"Thump—"
As a melodious bell rang, the candidates walked out of the examination hall one after another. Regardless of how they did, a sense of relief welled up in their hearts.
Their long-tense nerves finally relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders. They smiled at each other or breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing a sense of relief.
For them, this test that determined their future and destiny was over; the rest was up to fate to decide.
However, the situation was quite different for the proctors.
For them, the busy days have just begun, and an even more arduous task awaits them.
Anonymous grading, marking papers, recording scores, and ranking lists—these tedious yet crucial tasks all fell on their shoulders, allowing no room for error.
Any mistake in any step could affect the candidate's fate, or even cause a huge uproar in the imperial court.
Therefore, they must be fully focused and devote themselves wholeheartedly to this task.
A total of 463 candidates participated in this imperial examination. The difficulty of selecting the top ten from these 463 candidates in just one day is self-evident.
This requires invigilators to not only have keen insight and accurate judgment, but also to make the most accurate choices within a limited time.
To ensure the fairness and accuracy of the selection process, the chief examiner carefully selected twenty-three examiners to grade the papers with him.
The more than four hundred candidates had all overcome numerous obstacles to reach the final examination; their talent was beyond question, but they also had to cater to the tastes of the twenty-four examiners…
Such a standard is undoubtedly extremely stringent.
Each examiner has their own evaluation criteria and aesthetic vision, so it is easy to imagine how difficult it is to get so many examiners to reach a consensus.
They need to carefully consider and compare numerous excellent answers, scrutinizing every word and sentence to ensure fairness and impartiality.
Thus, on such a tense and busy day, all the examiners were fully focused on the work of selecting papers.
They were either deep in thought, engaged in heated discussions, nodding in praise, or shaking their heads in sighs.
Time slipped by unnoticed. As the sun gradually set and the entire hall was enveloped in a golden afterglow, all the examiners felt dizzy and their eyes became sore from staring at the exam papers for so long.
However, they dared not slack off in the slightest, because they knew that these ten papers not only represented the future of the candidates, but also the fairness and rigor of the imperial court in selecting talents.
Finally, after countless rounds of screening and comparison, as the afterglow of the setting sun was about to disappear into the horizon, they managed to select ten of the best papers.
However, this was not the end. These ten papers had to be reviewed by the emperor himself, who would then personally select the top three scholars: the first, second, and third place.
The Imperial Study.
The chief examiner carefully carried the ten carefully selected exam papers, walked steadily into the imperial study, and respectfully presented them to the emperor, his tone solemn: "Your Majesty, please review them."
The emperor nodded slightly, slowly reached out, and took the examination paper.
His gaze first fell on Gu Zhixing's exam paper, which stated that "to clear the silt, one must first clean up the officials."
Although the exam paper had been anonymized, the emperor had already memorized its contents and recognized it at a glance.
The handwriting on this exam paper was strong and powerful, with every stroke exuding a sharpness, as if one could feel Gu Zhixing's determination and courage through the paper.
"Your Majesty, in our opinion, this exam paper is truly excellent and worthy of being ranked among the top three."
The chief examiner bowed slightly, his tone calm and cautious: "His insights are profound and thorough, and his viewpoints are novel and unique, making him stand out among many examination papers. He is truly a rare talent. However, the wording of this paper is somewhat sharp, and some of his viewpoints, if put into practice, lack a well-thought-out strategy. Matters of the court are interconnected, requiring careful planning and steady progress. If we are too hasty, the slightest mistake could trigger many unforeseen changes, and the losses would outweigh the gains."
Intelligent people can see the troubles within the court, but very few dare to speak out.
These corrupt officials in the court are like malignant tumors hidden in the shadows; they must be eliminated, but we cannot rush the process.
There are too many mediocre people in the imperial court, and many who rely on their families for protection. These people are like a stubborn disease that must be removed slowly and carefully, otherwise it will only cause greater turmoil.
"However, this answer sheet excels in its pure and sincere heart." The chief examiner smiled slightly, his tone carrying a hint of appreciation. "It is truly fortunate for the court to have such a talented individual!"
The emperor nodded slightly, inwardly agreeing.
It is truly remarkable that this exam paper contains such profound insights.
He gently flipped through the rest of the exam papers, some of which were well-written, insightful, and even surpassed Gu Zhixing in literary talent.
The candidates who were able to write these exam papers were clearly well-read and exceptionally talented.
"In your opinion, where should this exam paper be ranked?"
The emperor raised his head, his gaze falling on the chief examiner, his brows furrowing slightly as if he were pondering something.
"I'll be ranked third." The chief examiner answered without hesitation, his tone firm.
The emperor frowned slightly, sensing something was amiss.
Gu Zhixing's exam paper also had its merits. It was full of youthful ambition, and every word and sentence was highly emotionally engaging. His choice of words and phrases was also very accurate. It seemed a bit unfair to rank him third.
He pondered for a moment, then his gaze returned to Gu Zhixing's exam paper.
"Your Majesty is unaware of the situation," the chief examiner quickly explained when he saw the emperor hesitate, "Firstly, the candidates for the other two papers are too old, one is in his thirties and the other is over forty, and their appearances are really... not good enough for them to be the third-ranked scholar."
That makes a lot of sense.
The Tan Hua Lang (third-ranked scholar) has always been the most eye-catching among the top three in the imperial examinations, representing not only exceptional talent but also elegant demeanor and dignified appearance.
If an ugly person were to be appointed as the third-ranked scholar, it would not only cause the people to question the court's aesthetic sense, but also damage the court's image.
As for Gu Zhixing, putting everything else aside, just his appearance alone makes him the perfect candidate for the third-ranked scholar.
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