Chapter 42

Chapter 41

The imperial examination is the primary method for selecting officials in the Great Wei Dynasty, and it can generally be divided into three stages: the local examination, the metropolitan examination, and the imperial examination.

The local examination usually takes place in autumn and is presided over by the local government offices of each county.

Since the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty by its first emperor in the Three Rivers region, it has developed over several centuries to encompass six counties, from north to south: Shangdang South County, Hedong County, Sanchuan County, Song County, Yingbei County, and Nanyang County.

Among these, Shangdang South County and Yingbei County border the states of Han to the north and Chu to the south, respectively, and have been embroiled in constant wars of annexation, making them relatively small counties. The other counties are larger, including the newly established Song County after the current emperor of Great Wei conquered the state of Song.

Due to the varying sizes of these counties, the number of candidates admitted to each local examination also differs, with smaller counties admitting around 300 candidates and larger counties around 500. Thus, the metropolitan examination, held every three years, sees over 2,600 students, making it a grand event in the literary world of Great Wei.

It must be said that being the chief examiner for over 2,600 candidates is a great honor.

At least, that's what Luo Wenzhong, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Personnel, believes.

Speaking of this, Luo Wenzhong can't help but marvel at the unpredictability of life and the inscrutability of fate. Just seven or eight days ago, his son, Luo Rong, had almost brought disaster upon the entire Luo family by inadvertently offending the eighth prince of Great Wei, Zhao Hongrun. Yet, seven or eight days later, the emperor appointed him as the chief examiner for this year's metropolitan examination. Could this be the so-called "blessing after a great calamity"?

On the 26th of March in the 16th year of the Hongde era of Great Wei, the first day of the metropolitan examination, Luo Wenzhong arrived early at the headquarters of the Ministry of Personnel.

To celebrate this special day, Luo Wenzhong even put on a new set of official robes.

As he entered the headquarters, he encountered various officials from the Ministry of Personnel, who all congratulated him.

Luo Wenzhong was very pleased, as in the past, the chief examiner for the imperial examination was usually one of the two vice-ministers of the Ministry of Personnel. It was rare for a mere undersecretary like him to be appointed. In the past, he would have been just one of the sixteen examiners, never having the honor and privilege of being the chief examiner.

After sitting for a while in the main hall of the Ministry of Personnel, the sixteen other examiners also arrived. These officials were of similar rank to Luo Wenzhong, all undersecretaries of the Ministry of Personnel, with a few chief clerks as exceptions. Although undersecretaries were of middling rank within the Ministry of Personnel, there were only sixteen of them across the four departments. Not all undersecretaries had the opportunity to participate in the metropolitan examination, and a few unfortunate or lucky ones missed out due to their busy schedules, with their chief clerks taking their place.

After exchanging pleasantries with his colleagues, Luo Wenzhong, as the chief examiner, felt it was his duty to inquire about the preparations for the metropolitan examination.

In fact, the preparations were already complete, and Luo Wenzhong was well aware of this. His questions were merely formalities, a way to assert his new status and ensure that the other undersecretaries and chief clerks would follow his lead during the examination.

"Gentlemen, I am deeply honored to have been chosen by His Majesty to be the chief examiner for this year's metropolitan examination. I feel a great responsibility. If there are any oversights, I hope you will all support me."

"Not at all."

"Luo Sir, you are too modest."

"It is your duty, Sir. Please rest assured."

The other examiners expressed their support. Although they were equals in the past, now that Luo Wenzhong had been appointed by the emperor, they naturally had to follow his lead, even if they felt some jealousy, which they would not show. After all, they were seasoned officials who understood the ways of the bureaucracy.

"By the way, His Majesty has also appointed a prince to accompany the examination. Do any of you know which prince it is?"

One of the examiners asked curiously.

Hearing this, the other officials were also puzzled. After all, a prince accompanying the examination was unprecedented. It was hard to believe there was no ulterior motive.

"Perhaps it's because of the persistent cheating in the imperial examinations over the years?"

One examiner hit the nail on the head.

His words cast a somber mood in the room.

As officials of the Ministry of Personnel, they were well aware of the cheating in the imperial examinations. To put it mildly, more than half of them were involved in some way, either for money, to solidify their networks, or to favor their relatives and students. While they didn't act openly, they often turned a blind eye, even if they were not directly involved.

After all, they were colleagues in the same ministry, and it was unnecessary to act like enemies.

Moreover, sometimes showing leniency could bring them benefits in terms of networks and wealth. Why not?

"But which prince is it?"

One official asked.

"It's probably the Crown Prince."

"Not necessarily. It could be Prince Yong or Prince Xiang."

Without access to information from the palace, they could only speculate.

After a few more words, the chief examiners made their way to the examination site.

During this time, a few colleagues secretly slipped some papers into Luo Wenzhong's hands when no one was looking.

Luo Wenzhong discreetly put the papers away.

This scene was noticed by some of the other officials, but they pretended not to see.

If they were not mistaken, the names on those papers were likely those of the children of influential families in the capital, who had asked the Ministry of Personnel to take care of them.

Of course, it wasn't as if all the children of influential families lacked talent. In fact, the scholars invited by the sixth prince, Zhao Hongzhao, to his poetry gathering were mostly well-educated and talented young men from prominent families, not idle rich kids.

However, even if their children were not idle rich kids, if the Ministry of Personnel could show some favor, even at a cost, it would be worth it for the influential families in the capital.

It was a way to buy peace of mind.

Take Luo Wenzhong, for example. His son, Luo Rong, was also taking the metropolitan examination this year. He had to inform his colleagues and ask them to take care of his son, who, though somewhat arrogant, was genuinely talented.

The examination site was the Confucian Temple in Daliang, the capital of Chen, which was originally established by the Ministry of Personnel for the children of officials from the six departments of the Secretariat. Any child of an official had the right to study there, similar to the imperial schools and clan schools.

However, during the metropolitan examination, the Confucian Temple would temporarily close and serve as the examination venue.

At this moment, all the personnel from the Ministry of Personnel involved in the examination had gathered in the Confucian Temple. In addition to the chief examiner and sixteen examiners, there were also several dozen clerks, over twenty chief clerks, and hundreds of guards borrowed from the Supreme Court, the Office of the Prefect, and the City Gate Office to maintain order in the examination hall.

Luo Wenzhong and the other examiners were the last to arrive, as the miscellaneous tasks were handled by their subordinates.

They entered the main hall of the Confucian Temple and rested for a while, as it was still early. Once it was the hour of Si (9:00 AM to 11:00 AM), the examination would officially begin, and the students would be allowed to enter the examination hall.

However, they were surprised to see a wealthy young man already seated in the Confucian Temple, wearing splendid clothes and a somewhat ridiculous mask that covered his face.

However, the guards behind him were formidable. Each of the ten guards wore black armor, carried a sword, and had a fierce and imposing presence.

"Who are you?" Luo Wenzhong asked, frowning.

As he spoke, the wealthy young man raised his hand and showed a golden token, identical to the one presented by the eunuch Tong Xian in the Youzhi Palace, the imperial command.

Seeing this, the sixteen examiners immediately understood and knelt before the golden token.

There was no doubt that this was the prince sent by the emperor to accompany the examination, though they did not know which one.

"Rise," the wealthy young man said, waving his hand and looking at Luo Wenzhong with a half-smile.

Noticing the look in the young man's eyes, Luo Wenzhong was puzzled and bowed, asking, "May I ask who Your Highness is?"

"Ha ha ha..."

The wealthy young man chuckled, slowly removed his mask, and said with a smile, "Luo Wenzhong, don't you recognize me?"

As the young man slowly removed his mask, revealing his true face, Luo Wenzhong's expression changed dramatically.

"Zhao... Zhao Hongrun?! It's the eighth prince, Zhao Hongrun?!"

Luo Wenzhong was shocked to discover that the prince sent by the emperor to accompany the examination was none other than the eighth prince, Zhao Hongrun, whom he had recently framed and sent to the Clan Office for punishment.

Looking at the guards behind the eighth prince, Luo Wenzhong felt a chill. He saw Shen Yu and Lu Mu, the guards from the Clan Office, glaring at him.

"How... How can this be? Why is it him?!"

Luo Wenzhong was in a state of confusion. As far as he knew, the eighth prince, Zhao Hongrun, was not favored by the emperor and was considered a dispensable prince. This was why Luo Wenzhong had dared to frame him, leading to his punishment by the Clan Office.

In his view, a prince of no importance staying overnight in the room of a courtesan, Su, in a pavilion, would be a scandal that the Clan Office would not easily forgive. Even a year or two of imprisonment was not out of the question.

But he never expected that in just seven or eight days, the eighth prince would escape the Clan Office and become the prince accompanying the examination.

This was simply unbelievable!

In the puzzled looks of the other sixteen examiners, Zhao Hongrun slowly stood up and walked to Luo Wenzhong, who looked uneasy, and whispered to him with a smile.

"Last time, you did me a favor. Let's play the second round, Luo Sir."

"..."

Luo Wenzhong's face turned dark, and he remained silent.