Chapter 131 [VIP]
"In the spring of Wuhe, the wind is clear in Huai City. It is the year of the Grand Examination. You students have gathered here with your books, determined to serve the country."
I, by order of the Emperor, have been appointed to oversee the examinations in Ji Province. Observing the flourishing of literature, I am truly grateful for the merits of the Holy Dynasty's education.
Your Majesty, your virtue is like that of Yao and Shun, and your wisdom as bright as the sun and moon. The Imperial Academy, with its refined culture, opens the gates to talent selection; the Pan River, imbued with spiritual energy, nurtures many capable individuals to govern the nation. You students, bathed in this benevolent grace, should think of your sincere desire to repay this favor.
As Su Shi once said: Those who accomplish great things in ancient times not only possess extraordinary talent, but also unwavering determination.
Now, observing these students, diligently studying by lamplight and with their hair turned white, they already possess the qualities of scholars worthy of the imperial examinations. However, the three days of the examinations are not merely a test of the skill of their writing, but truly a test of their character and integrity.
May you all maintain a pure heart and wield your pens with unwavering skill. Do not seek gain through deceitful means, but rather make your name known to the world through integrity and uprightness. May you leap over the Dragon Gate, never forgetting your original aspiration to serve the emperor like Yao and Shun; even if you are temporarily trapped in the arena, you should uphold your integrity and remain steadfast, ready to fight again in the future.
Encourage yourselves, students! Your great future begins here.
This official wishes to see a gathering of outstanding talents to jointly achieve a prosperous reign, repaying the Emperor's grace and bringing glory to our homeland. I offer these few words of encouragement.
Today is the first day of the prefectural examination, and the voice of the provincial education commissioner echoes in the examination hall.
The candidates taking the prefectural examination for the first time were already moved to tears. Those who had taken it several times were yawning, hoping the reading would end soon so they could get their papers out and start the exam.
The prefectural examination was similar to the county examination, and the content was roughly the same, except that the examiners were different.
All the candidates came from sixteen counties in Jizhou. The county with the most candidates had thirteen successful candidates, while the county with the fewest had only two. They were led into the examination hall by the county instructors.
The prefectural examination was much stricter than the county examination. The gates opened at dawn and roll call began. Anyone who failed to appear for roll call three times was considered to have abandoned the examination.
The process after roll call is the same: body search, get a number, and then quickly find your assigned room.
When it came to the prefectural examination, the examination hall was no longer a simple one, but rather a series of semi-open small rooms.
Each cell has a table, a stool, and a wooden bed that is a little over a foot wide. You can lie down and rest for a while if you get tired of writing (not really).
In fact, the autumn examinations were also held here. The provincial examinations lasted for three days, but candidates were not allowed to leave the examination hall during the period. They ate and slept in the examination hall, which is why there is this bed.
Once inside, you cannot speak. Carefully check your exam room for any damage or leaks. Although you cannot replace it, you can ask the proctor to help repair it to prevent the exam paper from being damaged in the rain.
After checking and confirming everything is correct, sit down and wait patiently until the instructions are finished before the test questions are distributed.
In the prefectural examination, Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai's examination rooms were not next to each other. Not only were they not next to each other, but in order to prevent cheating, the seating order of all candidates from the same county was shuffled.
Chen Qingyan was number seven, and Chen Qinghuai was number forty-five. A total of 171 candidates participated in the prefectural examination this year, and about one-fifth of them were able to pass.
Don't think that just because more people pass the exam, it's easier than the county exam. Those who can pass are basically the top students in the county, and you have to be even more outstanding to stand out.
Chen Qingyan sat in her seat, cleaned the dirt off the table, and then waited attentively for the curlers to be handed out.
The first exam was still about copying scriptures. After the questions were handed out, Chen Qingyan began to grind ink and think. Once the ink was ready, he was confident and began to silently write on the draft paper with his wrist suspended...
*
Outside the examination hall, Wang Ying and her group sat in a teahouse not far away. They had come here to drink tea and rest after seeing the two off in the morning.
After a while, Lu Zhongqi arrived with Liu Changyi, and then Li Shi and Fang Ling left with Qingyun.
Liu Changyi watched Qingyun leave, his eyes practically popping out of his head, which amused Wang Ying so much that she couldn't help but laugh.
Chen Qingsong quietly nudged him and whispered, "Stop looking, my sister's nowhere to be seen!"
Liu Changyi then sat down, his face flushed, and quickly picked up his teacup to hide his embarrassment.
Liang Boqing said, "I wonder what the exam questions will be like this year. I remember that in the prefectural exam two years ago, there was a very tricky question that stumped a large number of candidates."
Lu Zhongqi stroked his beard. "You must be referring to that Dao Yi: All things are complete within me. Reflect on yourself and be sincere, and there is no greater joy."
"That's right, it's this question. I heard it needs to be accurate down to the level of the Shuowen Jiezi and Erya, and also take into account the controversies of scholars from the Han and Song dynasties, and the citations must be no less than ten classics."
It just so happens that this was the question Liu Changyi encountered in the prefectural examination. His answer was decent but not particularly outstanding, yet he still achieved a good ranking, coming in sixth place in the previous prefectural examination. This shows just how difficult the question was.
Sitting next to him, Chen Qingsong was already thinking. This question was too difficult, and he was afraid he wouldn't answer it well. He felt even more awe for the imperial examination.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will also participate in the prefectural examination the year after next. At that time, it is still unknown whether he will pass. He must work hard so as not to fall behind his two older brothers.
Around 7 AM, the teahouse became increasingly crowded, with almost everyone discussing the upcoming imperial examination.
The focus of the discussion was the brothers Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai from Longquan County.
The two of them had previously participated in a poetry gathering in Jizhou, where their poems gained some fame. In addition, since they were both disciples of Liang Liufang, the foremost scholar in Jiangnan, many literati were very curious about them.
Secondly, there was Lin Zhen, the top scholar in Guangyuan County. He once wrote a parallel prose piece called "The Gentle Breeze Sends the Bright Moon," which was praised by the prefectural school instructors as a man of great talent and a master's demeanor.
Then there's a candidate from Tianyang County named Sun Xingyun, who is said to be a child prodigy. He's only ten years old this year and is proficient in all four books and five classics. Everyone wants to see what this child prodigy looks like.
The room was filled with people talking all at once. Don't assume that scholars are all refined; when they gossip, they're just like the aunties at the market, chattering away loudly enough to be heard clearly even through the screen.
"If you ask me, the top scholar in this year's provincial examination will definitely be one of these two Chen brothers!"
Wang Ying was taken aback, put down her teacup, and listened intently.
Someone nearby asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"These two had studied at the prefectural school for a few days before. My friend said that they were very well-versed in literature and had made great achievements in poetry."
"You don't even know who his master is. If I could get guidance from the great scholar Liang, I might have passed the imperial examination long ago."
Several people nearby burst into laughter, "Brother Cai, what you're saying is rather presumptuous. Why would a great talent like Liang accept you as his disciple?"
"That's right. You took the prefectural exam four times before you passed the county-level exam. I'm afraid you might not pass the provincial-level exam even if you take it four more times."
The middle-aged man surnamed Cai blushed and said, "Well, that's because I was unlucky. It was either windy or rainy. When the weather finally got a little better, the questions were all things I couldn't understand. How can you blame me?"
"There's no such thing as luck in the imperial examinations. If you can't pass the same exam, how can someone else possibly pass?"
Unable to argue further, Cai Nong angrily sat down, flicking his sleeves.
On the other hand, a group of people led by Fang Wenke strongly agreed with Cai Nong's words, saying, "That Chen Qingyan only benefited from Liang Caizi's fame; his talent is nothing special."
"That's right. Speaking of which, Chen Qingyan cheated in the county exam before and was disqualified. Now, I don't know what connections he's made, but he's able to participate in the imperial examination again."
The speaker was Xu Rui, who was also from Longquan County. He happened to have taken the county examination with Chen Qingyan back then, so he knew about this past event.
At first, Xu Rui thought he had mistaken Chen Qingyan for someone else, since he had witnessed Chen Qingyan being expelled from the examination hall and it was impossible for him to participate in the imperial examination again.
It wasn't until I saw him standing behind the instructor of Longquan County while queuing that I realized he was the same candidate whose cheat sheet had been confiscated years ago.
These words immediately caused a stir, like a stone thrown into a river, and everyone crowded around, asking, "Is this really true?"
You can't just say things like that!
Xu Duan patted his chest and said, "If I dare to tell a single lie, may I be run over and killed by a carriage as soon as I step out the door."
Wang Ying's breath caught in her throat; she hadn't expected that this matter would be brought up again after so long...
Those who were just flattering him have all turned against him, exclaiming, "I never expected Chen Qingyan to be this kind of person!"
"I knew it was strange. If he was really talented, how come he hadn't passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty?"
"Why did the talented Liang want to take him as his disciple?"
Fang Wenke waved his fan leisurely and said, "Have you forgotten that Liang Liufang was also disqualified from the imperial examinations by the court for cheating back then?"
"Wasn't he framed?"
"Yes, didn't the imperial court grant him special permission to continue taking the exams?"
Xu Rui snorted coldly, "These are all rumors spread by the world. If he were really allowed to do it, why doesn't he go and become the top scholar? The master and disciple are both birds of a feather!"
These words were too much. Chen Qingsong and Liu Changyi's faces turned ugly, and they got up to argue with them.
Old Lu grabbed the two men's arms and said, "Don't argue with them. As for how capable Qingyan and Qinghuai are, we'll see how they are. If they pass the exam, they'll shut these people up."
Liu Qingsong said, "But that's what they said about Master!"
Liang Boqing smiled and waved his hand, completely unaffected by their words.
He had heard far worse things in the past; the words of intellectuals were sharper than knives, and those who envied his talent wished they could utterly destroy him.
But what can we do?
When people mention the talented scholars of Jiangnan, they don't refer to Zhang San or Li Si, but rather to Liang Liufang. Even when they belittle him, they still praise his poetry and literature studies, yet few can rival him.
"Don't worry, they'll have nothing to say after the prefectural examination."
While a group of people were still discussing how Chen Qingyan regained his exam eligibility, Wang Ying couldn't stand it anymore and stood up, saying, "Teacher, I'll go to the shop first."
"Go ahead, Qingyan and the others won't be out until late afternoon, so staying here is just waiting idly."
After Wang Ying left, Lu Zhongqi asked curiously, "Is this Qingyan's husband, the young man you mentioned?"
"Yes, his name is Wang Ying."
"I heard that he opened a shop and is now quite famous in the prefectural city."
"He owns the Wang Family Vegetable Shop."
"He looks young, but he's quite capable."
Liang Boqing stroked his beard and said, "His skills aren't in business. Aren't you curious about how Qingyan reinstated the imperial examination system? A large part of the reason is thanks to him."
"Oh?" Old Lu became interested.
The teahouse wasn't the place to talk, so the two got up, paid the bill, and went to the Lu family's house to chat.
A note from the author:
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