Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 152 Drawing Lots for the Archery Strategy
Before coming to take the exam, Shen Tu Zhuo knew he would be subjected to difficulties.

He was recommended by the local prefecture for his talent in governing the region. When recommending him, Prefect Chi had already detailed how well-versed he was in politics and how he had spent several years designing the "Thousand Gold Canal," thus contributing to the water conservancy of the four prefectures in Hexi. According to the examination rules of the Grand Xuan Examination, he should only need to participate in the palace examination and answer the policy questions.

However, the Imperial Secretary informed him that the assessment method was: first, an archery test, then a strategy test.

The examination was mainly for students of the Imperial Academy and those recommended through the Mingjing examination, focusing on their mastery of the classics. It was not applicable to Shen Tu Zhuo. However, the Grand Master of Ceremonies argued that he had been a student of the Imperial Academy in his youth, studying with princes and receiving careful instruction from various scholars. If he had not neglected his studies after going to the border, he should have been unafraid of this examination.

This is tantamount to openly giving Shentu Zhuo an additional test, which he cannot refuse.

The questions in the imperial examination were usually categorized by the examiners into three levels of difficulty: "Subject A," "Subject B," and "Subject C." These were written on bamboo slips and sealed. Subject A was the most difficult and might involve the subtle meanings of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Subject B often involved the details and changes of ritual systems in the Book of Rites, while Subject C consisted of basic interpretations and extensions of the Analects.

Without a doubt, Shentu Zhuo was going to take the Jia Ke exam.

After learning that he would be taking the archery exam, he began reviewing his classical studies while in Zhangye County. Upon arriving in Andu, he sought out renowned teachers, hoping to pick up what he had learned before. During this time, he also encountered many setbacks and was humiliated by his childhood friend, who was also a student at the Imperial Academy, as a country bumpkin from a fallen family.

Most of those people were already protected by the emperor and could easily obtain official positions in the court, unlike his brother and him, who had to risk their lives to gain a foothold in the army and endure hardship to get a chance to be recommended.

But he was no longer the arrogant playboy he once was. No matter how others ridiculed him or how the examination system changed, he remained steadfast and unshaken by any obstacles.

The archery test was about to begin, and the chief examiner walked in.

Shen Tu Zhuo looked up and saw Grand Minister Qi Zhengchu sitting upright, holding more than ten sealed bamboo slips in his hand, with a humble smile on his lips, praising the candidates for their talent and encouraging them to concentrate on the exam.

Shentu Zhuo: "..."

Even though he knew in his heart that he was determined, he couldn't help but feel that God was against him.

Qi Zhengchu is now one of the Three Dukes, a powerful figure backed by the Fifth Prince's maternal clan, the Crown Prince's greatest political enemy, the person in charge of the selection of imperial merchants, an obstacle to the Prince of Qin's opening of trade routes in the western border, and the mastermind behind the framing of his grandfather. Even without concrete evidence, they have always suspected that the assassination of the princess sent for a political marriage is most likely related to him.

Shen Tu Zhuo felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Sometimes, when you see your enemy right in front of you, you can't do anything and have to be at their mercy. For someone to win a game against that person, isn't that harder than climbing to heaven?

Didn't the King of Qin say that the chief examiner for this archery contest should be the Grand Master of Ceremonies?

Was this person specifically chosen to block him?

However, all those words ultimately boil down to one sentence: "Since we're already here, can we really stand up and ask to change examiners? We have no choice but to bite the bullet and take the test."
-
Qi Zhengchu announced in a loud voice: "This is the Archery Examination. I have eighteen short essays here, divided into three categories: A, B, and C. Each of you will come up and draw one, open the question in front of me, and then return to your desks to write your answers. You are all talented individuals in the Classics category, so I don't need to explain how to answer the questions."

All the candidates responded respectfully.

So, starting with the first candidate on the right, they went up one by one to draw lots. After verifying the candidate's name and place of origin, Qi Zhengchu would take the corresponding lot tube and place it in front of him.

When it was Shen Tu Zhuo's turn, there were still three bamboo slips left in the Jia Ke's lot-drawing tube.

Qi Zhengchu took the divination tube quite naturally, shook it himself, and handed it to him, saying casually, "It is truly fate that I was able to meet the son of an old friend here."

Shen Tu Zhuo suppressed the turmoil in his heart and reached out to take a slip of paper. Just as his fingers touched one of the slips, Qi Zhengchu suddenly shook the container very slightly, causing another slip of paper to slide to his fingertips.

Shen Tu Zhuo looked up at him: "..."

What does this mean? Was the answer key tampered with? Aren't they all the same? Is the question on this particular slip especially difficult?
Qi Zhengchu said calmly, "Go ahead and smoke, don't worry about anything."

Shen Tu Zhuo's gaze returned to the three identical bamboo slips, and he was momentarily at a loss. The problem wasn't whether the three slips had been tampered with, or whether the question on this slip was particularly difficult, but whether he should comply with Qi Zhengchu's wishes.

If we were to take this stick, wouldn't that be considered a provocation?
This person had no intention of entering officialdom. There was no guarantee that the questions in this short essay would be a trap, waiting for him to jump in and suffer a terrible fall, at which point all his years of hard work would be in vain.

If you insist on using a different stick, would that be considered a form of resistance against him?

But there's no point in tampering with the paper; he can't predict which slip the examinee will choose. He shouldn't lose face, after all. His grandfather was cornered by this man before; if he were to change the paper, it would seem as if he were afraid of him.

In the midst of the chaos, Shen Tu Zhuo took a deep breath and immediately felt a clear and distant fragrance rush to his mind, as if he had just woken up from a dream.

What is he doing?
Before even seeing the exam questions, I was already flustered by a trivial gesture from the examiner; it was practically digging my own grave.

Without thinking further, he casually picked up the stick that his fingertip had touched.

The internal struggle lasted a long time, but in reality it was only a moment.

He handed the slip of paper to the examiner.

Qi Zhengchu chuckled and said as he opened the sealed document, "You have more courage than that coward Shentu Jianzhi."

Shen Tu Zhuo gritted his teeth: "You... Lord Qi, don't reminisce about the past in the examination hall. Please tell me what the question is."

Qi Zhengchu unfolded the bamboo slips for him to see: "Explaining the principles of governance in the Gongyang Commentary."

Shen Tu Zhuo took the bamboo slips and returned to the table to answer the questions.

It was certainly not a simple question, but it was definitely not difficult either. It was clear that Qi Zhengchu was deliberately testing him to disturb his mind.

The scent of Langguan incense gradually calmed his mind, allowing him to ponder the key to answering the question—

Gongyang Shou and Hu Wusheng jointly wrote down the oral tradition of the Gongyang School of Thought on bamboo and silk, which was known for its "profound meaning in concise words" and emphasized principles of governance such as "unified rule," "divine right of kings," and "the theory of three generations."

Starting with the question itself, one should first explain these three points in detail. However, answers to policy-related questions cannot be so superficial. Not only should one cite classical texts, but one should also incorporate one's own unique insights into political affairs and provide a clear explanation.

As he pondered the question, Shen Tu Zhuo suddenly realized what the key point of the question was.

The great scholars of the Gongyang School in the past focused more on omens and warnings, and the ethical analysis within them was quite complex. However, the current emperor prefers pragmatic measures for governing the world. Therefore, he should not be bound by the original interpretation, but should emphasize the "humane governance" in the Gongyang School, and transform the vague idea of ​​"unification" into concrete policies, such as unifying taxation, controlling salt and iron, and developing water conservancy projects.

This is also his area of ​​expertise...
-
Next chapter: We will discuss both military strategy and business.