Chapter 158
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The Zhou residence was quite large, and upon learning that these scholars from Jingzhou had no place to stay in Ye County, Zhou Gongdan invited them to stay at his residence.
Wang Qianzhi and his companions were overjoyed and naturally didn’t refuse. In the following days, they frequently visited Zhou Gongdan and even brought books to seek his guidance on certain questions.
After getting acquainted with Zhou Gongdan, Wang Qianzhi asked him about some doubts regarding the Imperial Examination. “Sir, could you please explain what ‘physical test’ is?”
Although the Imperial Examination conducted by Yuan Li allowed candidates to choose their preferred subjects, it still had requirements. After the examination, the candidates had to undergo a “physical test” conducted by the government of Wen Principality.
The “physical test” included a medical examination, where a physician would check the candidates’ health. Those with heart disease, asthma, contagious diseases, and other illnesses would be disqualified from the Imperial Examination.
Following the medical examination was a physical fitness test, which involved running. The standards for the fitness test were relatively low, achievable by ordinary individuals.
Failing to pass the fitness test meant disqualification from participating in the Imperial Examination.
Yuan Li adopted these methods from the future for a simple reason. He needed healthy individuals who could work at the grassroots level and serve as practical officials for an extended period, rather than having them serve for only a year or two and then face physical exhaustion.
Yuan Li planned to recruit at least six hundred officials this time, and most of them would be assigned to work at various counties and districts. Such work was physically and mentally demanding. If they couldn’t even pass the fitness test, they wouldn’t be able to endure the hardships of such jobs. It would be pointless to occupy a spot in the Imperial Examination and end up achieving nothing. They would either be unable to serve for more than a few years or be exhausted by their duties, leading to an early death.
There were concerns about this fitness test, fearing that some talented individuals might be disqualified.
However, Yuan Li remained unmoved.
He didn’t care if any talented individuals were disqualified because the officials sent to work at the grassroots level didn’t necessarily require extraordinary talent. They needed good physical health, average intelligence, and effective management skills.
Where could they find so many exceptionally talented individuals? The government needed a large number of ordinary officials working diligently behind the scenes. Even if there were talented individuals who missed the opportunity, Yuan Li didn’t feel any regret because he already had many talented individuals by his side.
One more or one less wouldn’t make a significant difference. Regardless of who was missed, it wouldn’t affect Yuan Li or Wen Principality.
If there were truly talented individuals with weak physical conditions who couldn’t pass the simple fitness test, it was evident that their health condition wasn’t promising.
Who could guarantee that they would live for several years? What could such individuals achieve with their weak bodies? In their limited lifespan, would Yuan Li really make them work tirelessly in official positions, handling paperwork and personal matters with a weakened body?
Perhaps it seemed ruthless, and it might appear unfair to students with health issues. However, Yuan Li believed in being responsible for his subordinates and others. He insisted on this approach.
This Imperial Examination was the first of its kind in the world, and Yuan Li had to lay a solid foundation. He wanted the students to start paying attention to their physical fitness. Only with good health could they accomplish more and achieve their aspirations.
He absolutely couldn’t let it evolve into the later situation where reading was everything, and students ignored their physical health.
His subordinates understood him.
Although it seemed unfeeling, it was actually a good approach for the common people and students with weak physical conditions. Yuan Li’s officials were extremely busy, with a lot to do. The Lord was advancing rapidly, and they, as his officials, had to keep up. If they died within two to three years due to poor health, it would be a calamity for the Lord, for them, and even for the people under their rule.
Zhou Gongdan explained the situation to Wang Qianzhi and his companions, and they immediately felt relieved.
Unlike scholars in later times when the Imperial Examination was prevalent, these scholars didn’t have weak physical conditions due to focusing solely on their studies. Scholars from noble families needed to learn various skills, such as horse riding and archery, as well as excel in the Six Arts. Even scholars from humble backgrounds weren’t solely focused on studying because they didn’t have access to as many books. To pursue knowledge, they needed to travel to different places, endure hardships, and accumulate knowledge through various experiences, much like Guo Mao, who traveled across the world to gain his current level of knowledge.
The physical test could only eliminate those with inherently weak foundations or those who didn’t pay much attention to their health. It might also filter out individuals who had consumed too much Five Stones Powder.
Ten days later, these scholars underwent the “physical test.”
Yuan Li was also present to observe the test.
Seeing some scholars with pale faces and heavy breathing after running, and others collapsing to the ground with weak legs, Yuan Li shook his head and sighed, reaffirming his decision to organize annual physical examinations for officials.
Physical health was the foundation for progress. Yuan Li couldn’t force officials to exercise, but he couldn’t neglect annual physical check-ups.
After the fitness test concluded, there weren’t many scholars eliminated. Even those with weak physical conditions gave it their all and gritted their teeth to pass the test.
Ten days later, the day of the Imperial Examination arrived.
The scholars temporarily residing in Zhou Gongdan’s house had all passed the fitness test. Due to the large number of participants, they became increasingly nervous and spent their days buried in books, neglecting sleep and food.
They mustered the courage to ask Zhou Gongdan, hoping he could provide some tips on what to pay attention to during the examination and the general content to expect.
Zhou Gongdan raised an eyebrow and teased, “Are you asking me to bend the rules and give you the exam questions in advance?”
The others hesitated, but Wang Qianzhi immediately rejected the idea, saying, “No, sir, we don’t mean that. We just want to know if the examination will include classical texts, Confucian classics, poetry, and prose.”
Wang Qianzhi understood that leaking exam questions was a grave matter. Regardless of whether Zhou Gongdan would tell them or not, they shouldn’t entertain such thoughts. Wang Qianzhi was not willing to seek a good ranking through unfair means. Yuan Li chose to assess based on knowledge, clearly emphasizing fairness. So, Wang Qianzhi wanted to demonstrate his abilities fairly.
Zhou Gongdan nodded approvingly, “Even if you ask me, I don’t have the questions to give you. The Lord has not told me what the content will be. The only thing I can tell you is that the questions will be personally selected by the Lord.”
But this was already common knowledge.
Disappointed, the group sighed and respectfully thanked Zhou Gongdan before returning to their rooms to continue studying. Only Wang Qianzhi’s face showed a hint of realization.
Observing their retreating figures, Zhou Gongdan shook his head with a smile and sighed, “Young people.”
In the following days, Xu Kang and the others noticed that Wang Qianzhi seemed somewhat different. He no longer focused on Confucian classics and commentaries but instead devoted himself to studying topics related to water management, agriculture, and even arithmetic.
Curious, they asked Wang Qianzhi, “The Imperial Examination is approaching, Brother Wang, why are you now studying these subjects?”
Wang Qianzhi put down the book in his hand and looked at them discreetly, saying, “The content of this Imperial Examination is personally selected by Duke Wen.”
The others were puzzled, “That’s true. What’s wrong with that?”
Wang Qianzhi sighed, “Have you heard of Duke Wen’s achievements?”
“Of course,” Xu Kang replied. “He was Ouyang Ting’s student, a renowned scholar with a thorough understanding of classical texts and Confucian classics. If he sets the questions, they should naturally revolve around these subjects.”
Wang Qianzhi shook his head, “While Duke Wen is a disciple of Master Ouyang, both of them are very pragmatic individuals. Duke Wen once used a few arithmetic questions to win over Cui Yan, the son of Cui Xuan Er, and they became close friends. This indicates that Duke Wen is proficient in arithmetic and even enjoys it. Since Duke Wen arrived in Ji Zhou, he has been continuously developing water management and implementing the farming strategy, which shows that he values water management and agriculture. Among the scholars attending the Imperial Examination this time, many come from humble backgrounds. If Duke Wen were to only test Confucian classics or classical texts, these scholars from humble backgrounds would be completely eliminated. I believe this is not the outcome Duke Wen would like to see. If the questions are set by Duke Wen, there will likely be fewer questions related to classical texts, and there will be more related to statecraft, water management, agriculture, and even governance and economy. After all, Duke Wen has had business dealings with many merchants.”
After hearing this explanation, the others suddenly understood and put down the Confucian classics they were reading, anxiously searching for other miscellaneous books.
As Wang Qianzhi had predicted, Yuan Li did not prepare many questions on Confucian classics. Most of the questions focused on practical statecraft and arithmetic.
He didn’t need scholars who only knew Confucian theories but were unable to apply them in practice. Instead, he sought talents who could practically contribute to governing the country.
The statecraft questions covered various aspects, including politics, agriculture, water management, commerce, and laws. These questions delved into grassroots issues, easily revealing the true capabilities of the scholars.
On the tenth day of September, the first Imperial Examination of the Wen Kingdom officially began.
A total of 6,400 scholars signed up to participate in the examination, including individuals from thirteen provinces across the country, with the majority coming from northern regions. This astonishing number prompted Yuan Li to increase the number of successful candidates from 600 to 1,000.
The day of the examination featured pleasant autumn weather—neither too cold nor too hot. The scholars sat in the square, each with a table and inkstone placed before them, ready for the test.
These pens, ink, paper, and inkstones were all provided by the Wen Household, and the scholars were subjected to simple body searches before entering the square to prevent any cheating.
The square was surrounded by soldiers in armor, each armed with a large sword. These soldiers were led by Wang Er, and they tightly guarded the scholars in the center. In the middle of the square, patrols composed of Ji Zhou soldiers walked past the scholars’ tables from time to time, scrutinizing each scholar vigilantly to ensure no one violated the rules.
This arrangement created a solemn and serious atmosphere throughout the square. The scholars sat upright, not daring to look around, focused solely on their desks, their hands nervously perspiring.
As the big drum was struck, the attendants immediately handed out the examination questions to each person.
The time for answering the questions extended until evening, and once they finished answering, the scholars were allowed to leave. Those who finished early could also leave ahead of time.
After reading the questions, the scholars displayed different expressions—frowning, deep in thought, or showing signs of anxiety. The four examiners, Liu Jixin, Zhou Gongdan, Xiang Hongyun, and Guo Mao, found it quite interesting to witness these varied reactions.
For the first time, they saw so many scholars writing earnestly in front of them. This spectacle fascinated them, and even after observing for a day, they didn’t find it boring.
Wang Qianzhi also received his exam questions.
After reading through them, he relaxed and couldn’t help but smile.
As he had anticipated, there was only one classical text question, while the rest were arithmetic and statecraft questions.
The classical text question wasn’t too difficult, and the initial arithmetic questions were relatively basic. It seemed that Yuan Li considered the majority of scholars from humble backgrounds and adjusted the difficulty accordingly.
Wang Qianzhi quickly completed these questions and turned his attention to the statecraft questions.
There were three statecraft questions he had to answer: one on legal matters, one on civil administration, and one on military affairs.
The legal question was about a civil case, asking how Wang Qianzhi would rule and sentence. For him, this was not difficult. He was a supporter of legal studies and preferred law-based governance to Confucian teachings. He had already memorized the laws of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
The civil administration question was also not difficult, related to taxes. Without a deep understanding of grassroots matters, one would be at a loss for this question. Fortunately, Wang Qianzhi had prepared for this and knew how to answer it.
These two questions didn’t take up much of his time, and soon, Wang Qianzhi turned his attention to the last question: how to deal with the Wuwan people in Ji Zhou and the Xiongnu people beyond the Great Wall.
This was a “broad” question.
It was easy to write vague and superficial answers that seemed to cover many aspects but were actually full of meaningless words. How could anyone know better than Duke Wen and the Great General on how to deal with these people?
No one.
Even if there were scholars with experience in dealing with such matters, they shouldn’t be the young scholars who have never even set foot on a battlefield.
Wang Qianzhi paused his brush for a long while, contemplating how to approach this policy question.
For these young scholars, no matter how they wrote, their answers would be superficial. Obviously, Duke Wen asked this question not to seek useful advice from them, but rather to test their attitudes, to see how they would handle the Wuwan and Xiongnu people.
What attitude should they take?
Wang Qianzhi faintly felt that he had caught some clues.
Suddenly, he heard some commotion from the front, but it quickly subsided.
Wang Qianzhi raised his eyes and saw the two colleagues, who had left Zhou Gongdan’s residence a few days earlier, walking over from the other side. Upon seeing them, Liu Jixin, Zhou Gongdan, and the others stood up and respectfully greeted them.
Wang Qianzhi’s pupils dilated.
In an instant, he understood the identity of the two. They were not ordinary colleagues of Lord Zhou; they were unmistakably the key figures of Duke Wen Yuan Li and General Chu Hechao!
His heart raced, and his emotions fluctuated. Before Yuan Li looked his way, he quickly lowered his head, trying to calm his emotions.
With this interruption, when he looked at the last policy question again, Wang Qianzhi suddenly understood how to answer it.
Just as he had thought, the purpose of testing them was not to get useful advice from them. Instead, it was to see their attitudes towards the Wuwan people and, more accurately, how they would treat the Wuwan people.
In theory, the Wuwan people were subjects of the Northern Zhou Dynasty and should be treated with pacification and assimilation to make them citizens of the Northern Zhou. However, this question placed the Wuwan and Xiongnu people side by side. This suggested that Duke Wen might view the Wuwan people the same way as the Xiongnu people.
Regarding how to deal with the Xiongnu, everyone knew the saying “A different tribe has a different heart.”
If Wang Qianzhi were a subject of the Northern Zhou, an ordinary scholar, he would undoubtedly answer this question according to how the Northern Zhou court would respond. However, he was being tested by a Wen official… a member of Duke Wen’s administration. It seemed that Duke Wen wasn’t interested in the typical answer of subjugating the Wuwan people.
Wang Qianzhi closed his eyes, made up his mind, and dipped his brush into the ink. He began writing the first line.
“The Wuwan are subjects of the Zhou, and they should be treated kindly to serve the Zhou. This student is ignorant and privately thinks that the Wuwan people still have ambitions to act as outsiders…”
As the evening hour approached, the setting sun dyed half of the sky red. The sound of drums marked the end of the answering time.
The last group of scholars finally put down their brushes, gazing at the attendants as they attached their names to the exam papers and collected the scrolls. With this, the Imperial Examination came to an end, and the scholars were free to leave.
The scholars left the square, some calm, others disappointed. They departed in groups of three or five, reluctant to part from this place, even though the examination was over. None of them planned to leave Ye County just yet.
Within a month, their results would be posted publicly in front of the official residence by the officials of Duke Wen’s estate.
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