Chapter 159
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While the scholars anxiously awaited the results, Yuan Li, along with officials from the Ministry of Government Affairs, was busy grading the exam papers.
Six thousand four hundred exam papers were spread out in the Ministry of Government Affairs, a scene never seen before. The officials were both excited and eager, sitting upright and ready to start grading.
To ensure fairness, Yuan Li implemented a system of anonymous grading to prevent any bias. He also ordered the officials grading the papers to stay and eat together until the grading was completed and the results were released.
As for the grading method, Yuan Li adopted the system used in later imperial examinations. Each examiner had a table, and the exam papers circulated among the tables for review. If they found a satisfactory paper, they would mark a “○” on it. Each paper went through multiple examiners to minimize errors in grading. In the end, the number of “○” marks determined the ranking of the paper.
Due to the tight schedule, once the officials understood the grading process, they immediately began reviewing the papers. It was the first time for Zhou Gongdan, Liu Jixin, and others to be examiners, and they were extremely serious and rigorous. When they came across good papers, they couldn’t help but share their findings with the people around them.
Yuan Li himself was also grading the papers.
After a while, he put down his brush, picked up a cup of tea, sipped it, and relaxed his shoulders and arms. He turned to Guo Mao at his side and asked, “Grading these papers is much more tiring than handling official documents, isn’t it?”
Guo Mao smiled and replied, “That’s true, but grading these papers is much more interesting than handling official documents.”
Yuan Li chuckled, quenched his thirst, and put down the tea cup. He then picked up another paper.
As soon as he saw this paper, Yuan Li sighed inwardly—excellent handwriting!
Neat and with its own elegance, the clean and beautiful presentation easily earned a favorable impression.
Yuan Li read the content carefully and nodded with a smile after finishing.
The student had not made a single mistake in the classical and arithmetic questions. What impressed him the most was that the policy questions were written with substance and not just empty words. From the content of the answers, he could tell that this was a capable, intelligent, and pragmatic young person.
He marked a circle on the paper with his pen and gently placed it with the other graded papers.
For the scholars, the waiting period for the examiners to grade their papers was the most agonizing.
It was the first time for Northern Zhou’s scholars to compete with so many others in a knowledge examination. It would be dishonest to say they weren’t nervous about their results. In the past, there was no rank, but now they had to compete against one another, causing them to feel anxious about the outcome.
Even the knowledgeable aristocratic students couldn’t help but feel anxious and expectant in their hearts. They wanted to see their names at the top of the list, but they also feared being overshadowed. These complex feelings were not easy to put into words.
During this period, strange scenes could be seen all over Ye County in Ji Zhou.
The scholars unconsciously walked to the government office but realized that the results hadn’t been posted yet. They hurriedly left the place.
When the scholars gathered together, they couldn’t help but talk about the imperial examination. They tested each other, trying to gauge who had the most confidence and who was more anxious. Xu Kang and the two brothers from the Xiang family were no exception in the Zhou residence.
As the time for the results to be posted approached, Xu Kang and the Xiang brothers became more and more restless. Unable to contain themselves, they went to talk to Wang Qianzhi. To their surprise, they found Wang Qianzhi leisurely fishing in the pond of the Zhou residence.
Xu Kang and the Xiang brothers looked at each other and asked, “Brother Wang, aren’t you nervous?”
“What’s the use of being nervous?” Wang Qianzhi said calmly as he changed his fishing spot. “The exam is over now, and the results are already determined. No matter how nervous or anxious we are, we can’t change a single word on our papers. So why be nervous?”
The three of them were speechless and admired Wang Qianzhi’s calmness. “Brother Wang, we wish we were as composed as you. Did you do well in the exam? You seem quite confident.”
Wang Qianzhi smiled faintly and accepted the compliment.
He indeed felt that he had answered the exam well, and even if he couldn’t get a top rank, he was confident that he wouldn’t fail.
His three friends were calmed down by his demeanor and sat beside him to watch him fish. After about fifteen minutes, his fishing rod twitched, and their spirits lifted as they eagerly waited to see what he had caught.
Just as Wang Qianzhi was about to reel in the fish, his servant rushed over in a hurry. When he saw them, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, “Young Master, the exam rankings have been posted by Duke Wen’s residence!”
The four of them were stunned. Xu Kang and the two brothers from the Xiang family stood up immediately, their hearts about to jump out of their chests. They took a step forward, but their legs felt weak, and they almost stumbled.
Xu Kang quickly took a few deep breaths to calm himself and said to the Xiang brothers, “It’s okay, there’s no rush. Now that the names have been posted, it doesn’t matter if we go early or late. We should learn from Brother Wang and stay composed. What do you say, Brother Wang?”
The three of them turned to look at Wang Qianzhi, who seemed to be dazed. Xu Kang called out to him, and he suddenly snapped back to reality, standing up abruptly. The fish in the pond were flailing, and Wang Qianzhi seemed to have forgotten that he still had a fishing rod in his hand. He was pulled by the fish and fell into the pond!
Xu Kang and the others were dumbfounded, “Brother Wang!”
…
Chaos ensued.
After changing into dry clothes, Wang Qianzhi hurried with his friends to the government office. However, his several cousins couldn’t wait and had already rushed ahead.
When they arrived at the government office, they found the place crowded with scholars. They were late and could only stand at the back, unable to see the entrance.
The scholars were nervous, clenching their fists and whispering anxiously. The noise was loud, and even on a pleasant autumn day, they were sweating profusely from the crowded space.
Xu Kang anxiously jumped up and tried to see ahead, “Oh no, we can’t see anything!”
Wang Qianzhi was still slightly wet, but the disheveled appearance from the water was no longer visible. He remained calm, “No rush, we can wait until the others have seen the results.”
However, his friends didn’t believe him. Xu Kang and the others looked at him with teasing eyes, “Brother Wang, are you really not anxious to see the results?”
Wang Qianzhi coughed twice and was about to explain when someone ahead called out, “Qianzhi, Xu Kang?”
It was his cousins.
Xu Kang perked up and quickly said, “We’re here!”
“Come over quickly,” his cousins called from the front, “We saved you a spot. Officials are coming out with the results!”
Before they could finish speaking, Xu Kang and the Xiang brothers pulled Wang Qianzhi into the crowd.
When they arrived next to their cousins, they were already in a miserable state—hair unkempt, clothes wrinkled, and devoid of the grace of scholars.
But they no longer cared about appearances. They anxiously scanned the dozens of sheets of paper posted on the wall, searching for their names.
They searched one paper after another, but none of them found their names on the list. Even Wang Qianzhi, who had been confident, began to feel uneasy. He clenched his fingers and focused intently, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, afraid of missing his name.
People around them pushed and shouted, moving from left to right and right to left. Soon, someone joyfully shouted, “I passed, I passed!”
“Look, I found my name! Hahaha, I’ll become an official in Duke Wen’s administration!”
The jubilation only made those who hadn’t found their names more anxious. Wang Qianzhi even heard someone crying in despair. The sobbing and wailing shook him, and he frowned. Could he also be one of those who didn’t pass?
The thought made him bite his lips.
Suddenly, he heard his cousins cheering not far away, “We passed, we passed!”
Wang Qianzhi turned to look and saw his cousins beaming with joy as they found their names among the top four hundred on the list.
Seeing that Wang Qianzhi hadn’t found his name yet, they approached and asked with concern, “Fifth brother, haven’t you found your name yet?”
Wang Qianzhi forced a smile and nodded. He began to doubt whether his earlier deduction about the military policy question was just his own wishful thinking. “Maybe I did fail.”
The cousins comforted him, “This is just the middle section of the list. There are still a dozen or so papers ahead and behind. We’ll search together. Don’t worry, with your knowledge, you won’t fail.”
Wang Qianzhi composed himself and thanked his cousins before burying himself in the search again.
As they moved forward, there were fewer and fewer scholars, and many had already found their results. Those who passed either laughed joyously and clapped their hands or smiled reservedly, as if they had expected it. Those who didn’t pass looked disoriented and defeated, lost and dejected.
As the number of announcement papers diminished, Wang Qianzhi still hadn’t found his name. However, he found the names of Xu Kang and Xiang Feijin.
Xu Kang ranked 90th, while Xiang Feijin was at 136th, both with remarkable scores.
Xiang Feizhang was also on the list, but he was at the very end, almost out of the rankings, barely passing.
His friends and cousins were on the list, but Wang Qianzhi hadn’t found his name yet. His heart sank further, and when he reached the last paper, he couldn’t bear to look.
If he wasn’t on the list…
His friends who followed him patted his shoulder, and they all looked at the last paper together. After a moment of silence, they gasped in astonishment, “First place, Wang Qianzhi…”
Wang Qianzhi opened his eyes wide, and there it was, his name listed at the top.
Disbelief surged within him, followed by overwhelming joy. He fixed his gaze on the words “First Place, Wang Qianzhi, from Xiangyang, Jingzhou,” and a wide smile gradually spread across his face.
The indescribable joy in his heart was beyond words. If it weren’t for this imperial examination, he might have never experienced such immense happiness in his entire life.
His heart filled with delight and exuberance!
The scholars around him had not yet dispersed and gazed at him, their eyes burning with curiosity and admiration. “This is the top scholar of this examination? He’s so young!”
“How enviable…”
Some even approached him to make acquaintances, offering their congratulations.
“Great!” His cousins were excited, their faces flushing. They patted Wang Qianzhi’s shoulders enthusiastically, “Well done, well done!”
More and more people gathered around, and his cousins expressed their thanks on his behalf. The crowd bid farewell to others joyfully and returned to the Zhou residence with smiles on their faces.
In the evening, the sound of gongs and drums announced the arrival of people from Lord Wen’s residence, attracting the curiosity of the surrounding townspeople who gathered to watch the spectacle. These young people in their early twenties had never experienced such a grand procession before. Excited and surprised, they rushed to the front of the residence to meet the representatives from Duke Wen’s house. With the admiring and envious gazes of the onlookers, they felt an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.
The representatives from Duke Wen’s residence informed them of their rankings and provided them with the attire of officials from Wen’s country. They were instructed to visit Duke Wen’s residence the next day and perform the ritual of ‘Kua Guan’ after meeting Duke Wen himself.
They were puzzled and asked, “What is ‘Kua Guan’?”
The officials from Duke Wen’s residence burst into laughter, “This ‘Kua Guan’ is an honor reserved for the top two hundred scholars. As for what it is, you’ll find out tomorrow!”
After saying this, they left with the gongs and drums.
Seeing their excitement, the Wang cousins knew that “Kua Guan” must be something wonderful. Xu Kang and Xiang Feijin were both among the top two hundred scholars and would be able to participate in “Kua Guan.” The Wang cousins and Xiang Feizhang, who ranked below two hundred, were curious and envious. They said to Wang Qianzhi, Xu Kang, and Xiang Feijin, “Since the three of you are among the top two hundred scholars, you must tell us what ‘Kua Guan’ is.”
Wang Qianzhi and the others nodded eagerly.
The next morning, the one thousand scholars who had been recruited by Duke Wen’s residence arrived at the residence wearing Duke Wen’s official attire.
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