Huangming

Chapter 168 Cloud Chariot and Star Chariot, Dragon and Phoenix Seals

Before dawn, the curfew was still in effect, but faint lights began to appear in the streets and alleys of the city and its surrounding areas.

From the air, these firefly-like points of light are gradually converging in the same direction as time goes by—that is where the Imperial Examination Hall is located!
The examination hall faces south and has an extremely rigorous architectural layout.

Within the towering walls, there are important buildings arranged in sequence, including the Five-bay Main Gate, the Five-bay Second Gate, the Dragon Gate, the Mingyuan Tower, the Zhigong Hall, the Inner Dragon Gate, the Jukui Hall, the Huijing Hall, and the Eighteen Rooms.

There were watchtowers at the four corners to monitor the examination room.

The outer perimeter was enclosed by three layers of walls: an outer thorn wall, an inner thorn wall, and a brick wall.

It is worth mentioning that after a large-scale expansion during the Wanli period, the number of examination rooms in the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall) reached an astonishing 13,000!
Along the central axis of the entire examination hall are the main gate, the second gate, and the dragon gate, which together are called the Three Dragon Gates.

The constables of Shuntian Prefecture, holding fire and water sticks, stood in a solemn array in front of the brick screen wall.

The Lingnan scholar in the front row shivered; the pine soot ink stick wrapped in oil paper in his arms had frozen as hard as iron.

"President, the auspicious time has arrived."

Inside the Zhigong Hall of the Imperial Examination Hall, the water clock dripped, indicating the beginning of the Mao hour (around 5-7 AM).

The official in charge of the Ministry of Rites stepped forward two steps, holding the almanac, and bowed deeply to Sun Shenxing, who was sitting upright in the grand chair.

Sun Shenxing slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the eighteen examiners standing solemnly in the hall.

These officials, dressed in egret-patterned embroidered badges, have been in the Imperial Examination Hall for more than half a month.

From the day the list of examiners for the imperial examination was announced, they were completely isolated from the outside world, and even their family letters were thoroughly inspected by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Now, the exam is finally about to begin.

hiss~
Sun Shenxing took a deep breath and said loudly:

"Fire the cannons, open the Dragon Gate!"

This imperial examination, destined to be recorded in history, finally began on the eighth day of the second month of the first year of the Tianqi reign.

"Open—the—Dragon—Gate—!!!"

A long, drawn-out command came from deep within the examination hall, then spread like waves, from Zhigong Hall to Mingyuan Tower, over three layers of thorn walls, and finally resounded throughout the south gate of the examination hall.

The vermilion gate slowly opened with the muffled sound of gears meshing, revealing the imposing iron sluice gate inside.

In the cold wind, thousands of examinees held their breath and concentrated.

They harbored the long-cherished dream of leaping over the dragon gate, but at this moment, all they could hear was the pounding of their own hearts.

For more than ten or even several decades, they have devoted themselves to studying under the dim light of a lamp; their success or failure hinges on this.

"Lu Jiandou, it's time."

In the team, Lu Xiang-sheng tightened his grip on the test basket.

The cool scent of pine soot ink mixed with the morning frost filled his nostrils. He gazed at the increasingly wide Dragon Gate, his eyes burning with starlight.

The shouts of the search officers could be faintly heard in the distance, but his back remained ramrod straight, like a sharp sword about to be drawn.

Right now.

An official from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward, carrying the roster, and his voice pierced the biting cold wind as he announced, "The first year of the Tianqi reign, the Gengshen year of the imperial examination, the search begins with the announcement of names!"

The sound of tidying up could be heard from the ranks.

Lu Xiang-sheng and Ma Shi-qi were in the group. From a distance, he saw Wen Zhen-meng and Huang Dao-zhou, but he didn't have time to greet them because the roll call had begun!

"Zhang Chengru, Daxing County, Shuntian Prefecture!"

"To!"

A student in a blue robe answered loudly and stepped forward quickly.

The constables, holding the roster, with sharp eyes, checked the candidates' names, places of origin, and physical characteristics one by one to ensure that they matched the information of the "guarantors" (guarantors) registered by the government.

If there is the slightest hesitation or inability to answer, the person will be taken aside for rigorous questioning, and may even be disqualified from the exam on the spot.

"Lu Xiang-sheng, Yixing County, Changzhou Prefecture, Southern Zhili!"

"To!"

After waiting a moment, his name was finally called. Lu Xiang-sheng patted Ma Shi-qi on the shoulder and laughed, "Like a roc rising with the wind, soaring ninety thousand miles high. Brother Ma, I'm off!"

Ma Shiqi felt conflicted, but he still offered his blessings to Lu Xiang Sheng: "I await the day when Jian Dou will be listed on the Golden List!"

Lu Xiang-sheng successfully verified his personal information.

However, the subsequent search and inspection process was even more rigorous.

The candidates were ordered to loosen their robes, remove their shoes and socks, and even have their hair pulled back and inspected by the guards.

Every inch of fabric and every page of paper was examined to prevent the smuggling of cheat sheets or secret writing.

"Raise your hands!"

The constable gave the order in a cold voice, his rough fingers tracing the cuffs and hem of the garment, even pinching the belt.

Even more extreme cases involve meticulously examining dry rations and writing implements to ensure there are no hidden notes.

"Take off your boots!"

Another constable squatted down, pinched the sole of the shoe and tapped it repeatedly, listening to the sound to prevent the note from being hidden in the heel.

If any candidate is found carrying prohibited items, they will be reprimanded and driven away at best, and in serious cases, they will be publicly humiliated and banned from taking the exam for life.

In the cold wind, the students who were caught cheating were ashen-faced and trembling like leaves.

They were roughly dragged along by the guards, their tattered clothes scraping and screeching on the flagstones.

"Who slipped this cheat sheet into my clothes?"

"Injustice! Injustice! This isn't my cheat sheet!"

"I didn't cheat, waaaaaah~"

The onlookers turned their heads, but their eyes showed no pity, only cold glints of mockery or relief.

After all, before the Dragon Gate that determines one's fate, any chance of getting away with something becomes the most shameful desecration.

The imperial examination was a relatively fair path to advancement, and if someone cheated, they would undoubtedly face collective resistance from all the students who did not cheat!
At 3:45 AM, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Lu Xiang-sheng followed the clerk through the densely packed prison cells, the night frost on the blue brick path making a soft, crisp sound on the soles of his boots.

The wooden plaque numbered 12 in the third row of the East Gate gleamed coldly in the mist.

He arrived at his destination quickly.

This cramped space, no more than five feet wide and a little over ten feet deep, will be the battlefield for the next three days.

Lu Xiang-sheng deftly hung up the blue cloth curtain soaked in tung oil.

After the official candles were lit, the dim yellow light gradually illuminated the cells: the upper layer was a movable board for a table, and the lower layer was fixed for a seat. The rough pine boards still bore traces of scratches from previous examinees.

The inkstone awakens in the hot water, and the subtle fragrance of the pine soot ink mingles with the sweetness of jujubes, lingering in the crisp air.

Lu Xiang-sheng arranged the cold, hard steamed buns on the table, when he suddenly heard a suppressed cough coming from the cell next door.

This behemoth, composed of thirteen thousand cages, is now embodying the ambition and unease of the entire empire.

At 1:15 AM, cannons were fired to seal off the Dragon Gate.

After the sealing of the Dragon Gate, officials from the Ministry of Rites slowly walked out carrying yellow silk scrolls and solemnly posted them under the plaque of the Hall of Supreme Justice.

The clerk, holding a metal megaphone, recited the three questions from the Four Books and the four questions from the classics three times in a melodious and rhythmic voice, the sound waves penetrating through the layers of cells.

Inside room number twelve of the Xuan character in the Eastern Palace, Lu Xiang-sheng closed his eyes in deep thought, conserving his energy to prepare for answering the questions the next day.

Silent all night.

The following day at dawn, the drums were struck at the examination hall, and the candidates officially began answering the questions.

Lu Xiang-sheng first used the previous imperial examination essays in the "Imperially Commissioned Four Books" as a model, and quickly sketched out the framework of the topic and its development on the draft paper.

When the writing shifted to the lecture, Zhu Xi's annotations from the "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books" were already interspersed like pearls: "Virtue is what man receives from Heaven, and is a state of being that is empty and clear-headed."

Lu Xiang-sheng blew the ink off the draft and took the examination paper with the red silk border specially made by the Ministry of Rites.

When the brush touched the paper, his wrist was slightly suspended—the official script required horizontal and vertical strokes to be straight, and even the character '由' was carefully rewritten as the ancient character '繇' to avoid the taboo of the current emperor's name.

The pine soot ink bleeds onto the Chengxintang paper with a neat, dark sheen. After writing three lines, one must stop and breathe on the paper to prevent frozen fingers from turning the vertical strokes into trembling strokes.

The sound of bugle boots came from Dongque Lane; it was the guards accompanying passengers to the toilet on patrol.

Lu Xiang-sheng took the opportunity to bite into the frozen steamed bun, the sweetness of the jujube barely suppressing the burning sensation in his stomach.

The exam is over!

Let all your talents be poured onto this sheet of Chengxintang paper!
It will take a long time.

Yet it was fleeting. Two days and two nights passed in the blink of an eye.

On the tenth day of the second month of the first year of the Tianqi reign, at the third quarter of the hour of Mao (5:45 AM), the bronze gong in the examination hall suddenly sounded.

The examination hall was opened to "release the examination papers," and candidates who had finished answering the questions would tap the pine board of their examination cell with their knuckles to indicate that they had submitted their papers.

The soldiers, carrying vermilion scrolls, strode through the area, stamping each collected exam paper with a large bronze seal that read "Verified by the Ministry of Rites."

"Finally finished."

Inside the No. 12 Xuanzi examination paper in the East Gate, Lu Xiang-sheng handed the completed examination paper with red silk borders to the examiner.

"Does the master really intend to hand in the exam early?"

Lu Xiang-sheng nodded and said, "Hand in the paper!"

After saying this, he felt a great sense of relief.

From the time of Yin on the eighth day of the month to the time of Shen on the tenth day, a full two days, two nights, and one hour, in the cramped and cold prison cell, it was pure torture.

Fortunately, he wrote with divine inspiration and completed the three questions on the Four Books and the four questions on the original classics early on.

At this moment, very few people have submitted their papers early.

Lu Xiangsheng left the examination room and looked at the flickering candlelight in each room, feeling very pleased.

You may stay here.
Grandpa, I'm going to get some rest now, in preparation for the second exam on the 12th!

As noon approached, the air inside the examination hall grew increasingly stagnant.

A rapid rustling sound came from the next cell, like autumn insects gnawing on mulberry leaves.

Occasionally, a candidate's suppressed cough would break the silence, only to be silenced again by the sound of leather boots treading on the blue bricks.

"Boom-"

The sound of the midday bell, like muffled thunder, came from Mingyuan Tower, startling a candidate in a certain examination cell in the western part of the palace, who accidentally knocked over his inkstone.

The sound of ink splashing onto the draft was clearly audible, followed by a suppressed sob.

A quarter past noon.

The exam is over.

The officials collected the papers one by one, and the candidates had to leave the examination room.

Zhi acridine~
The vermilion dragon gate opened again under the blazing midday sun.

The candidates who handed in their papers poured out like a tide, and the servants of the wealthy young men had already prepared a warm sedan chair and ginger soup.

The poor scholars clutched their thin clothes and stumbled back to the guild hall on the blue brick path.

At this moment, inside the Zhigong Hall.

Sun Shenxing, who hadn't slept all night, heard the sound of the papers being collected and his eyes lit up. He immediately said, "Cheer up, the papers are about to be collected. Prepare to anonymously copy them."

The examination rooms on both sides of Zhigong Hall were already prepared with gray paper seals. The clerks used thick paste to cover the names and places of origin, and a special person was assigned to make copies in accordance with the standards of the Imperial Academy to prevent identification by handwriting.

The examiners from the eighteen chambers were reviewing the mountain of applications for advancement under the light of three-legged bronze lamps.

The first session of the Gengshen imperial examination ended smoothly, much to Sun Shenxing's surprise.

Qianqing Palace.

Dong Nuan Pavilion.

Zhu Youxiao looked at the list of candidates participating in the imperial examination and was filled with emotion.

"More than 5,000 people actually participated in this year's imperial examination!"

Wei Chao hurriedly flattered from the side, saying, "It is all thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom and the flourishing of culture and education that scholars throughout the land are grateful for Your Majesty's grace. These five thousand candidates have gathered in the capital precisely because they admire Your Majesty's thirst for talent and your benevolence in revitalizing culture!"

Zhu Youxiao neither agreed nor disagreed.

He naturally knew why there were so many people taking the imperial examination this year.

It's because the provincial examination has been delayed for several years, and this year can be seen as two sessions of the provincial examination being held at the same time.

"I hope that among this year's successful candidates, there will be more talented people who can actually get things done!"

Zhu Youxiao had already noticed Lu Xiangsheng's name in the list, but he was more eager for more talented people to work under him.

The old guard in the court must be purged one by one, and the new elites who replace them must be energetic and loyal to him.

The imperial court needs fresh blood.

"Wei Zhongxian and Luo Sigong haven't arrived yet?"

Zhu Youxiao naturally wanted to find the mastermind behind the leaked imperial examination questions.

Soon, Wei Zhongxian and Luo Sigong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, entered the East Warm Pavilion to pay their respects to the emperor.

Wei Zhongxian bowed and stepped forward, saying obsequiously, "This old servant greets Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty."

Luo Sigong knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your subject Luo Sigong, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youxiao put down the list of candidates for the metropolitan examination, looked up at the two of them, and said calmly, "Get up."

Wei Zhongxian straightened up, his face full of a fawning smile, and said, "Your Majesty works tirelessly day and night to attend to state affairs. This old servant feels sorry for you and has come to pay my respects."

Luo Sigong stood respectfully to one side, awaiting the emperor's instructions.

Zhu Youxiao's gaze turned slightly cold as he slowly said, "Wei Daban, have you found out what I asked you to investigate?"

Wei Zhongxian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this old servant has ordered the Eastern Depot agents to patrol day and night, and there have been some results. As for the questions that will be asked, I have found out that it was Zhang Cheng, the woodblock engraver of the copying office, who was responsible. He has been imprisoned and interrogated. I wonder what results Your Majesty wants to find out."

Zhu You frowned slightly.

What kind of result do you want to get from asking?

The implication is that no answer could be obtained.

However, Wei Zhongxian had simply handed him the knife; if he disliked anyone in the court, he could use Zhang Cheng as a scapegoat.

Zhu Youxiao shook his head and said, "Find out the truth. If you can't get the answer, then arrest the person who bought the exam questions."

"The slaves obey."

Seeing that the emperor did not want to discuss the escalation of the situation, Wei Zhongxian was slightly disappointed.

Zhu Youxiao then looked at Luo Sigong and asked, "Minister Luo, have the Embroidered Uniform Guard discovered anything unusual?"

Luo Sigong replied in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I have already dispatched additional imperial guards to closely monitor the examination hall and various guild halls. So far, no large-scale cheating or factionalism has been discovered, but I dare not slacken my efforts and will guard against it with utmost vigilance to ensure the smooth conduct of the imperial examination."

Zhu Youxiao nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good. You two must act with caution and never allow any villains to disrupt the imperial talent selection ceremony."

Wei Zhongxian quickly echoed, "Your Majesty is wise! This old servant will do his utmost to share Your Majesty's burdens!"

Luo Sigong also solemnly replied, "Your subject will respectfully obey Your Majesty's decree!"

Luo Sigong resigned, but Wei Zhongxian did not.

Wang Tiqian's preparations for the Western Depot during this period put considerable pressure on Wei Zhongxian.

He roared in his heart: I, Wei Zhongxian, am the sharpest blade under His Majesty's command!

You, Wang Tiqian, are nothing!
To curry favor, the old eunuch deliberately lowered his shrill voice and fawned at the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report that the disgraceful deeds of Zhou Jiamo, the Minister of Personnel, have been uncovered. Although he claims to be an upright official who has never accepted bribes, his eldest son, Zhou Yanguang, when he served as the Vice Director of the Imperial Seal Office, accepted three hundred taels of silver from the Director of the Ministry of Works' Equipment Department in exchange for favors in obtaining a position at the Ordnance Bureau."

As he spoke, he pulled out a secret file from the Embroidered Uniform Guard from his sleeve; the pages were still stained with the bloody smell of the imperial prison.

“Even worse, last year his second son, Zhou Yanxi, forcibly bought 100 mu of farmland from farmers in Wanping County, driving them to commit suicide by jumping into wells—this matter was suppressed by his wife’s family, Zheng Ji, the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing.”

"Is Minister Zhou aware of this?"

The emperor suddenly asked a question, his gaze sharp as a knife as it swept across Wei Zhongxian's fawning face.

"How could he not know that Minister Zhou's residence spends ten taels of silver a day on banquets?"

After saying this, Wei Zhongxian observed the emperor's expression and then said, "According to the Great Ming Code, officials who condone their relatives accepting bribes should be punished for negligence."

Zhu Youxiao had long been dissatisfied with this position as Minister of Personnel.

The official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel must be one of our own!

He immediately said, "Zhou Jiamo knows in his heart what to do about imprisoning his two sons."

With the appointment of a new Minister of Personnel, he no longer needed to go through an extra step in the promotion and transfer process for many officials.

"The slaves obey."

After accepting his mission, Wei Zhongxian was about to leave when Zhu Youxiao suddenly asked, "Minister Wei, I have issued three edicts these past few days regarding drought relief, the promotion of new grains, and the inspection of granaries. What have the court officials been saying about this?"

(End of this chapter)