All the places where the names were written on the test papers were covered with notes, and then sent to the marking room of the Academy of Literature.
The marking room of the Academy of Literature was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
The marking room of the Prefecture’s Academy of Literature was extremely spacious. The test papers of more than 20,000 child scholars were placed on rows of tables, resembling a paper-making workshop.
Three examiners, one inspector from the Imperial Examination, and ten presented scholars from the Academy of Literature stood in front of the statue of Confucius.
“We respectfully request the judgment of the Sage!”
An invisible force descended, causing a gust of wind in the room.
All the test papers emitted a smoky orange aura of talent, but the intensity and level of talent varied.
An invisible force swept through, moving tens of thousands of test papers to one side of the marking room, stacking them together to form a mountain of papers.
Finally, the top two hundred test papers with the highest talent were placed on the tables.
Prefect Dong said, “The five movements of the literary star, whether it is a blessing or a curse, since the Sages have increased the number of talented scholars, it is a good thing for our human race. Let’s begin the marking.”
The ten presented scholars from the Academy of Literature walked forward, each selecting nineteen test papers, while the top ten test papers with the most talent remained in their original positions.
Unlike the county-level examination, the prefectural examination required the presented scholars from the Academy of Literature to cross-mark the test papers. After evaluating their own test papers, they had to judge the test papers of others.
The three examiners and the inspector looked at the top ten test papers.
The stack of test papers with the highest ranking had a talent of two feet and four inches, followed by two feet and one inch, two feet, and one foot and nine inches.
Prefect Dong smiled and asked, “Do you want to guess who has the most talent?”
Zhou Zhubu said, “Is there a need to guess? The first place must be Fang Yun.”
“What Zhou Daren said is correct.” Feng Zimo smiled.
Inspector Geng sneered, “That may not be the case. Even if he has the highest talent, it could be in poetry and not necessarily in the classics. Look at the talents of the others, the difference is less than a foot. The position of the most talented scholar is still uncertain! As disciples of the Sages, you all praise Fang Yun so much before marking the papers. If it weren’t for the sake of your reputation, I would have requested the Sage to dismiss your qualification to mark the papers.”
The three examiners were angry in their hearts, but they had nothing to say. Although the marking of the imperial examination was serious, everyone was literate and not wooden. There was no need to be so strict. Inspector Geng was right, and he was also a Hanlin scholar. They could only feel frustrated.
“Inspector Geng is right. Let’s start marking.” Prefect Dong suddenly walked quickly to the first test paper, and the other two deputy examiners followed silently.
According to the rules, the chief examiner would invite the inspector from the Imperial Examination to judge the first test paper. This was to respect the status of the Holy Academy and the high-ranking officials. However, Inspector Geng had already torn his face and made things difficult for Fang Yun. If it weren’t for Fang Yun’s threat to request the judgment of the Sage, Inspector Geng would have been even more relentless.
One was a local powerful figure, and the other was an official of the Holy Academy. The two would probably never meet again in their lives. Inspector Geng had already turned hostile, so the three examiners in Jing Kingdom no longer needed to consider anything.
The three of them stood in front of the test papers, while Inspector Geng could only turn his head away.
Inspector Geng sneered, showing no signs of anger.
When the four of them looked at the test papers, three of them had their expressions changed.
Inspector Geng took a closer look and laughed, “This is not Fang Yun’s handwriting, I recognize it! Fang Yun is not the most talented person. It seems that there are many talented individuals in Yuhai City. Good! Good!”
Prefect Dong said with a dark face, “Inspector Geng is being inappropriate.”
Inspector Geng didn’t mind and smiled as he looked at the top-ranked test paper, saying, “Let me see, the talent in classics is one foot and six inches, and the talent in poetry is eight inches. I don’t recognize this handwriting, but if my guess is correct, it seems to be from that Tong Li? Impressive. With this talent in classics, he can compete for the position of talented scholar in many places. If there is no cheating in the imperial examination, the position of talented scholar in Yuhai City belongs to him.”
Zhou Zhubu, who had the best relationship with Fang Yun, said in a deep voice, “Inspector Geng, please be quiet. This is the marking room, not a place for baseless praise.”
Inspector Geng still smiled confidently, as if victory was already in his grasp.
Prefect Dong said, “Let us cross-mark the papers and make the final evaluation. Inspector Geng can verify it.”
“Please!”
“Please!”
Feng Yuanjun and Zhou Zhubu politely exchanged words, ignoring Inspector Geng.
Prefect Dong looked at the classics, Feng Yuanjun looked at the poetry, and Zhou Zhubu looked at the request for the judgment of the Sage.
In a short time, Prefect Dong wrote two characters with a red pen on Tong Li’s classics.
Second Class.
Inspector Geng glanced at it and didn’t say anything. This evaluation was objective. Tong Li’s talent in classics was good, and his ability to solve the questions was at the level of Second Class. However, the later part was average, but he still stood out among the talented scholars.
Inspector Geng observed coldly. The current evaluation was still tentative. Except for the request for the judgment of the Sage, the highest evaluation in both poetry and classics, even if it was Third Class, would be changed to First Class.
The other two examiners also made their evaluations.
Tong Li’s request for the judgment of the Sage, poetry, and classics were Second Class, Second Class, and Second Class respectively.
Afterwards, the three of them cross-marked the papers and found no problems. The final evaluations were the same as the first examiner.
Under normal circumstances, the three examiners would praise Tong Li, as three Second Class evaluations were rare. If nothing unexpected happened, this person would undoubtedly be a talented scholar of the Prefecture.
Before the three examiners could speak, Inspector Geng said, “Well done! The three of you are fair.”
The three of them looked at each other and began marking the second test paper.
The handwriting was still not Fang Yun’s.The faces of the three men grew even more unsightly, while Geng Xuncha’s smile grew wider.
Soon, the second set of grades appeared, respectively being C+, B, and B-.
Geng Xuncha said, “This person’s grades in the classics and interpretation are the same as Tong Li’s, but Tong Li’s talent in the classics is four inches higher, so he is not as good as Tong Li.”
The three men said nothing, silently proceeding to grade the third set of papers.
It still wasn’t Fang Yun’s.
The faces of the three examiners were now indistinguishable from a black pot, but they had the Courage to Write, so even if their mood was bad, they wouldn’t grade randomly.
The third person’s grades were C+, B+, and C+.
Geng Xuncha once again commented, “This person’s poetry is county-level, with a talent of one foot and one inch, deserving of a B+. I’ve seen the handwriting of the fourth person, it should be Fang Yun.” With the Sage watching over the world, some words could be said without causing any harm. After all, the three Half-Sages were the real examiners.
The three examiners began to read Fang Yun’s papers with complex emotions.
Please separate the sacred words, poetry, and interpretation. A hint of despair actually appeared in the eyes of the three men.
Above Fang Yun’s interpretation, there was only a very faint talent, not even an inch.
“Let’s continue.” Prefect Dong sighed lightly and began to read Fang Yun’s interpretation.
After reading the opening question, Prefect Dong exclaimed, “Good! In my ten years as an examiner, this is the first time I’ve seen such a clever opening question! If the rest of the paper is not bad, I will definitely give it an A!”
The other three immediately looked over, and Geng Xuncha also craned his neck to see.
“Wonderful! Even I am not as good!”
“Great talent!”
The smile on Geng Xuncha’s face disappeared.
Prefect Dong slowly said, “Talent is the only measure of poetry, but it is not the only measure of interpretation and policy discussion. Especially the sages and disciples of Confucius before the Qin Dynasty, their interpretations often have no talent. But they contain great truths. When the Great Scholar Yi Zhishi of the Wu Kingdom took the Presented Scholar exam, his interpretation only had a mere three inches of talent, but he still outshone everyone else and got an A.”
Geng Xuncha knew that Prefect Dong was saying this for his benefit. He didn’t respond, and continued to read.
As the four men slowly read on, Geng Xuncha’s face grew darker and darker, while the expressions of the three examiners became more and more rich.
“If I were Prefect Dong, the first comment would definitely be ‘strict structure’! This Fang Yun, from the opening question, to the following arguments, and then to the original question, is extremely smooth. He really didn’t let us down. Even if he were the top scholar of a nation, his structure couldn’t be better.”
“The opening question is clever, and the strict structure is secondary. What I like most is the development of abdication, hereditary succession, and public election. Abdication and hereditary succession are great rituals. There are changes in rituals, but he has unearthed their meanings from them. The meanings are also changing, echoing the opening question. If there is a problem with the talent of this interpretation, it must be in the public election he hypothesized. Although he is unable to hypothesize a public election system as perfect as abdication and hereditary succession, he clearly points out the characteristics of balance and stability, which are very in line with the ‘Doctrine of the Mean’ of our Confucianism. However, he also emphasizes in the public election that the Sage is watching, indicating that this public election is not a flawless ritual. Fortunately, if there is a great ritual of the nation that can get rid of all the Saints, it would be less beautiful.”
“Although his hypothesis is bold, in terms of balance and stability, it surpasses the current ten-nation system. If the ten nations do not have a Sage, the nation can only rely on a wise monarch to maintain it. But if the monarch is incompetent, then the nation is in danger. He also clarifies in it that since the characteristics of balance and stability are chosen, there will also be negative characteristics that come with it. If he can take the best of both worlds and incorporate its essence into the ten nations, he can become a Great Scholar based on this paper!”
“A!”
“A grade!”
“A grade!”
Prefect Dong wrote under Fang Yun’s interpretation, “The opening question is wonderfully clever, the structure is strict. There are signs of change, opportunities to prosper the human race, feasible methods, deep understanding of rites and righteousness, A grade!”
Then Zhou Zhubu and Feng Yuanjun also wrote A grade comments on it. As long as the papers behind do not have equally brilliant interpretations, Fang Yun will definitely be a promising talent.
But Geng Xuncha said, “This paper cannot get an A grade!”
The three examiners looked at Geng Xuncha together. The others were fine, but Feng Zimo immediately angrily said, “Geng Xuncha, this paper is clearly an A grade paper, how can it not get an A grade? I know you are colluding with Shi Dehong, the disciple of the Poetry King, and want to take revenge on my Jing Kingdom. But if you want to ruin the great talent of my Jing Kingdom, I will definitely ask for a holy trial to expose you! Whether you have selfish intentions or not, you know best in your heart!”
“Mr. Geng, you must think twice. Fang Yun’s ‘Inscription of the Shabby Room’ was commented on by the Half-Sage! If this paper is judged as an A grade by the holy trial, you will lose your position in the Holy Academy at the least, and your Courage to Write will not be solid, and you will never make any progress in this life!”
Zhou Zhubu sneered, “Prefect Dong, Prefect Feng, you two are Imperial Scholars. If you fail to ask for a holy trial, it will be a great disaster. I am just a Presented Scholar, even if I fail, it doesn’t matter. Mr. Geng, don’t force me to ask for a holy trial.”
Geng Xuncha slowly said, “Although the hypothesis of this paper is very wonderful, it is ultimately a hypothesis. No one has written a book to prove it. Giving it an A grade is too much. I suggest that it be the same as Tong Li’s, both given a B. The grades are the same, fair and unbiased.”
“You seem to be fair and unbiased, but you still have a harmful heart. If both of them are B, Tong Li’s paper has more talent and will definitely be changed to an A grade! Prefect Dong, I ask you one last time, will you give Fang Yun an A grade? If you don’t, you don’t need to bother yourself, I will ask for a holy trial right away, and let the three Half-Sage examiners decide this paper!” (To be continued.)