Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"At least not now!" Sheng Changbai added.

Qi Heng shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh: "I'm afraid that if I get used to it, even if I have the ability to change it, I might not be willing to do it."

It is said that those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who are wearing shoes, but what if those who are barefoot put on shoes?

Sometimes, the more you gain, the more you fear losing it. Qi Heng is now one of the beneficiaries.

"At least for now, we don't need to think about these things!"

Sheng Changbai smiled and said, "Only those in positions of power can consider whether or not they should be involved in the affairs of state."

"Yes, I was worrying unnecessarily!"

Qi Heng smiled and nodded, then returned to his seat.

"By the way, Zhong Huai wrote to say that he will be taking the county examination next year, and asked if we should participate. We don't want him to pass the exam before we do," Sheng Changbai said.

"Second Uncle is as confident as ever. But the county exam isn't difficult. Since he wants to compete, let's see how it goes," Qi Heng said with a smile.

Although Gu Tingye abandoned martial arts for literature, he was not illiterate before that.

The county examination was difficult, but not as difficult as one might imagine. Not to mention that Gu Tingye was confident, he was even confident that he could pass it.

"From Zhonghuai's words, I could tell that the knot in his heart had dissipated a lot. Perhaps he will come back after the county examination."

Sheng Changbai could sense the resentment in Gu Tingye's heart from reading his previous letters.

In his recent letters, he seemed much more cheerful.

He felt that Gu Tingye had moved on and was able to face things calmly.

"Perhaps."

Qi Heng chuckled inwardly, thinking that Gu Tingye must have become a father by now.

Gu Tingye didn't come to a realization; rather, the appearance of Manniang and the child temporarily alleviated his resentment towards his father.

But with Man Niang and the child around, he probably won't dare to come back for the time being.

Before long, Sheng Changfeng and Sanlan arrived and congratulated Qi Heng.

During class, Zhuang Xuejiu specifically instructed Qi Heng that if he still wanted to take the imperial examination, he should guard against arrogance and impatience and not be influenced by these things.

Those sons of officials receive a good education from a young age and can focus on their studies, but very few of them succeed in the imperial examinations.

It wasn't because they were less intelligent than others, but simply because they had the privilege of being granted official positions through ancestral blessings.

To paraphrase Zhuangzi, humans are born with a tendency to slack off, and once they have a safety net, they naturally become lax in their studies.

Qi Heng wholeheartedly agreed with this, as he had never truly cared about the imperial examinations.

Some people's family background gives them a head start in life. But for others, their birth is already a finish line that others can only dream of.

But Qi Heng couldn't help but wonder what he would do if he were to transmigrate into the body of an ordinary person in an ancient society with such a severe class divide.

This reflection has made Qi Heng more mature.

Although he still didn't pay much attention to the imperial examinations, he studied even more diligently.

Confucianism is the mainstream ideology today and the core of the entire world's ethics, morality, and rules of conduct.

Many people have a misconception that ancient society was outwardly Confucian but inwardly Legalist.

This statement is not wrong, but the "law" in "outwardly Confucian but inwardly Legalist" is not the same as Legalist thought.

Instead, it incorporates Legalist thought and is based on Confucianism to formulate laws.

A closer look reveals that the laws of almost every dynasty in ancient China bear the imprint of Confucianism.

Qi Heng may not care about the imperial examination, but as an upper-class individual, he needs to thoroughly understand it if he wants to survive better in this era or do anything else.

Because Confucianism cannot be overthrown within the feudal social system.

But so-called ideas, in the end, are also dead.

Many people in later generations criticized Confucianism, considering it feudal dross.

Confucianism certainly has certain limitations due to its time, but overall it is still very advanced.

Many of these ideas remain relevant even in later generations.

The reason why many people consider it feudal dross is because what they understand is not true Confucianism.

Confucianism is actually divided into two stages: one before the suppression of other schools of thought, and the other after the suppression of other schools of thought.

Before the suppression of other schools of thought, Confucianism was very inclusive and constantly evolving and innovating.

However, ever since Emperor Wu of Han made Confucianism the sole state ideology, true Confucian thought has lost its vitality.

Those in power need to use Confucianism to govern the country, so it is difficult for Confucianism to make progress and innovation.

Even progress and innovation must be based on meeting the needs of the rulers.

Scholars advocated self-cultivation, family management, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. They also advocated learning literary and martial arts skills to serve the emperor. Ultimately, their goal was to become an official.

To become an official, one needs to cater to the desires of those in power.

A careful study of history reveals that Confucianism underwent several major transformations throughout history, giving rise to new interpretations and understandings, which led to increasingly feudalistic thinking.

Of course, those scholars are well aware of all this.

Don't assume that those intellectuals only know how to flatter; while they flatter, they also secretly harbor a lot of their own agendas.

In the power struggle between ministers and emperors, rules and etiquette are their weapons.

For those in the upper class, constantly talking about benevolence, righteousness, morality, etiquette, and rules is practically a required course.

This isn't something you can just say offhand; you have to be able to justify it.

Qi Heng may not need it, but he must have a deep understanding of it. Even if he doesn't harm anyone, he cannot be harmed by it.

…………

The news of Empress Cao's pregnancy allowed the scholars preparing for the imperial examinations to focus their attention on their studies.

At the end of March, the imperial examination was held as scheduled at the Gongyuan, which was not far from the Ministry of Rites.

The imperial examination lasted nine days and eight nights. When the candidates came out of the examination hall at the end, they smelled terrible and looked emaciated.

Half a month after the imperial examination ended, the day of the results announcement arrived.

Because the days for announcing the results were almost always chosen to be "Yin Day" or "Chen Day," and Yin belongs to the dragon and Chen belongs to the tiger, it is also known as the Dragon and Tiger List.

On the day the results were announced, the streets near the examination hall were completely blocked, and even the teahouses and taverns were packed with people.

Normally, the release of the results of the imperial examinations wouldn't attract this much attention.

After all, being listed on the provincial examination list only makes one a tribute student, not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Those who passed the palace examination and whose names were on the list were considered Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). Because it was an imperial list, it was called "Jinbang Timing" (literally, "names on the golden list").

However, the current government has reformed the imperial examination system, abolishing the elimination process of the palace examination. In other words, being on the list of successful candidates in the metropolitan examination is equivalent to passing the imperial examination with flying colors.

Although the palace examination selected the top three scholars (状元, 榜眼, and 探花), and the ranking affected the granting of official positions, the results of the metropolitan examination still attracted a great deal of attention.

In a private room on the third floor of a restaurant near the Imperial Examination Hall, Qi Heng stood by the window, looking at the Dragon and Tiger List in the distance.

Because of the distance, the names on the list cannot be seen.

But as the list was revealed, the noise coming from the other side could still be heard clearly.

Some people cried, some people laughed.

Those who made the list laughed and then cried.

Those whose names weren't on the list cried and then laughed.

The former's crying is a sign of relaxation after all the pressure has subsided, while the latter's laughter is an emotional breakdown.

"Brother Zecheng, do you really think the imperial examination system was good?"