Chapter 85 seems unexpected, yet also as if...
Fusu spent a long time drafting his work. When he looked up at the time, the incense and candles at the front of the main hall had only burned halfway.
He dared not look around too much, lest he break the rules. But as far as the eye could see, the candidates around him were all engrossed in their writing, clearly already in the zone. Those sitting here were the best students of the past three years; the situation of being speechless and submitting a blank paper when faced with an unfamiliar question would never happen to them.
However, with the final draft already completed, he seemed to be the only one with a relaxed and carefree expression.
Since there was plenty of time to copy the text later, Fusu simply put down his brush, stretched out his arms, and was about to yawn when his right hand suddenly struck the jade belt at his waist with a soft clinking sound.
He suddenly turned around: No, Your Majesty, why are you still here?
He had been feigning indifference to the Emperor's presence, focusing intently on his draft. Before long, he had genuinely forgotten that someone was standing behind him. So much time had passed that he assumed the Emperor was long gone, but it turned out he was still there!
The official pretended not to see his son's dismissive look. Under his son's resistant gaze, he picked up the paper with his fingers, flipped through it from top to bottom and left to right. Then, like all annoying proctors, he neither said good nor bad, and left with a smile.
Fusu: "..."
So you came here specifically to mess with me?
A quick calculation revealed it to be true. The Emperor spent most of his time in the Jiying Hall by his side. If he hadn't focused and gotten into the zone, he would likely have been affected. "Your Majesty, you're really letting your son down!" Fusu thought to himself.
Fortunately, Emperor Renzong left very thoroughly this time. Without the pressure of being inspected by the emperor, the Jiying Hall remained quiet and solemn, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and their writing speed increased.
After leisurely copying the entire article, Fusu still had time to spare. He even had the leisure to think about how the other students would write. For example, Su Xun, whose essay "On the Six States" had appeared in the Chinese textbook, used historical allegory to criticize the weak and compromising border defense policies of the Northern Song Dynasty. So, the topic of this imperial examination should have given him plenty of room to express himself, right?
Unbeknownst to Fusu, his minister Fubi was pondering the same question. But Fubi's thoughts ran a little deeper: the Emperor himself had set the topic. So, what kind of essay would truly resonate with him?
When faced with a problem, one might ask the leader: "Your Excellency, what should we do?"
With a warm smile, the Emperor said without a hint of ambiguity, "Since I have personally appointed Fu Xiang as the chief examiner, everything will naturally be based on Fu Xiang's standards. I will only need to look at the last few shortlisted essays submitted."
Fu Bi thought to himself: "Sigh, if your precious son isn't among the people presented, you'll be unhappy again."
In the end, won't I be the one who suffers?
He was temporarily conscripted. It is said that the Emperor went to the Jiying Hall in the morning, saw something, and ordered someone to summon him from the government office to replace him as the chief examiner for this year's palace examination. Ouyang Xiu, who was originally scheduled to be the chief examiner, became the deputy.
This was no easy task. Fu Bi made a last-ditch effort: "The son of Prime Minister Yan, and my brother-in-law Yan Jidao, are also among the students in the palace. To prevent me from being unfair in judging the papers, I request Your Majesty to select a virtuous and capable person to take on this important task."
The Emperor said, "But Su'er is among them. I am promoting the Emperor's protégés, aren't I? Well, I have already taken the lead in recommending worthy people without favoritism, so why should Minister Fu hold a grudge?"
Fu Bi: "..."
Fu Bi suspected, no, he was now certain, that the Emperor had summoned him in a hurry and made an exception to appoint him as the chief examiner for the palace examination in order to frame him. It was all to avenge his failure to report that Prince Cheng had won first place in both the autumn and spring imperial examinations.
No, the problem is, who could have imagined that!
His Highness Prince Cheng has accomplished such a great feat, yet he hasn't revealed a single word to you! You actually need outsiders like us to tip him off!
Fu Bi cried out inwardly. But he also knew that speaking these blunt truths would surely pierce the Emperor's heart and bring him no good end. Both thunder and rain were expressions of imperial favor, so Fu Bi could only wear a bitter expression and respectfully reply, "Yes."
The number of examination papers collected for the palace examination was enormous, numbering in the hundreds. Looking at this sea of papers, Fu Bi couldn't help but sigh: "What a daunting task! Not only do I have to guess the Emperor's intentions, but I also have to find Prince Cheng's paper among them."
Alas, if King Cheng's writing is truly mediocre, should he insist on a unified standard, or go against his conscience and award it a high ranking?
"Yan Guo, why are you acting like a child?"
Ouyang Xiu, the former chief examiner who has now been appointed as the deputy examiner, laughed and said, "You were clearly envious of me being able to select a child prodigy during the autumn examinations, but now that good things have come my way, you're even frowning."
“Of course it’s because…” Fu Bi whispered a few words in Ouyang Xiu’s ear.
The latter's face contorted as if a spice jar had been spilled in the kitchen. After several changes in expression, he finally uttered a single word in a daze: "Huh?"
What Ouyang Xiu heard was enough to leave his brain blank for a long time. After a moment of relief, he patted Fu Bi on the shoulder and chuckled gleefully, "Thank goodness you were here to take my place!"
Fu Bi was speechless: "Fine, let's look at the exam papers!"
Their examiners didn't review every single paper. Those papers with "incorrect meaning," "taboos," "damage," or "sloppy handwriting" were either rejected or downgraded.
In fact, they should have all been dismissed, but ten years ago nearly half of the candidates were dismissed because of their "shallow knowledge of literature and reasoning". Later, the emperor made a special decree to only demote this group of people, thus saving face for the scholars.
After careful selection by the examiners, the essays that end up in the hands of the examiners are all of high quality, at the first or second tier.
As Ouyang Xiu read, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah, this is so much more brilliant than the essays I wrote during the autumn imperial examinations!"
"It has gathered scholars from all over the world, and its literary spirit is concentrated in this small space. If you still can't stand it, then it's your problem."
But this was also what Fu Bi was worried about: "Do you think His Highness Prince Cheng might...?"
To blend into the crowd?
Even though his writings have been passed down through generations, Fu Bi's stereotypical impression of His Highness Prince Cheng was still based on two satirical poems of advice written six months prior. His poetic talent was worthy of praise as "quick-witted and ambitious," but compared to a scholar capable of handling matters independently, he was far from it.
However, Ouyang Xiu, who personally recruited Fusu, was different.
He gave Fu Bi a slightly reproachful look: "Why do you have so little faith in His Highness?"
"Look at this one."
As he spoke, he picked up an article and placed it in front of Fu Bi: "The article's arguments are so powerful and vigorous, like rolling clouds over mountains, and the image of war is still vivid in my mind's eye."
"...Do you perhaps think this is His Highness's work?"
Ouyang Xiu said, "No matter whose article it is, that person should have a place in the top three."
After reading it, Fu Bi nodded silently. Ouyang Xiu indeed had a good eye. But he could also tell that this piece did not resemble Fu Su's writing style.
Seeing that there was one less spot in the top three, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
As they read through the articles, the two began exchanging comments more frequently: "This one, this one, and this one..."
The number of excellent essays in the palace examination was so vast that it was almost overwhelming to choose. But this was at most a sweet trouble.
What's even more terrifying is that as time went by, they still had no clue where His Highness Prince Cheng was.
Fu Bi suddenly realized a terrifying possibility: "Could it be that they went to the group that was demoted or dismissed?"
"What are you afraid of?"
Ouyang Xiu said, "If Your Highness's skills are inferior to others and you fall four or five ranks below, given the Emperor's character, would he hold it against the two of us?"
No, it won't.
Fu Bi thought to himself: The Emperor is by no means an unreasonable person.
Ouyang Xiu shrugged: "That settles it then."
"you're right."
Fu Bi's anxiety subsided somewhat, and he gradually slowed down his pace of reading the papers.
Finally, as he opened a new exam paper, he lingered in front of it for a long time, his brows furrowing and relaxing several times, as if he were completely immersed in his own world.
Ouyang Xiu noticed something was wrong: "Yan Guo? What article has made you so distracted?"
"This scroll... can serve as a national policy for pacifying the sixteen prefectures," Fu Bi paused, then opened and closed his eyes again: "It doesn't matter."
Ouyang Xiu gasped in shock.
“Let me take a look,” he said.
In the imperial court, among the supporters of the Qingli Reforms, he knew he was more literary but less adept at politics. Fu Bi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite; he disliked writing but was exceptionally skilled in government affairs. Who was this remarkable individual who could elicit such praise for their examination paper?
Then, the expression of shock and gasping for breath never left his face.
Even at the very end, Ouyang Xiu looked bewildered: "...So that's how it can be done."
As the leading figure in the literary world of this dynasty, no matter how eloquent one's writing, it shouldn't have surprised Ouyang Xiu. But this article completely overshadowed his writing style, drawing him into the world depicted within. It was as if, as if simply following the instructions would bring the Sixteen Prefectures within reach.
Seeing the sudden firmness in Fu Bi's expression, he seemed to sense something and asked, "Yan Guo, what do you intend to do?"
“This piece should be the best,” Fu Bi said.
"Even if it might not belong to His Highness Prince Cheng?"
Even if it's not His Highness Prince Cheng.
"After tearing off the title page, you've decided not to change it?"
"No changes will be made."
"Even if the Emperor changes his mind, you will still vouch for him?"
Fu Bi suddenly said, "Uncle Tong, why are you testing me? Just tell me if you think this way yourself."
Ouyang Xiu: "..."
His tense shoulders suddenly relaxed: "You're absolutely right. This work can be called a strategy for pacifying the barbarians. There are many details that I had never thought of before, but he was able to explain them clearly in the article."
What reason is there to conceal this shining talent? Such a person should be allowed to shine in the court. If, because of the infighting between the emperor and his son, such talent is allowed to be lost and buried, it would be a disgrace to those who pride themselves on being loyal and virtuous ministers.
As for whether this person was His Highness Prince Cheng? The two only considered it for a moment before immediately dismissing the idea. They had been child prodigies in their village since childhood and had served as officials for many years. At most, they felt that Prince Cheng could communicate with them on the same wavelength, but they didn't think he had anything beyond their comprehension.
Ultimately, Ouyang Xiu and Fu Bi unanimously decided to nominate this piece as the champion, and the previous piece, which had been discussed with great momentum, as the runner-up.
They selected a few other well-written essays as backups and presented them to the Emperor along with the others. These two were also cunning; they deliberately chose more than one, just in case, what if His Highness Prince Cheng's essay was among them? They wouldn't have failed the Emperor's benevolent intentions.
Of course, they were determined to keep the top scorer position no matter what. This was a consensus reached by the two of them.
When the two went to see the Emperor, the latter seemed to have been waiting for a long time: "Gentlemen, did the review of the documents go smoothly?"
They have had a smooth run in promoting talent.
They were at a loss as to who was His Highness Prince Cheng.
The two thought to themselves.
The official ignored their answers and simply took the papers and read them through. The papers were arranged from back to front, with the top scholar's paper appearing last.
He burst out laughing as soon as he read it: "Did you two really not tear the list apart beforehand?"
Fu Bi and Ouyang Xiu looked at each other and said, "No."
Wait, is this satisfactory or unsatisfactory?
The emperor stared at the two of them for a while, then suddenly laughed even more heartily.
“Then let’s announce the names and post the notice,” he said.
Fu Bi and Ouyang Xiu had prepared a whole host of arguments, but not a single one was of any use. Even worse, the names that should have been mentioned at this occasion were not brought up by anyone.
Both of them were intelligent and immediately thought of a possibility.
Uh... no way...
When they tore open the sealed examination papers and uncovered the names, the two of them tacitly tore open the paper first for Ping Rongce, the one they had nominated as the top scholar. The moment they saw the name, they both fell silent.
"..."
"..."
Fu Bi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I will immediately order people to prepare for the announcement of the results, the posting of notices, the inscription of the stele, and so on."
-
The imperial examination began and ended at the Jiying Hall.
Hundreds of students stood together once again in a grand procession. Unlike last time, none of them were talking or laughing. If on the day of the imperial examination they still had some leeway, feeling that their fate was entirely in their own hands, then today, as their names were called out under the watchful eyes of the emperor and his court, they felt only excitement and fear, unsure of where their destiny lay.
Whether one ascends the ladder to high office or is demoted or dismissed, a life of mediocrity is inevitable, and only today matters.
Fusu was still the one with the most relaxed expression.
There was no other reason; he had simply unloaded all his burdens. Wasn't it enough that he had astonished the officials in the examination hall? As for his ranking, that was not something he could decide. He had already written everything he could.
He even told the emperor, "Please don't give me special treatment!" Emperor Renzong's reign was full of talented people. If someone were to be squeezed out of their position by him, thus losing a famous minister, the loss would be enormous.
"The imperial examination in the fifth year of the Qingli era..."
The gatekeepers called out to each other from within the palace, their voices echoing like distant ripples on water, their solemn and low voices, symbolizing the emperor's decree, reaching everyone's ears.
In an instant, everyone fell silent, tense up, as if the sword of Damocles of fate was hanging over their heads.
"The top scholar in the first class..."
"Zhao Zongsu".
"Enter the palace for an audience—"
Amidst the uproar, Fusu raised his head in disbelief.
His heart pounded wildly. His ears seemed both quiet and filled with a cacophony of noise from all directions. Countless gazes fell upon him in an instant, their expressions all bearing similar shock, astonishment, excitement, and admiration…
It was both unexpected and yet perfectly anticipated.
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