“Night windows for countless years, gathering the cold glow of fireflies, a single autumn examination surpassing days of refinement” — the triennial examination being three years apart, if one missed it, one had to wait another three years. Quite a few students at the Shuntian Prefectural Academy decided to give it a try.
Jiang Ziyun came to the Earl’s manor to return books and to exchange scholarly views. He had said on one occasion: “For the August provincial examination, I have less than a forty percent chance. I was initially hesitating about whether to wait another three more years to prepare. Then I thought — when is there ever a perfectly certain moment in this world? An opportunity comes, and one ought to seize it. Besides, last year I acted as a guarantor for others, and the county office has been paying out the monthly stipend ever since, so the household has quite a bit more to spare. Having the means to register for the provincial examination, I hesitated no longer.”
Having spent over a year at the prefectural academy, Jiang Ziyun had read a great many historical texts and classical works, and his essays had grown increasingly mellow and robust.
Pei Shaohuai had read his essays, and felt that the writing was true to the person — the insights were not especially cutting, but they excelled in being pure, upright, and gracefully elegant, with a marked classical flavor.
Essays like this tended to win the favor of the traditional school.
Pei Shaohuai said: “Brother Ziyun’s literary style has already taken firm root. You need only further hone the sharpness of your insights — it is by no means a mere forty percent chance.”
Afterward, Pei Shaohuai brought out essays he had recently written, and the two of them discussed them together.
Jiang Ziyun remarked with admiration: “Every time I read Little Brother Huai’s essays, I feel a clarity and freshness wash over me.”
Pei Shaohuai smiled and said: “Brother Ziyun, please do not flatter me to my downfall.”
“I have absolutely no such intention,” Jiang Ziyun said earnestly. “The style is elegant and upright, the insights are distinctive, the prose is direct and to the point — if you asked me to revise it, I could not find a single word to spare.”
But Jiang Ziyun also expressed some concern on Pei Shaohuai’s behalf, saying: “Were Little Brother Huai two years older, there would be no question of him not passing. The only worry is that if the chief examiner is an old conservative, Little Brother Huai might be disadvantaged on account of his young age.”
They were close enough that Jiang Ziyun could say such candid words.
Pei Shaohuai had long considered this and felt that trying was more advantageous than not trying. He smiled and said: “Brother Ziyun just finished saying ‘when is there ever a perfectly certain moment in this world’ — and that applies to me as well.”
Jiang Ziyun laughed and cried out “Marvelous, marvelous!”
Pei Shaohuai asked: “For the remaining half year, where does Brother Ziyun plan to do his studying?”
“I intend to stay in the dormitory. If there is anything I do not understand, I can seek out the tutors.”
Having just said this, Jiang Ziyun suddenly remembered something and quickly retrieved a small sheaf of papers from his book chest, saying: “I recently read through both the old and new editions of the Da Qing Legal Code and found quite a number of changes. Though only a handful of characters were altered, the meaning is very different in each case. Little Brother Huai may find this of use.”
Pei Shaohuai accepted it without any awkward formality — exchanging scholarly knowledge between the two had long since become a habit. Pei Shaohuai was good at grasping things from the broader perspective; Jiang Ziyun was good at attending to the fine details and was a person of great patience.
Before they knew it, the hour of noon had arrived.
“Come autumn examination time, may we share the glory of the osmanthus list together,” Jiang Ziyun said in farewell.
“Mutual encouragement.”
……
Chen Xingqing and Chen Xingchen, the two brothers of the Jinchang Marquis household, were also engaged in intense examination preparation. Chen Xingchen was the sort of person who could tell the important from the unimportant — for this half year, he had set mathematics aside and only worked the occasional small problem in his leisure time as diversion.
River cypress, black cardamom, atractylodes… Chen Xingchen had tracked down all the medicinal plants Ying Jie’er was missing, had them sent to the Earl’s manor as an apology, and naturally did not dare say outright that they were for Miss Ying — he only said they were for Young Master Huai.
Pei Shaohuai delivered the medicinal plants to his elder sister’s courtyard and explained the whole matter from beginning to end.
Ying Jie’er was happily tending to those medicinal plants on one hand, while on the other she listened to the news that Third Elder Brother Chen had sent them, feeling both embarrassed and a little shy. She said: “It was just a small misunderstanding — it is of no consequence. You should not have let it through without stopping it for me… Third Elder Brother Chen is busy reviewing for the examination, so how could it be right to trouble him over finding these medicinal plants.”
Among the young gentlemen of the capital, there were plenty who were willing to send flowers or pearl hairpins. But few were willing to accommodate medicinal plants.
“I stopped him,” Pei Shaohuai said. “I couldn’t stop him.”
Ying Jie’er had thought of reciprocating, but then considered that the provincial examination was near at hand and she should not disturb Third Brother Chen’s concentration. She decided to wait until after the provincial examination, and through her younger brother’s hands, send some gift in return as a token of gratitude.
Ying Jie’er said to her younger brother: “When you have a free moment, let Third Elder Brother Chen know that I did not take that matter to heart. Tell him not to keep thinking about it, and also convey my congratulatory wishes on my behalf — may he place his name on the list in the provincial examination, with osmanthus fragrance in the air.”
“I understand,” Pei Shaohuai replied.
The third young miss of the Jinchang Marquis household also called on Ying Jie’er from time to time to chat and play, sometimes discussing poetry and songs, or going together to see the latest popular opera at the theatre.
Chen Third Young Miss said to Ying Jie’er: “Ying Younger Sister is truly remarkable — the last time you told me to add dried jujube slices and wolfberries to the flower tea, the tea really did lose its bitter edge without masking the flower fragrance, and the taste became sweeter and more mellow. Grandmother tried it and was very pleased — she told me to come and learn more from you.”
“Elder Sister Min flatters me — it was only a small trick I happened to discover,” Ying Jie’er said, and added: “The Marchioness has a most discerning palate for floral foods. Some other day I shall make a few pastries using flower paste, and invite the Marchioness to offer her guidance.”
“That would be wonderful — grandmother would surely be delighted to hear of it,” Chen Third Young Miss said happily.
……
……
Men of ambition begrudge every short day; they do not let go of either day or night.
Each day, Pei Shaohuai set fixed hours to read diligently and practice writing essays, and the days passed swiftly and with great fullness.
Whenever he knew that Grand Master Xu or Elder Brother-in-law Xu Zhan were at home, he would go to “impose on them” for a while, to learn which great matters at court were generating discussion, and what views the civil and military officials held.
Grand Master Xu and Xu Zhan had both come up through the imperial examinations and knew which matters would be useful to Pei Shaohuai for the examination — they shared everything without reservation.
From them, Pei Shaohuai learned of many affairs. For example, at the end of the previous autumn, there had been abundant harvests all across the land, yet certain officials had deceived their superiors and concealed the truth by falsely reporting a disaster year, embezzling grain taxes — the Emperor had been enraged.
Then there was the matter of the Minister of Works presenting a memorial stating that the imperial estates now held nearly half of all the good farmland in the realm. The imperial estates paid no taxes, enriching the coffers of the imperial kinsmen while burdening the common people across the land. He earnestly requested that the Emperor issue an edict for reform.
The people of the eastern coast across the sea — a people from the eastern delegation — often came under the pretext of envoy visits, but when their great ships docked, what came off was group after group of traders, who set up stalls and hawked their goods directly on the streets of Yingtian Prefecture. The Ministry of Rites was in the process of establishing regulations for this matter.
Pei Bingyuan also wrote letters, passing on to his son the insights he had accumulated over several years in office regarding water management, land reclamation, and civil governance.
All of this information was of great benefit to Pei Shaohuai for answering policy questions.
Pei Shaohuai felt that his essays had improved considerably. Yet each time he submitted an essay to Tutor Duan for correction, the places crossed out in red ink grew more and more numerous, and sometimes the annotations were longer than the full text.
“I know what you wish to ask,” Tutor Duan explained. “If you write with your mind fixed on whether the essay is good or bad, you have already lost the initiative. You need to reach the state where you write naturally and without conscious effort — where good writing emerges of its own accord — before you will have a few more chances of making the list.”
He also said: “Shuntian Prefecture alone has over a thousand scholars. The entire northern metropolitan province, encompassing Shuntian Prefecture, Baoding Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture, Zhending Prefecture, and seven other prefectures and two departments, will see close to ten thousand scholars presenting themselves for the examination — yet the provincial examination’s main list will barely record a hundred names. Among those presenting themselves, many are men who have honed a single sword for over a decade — their accumulated depth erupting at last in a single moment. If you wish to surpass them, you must continue to practice diligently.”
“If I still held you to the standards of former days, you would stop advancing. And so essays that were once passable will no longer get through my assessment. Sentence patterns and word choices that were once of no consequence must now be reconsidered carefully. Only when every small detail is beyond reproach will you be able to overcome the disadvantage of your young age.”
“If the childhood examinations are likened to climbing a mountain, then the provincial and palace examinations are like scaling a sheer cliff face. Three years, and another three years — how many are those who stop and advance no further.”
Pei Shaohuai understood the tutor’s earnest care, and redoubled his efforts in polishing his essays.
Fortunately, Pei Shaohuai had a steady and composed temperament, and the foundation he had laid in earlier years was solid enough. The Four Books and the Five Classics, along with the prescribed commentaries, had all been memorized by heart — he only needed to leaf through them from time to time to review them, without spending excessive time reinforcing the basics.
All his time was devoted to the essays.
At the turn of spring and summer, as warmth and cold alternated in the shifting weather, Pei Shaohuai fell ill with a minor ailment — several days of fever left his head muddled and dizzy, and he could only rest in bed, causing the household much worry.
Pei Shaohuai reassured his mother: “Who does not have the occasional small illness or minor calamity? I drank the medicine Royal Physician Wang prescribed, sweated it out, and feel much better. Mother need not be too anxious.”
“I both hope to see you study well and earn your rank, and fear that you are too harsh on yourself and wear yourself out,” Lin Shi said.
His mother’s words reminded Pei Shaohuai — if he studied himself into ruin, that would be putting the cart before the horse. Moreover, the provincial examination comprised three continuous sessions, each session three days long, totaling nine days of being confined in a small examination cell to compose answers. In autumn, the weather was liable to extreme cold or extreme dryness — this examination was a test not only of mental ability but of physical stamina.
He decided he must set aside time to exercise and build up his physical constitution.
From then on, each day after the morning reading, when full daylight had come, Pei Shaohuai spent half an hour in physical training. His energy and vitality improved considerably with each passing day.
……
In mid-July, the chief examiners for the provincial examinations in Nan Zhili and the various provinces were announced one by one, as officials and scholars deeply trusted by the Emperor were dispatched to various places to preside over the August provincial examinations. The current Right Vice Minister of Rites, Grand Master Xu, was also on the list of chief examiners — he had already received his orders, returned home to pack his things, and would set off southward the next day to Yingtian Prefecture to serve as chief examiner for the Nan Zhili provincial examination.
Anyone with clear eyes could see that Minister Chen of the Ministry of Rites was about to retire honorably. When Grand Master Xu returned from overseeing the examination, having earned merit for the court by selecting talent, the Emperor would certainly reward him — at that time, a promotion of one rank to the second grade, taking over as Minister of Rites, would be a matter that followed naturally from the course of events.
As evening was drawing near, Lin Ziyun, the eldest maternal uncle of the Lin family, hurried to the Earl’s manor and sought out Pei Shaohuai directly.
Lin Ziyun had prepared his thoughts before coming and was now relatively composed in manner, so as not to unsettle his nephew’s examination preparation. But Pei Shaohuai could still tell that his elder uncle had urgent news to relay.
He heard Lin Ziyun say: “Shaohuai, with your father not presently in the manor, and it being inconvenient for me to go directly to the Xu household, there is something that needs you to make a trip to the Xu household to relay to Grand Master Xu.”
After a pause, he added: “You need not be tense — it may upset your concentration. Just relay the message, and a capable man like Grand Master Xu will have his own plans.”
Pei Shaohuai nodded, and calmly replied: “Elder Uncle, I understand — please speak plainly.”
Only then did Lin Ziyun set out the matter in full detail. It turned out that over his long years of traveling south for trade, he had traversed all the prefectures of Nan Zhili and had come to know many wealthy merchants and men of means. They could hardly avoid banquets, socializing, and discussing business, and on one occasion the conversation had turned to the provincial examination. Everyone said their sons were not doing well and had difficulty passing the provincial examination to earn their rank.
One man had drunk a bit too much and said he had a way.
That man said: “The chief examiner is appointed by the court, but the secondary examiners are drawn from the local well-known scholars, and the names that come up cycle through the same ones, more or less. As long as you bribe enough of them, and the essay itself has a bit of substance to it, you will naturally make the list.”
Others said that all examiners were locked inside the examination hall without being allowed to take even a step outside — how could it be so easy?
“That is why everyone needs to spend big money and line up several people. As long as one of them ends up selected as a secondary examiner, you can rest easy.” That man continued: “The eight-legged essay always has certain function words like ‘moreover,’ ‘that is all,’ ‘indeed’ — used purely for transitions. As long as these indispensable characters are arranged in a certain sequence, it is possible to locate that particular examination paper. The only thing needed is money.”
Lin Ziyun had at first taken it as nothing more than a joke, but later received the same information from another person’s mouth. When something happens once and then again — that is no longer groundless rumor.
Lin Ziyun said to Pei Shaohuai: “Were it any other person going to Jiangnan as the examiner, I would have taken those words as though I had never heard them. But Grand Master Xu is connected to the Pei family as relatives by marriage — I could not help but think one step further… I am not afraid of someone privately cheating at the examination. What I am afraid of is someone submitting a memorial to expose the cheating.”
“I understand what Elder Uncle means.”
Pei Shaohuai immediately called for the carriage to be readied and set off for the Xu household. Whatever the case, letting Grand Master Xu take precautions was for the best.
……
Since Grand Master Xu had already been designated as chief examiner, the Xu household’s outer gate was guarded by court military officers with men standing watch. Pei Shaohuai stepped forward, properly stated his identity, and said: “My father is away from the manor, and this junior comes in my father’s stead to bid farewell to Vice Minister Xu.”
The military officer was not a man indifferent to human feeling. After confirming Pei Shaohuai’s identity, he said: “You may exchange a brief farewell within the courtyard — you may not enter the rooms for private conversation.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
In the courtyard, Pei Shaohuai spoke in a succinct and literary fashion, conveying his elder uncle’s words to Grand Master Xu in brief.
Grand Master Xu’s expression was grave and thoughtful as he listened, but the moment Pei Shaohuai finished speaking, he quickly recovered his usual genial and warm manner, saying: “Good nephew, prepare well for the provincial examination — all will go smoothly.”
“Grand Master Xu, may all go well. This junior takes his leave.”
Pei Shaohuai thought to himself: within those few brief exchanges, Grand Master Xu had most likely already arrived at a plan for dealing with the situation.
……
……
The chief examiners for the provincial examinations in the various regions had all set off, yet the chief and deputy examiners for the northern metropolitan province examination had still not been determined. There was a reason for this — the northern metropolitan province examination was held right beneath the walls of the imperial city. The examiners needed no time to travel; it was customary to have them officially appointed only a few days before the examination opened, so as to prevent anyone in the capital from making other small calculations.
Because the examiners had not yet been determined, candidates naturally had insufficient time to adjust their literary style to cater to the chief examiner’s preferences — unless they had already practiced all the different literary styles.
As the provincial examination drew near, in late July, candidates from the various prefectures of the northern metropolitan province gathered in the capital. Not only were the inns full, but many private residences within the city had their room rates raised to four or five hundred copper coins per room. There were also impoverished scholars living outside the city walls, planning to travel into the city the day before the examination opened.
Those sitting the examination ranged in age from fifteen or sixteen to sixty or seventy, of all different ages. The young were bold as calves who know no fear of tigers, full of youthful high spirits. The aged held fast to an obsession, unable to accept failure after repeated setbacks.
Within the city, bookshops, taverns, teahouses, theatres, and the pleasure quarters were all doing a blazing, roaring trade — a once-in-three-years occurrence.
On the second day of the eighth month, the court finally officially designated the Ministry of War’s Left Vice Minister Zhang Lingyi as chief examiner, and the Libationer of the Imperial College as deputy examiner. Pei Shaohuai was not surprised by this.
Zhang Lingyi was the former Shuntian Prefectural Governor. The previous year, after Minister Hu of the Ministry of War had successfully entered the cabinet, the court had laterally transferred the Prefectural Governor Zhang to the Ministry of War as Left Vice Minister, taking charge of Ministry of War affairs. Now serving as chief examiner for the northern metropolitan province, the Emperor was granting him a merit, so as to then naturally and smoothly award him the post of Minister of War.
Zhang and Xu — both were taking the same path.
Vice Minister Zhang had a degree of appreciation for Pei Shaohuai. But the provincial and palace examinations used eighteen secondary examiners to grade papers, and Pei Shaohuai’s essay would need to pass six gates and slay six generals, standing out among candidates who had studied the same classical text, before it had any possibility of reaching Vice Minister Zhang’s hands.
When all was said and done, one still needed genuine ability.
Deep in the night of the ninth day of the eighth month, the sound of hurrying footsteps could be heard throughout the city, for with so many candidates and the task of checking names and searching persons being heavy, candidates needed to arrive at the examination hall gate before the third watch of the night and queue up to be searched and admitted. Unlike the childhood examinations, the search and verification for the provincial examination was far more rigorous, with two checkpoints — external supervisors checking names and searching persons outside the main gate, and internal supervisors checking names and searching persons inside the main gate.
Pei Shaohuai was young — his black hair thick and dense — and was even required by the verification official to undo his hair crown so the officer could check whether anything was concealed within his hair.
After successfully entering the hall, Pei Shaohuai had just taken his seat in his assigned examination cell when a sharp click sounded behind him — the supervising examiner had already fastened the latch of the low examination cell door from outside, declaring that for the next three days, Pei Shaohuai was confined to this tiny cell.
Pei Shaohuai tidied the examination cell, relieved to find that the writing board and bench were both fairly solid and stable — no need to worry about them affecting his performance. Then he placed his examination basket and food basket on the desk. He had no particular culinary skill and had no intention of cooking over a fire in the cramped cell — his mind was entirely on the examination, with no room for other concerns.
The food basket was filled with preserved dry provisions, cake pastries, dried meat, and fresh fruits — sufficient to keep Pei Shaohuai fed.
The remaining items — lined jacket, waterproof oilcloth, mosquito-repelling sachets, and the like — were left in the bundle, to be taken out when needed.
The autumn provincial examination was a hard battle.
When full daylight had come, Pei Shaohuai ground his ink in circles, using this time to clear his mind and enter into the state of examination concentration. By the time the ink had reached the proper thickness and consistency, a gong sounded — the first session of the provincial examination began, and the supervising examiners released the questions.
The first session tested three essays on the Four Books, each to be no fewer than two hundred characters, and four essays on the Five Classics, each to be no fewer than three hundred characters — in total, no more than two to three thousand characters. Three days was entirely sufficient time. The only question was whether the candidate had the ability to think the essays through.