Chapter 6: The Humble Hut Does Not Diminish the Scholar's Ambition

The term "guange style" refers to the calligraphy style of the Qing Dynasty, but in the era He Fang now found himself in, it was known as "San Guan regular script." The "San Guan" refers to the Zhaowen Pavilion, the History Pavilion, and the Jixian Academy, collectively known as the Chongwen Academy. It held the highest status among the various pavilions and academies in the imperial court, and at this time, the prime ministers all held the position of Grand Academician of the Three Pavilions. However, regardless of what it was called, if one wanted to study and take the imperial examinations, the best script to use on the examination papers was this one. Otherwise, if the clerks responsible for transcribing the examination papers to prevent collusion between candidates and examiners misread a few characters, one would truly be left in tears.

The text in the book was neat, but the paper used was quite rough, and the edges of the pages were unevenly cut. It was clear that Han Gang's bookbinding skills were not up to par. The stacks of books on the desk and bookshelves, including the *Analects* that He Fang had just read, were mostly made by Han Gang, with neat writing but rough production.

He Fang did not doubt the origin of these handwritten copies. A teenager of sixteen or seventeen, far from home, living in a dilapidated temple outside the city, entering the city during the day to study, and at night, under the light of a dim candle and the moon, diligently copying precious books borrowed from classmates, regardless of the cold or heat, without celebrating any festivals. These scenes of hard work were still vividly remembered by Han Gang, and thus inherited by He Fang.

Han Gang's perseverance and patience surprised He Fang, but he was not particularly impressed. It was about the same level of effort as his own during high school. Both practiced in the heat of summer and the cold of winter, never putting down their pens.

'Ten years of hard study have passed, but unfortunately, I didn't get to see the day of success. Even after ten years of hard study, the chance of becoming a Jinshi (imperial scholar) is like a thousand troops crossing a narrow bridge, much harder than getting into a university before the expansion. This investment is really not worth it.'

After more than a hundred years of peace, with over twenty million households, He Fang estimated that the country had about one hundred million people. Yet, only about three hundred Jinshi were selected every three years, averaging about one hundred per year.

Moreover, the selection of Jinshi has always been more in the southeast and less in the northwest. In Fujian and Liangzhe, it was not uncommon for a single military prefecture to produce a dozen Jinshi in one examination, and even for a prominent family to produce five or six Jinshi in one examination.

In the Shaanxi region, with over twenty military prefectures, if the total number of Jinshi in one examination exceeded five, it was considered a great harvest. It was common for some military prefectures in the northwest to go through a dozen examinations without producing a single Jinshi. At least in Han Gang's memory, there seemed to be no record of any scholar from Qin Prefecture becoming a Jinshi in the past twenty or thirty years.

With a population of five to six million in the Shaanxi region, the number of Jinshi selected in each examination was in the single digits, averaging less than one in a million per year, which was enough to make anyone feel hopeless.

Reading, studying, taking the imperial examinations, and becoming a Jinshi were the only pursuits of the original owner of this body for ten years. But with such a slim hope and such a low return on investment, He Fang had no interest in the imperial examinations. He was now thinking about how to use his knowledge to gain status and wealth in this world, like making strong liquor, soap, and glass.

However, having just arrived, He Fang knew he had to put on a show. At least, he couldn't let Han Gang's family see through his differences. He read books and practiced calligraphy every day, just as Han Gang used to. Every morning, after brushing his teeth and washing his face, he would read books. Fortunately, the eighteen years of memories of this body were mostly retained, so it wasn't difficult for He Fang to follow suit.

Reading the classics day after day, He Fang couldn't help but feel a bit stifled. Han Gang had already memorized the Nine Classics and Three Commentaries so thoroughly that he could recite the entire text from the first sentence, and even the commentaries, which were several times longer than the classics, he could recite with about 90% accuracy. He Fang inherited these memories smoothly and could recite them easily. However, He Fang still made a point of reading daily, knowing that even the deepest memories would fade if not regularly reviewed.

After putting down the book, He Fang often thought that if he could bring Han Gang's memories back a thousand years later, with his smooth-talking skills, getting a spot on the "Hundred Schools Forum" would not be a problem.

'What a pity...' He Fang sighed lightly. If Han Gang's talent were to remain in this era, it would be nothing special. Han Gang left behind not only memories and books but also the essays and poems he had written. The essays were fine, as He Fang couldn't judge them, but at most, he found some parts lacking in logic, with conclusions not matching the evidence. But the poems, He Fang flipped through them casually and found them unbearable to read.

The Song Dynasty had enjoyed a hundred years of peace, with a rich literary atmosphere and a plethora of talented scholars, whose works have been passed down for a thousand years. For the scenery of the frontier, there was "The long smoke and the setting sun close the lonely city"; for farewells, there was "At the long pavilion in the evening, the sudden rain has just stopped"; for love, there was "Tears ask the flowers, but the flowers do not speak, the red petals fly over the swing."

In He Fang's view, Han Gang's poetry should have been at least one or two tenths the level of these famous poets, but he found the works so unbearable that Han Gang actually used these things that should be burned to exchange poems with his classmates! The works of his classmates recorded in Han Gang's collection were of the same level.

'What kind of poetry is this? No wonder the northwest can't produce Jinshi!'

If the poetry of Shaanxi scholars was at this level, it was no surprise that they were easily defeated by the scholars from the south. He Fang threw the seven or eight volumes of poems that Han Gang and a group of boring literati had exchanged onto the bookshelf, causing it to shake.

After waking up for just over ten days, He Fang had gradually become familiar with Han Gang's memories, but he still felt estranged from Han Gang's identity, always viewing his predecessor with a third-person perspective, including his poetry. Seeing Han Gang's works, He Fang didn't expect them to be of any help. If He Fang were to take the exam in place of Han Gang, he doubted he could even pass the preliminary examination at the prefectural level, let alone become a Jinshi.

From Han Gang's memories, He Fang learned that those who passed the preliminary examination were called "tribute students" or "candidates." However, unlike the "candidates" of later times, this was not a lifelong qualification but a one-time eligibility. If one passed the preliminary examination and failed the imperial examination in the capital, one would have to retake the preliminary examination three years later to regain the qualification.

Moreover, the preliminary examination for this year had already passed while he was lying in bed, and the tribute students for the prefecture had already been selected and were preparing to go to the capital next year to take the imperial examination. If he wanted to take the examination, he would have to wait three years.

A lottery ticket that could only be bought three years later, with a minuscule chance of winning, held no interest for He Fang. Unless the imperial examination questions were changed to something he was more familiar with and required less literary talent, such as the interpretation of classics and policy questions, he had no hope of becoming a Jinshi!

"Too difficult!" He Fang shook his head. Fortunately, there were other ways to become an official and get rich. For example, taking the Mingjing examination, which was slightly easier than the Jinshi examination; or joining the staff of a high-ranking official, earning some merit and waiting for a recommendation; or even buying an official position, known as "jinna" at the time.

"Buy an official position?" He Fang looked around the room and laughed bitterly. At least for now, it was even more difficult than becoming a Jinshi.

The Han family was already impoverished, and the thatched cottage they lived in was rented. Although they had once been among the top families in the village, the furniture brought from their old home revealed a sense of poverty. A bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and two wooden stools—nothing more.