Chapter 115 A Perfect Answer! (Two chapters combined)
Lin Chengye began to write furiously.
Feng Lin, who was in the back row of the room, couldn't help but chuckle to himself after receiving the questions.
Xiao Liulang tutored Lin Chengye, and Lin Chengye also listened in on some of the lessons. Lin Chengye was afraid of Xiao Liulang, so sometimes he would take the test papers to him to review them, and only when he felt there were no problems would he present them to Xiao Liulang.
After a while, he was able to memorize the Classic of Filial Piety.
If the exam room hadn't been so strictly disciplined, Feng Lin would have wanted to hum a little tune.
Judging from this exam alone, the difficulty level of the questions set by the examiners was nowhere near as high as Xiao Liulang's devilish difficulty.
The other candidates were not as calm as the three of them. They really did not expect that this year's exam questions would be beyond the syllabus, which was a real disaster!
However, the candidates who made it to the provincial examination were all relatively mentally strong. Despite their inner turmoil, they forced themselves to continue writing.
This year's late summer heatwave is intense; it was already hot yesterday, just not as hot as today.
The examination shed was cramped and poorly ventilated, and the candidates were already sweating profusely shortly after the exam started.
Some daring candidates started to undress, which was unseemly, but the exam rules have always been that as long as you don't cheat, the examiners won't care if you defecate or fart.
By noon, the sun was shining directly down from high above, and the temperature in the examination shed had risen considerably, making all the candidates feel as if they were being roasted on an iron plate.
Finally, a student from the provincial capital fainted from heatstroke.
This is the son of a wealthy family. He has never experienced hardship, unlike students from poor families who often work in the fields. Instead, he can withstand the high temperatures.
The invigilator was watching his movements closely. He had better wake up on his own, otherwise he would never be able to return to the examination room once he was carried out of the examination shed.
After waiting for a while, the candidate still did not respond, so the invigilator had to call the guards to carry him out to see a doctor.
He woke up as soon as the guards carried him to the entrance of the examination hall. He cried and begged to go back to take the exam, but the examination rules would not make exceptions for anyone, not even a prince.
Therefore, the imperial examination placed extremely high demands on candidates in all aspects. Not only did they need to have excellent psychological qualities, but they also had to be physically fit enough, otherwise they simply could not withstand such a high-intensity examination.
This little incident also put a lot of psychological pressure on the other candidates. In addition, the weather was getting hotter and hotter, and everyone felt that their examination room had become a big furnace.
The candidates who were initially reserved and unwilling to take off their clothes now didn't care about anything else. Not taking off their underwear was the last respect they could show to the examination room!
Xiao Liulang also felt the heat; in the past, he probably would have fainted from the heat. However, for the past six months, Gu Jiao had been dragging him to have a check-up every day without fail. Even when she went out to take exams, she would instruct Feng Lin to keep an eye on him.
He initially thought everything she did was in vain, because he could never shake off the shadow in his heart, and he couldn't stand up like a normal person.
Only now does he realize that her hard work has not been in vain, and his body has become much stronger.
Another half hour passed, and the temperature inside the examination hall reached its peak, causing two more candidates to faint from the heat. All the candidates were irritable and dizzy, unable to think clearly.
Xiao Liulang took off his outer garment, but it still wasn't enough. His gaze suddenly fell on the bundle beside him.
He opened his bundle, took out the small green bottle that Gu Jiao had asked Feng Lin to bring, and applied a few drops to his temples and forehead. Instantly, a cool sensation spread from his forehead throughout his body, and he felt refreshed and clear-headed.
All the heat subsided at that moment, and he calmed down and continued working on his problems.
The weather didn't get so hot until sunset. After a day of exams, all the candidates were exhausted, whether from the provincial examination or from being baked by the sun, no one knew.
Xiao Liulang, Feng Lin, and Lin Chengye had an easier time than the other candidates because of the miraculous medicine given to them by Gu Jiao.
During the day, no one has much of an appetite, but now that it's getting cold, everyone is finally remembering to eat.
However, to the devastating end of the test takers' lives, the weather was so hot that all the dry rations they had brought in had gone bad!
A faint, sour smell rose from the examination booth, and even the proctors couldn't help but pinch their noses.
But soon, a sweet and sour, refreshing fruity aroma wafted over—it was oranges! Peeling one would splatter your hands with orange-scented oil; they were incredibly fresh!
Glug~
One of the test takers' stomachs growled.
Immediately, everyone's mouths started watering; the oranges smelled so good, both sour and sweet...
Xiao Liulang ate an orange, then took out a piece of dried meat and a flatbread. The flatbread and dried meat had dried out and were not spoiled, and the pickles were not spoiled either.
He ate slowly and carefully.
The aroma of meat mixed with the savory scent of pickled vegetables filled the entire examination hall, causing all the examinees to break down.
The exam questions were so difficult and the weather was so bad during the day, which was already torturous enough. Why would you eat something so delicious in the exam room?
Are you really here to take an exam?
Who would bring such a lavish meal to an exam?
If whispering wasn't prohibited in the exam room, the candidates would have wanted to shout, "Hey buddy, give me a bite to eat, I'll protect you wherever you go from now on!"
To make matters worse, in such hot weather, how could there be no shortage of mosquitoes at night?
Xiao Liulang and his two companions applied some medicated oil and slept soundly through the night. When the examinees, who had spent the entire night swatting mosquitoes, emerged from the examination hall, their dark circles were almost unbearable.
Fortunately, a heavy rain fell in the provincial capital on the day I left the exam hall, and the weather finally turned cool.
On October 1st, the candidates entered the examination hall again.
The second exam consisted of one essay on the Five Classics. The word count requirement was not high; a minimum of 300 words was sufficient. In previous years, the focus was often on discussing people's livelihoods and career prospects, such as commerce and industry, water conservancy and agriculture, and the division of responsibilities among the six ministries.
This year, the first question was "On the Advantages and Disadvantages of Reducing the Power of the Feudal States," which completely stunned the candidates.
Which fearless examiner came up with such a sharp and sensitive question?
In Zhao Kingdom, the questions for the annual provincial examinations were formulated by the cabinet and then submitted to the emperor for review. Only after the emperor's approval would the questions be sealed and sent to the major provincial capitals.
The exam questions issued by the imperial court were all the same. However, there was no guarantee that there would be no accidents or unforeseen circumstances, such as leaks or destruction of the questions. Therefore, the imperial court would usually prepare eight sets of questions.
During the exam, the chief examiner randomly selects the questions in front of everyone. Whichever set of questions is drawn is the set that is drawn. So far, there has never been a precedent where all provincial capitals have drawn the same set of questions.
Unfortunately, this year the chief examiner in the provincial capital drew the most difficult set of questions.
Among the candidates were those like Xiao Liulang who were taking the provincial examination for the first time, and others who had been taking the exam for most of their lives and whose hair had turned white.
Anyone who has taken the exam multiple times can tell that this year's questions were unusual and didn't follow the usual format...
Each year, examiners have their own preferences, and candidates try their best to cater to these preferences when answering questions. This is why people spend a lot of money every year to find out about the examiners' backgrounds and life stories.
The problem is that the reduction of the power of the princes is not an ordinary matter of people's livelihood. It cannot be decided by the preferences of the examiners. It mainly depends on the attitude of the imperial court.
If the imperial court advocated reducing the power of the princes, then the examiners would never give a high score to an exam paper that opposed reducing the power of the princes. Otherwise, wouldn't the examiners be openly clashing with the imperial court and the emperor?
From the court's decision to grant amnesty to the Lin family, the candidates generally understood the court's attitude towards the vassal kings; there was absolutely no possibility of weakening their power within the next ten years.
To be on the safe side, the vast majority of candidates chose to conform to the court's direction, citing classical texts and using flowery language to explain the drawbacks of weakening the power of the princes, and vigorously advocating the court's current appeasement policy.
In one of the examination halls, Xiao Liulang picked up his pen without hesitation and wrote: "The reduction of the power of the feudal lords is imperative!"
The final exam was held on the 14th, with entry on the 15th, and the exam itself was on the eight-legged essay.
This was Lin Chengye's weakest point. During the preliminary examinations, he never scored high on the eight-legged essay, and almost all of his successes in obtaining the title of Xiucai (a lower-level scholar) came from his knowledge of classical texts and miscellaneous essays.
However, this time when he looked at the questions on the exam paper, he inexplicably felt that they were not as tricky as the questions Xiao Liulang usually gave him.
Moreover, Xiao Liulang taught him some techniques for writing in the eight-legged essay style and even made him memorize a few well-matched flattering phrases. They had no real meaning, but they made the overall style of the article look high-end and sophisticated!
He wrote it with effortless grace!
In short, it's just a piece of fluff!
Liu Lang said, when you don't understand something, just write something! Don't leave it blank!
Lin Chengye felt that he had done a very good job of faking it this time (he himself couldn't understand what he had done), although he wouldn't get a high score, but he probably wouldn't fail like before.
After the three exams, the candidates had all lost weight. Manager Zhou had been waiting outside the examination hall since early morning.
Seeing the candidates emerge one by one, all looking emaciated, he was extremely worried about his sixth son.
Soon, Xiao Liulang and the other two came out.
No matter how large the crowd, Xiao Liulang is always the first person people notice.
Zhou Guan saw him first, and then saw Lin Chengye next to him.
Manager Zhou was about to exclaim, "Young Master, you've lost weight," when the words caught in his throat.
Uh... it seems his young master has gained weight from the exam?
Actually, Lin Chengye wasn't fat; it was just that the other candidates had all lost weight, which made the three of them appear fatter.
Steward Zhou strode forward, asking excitedly and anxiously, "How did the exam go, young master? You wouldn't let me come to the first two exams, I was so eager to take it! Did you pass? Were the questions difficult? Why does everyone look so unwell?"
Lin Chengye said, "We'll talk about it later."
Manager Zhou glanced at the candidates beside him and realized that he had gotten too excited. This was no place to talk.
He smiled and said to Xiao Liulang and Feng Lin, "The exams are finally over. You two have worked hard these past few days. My master has prepared a banquet at the mansion. Please do me the honor of joining me for a chat."
The Lin family was the richest in the provincial capital, and Feng Lin was quite eager to go and broaden his horizons. However, Xiao Liulang flatly refused: "No, we are going back to the county town. We appreciate Mr. Lin's kindness, and we hope to meet again in the future."
"ah……"
"ah……"
Lin Chengye and Steward Zhou were both stunned.
Especially Lin Chengye.
Although he had expected that Xiao Liulang would have to go back after the exam, he still felt a strange reluctance when the moment actually arrived.
The days spent tutoring under Xiao Liulang were truly the most miserable torment of my life, but once I entered the examination hall, I realized that it was the most valuable experience.
"You...go later. I'll see you off." In his anxiety, Lin Chengye revealed his stutter.
His expression changed, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Liulang's expression remained unchanged, his gaze as calm and aloof as ever: "No need. You've been away from home for so long, you should go back and visit."
Feng Lin was somewhat surprised. It was the first time he had heard Xiao Liulang speak so humanely since they had reunited after so long.
Upon closer reflection, he has changed quite a bit since a year ago.
Lin Chengye ultimately failed to persuade Xiao Liulang to go to his house. He could sense that his teacher-student relationship with Xiao Liulang was quite good. Xiao Liulang was cold-hearted, but he couldn't understand why Xiao Liulang was unwilling to go to his house.
Steward Zhou said with a smile, "Sixth Young Master, Miss Biao is here. She said you had a hard time with the provincial examination and wants to take you on a trip for a few days!"
Lin Chengye doesn't like that infatuated older cousin!
Xiao Liulang and Feng Lin returned to the inn.
As they went upstairs, Feng Lin asked, "Should we wait until the results are out before we leave?"
The results will be available in half a month.
Xiao Liulang said calmly, "No need, the results will be reported to the county government."
“Okay.” Feng Lin nodded. Although he was eager to know his and Xiao Liulang’s results as soon as possible, Xiao Liulang’s eagerness to go home clearly showed that he was homesick.
I miss my beloved.
Hehehe, you brat.
As the two were heading to their guest rooms, they heard excited voices coming from the lobby.
"Hey, have you heard? The Imperial Academy in the capital is reopening!"
"Really? Who told you that?"
"Do I even need to tell you? The imperial edict has already been posted! Right at the entrance of the prefectural government office. If you don't believe me, go see for yourselves! Students with outstanding academic performance will have the opportunity to enter the Imperial Academy through the recommendation of the prefectural government office. If they come out on top in the provincial examination, they can be transferred to the Imperial Academy without any recommendation!"
A student is equivalent to a scholar. Generally speaking, those who achieve the "minor three top honors" (小三元) will have the opportunity to be recommended. Even if one does not achieve the "minor three top honors," one can still have a chance if one becomes the top scholar.
Feng Lin tugged at Xiao Liulang's sleeve: "Liulang, you got two first place rankings!"
Although he missed out on being the top scholar in the provincial examination for some reason, he was still an excellent student!
Feng Lin slapped his thigh and said, "Oh dear, if I had known, you shouldn't have taken that thousand taels of silver. You should have retaken the exam! If you had passed the Junior Three Scholars exam, you would definitely have been able to go to the Imperial Academy!"
The Imperial Academy was the highest institution of learning in the Zhao Kingdom, and all students in the land considered it an honor to enter it.
Xiao Liulang, however, remained calm.
He stood on the stairs, listening to the heated discussion among the examinees in the lobby.
"But wasn't the Imperial Academy closed by His Majesty's own decree? Because the young Chancellor was burned to death back then. How come it's suddenly reopened?"
"It was Grand Tutor Zhuang who led many key ministers to kneel outside the Golden Palace for three days and three nights before finally moving His Majesty."
"Grand Tutor Zhuang is truly a loyal minister of Zhao State. Back then, when His Majesty ordered the closure of the Imperial Academy, anyone who tried to dissuade him was punished by His Majesty."
"Has Grand Tutor Zhuang not been punished?"
Such a good official who serves the country and its people, none of the test takers want him to get into trouble.
"How could that be? If they had punished them, they wouldn't have reopened the Imperial College."
The candidates chatted animatedly, each offering their own opinion.
Xiao Liulang revealed a suspicious and thoughtful expression.
He quickly lost interest in listening to gossip and went back into the house expressionlessly.
Lin Chengye's belongings had already been packed up by Manager Zhou's men. Xiao Liulang only packed his own things. Manager Zhou had already settled the inn's food and lodging expenses, so the two of them didn't need to pay any more money.
That night, Feng Lin wanted to try some famous snacks from the provincial capital.
"I've been here for so long, and to avoid getting an upset stomach, I've been eating only food from the small kitchen. I'm so hungry!" Feng Lin said, feeling wronged.
While accompanying Xiao Liulang to the prefectural city for the exam, Feng Lin ate something reckless and got a stomachache along the way. Although Gu Jiao gave him some antidiarrheal medicine, he was still terrified.
The provincial examination was no small matter, and to avoid repeating the same mistakes, they all kept a strict diet.
Xiao Liulang happened to want to buy something for his family, so he agreed to Feng Lin's offer.
The streets of the provincial capital were wide and long, and four horse-drawn carriages could travel side by side without any crowding. Shops lined both sides, and pedestrians thronged the streets, creating a truly bustling scene.
Looking at the colorful lanterns in the vendor's hands, Feng Lin said enviously, "The provincial capital is so lively, much more lively than our county town, and even the prefectural city isn't this lively."
Xiao Liulang hummed in response.
Feng Lin asked dreamily, "What do you think the capital will be like? The provincial capital is already so lively, will the capital be even more lively? Will the streets be wider and longer? Will there be more carriages? And bigger shops?"
"Hmm." Xiao Liulang hummed in response again.
Feng Lin said strangely, "What are you 'huh' about? It's like you've been there! Sigh, I really want to go to the capital. I dream about going there. If I could go just once, I would die happy!"
Xiao Liulang said indifferently, "What's so good about the capital? It's just a place of trouble."
Feng Lin sighed and shook his head: "You have no ambition, you don't understand!"
The Imperial College is a sacred place for all scholars. If Feng Lin used to only have a 60% desire to go to the capital, now it's a 100%. If he could visit the Imperial College at least once in his life, it would be worth all his years of hard study.
However, he was still self-aware enough to know that with his qualifications, he would not pass the exam and would not be recommended by the government.
The specialties of the provincial capital are sesame candy and donkey meat.
Feng Lin wasn't very interested in sugar, but he was quite tempted by donkey meat. The two went to a well-established donkey meat restaurant and ordered two bowls of donkey meat soup, two donkey meat buns, and a small bowl of braised donkey meat.
As the saying goes, donkey meat smells good, horse meat smells bad, and I would rather die than eat mule meat. Donkey meat, if cooked properly, can smell so good that it can fill an entire street.
Feng Lin couldn't wait to take a bite of the braised donkey meat: "Wow, it's delicious!"
Xiao Liulang, spoiled by Gu Jiao's cooking, now thought the donkey meat was not bad.
After finishing their meal, the two called the waiter to settle the bill, only to be told that someone had already paid for it.
"Who is it?" Feng Lin asked. Could it be Lin Chengye? No, wait, didn't that kid go back to his residence? How could he sneak out so quickly? And even followed them to the donkey meat restaurant? He didn't eat at the same table with them, but secretly paid the bill?
The waiter smiled and said, "It is a gentleman surnamed Liu."
Xiao Liulang's face turned cold.
Feng Lin looked at Xiao Liulang: "You know him?"
Xiao Liulang said calmly, "I don't know him."
The waiter then smiled and said, "Master Liu said that he has prepared a small banquet at Zuiyun Tower to entertain Young Master Xiao and your friends, and he earnestly requests that Young Master Xiao do him the honor of attending."
"Ah, I wondered what was going on. It turns out to be another gentleman who wants to get to know you." Xiao Liulang's eight-legged essay in the imperial examination was so outstanding that he had encountered many people who wanted to befriend him along the way. Feng Lin naturally assumed that this Mr. Liu was one of them.
"Are you going?" Feng Lin asked.
"No, I'm not going." Xiao Liulang stood up. "Let's go back to the inn."
"oh."
The two stayed at an inn for one night. The next day, they planned to hire a good carriage from a carriage shop. As soon as they arrived at the door, they saw a man dressed as a servant waiting outside with a smile: "Excuse me, are you Young Master Xiao and Young Master Feng? My master has prepared a carriage to take you two gentlemen back to the county town."
"Who is your master?" Feng Lin asked.
“My master’s surname is Liu,” the servant replied.
Feng Lin muttered to himself, "Could it be the same person from yesterday?"
Feng Linchao glanced at the other party's carriage. Good heavens, it's even more luxurious than the Lin family's carriage! This Master Liu is no ordinary person!
"I won't sit," Xiao Liulang refused without even thinking.
Feng Lin: "..."
Okay!
Talented yet willful!
The two hired the fastest carriage, spending twice as much money as other carriages, and headed towards the county town without stopping.
Lin Chengye left the Lin family early in the morning, intending to see Xiao Liulang and Feng Lin off, but he found no one there.
He sighed, wondering if he would ever see them again in this lifetime.
After the provincial examinations concluded, the officials in charge of grading the papers began to review them.
There are twelve inner examiners in total, divided into groups of four. Each exam paper is reviewed by four inner examiners. Papers with similar opinions are graded together, while those with highly controversial opinions are presented to the chief examiner and deputy chief examiner for a final decision.
The first exam consisted of the Three Classics and a five-character eight-line poem. The examiners tested both accuracy and handwriting. In previous years, there were either candidates with high accuracy but poor handwriting, or candidates with excellent handwriting but lower accuracy than another candidate.
This year's situation is a bit special; some candidates have even submitted a perfect answer sheet!
Not only did he answer every question correctly, but his handwriting was also so good that everyone was ashamed of themselves.
The undisputed winner of the first round.
"This year's 'Classic of Filial Piety' has stumped quite a few candidates," an official in the inner chambers remarked with a smile. "Apart from the one just now, I haven't seen another person who got the entire 'Classic of Filial Piety' correct. Wait a minute."
As soon as he finished speaking, he discovered another excellent answer sheet. Although it wasn't perfect, it was much better than the ones he had reviewed before, especially the Classic of Filial Piety, which he had written all of correctly!
The official opposite him said, "What a coincidence, I also have someone here who can write the entire Classic of Filial Piety correctly."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
This year's test takers... are surprisingly delightful.
However, the atmosphere became tense when they started reading the second set of exam papers.
The vassal kings have always been a major concern for the imperial court. They were either powerful figures who once ruled over a region and were granted the title of vassal king by the court, or they were princes with royal blood who held fiefdoms.
The former has military power, and the latter has blood ties; they are definitely a major threat.
As the saying goes, "How can one allow others to sleep soundly beside one's bed?" However, the imperial court currently does not have enough power to eliminate these vassal kings, so most officials in the court do not advocate reducing their power.
The Marquis of Xuanping's household had always been at odds with Grand Tutor Zhuang, but on the matter of reducing the power of the princes, the two families surprisingly shared the same opinion.
No one knew that the exam questions were actually set by the emperor himself.
The emperor just wanted to hear the voices of the people and see what kind of vision and character the students of Zhao Kingdom under his rule had. The result was a lot of flattery!
However, among all this flattery, there was one person with exceptional literary talent. Although he did not advocate weakening the power of the vassal states, he was not pandering to the court's policies. Instead, he analyzed the practical advantages and disadvantages of weakening the vassal states in the short term from the perspective of the overall situation in Zhao Kingdom, and how to achieve a win-win situation for both sides in terms of economy and agriculture under the appeasement policy.
This is an article that amazed all the inner court officials.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will be the winner of the second round!
However, soon one of the examiners discovered another article advocating for the reduction of the power of the princes, and the wording was so sharp that the officials in the inner palace turned pale.
Why doesn't this guy just go to the imperial palace and yell at the emperor and all the officials?
However, while the criticism was fierce, the reasoning behind the analysis was flawless.
When I first read that article, I thought that cooperation and mutual benefit might be a new way out. But after reading this article advocating the reduction of the power of the feudal lords, I instantly felt that it was like asking a tiger for its skin!
If the vassal states are not weakened, the Zhao Kingdom is doomed!
"Oh my god..." The deputy examiner wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, suddenly realizing that the Zhao Kingdom was fraught with danger!
Is the Zhao Kingdom truly facing imminent crises?
No.
However, things might not be the same in a few decades. This candidate encapsulated the crisis of decades to come in a short essay, allowing everyone to personally experience the consequences and fears brought about by not weakening the power of the feudal lords.
This young man's skill is truly remarkable!
Judging from the literary skills and writing ability, this candidate won. The question is, would they dare to rate such an "alarmist" or even rebellious article as the best?
If this were to reach the emperor, who could withstand his wrath?
The emperor only wanted to see the candidates' true feelings, not to hear anyone criticize him.
The inner court officials hesitated.
"Let's put it aside for now," the chief examiner said.
This delay lasted for a long time, to the point that even after all the essays for the third round of the competition had been revised, it was still not decided which of the two essays should win first place.
Let's have a quiz with prizes: Was Liu Lang the first in the provincial examination?
A: Yes
B: No
(End of this chapter)
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