Dream of the Red Chamber: Madam, please have some self-respect!

Jia Yun did not rush to write. First, he took out a draft paper and copied the title down stroke by stroke.

He glanced around and noticed that some eager candidates were already grinding ink and writing.

Seeing this, Jia Yun couldn't help but shake his head inwardly—it was still early, and the ink would freeze easily. If the ink froze halfway through writing, it would make the handwriting look bad.

He started by pondering the Four Books.

This "distinction between righteousness and profit" is a fundamental Confucian doctrine, which has been thoroughly studied by countless scholars throughout history, making it truly difficult to excel at.

After pondering for a moment, Jia Yun decided to start with the idea that "the difference between a gentleman and a petty person lies not in their actions, but in their intentions." This way, he would not deviate from the principles of sages, and at the same time, he could show off his own insight.

He meticulously outlined his thoughts on the draft: after breaking down the topic, he would connect it with "righteousness is the public principle of Heaven," then quote a few words from Confucius and Mencius, intersperse some cases from ancient and modern times, and finally conclude with "cultivating oneself and understanding the Way," and that would be complete.

Once he felt confident, Jia Yun slowly began grinding the ink.

Sure enough, the ink was thick due to the cold weather, so he patiently adjusted it again and again until it was just the right consistency before stopping.

Just as he was about to put pen to paper, a gust of cold wind swept through the hall, swirling a few withered leaves in the open space. Several thinly dressed examinees shivered from the cold and had to hold their exam papers down tightly with their elbows, afraid that the wind would blow them away.

The cell gradually brightened, and the sounds of rustling paper being spread, soft ink being ground, and occasionally a suppressed cough could be heard.

Jia Yun calmed himself down and meticulously copied the polished article onto the red-lined paper, stroke by stroke, in the elegant official script.

The paper was clean and neat, with upright handwriting, totaling less than seven hundred words.

Jia Yun knew that although this first round was not difficult, the first impression he made on the examiners was the most important.

He occasionally looked up to rest his eyes and saw that among the candidates sitting in the "hall" in front, the one with his head tilted to the side, one hand supporting his chin and the other playing with a pen, was none other than Baoyu.

It looks like... he's taking a nap? He really is a character.

Jia Yun found it amusing, but dared not be distracted, and quickly lowered his head to continue writing. He secretly rejoiced that his mother had thought things through before he left home. He took out the worn blue cotton jacket from the examination basket, put it on, and tied the belt, which immediately warmed him up considerably.

At this moment, three drumbeats sounded in the courtroom, signaling that the examinees could have tea and relieve themselves.

The candidates, who had been holding it in for a long time, quickly called to the yamen runners and were led to the latrine.

Jia Yun also felt a bit hungry, so he took out some dry food—a few neatly cut pieces of layered cake, a salted duck egg, and a small packet of dried fruit.

He carefully used oil paper as a liner and ate slowly, afraid that crumbs would soil the exam paper.

While they were eating, a sudden cough came from the cell next door, followed by the sound of yamen runners running over.

It turned out that a student ate too quickly and didn't dare to drink too much water, so he choked.

Fortunately, after some back massage and calming, she finally felt better. Jia Yun secretly reminded herself that she couldn't afford to be careless in the examination room.

After finishing his meal, he began to ponder the final examination poem.

The beauty of the line "Spring breeze has turned the south bank of the Yangtze River green again" lies in the word "green".

He recalled the skill of his predecessors in refining words and decided to put some thought into the transitions and connections, making sure that the words were rhyming and also had some originality.

After much thought, I finally came up with these few lines: "The east wind thaws the ice, first sparsely touching the willow branches. Warm waves allow ducks to play, and clear sands are home to pheasants and rabbits. Wild herbs cover the riverbanks, and clouds and trees conceal the village ruins. What I care about most is the farmers' surplus from sowing."

By the time the sun was setting, all three articles had been copied.

Within the red grid, every character was neatly written, the ink even, and the scroll clean and crisp. Jia Yun read it through again carefully from beginning to end, confirming that there were no taboos and that the format was flawless.

By this time, some candidates had already handed in their papers.

Those who handed in their papers early were mostly self-important, and they would go straight to the court with their papers, hoping that the county magistrate would question them in person.

Jia Yun, however, was not in a hurry. He knew that passing the county examination was not a matter of early or late, so he simply calmed down and checked his exam paper again. It wasn't until almost Shenshi (3-5 PM) that he followed the flow of people handing in their papers and stepped out of the Dragon Gate amidst the shouts of the yamen runners calling for the release of rafts.

As Jia Yun walked out of the examination hall, she looked at the sunset on the horizon and vaguely recalled the carefree feeling of "the sky is high and the birds can fly freely" after the college entrance examination in her previous life.

But this feeling was fleeting—the path of the imperial examination was far longer than that of the college entrance examination. And around him, he heard all sorts of sounds: some candidates were talking animatedly, some who had failed were hiding in a corner and sobbing in silence, and some relatives and friends were coming up to offer their concern.

Jia Yun smiled faintly, picked up the examination basket and was about to walk towards his own carriage when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Yun-ge'er!"

He turned around and saw Baoyu striding towards him with a radiant expression, followed by his servant Mingyan who hurriedly took the examination basket from him.

Baoyu grabbed Jia Yun's sleeve: "We've finally made it through! These past few days have been so stifling! I think this time the essay went smoothly and the poem was clever, so it's sure to pass."

He seemed to hear some sobbing, and after looking around, he said with a smug look on his face, "Did you see that? The proctor walked back and forth next to me several times, staring at my paper the whole time! It must have been written so well that it attracted his attention."

Looking at Baoyu's appearance, which seemed completely unlike someone who had just taken the imperial examination, Jia Yun felt a mix of emotions, recalling how Baoyu had dozed off in the examination hall.

Just as he was about to reply, he saw Jia Lan slowly walking over.

"How does Lan-ge'er think he did on the exam?" Jia Yun asked, leaning down.

Six-year-old Jia Lan looked up and said in her childish voice, "It's okay. I just wrote down everything I remembered."

These words made Jia Yun laugh, and he patted Jia Lan's head: "That's very good."

The three of them arrived in front of the carriage as they talked.

Just as Jia Yun was about to get into the carriage, Bao Yu tugged at his sleeve again and said, "Did you hear what I just said? That examiner..."

"Uncle Bao is intelligent and will certainly pass the exam. I am dull-witted, but I will do my best. My writing is probably just average. Whether I can get into school depends on luck."

Jia Yun's words were half self-deprecation and half the truth.

No one dared to be arrogant on the path of the imperial examination. Besides knowledge, sometimes it also depended on the examiner's liking and luck.

Jia Yun felt his writing was solid, but as for how outstanding it was, he really wouldn't dare to guarantee it in Shuntian County, a place full of hidden talents.

But when these words reached the ears of everyone in the Jia family from the gossipy servants, it was like a bucket of cold water being poured over a hot stove.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were overjoyed to see Baoyu looking so radiant and boasting about his good exam results. But when they heard that Jia Yun, on whom they had placed such high hopes, considered himself mediocre, their fervent expectations immediately cooled.

Although Madam Wang still wore a look of regret on her face, her eyes revealed an indescribable smile: "Yun-ge'er is too modest."

Grandmother Jia glanced thoughtfully at Jia Yun, then smiled and said to Baoyu, "Now that the exam is over, take a good rest for a few days."

Jia Yun did not want to say more, so he bowed and turned back to the west corridor.

This exam is truly just the beginning for him.

The county examination had just ended, but the days of waiting for the results were even more unbearable for the Jia family than the examination itself.

Now, the first exam of the county examination had just ended, and the exam papers were sealed up that very night and sent to the back hall of the county government office.

This time, the county examination was presided over by the magistrate of Shuntian County. In addition to the instructors and adjutants of the county school, there was a young compiler newly transferred from the Hanlin Academy who was in charge of reviewing the papers.

This man was named Fang Yizhi, courtesy name Mizhi. He was only in his early thirties, but he was already a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He was a rising star in the officialdom known for his solid scholarship and upright character. In other words, he was sent by his superior to gain experience and familiarize himself with government affairs.

The examination room was brightly lit by candlelight.

Magistrate Xu rubbed his throbbing temples and handed a test paper to Fang Yizhi: "Mizhi, take a look at this one, it's quite interesting."

Fang Yizhi took the book with both hands and read it carefully.

This is Jia Yun's exam paper.

The handwriting is neat and powerful, demonstrating a solid foundation in the official script style, which goes without saying.

Looking at the article again, the topic is accurately identified, the transitions are natural, and the eight-legged essay format is meticulously followed, clearly showing that the author has put in a lot of hard work.

But what caught Fang Yizhi's eye was the "spirit" that permeated the article.

When discussing the meaning of the classics, he did not completely adhere to Zhu Xi's commentary. Occasionally, when quoting classics, he would reveal a broad vision and a tendency to apply his knowledge to practical affairs, especially in a policy essay on "trading and bribery, and moving between having and not having".

Although it did not explicitly mention opening up the sea to trade, it emphasized the importance of trade and commerce to the national economy and people's livelihood. The viewpoint was quite novel, and even... in the eyes of conservatives, it was somewhat "heretical".

"Your Excellency, this young man has a solid foundation and extraordinary insight, far surpassing those bookish pedants. In my opinion, his writing is logically sound and full of spirit; he should be ranked in the top ten."

Magistrate Xu stroked his beard and pondered, "The essay is indeed good. However... Mi Zhi, look at what he said in his policy essay, 'Finance is the lifeblood of the nation; its flow brings life, its blockage brings death.' The principle is sound, but it feels somewhat different from the current mainstream view in the court, and I'm afraid it will attract gossip. Nowadays in the court... sigh, it's better to avoid trouble. Perhaps it would be safer to place him somewhere between fifteenth and fifteenth, so as not to bury his talent, but also not to make him too conspicuous?"

Fang Yizhi frowned slightly upon hearing this, and, in his youthful arrogance, retorted, "Your Excellency, the selection of officials should be based on their literary talent. This young man's insights, though different from the prevailing views, are incisive and address the current problems; he is precisely the kind of pragmatic talent the country needs. If his ranking is lowered simply to avoid gossip, wouldn't that betray the very purpose of the imperial examination system? If Your Excellency's reasoning is sound, then I even believe this young man should be ranked first!"

The two argued back and forth, each holding their own opinion, which attracted a group of colleagues to come and watch.

Finally, considering Fang Yizhi's background and sharp edge, and after carefully examining Jia Yun's article which was indeed well-founded and without any faults, Magistrate Xu compromised and said, "Alright, we'll do as you say. However, let's start with the ninth column for now; the first one is just too eye-catching."

Although Fang Yizhi felt it was a pity, he was relieved that Jia Yun had been admitted to a high-ranking position.

What he didn't know was that this argument, though unintentionally, had unexpected and positive consequences.