Chapter 14

In the early morning, the weather was not good, with dark clouds hanging over the county town's sky.

Inside the inn, voices were already bustling. Some were merchants who had to rise early, while others, like Ye Qing, were candidates preparing for the examination.

As soon as Ye Qing got up, a waiter had already noticed him and hurriedly brought books and a towel, along with a bowl of red sugar water and boiled eggs. Seeing Ye Qing's surprise, the waiter said, "Young Master, you are going to take the exam, right? The boss said that every candidate will be given a bowl of red sugar water and boiled eggs to show his good wishes, hoping you will have great success and pass the exam."

Ye Qing listened and, looking at the dense stars still visible in the early morning sky, smiled. "The boss is really good with words, no wonder his business is thriving!"

After saying this, he did not refuse and enjoyed the meal. After finishing, he bid farewell to Qianqian and followed the crowd to the examination hall.

The Child Examination is organized by the county and those who pass will gain the qualification and quota to participate in the Scholar Examination, which can be considered the first step in the imperial examination system.

Those who pass the Child Examination can wear a light red robe and are called Child Candidates.

According to the Great Cai Law: Only those above the rank of Child Candidate have the qualification to serve as officials in the county!

However, even Child Candidates are not guaranteed to become officials. You can apply, but if there are no vacancies, you will have to wait...

In the end, those who fill the vacancies are either from noble families or have offered substantial bribes, or both.

Clear water does not hold fish. The Dao Law can supervise effectively, but it also stifles social vitality. With a thousand-year rule experience, the Dao Court is strict on key systems but turns a blind eye to other matters.

To put it bluntly, if you stop at the Child Candidate level, it is not valuable in itself, but when combined with noble resources, it becomes valuable. However, it is the first step to entering the Heavenly Rank.

According to the Great Cai Law, the first list includes the top three: the状元 (Zhuangyuan), 榜眼 (Bangyan), and 探花 (Tanhu).

The second list includes thirty Jinshi (advanced scholars). In total, the top thirty-three are listed in the Heavenly Register, with the hope of immortality. The third list, below the top thirty-three, can be adjusted by the court, but they are all "same-rank" Jinshi, and with this "same," they have virtually no hope of immortality.

Ye Qing pursed his lips, no longer thinking about it, and hurried to the examination hall.

The Child Examination is held in the county. Normally, a county provides examination venues for hundreds of candidates, with very poor conditions, sometimes even in temporary sheds.

However, in the world of the Dao Law, the imperial examination not only serves the county, prefecture, and state, but more importantly, it serves the Dao Court, where all those with destiny and wisdom are included. Independent cultivators who refuse to kneel do not even have the right to cast spells and will die old in the wilderness.

This has a completely different meaning. The examination hall covers three acres, with green bricks and pear wood tables and chairs inside, and high walls outside, built with stone slabs, leaving no gaps.

The main gate is thick and covered with iron plates, painted in cinnabar red, and studded with brass nails. Armored soldiers patrol, their armor clinking.

These young soldiers have cold faces and do not look around, clearly being elite troops temporarily mobilized, showing the court's emphasis on the imperial examination.

According to the Great Cai Law, the county magistrate is the chief examiner, with three examiners and Daoists supervising, with strict rules.

When Ye Qing arrived, students were entering one by one, all somewhat nervous. This is a rule that has been in place for hundreds of thousands of years, and no one dares to advance rashly. They queue up and enter the examination hall one by one.

The clerks from the prefecture are responsible for qualifications, issuing examination permits at the county office—Child Candidates must enter the examination hall with these permits.

According to the Great Cai Law: Without a permit or special permission, anyone who enters the examination hall will be killed on the spot!

This is a rule set by the founding emperor, but it applies to every dynasty.

When it was Ye Qing's turn, the clerk took his permit and checked it. "The permit is correct, go in, next!"

The examination hall is actually a large hall, deep and spacious, with a heavy dome that inspires awe. The floor is made of wooden planks, which feel comfortable to walk on.

Several candidates entering here all changed their expressions, not daring to look around.

The county magistrate, wearing a silver crown, red robe, and official boots, sat in his seat. Above him, a golden seal hung on the wall, somewhat out of place with the surroundings.

"The Seal of Destiny!" Others might not know, but Ye Qing immediately felt a chill. Although the Dao Examination emphasizes both wisdom and destiny, it does not allow cheating. The Seal of Destiny can suppress destiny, ensuring that candidates compete fairly in the examination hall.

The officials and Daoists on either side of the seal all avoided it, showing its authority and power.

The clerk called out names, and those called forward to verify their identities and sit at the designated desks. The hall can accommodate eight hundred people, but now there are only about four hundred, making it seem sparse.

Everything was orderly. The three examiners looked at the sky and the students entering, sighing, "The weather is gloomy, I hope this time we can select more talents."

One examiner remained silent, while the other sighed, "State affairs are not something we, as minor officials, can interfere with. The will of heaven and the destiny of the state are beyond our control. We should just do our jobs."

The Great Cai Dynasty has ruled for three hundred years, with noble families increasingly occupying land, and the dynasty gradually showing signs of decline. According to hundreds of thousands of years of experience, there are about two hundred years left before the next dynasty's cycle begins.

A dynasty's rise lasts no more than a hundred years, and at most eight hundred years, with no thousand-year dynasty. This is the cycle of prosperity and decline, allowing the Dao Court to remain in power, controlling the world from above.

After all four hundred candidates were called and seated, it was already noon. The examination papers, issued by the state, were now being unsealed by the Daoists with a special knife.

When the knife and the sealed paper were opened, a red light flashed, making some candidates who saw it for the first time gasp in surprise.

This is the power of the Dao Law!

The foundation of the Dao Court's control over the world!

Receiving the examination paper, Ye Qing felt the residual Dao Law on the paper and smiled lightly. He first looked at the first paper, and sure enough, it was "Ink Meaning"!

"Ink Meaning" means that the examination does not test the interpretation of classics but memory. A passage is given, and you must continue it without a single mistake, and the handwriting must be acceptable to pass.

For those who have reached this level, this paper should not be a problem. Most candidates, after a moment's thought, began to write quickly on the draft paper, and then transferred their answers to the official paper!

After seeing the first paper, Ye Qing had a clear idea and turned to the second paper, which was an essay question. The difficulty of the essay question is higher, but over the centuries, there have been many templates, with little new content.

The last paper is a single question, asking candidates to write an essay. This has been the case for thousands of years.

In this world, the Child Examination is probably equivalent to the Scholar level in the feudal era on Earth.

No wonder, the next Scholar Examination requires the development of heart light, and the Jinshi (advanced scholar) level requires a deeper understanding of the Dao, which can be considered the foundation of the Dao.

These layers of examination are very reasonable, truly testing the candidates' abilities.

Overall, the Child Examination requires basic familiarity with the classics, the Scholar level requires a thorough understanding of the surface meaning of the classics, the Jinshi level requires the ability to explain one's understanding logically, and the Jinshi level requires the foundation of the Dao, even with some innovation. Each Jinshi Dao Scripture is submitted to the Dao Lord.

Over three hundred thousand years, the Dao Lord has absorbed the resources of millions of Dao disciples, growing immensely!

This is precisely the significance of the imperial examination!

However, the vast majority of scholars, after studying the Three Classics and Five Canons and related works, are stunned by the profound meanings. To break free from the constraints and produce even a spark of new ideas is extremely difficult!

The difficulty of the Dao lies here, and Ye Qing deeply sighed, calming his mind, and began to write the first paper, the "Ink Meaning."

After thirty years of practice in calligraphy and reciting classics, not only were his characters flawless, but the writing also had a graceful and powerful style, like dragons and snakes, with a sense of clouds and mist.

If the Seal of Destiny were removed and the aura of the characters could be seen, the calligraphy would have a faint green glow, not yet perfect, but close!

Of course, this is just calligraphy; the entire paper would be mostly golden yellow.

The Seal of Destiny, one of its main functions, is to suppress destiny and literary aura, making the literary aura obscure, providing a fair environment for everyone. Without it, the characters of scholars, especially those at the Scholar and Jinshi levels, would be full of spiritual light, forming clouds and competing in brilliance, interfering with others' examinations. Some might even deliberately show their spiritual light to oppress other candidates, which would be unfair.

Therefore, for the past two hundred thousand years, the Seal of Destiny has been issued for every examination, suppressing destiny and literary aura, making the literary aura obscure, providing a fair environment for everyone, though the specific grade of the Seal of Destiny varies.

In just half an hour, the first paper was completed. Ye Qing put down his pen and wiped the sweat from his forehead. This body was really too weak.

After reading it again, he confirmed that every character was correct and the text was smooth, and he sighed in relief, straightened his back, and stretched, thinking to himself, "The 'Ink Meaning' paper is done."

"Although this paper is not perfect, in the Child Examination, with this level, any deductions would be nitpicking!"

"Since there is still some time before noon, I will finish the essay question next."

However, this time, Ye Qing did not dare to be careless. After a moment's thought, he began to answer the essay question, writing it on the draft paper. After finishing, he checked it again, ensuring the sentences were balanced, the structure was coherent, and the words were well-chosen. After completing these, the essay was simple and clear in meaning.

The next step was simple: transferring the answers to the second paper. In less than half an hour, the second paper was filled with elegant writing, which even Ye Qing himself found pleasing to read.

"I deliberately chose practical answers for the essay, selecting the most solid responses from the past twenty years. Although there is not much innovation, no one can find fault with them."

"I am satisfied with these two papers. I think there should be no major issues. The key is the next paper, the essay."

After checking again and finding no errors, he placed the second paper in the designated spot and deliberately waited for a moment, feeling a slight breeze, before smiling.

The spirits in the examination hall would also see this, and no one could tamper with it. Details determine success or failure, a truth at any time.

This Child Examination is crucial for him, and he cannot afford any slack.