Chapter 4: The Magistrate's Evaluation, Posted on the List!

"This official has served in the northwest for ten years and has never seen such a penetrating strategy for controlling Xia Zhice!"

These words were like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, causing the entire examination hall to instantly erupt into chaos.

"What? Does the Magistrate praise him so highly?"

"Isn't Lu Beigu the one who has always ranked last?"

He Cong, not far away, heard it all clearly; his face instantly flushed red. He had just mocked Lu Beigu for having "no clever tricks in his essay," yet in the blink of an eye, the other man had received such praise from the Magistrate.

"This poor scholar, did he perhaps steal someone else's draft?" he muttered angrily in a low voice.

"Shh, speak quietly!" someone beside him warned.

Meanwhile, Li Pan, knowing and caring nothing for the thoughts of the scholars in the examination hall, reached out and picked up Lu Beigu's answer sheet; the paper made a faint rustling sound between his rough fingers.

"What is your name?"

Li Pan's voice remained hoarse, yet it carried a touch more warmth.

"Student Lu Beigu, from Gulin Town."

"Gulin Town." Li Pan nodded thoughtfully. "Is it that Gulin Town under the Luo clan's jurisdiction upstream of Anle Creek?"

"Precisely."

Strictly speaking, Lu Beigu was not a native of Hejiang County; the place where his household registration lay was Gulin Town, which fell under the jurisdiction of the tributary power, the Luo clan.

But that area was not directly governed by the Song government, nor were prefectures or counties established there, let alone county schools or prefectural schools.

Historically, Gulin Town and Hejiang County belonged to the same Lin Prefecture during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and with the Anle Creek waterway available for use, travel was extremely convenient; thus, scholars from Gulin Town generally came to Hejiang County to attend the county school.

Li Pan's gaze lingered for a moment on Lu Beigu's soaked clothes and the wound on his forehead, but he asked no further questions, simply continuing.

"Do you know why the court has never implemented a policy similar to the 'Commercial Disruption of Sinews and Veins' strategy?"

By asking this question, which extended from the essay, Li Pan actually implied a test.

For if this essay was merely a memorized draft recited by Lu Beigu rather than his true ability, he would certainly be unable to answer.

Lu Beigu's forehead was beginning to sweat; it was not that he could not answer, but rather that he suddenly realized that being too powerful was not necessarily a good thing.

Because he had originally approached this with a "since I'm already here" mindset, planning to perform just enough to get through this essay examination.

But once he entered the flow, he overperformed!

What should be done now?

One must remember, the predecessor's essay scores were far from ideal.

Suddenly making a name for oneself and becoming so strong all at once would inevitably arouse suspicion.

However, thinking about this now was useless; if he did not answer well and his performance did not match the level shown in the essay, that would be even more troublesome.

—Rather than having the Magistrate suspect cheating, it was better to maintain this outstanding state!

Having clarified these thoughts, Lu Beigu replied with neither humility nor arrogance.

"In reply to the Magistrate, it is because of the word 'profit.' The current dynasty's finances are as precarious as a stack of eggs; the military and civilians in the northwest live in extreme hardship, often going months or even years without receiving full pay, so the livelihoods of border fortresses rely heavily on the profits from smuggling."

"Moreover, the Xie Salt consumed in Guanzhong is expensive, and the court, for the sake of salt tax revenue, finds it difficult to lower the price; even if the common people are willing to support it, driven by their livelihood, they are forced to purchase smuggled Green Salt."

Modern people find it hard to understand the significance of salt to ancient people, because for modern people, a bag of very high-quality salt costing only a few yuan in a supermarket represents an expenditure completely disproportionate to income.

But for ancient people, the expenditure required to obtain this substance, essential for maintaining bodily functions, was extremely high.

In fact, the Song Dynasty did not lack sufficient salt, nor was it incapable of selling salt at low prices; rather, with limited fiscal revenue and bearing the burden of the 'Three Redundancies,' to continue maintaining the normal operation of the state, it was necessary to enforce the state monopoly on salt and sell it at high prices.

Therefore, it was not that no one had previously thought of sanctioning Western Xia by banning the transport of Green Salt; it was simply that it could not be done.

Because compared to the state-run Xie Salt within the Song borders, Western Xia Green Salt was not only of better quality but also lower in price; setting aside taste, for people in Guanzhong to consume state-run Xie Salt cost fifty-five wen per jin, whereas smuggled Western Xia Green Salt cost only fifteen wen per jin.

If you were an ordinary commoner in Guanzhong, how would you choose?

With the essay examination not yet concluded, Li Pan, having conducted a slight test, did not continue to inquire in detail, simply saying, "You may go change your clothes first; do not catch a cold. When the examination ends, I will send someone to summon you."

This was not mere politeness, but a very critical matter.

In this era, a young man could endure for a while after falling into water.

But if one never dried off and changed into clean clothes, it would truly be fatal.

"Student obeys."

As Lu Beigu turned and walked toward the examination hall entrance, he could feel everyone's gaze focused on him.

Those who had once looked down on and mocked him now had eyes full of disbelief.

He was not unfamiliar with such gazes.

Lu Beigu had been a top scholar since childhood; during his schooling, skipping grades was like eating, and winning awards was like drinking water; he graduated with a doctorate at twenty-two and became a lecturer at Jiang University, and by twenty-six, he was already an associate professor.

He was the most shining new star in the domestic humanities and social sciences field, having led countless national research projects.

Although in teaching and debating eloquence, Lu Beigu admitted he was far inferior to his colleague and friend named Jiang Xinghuo, when it came to learning, examinations, and writing creativity, the situation was reversed.

"Well, I died suddenly from overwork before finishing my thesis, and now the second authorship for Teacher Jiang is also off the cards; I hope he can successfully be promoted to associate professor this year."

The spring sunlight warmly bathed his body; Lu Beigu took a deep breath, feeling the fresh air free of industrial pollution, and cast the chaotic thoughts in his mind aside.

The past cannot be retrieved, but the future is still attainable.

Since he had already transmigrated his soul to the Northern Song, returning was certainly impossible.

Therefore, for Lu Beigu, the Most Urgent Now was to survive well in this era.

And in this era that valued literature over martial arts, an essay might not completely change one's destiny, but it was enough to pry open his original life trajectory.

And his abilities were absolutely not as simple as casually writing an essay.

When Lu Beigu returned to the student dormitory where he lodged at the county school to change clothes, Magistrate Li Pan and several county school officials had also begun reviewing the submitted answer sheets in another room.

All candidates outside in the examination hall were not allowed to leave; they had to stay in place and wait for the results.

The vast majority of these received a 'C' grade rating.

However, how to grade Lu Beigu's essay caused the School Director to face a dilemma.

This essay not only offered unique insights but also possessed a seasoned writing style, citing classics effortlessly; where was the level of a county school student in this?

Hmm, the reason for the heavy use of allusions in the essay wasn't Lu Beigu deliberately showing off his learning; rather, scoring criteria for policy essays included this requirement—one must use allusions to support arguments. Su Shi even once fabricated the allusion of "Three Executions, Three Pardons" on the spot.

Moreover, to be honest, the allusions Lu Beigu used not only fit the arguments perfectly but were not even particularly obscure.

If one were to use allusions and write in the style of the "Taixue Style," currently most popular in Kaifeng, that would truly be awkward and convoluted.

"It can be rated Grade A. As for whether it is Top A or Middle A, that is hard to say."

"Fullness invites loss; humility brings benefit."

Magistrate Li Pan set the tone: "Let it be Middle A. Post this best policy essay of the exam on the county school wall."

After grading was finished, the School Director walked out of the room to the examination hall to announce the results in order.

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① A respectful title for county officials during the Tang and Song dynasties, also called "Yi Hou." In the Ming and Qing dynasties, titles like "Da Ling," "Tai Ye," and "Xian Zun" were commonly used.

② The original text reads: "In the time of Yao, Gao Yao served as the judge. When someone was to be executed, Gao Yao said 'execute' three times, while Yao said 'pardon' three times. Thus, the world feared Gao Yao's firm enforcement of the law, yet rejoiced in Yao's leniency in punishment." This was an allusion Su Shi fabricated on the spot during an exam to support his argument.

③ A literary style popular in the Taixue at that time, characterized by a pursuit of dangerous, bizarre, and obscure writing.

(End of this chapter)