Chapter 600: How to Face the Heavenly Court

Love Shenjing, Examination Hall, 3rd month, 27th day, before dawn.

Last night there was another spring rain, and the air was filled with moist coldness.

The eastern sky had already begun to glow with a hint of dawn, casting a golden hue over the eaves of the Examination Hall's corner towers, leaving a magnificent and towering silhouette against the ink-blue sky.

Outside the Examination Hall, the vast Love Shenjing city, apart from some faint bustling coming from the East Market not far away, the entire capital was like a dormant giant beast, still immersed in deep sleep.

However, the cubicles densely arranged in the Examination Hall had long since lit up candle flames, and looking from afar, it was like a piece of stars shining in the boundless night sky.

And compared to the previous few days, there were a few more patrolling runners in every alley, the purpose of which was to guard against candle flames...

Since the spring examination of the 15th year of Emperor Jia Zhao began, in the first few days of the examination, at this same time, most candidates were still sleeping in the cubicles.

But today was different, because the 27th day of the 3rd month was the last day of the three-session policy question examination, and also the end of the spring examination grand competition.

At sunset today, the spring examination would lower its curtain.

For all candidates, today was the moment for their final sprint on the path to climbing the blue clouds.

Every spring examination grand competition, the Examination Hall only provided one free white wax candle per person per day, which was not because the imperial court was too stingy.

Because every time the Great Zhou spring examination had no fewer than three thousand candidates, even if it was one white wax candle per person per day, the consumption of tens of thousands of white wax candles over nine days was already astonishing.

Added to the fact that the cubicles in the Examination Hall were dense, lighting candles at night posed a great fire hazard, so the imperial court, considering the safety of the Examination Hall, did not encourage candidates entering the examination to use candles to study every day.

But this matter was not easy to strictly prohibit, so candidates were allowed to bring a limited amount of white wax candles into the examination, leading to some students cheating by sealing things in wax.

Therefore, the white wax candles brought by candidates entering the examination would be broken and inspected by the inspection runners, almost without exception.

Broken white wax candles were often inconvenient to light. Toward the end of the spring examination, to satisfy the candidates' need to rush through drafts through the night, the Examination Hall would sell a limited amount of white wax candles.

Of course, the white wax candles and meals of the Examination Hall were known for being very expensive, but toward the last two days of the spring examination, no matter how expensive the white wax candles were, they would be snapped up...

The first policy question of this spring examination was too difficult and magnificent, causing the four sub-questions derived from the first question to also become difficult to start with.

Since the 24th day of the 3rd month, when the three sessions of policy questions began, only a small number of candidates received the first question and, after some deliberation, began to write essays.

Most candidates racked their brains and thought hard for most of the day, and only began to write in the afternoon or even at night.

A small number of candidates with limited talent even took until the second morning to clear their thoughts and write reluctantly.

And on the last night before the end of the three sessions, many students fought through the night, sleepless, exhausting all their mental strength, repeatedly modifying and writing drafts, striving for perfection.

Actually, it was not strange at all for this situation to appear. There were more than three thousand candidates for this spring examination, and in the end, less than one in a hundred would place on the list.

The imperial examination from the provincial examination had always been a path to the blue clouds for a minority of scholars. For most candidates, they were just accompanying the examination and going through the motions.

How many students racked their brains for nine days in the Examination Hall, but because their talent, will, and diligence were a step behind, they were destined to miss the success and list, and in the end, could only move themselves...

Jia Cong had begun writing essays from the first day of the three sessions, completed the draft that day, sorted out his thoughts on the draft at night, and went to bed early.

On the second day of the three sessions, he spent a whole day carefully pondering and modifying the draft, correcting several versions during the process, and even the back of the draft was filled with words.

By the time he was certain and finalized, with no more doubts or omissions, the night wind was cold and the moon had risen in the east.

He carefully folded the draft, put it under the bedding, carefully put the blank formal paper into the examination box, and went to bed early.

Sleeping until the second day, before the Mao hour, he woke up in high spirits, took dry rations to heat on the stove, and carefully ate breakfast.

He also took out the red clay teapot gifted by Daiyu, put in fresh Siamese tribute tea, and cooked it on the small stove in the cubicle.

By the time the Mao hour arrived, the east was slightly bright, the spring chill was lingering, and the stove fire was shining red; the water was boiling and the tea was cooked.

He filled a cup with fragrant tea. As the tea entered his mouth, he felt warm all over, his mind clear, and his spirit high.

He took out yesterday's draft, ground ink and spread paper, and finalized the answers to the five policy questions, neatly transcribing them onto the formal paper.

Years ago, Jia Cong relied on a pair of calligraphy couplets to be pasted on the door panel at home by his wet nurse, Aunt Zhao, and accidentally was seen by a guest of Prince Kangshun, thus showing his talent in the Jia family.

Over these years, whether he was studying or working as an official, he never stopped the tempering of his calligraphy, and his brushwork had become increasingly perfect.

Having been immersed in calligraphy for many years, his foundation was solid, and his writing was smooth and fast, incomparable to ordinary people.

From the dark early morning to the rising sun, when the sky was bright, he only spent an hour transcribing all the answers to the five policy questions.

On the snow-white formal paper, lines of elegant and neat handwriting were like carvings, regular and exquisite, pleasing to the eye.

However, very few people had the fortune to see such exquisite calligraphy; in the end, it could

Because the Metropolitan Examination had concluded, all candidates' answer sheets would be sent to the Ministry of Rites' Transcription Office for copying before being distributed for grading.

Clerks would use red ink to copy the answer sheets word for word, without a single omission; the chief examiners and associate examiners would only read the copied duplicates, while the originals would be sealed and stored separately.

This was to prevent the examiners from identifying the candidates by their handwriting while grading, thereby preventing related instances of malpractice.

Jia Cong carefully browsed through the completed official copy once more, and upon confirming there were no errors or omissions, he properly put away his draft and the official copy, and then his entire person relaxed...

At this time, many candidates were still deep in thought, and the majority had also begun transcribing their official copies.

Occasionally, the miserable cries of individual candidates could be heard from the rows of cells; listening to these laments, it was likely that they had made typos during the transcription process or had stained the surface of their official copies.

If such a situation occurred, it would not necessarily lead to the invalidation of the examination paper, but when it entered the clerks' transcription process, it would certainly be recorded as an unclean paper, and subsequent grading and evaluation would be subject to deductions.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, Jia Cong began to toast his dry rations as usual and earnestly ate his midday meal.

However, most of the candidates in their cells were still there, writing furiously...

It was not until the Shen hour had just arrived that the clear, resonant sound of the cloud board being struck echoed through each row of cells.

Some candidates felt a sense of relief, while more candidates felt their spirits grow even more tense, racing against time to transcribe their official copies.

Because the striking of the cloud board at the Shen hour today signified that only one hour remained for the three sessions of policy questions.

At the same time, the 15th year of Emperor Jia Zhao Metropolitan Examination would end in one hour...

After the sound of the cloud board faded, Jia Cong heard crisp bells beginning to ring one after another in the nearby rows of cells, revealing a sense of joy and agility, high spirits, and relief...

Because, after the Shen hour on the final day of the Metropolitan Examination, candidates could begin to submit their papers.

Although the policy questions for this Metropolitan Examination were more profound and difficult to answer than in previous years, among the three thousand candidates, there was never a shortage of those with extraordinary talent.

Some racked their brains with difficult thoughts, while others had thoughts flowing like a fountain, writing thousands of words with ease.

Among the thousands of students in the Examination Hall, there were not a few who, like Jia Cong, had prepared their answers in advance.

However, Jia Cong was not in a hurry to submit his paper, as the Metropolitan Examination had explicit regulations that students taking the exam in the Examination Hall must wait until the Wenhua Bell rang at the end of the examination before they could leave the Examination Hall together.

Even if one submitted the paper early now, one would still have to wait in the cell for the Examination Hall to open.

Time passed slowly, and it was not until the fifth quarter of the Shen hour that Jia Cong rang the bell in his cell. Before long, two minor officials accompanied by a handyman yamen runner came to Jia Cong's cell to collect his paper.

Because collecting the papers was also an important part of the Metropolitan Examination, this was to prevent the swapping of papers or malpractice during the collection process.

Each time papers were collected, two regular minor officials had to be present simultaneously to supervise each other.

When collecting the examination papers, both the candidate and the collecting official had to register in a ledger, and then sign and seal the folded corners of the official copy and the draft paper respectively.

Once an examination paper was damaged or lost, by checking the ledger registration and comparing the two, the source could be traced; the negligent official would be exiled for minor offenses, or executed for major ones.

After the minor official received the candidate's examination paper, it was immediately transferred to the Examination Hall's sealing official for sealing.

The sealing official would fill in the folded corner where the name was written, stamp it with an official seal, and seal it.

Afterward, the sealing official would send it to the transcription official for transcription; the red-ink transcribed examination paper, apart from the paper number, contained no other personal information.

The procedure was extremely rigorous and orderly, not allowing for the slightest error, otherwise the relevant officials would all be implicated and punished...

By the time Jia Cong submitted his paper, more than a dozen positions ahead of his cell, the Hangzhou Prefecture Jieyuan Lin Zhaorong also rang the examination bell.

In a more distant cell, after nine days of exams, Wu Liang's slightly chubby face was somewhat haggard, but his eyes were bright as he watched the collecting official walk away, his gaze filled with anxiety and hope.

!

After Jia Cong submitted his paper and packed up his belongings, another few quarters of an hour passed, and the Wenhua Bell signaling the opening of the Examination Hall finally rang.

The booming sound of the bell spread from the Examination Hall, loud enough for most of the Love Shenjing to hear, and the 15th year of Emperor Jia Zhao Metropolitan Examination officially came to an end.

When Jia Cong followed the crowd out of the cell rows and passed by Lin Zhaorong, he did not recognize this Jieyuan from Hangzhou Prefecture who had once sent a calling card to his door.

In his daily life, apart from going to the yamen to work and entering the Firearm Division workshop to do things, he spent the rest of his time living peacefully at home and rarely moved about outside.

Therefore, a commoner candidate like Lin Zhaorong also did not recognize the appearance of the famous Count Weiyuan.

Jia Cong followed the stream of candidates out of the Examination Hall's main gate; the nearby streets were already filled with many carriages, all belonging to the families and friends waiting to welcome the candidates.

Zhou Yan walked out of the Examination Hall with a decadent spirit and a depressed mood, when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind; he turned his head to search among the exiting candidates.

Seeing Wu Liang's slightly chubby smiling face, he waved at him and called out: "Brother Brother Bao Kun, I am here!"

Zhou Yan's eyes brightened slightly, and he hurriedly stopped to wait. Wu Liang walked up quickly and said: "That day, you and I had an appointment; why did you break it, making me wait for a long time?

How did Brother Bao Kun do on the exam this time? Do you have any confidence in passing?"

Zhou Yan pulled Wu Liang a few steps away, glanced at the crowd pouring out of the Examination Hall, and sighed in low spirits: "I originally thought you and I had found an opportunity, but I didn't expect that when the time came, a change would occur.

The policy questions this time were extremely obscure and difficult; it was truly a miscalculation, a miscalculation..."

As soon as Wu Liang heard Zhou Yan's words, his heart could not help but skip a beat.

Looking again at his depressed and dejected expression, how could he not see that his Metropolitan Examination this time was extremely unfavorable, and he had likely failed...

The words that had originally reached his lips were suddenly swallowed back down.

Now, to go and say that because he broke the appointment that day, he himself was unable to inform him in time about the change regarding the chief examiner Huang Hongcang.

Apart from adding to his troubles, it had no other meaning, and it would only create some complications; why bother?

The two walked together for a while, when Zhou Yan suddenly thought of something and asked: "Xiwen, I remember you quite appreciated the guidance from Master Xu that day, and even bought the collection of essays he recommended.

This time, the chief examiner was suddenly changed to Master Xu; did his pointers that day yield any harvest for your exam this time?"

Wu Liang listened to these words, his face stiffening slightly, and he hurriedly said: "That day, I listened to your advice and bought the collection of essays he recommended, but it was just a whim..."

Seeing Zhou Yan's haggard face, Wu Liang sighed inwardly and said: "The first policy question this time was quite profound. When we just left the hall, many of our peers had many complaints.

I just finished writing it carelessly; now that you and I have left the hall, whether we have gained anything from this Metropolitan Examination can only depend on heaven's will."

Zhou Yan sighed again upon hearing this. Wu Liang said: "When I just left the hall, I didn't see Brother Yichun's shadow either. He has the talent of a Jieyuan, so he must have done better than you all.

When we have time in the future, the three of us will make an appointment to have a good drink together. Having been in the cell for nine days, my body is almost smelling; I must go back to wash up immediately. We brothers will meet again another day."

Zhou Yan gave a powerless smile upon hearing this; what Wu Liang said was the truth. Which candidate who had been holed up in a cell for nine days was not disheveled?

He waved his hand at Wu Liang, then hired a carriage and returned to his own residence.

Seeing Zhou Yan's carriage drive away, Wu Liang could not help but let out a sigh of relief and also returned excitedly to the Hongxiang Inn.

Jia Cong walked out of the Examination Hall's main gate and saw Jiang Liu standing by the side of the road, with two carriages beside him.

Seeing Jia Cong leave the hall, he hurriedly came forward and smiled: "Third Master, you've left the hall!

After midday today, the Eldest Miss and the young ladies at home had us prepare the carriages and wait at the Examination Hall gate to pick you up and return to the prefecture."

Jia Cong saw that apart from Jiang Liu, the steward of the Ningguo Prefecture had brought a few servants and was also waiting beside the carriages.

They saw that Jia Cong's hair was messy but he was in high spirits; although he was a bit disheveled, which candidate leaving the Examination Hall was not in such a sloppy state?

Everyone hurriedly stepped forward to take Jia Cong's luggage. A person stepped down from the other carriage, and it was Jia Zheng, which surprised Jia Cong quite a bit.

Jia Zheng smiled: "I just happened to be off duty at this hour, so I came by to see how Cong Ge'er did on the spring examination?"

Jia Cong knew that Jia Zheng's so-called "just happened to be off duty" was merely an excuse; he had some obsession with the examination career, and in his heart, he was truly concerned about his own examination situation.

Jia Cong smiled: "To make you come here, Master, I truly cannot bear it. Master, please rest assured, everything is still good."

Hearing the words "still good," and seeing Jia Cong's radiant face, Jia Zheng knew he had done quite well and could not help but feel joy in his heart.

He smiled: "Good, good. My Rongguo Prefecture has been blessed with literary brilliance this time, and we have finally produced a descendant who has made his way through the examination career; it is truly the protection of our ancestors!"

Jia Zheng praised Jia Cong a few more times; if it were not for the fact that the street was too conspicuous, he would likely have wanted everyone to know that the Rongguo Prefecture had also produced a successful Jinshi.

When all the candidates withdrew from the Examination Hall, this spring examination competition that moved the entire world began to enter its next stage.

The busyness in the Examination Hall seemed to have only just truly begun.

Starting from tonight, the sixty sealing officials who had already gathered at the Examination Hall would uniformly seal and stamp the more than three thousand answer sheets collected, totaling tens of thousands of official copies.

After midday tomorrow, the Ministry of Rites would organize clerks to uniformly transcribe all sealed answer sheets in red ink.

The screening and elimination of candidates for the spring examination would begin from the transcription of the answer sheets...

Before transcription, the transcription officials would conduct various detailed inspections of the candidates' official copies.

Whether the answer sheet ignored taboos, whether it self-narrated the family's status, whether the word count met the regulations, whether there were any usurping words on the paper, whether the accompanying draft was complete, and so on.

As long as one item did not comply with the regulations, the official copy would be immediately eliminated; even if the candidate's essay was written brilliantly, it would be in vain.

When the candidates finished the nine days of the spring examination and walked out of the Examination Hall's main gate, no one could truly relax.

From the curtain falling on the Metropolitan Examination to the final posting of the list and the calling of names, it would take a month; what awaited them would be greater torment and waiting, or even unknown changes...

(End of chapter)