Chapter 93

On the morning of August 21st,

"Isn't this Brother Ye?" someone suddenly said behind him, "Are you going to the examination hall together?"

Ye Qing turned back to look. The man was about thirty years old, with a round face and a mustache. Ye Qing then remembered that this was Xiang Duo, a scholar from a nearby courtyard. He smiled and said, "Brother Xiang, it's you. Let's go together."

Xiang Duo smiled, somewhat wistfully, and said, "It's the examination hall again. It's hard to describe. Don't laugh, but this is my third time taking the provincial examination. If I don't pass this time, I'll really give up and take a clerical position in the county."

Ye Qing smiled. He was wearing a silk robe, not luxurious but spotless, making him look very spirited. He didn't say much and just went along with Xiang Duo.

At this time, the streets were bustling with carriages and a crowd of people. Ox-drawn carts lined up for a long distance. Ye Qing and Xiang Duo rode in a distant ox cart, not in a hurry.

At this moment, Ye Qing glanced at a pawnshop, a cold smile flashing across his face. He continued to move forward slowly without a word.

Halfway through, he instinctively felt something was amiss. A few people were clearly tailing him, and there was a faint, icy chill of killing intent from behind.

"Is the Yu family sending assassins?"

The provincial examination hall was located in the southwest of the city, a place of great importance for imperial ceremonies throughout the generations. It had been renovated many times. The ox cart entered through the main road, arriving at a large open area that could accommodate thousands of ox carts. The cart stopped steadily.

When Ye Qing got out, he saw the sun just rising, the air cold and misty. After passing through the gate, he saw small halls on both sides of the path, forming two queues. Upon arrival, he heard someone say, "Scholars, please show your gold tokens."

Ye Qing took out his token unhurriedly, which was inspected by an official before he was allowed to enter.

At this time, a large number of scholars were heading towards the two halls. Ye Qing smiled and moved forward in line, hearing a bailiff raise a flag and announce, "Scholars, please queue up by your gold token numbers."

The crowd immediately split into ten examination zones. Ye Qing entered and went into the examination hall.

The setup was similar to the county examination. Each examination zone had two rows of examination rooms, with one room for each person. Each room contained a bed, a desk, and a low stool.

Each room was also numbered, matching the number on the gold token.

At this time, the scholars entered, the hall silent and solemn. Ye Qing found his room and saw that each room was guarded by a soldier. He sighed inwardly, "It's even stricter now."

Like the previous examination, there was a basket. Ye Qing went over and looked inside, finding a jar of tea and a stack of six meat pancakes.

Ye Qing inspected the pens, ink, and paper on the desk, all of which were uniformly distributed and already set up. They were waiting for the examination to begin, ready for the candidates to use.

At this point, the venue was the safest, and there were no restrictions. Ye Qing did not hesitate and used his ability to sense the aura.

He saw that his own aura was a deep red, with a golden yellow cloud surrounding it. The gray aura had been mostly eliminated, but a beam of gray-black light was shooting from a distance. As it approached, it transformed into a venomous snake, subtly suppressing his own aura. Ye Qing's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly realized, "If I don't pass this time, I'll be in mortal danger, and even my family far away will be in peril."

As he was thinking, the sun rose higher. At the entrance of the hall, someone checked the time on the sundial and shouted, "The time has come. The examination is officially starting. Candidates, please remain calm and wait for the distribution of the examination papers."

As the invigilators called out, the main gate was locked, and a golden seal was hung on the plaque in front of the hall. In no time, a dense aura enveloped the entire venue.

At the same time, the invigilator's voice echoed, "You are all experienced in the examination hall. There's no need to repeat the rules. The papers are now being distributed. Best wishes..."

Ye Qing didn't hear a word. Reflecting on his journey, he knew how difficult it had been to rise from nothing. Just one counterattack had led to this situation.

He was filled with anger but also knew this was reality.

After calming down, he washed his hands in the basin inside the curtain, dried them with a clean cloth, and returned, now calm and composed. When the examination papers were distributed, he took a look and smiled. It was no longer the "plow ox" test for scholars.

There was only one paper for the "scripture test," with very little content, just a formality. Those who had passed the child and scholar examinations had exceptional memory and were diligent, able to recite the classics backward.

This type of scripture test could no longer distinguish talent and was purely a matter of luck, losing its original purpose of measuring ability.

Therefore, it was greatly simplified. Scholars who made it to the provincial examination could probably finish it in half an hour.

The second paper was an essay on the teachings of the sages, with much less content than the "plow ox" test for scholars, which had seven questions. There was only one question, allowing candidates to take their time and refine their best work, making their essays shine and stand out.

Ye Qing continued to read the third paper, which was completely different. It had three questions, all based on real administrative tasks from actual government offices.

Candidates were required to make decisions based on the Three Classics and Five Canons, and to explain their reasoning. This was the main part of the examination.

After all, passing the provincial examination meant becoming an official, so political talent had to be tested. However, in practice, the word count was not high. A clear and logical argument could be made in about 500 words.

The fourth paper required candidates to discuss political principles based on the Three Classics and Five Canons, not straying from the principles of the classics.

Overall, these questions were much more difficult than the county examination. Passing these papers would demonstrate that the candidates were theoretically qualified to be officials, testing their political abilities.

For Ye Qing, however, this was even easier than the county examination. After reading the papers, his thoughts gradually focused. He took a moment to think, then took a piece of paper and began to write quietly.

He completed the first paper first, which was very easy, not even needing a draft. He wrote directly.

In just half an hour, Ye Qing finished the first paper and reviewed it, finding it very satisfactory.

There were no errors, and the Three Classics and Five Canons were all cited, making it flawless.

He then unfolded the second paper.

"This is an essay on principles. In the county examination, there were seven questions, but now there is only one. There's plenty of time to think, draft, and refine."

After a moment of thought, he opened his eyes and began to write.

At this point, it was a matter of life and death, so what did he have to worry about?

He decided to copy a famous work by a fellow scholar.

"With my current peak level as a scholar, I could write it myself, but I'm afraid I might run out of energy, making the four papers inconsistent. Since I've reached this point, I need to show my strength. I'll make a stunning impression in the essay, which will then highlight my handling of official duties in the third paper and my summary of political principles in the fourth paper, creating a wave of overwhelming advantage."

Thinking of this, Ye Qing smiled coldly, "Only you, Yu Fan, dare to take such risks? I, too, am willing to take the risk."

The brilliant work of the fellow scholar flowed through his mind.

To be fair, Ye Qing's current level was almost on par with that of a fellow scholar. These famous works were written in the examination hall, though logically sound and well-written, they were done in a short time and had room for improvement. Ye Qing smiled coldly and wrote the draft, reciting it fluently. In about half an hour, he had copied the thousand-word essay onto the paper.

He carefully reviewed it, considering each word, ensuring the sentences were balanced, the structure was coherent, and the words were well-chosen, making the final text simple and the principles clear, almost to the point where no word could be added or removed.

Ye Qing had spent seven years in a dream, thoroughly understanding the process. This revision took less than half an hour, and the second paper was completed. He then copied it onto the official examination paper without hesitation.

As he wrote, a cloud of aura began to rise from his pen.

The sun rose in the morning, and within a two-mile radius, the ground was paved with golden-patterned bricks, and the continuous buildings were bathed in golden light. A golden seal hung high on the green pavilion.

The inspector, Fan Shan, had just entertained the invigilator, and now he was personally overseeing the examination. He saw the guards patrolling, the spirits monitoring from the sky, and the strict Daoist laws in place. He could also sense the vibrant cultural atmosphere, like a hidden tide.

He sincerely praised, "Such a grand cultural event always makes one醉心 (entranced)."

The invigilator, lacking the sharp insight, just smiled and agreed, "The province has accumulated about three thousand scholars over the years, and a thousand are taking the exam this year. They must be outstanding and confident."

Fan Shan nodded, about to add a comment.

Suddenly, a gushing sound was heard, and a group of guards rushed over, with a spirit descending from the sky.

The invigilator was embarrassed. He had just praised the outstanding and confident scholars, and now he was being proven wrong. He angrily shouted at his subordinates, "Go and see who is cheating."

"Yes," one official thought he was extremely unlucky, turned to run, and regretted getting so close.

"Wait," Fan Shan spoke up, looking at the direction of the disturbance and asking thoughtfully, "Do you remember the last few candidates in this examination zone?"

The invigilator nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, "Your memory is perfect, sir..."

With such a big commotion, the invigilator's face was a mix of tears and laughter. Clearly, the golden seal could not completely cover up the disturbance, and a major cheating scandal was about to be exposed. His fate would be exile to Sandmen Island or execution in the market.

"How could I be so unlucky..." Just as he was feeling sad, Fan Shan smiled, "I'll go and take a look."

"Is Sir Fan out of his mind?" The chief and deputy invigilators looked at each other, and one of them quickly came to his senses and hurriedly ran after him.

Crossing the examination zones, they heard the sound of guards running and the invigilators rushing over. The candidates, though unaware of what was happening, stopped writing and almost started discussing it. If not for the guards' suppression, they would have started talking.

"Sit down, sit down. This doesn't concern you. Any more noise, and you'll be expelled from the examination hall," the invigilators shouted loudly, maintaining order.

When they arrived at the scene, they saw a group of guards surrounding a room but not entering.

Fan Shan stopped and watched quietly. Inside the examination room, a young man continued writing, not even lifting his head.

His pen moved like a dragon, and the words on the paper emitted a green aura, rising like smoke and reaching three feet before being cut off by the golden seal. Although this was invisible to the naked eye, at the provincial examination level, many people could see it. The invigilators looked at each other, puzzled, "This is..."

Fan Shan shouted, "What are you all doing here? Go back to your posts and don't interfere with the normal examination."

The guards dispersed, and the candidates, all scholars, understood the meaning and immediately sat down, quietly continuing their exams.

Fan Shan focused and looked, his face expressionless. He then looked at the invigilators who had come over and nodded, saying, "Go back."

He then walked back.

The invigilators had no choice but to follow him. When they returned to the front of the hall, they could no longer hold back, "Sir, what's going on?"

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