Chapter 306: Chapter 125: Prefectural Examination (Part 3)

The second session of the prefectural examination tested miscellaneous essays, and the topic was, once again, within the scope of Zhao Jing’s predictions. He already had an essay prepared in his mind and wrote it down smoothly.

Then came the final session of the examination. It would last for two days and consisted of five policy essays.

Unlike the previous two sessions, which emphasized memorization and literary composition, this one focused on testing the candidates’ insights and analytical abilities regarding historical events, politics, law, and current affairs.

This session was also the most difficult part of the entire prefectural examination.

Let’s look at the questions set by the Lord Prefect:

First: On Li Guangcheng’s ignorance of the principles of complexity and simplicity in military governance.

Second: And in one’s prime, to learn.

Third: To be in distress and poverty, yet not despondent.

Fourth, ...

Fifth, ...

Never mind the last two questions; the first three alone were enough to leave all the candidates completely baffled.

The more erudite students were better off, as they could just barely recall which book and Chapter each quote was from. But for anyone with slightly inferior knowledge, it was over. The questions looked like complete gibberish.

They couldn’t even understand the questions, let alone write a lengthy policy essay on them!

The difficulty of this final policy essay session was astronomical, driving the candidates to the brink of despair. The expressions on their faces completely fell apart.

And just then, a loud RUMBLE echoed from the sky, followed by the PITTER-PATTER of something falling.

It had started to rain.

Of all the times for it to rain.

The sun had been shining brightly when they’d woken up this morning, but a look up now revealed a sky thick with dark clouds. Just like that, the cold rain began to fall.

The rain was cold, but the hearts of the candidates were colder still.

At that moment, there was no telling how many of them wanted to just throw down their brushes and give up on the session entirely.

The examination stalls were cramped, and the eaves outside were not wide enough to shield their desks. So, in this moment of crisis, every student simultaneously had the same idea: they all scrambled to move their desks backward.

Fortunately, this spring shower wasn’t a downpour, just a steady drizzle. And since there was no strong wind to accompany it, the students’ examination papers were, for the moment, safe.

But the top scholar from the neighboring Guyuan County was not so safe.

He had actually prepared an oilcloth, but he hadn’t secured it to the roof of his stall. As luck would have it, there was a sizable crack in the ceiling right above his bed. The drizzling rain trickled through the opening, and before long, it was as if a personal rain shower had started over his bedding.

In just a short time, a corner of his quilt was soaked. The top scholar quickly moved his food box to catch the water, but droplets still SPLASHED out of it, instantly wetting the wooden bed boards as well.

The situation was enough to make anyone have a meltdown.

His mind was already reeling from the difficult questions. Now, enraged, the top scholar from Guyuan County threw his quilt directly onto the ground.

The commotion alerted the patrolling constables, who issued a verbal warning to the top scholar from Guyuan County. Left with no choice, he had to settle down and sit for the exam.

But he was all stuff and no substance. The policy questions this time were exceptionally difficult, and aside from having a vague idea about the first one, he had no clue what the rest were even about.

Even his answer to the first question didn’t come easily. He scratched his head in frustration, feeling utterly stumped.

And now, seeing Zhao Jing next to him, whose brush moved as if divinely guided, he found the sight particularly galling.

Zhao Jing was impeccably dressed, his bearing as upright and noble as a stalk of green bamboo. He was exceptionally learned, a bona fide young genius. In contrast, he himself was... well.

The resentment in the Guyuan scholar’s heart grew, and soon, a mistake appeared on his examination paper.

He couldn’t correct the character, so he could only bite the bullet and continue writing. He pinned his hopes on the clerk responsible for transcribing the papers being too tired and bleary-eyed to notice such a minor detail.

But when he finally, painstakingly, finished the first policy essay, he suddenly remembered his food box.

He turned to look, and the top scholar from Guyuan County completely lost it.

The food box was already filled to the brim. Since he hadn’t bothered to empty it, water was now overflowing.

It was spilling all over the bed boards, and even his quilt, which he had specifically moved to a corner, was now thoroughly soaked.

The mental state of Guyuan County’s top scholar completely shattered.

For the remainder of the session, he had no will to answer the questions, nor could he stand to see others doing so peacefully. One moment he would drop his inkstone under the desk, the next his brush. He would periodically let out a loud cough or make ragged, heavy breathing sounds, as if suffering from an unbearable fever.

The commotion once again attracted the constables. As soon as they arrived, the top scholar would return to normal. The moment they left, he would start acting up again.

The other top scholars seated nearby were thoroughly annoyed by him, and they shot him several fierce glares when they thought no one was looking.

But he was thick-skinned and simply pretended not to see, infuriating them to the point their teeth itched.

The day’s examination finally, mercifully, came to an end.

Since the papers weren’t due to be submitted until the following day, many candidates stayed up all night to work on their answers. But Zhao Jing and the other top scholars like him did not.