Notes on Longevity

Chapter 24 The Minister of Revenue, Young Master Li, and Yang, a student at the Imperial Examination Hall
Yang Youan stood by the wall watching them bow to Li Chengru and call out to him, "Young Master Li." He was very puzzled. The son of Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue? Could it be Brother Li?

But that doesn't make sense. Yang Youan thought about it and remembered that Li Chengru had told him that he had traveled the world with his parents since he was a child. If that were true, how could someone with an official position travel with his whole family?

But then he thought again, and he remembered that Li Chengru had also said that his parents had forced him to take the imperial examination. Since he was a man of the martial arts world and used to wandering around, why would he take the imperial examination?

Yang Youan is completely bewildered.

Just as he was wondering, the main gate of the examination hall opened, and a middle-aged man in a purple official robe walked out and said to the crowd: "Fellow scholars, this year's examination will begin at 2:45 noon. Now follow me into the waiting area until Lord Chen announces the start."

The noisy discussion abruptly stopped, and upon hearing this, everyone bowed to the middle-aged man and replied in unison, "Yes."

Seeing this, Yang Youan, who was puzzled, glanced at the people next to him and followed suit, making the same gesture towards the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man smiled at the candidates who were bowing and said, "Please accept these gifts!"

After he finished speaking, everyone looked up and straightened their posture, looking as if they couldn't wait to enter the examination hall. However, when they saw that the middle-aged man had no intention of leading them into the hall, but instead looked around among them as if he was looking for someone.

He looked around but didn't find the person he was looking for. He was a little disappointed, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he waved to the examinees and said, "Come in with me."

Yang Youan was even more confused when he saw the middle-aged man's appearance. He looked towards the place where Li Chengru had appeared earlier, but he could not see him.

But before he could think any further, the middle-aged man turned and entered the examination hall as soon as he finished speaking. The other candidates followed him and swarmed in. Yang Youan wanted to follow them closely, but he found there were too many people, so he had to walk at the very back.

Upon entering the examination hall, a solemn atmosphere permeated the space. The candidates, dressed in simple robes, stepped into this solemn hall, their hearts filled with tension and anticipation, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle before entering the hall.

Towering red walls surround the examination hall, like a guardian, separating this sacred place from the mortal world. Ancient trees reach for the sky, and bluestone paves the ground.

After passing through the main avenue of the examination hall, you arrive at the spacious and bright main hall. Huge calligraphy and paintings hang on the walls of the main hall, showcasing the demeanor of the candidates in the past.

All the candidates gathered in front of the main hall, standing in neat rows. The middle-aged man who had led the way earlier stood at the hall entrance with a smile on his face. A long wooden table was placed at the entrance of the spacious main hall, on which were the Four Treasures of the Study and a bronze gong.

"The imperial examination proctor, Minister of Rites, Chen Youzhi, Lord Chen has arrived!"

A sharp sound came from one side of the examinees. They looked over and saw a man dressed in a purple official robe walking quickly toward them.

With a dignified expression, he strode towards the entrance of the main hall, followed closely by a young eunuch who had just shouted the words.

He walked to the long table, turned around and looked at the candidates with a serious expression, then suddenly smiled and said, "The imperial examination is an important part of our dynasty's talent selection. I am very pleased to see you young people standing here."

"Let me first introduce myself. My name is Chen Youzhi, courtesy name Zhongqian. I am the proctor for this imperial examination. I hope all candidates and students will achieve excellent results, and that you will all become the top scholars in the provincial examination, enter the palace examination, and become pillars of our dynasty, bringing peace to the world and serving the people."

Chen Youzhi, Lord Chen, your voice is loud and clear. Your passionate words and tone are like a fuse, igniting the fighting spirit of all the candidates. They bow to Chen Youzhi and shout: "To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations."

"The imperial examination begins." Chen Youzhi looked at the candidates in front of him and smiled with satisfaction, but he also knew that the imperial examination was cruel and that it would be very difficult for them to stand out from the people around them.

Especially in the final imperial examination, only three of them could break through the encirclement and gain fame. He struck the gong on the long table, and the candidates followed the other examiners to their respective examination points.

After they sat down in their seats, they took out their writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and waited quietly, excitedly, and nervously for the examination questions to arrive.

Seeing that they had all chosen their examination rooms, Yang Youan casually found an empty seat and sat down. He put the prepared dry food aside, took out his pen and ink, and waited for the examination questions to begin.

"It's noon, let's begin." As the eunuch's voice faded, a group of people carrying exam papers quickly entered the various examination rooms and began distributing the papers.

Yang Youan felt a little nervous as he watched the people distributing the exam papers. But when he arrived at the examination hall and saw the huge crowd, he was a bit unsure of what to do. After all, these were no longer candidates from a single prefecture or county, but students from all over the Yan Dynasty.

"The exam begins!" After the exam papers were distributed to everyone, the proctor, Chen Youzhi, struck the gong again, and the entire room fell silent.

The crowd silently studied the exam questions and ground their ink. Some of them looked relaxed. After grinding the ink, they picked up their pens and began to answer the questions on the blank paper.

Some people looked serious, clearly the questions on the test were beyond their expectations.

At the long table in front of the main hall, the middle-aged man in the purple official robes was Wu Zixu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, also known as Lord Wu. He was also Chen Youzhi's classmate.

He was now chatting quietly with Chen Youzhi: "Lord Chen, I don't think I've seen that kid Li Chengru. Could it be that he's not even coming for the imperial examination?"

Chen Youzhi smiled and said, "There's more than one examination room. It's not like we're next door. Besides, he's so competitive. It wouldn't be like him if he didn't come."

The two chatted and laughed, while the candidates outside the hall looked at the exam papers, some with worry and others with composure.

It was already evening, and the examinees were eating their dry rations while answering questions. Some, however, hadn't eaten at all and were writing furiously; one of them was Yang You'an.

When Yang Youan received the exam paper, he thought it would be difficult, but after reading through all the questions, he found that they were similar to those in the provincial examination.

It's simply a matter of modifying the question, but the deeper meaning of the question has been added.

After reading the question, he pondered for a while, then picked up a pen and began to write his answer on the paper.

This writing took another half day. According to the imperial examination system of the time, the metropolitan examination should have three sessions, taking nine days and six nights.

According to the system, this examination was divided into three stages: the "first session", the "preliminary session", and the "final session".

The first session, known as the "First Session" or "Front Session," tests candidates' understanding of the classics, primarily focusing on the Four Books and Five Classics. The second and third sessions, known as the "Later Sessions," primarily assess candidates' literary writing abilities, including the writing of various literary forms such as fu (rhapsodies), edicts, proclamations, memorials, and petitions. The third session tests their understanding of current affairs and their ability to address them.

The entire examination process lasted nine days and six nights, with each exam being a fierce competition...

(End of this chapter)