Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Shenjing, East City, at the entrance of Gongyuan.

Half an hour had passed since the imperial edict appointing officials for the Spring Examination was posted at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall, and the number of people watching and discussing the matter continued to increase.

After hearing the news, candidates who were not near the Imperial Examination Hall also flocked to it from all directions like moths to a flame.

It was already sunset and night was gradually falling. Officials from the Imperial Examination Hall hung two huge lanterns where the edict was posted, illuminating the edict clearly.

Countless candidates taking the exam were shoulder to shoulder, gathering in front of the imperial edict to give comments and discuss.

Wu Liang was in the crowd and looked excited. He said to Zhou Yan beside him, "Bao Kun, I didn't expect that Mr. Huang would really be appointed as the deputy examiner. This is really good news for you and me."

Zhou Yan smiled and whispered, "Mr. Huang is approachable, and he is also a classmate and old friend of Xiwen Jiayan.

The last time you and I visited him, Lord Huang was very close to and respected his nephew Xiwen, which made people very envious.

Mr. Huang was the runner-up in the palace examination in the 19th year of Yong'an. He was well-educated and had a great reputation among the scholars and officials. He deserved the position of deputy chief examiner.

Moreover, Lord Huang is also very concerned about the academic performance of your nephew. During his last visit, he even gave a proposed topic and gave many pointers on how to analyze the topic in Greek literature.

I was also greatly inspired by what I heard, and this time it was really thanks to Xiwen.”

After hearing what Zhou Yan said, Wu Liang's face was full of smugness and luck.

He said: "You and I must think carefully about the proposed question when we go back. As one of the examiners, Mr. Huang must participate in the formulation of the examination questions.

Although the proposed questions he uses to guide your studies may not be the real questions, there is always a connection between the ideas. It is definitely correct to draw inferences from one thing to another and to get a glimpse of the whole picture.

As long as you can figure out that question thoroughly, you will definitely benefit greatly and be able to pass the exam this spring!"

Seeing that there were many people around, Zhou Yan pulled Wu Liang out of the crowd and asked, "Xiwen, last time you and I visited Mr. Huang, did you tell others about the topic he proposed?"

……

It was not surprising that Zhou Yan asked this question. Some time ago, the candidates visited the officials related to the Spring Examination according to the records in the blue cover book, and the proposed topics they got were circulated among each other for speculation.

Huang Hongcang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was a popular figure in the blue booklet and a person that many candidates preparing for the imperial examinations flocked to pay him a visit.

Before, whether it was the candidates who had no chance to visit the Huang Mansion, or the lucky ones like Wu Liang and Zhou Yan who not only received the visit but also received guidance from Huang Hongcang on how to write the exam questions.

Before this yellow edict was announced, no one would take these matters too seriously. But now that Huang Hongcang has been honored as the chief examiner of the Spring Examination, the meaning behind it is completely different.

Huang Hongcang's views on the Spring Examination, especially the ideas and tendencies in the topic formulation for the Spring Examination, are opportunities of great value to every student taking the exam.

Any candidate who could win the state examinations and provincial examinations and enter the spring examinations was considered the best among the scholars.

The cruelty and intensity of the competition in the Spring Examination is incomparable to the state academy examinations and provincial examinations. Any slight difference and chance between candidates can lead to whether they are on the list or not.

For Wu Liang and Zhou Yan, it can be said that it is an extremely rare opportunity and advantage to receive Huang Hongcang's guidance on topic drafting in advance.

Because as far as they knew, Huang Hongcang was a serious person and held the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Unlike other officials, he was not willing to accept visits from students, but always kept his door closed to visitors.

Wu Liang's father had a special relationship with Huang Hongcang. They studied together in Mingzhou Prefecture when they were young, and later served as officials in the court together.

It was because of this deep friendship that Wu Liang and Zhou Yan were able to enter the Huang Mansion and receive Huang Hongcang's guidance on topic writing.

According to Zhou Yan's speculation, he and Wu Liang were most likely the only candidates who received questions proposed by Huang Hongcang. How could he not be excited and concerned when he thought of this?

Naturally, upon learning that Huang Hongcang was honored to be the chief examiner of the imperial examination, the first thing that came to mind was whether Wu Liang had shared Huang Hongcang's proposed topic with other candidates.

After all, according to the current situation, Huang Hongcang's topic has become their biggest reliance. If Wu Liang had already told others about the topic, then what advantage would it have? It would just be a false alarm...

Wu Liang was slightly stunned when he heard this, and immediately understood Zhou Yan's intention, and said: "Mr. Huang is a strict and low-key person by nature, and he doesn't like fame and fortune. My father mentioned this many times before I went to Beijing.

You and I have a great opportunity to get his guidance on title writing. I understand his character well, and even though I am an elder, I dare not show off his title writing.

Don't worry, Baokun. I usually discuss topics with my classmates who are going to take the exam, so I've kept some discretion and never showed anyone the topic proposed by Mr. Huang."

Zhou Yan felt relieved after hearing this and said, "That's great. The road to success has always been difficult. The slightest difference in luck can make the difference between success and failure."

He suddenly thought of something and blurted out, "Last time Xiwen went to accept Yichun's invitation, did you tell him about Mr. Huang's proposed topic?"

……

Although Wu Liang was a carefree person, he felt a little unhappy when he heard Zhou Yan's words.

Lin Zhaohe and Wu Liang were classmates and close friends. They studied together in Hangzhou Prefecture for many years and had a deep friendship that was willing to risk their lives for each other.

In Wu Liang's opinion, everything is possible. To Lin Zhao, Zhou Yan's words were a bit narrow-minded.

But when he thought about Zhou Yan's situation, he felt a little relieved.

Zhou Yan met the two of them on their way to Beijing, and they were like brothers, but Zhou Yan was much older than them.

Wu Liang and Lin Zhaohe were both successful at a young age. They both passed the imperial examinations at the age of 20 and were the scholars with the greatest hope of escalating into official careers.

Zhou Yan's road to the imperial examination was much more bumpy. He studied hard for thirty years and finally passed the examination at the age of thirty-five. He failed again in the previous spring examination.

If Zhou Yan fails again in this spring examination, he will have to waste time until he is over 40 years old, and the road to passing the imperial examination will become increasingly difficult if he wants to become a Jinshi.

Although there is an ancient saying that at thirty one can become a Mingjing, and at fifty one can become a Jinshi, but at fifty one can become a Jinshi, but at fifty one can become a Jinshi just means that there is a possibility of passing the imperial examination.

As students grow older, their energy, vitality and talent will naturally decline, and they will become increasingly unable to cope with the heavy workload of examinations.

Competing with those peers in their twenties or thirties, or even teenagers, to climb the career ladder and pass the imperial examination, your chances of passing the exam will become increasingly slim.

Even if one could pass the imperial examination at the age of forty or fifty, due to the limitations of age and energy, the possibility of a successful career in officialdom would be very limited.

Therefore, although Wu Liang was somewhat dissatisfied with Zhou Yan's words, he changed his mind and felt that given Zhou Yan's situation, it was understandable that he would have such thoughts.

He said casually: "I went to Chunhua Tower to accept the invitation. I wanted to discuss the topic with Yichun, but Yichun advised me that it is the right way to spend more time on the classics before the end.

Coming up with a title is just coming up with a title. Being too obsessed with it is definitely not the right way to go, as it may lead to losing sight of the main goal. Yichun is a man of great talent and quite proud of himself. He does not like to take shortcuts and has always been like this.

After that, we both ate and drank, so there was no time to talk about the topic."

Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "This is also common sense. Hangzhou Prefecture is an important place for imperial examinations in Jiangnan, and the literary and artistic achievements in the south have always been higher than those in the north.

Yichun's victory in Hangzhou Prefecture is probably more significant than Weiyuan Earl Jia Cong's victory in Yongzhou Prefecture. It's no wonder that he is so proud of his talent and disdains to take shortcuts."

……

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

Lingguan had just finished singing a song in the study when she heard the sound of footsteps and running coming from outside the study corridor. The maids in Jia Cong's courtyard all behaved in a proper manner and few of them would run or jump while walking.

The hurried footsteps, with a hint of excitement, stopped outside the study door, and then there was a knock on the door.

Lingguan seemed to recognize who the footsteps came from, smiled slightly and walked forward to open the door.

The door opened to reveal a head with two buns and pink hairbands hanging on the temples. She had a pair of big round eyes with a happy and lovely expression. It was Douguan.

She asked with a smile: "Lingguan, why did you close the door? What are you and the Third Master doing in there?"

Lingguan blushed involuntarily when she heard this, and said, "I didn't do anything, I was just talking to the Third Master."

Douguan's eyes rolled around and he asked curiously, "You have to talk behind closed doors so no one can see you?"

Lingguan was embarrassed by her question and said with a slight frown, "You are just a kid, asking about everything. Go play somewhere else."

Douguan said unconvincedly: "I am already nine years old, still a child, don't think I don't understand..."

Lingguan suddenly felt guilty and blushed as she said, "What do you know? You knocked on the Third Master's door and you're talking to me about this?"

Douguan came back to his senses and said, "I forgot something important. Third Master's servant Jiang Liu sent a letter from the outer courtyard and asked him to give it to Third Master."

Like Lingguan, Douguan was no longer counted as one of Jia Cong's maids since she entered the Earl's Mansion. Also, because she was very young, she was usually just Lingguan's follower and playmate.

Zhishao liked her very much because she was clever and lively, and often assigned her to do small tasks such as fetching things and delivering messages.

She took out a folded paper and handed it to Lingguan, saying, "There's a rumor in Jiangluan that this thing is very important, and he asked me to give it to the Third Master right away."

Douguan stretched her little head and looked into the study room curiously, as if to see what secrets were inside. When she saw Lingguan frowning and glaring at her, she smiled nonchalantly and even closed the door when she left, blinking her eyes, as if she understood everything, which made Lingguan laugh and cry.

……

Jia Cong took the paper brought by Douguan, opened it and saw dozens of names written on it with charcoal pencil. The first three names were marked with the words "examiner".

He immediately understood that the imperial edict must have been posted in the Imperial Examination Hall, and these names written in charcoal must have been copied by Jiang Liu from the edict.

He pulled out the blue booklet from a pile of books on the desk and compared it with the list copied by Jiang Liu.

The names that Jiang Liu copied down included not only the three chief examiners, but also the names of twenty-one officials who attended the Spring Examination.

In this spring examination, there were more than 3,000 candidates from various states of the Great Zhou who went to Beijing to take the exam. In the previous spring examinations, the number of candidates who took the exam was not large, but it was not a small number either.

According to the management in previous years, in addition to the chief examiner, eighty to ninety officials of high ranks would be selected to serve as the main officials in charge of various matters in the Spring Examination.

Because there were many names on the imperial edict, Jiangliu Warehouse only copied the names of the chief examiner and the names of the more senior subordinates.

Jia Cong compared the blue booklet and found that the names of the examiner and his subordinates copied by Jiang Liu were all listed in the blue booklet.

He was secretly shocked. He had not expected that the list of officials who would take the imperial examinations in the spring as predicted by this blue booklet would be so accurate.

It can be seen that the person behind the compilation of this booklet was not only very familiar with the selection criteria for officials in the imperial examinations, but also knew the respective situations of the officials in the court.

Therefore, the person who could compile the blue booklet was definitely not an ordinary person, or perhaps there was more than one person...

Jia Cong believed that most of the lists of officials that Jiang Liu had not yet copied could be found in the blue booklet.

……

The three examiners who were finally selected by the court were also listed in the blue booklet. These three people were indeed famous officials in the court.

Although Wang Shilun, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, was not regarded as a trusted adviser by Emperor Jiazhao like Cai Xiang, this did not mean that Emperor Jiazhao valued him or was partial to him.

Jia Cong had heard many rumors about Wang Shilun. Wang Shilun was a famous child prodigy when he was young. He passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen, and became a Jinshi at the age of seventeen, and was ranked first in the second class.

Although he did not get the first place in the imperial examination, it was extremely rare for a young man to succeed at an early age, which made students all over the world ashamed.

After entering the officialdom, he experienced the Yong'an and Jiazhao dynasties, spanning more than 30 years, and served as editor, lecturer, and scholar in the Hanlin Academy.

Afterwards, he entered the Ministry of Rites as the Right Vice Minister, and later entered the cabinet as the Left Vice Minister of Rites to participate in state affairs. He was one of the most famous civil officials in the world.

Ever since Jia Cong also won the first place in the special provincial examination at a young age, many people have compared him with Wang Shilun of that year.

The Minister of Personnel Chen Mo was also a veteran minister who had served in two dynasties. He had served in the Ministry of Personnel for many years, and had survived many court turmoil. He was also the top scorer in the spring examination in the second year of Yong'an, and had a brilliant career record.

Huang Hongcang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was the runner-up in the palace examination in the 19th year of Yong'an and enjoyed great prestige in the officialdom and academic circles.

Jia Cong was also very familiar with Huang Hongcang, because when he was conferred the title of Weiyuan Earl, it was Huang Hongcang who went to the palace to announce the decree...

It can be said that the three chief examiners of this year's spring examination are all world-famous figures. It is no exaggeration to say that they are the golden configuration of chief examiners.

The list of candidates for chief examiners in that blue booklet also included Cabinet Grand Secretary Cai Xiang, Minister of Works Li Dekang, and Ministry of Revenue Left Vice Minister Xu Liangxiong.

But in Jia Cong's opinion, the inclusion of these people in the list is somewhat like a cover-up and a foil.

It was generally understandable that Cai Xiang withdrew from the selection of chief examiners in order to avoid suspicion by having his third son Cai Xiaoyu take the exam this spring.

Minister of Works Li Dekang took over the position of chief official. He had little experience and his performance in the imperial examination was mediocre. He was not as outstanding as Wang Shilun, Chen Mo, and Huang Hongcang, so it was reasonable that he was not selected.

Although Xu Liangqiong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had the qualifications, he had the lowest probability of being selected among the examiners.

Because the chief examiners of the imperial examinations in previous years were mostly officials from the cabinet, the Ministry of Rites, and other ministries, because these government offices were related to the imperial examinations and the selection of talents.

It was rare for an official from the Ministry of Revenue to be selected as the chief examiner for the Spring Examination...

Therefore, when Jia Cong carefully studied the information in the blue booklet, he always had a strange feeling, as if the compiler had already locked in the three examiners.

He thought about it carefully, and a sense of horror arose in his heart...

Lingguan, who was standing by, saw Jia Cong looking at the things Douguan brought and flipping through and proofreading the strange book, and her expression became a little strange.

He asked with some concern: "Third Master, is there anything strange about the things Douguan sent? You look a little unhappy."

When Jia Cong saw Lingguan's pair of bright eyes, which were moist and soft, with clear and charming eyes, they seemed to dispel the haze in his heart in an instant.

He smiled and said, "I'm fine, Lingguan, some things in this world are murky and risky. Since you don't know the truth, the best way is to stay away from them as much as possible.

Just like studying for exams, as long as you focus on the books and stay away from delusions, you can be righteous and break through all the laws..."

After listening to what Jia Cong said, Lingguan seemed to understand something. She saw Jia Cong put the paper that Douguan brought her in the blue book and put it among a pile of books.

He took the book he often read and began to read it quietly. Lingguan smiled and sat back beside the desk, copying her calligraphy attentively...

……

Lin Zhaorong's villa, Hancheng Street, east of Shenjing City.

Lin Zhaohe looked at the list of imperial edicts for officials to take the examination copied by his family, thought for a moment, took out the dozen or so proposed questions he had memorized that day, looked through them carefully, and frowned slightly.

Among the three examiners selected for the Spring Examination, Wang Shilun had already reached the highest position in the country. Apart from being obsessed with government affairs, he had no other desires and was aloof from the world.

He never accepted any visits from candidates, so naturally no proposed topics were circulated.

The Minister of Personnel, Chen Mo, is nearly sixty years old and has reached the age of retirement. He is a shrewd and tactful man who knows how to advance and retreat. He is known as an unshakable official in the officialdom.

He had already achieved success and fame, and was just waiting to get through the last few years and retire. He no longer had the intention of playing tricks on younger students, such as paying visits or seeking support.

However, the proposed topics that Wu Liang gave to Lin Zhaohe to review last time were those proposed by Huang Hongcang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Xu Liang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Moreover, according to Wu Liang's boasting that day, Huang Hongcang was a very strict person and always refused visitors who came to visit him.

He only looked at Wu Liang, the son of his old friend, differently. Not only did he open his house to receive him, he even gave him advice on drafting topics, which showed that he was quite caring towards the younger generation of his old friend.

In the end, Huang Hongcang happened to be selected as the examiner. It was a bit of a coincidence...

Lin Zhaohe picked out Huang Hongcang's topic from the dozen or so topics he had written down and read it carefully several times.

This question has a profound idea and a grand meaning. It is indeed something that only a well-educated and thoughtful person can do.

Lin Zhaohe felt a little sad, perhaps this was really Wu Liang's fate.

As the top scorer in the Hangzhou Prefecture, Lin Zhaohe had always been confident in his talent, so he ignored the popular practice of candidates paying homage to the emperor before the imperial edict for the spring examination was issued.

Wu Liang and Zhou Yan invited him to visit several times, but he declined every time at the right time.

Even the blue-covered booklet that Wu Liang bought at a high price, he only flipped through a few pages and then threw it away, not paying much attention to the contents inside.

However, when a coincidence like Huang Hongcang's really happened to him, he couldn't help but feel a little moved, which is also human nature.

He carefully read the topic proposed by Huang Hongcang, then broke the topic, accepted the topic, started to talk about it, and got started...

It took me two hours to write a contemporary essay based on the topic, and I gained a lot from it.

Afterwards, they compared the proposed topics that had been written down that day with each other and found that except for Huang Hongcang, the topics given by the other officials were also quite sophisticated.

He was so engrossed in this for half a day, and suddenly thought of Huang Hongcang, as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who had always had a good reputation and was highly praised by the government and the public.

Such a virtuous senior scholar gave Wu Liang some advice on how to write a topic.

But after he became the chief examiner, he had the convenience of participating in the compilation of the examination questions. He would definitely not incorporate the questions he had proposed before into the real questions without authorization, so as to undermine his integrity.

I was actually addicted to it for a while and started to try to cut corners. I treated this game-like question as important as the real question. It was a bit ridiculous when I think about it.

Lin Zhaohe thought about these things clearly and his mind became clear again.

I put aside the topics I had written down, turned on the light, took out the scriptures, and read them carefully... (End of this chapter)