Ancient Examination Hall!

It really stinks. Although it’s based on the lunar calendar, early August is roughly mid-to-late September in the Gregorian calendar, but the weather is still quite hot and humid most of the time. A group of people gather here, eat, drink, and relieve themselves here, and are not allowed to leave. You can imagine how terrible the air quality is.

They mostly ate dry food; cooked food was absolutely out of the question. Once the exam started, entry was strictly prohibited, regardless of your family background; you would be immediately quarantined.

In Confucian terms, this is what is meant by “When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test their will, strain their muscles and bones, starve their body, leave them destitute, and thwart their endeavors, so as to strengthen their resolve and increase their abilities.” Therefore, it is very rare for an official to be incorruptible, not lustful, and not power-hungry. What is the point of working so hard and striving so desperately?

Because it was calligraphy, and good calligraphy is key to good grades, even when Zhang Weihao started writing, it was very slow. His writing speed was not fast, and he tried his best to avoid making mistakes. He emphasized completing the work in one go, making it extremely beautiful.

Fan Jin, the protagonist of the story “Fan Jin Passes the Imperial Examination,” was actually quite talented, but he repeatedly failed the examination mainly because he wrote poorly.

Just like the examiners of later generations, the first thing the examiners looked at was the handwriting. They would read the beautiful and exquisite handwriting more carefully and even give it priority.

If an article happens to be well-written, it will be placed in the top-tier section for final review. If the handwriting is too poor, it might not even be read carefully.

Therefore, Zhang Weihao directly used the Slender Gold style, which is extremely beautiful. He practiced it a lot in his previous life and believed that he was no less than the famous calligraphers of his time. When Emperor Huizong came, he would have to compare and see who wrote better.

As for why it’s not running script or cursive script, such as the famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi.

There’s no way around it; the test paper is only so big, and the handwriting is very particular—you can’t write too big. It really tests a person’s patience and attention to detail.

A year like this only happens once, how many three-year periods does one have in a lifetime?

Zhang Weihao does not deny that Confucianism has its positive advantages and significance, but after experiencing it firsthand, he still feels that Confucianism, which has been distorted and corrupted, has long been degenerate.

However, precisely because of this, Zhang Weihao hasn’t actually found anyone who has cultivated a sense of harmony with the universe and developed a noble spirit through studying. Li Xunhuan and Wang Yangming should be considered Confucianists, and they have even reached a certain level of proficiency. However, they haven’t met yet. But Li Xunhuan has already returned, and the Plum Blossom Thief has emerged. After the exam, he can go and join in the fun.

Zhang Weihao is currently writing on the interpretation of scriptures, which means that candidates write essays based on sentences from scriptures, explaining the meaning behind them. This is similar to the assigned essays of later generations, but there are many taboos, and candidates must reasonably cite some allusions and the words of sages.

The reason why scholarly families and prominent clans, including the later major academies, could have such a high success rate was actually due to their experience and expertise. Many of the model essays were beyond the reach of ordinary people from humble backgrounds. Therefore, even with the imperial examination system, it was not as fair as many people thought. It was still the exclusive domain of the powerful and wealthy, with only a few geniuses from humble backgrounds having the opportunity to rise up (hence, “humble background” is not the same as “commoner”; commoners had almost no chance).

It is not that they are foolishly seeking money; rather, the people are capable of doing so with their intelligence!

This is a question about the meaning of a scripture that Zhang Weihao is currently working on. It means that the plum tree’s branches lean, its leaves are sparse, and its branches are curved, which is something that those who are busy making money cannot achieve with their wisdom and strength.

If it’s written in vernacular Chinese, it’s easy to explain. But if it’s written in classical Chinese, it not only needs to be very fluent, but also relevant to the topic, aesthetically pleasing, and even include some very ornate language. This is much more difficult. Even Zhang Weihao is far from being able to speak fluently and needs to draft and refine his work repeatedly.

So, taking three days for each round of exams isn’t really too much. Those who claim to be able to speak eloquently and finish the exam in an hour are just fantasizing.

Because of the Zhang family’s special status and influence, and Zhang Weihao’s own fame, he naturally attracted a lot of attention from the examiners. He was a star candidate in this round, and they would often come over to take a look, and even pick up his completed paper to examine and appreciate it carefully, especially his calligraphy.

As a result, some of the candidates who were close by naturally knew about this star candidate, and many people had even heard about his amazing talent. It was said that he had the talent to be the top scholar in terms of policy essays and classical interpretations.

However, there are still shortcomings, namely, the level of poetry writing is relatively average.

Well, at least that’s what these people thought, until Zhang Weihao wrote this five-character, eight-rhyme acrostic poem. Although his poetic talent wasn’t extraordinary, it wasn’t a weakness either, and it was much better than many doggerel poems.

After all, this is just a bonus point.

The curtains are rolled up in layers of flowers; Emperor Wu of Han loved immortals.

The moon shines brightly over Yuguan Pass early, and the round and square shapes of objects at Jiwu Pass are distinct.

Wu Fenhao settled down, and his waist ornaments were quite complete.

What can I do here, standing sadly beneath these two trees?

This is a Tibetan poem. The middle character, when put together, forms the phrase “May flowers bloom and the moon be full, and may good things come in pairs!”

It’s difficult to achieve this, after all, this is a set poem, requiring it to be related to the moon and the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s not easy to write one well, and to write one like this is already quite impressive.

After three days of exams, even Zhang Weihao was quite exhausted. As soon as the exams were over, he went straight home to shower and sleep, and then rested well to prepare for the next two exams.

The imperial examinations were truly inhuman; the difference between them and the preliminary examinations was enormous. No wonder anyone could become a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar), but becoming a Juren (a higher-level scholar) was something only a select few could achieve—far more difficult than getting into Tsinghua or Peking University.

That’s why many gangsters who block the door never actually run into Zhang Weihao; heaven knows how he disappears right under their noses.

However, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Mount Song is becoming increasingly lively, and many people in the martial arts world are paying close attention to the upcoming Battle of Mount Song.

Even many martial arts practitioners were deeply inspired, feeling that challenging someone to a duel on the full moon of the fifteenth of August was particularly romantic and high-class. Thus, the famous Duel at the Forbidden City was born.

On the night of the full moon, atop the Forbidden City, a sword comes from the west, a celestial being descends from the heavens!

However, it’s still early for the final battle at the Forbidden City, but Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng have appeared near Mount Song, probably attracted by the Chengying Sword and this final battle.