On August 19th, the three sessions of the xiangshi at the Shengjing Exam Hall had just ended the day before. The officials had already anonymized all over 30,000 exam papers and sent them to the hall where the examiners were. The pile of exam papers looked like a mountain range, making the heads of the academicians and scholars ache.

Before the official grading began, Chief Examiner Grand Secretary Yang raised his cup and said, “Let tea stand in for wine. To all my colleagues, within ten days, we must grade thousands of papers. I toast to you all!”

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“A toast to you, daren!”

Everyone drank their tea and began ten grueling days of grading.

By August 29th, each examiner had finished reading the exam papers. Every paper had been carefully reviewed three times and marked with comments and critiques by the examiners. On the last day, the three vice examiners each selected three papers, and Grand Secretary Yang also selected one. The group gathered to decide the top three candidates of this year’s Shengjing xiangshi.

One vice examiner said, “This Liu Ze from Shanxi is somewhat of a fellow townsman of mine. I’ve heard of his reputation. He was a prodigy in Shanxi, and at sixteen, he passed the tongshi, winning the honor of sanyuan. Originally, he was supposed to take the xiangshi two years later, but his mother suddenly passed away, and he observed filial piety for three years, unable to take the exam. Three years later, when he was about to take the exam, his father unexpectedly passed away, and he observed filial piety for another three years. Eight years passed in this way, and now, at twenty-five, he has come to Shengjing to take the xiangshi.”

Another vice examiner looked at Liu Ze’s paper and said, “His writing is brilliant, his style strong, and his thoughts meticulous. Excellent!”

Everyone took a look, and even Grand Secretary Yang’s eyes lit up, saying, “Excellent! This essay on ‘At fifteen, I set my heart on learning,’ every word is heartfelt. It seems he wrote this masterpiece with genuine emotion. He is undoubtedly the top candidate of this exam!”

Another vice examiner said, “This Yao Shan is from the capital and is forty-three years old this year. Though he is quite old, his reputation for talent is high. Twenty-four years ago, he received the honor of sanyuan in the tongshi in Shengjing, but who knew that his elder brother would die at the hands of the Liao people? He abandoned his pen and joined the army, going to Youzhou Prefecture as a lowly soldier. It wasn’t until last year that he retired and returned. His essay on ‘I also wish to rectify people’s hearts’ is written with grandeur, filled with experience and rich content.”

Grand Secretary Yang read it and nodded in admiration, “Excellent!”

After reviewing the first exam papers of ten scholars, aside from Liu Ze, whom Grand Secretary Yang directly appointed as this year’s top candidate, the ranking of the other nine was up for debate, with differing opinions difficult to reconcile.

Someone suggested, “Let’s look at their essays on the Five Classics from the second session.”

The second session papers had to be reviewed, so everyone began reading them.

The hall was silent until suddenly Grand Secretary Yang exclaimed three times, “Good, good, good!”

The other three vice examiners immediately approached him, “Yang daren, did you find an outstanding essay?”

Yang Qi immediately displayed the paper, “Have any of you seen this work?”

A vice examiner said, “Tang Shen, Tang Jingze? I remember this candidate. Among those nine, his essays on the Five Classics and poetry were not particularly outstanding, but they were all solidly written, ranking in the upper middle. His handwriting is also elegant, much like his teacher, Fu Wei, Fu daren.”

“Ah, so he’s a student of Fu daren.”

“Wang daren‘s calligraphy is famous throughout the land, so naturally, his junior brother’s handwriting is also vigorous and elegant.”

Without Fu Wei and Wang Zhen knowing, they had just received a bunch of compliments.

Grand Secretary Yang said, “This person’s five essays on the Book of Changes may appear conventional, but gentlemen, look closely. In breaking open each topic, he wrote an additional four essays. This is splitting one into five, merging five into one, to create a grand essay!”

Everyone then carefully examined it.

“Excellent!”

The more Yang Qi read Tang Shen’s paper, the more he liked it.

Among the ten candidates they had chosen, only Tang Shen and another person had chosen the Book of Changes. The other candidate’s essay was florid but ordinary. Yang Qi was the epitome of a proud and impoverished Hanlin scholar, and Tang Shen could tell from his choice of the five topics that he was a lofty and self-demanding individual.

Compared to the other candidate’s flowery style, Yang Qi was clearly so taken with Tang Shen’s five essays that he couldn’t bear to part with them.

To strive in improvement is to conquer oneself, a gentleman seeks the way and aligns himself with the principles of Heaven. Small successes are gained through discernment and action; what is trodden above is to harmonize with Heaven and become virtuous, until the ultimate spiritual transformation!

This described Yang Qi himself!

He would not go along with the corrupt officials in the muddled bureaucracy!

Yang Qi even considered making Tang Shen the top candidate of this exam. He shared this thought with the other three vice examiners.

The three vice examiners were surprised, saying, “Although Tang Shen’s five essays on the Book of Changes are indeed well-written, his first exam paper did not perform as well as Liu Ze’s. Earlier, you also said Liu Ze was the undisputed top candidate.”

Someone speculated, “Yang daren… perhaps you have a fondness for the Book of Changes?”

Yang Qi: “…”

If Tang Shen were here, he would probably be shocked. What happened to “everyone knows that Grand Secretary Yang loves the Book of Changes” as Wang Zhen had claimed? Where did this “everyone knows” come from!

Yang Qi re-examined Tang Shen’s five essays on the Book of Changes, then looked at Liu Ze’s paper. Liu Ze had chosen the Spring and Autumn Annals and wrote five essays on it.

“Such is the will of heaven!”

On the first day of September, the results of the xiangshi were announced.

Yao San originally wanted to go to the exam hall to see the government officers announce the results, but Tang Shen stopped him, “Do you know how many people will be crowded outside the exam hall today?”

Yao San had no idea, “I don’t know.”

Tang Shen explained, “Out of more than ten thousand candidates, at least seven or eight thousand will want to know their results. They will have friends and family with them, totaling around ten to twenty thousand people crowding around the honor roll. Without queuing up at midnight, we won’t see anything! Let Feng Bi stand outside the crowd to listen for the results. If our names are called, he can come back and inform us. I believe I will pass.”

At this time, Shopkeeper Lu and Accountant Lin had also already arrived in Shengjing from the north.

If anyone else had said this, Accountant Lin wouldn’t have believed it, thinking it was bragging. But since Tang Shen said it, Accountant Lin stroked his beard and agreed, “Yao San, don’t go. Let Feng Bi go. If he hears any news, he’ll come back and report it.”

Feng Bi took the order and headed to the examination center while Tang Shen and the others waited at home.

As time passed and Feng Bi had not returned, even Tang Shen became a bit anxious. He took out the “Famen Temple Stele” that Wang Zhen had given him and practiced copying it to calm himself. By mid-morning, Feng Bi rushed back, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

Seeing this, everyone knew Tang Shen must have passed.

Yao San asked, “Quick, tell us. How did our little boss do? What rank did he achieve?”

“He…he passed!”

Tang Shen walked out of his study just in time to hear this and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Accountant Lin asked, “What rank?”

Feng Bi took a sip of tea and caught his breath, “Second place! The little boss got second place!”

Everyone was stunned.

The next moment, the sound of drums and gongs came from outside. Government officers in uniforms with red sashes entered the courtyard, congratulating, “Congratulations to Tang Shen from Gusu Prefecture, Jiangnan, on achieving second place in this year’s Shengjing xiangshi!”

Second place, the runner-up in the xiangshi.

Tang Shen laughed heartily and looked at Yao San, “Reward them.”

Yao San immediately took out the prepared silver and distributed it to the congratulating officers.

Knowing his result, Tang Shen immediately went to the Fu Residence to share the good news with Fu Wei.

Fu Wei wasn’t surprised at all and simply smiled, “Not bad.”

Tang Shen thought for a moment and asked, “Did you perhaps send someone to wait outside the examination hall as well?”

The page boy, Wen Shu, interjected, “Of course, I went to queue up early in the morning and even slept on the ground for a night!”

Tang Shen felt a warmth in his heart.

Fu Wei’s two students: Wang Zhen had truly topped the exams, placing first in the tongshi, the xiangshi, and the huishi. This time, Tang Shen placed second in the xiangshi, and Fu Wei wasn’t disappointed but rather felt proud of his student’s hard work.

Wang Zifeng came from the prestigious Wang family of Langya and became Fu Xiru’s student at the age of five. Tang Shen was a true scholar from a humble background, yet achieving this success and knowledge at the age of fifteen, which was truly remarkable.

Fu Wei asked, “Have you informed your senior brother of the good news?”

Tang Shen replied, “Not yet.”

“Then go. Zi Feng is like a half-mentor to you.”

Tang Shen nodded and went to the Minister Residence.

When Wang Zhen returned, he found Tang Shen waiting obediently for him in the flower hall. Upon seeing him enter, Tang Shen immediately stood up and said, “Thank you, Senior Brother Zi Feng, for the exam baskets you sent for each round of the xiangshi. Jing Ze is sorry to have not achieved first place and may have disappointed you.”

Wang Zhen paused and looked at Tang Shen’s respectful demeanor, unable to suppress a smile. His junior brother was quite the expert at preemptively taking the initiative.

“Second place out of ten thousand people, isn’t that good enough?”

Tang Shen bowed, “You were the top scorer in your time.”

Wang Zhen had another cup of tea brought and, instead of sitting at the head of the flower hall, casually took a seat next to Tang Shen. He suddenly remarked, “The ancients said there is a symbolic meaning of dragon and phoenix bringing prosperity.”

Tang Shen: “?” What does that mean?

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Wang Zhen earnestly commented, “I was the top scorer, and my junior brother is the runner-up. Together, we’re like a dragon and phoenix bringing prosperity, completing our teacher’s legacy.”

Tang Shen: “…”

Is Wang Zifeng out of his mind!!!

AN: Little Tang Lang: Who is a dragon and phoenix with you!

Neighbor Wang: Hmm? I just meant that my junior brother and I are both exceptional. Did you think of something else?

TN: Dragon and phoenix symbols are often used as auspicious motifs in weddings and between couples.

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Outside the Shengjing Examination Hall, the candidates swarmed out.

Seeing Tang Shen asleep, Yao San said, “Why don’t I carry the little boss?”

Wang Zhen thought for a moment and saw Tang Shen’s page boy Feng Bi asking the coachman to park the carriage not far away. He said, “No need, I’ll just carry him to the carriage.”

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Yao San wanted to say something, but seeing Wang Zhen’s elegant demeanor and graceful manners, the very image of a true gentleman, he felt too rough, and did not dare to argue with Wang Zhen. He thought it wasn’t a big deal, so he just followed Wang Zhen and watched him place Tang Shen onto the carriage.

Wang Zhen waiting outside the examination hall for Tang Shen was a coincidence. He happened to have some business at the Imperial Academy, which was next to the examination hall, so he decided to check on Tang Shen. Seeing Tang Shen asleep, Wang Zhen recalled his earlier words and couldn’t help but laugh, patting Tang Shen’s cheek twice.

Yao San: “?” What’s this about?

Wang Zhen said righteously, “He seems to have a slight fever. Better get a doctor to check on him.”

Yao San was shocked, “Yes!”

They parted ways.

Driving back home, Yao San hurriedly called a doctor. The doctors in Shengjing were incredibly busy as countless candidates had fallen ill after the first round of the xiangshi. All the medical halls in Shengjing were packed, and Yao San had to spend a lot of money to get an elderly doctor to visit.

After taking Tang Shen’s pulse, the old doctor said, “He indeed has a slight fever, but it’s not serious. It’s normal for scholars to be weak after spending three days and nights in those cramped, filthy examination cubicles. I’ll prescribe some medicine, and he should be fine after taking a dose when he wakes up. Come with me to get the medicine.”

Tang Shen woke up in the middle of the night and drank the medicine brewed by Feng Bi. He indeed felt a bit clearer-headed.

After eating a bit, Tang Shen remembered something and asked, “Brother Yao, did I hallucinate when I left the examination hall? I seemed to have seen my Senior Brother Zi Feng?”

Yao San laughed, “You didn’t hallucinate, little boss. Wang daren was indeed waiting outside for you and caught you when you fainted!”

Tang Shen: “…”

That really was Wang Zifeng!!!

Tang Shen felt a mix of emotions, wishing he could fall asleep again and forget about these troubling matters, such as Wang Zhen inexplicably patting his face and him admonishing Wang Zifeng, “Don’t pat my face.”

The next day, with another exam to take, Tang Shen sighed deeply and went to sleep.

The following day, before dawn, over ten thousand examinees gathered again at the Shengjing Examination Hall. Tang Shen looked around and noticed that the number of people had decreased by about one-tenth compared to three days ago. He sighed, understanding that some examinees had been worn out by the previous exam, falling so ill that they couldn’t attend this one. Others knew they hadn’t performed well in the first session, so they decided it was useless to continue and went home to study hard for another three years, preparing to try again.

However, this was a good thing for him—fewer competitors.

Tang Shen pulled himself together and entered his examination cubicle. At midnight, the chief examiner stood on Mingyuan Tower and loudly struck a gong.

Dong!

The officers distributed the exam papers to the examinees.

In the second session of the xiangshi, five essays in the eight-legged essay style were required, with the topics drawn from the Five Classics. This didn’t mean one topic from each of the five books, but rather that the chief examiner would set twenty-five topics, five from each Classic. The examinees could choose one Classic and write five essays on the topics provided.

Without hesitation, Tang Shen opened the five topics from the “Book of Changes” (Zhouyi).

He saw that the five topics were clearly written on the red exam paper.

The first topic: Strive to improve.

The second topic: Small success.

The third topic: The gentleman discerns.

The fourth topic: What is the road to Heaven?

The fifth topic: Making music to exalt virtue.

Just by seeing the first topic, Tang Shen frowned, feeling uneasy.

It was said by Wang Zhen that Grand Secretary Yang was fond of the “Book of Changes,” and Tang Shen never doubted it. If he chose the “Book of Changes” to answer, he would certainly win the favor of the chief examiner. However, Grand Secretary Yang was so well-versed in the “Book of Changes” that these five topics seemed increasingly daunting.

“Strive to improve” comes from the original phrase “As Heaven maintains vigor, a gentleman should strive to improve himself,” meaning that a gentleman should strive for self-improvement and diligent learning.

“Small success” comes from the phrase “Small success, beneficial to go somewhere, beneficial to see the great person.” Here, “small” implies humility and caution, and “success” refers to smoothness. Only by being humble and cautious can one succeed in all endeavors. This is a self-discipline required of a gentleman.

Moving on to the next three topics, “the gentleman discerns” requires the gentleman to distinguish right from wrong. “What is the road to Heaven?” suggests the need to employ the wise and capable. The last topic, “making music to exalt virtue,” comes from the phrase “the ancient sage kings created music to praise virtue,” meaning “the ancient virtuous rulers created music to celebrate virtuous deeds.”

In summary, the first three topics concern the expectations and self-restraint of a gentleman, while the last two can be seen as advice for those in positions of power.

Each topic covers a broad range, with much to discuss. Yet, each topic also has some superficial connections. Especially the first three topics, which are easily linked together. Once you’ve written one essay, you’d need to write another similar one, effectively requiring you to write three nearly identical essays in a row.

Tang Shen sighed in his heart, “Grand Secretary Yang really does love the ‘Book of Changes’!”

What emotionally stirring topics these are!

Tang Shen looked at the other exam papers and checked the topics on them. Sure enough, the five topics from the “Book of Changes” were the most challenging!

The five topics from the “Book of Changes” might please Grand Secretary Yang, but they were also incredibly difficult to write about!

As Tang Shen racked his brain, the sky began to lighten. The rising sun illuminated the densely packed, beehive-like examination cubicles. The emperor ruled facing south, while the ministers faced north in their duty. All the cubicles in the examination hall faced north. Sunlight slanted into the cubicle, and Tang Shen squinted, gazing at the slowly rising sun.

He steeled himself and suddenly stopped doubting: “So what if the writing isn’t great? This is the ‘Book of Changes,’ as long as I don’t stray from the topic or write rebellious words, Grand Secretary Yang won’t mark me down. Besides, I’m quite confident about the first session of the xiangshi. The five topics in this second session are just additional points, so it should be fine.”

Having made up his mind, Tang Shen carefully studied the five topics again.

A gentleman must be discerning, humble and successful, and must strive relentlessly. No matter how difficult the road ahead, one should be joyous and uphold virtue!

Tang Shen’s eyes lit up.

These topics were difficult, and their scope was repetitive. With only two years of experience in writing eight-legged essays, it was hard for him to write something truly outstanding.

But whether it was Liang Song or Wang Zhen, they all said that Tang Shen’s most remarkable talent in writing eight-legged essays wasn’t in his writing style or logic, but in his unconventional approach to breaking open the topics. Since that was the case, why not be even more innovative?

He decided to combine the five topics into one grand essay!

The grand essay would be divided into five parts, each part a complete essay, but all parts together would form one work titled “A Gentleman Seeks the Way, A Sage Seeks Talent.” This kind of creativity should help cover up some of his lack of literary talent.

With this plan in mind, Tang Shen sketched out a logical diagram on a draft paper, finding the relationships between the five topics, and then used progression and parallel relationships to categorize them.

By the evening of the second day of the exam, he had finally organized the connections between the five topics and began to formally write his answers.

Grand Secretary Yang’s topic was “Strive to improve.”

Tang Shen picked up his brush and responded, “To strive in improvement is to conquer oneself, a gentleman seeks the way and aligns himself with the principles of Heaven. Small successes are gained through discernment and action; what is trodden above is to harmonize with Heaven and become virtuous, until the ultimate spiritual transformation…”

After writing the first essay in a grand and fluent style, Tang Shen did not stop. Seizing the burst of inspiration, he quickly wrote the second essay.

He wrote three essays in a row, then took a deep sleep. Waking up to the moonlight and candlelight, he completed the remaining two essays.

By now, the roosters were crowing—it was the final day.

After a deep sleep, Tang Shen woke up again, neatly copied his five essays in the elegant Guange script, blew on the ink to dry it, and submitted his papers.

The candidates who finished early walked out of the Shengjing Examination Hall together. It was only the third afternoon, around shen shi (3-5pm). Yao San and Feng Bi were sitting under the big willow tree in front of the examination hall, enjoying the shade, when they suddenly saw Tang Shen. Neither of them reacted at first. When Tang Shen approached, Yao San quickly stood up, “Little Master, you’re done already?”

Tang Shen smiled, “I finished, so naturally I came out.”

That seemed to make sense. Yao San scratched his head, “Then let’s go home and rest.”

Tang Shen looked around, “Senior Brother Zi Feng didn’t come today?”

Yao San: “No, he didn’t. Is Little Boss waiting for Wang daren?”

Tang Shen: “…No, let’s go.”

After resting at home for a day, Tang Shen went to the examination hall again the next day.

The third session of the xiangshi was almost like just showing up; the candidates were all relaxed. Whether one could pass or not was nearly decided by then. The third session tested current affairs and policies, but how could these xiucai understand real political matters? It was just empty talk on paper! The examiners didn’t expect these xiucai to produce any great policy essays; as long as they didn’t overstep their bounds and write something blatantly rebellious, they would pass.

Tang Shen wrote with ease, and three days later, after leaving the exam hall, the first thing he did when he got home was take a bath.

Soaking in the warm bath, Tang Shen let out a long sigh of relief, “Refreshing!”

But he didn’t idle around. After washing and dressing in new clothes, Tang Shen took advantage of the daylight and went to the Fu Residence.

Fu Wei was holding a handful of bird food, feeding two parrots in his study. Seeing Tang Shen, he gave him some bird food. Tang Shen found this scene strangely familiar, and a refined and elegant figure flashed in his mind. Startled, he looked at Fu Wei and said, “Sir, the xiangshi is finished.”

Fu Wei immediately put on a stern face, “How can you say ‘the xiangshi is finished? Jing Ze, your choice of words is problematic!”

Tang Shen, half-laughing, said, “Yes, yes, I’ve completed the xiangshi.”

Fu Wei smiled, “How do you feel?”

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Tang Shen carefully recalled, “The first session should have gone well, I performed slightly above average. The second session also went smoothly. As for the third session on policy essays, I wasn’t very skilled, so I followed Senior Brother Zi Feng’s advice: write honestly, and don’t be too radical.”

Fu Wei snorted, “Who asked you about that?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking you, how was the smell of sweat, feces, and stinky feet in the exam room? Was it fragrant?”

Tang Shen: “…”

What kind of person asks about that!

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The imperial examination system of this dynasty followed that of the previous one. Provincial examination centers only accepted local candidates, but the Shengjing examination center was open to xiucai from all over the country. Students from the Northern Zhili province were assigned based on their place of origin and all took the exam at the Shengjing examination center. Additionally, many scholars from across the country came to Shengjing, admiring its reputation. This year, the Shengjing examination center had a total of 11,029 candidates for the xiangshi!

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No wonder, for they all sought to become “students of the Son of Heaven!”

Xiucai who took the exam at the Shengjing examination center could boast of being “students of the Son of Heaven” if they were thick skinned enough. Taking the exam under the emperor’s watchful eyes, they could claim, in a sense, to be students of the emperor. Moreover, some highly reputed scholars from nearby Northern Zhili would also come to Shengjing for the exam.

Passing the xiangshi at a poor or remote examination center was not as prestigious as at the Shengjing examination center, because the chief examiner here was an academic from Hanlin Academy. There are dozens of xiangshi top scorers each year, but only one chief examiner. The chief examiner was considered a mentor and having a powerful one would be much more advantageous for one’s future official career than any other chief examiner!

The inspection process for the xiangshi was much stricter than for the tongshi. Tang Shen nearly had to strip naked for the government officers to check him. After each candidate was inspected, they couldn’t enter the examination hall immediately but had to queue outside until a hundred candidates were inspected and allowed in together.

After a hundred candidates were assembled, the government officer shouted, “Proceed!”

Tang Shen followed the crowd, squeezing in together.

Among the hundred candidates were young, vigorous lads like Tang Shen, as well as elderly men. Most were middle-aged men with beards who had already established their families and careers. These hundred people represented a cross-section of humanity. As they all stepped through the outer curtain door, they saw thousands of other candidates waiting outside the inner curtain door.

Seeing so many people at once, Tang Shen was momentarily stunned.

Once these people were lined up and entered the inner curtain door, they were finally inside the examination center. The crowd gasped in astonishment at the grand sight before them.

Entering the inner curtain door, they were met with a wide corridor. On either side of the corridor were endless rows of examination cubicles, over ten thousand of them!

Tang Shen drew a lot and received the examination cubicle labeled “Yue Ding.” The “Yue” was taken from the phrase “Yue Zong Tai Dai” in the Thousand Character Classic, and “Ding” was taken from the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. The examination cubicles in the examination hall were labeled using the Thousand Character Classic and the Heavenly Stems, making it easier for candidates to find their assigned cubicle.

Tang Shen quickly located his cubicle.

The patrolling officer walked past him and struck a gong hard, shouting, “Hurry inside, no dawdling!”

Tang Shen looked at the small examination cubicle in front of him, which was no more than a square meter and a half in size, and smiled helplessly as he stepped inside.

This would be his home for the next three days!

It took a great deal of time for the more than ten thousand candidates to enter the examination hall. However, the exam had not yet begun.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that all the candidates had been thoroughly checked and had entered their respective cubicles. Tang Shen sat in his cubicle, ate a little food, and with nothing else to do, lay down to sleep. Around midnight, the chief examiner suddenly beat the gong and drum, startling the candidates awake from their sleep. Officers split off into the corridors, entering each narrow path one by one to distribute the exam papers to the candidates in their cubicles.

Tang Shen picked up the exam paper and immediately opened it.

The first question topic: “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning.”

As Wang Zhen had guessed, the chief examiner for this xiangshi at Shengjing Examination Hall was indeed Grand Secretary Yang. Although Grand Secretary Yang loved reading the Book of Changes, the first session of the xiangshi did not test the Five Classics, but rather the Four Books and a five-character eight-line regulated verse.

This first question came from the Analects, Chapter 2, “Governance,” where the original text states: “The Master said, ‘At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no doubts; at fifty, I knew the will of Heaven; at sixty, I was at ease with whatever I heard; at seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without overstepping the bounds.'” Even in later generations, this phrase was widely known, familiar to everyone. It was Confucius’s reflection on his own life, offering a self-evaluation to inspire others.

Confucius said, “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning.”

Tang Shen carefully scrutinized this phrase, jotting down notes on his draft paper.

There were many ways to approach this question. He could start with the whole sentence, discussing Confucius’s life, how he inspired and encouraged others, and how people should learn from Confucius. However, this approach was challenging and could easily lead to going off-topic.

Tang Shen sat in his small cubicle, facing a wall, with other candidates on either side of him. He couldn’t see anyone, but he knew there were over ten thousand people in this examination hall.

Standing out among more than ten thousand people—how difficult that would be! But if he strayed off-topic on the very first question topic, the examiners might not even bother reading the rest of his essay and poem, and might directly mark his paper in blue, throwing it into the pile of failed papers.

“Hmm, I’ll start with the first sentence and not write too much.”

Confucius set his heart on diligent study at the age of fifteen and remained diligent, constantly learning and reviewing what he had learned. This was Confucius’s approach to learning, and Tang Shen decided to focus on the attitude of studying. He pondered for a long time and came up with four or five ways to break open the topic.

As he thought, his stomach started to growl. In the examination basket Wang Zhen had sent to Tang Shen, there were a few pastries and some dry rations. The pastries wouldn’t last long, so Tang Shen ate those first.

After finishing his meal, he thought carefully for a long time and then began to write on his draft paper.

“People of the time entered learning through the Way of Confucius, first setting their will and then achieving learning. The will is boundless, but learning is exhausting. Although the sages achieved their way, they also said that life is finite, while knowledge is infinite!”

Everyone began their scholarly journey by studying the teachings of Confucius, aspiring to learn from the Sage. Yet, over a hundred years, aspirations change endlessly, and learning is often forgotten. Even the Sage said that life has an end, but knowledge is endless.

Indeed, Tang Shen planned to use aspiration as the entry point to persuade others to learn!

With a good start, the rest of the essay would flow easily. Tang Shen carefully pondered each word and outlined the structure on draft paper. He wrote down his main arguments and the quotes he planned to use on a branching diagram before starting his essay.

Under the scorching sun, Tang Shen finally finished his first eight-legged essay. Exhausted, he didn’t transcribe it immediately but fell asleep. After two hours, he woke up, checked for mistakes, and carefully transcribed it.

It was then that Tang Shen noticed the candle Wang Zhen had prepared for him. He was surprised to find that it emitted very little smoke and did not irritate his eyes at all!

Tang Shen had heard about these candles from Jinling Prefecture. They were extremely expensive, costing a gold tael per inch. He didn’t expect Wang Zhen to prepare this for him.

Wang Zifeng…

At this moment, Tang Shen’s Senior Brother Zi Feng, who had been on his mind, was painting at home. 

The steward entered the study and reported the day’s events to Wang Zhen. Only then did Wang Zhen remember, “The xiangshi must have officially started by now.”

The steward replied, “Yes.”

“Have the items been sent to him?”

“According to your instructions, everything has been delivered.”

Wang Zhen dipped his brush in cinnabar, his voice warm and pleasant, “Then wait two days before going to check on my little junior brother.”

The xiangshi consists of three sessions, each lasting three days. Entering the examination hall counts as one day, leaving only two days for the actual exam. 

Like the tongshi, the first session is the most important, followed by the second, while the third is more like going through the motions.

After finishing the first question topic, Tang Shen looked at the second one. This time, the topic was “I also wish to rectify people’s hearts,” from Mencius, King Hui of Liang II. The original passage reads, “I also wish to rectify people’s hearts, eradicate heretical views, correct deviant practices, and eliminate lewd expressions to continue the work of the three sages.”

Gongduzi asked Mencius, “People say that you enjoy debating with others. Why is that?”

Mencius replied to Gongduzi with this phrase.

Mencius enjoyed debating with others out of necessity. He saw the flaws in the society of his time and wanted to correct people’s hearts, eradicate fallacious doctrines, resist biased behaviors, and criticize absurd statements to continue the legacy of the three sages.

“I also wish to rectify people’s hearts” reflects Mencius’ aspiration.

Mencius was an advocate of the inherent goodness of human nature.

After much contemplation, Tang Shen decided to approach the topic from the angle of “education,” writing an essay on rectifying social customs and promoting moral education.

After finishing the second essay and carefully copying it, Tang Shen was exhausted and immediately fell asleep. By evening, he lit a candle and woke up to review the third essay topic. After patiently thinking it through, he began drafting the essay.

By the time he had finished all three essays, it was already the afternoon of the last day.

Even the most resilient person, even the youngest scholar, would lose their composure after being confined in a small examination cubicle for three full days.

Tang Shen forced himself to stay awake and lit the incense that Wang Zhen had given him. Fortunately, unlike the tongshi, the most unbearable smell wasn’t from the stench of excrement (since the examination hall had designated latrines), but from the sweat of men who hadn’t bathed in three days. The incense could somewhat mask the odor.

Tang Shen looked at the topic of the examination poem, and at the top of the exam paper, the large characters read “Flowers Through the Ages.”

Tang Shen’s heart skipped a beat, and he instantly felt clear-headed.

Flowers Through the Ages?

Grand Secretary Yang really dared to give such a topic; he wasn’t afraid the topic was too grand and would overwhelm the candidates?!

This topic originated from a poet of the previous dynasty. The original poem’s content was no longer important; just this phrase “flowers through the ages” encompassed all the flowers of the vast land of China, from ancient times to the present!

At this moment, Tang Shen heard someone next to him cursing. The examinee next door, speaking in a thick Shengjing accent, was practically cursing Grand Secretary Yang to death. When the officers patrolled by, the cursing ceased immediately. It was just that at the final moments of the first session of the xiangshi, nearly everyone began writing their examination poems simultaneously, and the sound of people gasping in disbelief couldn’t be stifled.

Tang Shen, with a bitter face, thought that although he was a science student, there were plenty of famous poems about flowers that he could easily recall a couple of. However, the xiangshi required a five-character, eight-line test poem. Even if Tang Shen had the intent to plagiarize another poem to help him pass as the top candidate, he couldn’t find any poem that matched the required format and structure.

Simply writing a common flower poem wouldn’t be wrong, but if he wrote it brilliantly, he might score high. However, since Grand Secretary Yang set this topic, it was clear he didn’t want candidates to merely write straightforward flower poems.

Besides, with Tang Shen’s literary talent, scoring high was possible, but ranking in the top few with a simple flower poem was too difficult.

Tang Shen suddenly remembered a poem: “Fallen flowers are not heartless things, they turn into spring mud to nurture other flowers!” His eyes lit up.

Yes, while people later used candles and gardeners to metaphorically describe teachers, ancient people had done similar things, using fallen flowers to describe the reciprocal affection between flowers and leaves. He could totally take this angle and write a good “flower affection” poem.

Having made up his mind, Tang Shen drafted his poem in his head and began to write.

The thunder rumbles loudly, as the clear weather brings forth brilliance.

The grass spreads, connecting with a solitary branch, the rain strikes down the flowers.

…

Fallen flowers and people part ways, the flowers themselves are even more heartbroken.

Unbearable to be crushed into mud, they tilt towards you in spring.

Tang Shen wrote with divine inspiration, completing the five-character, eight-line test poem in one go. After finishing, he copied it onto his exam paper, blew on the ink, and then went back to check his three essays.

Tang Shen sighed, knowing how difficult it was to win the top spot.

But this time, he aimed to be in the top three!

Finally, after three days, the candidates had one night to go home and sleep, returning the next day to continue the exam.

After the officers collected the exam papers, Tang Shen picked up his exam basket and followed the other candidates out. As soon as he stood up, he felt a wave of dizziness from the accumulated exhaustion of the past three days. He staggered out of the examination hall with the crowd, vaguely hearing someone calling his name.

Tang Shen turned his head and dazedly looked at the approaching person.

Someone bumped into him, and he stumbled into the arms of the approaching person.

Wang Zhen was slightly taken aback, raised his hand to gently pat Tang Shen’s face, and smiled, “Little Junior Brother?”

A thought flashed through Tang Shen’s mind, “Don’t pat my face,” and he actually said it out loud. However, the next second, as Wang Zhen’s expression turned into an amused smile, Tang Shen fell asleep on his feet. Wang Zhen quickly held him by the waist, preventing him from falling.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Yao San rushed over and asked, “What’s wrong with the little boss?”

Wang Zhen held the boy, sighing with a smile yet also with helplessness, “He fell asleep!”

AN: Neighbor Wang: This is my first time holding someone, and also my first time being scolded by someone. Little Junior Brother, what do you think I should do?

Little Tang Lang: Zzz…

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