Chapter 506: The Imperial Examinations Commence

In early spring, the northern lands still lack warmth and flowers have not yet bloomed, but the imperial examinations are truly about to begin.

The Great King half‑gave, half‑forced participation, and the number of participants exceeded eight hundred. The Northern Border Academy must have everyone take part, and the scholar‑families of the Northern Border also need to show support for the Great King's new policies; adding the odd few together, by exam time they had already accumulated eight hundred test‑takers.

The Northern Border's first imperial examination is divided into a preliminary and a second trial; the top two hundred in the preliminary advance to the second trial, also called the palace exam, held at the Hall of Bright Yang in the Northern Border Manor. At that time the top three will be appointed directly, and the top eighty‑eight will be assigned offices according to merit.

The Great King tossed this task to Xie Yuan and then didn't want to bother with it at all—when it comes to judging people by exams, who could be more professional than Xie Yuan? Nobody. So he could lie back with a clear conscience.

The Northern Border's preliminary exam isn't that deep, nor is it made as complicated as elsewhere. The preliminary questions are just basic knowledge, meant to sift out those with solid foundations. The exam is set at the Northern Border Academy; candidates enter as dawn breaks and finish when the sun sets.

Results come out in seven days, after which the top two hundred proceed to the palace exam.

Yang Fang personally went to look at the posted list of second‑trial candidates; the red banner, stretching fifty meters, was packed tight with clueless onlookers who didn't even know if they could read.

Yang Fang's spirits rose with the crowd, and he pushed his way in. The list of two hundred had no rankings, but besides him and his clansman Yang Ze, there were many familiar names, not a few of them famed talents. For example, Xie Tu, Lu Xin, and Liu Wen.

The Northern Border really went and snatched the entire Range Yang Academy!

The more you know about academic circles, the more shocking this is—this shouldn't be dwelt on. Now the two top academies of the Great Jin, Celebration Yang Academy and Range Yang Academy, have they both been poached by the Northern Border? Celebration Yang Academy's foundation is the Xie clan, and now the Xie clan almost entirely resides in the Northern Border, with both of its core figures already in official service.

Range Yang Academy moved lock, stock, and barrel to the Northern Border after a mutiny, following the Lu clan; a glance at the list shows several famous students from Range Yang Academy.

Yang Fang had already thought of what to put in the newspaper's next main edition—shouldn't these two hundred be listed?

One has to admit Yang Fang somewhat gets the Great King's tactics; he indeed intends to do that.

After watching the excitement, Wei Shen also asked the Great King, what if these people pass and get on the list but refuse to work for you as oxen and horses?

"…You can still force them to take office in the Northern Border? A melon twisted off the vine isn't sweet."

"I will win them over with virtue, letting them know that this first exam is the easiest; later exams, once refined, will be harder and they may not be able to keep up. Or they should seize the present opportunity. Do you think everyone is like Xie Tu?!"

"What if they still refuse?"

The Great King stood with hands on hips, "Then I will let the world know they once were people of the Northern Border."

That 'once'—you'll have to feel it yourself.

The palace exam is held in the Hall of Bright Yang, part of the former court palace complex of the Northern Border Manor. The main hall of the Hall of Bright Yang had been empty; now it's been allocated for the palace exam, filled with two hundred desks. Security checks for the palace exam are far stricter than for the preliminary—only two personally favored brushes may be brought, and even inkstones and ink slabs are uniformly supplied, making things look very proper.

For the palace exam the Great King had to show his face, but he sat on the high platform and nobody would look up at him; after a few words of encouragement he let everyone start answering.

Hearing that clear, crisp tone and succinct speech, obviously a young man, how could he have tossed the Northern Border into its present state? This is the shared feeling of many present.

Today's exam questions were quickly handed out—just six simple characters: "How to end the chaotic age?"

Xie Tu raised his eyebrows—did they really hold a meeting for two whole days to study this uncle‑of‑the‑father question? This bare‑bones topic, could it really not be something the Great King thought up in three seconds? Of course, maybe he did think of it in three seconds, then they spent two days arguing over whether to use it.

Yang Fang blinked twice after receiving it, then looked again—this policy question really is: "How to end the chaotic age?"

…Is this question even worth asking?

But…they're different from the Lu and Xie clans; these folks who just took a jaunt to You Prefecture—after they finish writing, can they really be sure to return home safely?!

In his peripheral vision he saw the neighboring examinees, all racking their brains, nobody yet putting pen to paper to crack the topic—how to write it really does require careful thought.

Write too well, and you might not be able to go back to your hometown.

Write too poorly, and the family would lose face.

Taking advantage of the fact that nobody dares to look up, the Great King craned his neck from above to inspect his cheap cousin‑in‑law. Tsk tsk, up close he's quite handsome. Although they're all relatives, if your writing doesn't live up to the reputation of the Southern Xie and Northern Yang, the Great King won't let you off.

Only the Great King can pull off bluffing; nobody else could manage it.