Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 203 Final Strategy
After the two exams, the provincial examination process was already halfway through. This final exam, testing policy, was the easiest for Zhang Dai, and the reasons for that need not be elaborated upon.

Time quickly came to the day of the test again. The process was the same as the previous two sessions: get up early, have breakfast, and set off at dawn. Before the first light of day, we arrived at the examination hall to wait for inspection.

The only difference from the previous two sessions was that this time the family prepared more than twice as many exam supplies.

This is because the policy test is the longest of the three exams, with a total of five policy questions. Even if Zhang Dai had a cheat code, it would be difficult for him to finish answering them in one day. It would take at least two days. Therefore, he must stay at the examination venue tonight.

This examination hall was originally a borrowed part of the Selection Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel, and there wasn't even a proper place to sleep. And it was early spring in February, and the weather was still cold. If one wasn't well prepared, catching a cold and having to leave halfway through would be a huge loss.

So Zhang Dai, carrying heavy loads on his shoulders and in his hands, was just like a migrant worker in the city. Before long, he was panting heavily, groaning like an ox.

Fortunately, the number of people participating in today's trial policy has decreased sharply, not as many as before.

Although he had already learned from Ding Qing, who had come to see the results, that a large number of people had failed the essay exam, Zhang Dai couldn't help but feel a little sad when he arrived at the scene and saw the sparse crowd, which was more than ten times smaller than before.

With only a few candidates remaining, the inspection process became easier. Although Zhang Dai hadn't arrived early, he didn't have to wait too long before it was his turn. However, the armored soldiers spent a considerable amount of time inspecting his luggage, a full half hour.

After the inspection was completed, the luggage that the family members had packed so neatly was scattered all over the floor, and Zhang Dai had to go back and forth to move it again and again.

"What good things has Liu Lang brought this time to share?"

Wang Changling had just finished tidying up his own test bed when he quickly came forward to help Zhang Dai carry his luggage.

What's going on here, everyone?

As Zhang Dai carried his luggage, he asked Wang Changling a question. He had just greeted several people with a smile, but his classmates, who had been chatting and laughing before, now all looked tense and didn't bother to respond.

Upon hearing this, Wang Changling sighed and said, "It's all about pursuing personal gain. After two rounds, forty-seven people will be selected. Given the strictness of the selection process for the scholar, I'm afraid that in this final examination, half of them will be eliminated. From this point on, we are enemies, not friends!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai understood. There were many candidates who had taken the provincial exam before, and the atmosphere in the exam room was not too serious or tense. When they met, they could naturally greet each other with smiles and chat.

However, as more and more people are laid off, the competition becomes increasingly fierce. According to the standard that the number of successful candidates in the imperial examination is usually twenty or thirty, or even less, at least one-third of them have to be eliminated.

Your companion or friend might be the one who pushes you down, and from then on, your lives will be worlds apart. Who could still be as open-minded as before after that?

Thinking of this, Zhang Dai saw that Wang Changling had brought the things into his testing shop but hadn't left. He was still there, bending over and looking through what Wang Changling had brought. Zhang Dai immediately pulled the guy aside and said, "We are now enemies, not friends. I have nothing to give to Wang Da!"

Wang Changling completely ignored him, took a box of pastries and a box of charcoal from him, and then left with a smile. As for the other candidates who had previously gotten along well with him, they felt they didn't have such a good relationship and didn't come up to play around anymore.

After Zhang Dai had been sitting for a while, Li Yi finally arrived late. This guy, sporting dark circles under his eyes, came over to Zhang Dai and, still with his usual cheeky grin, said, "After the essay exam, I'm fortunate to be ranked high. Zhang Liu, you'd better keep up the good work!"

The essay exam list only distinguishes between those who pass and those who fail; there is no ranking. However, examiners generally rank the essays from best to worst, so the ranking on this list usually overlaps significantly with the final passing ranking after the essay exam.

Li Yi is currently ranked first in the list of essays, while Zhang Dai is in the middle. Unless Li Yi writes an exceptionally good essay, leading by a significant margin, it will be very difficult for Li Yi to eventually surpass Zhang Dai in the rankings.

Zhang Dai had read the opening of this fellow's eulogy and found it to be indeed better than his own, so he wasn't surprised that the fellow was ahead.

However, the fact that his essay was chosen first by Yan Tingzhi shows that they truly share similar interests. This suggests that the man must have studied Yan Tingzhi's writing style and interests very deeply. Considering his enthusiastic response when the examiner was changed at the last minute, it becomes understandable.

Zhang Dai didn't expect to become the top scholar in the imperial examination. He would be quite satisfied if he could just pass the exam smoothly, or even if he only passed as a minor candidate. Having the title of Jinshi (进士) would give him a great guarantee and protect him from a lot of infighting.

Hearing Li Yi boasting in front of him, he smiled and said, "Then congratulations to Li Zhuangtou! But you must remember that I also contributed a lot to help you win the championship by using reason to get rid of Master Miao the other day. I will accept this favor in advance, and Li Shiqi must repay it!"

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Li Yi was in high spirits, having a promising future in the imperial examinations. Upon hearing Zhang Dai's words, he laughed loudly and said, "The previous invitation still stands. If Zhang Liu is interested in the future, I will invite you to Song San Niang's house to try out the warm jade bracelet worn by her daughter!"

After saying this, he walked back to his test shop, clutching his lower back, clearly having been severely constricted these past two days. This made Zhang Dai look down on him; Zhang Dai himself had probably been constricted quite a bit these past few days, yet he remained upright, strong, and full of energy!
Once all the disciples had entered, the court audience proceeded again before everyone settled into their seats, and the policy questions were distributed one by one. Zhang Dai, holding his examination paper, began to read the questions and formulate his own. He had a greater advantage in policy questions; besides possessing greater foresight and a more comprehensive understanding of the issues, even from the perspective of a contemporary person, his grandfather's past experience as a powerful minister made his views more insightful and macro-level.

The provincial examinations for the imperial examinations proceeded as planned, and other personnel matters did not stagnate either, especially since the power struggles within the imperial court were far from over.

Zhang Yue's faction suffered another blow in the court, especially Zhang Jiuling, who was a promising candidate for the next tier. Not only did he fail to secure the prestigious position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he was even demoted again on the first day of the second month, and was transferred from the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to Governor of Jizhou.

Although this appointment could be considered a promotion in terms of official rank, the Tang Dynasty had always favored those in the capital over those in the provinces. Zhang Jiuling's transfer to a post outside the capital meant that it would be difficult for Zhang Shuo to find a capable person to lead the court. Even Zhao Dongxi and others who had not yet been dealt with were demoted to posts outside the capital in this wave of demotions at the beginning of this year.

Zhang said that he had been feeling quite depressed lately. In order not to affect his grandson's mood for the exam, he didn't talk to Zhang Dai about these things, and even if he did, it wouldn't make any difference.

Fortunately, compared to Zhang Shuo, there was someone even more unlucky, namely Wang Maozhong from the Northern Office.

The man had recently failed to offer his daughter to Zhang Dai and took his anger out on Zhang Dai, only to be tricked again. Forced to investigate personnel matters at the North Gate, he ended up demoting and punishing several of his trusted generals.

The most unfortunate was Ma Chong, the commander of the Wanqi Battalion who led his followers to make a scene in front of the Zuo Jinwu Guard's office and was exposed by Wang Shouzhen. He was directly dragged out and executed as a warning to others.

In addition, his authority was significantly eroded. The inner stables, including the Feilong stable, which he concurrently managed, were directly separated and handed over to Duke Guo, Yang Sixu, as the Feilong stable supervisor. Although his remaining authority was still quite broad, a loophole had been created in his original monopoly of power.

Wang Maozhong was furious about this. When Wang Shouzhen finally got a break and went home to rest, he couldn't help but curse, "Look at what you've done, you idiot! Not only did you fail to punish that Zhang son, but you've also made me a laughingstock among eunuchs!"

Upon hearing this rebuke, Wang Shouzhen felt wronged: "How could I have imagined that Zhang Liu would be so treacherous! Now I am serving in his household and have suffered much humiliation and torment. I beg you, Father, to have mercy and rescue me!"

"Just you wait. Once this boy fails in his studies, I will imprison him at the North Gate. I have no other plan for now!"

Wang Maozhong has been constantly harassed by the eunuchs lately, and he also has to mediate between the people in the Northern Court. He's already quite overwhelmed, so he doesn't have time to think about his son.

In times of crisis, some people are down on their luck, while others are up on their luck, such as Cui Mian, the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

He had previously served as the governor of Weizhou, which had suffered a particularly severe disaster last year. He was already overwhelmed with disaster relief efforts when the situation in the court changed unexpectedly. He managed to extricate himself from the quagmire of Weizhou and enter the court to take charge of the power of personnel selection, while Yuwen Rong went to the prefecture to take on this hot potato.

Since the Minister of Personnel, Song Jing, was far away in Chang'an, and another Vice Minister, Qi Huan, was far less senior than Cui Mian, he now held absolute power in the Ministry of Personnel, and the selection and appointment of officials were entirely at his discretion, so he could do things very smoothly.

If there was one thing that he felt was being hindered, it was the personnel arrangements for the Examination and Appointment Department. The prime ministers actually rejected his personnel changes for the department because of the candidates' riots, which displeased him somewhat.

However, this was also his fault for overestimating Miao Jinqing. He originally thought that Miao Jinqing was learned and had a strong Confucian style, and that he had a close relationship with the newly appointed Imperial Censor Zhang Jiazhen. Appointing him might allow him to reach a certain understanding and buffer with Zhang Jiazhen.

After all, Zhang Jiazhen was a strong and straightforward person, and the Ministry of Personnel was an important department in the southern province. If they failed to communicate with each other, it would cause great personnel problems. Unexpectedly, Miao Jinqing was incompetent in his duties and was questioned by a group of apprentices. This made his adjustment quite controversial, and he has been trying to make up for the bad influence.

After finishing his business that day, he returned home, only to find several young men in the front courtyard fighting over documents. This displeased him, and he immediately said in a deep voice, "Even at home, one must observe etiquette. Why are you making such a ruckus in the courtyard?"

He was always upright, serious, and self-disciplined. Upon hearing this rebuke, his sons stood respectfully in front of the courtyard. One of them whispered, "Uncle, we are not joking. We just want to be the first to see the collection of essays by this year's provincial examination winners."

"Essays on Passing the Imperial Examination? What nonsense! The provincial examination hasn't even ended yet, so how can there be any talk of passing the examination, let alone compiling them into a collection!"

As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Cui Mian was naturally familiar with the procedures of his department. Upon hearing this, he immediately reprimanded him.

"It's true, it's true... I bought it this morning. This collection of essays was already available in bookstores a few days ago!"

Upon hearing this, the young man hurriedly explained and presented the document with both hands.

Cui Mian took the document and glanced at it briefly. His expression immediately became more serious, and he said in a deep voice, "What is it? Enter the hall and explain in detail!"

(End of this chapter)