Chapter 58

"Uncle, aren't you at all worried?"

"What's there to worry about?" Xun Yi lay on the bed, having been exhausted these past few days. After nine days of intense effort, an ordinary person's body couldn't take it. The examination hall even called it a "test of physical and mental fortitude."

But it was true; if one couldn't endure these nine days, the court wouldn't want such a person.

"Since you've already finished the exam, what's there to fear! Can the results be changed now?" Xun Yi closed his eyes. "Out, out, let your uncle rest for a while."

Seeing Xun Yi's indifferent attitude, Li Xinghong gritted his teeth and went out to inquire about Xun Yi's scores.

Xun Yi, of course, wasn't as calm as he appeared. Secretly, he used a reading card to go to the library to find Lord Lu.

Without saying a word, he squatted next to Lord Lu, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Lord Lu, having been pestered by Xun Yi for several days, couldn't bear his pitiful gaze. "Fine, fine! If others didn't know, they'd think I was bullying you! Here, take it!"

Lord Lu threw him a book, and Xun Yi was overjoyed. "Thank you, old man."

The book's cover read "Summary of the Examination Papers for the Renyin Year of the Longchuan Examination Hall."

This was the record of each student's exam paper during this year's imperial examination. The front part also included some standard answers for reference.

"Automatic grading, yes or no?" As soon as he opened the first page, these words appeared on the blank page.

"Yes." As soon as Xun Yi spoke, the pages flipped automatically, transforming into white sheets that arranged the exam papers and their scores in front of Xun Yi.

The exam papers flew around, automatically comparing them with the correct answers. Xun Yi was amazed; this was just a glimpse of the power of the Heavenly Court. Even the level of civilization in the library far surpassed that of the Great Zhou.

All letters and books in the world were recorded by the Heavenly Court, controlling almost eighty percent of the information in the Nine Provinces. With the unity of heaven and man, who could defy the Heavenly Court?

"Legend has it that the history of each dynasty was compiled using the Holy Book of the Heavenly Court, ensuring the authenticity of the historical records from an absolutely fair perspective." Xun Yi thought of the actions of an emperor during the Yellow Emperor's reign.

That emperor wanted to secretly read his daily records and make some modifications to his early actions. This immediately caused a stir in the Heavenly Court, and the Historical Emperor Cangjie was furious, reporting it to the Heavenly Emperor Xuanyuan. The Yellow Emperor ordered a heavenly deity to descend and disrupt the dynasty, forcibly changing the ruler of the once powerful dynasty. Although the deity later returned the throne to the dynasty after completing his mission, the dynasty's fortune was diminished, and it soon changed hands.

After a while, the library automatically helped Xun Yi arrange his scores.

For the second exam, since there were standard answers, Xun Yi could see his own score.

"Indeed, all correct?" The examination for the junior official was not difficult, and Xun Yi felt relieved, still having the leisure to check the scores of others.

"Li Junde made quite a few mistakes, but he got eighty percent right. As long as the other two papers can reach this score, it should be fine."

"Zhang Yuqi did better, after all, our academy's daily courses are targeted." Looking at the scores of the Lingfeng Academy students, most of the questions were answered correctly. The most troublesome part was the account book review. After all, it was difficult for a first-time newcomer to avoid making mistakes in long calculations.

"So, as the class leader, I have the responsibility and obligation to help them practice. In the future, I can take turns hiring them to help me with the account books?" Xun Yi pondered how to use the free labor in the class, then went to check the first exam paper.

The library's book spirit automatically graded the first part, and five exam papers stood out. Among them were his and Xun Sheng's, and another person who also got a perfect score.

"Chu Tianbi?" Xun Yi repeated it twice, vaguely feeling that this person was his rival. He directly flipped to his exam paper, and the answers to the major questions in the literary section were impressive. When discussing the differences between nomadic and agricultural civilizations, it was as if he had seen it firsthand, listing over a dozen differences between the two civilizations.

"But there are some flaws in the final literary style. It's too rigid and lacks a bit of humility."

Then he flipped to Xun Sheng's exam paper. Seeing the various taboo words on Xun Sheng's paper, Xun Yi sneered: "When the academy caught fire, I suspected it. This kind of behavior can only be from Xun Sheng!"

Xun Yi spent two days slightly modifying his writing style, deliberately using other words as substitutes, and did not use a single taboo word throughout the paper.

So, Xun Yi was not worried about Song Baode's arrival. With Xun Sheng in the lead, he might even thank Xun Sheng for his selfless contribution.

"Can you help me get the results of the examiners' grading?"

The library, which can be considered an independent entity, transmitted a wave to Lord Lu upon hearing Xun Yi's question. Lord Lu waved his hand, granting him permission.

The examiners' comments reappeared on the book.

Seeing the red ink, Xun Yi frowned again: "Is this year's imperial examination really being used as an experimental system?" This time, the grading method was different from before, using a deduction system. The literary section was limited to a deduction of ten points, meaning the poetry and idioms section was limited to ten points. Exceeding ten points automatically disqualified the candidate, and the rest of the paper didn't need to be graded.

However, poetry was a required subject for everyone, so overall, few people made such significant mistakes.

Seeing Li Junde and Zhang Yuqi's answers, Xun Yi sighed in relief: "Although there were many mistakes, at least they didn't get disqualified."

One hundred and twenty papers were left in the literary section. Xun Yi focused on the top ten, and his name was at the top, while Xun Sheng's name was in third place.

Narrowing his eyes, he thought carefully, "It seems this Song official indeed has ill intentions. Xun Sheng, no matter how much you scheme, the will of heaven is unpredictable, and you still lost."

Xun Yi originally had a plan. If he didn't get the top rank, he would scatter the intelligence he had collected, taking the opportunity to mix Xun Sheng's cheating with Song Baode, and use the name of exam fraud to bring them both down.

But now, with Song Baode inadvertently helping him, Xun Yi thought about it and decided not to go for a "fish and net" strategy. "If the cheating is exposed, I won't benefit either. Abolishing this year's imperial examination is just a last resort."

So, he went to check the third exam paper.

The third exam paper, being a practical application, asked about political measures after becoming an official, making it difficult to have a hard and fast answer.

"Check the examiners' results."

"..." The book spirit hesitated for a moment and replied: "The results of the third exam are not out yet."

For the third exam, after Zhu Tu and the other three examiners finished proctoring, they also helped with the grading. Nine people graded together, and there was a disagreement on the last three papers.

After three rounds of exams, even by looking at the writing style and literary path, Song Baode and the others could roughly guess which students' papers were from the first two exams.

"These three performed excellently in the first two exams. Brother Zhu, who do you think should be the top rank?"

In the provincial exam, the first place is called the top rank, the second place is called the second rank, the third, fourth, and fifth places are called the top scholars, and the sixth place is called the second scholar.

Zhu Tu, of course, wanted to favor Xun Yi, but he hadn't seen the first two exam papers and didn't know which one was Xun Yi's, so he remained silent.

The other two examiners who also proctored the exam picked up the papers and looked at them: "The first paper is meticulous, but it falls short on the last two questions compared to the other two. The second paper shows a bit of a ruthless spirit, choosing to solve the northern border problem with military force, focusing on military strategy and combat. However, in the epidemic question, using food to recruit civilians as soldiers and using soldiers to eliminate rebels, while the first part is acceptable, the statement 'to prevent the epidemic from spreading, kill the patients and cut the grass' is a bit inhumane."

"So he chose to use the recruited civilian soldiers to kill. Sharing the blame, easing public anger. Although he uses military force to intimidate, in terms of governance and saving lives, he is not as good as the third paper." Another examiner picked up the third paper: "This student has a good understanding of epidemic control, being meticulous and detailed, even mentioning the handling of corpses, changing clothes, and preventing civil unrest. I remember a recent epidemic outbreak in Miaoxian? He must have learned from that experience?"

Song Baode's eyebrows twitched, as if he thought of something, but he stared at the first paper, still hesitant. Which one was Xun Yi's?

Before coming, he had heard about Xun Yi, and he guessed the third paper might be his, so he chose the third paper as the top rank.

"This student is meticulous and, in the northern barbarian issue, did not choose military force but rather a strategy to incite internal strife among the northern barbarians, which should be highly effective."

"Highly effective? It's just theoretical." Song Baode countered: "The first paper shows a deep understanding of the northern region, suggesting the student has conducted on-site investigations." Xun Yi definitely hadn't been to the northern border, so it was better to give the top rank to this northern student rather than Xun Yi by chance.

The two argued, and Song Baode's companions pondered: "Song Sir has been subtly disliking the first student since the first exam, deliberately pushing his name back. But the other two papers are equally good, making it hard to decide."

One person suggested: "Both Song Sir and Zhu Sir have entered the literary path. Why not use literary qi to assist?"

Literary cultivation enhances spirituality, and many officials gradually enter the literary path due to their talents. However, reaching the third level of literary heart, "Spring and Autumn Sword Pen," is already rare. Currently, both Zhu Tu and Song Baode were at the second level, "Ink Intent and Scripture."

They looked at each other, each displaying their literary qi. Two distinctly different ink-colored literary qi swirled like smoke, probing the three exam papers.

A faint white mist emerged from the first paper, thin and barely visible.

"To achieve the root of the literary path as a scholar, if he gains heavenly favor in the future, his achievements will far surpass ours." The other examiners looked at the other two papers.

A sound of clashing weapons rose from the second paper, with a similar white mist, but the sound made Zhu Tu and the others change color: "Weapons?"

It was more like the aura of war.

"This kid is studying military strategy? No wonder his writing has a killing aura." Song Baode thought: "And this aura is familiar, similar to General Chu's. It must be his younger brother. Yes, it's said his younger brother once joined the army in the northern border at a young age. That fits."

Chu Tiange, the youngest general of the current dynasty, was at odds with Song Baode's faction.

"He can't be the top rank!" Just as Song Baode was about to speak, the literary qi of the third paper was also activated.

Like a clear lake rippling, white mist continuously rose, forming a cloud canopy over the paper.

"Danxin Minghu?" An examiner murmured.

The five levels of the literary path are: Establishing the Heart, Establishing the Words, Establishing Merit, Establishing Destiny, and Establishing the Sage. Establishing the Heart requires establishing the literary heart and understanding one's future path. Most of the examiners were at this level.

Establishing the Words refers to actions and words, extending one's moral standards from Establishing the Heart. This is what the ancients called "cultivating oneself and managing the family."

Zhu Tu, seeing the qi, had someone bring the other two papers of these three students.

After combining the three exam papers, the first student's paper gathered white mist, forming a similar cloud canopy to the third paper.

The second paper's war aura transformed into continuous red light, with a sky-high killing intent. The examiners, who had entered the literary path through calligraphy or painting, disliked this kind of killing aura.

They crossed it out and looked at the last paper.

After the three papers converged, a divine power fluctuation appeared.

"Is this the divine power of the Wenchang Emperor?" Zhu Tu was surprised, glaring at Song Baode: "Since the Emperor's divine power has been bestowed, the ranking is clear. Why compare further?"

"The Emperor's divine power is on the first paper, so the first paper is the top. But the third paper is still up for discussion." Song Baode, of course, refused to admit defeat, focusing on the third paper's literary qi.

Under the divine power's influence, the cloud canopy transformed into a spring water, like a mirror, symbolizing the first level of the literary path. Then, the white mist slowly changed, revealing ink. Although only a small amount of ink remained, the realm was distinctly different.

"Ah, I see." The examiner who had been deep in thought suddenly smiled, his body emitting white mist, which gradually turned to ink under the influence of the Wenchang divine power.

"Seeing the Emperor's divine power, I saved myself the effort of three pools of ink!" This examiner, viewing Xun Yi's paper, suddenly understood the secrets of the literary path from Establishing the Heart to Establishing the Words, directly advancing to the same level as Zhu Tu and the others.

Literary cultivation requires accumulating literary qi. The initial Danxin Minghu is also jokingly called "Washing Ink Lake." It refers to reading and writing, accumulating knowledge. When the lake of white mist is dyed black, it signifies that you have read extensively and have a wealth of knowledge.

"To cultivate calligraphy and enter the path, as my teacher once said, I need to practice nine pools of ink to reach the Scripture level. I never thought that by viewing the Emperor's divine power, I would suddenly understand the essence and break through." Nine pools of ink refer to using nine pools of ink, symbolizing a vast amount of calligraphy.

"From this, the first place is clear, right?" An examiner looked at his newly advanced colleague with admiration. "To enlighten Brother Wang to advance further, and for the ink to remain in the clear lake, it shows this student's literary talent. He deserves the top rank."

Everyone nodded, confirming the first place. For the second place, they chose the first paper over the military strategy paper.

"Although military strategy is good, the killing aura is too heavy, not in line with our Confucian principles." They placed the second paper in third place and then selected three more papers to finalize the rankings.

Finally, they tore open the list and transcribed the names onto the register.

Seeing Xun Yi in first place, Song Baode's lips twitched. Zhu Tu smiled: "Sir Song, disregarding past grievances and being fair, I admire you."

Song Baode forced a smile, seeing Xun Sheng in second place. He realized it was clearly the result of the Xun family deliberately mimicking Xun Yi's writing style. Annoyed, he thought: "If you had told me beforehand, wouldn't I have helped you suppress Xun Yi?"

Zhu Tu, seeing Xun Sheng in second place, also understood. It was likely a deliberate attempt to use his influence to get on the list. "Unfortunately, the emperor intends to reform the imperial examination system. This time, no wind was leaked beforehand to observe the effect."

Others, seeing the Xun family's two sons at the top, praised: "Truly worthy of being the descendants of Duke De, with a strong family tradition. A glimpse is enough to see the whole."

Song Baode remained silent, his face cold. He quietly filled out the list and offered it to the statue of the Wenchang Emperor.

The list, wrapped in fragrant incense, flew into the Wenchang Palace.

The Wenchang Emperor, seeing the list submitted by the examiners, stared at Xun Sheng in second place: "Although he received the questions in advance, his talent cannot be underestimated." The advance questions were just to prepare him, but the political essays were all Xun Sheng's own ideas.

"Fine, to avoid disrupting the imperial examination, I won't demote him. But his intentions are too heavy, and he needs to be disciplined."

The Wenchang Examination in Zhongzhou is expected in ten years, and the Great Zhou currently has no three-time top ranker. If he can't participate in the Wenchang Examination, it won't look good in the Heavenly Court. So, he deliberately found an excuse to prepare for the imperial examination, intending to select a few three-time top rankers to participate. Whether they can be controlled later is a concern for now.

Under pressure from the Heavenly Court's Wench