Chapter 386: End of Chapter 198 (One more update)_2
The first old examiner wasn’t worried. Xiao Liulang could recite the Four Books and Five Classics from memory, and would have no trouble with the Four Books questions. On top of that, candidates also needed to write a five-character eight-line poem and four interpretational pieces.
Xiao Liulang recited the five-character eight-line poem he composed and his interpretation.
The old examiner nodded.
No problem at all.
The old examiner then asked Xiao Liulang about his eight-legged essay and policy question.
The old examiner internally held some opposition towards the eight-legged essay as it overly emphasized form, thus restricting the candidates’ performance. But these things are not up to him, or the emperor, to decide. These rules passed down by the ancestors are not easily abolished.
...
Xiao Liulang’s eight-legged essay performance was extremely good.
However, the policy question made the old examiner break out in a cold sweat.
Primogeniture was always a sensitive topic. The current Emperor was neither firstborn nor legitimate, and strictly speaking, couldn’t be considered virtuous either.
He had hidden these facts deep down, and at the time, he seemed a bit unfit for the position.
Of course, the series of stunning strategies and intelligence he displayed after ascending the throne were impressive, so much so, even the old examiner, who had served in two courts, dared not deny the Emperor was worthy of the Dragon Throne.
Compared to the previous Emperor, he was more ruthless by far.
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At least the former Emperor never battled the Dowager Empress, but he sent the Dowager Empress to the palace.
In Zhan Country, the annual Imperial Examination’s questions are drawn up by the Hanlin Academy and sent to the Imperial Study Room for the Emperor’s selection. The Emperor would then choose a set of main examination questions and five sets of backup questions.
The old examiner was convinced that the topic of primogeniture would not have been sent by the Hanlin Academy; it must have been added by the Emperor himself.
“This Emperor really is hard to fathom,” the old examiner inwardly developed the same thought as the Prince of An County. Was the Emperor dissatisfied with the Crown Prince, or with the eldest imperial son who coveted the Crown Prince’s position? Or was he warning those royal sons who neither had legitimate birthright nor were elder sons, but considered themselves talented enough to emulate his ascent to the throne?
The candidates’ answers revolved around which type of successor is more beneficial to the state and society, or they cited classics to point out the pros and cons of each type.
Regardless of which argument they used, they all fell within the scope of hereditary rule. Only Xiao Liulang ventured beyond this scope.
Isn’t this suggesting to the Emperor that if his own son is incompetent, then he should replace him with someone else’s son?
This kind of argument would have been prosecuted in the previous dynasty.
Even in the relatively free-speech current dynasty, it was still too daring.
The old examiner had no idea how this disciple’s mind worked. How could he dare to write such a thing?
Fortunately, Xiao Liulang’s final sentence of flattery was well crafted.
It implied that the current Emperor could inherit the throne because he was the most virtuous and capable person in the world, irrelevant to his birthright or lineage.
The cold sweat of the old examiner suddenly turned hot.
No, who did this kid learn his flattery skills from? How shameless was he?
Why does it feel like this kid had suddenly activated some incredible ability?
He definitely didn’t learn it from the old examiner!
The old examiner didn’t bring up such a little bootlicker!
The old examiner felt that Xiao Liulang’s academic ability was not a problem. As for the rest, it was up to fate.
After the nine-day exam, many candidates fell ill and the business at the Medical Hall boomed again.
At the same time, the batch of Golden Sore medicine that Gu Changqing had ordered before the New Year was ready. Gu Jiao tested their effectiveness and only allowed them to be sent to the Military Camp after they passed her inspection.
She wrote to Xue Ningxiang before the New Year and told her Zhou Erzhuang was well. Xue Ningxiang wrote back and told her things about the village and the progress of the Medicine Field, also sending a few things.
There were things for her, and also for Zhou Erzhuang.
Gu Changqing often visited Gu Chenglin at the Medical Hall. Gu Jiao gave the things Xue Ningxiang sent to Zhou Erzhuang to him, asking him to deliver them. If Zhou Erzhuang had a reply, she also asked him to bring it back so she could send it all back to the village.
While replying to Xue Ningxiang’s letter, Gu Jiao suddenly discovered a very sorrowful thing.
That was, Xue Ningxiang’s calligraphy was better than hers!
Gu Jiao: “Hmm, is this girl learning how to write with someone else? Such a big improvement?”
Xiao Liulang passing by the door glanced at her and silently went back to his room, doubling the calligraphy practice sheets he gave her each day!
The Imperial Examinations had thousands of papers to be transcribed, and they were sent to the Department of Internal Affairs to be graded. There were twenty examiners in total, working in groups of four. This meant that each paper must be graded by four examiners. If two graders gave failure grades, there was no need to send the paper any further.
However, the failures handed out by examiners were not given haphazardly. There will be a dedicated person reviewing the failing papers later, and examiners who maliciously grade will be heavily penalized.