short and open-ended, allowing all candidates to express their views on the new policy for women's admission to school.

Allowing girls to enter school was controversial in the first place, but this emperor not only overcame all objections, he even used this issue as a topic in the imperial examination to select talents.

It can be said that it is well-intentioned.

At the same time, Zhu Lan was also confused. If a woman was the emperor, it would be reasonable for her to focus on implementing new policies and improving the status of women. However, Emperor Liang was not a woman. What on earth could make an emperor willing to break the old rules of thousands of years and implement such a new policy?

Zhu Lan couldn't figure it out, but she was sure that Emperor Liang was not just talking, otherwise she, Zhu Qingyan and other women would not appear in Anhe Hall today.

Zhu Lan couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for the elderly emperor.

Zhu Lan turned back to the first question of the policy essay, and after thinking about it, he wrote down the four words "臣对臣闻" on the paper.

Zhu Lan was immersed in her own thoughts and soon reached a state of almost oblivion. It was not until someone placed a fragrant imperial meal in front of her that she looked up and realized that it was already noon.

The person distributing lunch even reminded the candidates that if they needed more food, they could raise their hands.

Zhu Lan sniffed. She had only the finishing touch to answering the first policy essay. She endured the hunger in her stomach for the time being, feeling that the treatment in the palace examination was indeed different from that in other examinations.

Not only does it provide food, it also ensures you are full.

Zhu Lan ate very little at lunch, for he was afraid that a full stomach would make him sleepy and affect his answers later.

After the tableware was taken away, Zhu Lan carefully wiped the table with a towel close to her body, and then replaced the paper with toilet paper.

She looked at the second, absurdly short question and fell into deep thought.

Zhang Bai, who was sitting behind her, also wrote and ate very quickly, and was staring at the second question with a sad face.

First of all, the length of the topic. The topics of the imperial examination essays are often very long. Even if the examinees don't know what they are going to write, they can fill their essays with words and sentences from the topic. Such essays that lack their own opinions are called "empty essays", while those that have something to say are called "real essays".

No matter whether it is an empty test or a real test, as long as you answer all the questions on the test paper, you will get a score, and at least the test paper will look more presentable.

But this topic only has a few lines, and even an empty mind would find it difficult to start writing.

Looking at the question again, Zhang Bai felt overwhelmed.

Having come this far, which candidate present here has not thoroughly studied the questions of the imperial examinations of all dynasties? He almost did not sleep last night, and his mind was still going over the possible policy essay questions that might appear in today's palace examination. He had prepared for all the possible areas, from farming and military administration to money, grain and taxes, and was confident that he could easily handle any aspect.

But he never expected that the palace examination would have such questions!

Are you kidding me!

Discussing the pros and cons of women studying and entering the government? What are the pros? It is simply heresy. But this is a palace examination. If you dare to say that the new policy of the current emperor is harmful and has no benefits, isn't that courting death?

Zhang Bai sighed in dismay, realizing that today as he sat here, he had to find fault with the new policy and at least point out some advantages. Otherwise, wouldn't that be criticizing the new policy and being disrespectful to the emperor?

Speaking of the benefits... Zhang Bai poked his chin with the pen.

The women he is most familiar with are his wife and mother. What benefits would it bring if he allowed them to enter officialdom?

My mother is in charge of the household expenses and is good at managing finances. If the family is compared to a small court, then as the Minister of Revenue, her management ability seems to be no less than that of men.

As for my wife, although she has never been to school, she is very smart. She sits at home all day, and when she is bored, she always wants to learn something new, whether it is flower planting, embroidery, or piano playing, as long as she is interested, she can study it wholeheartedly, and she can always learn it well.

Zhang Bai had no doubt that if his wife entered the school, she would at least become a female scholar.

Thinking in this way, his initial resistance to the question gradually faded away, and even Zhang Bai himself was surprised - if he had not encountered this question in the palace examination and had to answer it, how could he have imagined the scene of his mother and wife leaving the house to study and become an official?

Based on my understanding of them, it seems... they won't do a bad job.

In an instant, Zhang Bai felt that his literary ideas were gushing out like an endless stream of river water. Once his thoughts were opened, the original feeling of boredom in his heart instantly disappeared, and he couldn't wait to pick up his pen and start writing.

(The college entrance examination is coming tomorrow. Lan Bao leads all the students in the Longchang Academy's academic group to stack buffs for the talented students! I wish you all success in the exam and may your dreams come true!)