Chapter 34: Chapter 32: Foul Play in the Competition
"Wei Tu?" Magistrate Chen stroked the three-inch-long wisp of a beard on his chin. After a long moment of contemplation, he ordered a clerk to bring the register of this year’s Military Examination candidates to his desk.
The Zheng Country Court had already ruled for 263 years, and the bureaucracy had grown corrupt, far worse than in previous dynasties.
Cheating in the examinations was a frequent occurrence in every province, prefecture, and county.
It wasn’t limited to just Qingshan County.
’But if this Wei Tu’s scores are poor, I’ll just have to find some other excuse to refuse. The risk is still too great...’ Magistrate Chen thought to himself as he searched through the register.
In literature, there is no first.
In martial arts, there is no second.
The Military Examination was different from the Literary Examination. Unlike the subjective nature of essays, a candidate’s skill in the Military Examination was clear at a glance, even to a layman.
The three tests of martial skill—Horseback Shooting and Step Shooting—these scores could not be faked.
"An A+ in Stone Lifting Armor? And his scores in the other subjects are all Grade A as well. Only his Sword Dance score is slightly lower, a B+..."
Magistrate Chen was slightly surprised for a moment after finding Wei Tu’s results. With scores like these, he was a top contender for the title of Martial Champion.
From this, it was clear that the Huang Family’s gift wasn’t just to get Wei Tu on the list of successful candidates and qualify for the Prefecture Examination. They wanted him to personally designate Wei Tu as the County Examination’s Martial Champion.
"Now, all that’s left are the outdoor Competition and the indoor Military Strategy test..."
"I can pull some strings in both."
Magistrate Chen tapped the register on his wooden desk, then had the clerk summon the examiner for the County Military Examination’s "Competition".
...
「That afternoon.」
The outdoor "Competition" began.
The "Competition" was the only practical combat assessment in the Military Examination. Candidates were paired off for matches, and those who successfully made it into the top ten would be considered Grade A.
As for the specific ranking of skill among the top ten in the Competition, no detailed comparison was made in the County or Prefecture Examinations. After all, fists and feet have no eyes, and there was no need for candidates to suffer serious injuries at this stage.
Other than the Martial Champion, who earned a guaranteed pass in the Prefecture Examination, there was no difference between the other candidates who made the list.
The treatment for second place was the same as for last place.
There was no need to rank them further.
During the Daoist Examination, the treatment of Martial Scholars would vary. Only then would a true ranking be established.
’I hope I don’t run into any of those Grade A Sword Dance Martial Artists in the Competition, otherwise...’
Wei Tu prayed silently as the examiner began to form groups and call out names.
All told, he had been practicing his Blade Technique for no more than half a year, and he had no real combat experience during that time.
Therefore, whether it was the performance-based "Sword Dance" or the practical combat of the Competition, he was still a considerable distance behind these Martial Artists from wealthy families who had been practicing Blade Technique since childhood.
Soon, the Competition examiner assigned Wei Tu’s opponent.
’I don’t recognize this Martial Artist. It seems he’s not one of the Grade A candidates.’ Wei Tu glanced at the man, comparing him to the list of Martial Artists in his mind.
Before the Competition began, vendors from the Chenghuang Temple would buy the scores of every Martial Artist in each subject from the clerks, compile them into booklets, and sell them.
Among them, any Martial Artist who achieved a Grade A in any one assessment was called a Grade A Martial Artist and was considered a popular choice to make the final list.
"Ma Hong of Wangdu Town. I ask for Martial Artist Wei’s mercy."
Soon, Wei Tu and his opponent stepped onto the dueling platform and exchanged names.
However, Ma Hong clearly recognized Wei Tu. After Wei Tu stepped onto the platform, Ma Hong’s expression changed slightly as he cupped his fist and spoke.
"Wei Tu of Changming Town."
Wei Tu also cupped his fist in a salute.
After the salutes, the two immediately began to fight.
A short while later, after a dozen or so exchanges, Wei Tu forced Ma Hong off the platform, claiming his first victory.
—A B+ in Sword Dance wasn’t a weak score. The ones he feared were the dozen or so Martial Artists who had achieved a Grade A in Sword Dance.
Next came several more matches.
To Wei Tu’s slight surprise, for every practical combat match, the examiner assigned him opponents from the same group of relatively weaker Martial Artists.
’Could it be...?’ After his fifth match, Wei Tu seemed to realize something. He paused on the stone steps of the platform, his gaze subconsciously shifting towards Master Huang among the crowd of gentry.
When things are this abnormal, something is afoot.
For this County Military Examination, aside from revealing to the Huang Mansion that he was a Disciple of Shan Wuju, Wei Tu had not made this identity widely known.
—He wasn’t confident he could win the title of Martial Champion in the County Military Examination, so he felt there was no need to mention his connection to Shan Wuju.
Therefore, the examiner wasn’t likely changing his opponents based on Shan Wuju’s connections. Rather, someone else was helping him from behind the scenes.
Someone with the power to influence a County Military Examination examiner and who was willing to help him... Their identity was obvious.
Aside from Master Huang, who had acknowledged him as kin, no one else fit the criteria.
"Cheating in the examinations?" Wei Tu frowned.
—It wasn’t that he couldn’t stand such dirty dealings; he was worried someone might use this to harm him.
For a skilled Martial Artist like him, such petty tricks did more harm than good.
’I’ve been acknowledged as kin by Master Huang. Even if I don’t accept his Recruitment offer, he shouldn’t try to harm me...’
At this thought, Wei Tu shook his head, suppressing these stray thoughts.
Soon, several more matches began.
Without facing any of the top experts in the County Military Examination, Wei Tu won with no pressure at all, easily crushing his opponents to secure a spot among the final top ten of the "Competition".
As for the "petty tricks" Wei Tu had noticed, few of the Martial Artists present or the spectating commoners had paid them any mind.
After all, Wei Tu’s scores before the practical combat were already strong, making him a top contender for Martial Champion. It was only natural for him to defeat other Martial Artists with ease.
"Wei Tu?"
Among the top ten, a young man with eyebrows that slanted up towards his temples gave Wei Tu, who was standing beside him, a deep look, his eyes filled with a hint of contempt.
Others hadn’t noticed Wei Tu’s cheating in the Competition, but he was not among them.
Wary of Wei Tu’s strength, he had been keeping a close eye on him, observing his moves and hoping to devise a strategy...
But unexpectedly... during this time, he had seen that Wei Tu was likely cheating in the matches.
’Forget it. Making a big fuss about this won’t do me any good either.’ Weii Fei shook his head and averted his gaze from Wei Tu.
Reporting cheating in the examinations wouldn’t just target Wei Tu alone; it would also implicate all the officials of Qingshan County, big and small.
He didn’t have the nerve to do something like that during the examination.
Besides, even if he successfully reported it, his own future would be ruined.
"Officials protect each other" has never been an empty phrase.
...
「After the event ended.」
Wei Tu sought out Master Huang to confirm his suspicions about the Competition.
The result was just as he had expected.
For this Military Examination, Master Huang had indeed spoken with Magistrate Chen.
"The title of County Champion may seem useless, with its only function being to guarantee a spot in the Daoist Examination, but... in truth, when it comes to appointing officials, the Government Office will see that you are a County Champion and will consider giving you a better martial post..."
"Besides, even if I—your uncle—didn’t do this, the other gentry would do the same for their own sons and nephews."
"Giving Magistrate Chen a heads-up beforehand was simply to prevent the score you deserve from being lowered... just because you didn’t pay a bribe..."
In the carriage, Master Huang and Wei Tu sat facing each other as he slowly explained.
