Longzang

Chapter 13 Overturning the table

When the bell rang to signal the end of the written exam, all the exam papers appeared in the review hall. Each paper was automatically bound into a booklet, with the name and number written on the cover. Six reviewers sat at the head of the hall; they were only responsible for the essay section. The first two parts of the written exam had fixed answers, so there was no need for the reviewers. A few lower-ranking disciples scanned the papers with their magic items, and the scores were automatically calculated.

The six evaluators were all highly skilled, multitasking was merely a basic ability for them, and each of them had multiple exam papers spread out in front of them simultaneously. Some had as few as seven or eight, while others had more than a dozen. The monk, on the other hand, had twenty exam papers spread out at the same time, and he would replace them with another batch in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

In the eyes of these reviewers, grading papers was not a difficult task. After all, the candidates were just children; it would be good enough if their essays were written in a conventional manner based on historical facts. Those who could be original were already few and far between, and those who could make their arguments coherent were even rarer.

In written exams, children from wealthy and powerful families clearly outperform their peers, given their access to renowned teachers and earlier start. Furthermore, written exams have been around for centuries, and many wealthy families are familiar with their general scope. Many teachers have become famous specifically for creating written exam questions, and once they gain recognition, they are naturally recruited by these wealthy families.

The reviewers were all quite fast at grading the papers, and they finished reviewing all the papers in less than an hour.

As he read, the old scholar suddenly slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Utter nonsense!"

Why are you so angry over just grading papers?

The other judges looked over and saw the old scholar looking at Wei Yuan's exam paper. So they reached out and pulled out Wei Yuan's exam paper and flipped through it themselves.

The young cultivator tapped the armrest lightly, glancing at the exam paper as he remarked, "This answer to the 'Recruitment Letter' is quite novel. Hmm, 'In times of peace, people are employed based on virtue; in times of chaos, people are employed based on wisdom.' Interesting."

Liu Sigu looked around and said in a deep voice, "The ancient sages said long ago that people should be employed based on virtue. This young man is not from my Confucian school. If he could insist on employing people based on their virtue, then so be it, and I would certainly think highly of him. But how can one employ people based on virtue one moment and virtuous ones the next? The principles of the sages are unchanging throughout the ages. How can one waver between them? If this kind of fence-sitting behavior is not severely punished, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public!"

A middle-aged Confucian scholar from the Four Saints Academy also said, "Old Liu's words were a bit harsh, but his reasoning is sound. The regulations encourage originality, but that doesn't mean one can deviate from the norm or propose heresies. Since this young man has entanglements with the Taichu Palace, I wonder what Brother Fufeng thinks?"

The Taoist priest looked at the two Confucian scholars and gradually frowned.

The old scholar suddenly sneered and said, "It seems that the Taichu Palace is involved in a lot this year. If my old eyes are not bright enough and I lose my composure when I write, please don't take offense, Junior Brother Fufeng."

The old Confucian scholar's words were quite clear. This year, the five families are vying for three spots in the Taichu Palace. As the judge, Daoist Fufeng is naturally in the eye of the storm. Some want to help, some want to slightly suppress, and some want to remain impartial—the balance is delicate, and the Daoist is already overwhelmed. If Liu Sigu really makes reckless and arbitrary changes, ruining a family's plans, the Daoist will bear the brunt of the punishment.

Therefore, although the Taoist was furious, he could only remain outwardly calm and said, "I am just being fair."

The old scholar nodded in satisfaction and wrote two lines for Wei Yuan: Earthly Branch Bing, Eight.

The policy essay section was worth a maximum of twenty points, and this eight-point score immediately banished Wei Yuan from the Fu region.

Other commentators remained silent, continuing to grade the papers. A moment later, the summaries from all departments were completed, and a line of small characters appeared on the stone tablet:
Wei Yuan, Earthly Class 19.

This 19 includes the points from the first two sections. Wei Yuan scored the maximum of 10 points in the first two sections of the written exam, which no one could manipulate. He ultimately got 9 out of 20 points in the policy essay section, for a total of 19.

In the dead of night, a light was still on in a side hall.

Sun Yu sat at the table, glancing at the time every now and then, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. Suddenly, the palace door was pushed open, and Zhang Sheng walked in.

Sun Yu was taken aback when he saw that it was Zhang Sheng. He asked, "Why are you out of seclusion now? Aren't you supposed to be out of seclusion after the martial arts test tomorrow?"

Zhang Sheng's face was noticeably pale at this moment. He said, "I've been feeling a bit uneasy, so I paid a price to leave seclusion early. Now that the Daoist and written tests are over, how did Yuan'er do?" "I'm also waiting for the results. They should be out by now." Sun Yu then called over a young Daoist and said, "Go and get the results of the Daoist and written tests."

The young Taoist priest was startled and quickly said, "This doesn't seem to be in accordance with the rules."

Sun Yu's face hardened, and he said coldly, "You're making excuses for such a small matter? Do you look down on my Xuanming Palace? If you won't go, then I'll go get it myself. Afterwards, I'll give you all the worst grades in this unified examination, and you can expect to do menial labor for another thirty years!"

The young Taoist priest was shocked and dared not say anything more before leaving in a hurry.

While waiting, Sun Yu gave the written test questions to Zhang Sheng. Zhang Sheng glanced at them and his expression relaxed. He said, "Although the written test questions are strange, they are not difficult. With Yuan'er's skill, even if he can't get full marks, he should at least get 29. 28 is not an option."

A moment later, the servant Taoist returned and placed a piece of jade paper in front of Sun Yu, saying, "These are the results of the Taoist and literary tests. I secretly copied a copy. Senior Brother Sun, please don't tell anyone, or I'll be expelled from the palace."

Sun Yu waved for the young Taoist priest to leave, then handed the jade paper to Zhang Sheng. Zhang Sheng took it and immediately frowned. Sun Yu, sensing something was amiss, also came closer to look.

The top scorer on the report card is Li Zhi, with a score of 38 in the aptitude test and 30 in the written test, for a total of 68 points. The second-highest scorer is Bao Yun, with a score of 40 in the aptitude test and 27 in the written test, for a total of 67 points.

Zhang Sheng read through the names one by one, but didn't see Wei Yuan's name until the end of the first page. Sun Yu was also very surprised; there were thirty people on the first page, and Wei Yuan wasn't even in the top thirty, so there was no chance for him to enter the Tai Chu Palace.

Zhang Sheng's face was ashen. He kept flipping through the pages, turning three pages in a row before finally seeing Wei Yuan's name. Wei Yuan scored a combined 49 points in the written and oral exams, ranking 95th among all the candidates.

Sun Yu frowned. With this score, let alone entering a Celestial Sect, he was far from even reaching the level of a Cave Heaven cultivator. At this point, whether or not to take the martial arts test was no longer relevant.

Zhang Sheng, on the contrary, calmed down at this moment. He carefully reviewed Wei Yuan's scores in each section and then closed his eyes in deep thought.

After a moment, Zhang Sheng opened his eyes and said calmly, "Even if I only taught him for six months, his score on the written test would still be more than nineteen points. His foundation and luck are only at the Earthly Grade, haha, Earthly Grade... good, very good! Senior brother may not know, but Yuan'er's foundation and luck are only one step behind mine."

Zhang Sheng slowly placed the report card on the table and said coldly, "If I, Zhang Sheng, only get an Earth-level grade in the Daoist test, would anyone dare to claim the Heaven-level grade?"

Sun Yu didn't know what to say, and could only sigh, "Junior Brother, please calm down, this, this matter..."

"Since their methods are so despicable, then I don't need to give them any face!"

Zhang Sheng got up and walked out of the hall. Sun Yu couldn't stop him no matter what he did, and could only call out, "Junior Brother, what are you doing?"

Zhang Sheng's voice drifted from afar in the night:

"Flip the table!"

P.S.: There's nothing tonight.

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(End of this chapter)