bookrebus Chapter 504 The Imperial Examination Ends
Chapter 504 The Imperial Examination Ends
Before dawn on the day the results were announced, the outer walls of the examination hall were already packed with people. At the front were some strong and robust young scholars, standing on bricks while waiting for the news; those behind them stood on tiptoe, craning their necks like geese; some even hired children to climb up tree branches, agreeing to wave flags as soon as they saw their names.
The vendors from the West Market took the opportunity to push their carts over, selling water, cakes, and even calming incense, blocking the entire street. Yet no one dared to make a loud noise, and even their calls were kept low.
At exactly 9:00 AM, with the sound of three drums, eight officials carried a huge yellow list out of the examination hall. With a "whoosh," it was unfurled, and the names written in vermilion were dazzlingly red in the sunlight.
Instantly, the crowd erupted like a lake rippled by a stone thrown in. Someone pointed at the top of the list and screamed, "It's Zheng Yu! The Qin scholar who failed last year!" Zheng Yu pushed through the crowd and rushed forward. Upon seeing his name, he suddenly squatted down, covered his face, and cried, his shoulders shaking like leaves in the wind. Last year, he failed the exam because his essay on military strategy was too radical. After returning home, he spent a year farming with an old farmer. This year, his essay was full of earthy sentiment, which ironically brought him the top spot.
Laughter and tears mingled together. Some people were so happy that they bowed to those around them on the spot, while others stared at the list for a long time before suddenly turning around and leaving, their desolate figures making one's heart tighten. The boy from Yan squeezed at the back of the crowd, standing on tiptoe to look for a long time until his neck ached before he recognized his name in the middle. He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly pulled out a cloth bag from his pocket. Inside was a dry, hard wheat cake, which he ate with more relish than anything else at that moment.
Standing atop the gate tower, Lü Zhi looked down at the students. One of them was squatting on the ground, weeping bitterly. Zhao Guozi, standing beside him, patted his back, his own eyes reddening. Though he couldn't find the name, he exclaimed, "When I get back, I'll copy your essay and show it to my neighbors! Let them know that talented people from Chu can also rise to prominence in Qin!"
Suddenly someone shouted, "Look! The last name!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the last name on the list read "Zhang Cang, former territory of Wei," with the note "age sixty-three" next to it. The crowd immediately erupted in excitement—it was the white-haired old man! Some said they saw him reciting his lessons in the corner of the examination hall this morning; no one expected that someone his age would actually pass the exam.
Not long after, two young scholars helped Zhang Cang through the crowd. The old man, wearing a faded old robe, smiled when he saw his name, but then tears streamed down his face as he repeatedly murmured, "If my son saw this… if he saw this…"
Kui Zhuang stood beside Lü Zhi, holding the newly drafted list of officials in his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly: "Nine hundred and eighty people." His voice was filled with emotion, "Four hundred and thirty-six from Qin, and five hundred and forty-four from the six states."
As Lü Zhi gazed at the figures in the crowd, some joyful, some sorrowful, she suddenly saw Zhao Guozi, the scholar who had once complained about the "difficult questions," standing silently before the list. Though he hadn't found his name, the anger he had displayed that day was gone. A successful candidate from Qin walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Come again next year! I'll be waiting for you in Longxi to be my colleague!" Zhao Guozi was taken aback, then nodded vigorously.
As dusk fell, the successful candidates were invited to a banquet at the Biyong Hall. The usual regional distinctions disappeared during the feast; students from Qin and Chu clinked glasses, a student from Qi consulted a student from Zhao on policy essays, and Zhang Cang, surrounded by the crowd, recounted his past experiences, captivating the young people with his story.
Lü Zhi and Wei Zhuang quietly withdrew, and from afar they heard singing coming from inside. It turned out that someone was singing a line from the Book of Songs in Qinqiang opera: "Although Zhou is an old state, its mandate is renewed..."
“They will take these back to their homeland,” Wei Zhuang said suddenly, gazing at the stars in the sky.
Empress Lü nodded. She knew that these people were taking away more than just official seals and salaries; they were also taking with them the inclusiveness of Xianyang, the strictness of Qin law, and the promise that "talented people from all over the world come from all walks of life." Like a tributary of the Wei River, they would eventually carry the essence of their source and flow into a wider land.
The imperial edict had been displayed for three days, and the hustle and bustle of Xianyang City had not yet subsided when a new decree spread throughout the city: the palace examination would be held in Xianyang Palace in one day, presided over by the King of Qin himself. All those who passed the examination were required to attend to determine their final ranking and official rank.
The news came like a gust of wind, jolting the students, who had just recovered from their euphoria, back into a state of heightened tension. In the inn, the scholars who had been congratulating each other retreated to their studies, even the most eloquent students from Chu fell silent, meticulously studying the Qin legal codes on bamboo slips. Along the banks of the Wei River, the figures gazing into the distance by the railing were gone, replaced by those holding policy essays and reciting them softly, as if afraid of missing a single word that the King of Qin might be interested in.
On the day of the imperial examination, as dawn broke and the palace walls were just beginning to lighten, the candidates were already lined up outside Zhangtai Palace according to their rankings. Lü Zhi stood under the corridor, watching them in their neat blue robes, each with a uniform wooden tag around their waist, engraved with their place of origin and name. For a moment, she couldn't tell who were the scholars from Qin and who came from the former lands of the Six Kingdoms. Only Zhang Cang's white hair stood out conspicuously in the queue. He was being supported by two young candidates, but his back was ramrod straight, and he still clutched the polished jade pendant from Wei in his hand.
As the eunuch announced, "Your Majesty has arrived," King Ying Zheng of Qin, dressed in a black court robe, slowly walked up to the high platform in front of the palace. His gaze swept over the more than one hundred candidates below, and his voice, though not loud, carried immense power: "You are all talented individuals selected through rigorous processes. Today, in this palace examination, I will ask you only one question—'How can you bring peace to the world?'"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Zhangtai Palace fell silent. The candidates either frowned in thought or picked up their pens to write, their fingertips trembling slightly. Lü Zhi stood aside and watched as the Yan prince first wrote, "If the northern border is secure, the world will be secure," then crossed it out and rewrote, "If the people's hearts are at peace, the world will be at peace," his pen leaving a small blot of ink on the hemp paper.
Zheng Yu, sitting in the front row, wrote extremely quickly. His strategy essay was full of battlefield spirit, saying, "We should wipe out the remaining enemies with thunderous force, and then pacify the people with benevolent governance." His words still showed the sharpness of youth. Zhang Cang, on the other hand, wrote very slowly, each stroke seemingly exhausting his strength. He began by saying, "To pacify the world, we should treat it like managing a river. It is better to dredge than to block. We must follow its natural course and guide its flow." He even attached a simple sketch, comparing the six states to tributaries flowing into a great river, and marked it, "They share the same source but have different flow. We need to build channels to integrate them."
The King of Qin slowly descended from the high platform and paused behind the scholars. Seeing a scholar from Zhao who had written, "The Zhao state perished due to internal strife; today, Great Qin should govern the people with laws and regulations, ensuring that neighbors do not deceive each other and counties do not contend with one another," he nodded slightly. Seeing a scholar from Chu discussing, "Southern Chu suffers from frequent floods; we should develop water conservancy to ensure the well-being of agriculture," he stopped and looked at it more closely. Pointing to a line, "The rice of Chu can benefit Guanzhong," he softly asked, "Do you know what kind of rice is suitable for the soil and water of Guanzhong?" The scholar hesitated for a moment, then calmly answered, speaking eloquently about everything from Chu's japonica rice to Qin's millet.
Three hours later, when the eunuchs collected the scrolls, the candidates' backs were soaked with sweat. The King of Qin took the top scroll, which was Zhang Cang's policy essay. Looking at the map of the river, he suddenly smiled at Wei Zhuang beside him and said, "This scholar understands the art of dredging better than the waterworks official."
The results of the palace examination were announced the following day, and Zheng Yu came out on top.