The examination venue for the Spring Imperial Examination consisted of small, dark rooms arranged in rows, called “number shelters.” After the students entered, the guard responsible for supervision would lock the main door, leaving only a small window for delivering exam papers.
For an entire day, the students would eat, drink, and relieve themselves all within this small dark room.
The candlelight was dim, casting a yellowish hue over the tiny room. Xu Er Lang sat by the desk, pouring clear water into the inkstone, and slowly grinding the ink.
There was still a long time before the exam began, enough for him to calm his mind and think about some things.
Traditionally, the imperial examinations emphasized classical studies over poetry. Moreover, Great Feng’s poetry scene had been weak for a long time. Therefore, for most students, this last round of the metropolitan examination was merely a formality.
Earlier, when entering the examination hall, the familiar students were chatting and laughing, at ease. Unlike the previous two rounds, where their faces were serious and their attitudes tense, as if they were going into battle.
However, while others could relax, Xu Er Lang knew he couldn’t be careless.
He was a student of Cloud Deer Academy. Given the attitude of the court officials towards Cloud Deer Academy students, after passing the jinshi exam, they would either be sent to poor, remote areas or be kept in reserve without an official position for a long time.
Xu Er Lang had his ambitions. He neither wanted to be sent to a remote area nor stay in the capital in reserve.
“The road ahead is long…” Xu Xinnian sighed.
At this moment, the guard outside knocked on the small window and said in a muffled voice, “Sir, the exam paper is here.”
All participants in the Spring Imperial Examination were juren, who were qualified for official positions. The common soldiers directly addressed the students in the examination hall as “sir.”
Xu Xinnian received the exam paper and spread it out on the desk. By now, the sky had brightened, though the morning sun had not yet risen.
Under the orange candlelight, Xu Xinnian focused his gaze and saw that the topic was a quote from “Master Cheng’s Warfare”: “An army can be robbed of its general, but a common man cannot be deprived of his will.”
The well-read Xu Er Lang instantly extracted the core: expressing one’s aspirations!
He stared at the exam paper, his expression uncontrollably blank, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“Big brother must have stepped on dog poop before entering my room that day,” Xu Er Lang muttered.
How could he have guessed this correctly?
The drawing lots that day, Xu Er Lang had just been humoring his annoying big brother. Although the exam topics for the imperial examination could be guessed, it was usually limited to classical studies and policy discussions, as these had patterns to follow.
Poetry topics depended entirely on the examiner’s mood. They could come up with anything, even using wildflowers by the roadside as a theme if they wanted.
How could he have guessed this?!
Unless his big brother had stepped on dog poop that night, Xu Er Lang couldn’t think of any other possibility.
Wait a moment… Xu Xinnian’s expressions of shock, confusion, and bewilderment all transformed into wild joy and excitement.
Big brother guessed the topic correctly, big brother guessed the topic correctly!
He suddenly straightened his back, unable to resist the urge to let out three long howls to express the excitement in his heart.
“With big brother’s poetic talent, since he guessed the exam topic correctly, the third round of poetry will be dominated by me, Xu Er Lang. I, I might even be able to compete for the top spot in the metropolitan examination.”
Those who passed the metropolitan examination were called “tribute scholars,” and the top-ranked tribute scholar was called the “huiyuan.”
His reasoning made sense. Firstly, the metropolitan examination used anonymous grading, so his identity as a Cloud Deer Academy student wouldn’t be exposed, and thus he wouldn’t be discriminated against. Secondly, Xu Xinnian was a natural-born scholar and a proud disciple of the great Confucian Zhang Shen. Combined with the Confucian system’s photographic memory and clear thinking, his level far surpassed the students of the Imperial Academy.
Lastly, to prevent cheating in the imperial examinations, Great Feng arranged three chief examiners and multiple co-examiners. The composition here was complex, with the three chief examiners certainly coming from different factions.
They might even be mutually hostile.
Even if someone could bribe one chief examiner, it would be impossible to bribe the other two.
Therefore, in each metropolitan examination, there would also be fierce competition among the examiners, followed by mutual discussions and compromises to make the final decision.
“If heaven hadn’t given birth to me, Xu Xinnian, the metropolitan examination would be like an eternal night!”
Even for someone as proud as Xu Xinnian, at this moment with no one else in the room, he couldn’t control his emotions at all. He danced and pranced, laughing like a fool.
If there had been a bed, he would have rolled on it or wriggled like a maggot.
“Big brother is truly my lucky star! Calm down, calm down, what was the poem about expressing aspirations that Big Brother gave me…”
Xu Xinnian steadied himself, forcing himself to calm down.
Fortunately, as an Eighth-Rank Confucian, he had already achieved photographic memory. Moreover, the poem his brother gave was indeed good, and his memory of it was quite deep. He quickly recalled it.
He dipped his brush in ink and unfolded the draft paper. It was only then that he realized his hand was still trembling slightly.
“How pathetic, getting so excited over just a metropolitan examination. Father said I have the potential to be a prime minister.”
After this self-deprecating remark, Xu Xinnian felt more relaxed. His hand stopped shaking, and he quickly wrote on the paper:
A golden goblet of pure wine worth ten thousand coins,
A jade plate of delicacies worth a myriad of cash.
I stop my cup and chopsticks, unable to eat,
Drawing my sword, I look around, my heart bewildered.
Wishing to cross the Yellow River, ice blocks the way,
Wanting to climb Mount Tai, snow covers the peaks.
Leisurely fishing by a green stream,
Suddenly dreaming of sailing by the sun’s edge.
The road is difficult, the road is difficult,
Many paths diverge, where is safety now?
The time will come when long winds break the waves,
I’ll hoist my sail straight to cross the vast sea.
(Author’s note: The poems in the imperial examinations, also called assigned poems, were usually five-character poems with eight, four, or six rhymes, not seven-character poems. I’ve modified it slightly in this alternate world to fit the plot. Another note: To prevent nitpicking!)
After writing the poem, he read it over several times to ensure he hadn’t made any mistakes. But new doubts surfaced in his mind.
“What is the Yellow River? What is Mount Tai? ‘Leisurely fishing by a green stream, Suddenly dreaming of sailing by the sun’s edge,’ do these two lines have some allusion…”
Xu Er Lang frowned deeply.
The well-read Xu Xinnian searched his mind but couldn’t find where the Yellow River and Mount Tai were. Based on his understanding of poetry, “Leisurely Fishing by a Green Stream” and “Suddenly Dreaming of sailing by the Sun’s Edge” should be two allusions.
“Big brother is really… he didn’t even make annotations when writing the poem. How am I supposed to understand his state of mind when writing, how am I to understand his profound intentions?”
“The Yellow River and Mount Tai should be names of a river and a mountain. These can be changed. As for ‘Leisurely fishing by a green stream’ and ‘Suddenly dreaming of sailing by the sun’s edge,’ even without allusions, it’s not hard to understand the intended meaning. It shouldn’t be a big problem.”
So, after changing “Yellow River” and “Mount Tai,” Xu Xinnian picked up his brush to answer:
“Poem on the Difficulty of the Journey”
…
The chief examiners for this Spring Imperial Examination were Grand Secretary of the East Chamber Zhao Tingfang, Right Censor-in-Chief Liu Hong, and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall Qian Qingshu.
Unlike the students, the chief examiners and co-examiners hadn’t left the examination hall since the metropolitan examination began. The main door was locked, and unless they grew wings, there was no way to leave.
To prevent collusion between examiners and students, the examiners had to wait until the list of successful candidates was finalized before they could leave the examination hall.
Compared to the fierce atmosphere during the grading of the first two rounds, there was a great change in both the attitude and emotions of the co-examiners.
“Utter nonsense, what kind of terrible poem dares to shame itself in the metropolitan examination.”
“Using bamboo as a metaphor for people to express aspirations, the angle is not bad, but it focuses more on praising bamboo than expressing aspirations. It’s putting the cart before the horse.”
“Sigh, I’ve been reading for half a day, and there’s not a single poem that’s impressive.”
“Isn’t it the same every year? We’re used to it.”
The examiners, also called inner curtain officials, graded the papers while commenting. At first glance, the atmosphere seemed tense, but in reality, it was the most relaxed and carefree.
Poetry wasn’t taken seriously. If it was good, it was icing on the cake; if it wasn’t good, it didn’t matter. After all, they were all mediocre. It was already rare for students to write passable poems. The examiners didn’t need to take it too seriously.
In the capital, when it came to poetry, there was one person who couldn’t be ignored: Xu Qi An, the night watchman. He was revered by the Confucian scholars as the leader of the poetry world, or rather, the savior of Great Feng’s poetry scene.
“If Xu Qi An were to participate in the metropolitan examination, not to mention anything else, at least this year’s examination would produce a poem that would be passed down through the ages.”
“Who wouldn’t agree? It’s a pity that Xu Qi An isn’t a scholar. When future history books record that all the best poems of the Yuan Jing era came from this man, what face will we scholars have left?”
Scholars had complex feelings towards Xu Qi An. They were grateful for his rise, which gave them a few presentable poems in these two hundred years so that future generations wouldn’t ridicule them.
But they also regretted that he was a martial artist, not a scholar because this was equally something that would make future generations laugh at them.
In the two hundred years of Great Feng, among thousands and millions of scholars, they couldn’t even match a single martial artist.
“A thousand wrongs, ten thousand wrongs, it’s all Xu Pingzhi’s fault.”
Just then, an examiner unfolded a copied exam paper. After reading it carefully for a few seconds, he was stunned, his body seemingly turning to stone, motionless.
But his lips kept moving, repeating something over and over.
After a few minutes, this examiner suddenly stood up, looked around at his colleagues in the room, took a deep breath, and said emphatically, “Who says Great Feng scholars can’t write good poems? Who said it, who said it?”
The other examiners all looked over, their expressions confused, not knowing what he was going crazy about.
The poetry scene had been weak for two hundred years, and contemporary scholars weren’t good at poetry. These were all facts, what was there to argue about?
“Slap!”
That examiner slammed the paper on the table, his chest heaving as he exclaimed excitedly, “I dare say, once this poem comes out, it will be famous throughout the land. This year’s metropolitan examination will surely be recorded by the historians.”
An examiner next to him glanced at him, walked over curiously, picked up the paper, and looked at it closely.
Madness seemed to be contagious. The examiner held the paper, trembling with excitement, “Good poem, good poem indeed! Haha, who says Great Feng scholars can’t write good poems? Who said it?”
At this point, the other examiners realized that a masterpiece had appeared. They swarmed over, passing it around and appreciating it.
“A good poem, worthy of a toast!”
“‘The time will come when long winds break the waves, I’ll hoist my sail straight to cross the vast sea’… This is the kind of poem scholars should write.”
“How could a student write a poem so full of vicissitudes?”
“Perhaps he’s failed the exam multiple times and is expressing his aspirations through poetry.”
The appearance of this “Difficulty of the Journey” was like a golden phoenix mixed among earthen chickens, particularly precious. The examiners in the room kept passing it around, excitedly commenting.
“Ahem!”
A forceful cough came from outside the door. The white-haired Grand Secretary of the East Chamber stood at the doorway with his hands behind his back.
He had been drawn by the noisy commotion.
The examiners in the room immediately fell silent.
“What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?”
Grand Secretary Zhao Tingfang reprimanded them for a few sentences, then asked, “I just heard someone say that once this poem comes out, it will be famous throughout the land?”
Immediately, an examiner came forward and respectfully handed over the exam paper.
The Grand Secretary of the East Chamber first swept his eyes over everyone, then took the paper and squinted as he read it… His hand holding the paper began to tremble slightly.
Anyone could see that this was a good poem, an inspiring good poem.
But different experiences lead to different feelings.
This poem was both an expression of aspirations and a description of a bumpy life journey. From “my heart bewildered, the road is difficult” to “The time will come when long winds break the waves, I’ll hoist my sail straight to cross the vast sea,” anyone with similar experiences could quickly empathize.
The last line was both an expression of aspiration and the finishing touch, directly elevating the entire poem’s artistic conception to a considerably high level.
“This young man is a great talent. If his classical studies and policy discussions are also excellent, I must choose him as the top scholar!” the Grand Secretary thought to himself.
…
The day after the Spring Imperial Examination ended, Xu Xinnian found that his treatment at home had plummeted. Previously, every morning, his mother would have the kitchen prepare a bowl of hot milk for him.
At noon, it was fragrant chicken soup, and in the evening, ginseng soup.
During this time, his mother would also show concern for his well-being. Although there weren’t any concrete manifestations, it showed enough importance.
His father and elder brother would also ask a few questions at the dinner table, and his sister Xu Lingyue would do the same. Even his young sister Xu Lingyin would occasionally shout: “Second brother, you must work hard!”
But since the last round ended, there was no more milk, no more chicken soup, no more ginseng. After asking when the results would be announced, everyone didn’t pay much attention anymore.
At the dinner table, Xu Qi An asked, “Why does Er Lang look unhappy? Did the last round not go well?”
Xu Er Lang didn’t speak. After finishing the meal, he pulled his elder brother into the study and stared at him intently: “Big brother… you guessed the topic correctly.”
Xu Qi An was both surprised and not surprised by this result. He nodded and asked, “Patriotism or expressing aspirations?”
“Expressing aspirations!”
Xu Xinnian asked for guidance, “Where are the Yellow River and Mount Tai? And what allusions are ‘Leisurely fishing by a green stream, Suddenly dreaming of sailing by the sun’s edge’ from?”
…Huh? There are allusions in that line? I don’t remember… Xu Qi An looked bewildered.
“‘Leisurely fishing by a green stream’ is because I like fishing. ‘Suddenly dreaming of sailing by the sun’s edge’ is, well… Hey, why are you talking so much nonsense? The exam is over, stop babbling.
“Hurry up and tear up the Four Books and Five Classics. Big brother will take you to the pleasure quarters tomorrow for some fun.”
Xu Qi An grumbled as he fled.
Returning to his room, he found Zhong Li sitting on the bed, bandaging her head, with blood faintly seeping through.
“Fell again?”
“Mm.”
Zhong Li nodded somewhat pitifully and said, “I’ve discovered that your sister has a very tough life.”
“Which sister?” Xu Qi An asked.