Chapter 7

Following the instructions, Yue Heng slowly moved, finding the position of Li in the examination room. This is a position in the Fuxi Bagua, and not only in this examination room, but also in the entire world of literati, there is a constant connection with Emperor Fuxi.

In the third row to the east, number ten, this is a small, independent room with a wooden structure. The wooden door was slightly ajar, and inside there was a bench and a wooden table, a small bucket for grinding ink and cleaning, and a small stone platform on the table for placing lit candles.

Yue Heng put down his book box and arranged his writing materials on the table—these were items he often used, and they felt quite familiar to him.

After half-closing the door, Yue Heng finally relaxed. He dropped his injured act and began to loosen his muscles in preparation for the exam. The severely injured appearance he had put on for others was just a cover, and it was no longer needed.

After a while, the drum from the county office sounded, indicating that the examiners were about to deliver the test papers.

The first round of the spring examination only required proving one's status as a literatus. Yue Heng was not worried about this. He had already activated the Divine Palace and had the qualifications of a child scholar, though he had not yet been officially registered. Even if he wrote a crude and silly poem, would they really revoke his status as a child scholar?

The test papers were distributed by soldiers, with a small stack delivered to each examination room. Yue Heng had just taken the papers from the soldier when the soldier rushed to the next room. Knowing that it would take some time to distribute the papers to thousands of candidates, he then lowered his head to open and examine the papers.

Yue Heng remembered that printing was invented by Bi Sheng, and in this chaotic era, it was likely not yet the Sui or Tang dynasties, so Bi Sheng probably did not exist. However, the paper in his hands clearly showed signs of mass production, with the ink still fragrant, suggesting that it was made by skilled craftsmen using a different method.

The questions were simple. Since it was an examination for child scholars, candidates could write about anything. Poetry, lyrics, songs, and fu (a type of prose) were all acceptable. Songs are a form of literature that can be accompanied by music, while fu is another form of prose.

The test paper added several conditions: "spring," "winter," "warfare," "diligent study," and "human relationships." Apart from these, there were no other requirements.

This meant that the content of the candidates' work must be one of these five themes, with no restrictions on the form.

"Interesting! The themes of spring and winter have been tested for many years, and they are mandatory every year. In the Central Yuan world, there must be at least eighty thousand poems, if not a hundred thousand. Standing out is not easy. Many people will likely focus on 'warfare,' 'diligent study,' and 'human relationships'!"

"The theme of warfare is certainly to prepare for the long-term battles between humans and beasts in the Central Yuan world. According to Lu Changyuan, many literary symbols are related to war, so this is a fixed and frequently tested theme. However, to write a good article, one must have 'first-hand experience' and genuine feelings, which we poor students cannot access. So, this is a pitfall, and I cannot touch those border poems!"

"Diligent study is self-explanatory; it is the most important quality of a literatus. According to literary records, the methods of suspending a beam from the ceiling and pricking the thigh with a needle, used by Su Qin of the Warring States period and Sun Jing of the Eastern Han, are revered as models of diligence in the Central Yuan world. But to write a masterpiece on this theme, one must be a great scholar and thinker, which I am not. I remember a poem, 'If you do not work hard when young, you will only grieve in old age,' but it is from the Han Yuefu. I wonder if writing it would cause controversy, and if it is an existing famous line, using it in the exam would be embarrassing."

"As for human relationships, there are many branches, such as brotherhood, family, and love. I have no friends, and I am alone, so writing about brotherhood or family would seem fake. We poor students do not know much about love. I suffered a great calamity because of a woman, so I definitely cannot write about it!"

After much consideration, even though Yue Heng had ideas in his mind, he did not dare to write them down lightly.

"This world is dangerous, and a slight mistake can lead to harm. If I were to stand out, I might die even faster! I must write something that is close to my living environment and reflects real-life scenarios. Strong writing can be attributed to a stroke of genius, but I must not write about things I do not understand. Otherwise, I might not pass the examination, and I could be beaten at any time!"

This thought process made him hesitate for half an hour, and even the ink dried without him starting to write.

Hong County was just a county under the jurisdiction of Qi Prefecture in the State of Chu.

Every year during the spring examination, the literary department of Qi Prefecture would send dedicated inspectors to supervise the exam. These inspectors were at least third-level scholars, on par with the county magistrate, slightly higher than the county vice-magistrate and the county secretary.

At this moment, the inspector was patrolling the examination room with the county magistrate and others. They walked slowly, sometimes stopping in secluded areas to take out the Fuxi Literary Disk and inspect it, whispering to each other.

After a short while, they reached the Qian position, the best location in the entire examination room. The candidates here were generally the most talented, many of whom were from the Zhuangyuan Pavilion and Yingjiang Tower, the elite of Hong County. Logically, this area should produce the most high-quality articles.

However, the closer they got to the Qian position, the stranger the county magistrate's expression became. He deliberately lagged behind by two steps and gave a meaningful look to the literary dean, who understood.

"Inspector Su, why don't you rest in the inner cabinet of the county office? You have been patrolling for half an hour, and it is drizzling outside, which is quite inconvenient..." the literary dean respectfully suggested to Inspector Su.

Inspector Su smiled slightly and stopped at a corner, then asked in a low voice, "County Magistrate Qi, do you want me to continue patrolling in the rain and cold, or would you prefer me to lie on a soft seat and enjoy hot tea?"

The county magistrate quickly smiled and said, "For Inspector Su's health, it is best not to stay in the examination room during this rainy day to avoid illness."

Suddenly, Inspector Su's smile vanished, and he coldly snorted, "This drizzle is nothing, but your eagerness to invite me back is suspicious. I have heard that there is proxy examination in Hong County, but I never believed it..."

The last sentence hit County Magistrate Qi and the literary dean like a bolt of lightning, leaving them stiff and speechless.

The county vice-magistrate, Cai, reacted the most strongly, his body trembling as if he had heard something terrifying.

Seeing the expressions of the main examiners of Hong County, Inspector Su became even more certain.

He took out the Fuxi Literary Disk from his back, aligned it with the Bagua positions, and pointed to the Qian position nearby, saying with a hint of meaning, "In half an hour, the Qian position has produced forty high-quality articles, five of which are excellent! There is still half an hour before the exam ends, and I estimate that another thirty high-quality articles will be produced. County Magistrate Qi, Hong County has never had more than a hundred child scholars registered each year. Could it be that this year, during your last term, there will suddenly be another hundred child scholars?"

Large drops of sweat mixed with rain trickled down the necks of the examiners, making them feel cold and bone-chilling.

Under the piercing gaze of Inspector Su, County Magistrate Qi turned pale and trembled, about to explain.

Suddenly, the Fuxi Literary Disk in Inspector Su's hand emitted a blue light, shining in the direction of the Qian position. Inspector Su looked down and sneered, "What a hidden talent in Hong County! Another excellent piece! I, Su Tan, really want to meet the prodigies who have the qualifications of child scholars!"

Hearing that Inspector Su wanted to meet the candidates at the Qian position, County Vice-Magistrate Cai almost fell to his knees, trembling. However, at that moment, a more intense red light appeared on the Fuxi Literary Disk, blinding everyone, who instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes.

"Resonant Literature!"

Inspector Su exclaimed, his eyes filled with surprise. He was so shocked that he could not speak, and then he became overjoyed.

The three examiners of Hong County were momentarily terrified. County Magistrate Qi and the literary dean exchanged glances, seeing fear in each other's eyes.

The proxy examination was not a rumor; they had pretended not to know and secretly allowed some wealthy people in Hong County to bring in proxy literati.

However, those proxy literati were at most second-level students, mostly first-level child scholars. It was possible for them to write excellent articles, but it was absolutely impossible for them to write resonant literature. This would definitely cause a big stir!

"These fools! Do they want to draw more attention? I have told them countless times to be low-key, but they still caused such a big incident! 'Resonant Literature' and high-quality articles are not the same thing!" County Magistrate Qi cursed inwardly, looking at the literary dean, both of them filled with shock and doubt, and they were at a loss.

County Vice-Magistrate Cai fell to his knees with a thud, trembling all over, and repeatedly kowtowed, confessing, "Inspector Su, please understand! I would never dare to deceive Emperor Fuxi or the literary department of Qi Prefecture. There is absolutely no proxy examination in Hong County!"

County Magistrate Qi and the literary dean were about to kneel as well, but seeing the surprised expression on Inspector Su's face and carefully examining the Fuxi Literary Disk, they could not help but exclaim in surprise. Their bent knees straightened.

The direction of the "Resonant Literature" was not the Qian position, but... the Li position!

Everyone knew what the Li position was. It represented the poor students, with hard benches and broken wooden tables. In this drizzling rain, some examination rooms would leak and be cold, and yet, "Resonant Literature" could come from there. This was simply unimaginable!

"Inspector Su... please check again... could you have made a mistake?" After the panic, County Magistrate Qi boldly asked, seeing the disbelief on Inspector Su's face.

The literary dean quickly added, "Resonant Literature is extremely rare, and high-quality pieces can directly create literary symbols, while medium-quality pieces can expand the Divine Palace. Even the lowest-quality pieces can refine the literary heart and cultivate the power of literary symbols, enhancing communication with the Fuxi stars! According to various literary records, at least a fourth-level scholar is needed to create resonant literature. Most of the existing resonant literature was created by ancient human geniuses. How could it appear today, in this lowest-level spring examination, where not even a child scholar is present?"