Chapter 36: Xiao Mo? This person is quite interesting

After entering the examination cell, Xiao Mo waited for the official start of the exam.

The provincial examination in the State of Qi was divided into three sessions.

The first session tested the Classics and Interpretations.

The Four Books usually featured three questions. Candidates were required to select passages from the *Great Learning*, *Doctrine of the Mean*, *Analects*, and *Mencius* to interpret.

The Five Classics corresponded to the *Classic of Poetry*, *Book of Documents*, *Book of Rites*, *I Ching*, and *Spring and Autumn Annals*. One question was asked for each book, and candidates could choose four out of the five.

Indeed, the history of the State of Qi was somewhat similar to that of Huaxia on Blue Sea Star; it also possessed the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, as well as figures like Confucius and Laozi.

However, these legendary ancient sages were rumored to be cultivators who had transcended to the Ascendant Realm, having already ascended to divinity.

This possibility was not non-existent, for this world was one where cultivation was possible. Ancestors who founded such paths might truly have reached unimaginable realms.

After the preliminary examination, there were no longer strict restrictions on the format of the Eight-Legged Essay. Candidates were free to express themselves.

Xiao Mo felt little confidence regarding the first session. He did not consider himself a genius. Although his teachers had some reputation, it was limited to a few surrounding towns. They were not true masters. Many *juren* (successful candidates of the provincial exam) could afford one-on-one tutoring from renowned masters in the prefectures. Therefore, for the first session, Xiao Mo only hoped not to drag his performance down.

The second session consisted of the writing of applied documents, such as treatises, judgments, edicts, proclamations, and memorials.

Treatise (*Lun*): One question, usually requiring the candidate to express views and arguments on a specific historical event, figure, or political/ethical proposition.

Judgment (*Pan*): Five questions, providing five simulated litigation cases or official document scenarios, requiring the candidate to draft judgments based on the *Great Qi Code* and relevant rites and laws.

Edicts (*Zhao*), Proclamations (*Gao*), and Memorials (*Biao*) each had one question.

Regarding the second day's exam, Xiao Mo was quite confident. He could use his divergent thinking based on the various cases he had seen on Blue Sea Star; his vision was higher than that of the scholars of this world, and his perspectives were more novel.

The third session was the Policy Essay (*Celun*).

Policy essays usually featured five questions, covering a very wide range of topics. They involved reviewing the successes and failures of historical events and figures, and summarizing historical lessons. They also required proposing analyses and countermeasures for current national issues such as politics, economy, taxation, grain transport, military border defense, military systems, social education, disaster relief, and culture.

The final question of the policy essay concerned views on the various feudal princes of Qi.

"The feudal princes of Qi..."

Looking at this question, Xiao Mo's brow furrowed.

Xiao Mo was not oblivious to worldly affairs. He knew that the current Emperor's desire to reduce the power of the princes was not a short-term matter, and the calls for such reduction from the officials in the imperial court were very high. However, he hadn't expected that the paper set by the Chief Examiner of Jiangnan Province would place "feudal princes" so overtly on the surface; this must have received the Emperor's tacit approval.

This was truly a direct provocation toward the princes...

Xiao Mo certainly had to support the reduction of princely power; it was politically correct. But how to do it...

After much deliberation, Xiao Mo wrote three words on his exam paper: "The Decree of Expanding Favor" (*Tui'en Ling*).

At the hour of *Chen* on the fourth day, the bells rang. The candidates stopped writing, and the exam papers were collected one after another.

The scholars filed out of the examination hall in succession. Some felt they were certain to pass this imperial examination; some felt they had failed; others asked the scholars around them for their views on the various questions.

Amidst the crowd, Xiao Mo's eyes immediately fell upon a woman wearing a veil. Her embroidered shoes stepped on the stones as she gazed into the distance, searching for a certain figure.

The moment the woman saw Xiao Mo, her beautiful eyes overflowed with countless colors of joy: "Xiao Mo, over here, over here!"

Bai Ruxue jumped down from the stones and ran toward Xiao Mo.

"Finished?" Bai Ruxue asked.

"Yes, finished," Xiao Mo nodded, gently patting Bai Ruxue's head. "Let's go home."

"Yay! Going home!"

***

The Grading Pavilion of the Examination Hall.

The grading period for the provincial exam lasted five days in total. Each paper had to be graded three times by officials.

According to the latest rules of the State of Qi, if all three officials deemed a paper passing, the candidate could be selected as a *juren*, and the character "Passed" (*Lu*) would be written. If two officials deemed it passing, it would be passed to the Chief Examiner, who would make the final decision on admission. If only one official deemed it passing, the candidate could only return in three years.

On the third day of grading, an official named Yang Zifang came across a specific paper.

The handwriting on this paper was good, the logic was clear, and the thinking even possessed a certain novelty and breadth. When he was halfway through, Yang Zifang felt this scholar would likely pass.

But when he reached the answer to the final question, he stood up abruptly.

"Old Fang, stop! Look at this paper first!" Yang Zifang said to his colleague.

"What's wrong with it?" Fang Yue took the paper and looked. "The handwriting is good. Although the knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics is a bit weak, the rest is decent, and the policy essay is even better. It can be passed. Hmm???"

Upon seeing the final question, Fang Yue stood up just like Yang Zifang, his eyes wide, reading it over and over.

"Why are you two acting so strange? Let me see."

"I'll take a look too."

The other officials in the room all stopped their grading and walked toward the two men. When they saw the final question of this paper, they were all stunned, reading it repeatedly.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Yang Zifang clutched the paper and hurried into the Chief Examiner's room.

"Lord Zhang, there is an exam paper here that requires your attention," Yang Zifang said, bowing to Zhang Qianzhi.

Zhang Qianzhi was a Hanlin Scholar in charge of the Hanlin Academy. Although the position of Hanlin Scholar was somewhat honorary, Lord Zhang was highly renowned, held great seniority, and was deeply esteemed by the Emperor. The current Prime Minister was a disciple of Lord Zhang. This time, Zhang Qianzhi had come to Jiangnan Province to serve as Chief Examiner primarily because there was nothing to do in the capital and he wished to travel.

"Leave it there," Lord Zhang said indifferently. "I will finish reading this first."

"Lord Zhang..." Yang Zifang organized his words. "This paper has been reviewed by the five colleagues in this room, and all believe it should pass."

"Hmm?" Zhang Qianzhi looked up.

A paper only required three graders, yet six officials had seen it. Furthermore, if three had already passed it, the paper should not have been brought to him, yet he had brought it nonetheless.

"Is there a problem with this paper?" Zhang Qianzhi asked.

"There is no problem per se, but regarding this candidate's final section on 'reducing the power of the princes,' we subordinates believe it requires your personal inspection, Lord Zhang," Yang Zifang said respectfully.

"Bring it here."

"Yes, my Lord."

Zhang Qianzhi took the paper and read it from beginning to end, without looking directly at the final essay first. However, when he reached the final essay, his brow narrowed.

Zhang Qianzhi directly tore off the name-masking strip beside the paper. Yang Zifang gasped; only Old Zhang would dare to do such a thing...

"Xiao Mo."

"This person is quite interesting."