A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 260 Superior! Superior! And damn it, it's superior!
Although Sun Shi's words were tinged with extreme exhaustion, they were nonetheless thought-provoking.

The Yellow River has always been a sword hanging over the heads of millions of people in Tokyo.

If this isn't resolved, the Yellow River might suddenly deliver a powerful elbow strike.

What will happen to our children and grandchildren?
We'll really be considered bastards then!
Sun Shi's words often made the officials grading the papers sigh.

They knew this all too well.

But how easy is it to manage the Yellow River?

However, Sun Shi was a great Confucian scholar of his time and the chief examiner appointed by His Majesty.

The underlying intentions may have already been communicated to His Majesty in advance.

Grading papers is an extremely difficult task.

After everyone finished eating, they thought they would rest for a while.

But then he saw the chief examiner, Sun Shi, sit back down.

Feng Yuan and the others sighed and silently followed.

I hope to soon receive a good strategy that will achieve the "superior" level.

Even just the theory proposed by Li Chui is excellent!
Unfortunately, it was already past midnight, and the chief examiner, Sun Shi, still hadn't seen a suitable essay.

Finally, someone couldn't stay up any longer and started advising the teacher to rest and recharge so they could grade papers the next day.

Otherwise, just enduring this kind of hardship makes it difficult to concentrate on grading papers.

Sun Shi nodded, indicating that he had forgotten the time.

It won't be like that tomorrow.

He was helped down to rest.

Feng Yuan sighed inwardly and went back to rest.

Sun Shi is getting old and needs less sleep.

He lay on the bed and sighed.

Could it be that I really made a mistake?
Shouldn't they have acted so recklessly when selecting talent for the country?

I wonder how many outstanding candidates will be dismissed this time!
But I really want to solve this century-old calamity hanging over the head of the Great Song Dynasty!

With regret, Sun Shi fell into a deep sleep.

He woke up early the next morning, ate a quick breakfast, and went alone to the exam paper grading office to look at the papers.

Feng Yuan and the others also couldn't sleep in late.

I thought that arriving at 1:15 AM was already early.

Unexpectedly, the candles next to Scholar Sun's desk were almost burned out.

They quickly perked up and immersed themselves in the busy work of grading papers.

It's late at night again.

Feng Yuan and the others were already complaining bitterly.

Scholar Sun said yesterday that things wouldn't be like this today, but has he forgotten?
At Feng Yuan's reminder, everyone dispersed to rest.

Sun Shi lay silently on the bed, tears streaming down his face.

"It seems that I was too eager for quick success."

I've spent my whole life teaching and educating people, telling them that haste makes waste, but when I get older, I want to achieve everything at once, or even try to force things to grow faster!
After this provincial examination.

Sun Shi then decided to resign from his position as a Hanlin Academician.

Day three.

Everyone was frowning as they graded the papers, and more and more students received average or below-average scores.

When the sun was high in the sky again, Feng Yuan was shocked to see Sun Shi motionless. He immediately got up, not caring that he had knocked over the inkstone.

He rushed over:
"Scholar Sun, what's wrong?"

Sun Shi glanced at Feng Yuan blankly.

Seeing that his head could still move, Feng Yuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but then couldn't help but complain:
"Sun Zonggu, you really scared me to death!"

Sun Shi suddenly smiled:
"Daozong, you should take a look at this policy essay first; it's exceptionally well-written."

Sun Shi could hardly contain his ecstatic joy:
"I believe this essay belongs to the top scholar in the provincial examination of the fifth year of the Tiansheng era!"

"what?"

Feng Yuan was startled again:
"There are still so many, thousands of papers that haven't been reviewed. How can we decide that this person will be the top scholar?"

The other officials grading the papers heard Feng Yuanyi's startled voice and quickly looked over.

Upon hearing that Scholar Sun had directly ordered the examination paper for the top scholar, they all left their seats and rushed over.

Sun Shi was overjoyed.

But tears were already streaming down his face.

Such a talented person has finally been selected by him!

Feng Yuan quickly read it aloud:

As the ancients said, "Water conservancy is to the world what blood and qi are to a person. If one breath is blocked, the four limbs will cease to exist."

“I observe the strategic importance of Tokyo, with the Yellow River hanging overhead and the Bian Canal running through its heart. Since the Yellow River breached its banks at Chanzhou in the fourth year of the Jingde reign, the dikes have been crumbling day by day for the past twenty years.”

"If another major flood occurs now, the millions of people in Bianliang will likely become fish and turtles!"

"I would like to offer a strategy to consolidate the foundation."

……

Feng Yuan read aloud Song Xuan's exam paper, in which Song Xuan refuted Li Chui's absurd ideas and proposed a strategy of building dikes to confine the water and use water to attack the sand in the Yellow River.

Many of the examiners looked surprised.

Because they gave those who wrote Li Chui's methods the middle to upper grades.

Now, someone has emerged who refuted Li Chui's method and was directly appointed as the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Should we let this get out?
After reading it, Feng Jing was also extremely surprised.

While the writing style wasn't exceptional, the ideas presented in the text sounded reasonable and well-founded, but he still had some doubts:
“Scholar Sun, the method proposed by this candidate is simply unheard of.”

"What if it's just empty talk?"

"Yes, teacher, who understands what he's saying?"

"What if it's just empty talk? Wouldn't that mislead our Great Song Dynasty and endanger the lives and property of the people along the Yellow River?"

Sun Shi, however, was not annoyed.

He had just read Song Xuan's policy essay several times and had memorized every single word on the exam paper.

He also understood why Li Chui's method was so popular.

That would achieve multiple goals at once, with the main objective being to target the Liao Kingdom.

It's a shortcut!
Clever people like to take shortcuts.

Which scholar-official in the Song Dynasty didn't consider himself a smart person?

Although the Treaty of Chanyuan was signed more than 20 years ago, the Liao Kingdom would occasionally use the threat of flooding on the Yellow River to attack.

The court officials said they had suffered from the Yellow River for too long.

Rather, they were more worried about the sudden attack by the Liao army.

For officials like them who live in Tokyo.

Even if the Yellow River floods and inundates Tokyo, there will always be places that the flood cannot reach.

And that just happened to be where they lived.

The majority of people are always the ones who suffer from disasters.

Sun Shi looked at the student who had raised the question:
"Then isn't Li Chui's talk just empty rhetoric?"

Sun Shi's former students suddenly fell silent.

"Scholar Sun".

Feng Jing put the exam paper down:
"I admit that this essay is well-written and logically sound, but it has not been verified. Isn't it too frivolous to so hastily award the top scholar title?"

"Yes, it's a bit too frivolous!"

"After all, the Song Dynasty has never made such a decision in all its years of provincial examinations!"

"Child's play?" Sun Shi stroked his beard and said with absolute certainty:

"There has never been a precedent before because there have never been such talented people. This year's provincial examination in the fifth year of Tiansheng is the first time."

"Did Han Xin have any reputation before Emperor Gaozu of Han appointed him as Grand General?"

Han Xin was extremely poor. He was so poor that when his mother died, he didn't even have money to hold a funeral. He was so poor that he had to beg for food and endure the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs.

He went to Xiang Yu's place, but Xiang Yu still practiced the aristocratic system.

Even when he came to Liu Bang, he was not given an important position. However, Xiao He had read Han Xin's military treatise and wanted to wait for an opportunity to recommend him to Liu Bang, but Han Xin did not wait.

This led to Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moonlight, and Liu Bang indeed appointed Han Xin, who was trying to escape, as a general, instead of just a minor official.

Even though so many people disagreed, Han Xin still succeeded.

The reason why everyone listened to Sun Shi, who had dedicated his life to teaching and educating people, use Han Xin as an example was actually because of Sun Shi's high reputation.

It's not that people don't want to listen to education; the truth is, everyone harbors doubts.
"Is this scholar worthy of being compared to Han Xin, the genius strategist?"

Since Han Xin was born a thousand years ago, how many people have been able to reach his level!
That is why Li Shimin praised Li Weigong's talent as being no less than Han Xin's.

It is understandable that Feng Yuan and others would think this way.

Before a person achieves results, they will face more criticism than criticism.

This is due to human nature.

Everyone is results-oriented.

Therefore, the saying "A thousand-mile horse is common, but a discerning eye is rare" has been passed down.

Not everyone has the foresight to see people clearly.

Sun Shi knew what they were thinking, but having dedicated his life to teaching, he could discern a student's character from their writing style.

This boy is extremely confident!

Sun Shi liked confident young people; otherwise, the age-old problem of harnessing the Yellow River would be so difficult that anyone would give up at the first sign of trouble and would find it hard to persevere.

Confident people are the ones who can be proud!

Arrogance prevents him from giving up halfway.

Sun Shi had already made up his mind to appoint this student as the top scholar in the imperial examination.

In the future, we will encourage him to manage the Yellow River.

Completely remove the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of millions of people in Tokyo!

Moreover, he felt that the specific methods for managing the Yellow River proposed by this student were not based on the kind of conjecture that Li Chui had.

Give it time.

Success is assured!

"That's settled then. If any of you disagree, feel free to show me the other people's exam papers."

Everyone was once again astonished by Sun Shi's audacity.

This is quite different from his usual teaching philosophy of instructing students to think twice before acting.

Why is this old man getting more and more radical?

"But this article refutes Li Chui's method, and we have all given the method cited from Li Chui a medium to high rating. Is this...?"

Feng Yuan was somewhat worried. How could there be a way to judge papers in such a fragmented manner?

We should at least have a unified standard!
"It doesn't matter."

After reading Song Xuan's policy essay, Sun Shi felt much more at ease.

"Anyway, both of them are just talking theory. As for who wins and who loses, I may not live to see it, but you may."

"How can we manage the Yellow River by simply planning in a way that benefits ourselves? No matter what the future holds, we must put our plans into practice in order to see the true results!"

Feng Yuan and the others had nothing to say.

Everyone assumed the answer to this provincial exam would be either one or two.

This is the logical choice.

As a result, Sun Shi, the chief examiner, chose "or" as the standard answer!
This is something that has never happened before in history!
The deputy examiners, including Feng Yuan, looked at each other, unsure how to offer further advice.

After all, this is the provincial examination, an extremely important stage.

It concerns the future of thousands of candidates; how can it be treated so lightly?
However, Sun Shi ignored them and stood up to stretch for a bit:
"Come on, let's go eat."

Everyone was surprised again.

Ever since Master Sun saw this policy essay, his entire demeanor has changed.

After finishing their meal, Feng Yuan and the others wanted to return to grading papers, hoping to emulate Master Sun's teachings and learn from him, but Sun Shi waved them off:

"I am getting old and need to take a nap. You may go and grade the papers."

"what?"

Feng Yuan and the others were dumbfounded.

How Master Sun changed his temperament.

Sun Shi chuckled.

This is similar to the military situation: it's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general.

Even though there were still more than four thousand exam papers left, he believed that there would never be a better policy essay than this one!
If it weren't for the rules, Sun Shi would have really wanted to take this policy proposal and immediately go to the palace to meet the emperor.

Such a talented person should not be let go.

Otherwise, it would be a loss for the imperial court, and even more so for the people of the Song Dynasty!
Grading papers is a very grueling task.

Moreover, those who can enter the provincial examination are all elites.

Even if they can't write, they'll still try their best to make something up, and they'll never let you, the examiner, simply give them a below-average grade.

Now that Sun Shi, the chief examiner, is no longer supervising, everyone's grading speed has slowed down.

This meant he spent even longer in prison.

During the period of confinement, examiners are strictly prohibited from leaving their residences unless they fall seriously ill. In such cases, the gatekeeper or an uninvolved official may be entrusted to check on their suffering and order them to return home immediately.

The Ministry of Rites' Examination Hall had a "Peace Calendar" for examiners to report their safety to their families during the overnight stay, so as not to worry them. Of course, this "Peace Calendar" had to be carefully checked by the gatekeeper to confirm that its contents were "only for reporting safety" before they were allowed to enter or leave.

In addition, the examiners were cut off from all contact with the outside world.

The strict system of confinement was undoubtedly very difficult for the literati who were used to a leisurely life, and this was sometimes expressed in their writings and poems.

In the second year of the Jiayou era (1057), Ouyang Xiu, who was appointed as the acting examiner, felt lonely and bored while staying in the imperial examination hall. So he and his colleagues exchanged poems to pass the time.

He wrote twenty-two poems, several of which expressed his dissatisfaction with the system of locking people in their homes.

Many laws and prohibitions in the Song Dynasty were largely ineffective and had no real effect on officials.

However, the system of locking oneself in the dormitory was strictly enforced.

This is inseparable from the fact that the emperor personally dispatched eunuchs to strengthen the supervision of the chief examiners.

Emperor Zhao Zhen was extremely concerned about the results of this provincial examination.

After all, he had spent real money to support Song Xuan in winning the top prize.

Moreover, he also urgently hoped that Song Xuan could provide a solution to the problem of managing the Yellow River.

However, even after two court assemblies were held, there was still no news from Reader Sun.

This caused Zhao Zhen great concern.

He wasn't afraid of losing his money, but rather worried that Sun Shidu hadn't found a capable person to manage the Yellow River floods for him.

The emperor was still worried, listening to the prime ministers discussing matters below, and was somewhat absent-minded.

Wang Zeng and the others didn't pay any attention and continued their discussion until they returned to their public quarters.

But the people from the Ministry of Rites waited, and then the Examination Hall reported that all the provincial examination papers had been reviewed and verified, and were now being organized.

Scholar Sun sent someone to inquire whether the gentlemen wished to come together as witnesses.

Generally, the Ministry of Rites would report the rankings to higher authorities only after the rankings were confirmed.

King Zeng trusted Sun Shi's character and, given the reputation he had built up over the years as a teacher, he was certain that Sun Shi would not act out of personal favoritism on such a matter of national importance.

"We can simply look at the list submitted by the Ministry of Rites."

"Here."

The officials from the Ministry of Rites took their leave and then turned and left.

Lu Yijian, stroking his beard, laughed and said:

"Countless people in Tokyo are guessing who will win the championship, and no one knows who will come out on top."

You'll find out soon enough.

Zhang Zhibai smiled and said, "I've heard that quite a few people are buying Song Xuan's title as the top scholar in Yingtian Prefecture."

"Yingtian Prefecture?"

Lu Yijian sighed softly: "The last time it was also Song Xiang, the top scholar from Yingtian Prefecture."

"Oh, what a coincidence!"

Zhang Shixun stroked his beard and laughed:

"Perhaps they are related in some way."

"If Song Xuan can pass the provincial examination and become the top scholar, the value of winning the triple crown will be much higher than that of Song Xiang, and he can certainly be compared with Prime Minister Wang."

Lu Yijian suddenly spoke up and mentioned it.

However, they all understood the meaning behind Lü Yijian's words: Does Song Xuan have a chance to win the top three honors in a row?

The candidates recommended by the Ministry of Rites still needed to pass the palace examination to be considered successful.

However, as an exception, if the emperor himself was in mourning, the palace examination would not be held, and the top scorer in the provincial examination would be the first-ranked candidate.

Examples include Sun Jin during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, Song Xiang during the reign of Emperor Renzong, Peng Ruli during the reign of Emperor Yingzong, Xu Anshi during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, Li Yi during the reign of Emperor Huizong, Huang Gongdu during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, Mu Daiwen during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, and Mo Zichun during the reign of Emperor Ningzong.

The fact that Song Xiang achieved the highest honor in all three levels of the imperial examination is not particularly impressive.

One reason was that he didn't participate in the palace examination, and the other was that Empress Dowager Liu intervened and gave the title of Zhuangyuan (top scholar) that should have belonged to his younger brother Song Qi to his older brother Song Xiang.

Now, Song Xiang is receiving the care of Empress Dowager Liu in the capital city of Tokyo.

The younger brother, Song Qi, was kicked out, but it was actually a good place for him to go to Nanjing to become a county magistrate.

At this moment, sitting in the office was a person who had won the triple crown in the imperial examinations:
Wang Zeng.

Noticing the gazes of the crowd, Wang Zeng put down the booklet in his hand:
"Although Song Xuan is famous, he is not good at policy essays, so it will be difficult for him to win the top three prizes in a row."

Lü Yijian learned from his cousin Lü Lejian that Song Xuan's strategic thinking ability was also incredibly strong, which piqued his interest.

"Does anyone have any ideas about betting on whether Song Xuan can achieve the highest honors in all three categories?"

"I bet he has a very high chance of getting it."

Everyone looked at Lü Yijian in astonishment.

The people of the Song Dynasty were fond of gambling.

This applies from top to bottom.

Otherwise, Song Xuan's lottery business wouldn't be so successful.

"It is too early?"

Wang Zeng found it somewhat strange that Lü Yijian was so certain that Song Xuan could also achieve such success.

"This bet will only be valid if he actually becomes the champion; otherwise, it's just a pipe dream."

"It will be too late by the time the results come out."

"it is good."

Wang Zeng nodded:
"Since you choose that he can, I can only choose that he cannot."

"If everyone chooses 'yes,' wouldn't that be considered cheating?"

"This year, His Majesty himself set three questions and will choose one in the end. Nobody knows the exact question, so how can anyone cheat?"

Lü Yijian simply wanted to prove that winning the triple crown in the imperial examinations was nothing special.

You, King Zeng, were able to do that.

Others can do it too!

Moreover, Song Xuan is even younger.

Wang Zeng no longer needs to be so proud of this.

The previous achievement of Song Xiang winning the top three honors in a row was not of high enough value.

If Song Xuan were to truly achieve the highest honors in all three categories, he would undoubtedly be comparable to Wang Zeng.

He doesn't need to be so "proud" anymore!

Lü Yijian wanted to use Song Xuan to bring Wang Zeng down from his pedestal.

He really wants to improve!
“That’s true, then I guess it’s possible.” As Lü Yijian’s relative by marriage, Zhang Shixun naturally gave his full support.

"Then I'll bet he can't."

Zhang Zhibai chuckled and joined in.

"In that case, I will act as a fair judge."

Lu Daozong also wanted to know if Song Xuan, this scholar who dared to scold a member of the imperial family in the street, could achieve the feat of passing the imperial examinations in three consecutive years.

Several people extended their palms, and that was the agreement.

Once the bet was settled, Lü Yijian stroked his beard and smiled, saying:
"I actually have a high opinion of Uncle Yan Tong's judgment of people. To be selected by him as the top scholar in the provincial examination, he must have extraordinary abilities!"

Wang Zeng didn't care when Lü Yijian revealed his hand.

He had heard Song Xuan's name a few times, but he always felt that it was as if the locals were creating a "child prodigy".

Zhang Zhibai laughed a few times, then pointed at Lü Yijian and said:
"As expected, Uncle Yan Tong is a good friend of yours, he told you all this."

Lu Yijian smiled without saying a word, but it was actually his cousin, who was Song Xuan's classmate, who said it.

Yan Shu, being the cautious man he is, would never casually reveal Song Xuan's situation!

"Then I'll go and take a look."

Lu Daozong was also in charge of the Ministry of Rites, so he naturally had to go and keep an eye on things.

No one stopped him; they just told him to bring the results back as soon as possible.

Inside the Gongyuan.

Sun Shi was checking Song Xuan's actual exam paper.

The name and place of origin are accurate.

In particular, Song Xuan's calligraphy is quite beautiful and relatively rare.

He looked closely and it seemed to be derived from the cliff inscriptions of the Shizong River.

Sun Shi became more and more satisfied as he looked at it.

Feng Yuan and the others looked at Song Xuan's exam paper and gave it all excellent ratings.

"This child is truly exceptional!"

"good."

"Not only are his policy essays well-written, but his poetry and prose are also outstanding."

"This Song Xuan, the top scholar of Yingtian Prefecture, could he be the famous Song Twelfth, renowned throughout the three capitals?"

"Song Twelve, when will the bright moon appear?"

"Yeah."

"It's really him."

Officials from the Ministry of Rites have already taken out Song Xuan's application materials and are reviewing them.

Everyone was talking again.

Feng Yuan stroked his beard and laughed:

"Scholar Sun is indeed a man who has taught students his whole life. His insight is extremely sharp. If it weren't for him selecting Song Twelve as the top scholar in the imperial examination, we would still be working day and night to grade papers."

"Yes!"

Many officials who were "incarcerated" echoed this sentiment, flattering Sun Shi.

If Sun Shi insists, even if Song Xuan answers the other two subjects so well, no one will pay special attention to him.

After all, it takes a lot of courage to refute an official's long-standing and well-intentioned idea during the imperial examinations!
Sun Shi's face lit up with even more joy.

He had assumed that Song Xuan's policy essay was excellent and surpassed that of the other candidates, making him a true standout.

Unexpectedly, Song Xuan also performed exceptionally well in his other two exams.

Such a talented person may have achieved the highest rank in the provincial examination, but not in the imperial examination.

What a pity!

"Hey, he's already the top scholar in the provincial and metropolitan examinations. Will he become the top scholar in the palace examination in a few days?"

Feng Yuan suddenly thought of this question: "Winning the top three prizes in a row!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was overjoyed.

Such an opportunity to make a name for oneself in the imperial examinations was truly rare.

The achievement of Song Xiang, who won the triple crown in the previous examination, was of very low quality.

This time, Song Xuan is going to actually participate in the palace examination, and if he can become the top scholar again.

This is a great encouragement to all scholars!
Sun Shi was so pleased with Song Xuan's proposed method for controlling the Yellow River that he almost forgot he had the chance to win the top three imperial examinations in a row.

"Song Twelve, you truly deserve it!"

Feng Yuan stroked his beard, admiring Song Xuan's strategy: "This boy is destined for greatness!"

"Yeah yeah."

A group of people were echoing each other.

Sun Shi just felt like laughing.

Before the anonymity is removed and the results are seen, who would agree with their own ideas?

They were all questioning it.

Until the remaining four thousand-plus exam papers, no one else produced a policy essay comparable to Song Xuan's.

Only then did they accept it!
Furthermore, the anonymity was removed at this time, and all of Song Xuan's papers were put together for examination.

With such excellence, who wouldn't want to praise her?

It's all out in the open!
There's never a shortage of hindsight bias in the world!
"What, the results are already out?"

Lu Daozong noticed a murmured discussion taking place in the hall.

Everyone hurriedly bowed to the prime minister, including Sun Shi.

Lu Daozong nodded in acknowledgment before walking to the central table:
"Let me see who will be this year's champion?"

Lu Daozong picked up the exam paper on the far left.

The meaning of the classics is that they are of the highest rank, as recorded by Song Xuan.

Poetry and prose, ranked at the highest level, Song Xuan.

Policy essay, ranked highest level, Song Xuan.

"Song Xuan!"

Even though Lu Daozong remained calm.

But I have never encountered such an outstanding candidate.

He read it carefully, and when he got to the section on governing the Yellow River, he was completely captivated.

He couldn't hear what anyone was saying.

Lu Daozong stared intently at the method Song Xuan had written on the exam paper!

Compared to Li Chui's theoretical approach, Lu Daozong was more convinced that the Yellow River was beyond human control.

His idea was not only to solve the problem of the breached dikes for the Song Dynasty, but also to transfer this disaster to the Liao Dynasty. In the long run, the Liao Dynasty's national strength would become weaker and weaker, which would be a good opportunity for the Song Dynasty to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Regardless of whether the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun will be vast oceans or swamps by then, there will always be a chance to recover them.

However, Lu Daozong did not think so; he believed that controlling the Yellow River was essential.

However, this requires sufficient experience and a mature plan; rash action will only bring more disaster to the Song Dynasty.

If the Yellow River management fails, it will be many innocent people of the Song Dynasty who will suffer.

"Build dikes to confine the water and use it to attack the sand!"

Lu Daozong muttered to himself, then looked at Sun Shi, whose face was beaming with a smile that even his wrinkles seemed to crinkle with laughter:

"Master Sun truly has a discerning eye!"

"Hahaha."

Sun Shi laughed triumphantly a few times. He felt that he had no regrets in his lifetime if he could select a useful person for the country to manage the Yellow River.

Lu Daozong then looked at the group of reviewers: "Do you all agree with Scholar Sun's view?"

"We have reviewed 7,507,200 papers, and none of them are as good as these."

Lu Daozong nodded, and then spoke:

"Quickly compile a list of those who passed the provincial examination. I will take these candidates' examination papers to the palace to meet the Emperor."

"Yes."

With Lu Daozong here to oversee things, everyone moved even faster.

Sun Shi sent someone to serve tea to Lu Daozong.

Lu Daozong had been holding Song Xuan's exam paper for a long time, examining it carefully. Only after a long while did he carefully fold Song Xuan's exam paper.
"Scholar Sun, what are your thoughts on this article?"

"Compared to Li Chui's empty talk, I think Song Xuan's method is highly feasible."

Sun Shi stroked his beard, a thoughtful expression on his face:
"When the time is right, I will ask him more questions in detail. I always feel that he has not told me everything."

"Huh?" Lu Daozong looked puzzled. "How did you figure that out?"

“Intuition.” Sun Shi turned his head slightly to look at Lu Daozong:

"I have spent my whole life teaching and nurturing students, and I have seen many students. This young man has an excellent writing style and writes with ease. I always feel that he did not reveal all his good ideas, but rather focused on presenting one method to refute Li Chui's naive idea."

Lu Daozong could not agree with this argument.

Based on his experience, he simply couldn't make a judgment.

"Controlling the Yellow River is a major undertaking, and it cannot be accomplished overnight."

Lu Daozong finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"It seems that Song Twelve is quite talented, and is not simply known for his poetry and prose."

Sun Shi nodded. He had made up his mind that he would have a detailed talk with Song Xuan once everything was settled.

Amidst the busy work of the examiners, Lu Daozong instructed his subordinates to help him carry the list of students who had passed the provincial examination, as well as the examination papers of some of the more outstanding candidates. He then personally took Song Xuan's examination paper to the palace.

As for Sun Shi, he rode along in a donkey cart behind.

Wang Zeng and others are still busy.

Then Lu Daozong hurriedly returned and announced that he was going to find the emperor to report Song Xuan's examination paper.

Wang Zeng looked puzzled: "What happened?"

"Did Song Xuan win the top prize?" Lü Yijian immediately asked.

“Of course,” Lu Daozong said. “Who else but him?”

Lu Yijian immediately smiled and looked at Wang Zeng, who had a somewhat surprised expression on his face.

Wang Zeng wondered if it was because Song Xuan had won the top prize in the provincial examination.

Instead, it was Lu Daozong, who was always upright and intolerant of evil, who would say that no one else could do it.

"Is his policy essay really that good?"

Upon hearing Wang Zeng's question, Lu Daozong smiled and said, "It's more than just 'good'!"

"what?"

Even Lü Yijian was extremely surprised.

As they walked, they listened to Lu Daozong say that when Scholar Sun saw this policy essay, he decided to make him the top scholar in the imperial examination. He didn't bother to look at any of the thousands of other papers, lest he offend his eyes.

These words piqued the interest of Wang Zeng and the others even more, and they all clamored to see for themselves.

However, Lu Daozong said:
"No matter what, we should show it to the Emperor first. When Scholar Sun arrives, he can retell it to everyone word for word. He says he has memorized it all and is more and more delighted the more he reads it."

Wang Zeng and the others were itching to try it out after hearing Lu Daozong's words.

However, none of them were power-hungry individuals, so they naturally prioritized checking on the officials first.

After court, Emperor Zhao Zhen would stay in his room to observe the government affairs that the prime ministers had already handled, in order to broaden his horizons.

With his tutors, including Sun Shi, absent, Zhao Zhen lost interest in studying.

Just as he was lost in thought, someone came to announce that several prime ministers were requesting an audience.

Zhao Zhen immediately snapped to attention and ordered his men to invite them in and offer them seats.

Lu Daozong said that the list of candidates for the provincial examination had been released, along with the examination papers of the top-ranked candidates and some other candidates who ranked highly.

Zhao Zhen immediately perked up and opened the list to take a look.

The first name is Song Xuan, whose ancestral home is Ningling County, Yingtian Prefecture.

"Haha."

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but laugh out loud. His twelfth brother had really passed the imperial examination with top honors!
I bet a full 50,000 strings of cash on him winning!

This was Zhao Zhen's first investment, and he was extremely pleased with himself.

Most importantly, he hadn't misjudged Song Xuan; Song Xuan was indeed a capable person.

Candidate Song Xuan:

Meaning: Superior!
Poetry and prose: Superior.

Policy Essay: It's still the best of her mother's making.

Zhao Zhen no longer looked at the other people's names.

His eyes were filled with the words "superior" from Song Xuan's three subjects.

Zhao Zhen knew that Song Xuan was quite capable.

But he never expected that Song Xuan would be even stronger than him!
If things continue like this, my twelfth brother will truly become the first top scholar in the first imperial examination that I preside over!

Moreover, he was the first person to achieve the highest honors in all three categories during the first imperial examination that I presided over.

With so many firsts coming together, Zhao Zhen became extremely excited just by casually imagining the future.

Not to mention that he and Song Xuan had a very strong connection when they were young!
Zhao Zhen was momentarily excited, his face filled with surprise and joy.

The young emperor had not yet learned the skill of concealing his emotions.

However, Wang Zeng and the others sitting below were getting restless, as they were all itching to try it out by Lu Daozong.

They all wanted to see what brilliant policy essay Song Xuan had written that made Sun Shi, a lifelong educator, so highly praise it.

He made his decision after only grading the first few points of the exam paper!

"May I ask if Your Majesty has finished reading?"

Zhao Zhen then snapped out of his ecstasy:
"Oh, not yet, I'll check right now."

Emperor Zhao Zhen would not use the pronoun "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "I") when speaking to his prime ministers.

He set the list aside; he didn't know the other students, so it didn't matter whether he looked at it or not.

Then Zhao Zhen picked up Song Xuan's policy essay, which was placed first, and began to read it with a pleased expression.

"Policies for the Repair and Maintenance of Yellow River Water Conservancy Projects":
As Zhao Zhen read through the text carefully, the joy on his face was replaced by a serious expression.

He once asked Sun Shi in detail about the Yellow River floods.

Sun Shi said that within ten years, the floods of the Yellow River would become increasingly severe.

If the government does not want Tokyo to be flooded every summer, it should put the management of the Yellow River on the agenda as soon as possible.

As for Li Chui's idea, even though it was affirmed by many court officials, Sun Shi thought it wouldn't work.

Zhao Zhen was also influenced by this tutor.

In his policy essay, Song Xuan proposed a method unprecedented in history. If this method proved effective, Emperor Zhao Zhen believed that future generations would certainly follow it in managing the Yellow River.

Just like the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, its benefits will last for generations!

"I think it's well written, but there are some parts that I don't quite understand."

Zhao Zhen blurted out the answer instinctively, his expression turning serious.

Wang Zeng was an impatient man. Without waiting for the eunuch to bring it over, he took it from the emperor and stood aside to look at it.

Only then did Sun Shi slowly walk into the hall and bow to everyone.

"Oh dear, I've been waiting for you." Lü Yijian didn't approach. "Did Scholar Sun bring a copy?"

"Take it, take it."

Sun Shi chuckled and pulled out a copy of Song Xuan's graded exam paper from his sleeve.

Lu Yijian also quickly stepped forward, genuinely curious about what kind of earth-shattering strategy Song Xuan could come up with.

Everyone who saw it remained silent, and some couldn't even understand it.

I refuse to believe there are any policy essays I can't understand!

Sun Shi stepped forward with a smile and congratulated Zhao Zhen on acquiring such a talented person. He said that if this method could be implemented, the Yellow River disaster could be ended in the Emperor's hands.

Zhao Zhen listened to Master Sun's words with a smile on his face:

"Master Sun, there are some parts of the strategy discussion that I don't quite understand."

"If you don't understand, then you don't understand."

Sun Shi has once again begun his educational journey.

How could the emperor know everything?
Professional matters should be left to professionals; this is one of the great virtues of an emperor!
Instead of letting people give orders haphazardly, or even the emperor himself giving orders haphazardly.

Zhao Zhen was a man who listened to advice from a young age, especially from teachers like Master Sun.

He quickly said that he remembered.

Wang Zeng looked at it three times before his eyes showed a strange expression: "Who taught Song Xuan this method?"

"I heard Yan Shu say that Song Xuan was a child prodigy!"

Upon hearing the emperor's reply, Wang Zeng couldn't help but marvel. If this method could be implemented, this boy was truly a genius!

This is truly a fortunate event for the Great Song Dynasty!
He used to think that Yan Shu wanted to return to the central government as soon as possible, so he promoted education in Yingtian Prefecture and achieved excellent results. People left their doors unlocked at night and no one picked up lost items on the road.

The fact that they even brought out Song Xuan, an "older prodigy," seems like a publicity stunt!
Moreover, Yan Shu did not hesitate to use his own words as a teacher to help the unknown Song Xuan build up his reputation!

Wang Zeng now realizes he was wrong.

That's ridiculously wrong!

If Song Xuan hadn't been so ambitious, why would Yan Shu have gone to such lengths to make Song Xuan famous?

The fact that Song Xuan became famous in Luoyang was orchestrated and promoted by Yan Shu.

After reading it, Lü Yijian was also filled with disbelief.

He just felt that Song Xuan had some skills and was a good prospect for navigating the officialdom.

The Lü family was also willing to form an alliance with him, and Lü Yijian even planned to marry his daughter to him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked his cousin, Lü Lejian, to pay so much attention to Song Xuan, and the two brothers would have exchanged letters frequently, most of which were about Song Xuan.

Now Lü Yijian realized that he had underestimated Song Xuan.

"If this method can really succeed, our Great Song Dynasty may no longer be threatened by the Yellow River floods."

Wang Zeng sighed softly:
"Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older; Song Xuan has given me such a wonderful surprise."

"I used to think that Uncle Yan was only doing this to build up Song Xuan's reputation, but I was wrong!"

Upon hearing Wang Zeng's evaluation, Zhao Zhen immediately inquired with delight:

"Does Minister Wang also believe that Twelfth Brother's method will work?"

None of the senior officials paid attention to Zhao Zhen's form of address. Wang Zeng passed the examination paper in his hand to the Vice Chancellor Zhang Zhibai:

"I believe it is well worth a try."

Lu Daozong then spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, this matter should not be rushed; it requires careful investigation."

"I also believe this; haste makes waste."

Sun Shi also expressed his concerns.

Song Xuan is young, and if he is put in a major position all at once, even if the policy is good, its implementation will be compromised.

Moreover, repairing the Yellow River is a long-term endeavor.

Song Xuan's method is feasible, but it needs to be tested before the project is rolled out on a large scale.

Otherwise, it would be extremely costly for the imperial court!

Zhao Zhen nodded, understanding Master Sun's concerns.

"I have no further questions about this matter."

Zhao Zhen did not think that having Master Sun as the chief examiner and the prime ministers present would affect his twelfth brother's chances of becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination.

So Zhao Zhen said, "But we still need to ask the Empress Dowager first."

Empress Liu ruled as regent, and with the late emperor's edict, she had to oversee all matters, big and small, including important ones like the top scholar in the imperial examinations.

"That's only right." Wang Zeng took Song Xuan's exam paper back.

“We’ll go together.”

(End of this chapter)