Chapter 53

After stepping out, a clerk guarding the door had already seen Yang Cai approaching and immediately came over. Yang Cai stopped, "Are you Yi Jiying?"

"Yes!" The clerk, Yi Jiying, lifted his head, "Sir, you have a good memory!"

Yang Cai thought for a moment and smiled, "What's so good about my memory? You're a clerk, and I remember you from the Ministry of Households. I used to be a secretary there, and you all were under my jurisdiction. How could I not recognize my own subordinates? If I can't even recognize them, I must be a very incompetent official."

Yi Jiying laughed, "Sir, how could you be incompetent? Who doesn't know your brilliance? We, the old gang, often think of you!"

Yang Cai hadn't expected this man to be so adept at flattery. He paused, half-smiling, and said, "If you're telling the truth, here's a task for you. Come over."

"Yes!" Yi Jiying hurriedly said, moving closer. But as soon as he heard this, a chill ran through his heart. This was his own doing, and if he refused, he would offend Sir Yang.

After a few moments of thought, he responded, "Yes, I'll go right away!"

"Don't worry. Think about it, is this within your legal authority? Even if something goes wrong, you won't be guilty of dereliction of duty. Go ahead, and we'll talk later."

At this moment, it was past noon, and the town's ominous aura had dissipated. Ye Qing wouldn't waste too much time. It was now the afternoon, with pleasant sunlight, and he was about to focus on the first question and start writing.

Just as he was concentrating, footsteps suddenly interrupted his train of thought. Ye Qing frowned, put down his pen, and waited for the footsteps to pass.

When concentrating on writing, one must maintain a continuous flow to ensure a steady stream of ideas. Once interrupted, it's easy to lose the thread.

If this were on Earth, it wouldn't matter much, but in this world where literary talent is highly valued, even a small gap can reduce the quality of the work.

As Yi Jiying walked by, he saw Ye Qing pause and couldn't help but smile smugly. He took a few steps, and the sound of his footsteps became inaudible, not disturbing anyone else.

Each of the examinees was a scholar. Offending one was manageable, but offending many would be counterproductive.

Seeing the footsteps pass, Ye Qing tried to concentrate again, but another set of footsteps interrupted him. This time, Ye Qing didn't put down his pen and drew a sharp breath.

Having been targeted, Ye Qing's senses were heightened. He immediately thought of something he had heard in his previous life. Was he encountering the same thing?

However, he managed to control his emotions. After a moment, the third set of footsteps sounded, and Ye Qing became furious, his face expressionless, just watching.

A clerk walked by, a cold smile on his face. But when their eyes met, he was immediately intimidated by the scholar's piercing gaze.

Ye Qing glanced at him, memorized his face, and then looked away, thinking, "Is this a follow-up to the earlier scheme to disrupt my concentration? Truly a series of attacks, showing they take me seriously!"

He laughed coldly in his heart, and at that moment, a murderous intent arose.

"Never mind, I'm not sure who's behind this, but since this clerk is blocking my way, I'll deal with him first."

Once he made up his mind, he treated the man as if he were already dead and refused to look at him again.

The rest was simple. If it were an ordinary scholar, they might have been affected, but Ye Qing, with his three lifetimes of experience and deep cultivation, didn't need to truly brainstorm. He had plenty of articles to choose from. In no time, a well-written essay appeared on the paper.

After finishing, he adjusted the structure, deleted unnecessary sentences, and made the article more straightforward and coherent.

He read it through silently, ensuring every word was harmonious and the literary flow was smooth, then sighed and sat up straight, thinking, "Although I've memorized and revised the entire article, the interference still affected my performance. I could have done better."

But this was nitpicking. Even with the silver seal suppressing his literary talent, the paper still glowed faintly, bringing him both joy and melancholy: "Seven essays are the standard, but there's still some risk. Given the situation, I can't afford to be eliminated."

"Even with foresight, I still have to worry about failing. This is because the rules are different, and when you can't change them, you must face the harsh reality."

"Ultimately, the selection of scholars is based on literary talent and moral character, which is very strict on the surface but has its limits. Once a weakness is exposed, it's easy to be manipulated. No matter how strict the supervision, officials can't be expected to be completely incorruptible."

"These footsteps may not violate any rules, but they certainly interfere with the examinees."

"Whether the exam is independently supervised or colluded, the human heart is unpredictable. Over a million years of history has seen cycles of change, from skinning and re-grafting to peasant revolutions, but nothing has fundamentally changed. Only the cycles of rise and fall ensure the unchanging face of heaven."

"At this point, I can only make up for my weaknesses and not truly believe in the promise of selecting scholars based on literary talent. I must push my strengths to the limit to ensure that those who try to manipulate the process take great risks and avoid failure."

With this in mind, he no longer hesitated. Despite the repeated footsteps, Ye Qing continued to write with determination.

As evening approached, the invigilators came and lit the lamps.

After another hour, some examinees, unable to bear the fatigue, had to sleep. The exam lasted two days, and proper rest was crucial. In noble families, there were even special courses to train for this, and in the days leading up to the exam, they adjusted their schedules to suit their physical conditions.

Some noble descendants began to slow down, glancing at the second set of questions, jotting down some ideas to avoid forgetting them the next day, and preparing to quickly enter the exam state upon waking. These simple and effective techniques were known only to experienced examinees or noble families.

Ye Qing, however, continued to lay out new paper and write.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

When Ye Qing put down his pen, he felt a wave of fatigue. He barely managed to check his work, confirmed it was correct, and then fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

Compared to his opponents, who were still anxious and dreaming about the exam, Ye Qing slept soundly.

His pure body, which unified his essence, energy, and spirit, naturally had no dreams. Moreover, for Ye Qing, the exam was essentially over.

All his essence, energy, and spirit were systematically gathered within him, and he murmured, "Man proposes, God disposes..."

At this moment, Lan Chongwen was patrolling and noticed that the light in this room hadn't been extinguished. He heard something and thought, "What's going on? Who has this person offended?"

When he came over, he heard the murmur, which, unlike the hurried and mumbled words of the other examinees, was calm and clear, with a resolute determination like crystal.

He smiled in understanding, paused to read the exam paper, and his smile gradually faded. He looked deeply at the sleeping youth and silently put down the paper, "Indeed, the heart of a scholar!"

The light was blown out, and the footsteps faded away.

In the darkness, Ye Qing opened his eyes, blinked, and then closed them again, falling into a deep sleep.

As the stars shifted and the moon set, the eastern sky gradually brightened, turning from a pale white to a rosy dawn. The sunlight shone on Ye Qing's face, waking him up.

He sat up and saw that the guards had been replaced, and even the basket of pancakes and tea had been refreshed. Ye Qing ate and drank, then leisurely observed the other examinees who were still writing.

After eating, he checked his work again, not only for errors but also for any taboo content and areas for improvement.

He meticulously reviewed and optimized, rewriting four pages of drafts, which took another hour. Only then did he feel truly at ease.

He took out the third set of exam questions.

The third set asked about local governance, and the examinees had to write policy proposals.

For the examinees, the intricacies of the court might not be clear, but there were guidelines to follow. They could use the principles of sages to analyze problems, aligning with the mainstream of this world and avoiding any bias.

However, in practice, most proposals were vague, and only a few could write substantial and practical suggestions.

Fortunately, the court and the Daoist court had few taboos regarding practical matters. As long as the proposals were not overly rebellious, there was no risk of disqualification. The more insightful and feasible the proposals, the higher the score.

This was the confidence of a world beyond the mundane, the breadth of a world of immortals.

Ye Qing not only remembered some answers but, with his fifteen years of experience from his previous life, had a deep understanding. His writing was inspired, the pen moving like a dragon, and the sound of the pen on paper was continuous.

He completed the third set in half a day, took a deep breath, and looked around. It was already afternoon.

In the quiet exam room, there was a sudden commotion, and he faintly heard someone writing until they vomited blood. Ye Qing was taken aback, remembering from his previous life that this happened in almost every exam, and he felt a sense of sorrow.

He no longer wanted to stay and signaled the guard, "I need to submit my exam. Please notify the invigilator."

The guards, who had been replaced, came over. The other examinees were still writing, and this one was already finished, causing the guards to wonder, "Is he really that good, or is he just giving up?"

Soon, several invigilators came from the back hall. As it was the first submission, they all came to collect it. Ye Qing saw them from a distance, stood up, and bowed.

One of the invigilators was a middle-aged man, surnamed Yang, whom Ye Qing remembered from his previous life. This Yang, however, pretended not to recognize him. Seeing it was Ye Qing, his eyes narrowed, and he smiled warmly, gesturing for Ye Qing to sit.

"Such speed!" Yang picked up the paper, glanced through it, frowned, and looked at Ye Qing, "Is it all finished? If so, I'll collect it, and you can leave the exam room."

Hearing this, Ye Qing stood up and replied, "I have finished."

"Good." The Yang invigilator nodded, picked up the stack of papers under the paperweight, and placed them in a special envelope, smiling at Ye Qing, "You can leave the exam room. However, it's cold outside, and there's no array to protect you. If you have nowhere to go, you can rest here."

Ye Qing was alarmed. He wouldn't do anything that could be misinterpreted.

He smiled and shook his head, "Thank you, sir, but I'm going back to the inn to rest. It's more comfortable there."

"Very well." The Yang invigilator's smile faded, handed the envelope to another invigilator, and left.

After the invigilators left, Ye Qing exited the room and the exam hall.

The guard at the door moved the military barrier for him. As he turned back, he saw the Yang invigilator watching from the back hall. Ye Qing's heart sank, but he pretended not to notice and walked out.

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