Chapter 97

The paper was hemp paper, not the kind of paper used in later times, and it was quite thick.

Therefore, it had to be pulled from bottom to top.

The two bailiffs pasted the corners of the paper and the bailiff began to slowly pull it up, while the other two bailiffs held the paper and pasted it up.

The name of the eighth new scholar, Men Shan Ge Shaohua, began to appear.

Everyone was puzzled, and many did not recognize him, including Wang Ju. He might have been a student at the prefectural school a few years ago. Or perhaps not, since Ganquan County was in the far southeast of Yan Prefecture, quite far from Yan Prefecture, more than twenty miles farther than Yunyan County to Yan Prefecture.

This was also the reason why Cheng Kan invited Wang Ju back to Yan Prefecture.

Yan Prefecture was one of the major prefectures in the Song Dynasty, with a large population, several tens of thousands of households, unlike some small prefectures and military districts, which only had a few thousand households. It was also much larger in area. Even the vast areas north of Yan Prefecture, Qingjian City, and Yan Prefecture, which were war zones and border regions, still had a large area to the south, such as Fuzheng and Ganquan counties to the south of Yan Prefecture, and Menshan, Linzhen, and Yanchang to the southeast.

However, education was very backward. The Song Dynasty had been established for over a hundred years, with dozens of imperial examinations and tens of thousands of jinshi (advanced scholars), but the vast Yan Prefecture had never produced a single jinshi.

Therefore, when it came to the number of scholar candidates, some major prefectures could have over a hundred, and even some medium-sized prefectures could have dozens. The vast Yan Prefecture was only given eight candidates. But one couldn't blame the court. After all, the expenses for each new candidate to travel to the capital for the examination were borne by the government. The more candidates, the more expenses. But the court needed to see results. It couldn't even compare to the backward regions of Guangnan. How could the court give more quotas?

But if Wang Ju could pass the Donghua Gate, it would not only boost everyone's confidence but also make the court more willing to increase the quotas. With more quotas, the students would have more confidence, and a virtuous cycle would be formed.

This would also make up for the biggest weakness in his political achievements in Yan Prefecture.

The seventh name appeared, and this time someone recognized it. It was an old student, Xiang Zun, who was nearly fifty. No one knew how many times he had taken the exam. His wife had persuaded him, saying, "My dear, you can't keep taking the exam like this. We have a family to feed. Why don't you open a private school?"

So Xiang Zun opened a private school. Without any official title, he specialized in teaching children, barely making a living.

Seeing his name on the list, Old Xiang was in tears, dancing with joy, which made Wang Ju very worried. "Old sir, don't be like Fan Jin."

But this title would bring many benefits to Old Xiang. Visiting the capital to see the world was not something he would think about at his age.

However, with the title of scholar, more people would send their children to his private school, and he could even raise his fees slightly, improving his family's life.

The sixth name appeared, Wang Jun, a student from Ganquan.

You Tao whispered, "He studied at the prefectural school for nearly two years a few years ago. I know him, but he returned to Ganquan the year before last."

Wang Ju nodded.

Although the prefectural school in Yan Prefecture was in a mess, diligent students could still learn something, like Zhu Jun.

The fifth name appeared again, Zhang Desheng. This time, more people recognized him. He was the third son of the Zhang family, a major household in Yan Prefecture, and was currently studying at the prefectural school, with relatively good grades.

In short, this time, Cheng Kan's examination was very fair. In the past, the last few names were often given to people with connections, so apart from the Zhang family's child, the other three might not have had a chance.

The fourth name was another student from the prefectural school, Luo Zeng from Yanchang, who was currently studying at the prefectural school and had not returned home. Seeing his name, he was overjoyed.

The faces of the professors at the prefectural school finally relaxed.

If no one from the prefectural school passed, they would have been embarrassed.

The third name was again unfamiliar to many, Hong Shixin from Yanchang.

Li Feier worriedly said, "Wang Lang, there are only two left."

There were two possible outcomes: Wang Ju could pass and be at the top, or he might not pass.

This led to two different reactions. Those who had connections with Wang Ju hoped his name would not appear immediately but also hoped it would appear.

Although it would be very glorious to be the last one, it was also nerve-wracking.

The second name appeared, Xiong Yufang, another student from the prefectural school.

However, his family was very poor, and he was almost forgotten in the prefectural school.

But at this moment, his fate changed. The surrounding students, regardless of his poverty, came to congratulate him.

The most tense moment arrived, and the top scholar was about to be revealed.

Erniu and Wang Chu's faces turned red, and sweat appeared on their foreheads.

The bailiff's hand stopped, waiting for another bailiff to apply the rice paste.

Erniu shouted loudly, "Hurry up and paste it."

Li Feier smiled and patted Erniu's head, but her heart was pounding.

However, the bailiff did not keep them in suspense. "Why should I keep you in suspense for the top scholar of Yan Prefecture?" The rice paste was applied, and the final part of the list was immediately pasted.

Wang Ju from Baoan Military District.

Boom!

The people around gathered, congratulating him.

Although Wang Ju had his own views on the imperial examination, at this moment, he felt very happy and proud.

Zhu Qi tapped Wang Ju's face with a delicate finger. "Wang Xiaolang, I congratulated you on becoming the top scholar long ago, and you still act so modestly!"

"Luck, just luck."

At this moment, Cheng Kan spoke. "Scholars and fellow townspeople, some say the questions I set this time were difficult. I have something to say about that."

"Why do you study? Of course, everyone says to glorify the family and pass the Donghua Gate. But how many of you have actually passed the Donghua Gate in the past hundred years of our dynasty? In reality, most of you study to gain an official title, to inherit the family business, or to become a teacher or a clerk."

"What you do after studying is your freedom, but your ultimate goal in taking the imperial examination is to pass the Donghua Gate and be appointed to an official position. But how do you serve as an official? When the Western Xia invade, do you tell them about the great principles of the sages? When you encounter a case, can you solve it by reciting the Analects? That's why the court tests you on policy essays."

"I set several policy questions, but how many of you could give a satisfactory answer? Only one person! If you don't work hard, don't care about the current situation, and don't think about how to serve as an official and assist the emperor in governing the people, how can you expect to pass the imperial examination?"

"I have brought a certain person's paper for you to see and reflect on!"

After saying this, Cheng Kan waved his hand, and the bailiff pasted Wang Ju's paper.

Apart from the incorrect answer to the ink definition, this paper could be considered a model answer.

Even Wang Ju's weak point, poetry and prose, stood out among the students of Yan Prefecture. It was just that Cheng Kan had high standards. What was there to compare in Yan Prefecture? The real comparison would be at the provincial and palace examinations, so he was still somewhat dissatisfied.

Of course, everyone knew who the "certain person" was. Many students gathered to look.

Before they looked, they had many thoughts, but after they saw it, their mouths turned bitter. The gap was not just a little, especially in the policy essays, which were worlds apart.

They were convinced.

Cheng Kan beckoned to Wang Ju, and Wang Ju had to push through the crowd to follow him into the prefectural office.

"Wang Ju, your poetry and prose this time were not very good."

Wang Ju was speechless.

But what could he say? He could only admit, "Yes, a bit."

Don't think writing poetry is simple, just about rhyming and matching. There are also rules of prosody, tone, and rhythm. As a person from the future, his pronunciation was different from that of the time, such as the word "white," which was pronounced "bo."

This was now. Two years ago, his poetry and prose were truly terrible. Even last spring, when Zhu Huan and others went to Yunyan, his poetry and prose were still not up to par, and he had received many blows from Zhang Zai's ruler.

But there was still time. There were five months until the provincial examination next year and seven months until the palace examination.

By then, even if he couldn't write poetry and prose that would be remembered for a thousand years, at least he could improve, which would be acceptable.

Cheng Kan really thought he had performed poorly and said, "I am also a jinshi. In the examination, you shouldn't think too much. The more you think, the worse you perform."

"Thank you for your advice, Sir Cheng."

"En, also, I asked you to come with me for another reason. I want to submit your two policy essays to the court."

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