The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 41 - 37: Palace Examination

Chapter 41: Chapter 37: Palace Examination

The examination venue for the university-level test was still held at the Prefecture School. This time, the number of contestants had halved compared to the Prefecture School exam, allowing each examinee to have their own sheltered stall to guard against the wind and rain.

Moreover, with the university-level examination generally admitting around forty percent of examinees, the candidates present were much more relaxed than during the county and prefecture tests.

Not to mention, this university-level exam still employed the anonymous grading system.

By now, everyone was well aware of the Academic Supervisor’s stance on the Reform Faction; it went without saying that framing their answers around reform was a surefire approach.

Even the offspring of the conservative scholars had received hints from their elders: secure the Scholar title first, regardless.

As for taking a stance in the Court?

That could wait until later.

Without academic honors, one wouldn’t even qualify to take sides.

Opposition to reform is merely a slogan, joining the reform is a way of life - there is no conflict.

In particular, some scholars went as far as to make bold statements over drinks, "Once they are in their locales, they are the law."

That’s the spirit.

The Court is for Civil Servants, the Government Office for Clerks, and the world belongs to the powerful scholar gentry.

"Brother Xu, I’ve heard that for this university-level exam, the Academic Supervisor plans to disseminate the model essay of the top scorer throughout Prefecture and County Schools for others to learn from," Yan Shan chatted with Xu Qing, taking advantage of the Academic Supervisor’s absence.

Xu Qing smiled, "I understand your point, brother Yan. The merit or fault lies within an essay, yet the heart knows its true measure. I shall write what I must; whether or not it will top the exam depends on fate."

Yan Shan’s point was that, being part of the Reform Faction, the Academic Supervisor will surely recognize a firm reformist essay as the best. However, Xu Qing’s essays had already been affirmed by Magistrate He, of the conservative faction, during the Prefecture-level exam.

To overly praise reform in the university exam would be indecisive and dishonorable.

Besides, this exam is done under anonymous grading.

If Xu Qing were to give his all and produce an exceptional essay on reform, he might actually be designated as the top scorer by the Academic Supervisor.

Of course, this also involved the begrudging wish of Yan Shan for Xu Qing not to attain the title of top scholar across all three levels of examination.

It couldn’t be helped; he wished for Xu Qing to showcase his talents, yet not to an outrageous extent.

Otherwise, he might lose sleep, spending nights studying with his five-year-old son.

This is detrimental to both adults and children!

Not much later, the examination hall quieted down. Academician Zhou, clad in his fourth-ranked scarlet official uniform, arrived.

With a stern countenance and an imposing aura that demanded respect sans anger, Academician Zhou announced the examination rules and mentioned that this university exam only had one main examination and no re-test.

Therefore, this examination alone would decide the fate of all present candidates in the child student test.

Should anyone not qualify, they would have to start anew from the county examination next time.

Originally, if there were a supplementary exam, it would have provided a second chance for those who underperformed in the main test. After all the hardship of passing the county and prefecture exams, providing only one chance in the university exam seemed rather incompassionate.

But Academician Zhou was indeed incompassionate.

Who could blame him when the Court had just issued an edict, implementing the anonymous grading system starting with this South Zhili university exam?

When he returned to the Court, he would surely advocate for the anonymity system to commence from the county tests.

There was no reason why he alone should be disadvantaged.

Moreover, Academician Zhou believed that those who could write excellent essays in a single opportunity had the necessary psychological mettle, hence being ideal new blood for the Reform Faction to absorb.

Regardless of how the examinees bemoaned their fate.

Academician Zhou directly announced the test question.

"To comprehend what is utmost goodness is to achieve the renewal of the people."

This is an excerpt from the opening of "The University," a text Xu Qing had recited countless times, familiar beyond measure.

Moreover, the original text was "to be close to the people," yet the current Grand Secretary had changed it to "to renew the people."

This was a textbook text personally modified by the Grand Secretary, an aspect that naturally other examinees had also considered.

Thus, everyone had their direction for tackling the question.

Yan Shan and other discerning scholars of influential families tied in everything related to reform throughout history to fit the question. In essence, they promoted reform.

Upon seeing the question, Xu Qing switched on his Absolute Focus state and swiftly conceived a new direction.

In truth, as a modern individual, he had no shortage of reform policy ideas.

However, Xu Qing had no intention of starting from reform policies.

That race track, he left for Yan Shan and the others to compete on.

"This time we shall not speak of reform, but of cultivating new citizens."

Xu Qing found a path to break the topic and swiftly picked up his pen.

The crux of governing a nation lies in cultivating new citizens. And the accomplishment of new citizens hinges on the pursuit of the ultimate good.

It’s not an overnight feat to cultivate new citizens, much like the noble man’s relentless self-strengthening. New citizens should possess the virtue of bearing responsibilities...

Xu Qing integrated the philosophy of seeking innovation and change from "The Book of Changes" into his writing; his thoughts gushed like a spring, and quotations from well-known works he had read in his previous life naturally blended into his essay, adding to its elegance.

The core point of his essay was that to govern a nation and to cultivate new citizens, one must utilize the young.

For the minds of the elderly are already set, while the youth are like uncut jade, to be shaped as one wishes.

And to cultivate the young, education must be greatly emphasized.

The foundation of governance is education.

Thus, the scope of the essay naturally transcended the rivalry between the new laws and the old.

Perversely, advocating education is the absolute political correctness in the Great Yu Dynasty.

Moreover, Xu Qing expounded that people may perish, but their politics must not.

Individuals can die, but thoughts must not perish.

Not once did he speak of new or old policies in his essay, yet every sentence struck at the soft underbellies of both the Reform Faction and the conservatives, neither having a clear ideological program.

Others only knew about reform, but didn’t understand the ideological core of it.

Consequently, the conservatives also lacked a target for attack; they could only attack individuals and events.

Indeed, Xu Qing did not need to put forth these ideas; as the conflict escalated, it was only a matter of time before some academy realized this truth and engaged in deeper interest bundling, selecting the core force of their faction, gradually seizing the right to speak at court.

This is the general trend.

Many things naturally bring forth corresponding theories as the environmental context of affairs changes.

It is really a matter of the time’s momentum.

Had Xu Qing lived a hundred years earlier, writing such an essay would have found no fertile ground to thrive.

Now, as the times have come to fruition, naturally there are those willing to recognize the value in his views.

Views don’t concern themselves with right or wrong, but with whether they are beneficial to one’s own side.

Because the content Xu Qing intended to discuss was too grand, and he also had to be cautious with his word choice, he didn’t complete the essay very quickly.

After the initial draft, there was careful transcription.

This essay alone took up a full three hours.

And for most of that time, he was in a state of Absolute Focus.

Not until the very end, when he felt ready to submit his work, did he rise from his seat.

Yan Shan beside him had finished writing long before.

There weren’t many candidates in the college examination, so with the Academic Supervisor’s diligence, it was possible to review them all on the spot.

Yan Shan wanted to submit his own paper after Xu Qing specifically to see what kind of reaction Xu Qing’s essay would elicit from the Academic Supervisor.

The Academic Supervisor came from Yingtian Prefecture and naturally did not recognize Xu Qing. Of course, the Academic Supervisor had heard of the name Xu Qing, the top scholar from the Prefecture School, but there was no intention of deliberately targeting him.

Obviously, there would not be such a detailed investigation.

Zhao Xiong also did not provide Xu Qing with any favoritism in front of the Academic Supervisor.

After all, the Academic Supervisor, as the Academic Administrator dispatched from the Capital to the local areas, is like an imperial envoy, and locals actually didn’t have many acquaintances there. As for Feng Xifeng acting as his brother-in-law, he simply didn’t mention Xu Qing’s matters.

In any case, with a clear conscience, he had not tutored Xu Qing, nor had Xu Qing ever asked to become his disciple. As for Feng Wu, he had utmost trust in Xu Qing’s talent and believed that Xu Qing’s writing would win the appreciation of Academician Zhou.

The Academic Supervisor picked up Xu Qing’s paper.

A classical script of the academy.

Not a flaw to be found.

Of course, it could hardly be said to have much inspiration.

His attention was quickly captured by the content of the essay, and by the end, he was so moved that he couldn’t help but exclaim to Xu Qing, "In future days, thou shall become a leader among scholars of the world."

Yan Shan had just come over to submit his exam paper, and hearing this remark, the scenes from the county exam and the prefectural exam seemed to replay before him.

He almost blacked out.

How could the July sky be this cold?