Chapter 55

At this late hour, the county town was quiet, with myriad lights twinkling.

Three days after the county examination ended, the examination hall was still sealed off, with guards patrolling in shifts, maintaining a solemn atmosphere.

The courtyard was silent, but the rear hall was brightly lit, with only the rustling of paper and occasional whispers of conversation.

Grading the county examination papers was not a task that could be completed in one or two days; it took a full seven days.

The examination papers had been collected and stacked in the center of the main hall, with two thousand papers piled several feet high, forming about ten stacks. Fifteen clerks worked together, not evaluating the quality of the essays, but first eliminating those with obvious errors or incomplete answers, which did not even reach two-thirds of the required content.

The county examination, known as the "Ox Plowing Test," aimed to assess the candidates' knowledge and potential. The questions were designed so that more than half of the candidates would not have enough time to complete them.

Therefore, these clerks did not need discerning eyes; they only needed to follow the rules. If there were any disputes, they would consult the examiners. Out of the two thousand papers, eight hundred remained.

These eight hundred papers were then divided into completed and incomplete papers, a task that took three days.

The eight hundred papers were handed over to the six chief and deputy examiners for review. Only about sixty papers were fully completed, while the rest were moved and stacked by the clerks.

Thus, there were two stacks: sixty papers and seven hundred and forty papers.

According to the rules, the seven hundred and forty papers were to be reviewed first. The six chief and deputy examiners looked serious, knowing that even with strict regulations and mysterious Daoist laws, all mechanisms were operated by people. As long as human hearts could not be controlled, cheating could not be completely eliminated. In previous years, many had tried to cheat, risking their futures and lives. This moment was the most dangerous—once an examiner was found to be involved in cheating, they, along with the clerks and guards, would be punished.

They exchanged glances, and Lan Chongwen steadied himself, looking at the guards who had entered the hall, and then bowing respectfully to an empty corner: "The initial selection is complete. Please, Sir, lift the Daoist restrictions."

With a rustle,

The Daoist examiner stepped to the center of the hall, placing his hand on the silver seal, looking at everyone with pure eyes under his white hair and eyebrows: "Have you finished the selection?"

There was no doubt, just a question. Everyone understood the implications, their foreheads slightly sweating. Lan Chongwen felt a sudden tension and solemnly replied, "It is truly finished."

The silver seal trembled, and the light around it dimmed to a half-foot halo.

A horn sounded, the seals were removed, and a spring gushed into the hall. White vapor rose from the papers, quickly illuminating the hall, but only the rejected papers were affected.

From the rejected papers, light surged like a tidal wave, mesmerizing everyone. This was the literary aura of twelve hundred students, the cultural brilliance of the county, and the gathering of the county's resources.

"Seeing this is enough to satisfy a lifetime..." one of the deputy examiners murmured, voicing the thoughts of many.

The Daoist examiner's eyes flickered, recalling past events and myriad thoughts: "A single student is like an ant, but twelve hundred gathered together can make a duke or a marquis in the human world, and a true immortal in the Daoist realm."

"In the past, the Red Emperor reformed the Daoist sects, absorbing the great fortune of the people to prevent imbalance and ensure that scholars truly became the direct descendants of the Daoist sects, thus suppressing all other Daoist realizers and laying the foundation for the Daoist court for hundreds of thousands of years."

"Our sect has been in hiding, but the Daoist sects are deeply rooted in the Great Dao, with countless rules and restrictions. Even with great ambitions, without nourishment and rewards, they gradually wither and cool."

"Our sect has been suppressed by these rules for nearly ten thousand years, and no one has been able to reach a high position in the Heavenly Court. Where is the hope for our advancement?"

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, as the hall was filled with the steady glow of literary aura.

In the eyes of the examiners, only red and yellow were visible. The process must be led by them, and they would rather increase their workload than let the Daoist examiner interfere, as this involved the fundamental rule of the Daoist sects.

The Daoist examiner sighed inwardly, his mind clearing, and his eyes turning cold: "By lifting some of the restrictions, the literary aura is revealed. According to the rules, you must check the rejected papers for any omissions. This is an old rule, and I need not say more. You must do your best!"

"This is our duty!" The examiners, each with their own thoughts, responded and began their inspections.

The number of students selected in each examination was determined by the county's population. In Nancang County, only thirty students were selected each time.

Every detail of the imperial examination system, developed over hundreds of thousands of years, had countless examples behind it.

Thus, the examination system remained unchanged even when dynasties changed. Any sign of the court's decline could be seen in whether the examinations were "normal."

Under this immense pressure, the royal family placed great pressure on the bureaucratic group, which permeated all officials below the state and county levels.

The deputy examiners checked the rejected papers, pulling out a few with yellow aura, and sighed: "The literary aura is good, but they did not complete two-thirds of the exam. According to the rules, they must be rejected."

These were mostly from poor families. According to the imperial system, students received Daoist techniques, but these poor students often studied hard to become students, and after becoming students, they continued to study hard, often neglecting the cultivation of their Daoist foundations.

As a result, many poor students failed the county examination due to the "Ox Plowing Test" strategy.

These yellow-aura papers were already among the best, and it was a pity to reject them, but they had to be rejected. The Daoist sects wanted not just scholars but true immortals who understood and practiced the Dao.

The Daoist examiner observed, seeing no major errors, and said nothing more. Finally, a clerk brought out the names of the rejected papers registered over the past three days, and the examiners stamped them, officially rejecting them. All eyes then turned to the chief examiner sent by the state.

"Cough, please, Sir, stamp it!" The examiner coughed, seeing the Daoist examiner stamp it, and bowed: "If there are no objections, we will proceed with the second round of elimination for the eight hundred papers."

From these eight hundred papers, eighty must be selected based on literary aura. After these eighty were chosen, they would be combined with fortune to select thirty.

The Daoist examiner nodded and said, "You have three days for the second round. I will return in three days!"

With that, he waved his sleeve and turned to leave the side hall, indicating he would not interfere with the second round of elimination.

The chief examiner waved his hand, and all the clerks except two who were moving the papers left the hall. The next steps did not require their participation.

Just as the chief examiner was about to speak, a gust of wind blew, and he shivered, hearing the sound of rolling thunder. He felt a vague unease. With his deep cultivation, he thought, "Is someone trying to interfere?"

He looked around and saw that the other five examiners were all meditating with their eyes closed. After a long moment, the chief examiner smiled slightly and said, "Gentlemen, the county examination is of utmost importance to the court, involving your lives and families. I hope you will see it through to the end."

He looked at his colleagues and said sternly, "Each paper must be read personally according to the rules. Do not slack off!"

His gaze was icy, and the other examiners felt a chill, looking at the eight hundred papers stacked in ten piles, feeling the immense pressure but responding, "We will read each paper personally and ensure there are no omissions!"

At that moment, a bolt of lightning illuminated the hall, followed by darkness. Spring rain poured down, and the branches danced in the wind, the wet leaves rustling with the sound of new leaves.

"This is the first spring rain, finally bidding farewell to the spring snow."

Ye Qing walked to the window and saw the dark, continuous clouds. A gust of wind brought raindrops, and he returned to his room, sitting in a chair and gazing out the window in silence.

It had been three days since the examination, and during these three days, his heart had grown colder, with many thoughts swirling in his mind.

The concept of fortune had defeated countless heroes.

He remembered a dynasty called "Da Qian" in history, where the imperial examination was open to all, regardless of social status, and even the prime minister was selected based on talent alone, without considering fortune. The founder of this dynasty was ambitious and inspired future generations, but the dynasty lasted only two hundred years.

When it fell, the entire court was invigorated, and countless heroes emerged, creating a grand finale for the dynasty.

After countless years of refinement, this system was formed, and even Ye Qing himself could not change it. Unless the world's rules were broken, even ten thousand heroes would only fail.

Since the establishment of the Daoist sects, the separation of humans and immortals, and the practice of a million years, there had been successes and failures. Among the countless generations of heroes, there were always those who refused to submit, and there were even rebellions. The Daoist sects did not fear rebellion or even the overthrow of the heavens, and it was clearly recorded in history.

However, none of these attempts had succeeded. Even the Five Emperors, who rose to power, either joined the system voluntarily or were forced to do so.

Although this history was not accessible to everyone, students and above could read it, without any concealment. This was a display of absolute confidence in their own power, openly declaring to the world, "If you want to rebel, go ahead and try!"

Except for the three Daoist Lords in the Nine Heavens, no one among the billions of humans could surpass the heavens.

Compared to the grand history of this world, the small failures of the transmigrators from the previous life were like tiny ripples in a vast ocean, barely noticed by the higher-ups. Every time he thought about this, Ye Qing felt a deep shadow.

Ye Qing paced around, reciting a poem:

"The world's tastes have grown thin like silk,

Who made me ride a horse to the capital?

In a small tower, I listen to the spring rain all night,

Tomorrow in the deep alley, they will sell apricot blossoms.

On short paper, I write in a slanted hand,

In the sunny window, I play with tea, its fine foam swirling.

Do not sigh at the dust on my white clothes,

I can still return home by Qingming."

After reciting, Ye Qing had not yet spoken when he heard someone shout, "What a beautiful poem!"

The door opened, and a gust of wind blew in, followed by Qian Qian. The shout was not from Qian Qian but from the two people behind her.

They were He Mao and Li Chengyuan, both students in this year's examination.

With the results not yet announced, the students were all waiting in the county town, and they had become familiar with each other.

Two servants followed, carrying food boxes.

He Mao waved his hand and said, "The spring snow has turned to rain, moistening the ground. The crops will grow quickly. I wanted to enjoy the rain with Brother Ye, but instead, I heard this poem."

"The line 'In a small tower, I listen to the spring rain all night' is truly full of flavor!"

As he praised, the servants brought in a hot pot, the charcoal burning below, making the water boil and steam rise, the aroma filling the air.

Ye Qing, putting aside all other thoughts, laughed, "You are late, but I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Let's listen to the spring rain and enjoy the apricot blossoms all night!"

With that, he waved his hand, inviting everyone to sit down.