Diqin Designer

Chapter 194 Results Announcement Day (Two in One)

On the morning of January 12, Xianyang city was already very busy, because today was the day when the results of the Xianyang examination would be announced.

For many people in Xianyang City, they didn’t quite understand what the exam was about or what the purpose of the exam was, but that didn’t stop them from watching the fun.

Since ancient times, the desire to see new things and join in the fun has existed in every dynasty.

Many people got up very early and arrived at the place where the results were said to be announced at daybreak.

In a guest house west of Xianyang City, Fan Zeng washed his face with cold water, and the cool stimulation of the cold water refreshed his spirits after not sleeping well the night before.

Although he kept telling himself in his heart that he came to take part in the Xianyang Examination not to be ranked on the list, but to see the purpose of the Qin Emperor setting up the Xianyang Examination and to understand Li Nian, he didn't need to care too much about how he did in the exam.

But, how could I really not care?
Although this Xianyang examination did not gather all the talented people in the world, it did gather thousands of talented people from all over the world.

Therefore, in the eyes of many people, this is a competition to determine the most talented person in the world.

Although there was no saying at that time that "literati look down on each other, while warriors respect each other; there is no first in literature, and no second in martial arts", this idea already existed.

Fan Zeng had the same feeling. He didn't think his talent was inferior to anyone else in the world. Even if he was not the best, he could at least be among the top ten, right?

Throughout his life, Fan Zeng was no less capable than others, but he was just unlucky and did not have good opportunities.

But the results will be announced tomorrow. Where will he be ranked? Will he be at the front or at the back?

With these thoughts in mind, Fan Zeng couldn't sleep well that night.

After washing his face, he opened the door and walked out, just in time to meet four candidates who also seemed to be going to see the announcement of the results.

I only heard one of them say, "After waiting for ten days, the results are finally announced. Now we know how many talented people there are in the world and who they are."

Another person laughed and said, "I don't know about others, but Brother Zhu must be one of the talented people in the world!"

The man called "Brother Zhu" quickly said modestly: "There are countless talented people in the world, and there are even more who are better than me. How dare I say that I can take a seat?"

After saying this, Brother Zhu changed the subject: "After the results are announced, it is said that His Majesty the Emperor will invite you. If so, you must advise His Majesty the Emperor not to place too much emphasis on mathematics and the study of things!"

The other people also nodded. Mathematics and the study of things are useful, but one still has to distinguish the primary from the secondary in governing a country.

Seeing Fan Zeng looking at them, Brother Zhu said with a smile, "Brother, do you want to go and see the results too?"

Fan Zeng nodded and admitted, "That's right!"

Brother Zhu extended an invitation: "In this case, why don't you go with us?"

Fan Zeng thought for a moment, bowed and said, "I dare not ask, but it is my wish."

Several people then went together to the place where the results were announced in the west of the city.

Taking into account that there might be a lot of people coming to join in the fun, in order to let people know in time, and in order to make the results of the Xianyang exam more well-known and spread throughout the world, several places for announcing the results were set up.

Fan Zeng and his companions got up early, but when they arrived, they were still late.

They saw that the place where the results were announced was already crowded with people. The street was completely blocked and they couldn't squeeze in.

The results haven't even been announced yet, and there are already so many people. Fortunately, there was no custom of catching a son-in-law from under the results at that time, otherwise there would be even more people.

To be honest, it’s not reliable to find a son-in-law based on the list at this time.

Because almost all of those who come to apply are middle-aged or old men, who have already married and had children, and some even have grandchildren. What's the point of catching such a son-in-law?
Just as Fan Zeng and his companions were squeezed in the crowd, a loud "bang" was heard, and the crowd suddenly quieted down.

Fan Zeng followed the crowd to look towards the source of the "dang" sound, and saw a group of Qin soldiers escorting several Qin officials coming over.

One of the Qin soldiers held an object shaped like a drum in his left hand and a wooden hammer in his right hand. The "dang" sound was obviously made by hitting the object with the wooden hammer.

During this period, Fan Zeng had seen this thing several times. It was called "gong". Every time the gong sounded, it meant that a Qin official wanted to announce something to the Qin people.

The Qin official holding the gong said, "How can we post the list if you are all gathered here like this? Make way, everyone!"

Seeing that the person who posted the list had arrived, the crowd in front made way for the Qin soldiers and officials to come in.

After they entered, the Qin official holding the gong said, "I know you all want to know the results of the Xianyang exam, but too many people can easily lead to trouble, so please don't crowd in."

"Also, please make way for the reference experts to see the list. If you haven't referenced it yet, it won't be too late to look at it later."

Seeing the crowd began to make way, the Qin official added: "For this major exam, the wise men have come from all over the world. Please don't let us, the people of Xianyang, become a laughing stock and lose face!"

After these words were spoken, the crowd took the initiative to make way.

It is true that most people of this era have never been to school and cannot recognize a few words, but they also know simple propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, and sometimes they value their face more than their own lives: they value their promises more than life and death!

The Qin officials said that the people of Xianyang could not be made a laughing stock and lose face, so they had to be protected. They were the people of the capital of the Great Qin, and they were right under the feet of the Emperor.

If it were really spread out: those Qin people in Xianyang had no knowledge of etiquette and hospitality, the talented people who took part in the Xianyang examination were guests from afar, but they, as the local hosts, surrounded the place where the results were announced on the day of the announcement, and made it impossible for the talented people who wanted to see the list to squeeze in.

That would not only be a loss of face for the Qin people in Xianyang, but also for the Emperor. How could he still have the nerve to mention that he was an old Qin person from Xianyang in the future?
The Qin official said, "All the talented people who are taking the exam, please look at the list!"

Fan Zeng and his companions finally freed themselves from the crowd and walked out. However, the words of the Qin official and the reaction of the Qin people in Xianyang also made him realize one thing more deeply:

Today's Great Qin is far more difficult to deal with than he thought. The Qin people believe the words of the Qin officials, which actually means that they believe in the Qin Emperor and the Great Qin!
With such trust and cohesion, Qin would only be more difficult to deal with. Even if he succeeded in restoring Chu, it would only be possible for Qin to destroy it again.

Why couldn't the people of Chu be so united and know the honor and disgrace for Chu?

Fan Zeng sighed secretly in his heart. Chu had been destroyed, and it was too late to think about it now.

He looked at the Qin officials who were posting notices. There were several tall wooden boards set up here, each with a Qin official posting notice. The shape was similar to the bulletin boards of later generations.

The first piece of paper was pasted on the wooden board he was looking at. At the top of the paper were written three Qin seal characters "Comprehensive List", and then on the left side below it was a title he had never heard of - "Top Scorer".

This "No. 1 Scholar" must be a title created by the Emperor of Qin. Fan Zeng did not first look at who the No. 1 Scholar was, but first confirmed his guess that the No. 1 Scholar was ranked "Bang Yan" and the No. 2 Scholar was ranked "Tan Hua".

Indeed, they are all special titles. Those who obtain these titles will definitely be recorded in history books and their names will be passed down to future generations.

Thinking of this, Fan Zeng's face suddenly became strange. This was going to be interesting. What would they do if those who left fake names were on the list?
Especially when I’m going to meet Emperor Qin later!

Should they take the initiative to admit when meeting the Emperor Qin that they used pseudonyms instead of real names, or simply not go to meet the Emperor Qin after learning their ranking after the results are announced?
But neither is good!

If the former was magnanimous and the Emperor Qin did not pursue the matter, it would be fine. But if he did, he might even be charged with deceiving the emperor. As for the latter, it would be difficult for him to mention the matter again in the future, as it would be difficult for people to know that he had used this pseudonym to participate in the first Xianyang examination.

After thinking for a while, Fan Zeng looked at the ranking of the "Comprehensive List". The top scholar was a person he did not know. His name on the list was "Zhuang Huang".

Fan Zeng thought to himself: "Zhuangzi and Huangdi, this person is probably a Taoist, he used a pseudonym for reference, but this pseudonym is quite strange. The Huang-Lao school respects Laozi and Huangdi, and does not respect Zhuangzi very much."

To the right of this person's name is his score, which is 85 in policy questions, 90 in mathematics, and 78 in the study of things, for a total score of 253.

Fan Zeng also understood what the comprehensive list was. It was a ranking of the total scores of the three subjects, and the top of the list was the top scorer in the three subjects.

Fan Zeng had long anticipated that he would not be the top scorer. He answered the policy questions well, but his performance in academics and the study of things lagged behind. There were many talented and wise men in the world. Although they might not be as good as him in policy questions, they could surpass him in these two aspects.

Looking at the runner-up after the top scholar, it was another person he didn't know, named "Han Zheng". He scored 98 in policy questions, 80 in mathematics, and 65 in investigation of things, for a total score of 243.

There was a difference of ten points between the top scorer and the first place. Then the third place scorer, who was a stranger, was only one point away from the second place, at 242.

Fan Zeng finally found his ranking in the comprehensive list. He ranked 18th, which was a good result.

However, Fan Zeng himself was quite dissatisfied with this ranking, but after looking at the scores of each subject, he could only sigh.

His score in policy questions was as high as 96, but his score in mathematics and physics seriously lagged behind. Mathematics was okay, with over 60 points, but his score in physics was only over 40, and his total score was almost less than 200.

But when Fan Zeng moved his gaze to the list posted by a Qin official next door, even though he was already over 50 years old and had seen too many storms, he couldn't help but feel excited.

Because the list was posted as a "literary list", he ranked very high on it.

Unlike the comprehensive list which ranked the scores of policy questions, mathematics and investigation of physics, only the policy questions were ranked, and his score in policy questions ranked second, making him the second on the literary list. The top scorer on the literary list was Han Zheng, who ranked second on the comprehensive list.

This made Fan Zeng feel inexplicably satisfied. From today on, he could be called the second best policy strategist in the world. Unfortunately, he was two points short of the first place.

In fact, with the level of Fan Zeng's questionnaire, he could have taken first place, but after Ying Zheng learned from Li Nian that Fan Zeng was Xiang Yu's uncle, he deliberately ranked Fan Zeng second.

Now that the Xiang family has been wiped out, Fan Zeng can no longer be Xiang Yu's uncle, so let him be the second place in the literary exam. He is still a "second place" anyway, which can be regarded as a disguised form of historical beauty.

In addition to the literary list, there are three other lists, namely the "Mathematics List", the "Physical Investigation List", and the "Science List" which combines the scores of mathematics and the practical investigation together.

The number one in the science list was a man named "Yang Mo", who was also the number one in the geography list and the number three in the mathematics list.

Two top scorers and one third place are truly amazing, but the scores of these people in policy questions were too outrageous, and they did not make it into the top three in the overall list.

However, relying on his scores in mathematics and science, he still made it into the top ten in the overall list.

From these lists, Fan Zeng also noticed one thing: those who are better in mathematics and the study of things will often have an advantage in the total score.

This may be what Qin Huang and Li Nian did intentionally, in order to make people feel that mathematics and the study of things are important, and to make people pay attention to the understanding of mathematics and the study of things.

Because there are more than 3,000 people, and there are five lists, only the first 200 will be announced.

After the list was posted, literate people read out the names on the list to the crowd, who cried out in surprise from time to time, asking if Zhuang Huang was there, Han Zheng was there, Yang Mo was there, etc.

It's a pity that those three people are not here.

Two of the four people who came with Fan Zeng also found their names on the list, but their rankings were not high, being in the middle and lower levels.

Those candidates who did not see their names on the list were dejected and prepared to leave. They came here with great ambitions to meet the heroes of the world, but now that their names are not on the list, they might as well go home, they might as well go home!
At this time, the Qin official who was holding the gong struck the gong in his hand, quieting the crowd who were excitedly calling out names. The Qin official said, "Even if your names are not on the list, please stay. Master Li Nian will invite you to Liuying Palace at 9:00 p.m. tomorrow to discuss important matters concerning the world, compile new characters for the world, and write textbooks for the world."

Some people who were about to leave were immediately attracted by Qin Li's words "compiling new characters for the world and writing textbooks for the world", and they all looked at Qin Li who was speaking.

Someone asked the Qin official, "May I ask what this means? What does it mean to 'compile new characters for the world and write textbooks for the world'?"

The Qin official smiled and said, "Your Majesty thinks that there are too many characters in the world today, which is inconvenient, so you asked Master Li Nian to compile a new character and spread it to the world. This kind of character should be easy to learn, easy to recognize, and easy to write. In the future, everyone in the world who can read and write must use this character, abolishing all different characters and unifying them into one."

"But Master Li Nian believes that it is difficult to accomplish this task by himself, so he asks Your Majesty to allow you to participate as well."

"'Writing a textbook for the world' is also what Master Li Nian requested from Your Majesty. It aims to compile a book that can be studied by everyone in the world. In the future, all the people of our Great Qin can use this textbook to learn to read and write!"

Hearing this, Fan Zeng was deeply moved, and the examinees around him who were watching were even more shocked.

This is the real purpose of Ying Zheng and Li Nian setting up the Xianyang Examination, to summon talents from all over the world to compile new characters for the Qin Dynasty and prepare the teaching materials.

But I have to say that this move is too cruel. Someone like him might be able to refuse, but it would be difficult for a talented person who came from various schools of thought.

This is because if any school does not participate in the compilation of the textbooks, then in the textbooks compiled later, there will be less content from this school, or even no content at all.

This was an open conspiracy. Although it did not seem to force the various schools of thought to work for the Qin Dynasty, it was impossible for them to refuse in order to pass on their theories and let more people know about them.

Fan Zeng was even guessing about the further plans of the Emperor Qin and Li Nian. When the textbook was compiled, would it be the day when all schools of thought were banned?
From now on, you can only learn what is in the textbook. You can no longer study the works of various schools of thought on your own or force the whole world to learn from the textbook.

Fan Zeng thought it was very likely. While he was still thinking, he heard a frenzied shout of "Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty!", which suddenly woke him up from his thoughts. He saw that the Qin people in Xianyang around him had already knelt down.

These Qin people in Xianyang knelt because of the words of the Qin official: "In the future, all the people of our great Qin will be able to use this textbook to learn to read and write!"

However, the kneeling of the Qin people in Xianyang made Fan Zeng and others conspicuous.

Although Qin unified the world, they did not consider themselves Qin people and still missed their homeland.

Should we kneel with the Qin people now, or not?
　It’s not easy to divide into chapters, so I combined two into one.

　
(End of this chapter)