Chapter 9

Fang Yun looked at the six incense sticks, lowered his head, and silently recited in his heart.

"First, for Mother, I may not be able to return. Please forgive me for my filial impiety, and take care of yourself."

"Second, for the deceased Fang Yun, thank you."

"Third and fourth, for Fang Yun's parents, fifth for Yu Huan's father, as long as I am here, I will make sure Yu Huan will not suffer again."

"Sixth, for Meng Haoran, thank the ancient poet."

Fang Yun gazed at the incense and candles for a long time, his heart filled with melancholy, which turned into a sigh, as if bidding farewell to the past.

After offering the incense, the two sat face to face at the dining table.

Fang Yun said, "Sister Yu Huan, let's set a rule for our meal today."

"Please instruct, young scholar," Yang Yuhuan said with a smile, which she hadn't had in a long time, as the burden on her shoulders had finally lightened.

"The rule is, you take one bite, I take one bite, and we eat the same amount! You don't need to say anything; this rule cannot be changed! How much I can eat today depends entirely on you."

Yang Yuhuan looked at Fang Yun quietly, a warm current surging in her heart. She suddenly felt that all the hardships and fatigue of these years were nothing with Fang Yun's words.

"Our little Yun has grown up and knows how to care for his sister. Now that you are a scholar, the family will be more comfortable. Once you pass the examination for a scholar, fish and meat won't be a luxury. Today, I will enjoy a good meal thanks to you."

Fang Yun picked up a piece of greasy braised pork and handed it to Yang Yuhuan's mouth, saying softly, "No, I am the one who benefits from you. Without you, I wouldn't even be able to survive, let alone study. I will always remember that."

Yang Yuhuan's eyes welled up, and she opened her mouth to eat the braised pork, chewing slowly.

Born into a poor family, one knows the value of meat.

Fang Yun picked up a piece of braised pork for himself, finished eating it, and then picked out a chicken leg from the clay pot and placed it in Yang Yuhuan's bowl.

"One for each of us."

"Okay!"

The two rarely ate meat in a year, and today they ate to their heart's content, finishing everything.

Yang Yuhuan looked at the empty plate, feeling a bit embarrassed, as she had eaten too much.

Both were so full that they were too lazy to stand up. They smiled at each other, chatting happily, and the room was filled with a warm atmosphere.

Soon, the noise from the neighbors' house came, where Old Wang, drunk, was scolding his children to study hard and pass the scholar examination.

The two smiled, and Yang Yuhuan looked at the sky and said, "The three examiners should be grading the papers now."

Fang Yun nodded.

Inside the literary academy.

In the spacious grading room, the lights were bright, and rows of long tables were neatly arranged, with over two thousand candidates' papers placed on them, covering the tables, a magnificent sight.

The three examiners stood solemnly in front of the statue of Confucius at the back of the grading room, with ten lecturers from the county literary academy behind them.

County Magistrate Cai said, "Please grant your judgment, Holy One!"

"Please grant your judgment, Holy One," everyone echoed.

A strange force descended from nowhere, creating a breeze in the room, but all the papers remained still.

Most of the papers did not change, but nearly half of them suddenly emitted an orange glow.

Talent was revealed.

The orange glow varied in intensity, with the highest talent reaching nearly three feet, almost reaching the level of Mingzhou.

The second-highest paper had a talent of just over one foot, a significant difference.

Then, a strong wind blew, and the papers flew everywhere.

When the wind stopped, a large number of papers were piled in one corner, and only one hundred papers remained on the table, arranged from highest to lowest talent.

"Select based on talent, and rank based on the quality of the writing!"

After County Magistrate Cai spoke, the ten lecturers each held a standard answer from the Holy One, and each selected nine papers from the back to the front, starting to grade and judge the writing.

The ten papers with the most talent were left untouched.

County Magistrate Cai, without hesitation, said, "Since this poem is nearly at the level of Mingzhou, I will not be polite and will take the first look." He then happily walked to Fang Yun's paper.

The reason for the late grading was that after the candidates submitted their papers, a dedicated person covered their names with paper to prevent cheating. Only after determining the top fifty rankings could the names be seen.

The poem was on top, and County Magistrate Cai saw the words "Spring Dawn," frowning slightly. Although the writing was still neat, it seemed too poor to him, but he felt relieved thinking that Fang Yun was from a poor family.

Practicing calligraphy requires a large amount of ink and paper, which poor families cannot afford. They either practice with branches on sand or use brushes dipped in water on tables, the latter still requiring many brushes.

County Magistrate Cai looked at the poem and read it involuntarily: "I sleep and do not know the dawn, everywhere I hear the birds singing; last night's wind and rain, how many flowers have fallen?"

The three examiners were stunned. The poem's words were very simple and easy to understand, but why did it leave a faint sense of regret after reading?

The other two examiners also looked at Fang Yun's paper and pondered.

"It feels like something is missing," Wan Xuezheng said.

County Magistrate Cai, a graduate of the same imperial examination, held a seventh-rank official position, while Wang Yuanjun and Wan Xuezheng were only graduates of the provincial examination, both holding eighth-rank positions.

County Magistrate Cai read the poem several times and suddenly sighed, "Wonderful. This poem, though simple and natural, is precious for its 'truth.' The scenery and meaning are genuine. The structure of the poem is also remarkable. The four lines are, in order, 'unknown,' 'known,' 'known,' and 'unknown.' The first 'unknown' opens the poem, and the last 'unknown' leaves a blank, making the reader think, 'How many flowers have fallen? Why ask about the fallen flowers?'"

After these words, the grading room fell silent, as if everyone was pondering the question, "How many flowers have fallen?"

Just five words, yet they stirred everyone's hearts.

Wang Yuanjun nodded and said, "Cai's words capture the essence of the poem. The poem is true because every line is about spring, every line touches the theme, spring drowsiness, spring birds, spring rain, spring wind, spring flowers. It seems to be full of scenery, but actually hides unspoken emotions. The most remarkable thing is that the words are simple and unadorned, natural and easy to spread. If this candidate did not write it by chance, he must be extraordinary."

The other two nodded continuously, as the ease of spreading was crucial. Literary fame is one of the pursuits of scholars, and even half-saints cannot escape this.

Wan Xuezheng said, "I can also write such words, but to make a poem like a painting, to blend emotions into it, and to do so naturally, is difficult."

Wang Yuanjun said, "Tomorrow, when the results are announced, I will write a letter to recommend this poem to the state scholar Li Daxueshi, hoping he can recommend it to 'The Holy Way' to spread its fame across the land."

"If this poem can be included in 'The Holy Way,' it will greatly enhance the literary reputation and style of our Jing country!" County Magistrate Cai said with great anticipation.

Wan Xuezheng's face darkened, and he said softly, "I am nearly fifty, have written thousands of poems, but have never been published in 'The Holy Way' monthly."

Wang Yuanjun smiled bitterly and said, "The 'Holy Way' is published by the Holy Academy, and every month's selection is of famous works. Those who publish in 'The Holy Way' are either masters of poetry, great scholars of classics, or high-ranking strategists, the lowest of whom are experts in various fields. We dare not dream of it."

County Magistrate Cai nodded, picked up his brush, dipped it in cinnabar red ink, and wrote below the paper: "Words are simple, emotions are genuine, poetry is elegant, meaning is profound, should be the top of all candidates, A!"

"Do you two have any objections?"

"The top of this year's scholar examination for poetry must be 'Spring Dawn'!" Wan Xuezheng said.

"No objections."

County Magistrate Cai took the paper with "Spring Dawn" to one side and said, "This candidate has extraordinary talent, but to compete for the top position with Fang Zhongyong, we must also look at the 'Holy Words' section."

County Magistrate Cai looked at the 'Holy Words' section and shook his head, then carefully read the first question and was pleasantly surprised, saying, "I never expected this candidate to be so extraordinary! Even if I had encountered this question when I was young, I could not have answered it correctly."

The other two examiners had also seen the answers and looked down, feeling even more surprised, as they would not have answered it correctly either, even as graduates of the provincial examination, as the question was too obscure, involving geography and reasoning.

County Magistrate Cai held his brush in his right hand and continued reading, his expression becoming serious after the first three pages. The other two examiners, one on each side, also read the papers, unable to speak for a long time.

County Magistrate Cai's brush did not fall.

After a moment, Wan Xuezheng asked, "No mistakes?"

"No mistakes at all, it's incredible!"

County Magistrate Cai continued reading, finishing the remaining twenty-seven pages in one go, and put the brush aside.

"Still no mistakes?" Wang Yuanjun was surprised.

County Magistrate Cai said solemnly, "It's miraculous. Not only are there no mistakes, no misspellings, no corrections, no stains, it is the best I have ever seen in my life."

"Could he even get an A in the 'Holy Words' section? Since the 'Holy Words' were introduced to the imperial examination, our Jing country has never had an A, even Chen Sheng only got a B."

County Magistrate Cai said, "Unfortunately, I would like to give him an A, but his handwriting is really average. If I gave him an A, I would certainly face criticism from the scholarly community."

County Magistrate Cai then wrote on the 'Holy Words' paper: "Handwriting is poor, no mistakes, B+."

"Pity."

"Pity."

County Magistrate Cai reluctantly put down Fang Yun's paper and picked up Fang Zhongyong's poetry paper.

Fang Zhongyong, who could write poetry that could leave the county, would be given extra attention by the examiners in any scholar examination, and the examiners would not hesitate to write praise. Unfortunately, he met Fang Yun and County Magistrate Cai, who was still feeling regretful.

County Magistrate Cai looked at Fang Zhongyong's poem, said nothing, and casually wrote "B" without any comments.

The grading is divided into four major categories: A, B, C, and D.

Regardless of the examination, there can only be one A in each subject.

The B and C categories are further divided into upper, middle, and lower, while the D category does not need to be divided, as anyone who gets a D is not admitted.

The three examiners were still immersed in the regret of not giving Fang Yun two A's, grading silently, and marking mistakes without hesitation, then grading based on the number of mistakes.

After grading the top ten papers with the most talent, the three examiners would grade the remaining ninety papers for poetry and 'Holy Words.'

The final ranking of the one hundred candidates would be based on the 'Holy Words' section, with the top fifty becoming scholars.

If the grades were the same, the one with fewer mistakes would be ranked higher.

If the mistakes were the same, the poetry grades would be used to rank. If the poetry grades were the same, the quality of the writing would be considered. If the top fifty and the rest could not be distinguished, a half-saint examiner would make the final decision, usually resulting in a few extra scholar positions.

After grading, it was already late at night, but no one could leave the literary academy and had to sleep in their respective quarters.

The next morning, the three examiners and ten lecturers got up at six, washed, ate, and at seven, the hour of Chen, began the "re-grading," rechecking to ensure there were no problems.

If there was a significant error in judgment, a half-saint would intervene, and the examiner would not only lose face but might even be dismissed and imprisoned.

Entering the grading room, County Magistrate Cai said, "I couldn't sleep last night, and I still feel unsatisfied."