Chapter 64: The Trial (Part 2)

  After finishing writing, he used an inkstone to clean and dry the brush, then placed it on the examination paper to hold it down, and also moved away the thick candle that was as big as his arm.

  If you have offended the examiner, without saying anything else, just staining a little ink on your paper, your exam is almost half ruined.

  Not to mention how intense the competition for ranking will be in the future.

  According to the rules, candles must be lit and kept burning all night, and inspected at any time. Anyway, it's an official candle, as long as you light it up, even if you don't light it, there are inspectors who will help you light it up.

  Fang Xin's mind was calm and peaceful. After finishing his meal, he lay down on the couch, closed his eyes, circulated his spiritual energy, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.

  In the evening, there were also examiners checking, at this time, in fact, most people, although lying down, the candlelight was very bright, and with tension, couldn't sleep, like Fang Xin, who slept peacefully, were few.

  Jian Fangxin fell asleep, and the three examiners naturally wouldn't make a loud noise. The middle-aged man saw the scroll, went to pick it up and took a look, and after flipping through a few pages, he revealed a hint of a smile, and casually showed it to the other two.

  The two of them looked at it, both understanding, and then put it back on the table, retreated and went out, arrived in the corridor, a young official said: "Yang sir, unexpectedly this son is indeed excellent, the handwriting is good, every sentence is correct, the appearance of the volume is neat."

  The imperial examination for xiucai, doesn't even need to cheat by covering names and copying, because it's originally testing your basic skills, how your handwriting is, whether there are any typos, if you copy, it will naturally be different. The huishi examination is also strict, but not to this extent, however, when it comes to the jinshi examination, it's a different story.

  "The first volume is quite good, I wonder how the second and third volumes are!" Another young official said.

  Mr. Yang said, "Let's wait and see tomorrow or the day after, if he really has talent, I'll recommend him to my superior, that would be a good thing."

  The next day, Fang Xinyao woke up early, but he was bored. By noon, someone came in and brought a new basket of food, exchanging it for the old one. As for the toilet, it didn't move, after all, there was a lid on it, and no one could fill up a bucket in three days, right?

  In the afternoon, the examiner personally collected the papers. One hundred volumes were indeed laborious. On the spot, someone used glue to paste and collect them. When they arrived at Fang Xin's place, there weren't many words. They pasted it on the spot, and Fang Xin even took a special look, but in the end, there was no error or omission.

  After the delivery, it was time for hair curlers again, this time with only five rollers.

  After the examiner left, Fang Xin took a look and it was indeed Mo Yi. What is meant by Mo Yi is that around the meaning of the classics and annotations, simple question-and-answer questions are asked, which means that one question is given, and you directly recite the corresponding passage and write it down. This makes the test of memory even more obvious.

  Compared to the first day, it's actually harder now. The Four Books and Five Classics, who knows what will be tested? And memorizing every single word without error is also a feat. What they call "cheating" is actually just bringing this cheat sheet, but the other party says it's not a problem. Moreover, because there are fewer words, only about 3,500 characters in five pages, it's actually easier. So I still wrote with ease and finished the middle volume in just one and a half hours, before evening arrived.

  The text written on white paper is a passage of scripture, and the characteristics of Fang's writing are even more obvious. It is as if there were a format, neat and tidy, just like carved printing, with a clear and bright surface. All passages are error-free, not a single character is wrong.

  When the examiner finished distributing the papers and came back, he found that Fang Xin had already completed it. The three of them were shocked, walked forward to take a look, and were all startled after seeing it.

  "This time, Master Yang spoke up: 'Not bad, young man, you have a deep foundation!'"

  Fang Xin stood still at this time, holding his breath. After he finished speaking, he bowed deeply and said: "In response to your words, sir, my family is poor and my mother's health is not good. I hope that everything will be placed on me, the student. I thought that if I could pass the exam just once, it would comfort her heart. I can only do my best."

  "Well, you have a good heart, that's great. I've read the first and second volumes, not bad, now let me see your third volume." After saying this, Magistrate Yang stopped speaking, after all, he was the examiner.

  It was already the third day when he finally opened the letter, and there were only three pages left.

  The third day of the exam is on Jing Yi, which refers to discussions centered around the meaning of the classics. It involves analyzing and interpreting the core ideas of the classics to evaluate their pros and cons. Naturally, quoting from the classics and referencing traditional texts are essential. There are three questions in total, divided into three volumes.

  Fang Xin slightly concentrated his mind, and whether it was the Earth or that main world, there were classic interpretations of the thousand-year-old texts, each one exquisite to the extreme, with a price tag of 50 yuan per copy. Writing this down was naturally not a problem, and he began to write as if possessed by a spirit, summarizing everything in detail. Of course, he controlled the extent of his elaboration, after all, although there were unified standards for interpreting scriptures, there would always be differences. Therefore, Fang Xin naturally followed the interpretations that conformed to the rules of this world, taking the best and most optimal ones, and adding a final sentence at the end to elevate his own stature.

  This volume was written even faster, and indeed, when the three examiners returned, it had already been completed.

  This time, Mr. Yang didn't say a word and directly took out the scroll to read it. As he read on, a smile appeared on his face. These profound meanings were actually second-level interpretations, although they were only at the second level, but they were all the essence of the summary of the wisdom of later generations for thousands of years, which was both deep and shallow, and the words were like pearls. Together with the clean scroll surface and handwriting, it made people feel delighted and pleased.

  Mr. Yang looked at it and said, "Is it finished?"

  "In response to your words, I have finished writing," Fang Xin replied.

  "Alright, just wait then. You'll be let out when the time comes." With that, the examiner didn't even return the paper to Fang Xin, but instead took it and left with the two examiners following closely behind, exchanging bewildered glances.

  Back in Fang Tang, Mr. Yang said: The two of them browsed through it, each one silent.

  "This volume is set as the first of this house, how about it?"

  "Director Yang, this volume should be among the top ten, but whether it's the first or not, let's wait until all the other volumes are collected and then we'll discuss." a young official said.

  Another one knew the interest and said, "This statement is wrong. The first and second volumes are extremely good, and we can't find any mistakes. This third volume is even better, with simple words and profound meaning, clearly conveying the main idea. I think that among the examinees' papers, few have such craftsmanship, what else are we waiting for?"

  Yang was about to say something when footsteps were heard outside, and he came out to see: "It's actually Lord Zhang, Lord Hai, and Lord Fan. Are you all here for inspection at this time?"

  These three are all sent by the imperial court. Mr. Zhang wears a fifth-grade official uniform, and the other two wear sixth-grade uniforms, and they are the chief examiners of the whole prefecture.

  Magistrate Zhang seemed to have inspected many rooms and said with a hint of fatigue, "Yes, the imperial examination is a major event for the court, how can we not be meticulous? We also need to inspect carefully."

  Having said that, he suddenly realized that the volume was missing and his throat made a sound: "Has someone cheated on the exam again?"

  At this time, there was not much time left to hand in the new volume. Some volumes were taken away, of course, someone cheated and was expelled. This is a very shameful thing, and it's also embarrassing to show one's face. At this moment, Mr. Yang stepped forward, bowed slightly and said: "Mr. Zhang, you guessed wrong this time. Someone finished the exam and handed it in."

  "It's just this short period of time and someone has already finished, isn't that a show-off trying to curry favor?" said Zhang with displeasure.

  "Your Honor, I have reviewed it and think there is no need to keep it any longer. After asking questions, they said it has been written up, so take it back."

  "Ah!" Although Yang was only an eighth-rank official, his literary talent was well-known to everyone. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been appointed as the head of this department. Zhang was taken aback and took over the scroll to read it. As soon as he started reading, the handwriting and the content were impressive, and his expression improved a lot. The more he read, the more comfortable he felt, and by the end, he couldn't help but applaud lightly. After finishing, he didn't make a sound, but asked: "Who is this person?"

  He paused for a moment and then said: "Bring me the first and second volumes."

  "This son is from Jiangfu Li's family, his father Li Yunming passed the imperial examination as a xiucai in the sixth year of the Mingwen era and died at the age of seven. His mother, He Shi, raised him and he is now fifteen years old."

  "Only fifteen years old?" Zhang Da Ren asked.

  "Yes. In the 10th year of Mingwen, I took part in the Tongsheng examination and became a Tongsheng. Now in the 13th year of Mingwen, I am taking part in the Xiucai examination for the first time." The young official took out a wooden plate and read it, and someone presented two volumes.

  Director Zhang did not speak again and took over the top two volumes to review. These two volumes were perfect. After finishing, he handed over the top three volumes to the two deputy chief examiners.

  Hai Daren and Fan Daren read the three volumes, then Hai Daren said: "This child's writing can be described as calm and peaceful, with deep thought and strong power. It is indeed elegant and refined. This time it should be ranked first."

  The comment is concise and clear, with every word counting, but its weight is extremely heavy.

  "For the time being, let's go and take a look at this child." The six officials went to take a look, but didn't enter the door, just looked from outside. Magistrate Zhang gazed at the young man inside, then looked again at the strokes of the character written by Fang Xin on the door during registration, and after a long while said: "This child is excellent, but he's too young. Considering his future prospects, it's still not suitable to indulge him, so let's just take the tenth one instead, lest he becomes arrogant due to his reputation and ruins his studies."

  In one county, the selection of xiucai (a type of scholar) was made from among several thousand people, with only sixty selected each time. The first list had ten names, the second list twenty, and the third list thirty. Although all three lists were considered xiucai, there were still differences in treatment by the government. Those on the first list were granted fifteen mu of land, those on the second list ten mu, and those on the third list five mu, to support their studies.

  Although it's a bit early to make a final decision, everyone present is experienced and knowledgeable, so they all agree that this young man's three volumes are of high quality. If judged fairly, he must be among the top five. Therefore, when Director Zhang made this statement, none of the officials had any objections, and thus it was settled.