Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 324 Purple smoke rises from the paper, the writing moves heaven and earth.

Inside the examination cell, Chen Xu opened the three examination papers.

The first question: "Enter the mountains and forests with axes and hatchets at the appropriate times."

Question 2: The strategy of "being respectful and simple in conduct".

Both of these are considered easy questions.

However, although it was a minor question, according to the consistent rules of Dali, the answer to a minor question in the provincial examination should be at least eight hundred to one thousand words.

As for the third major question, it requires at least two thousand words.

Writing a policy essay of more than four thousand words in three days is no easy task.

If you don't manage your time well, some people may not be able to complete all three questions by the time the exam ends.

In the examination room, some people frowned in deep thought, some racked their brains, and some wrote furiously...

Chen Xu picked up his pen and, unhurriedly, completed the answers to the two short questions.

His writing movements were calm and relaxed, and his writing speed did not seem fast. However, he actually completed the answers to both questions in just half a day.

During the writing process, Chen Xu didn't even use a draft. He didn't add or subtract a single word or make any revisions; he completed the entire piece in one go.

It wasn't that he was arrogant, but rather that his thinking ability far exceeded his writing speed; at this level, he no longer needed a draft.

If there were indeed alterations on the exam paper, he would simply rewrite it; he wouldn't be so arrogant as to insist on submitting a tainted paper.

Question 1, written by Chen Xu:
"I have heard the sages say, 'Use axes and hatchets at the right time,' which is not merely about cherishing resources, but also embodies the profound meaning of nourishing the people through the use of resources..."

For the second question, Chen Xu wrote:
Zhonggong said: "Is it not acceptable to govern one's people with reverence and simplicity?"

This is the key to governing officials and ensuring the well-being of the people…

Neither question is particularly obscure; the first comes from the "Mencius: King Hui of Liang" chapter, and the second comes from the "Analects: Xian Wen".

These two questions, compared to the cross-reference questions in the provincial examination, can be described as grand, upright, and extremely benevolent.

However, both questions have deeper meanings.

Let's start with the first question.

Chen Xu had read the official gazettes of recent years at Feng Yuanbai's place and knew that two months ago, the Ministry of Works had reported that "the procurement of official timber exceeded the quota, and seven or eight out of ten of the timber in Longchuan Forest was gone."

The Longchuan area was once a place with abundant forests.

Most of the timber procured by the imperial court came from Longchuan. Now, due to indiscriminate logging, Longchuan, which was once known as "every mountain is verdant", has become a land of barren forests.

The three thousand-mile mountain range is now desolate and sparse.

Mencius said, “If the farming seasons are not missed, there will be more grain than can be eaten… If axes and hatchets are used in the mountains and forests at the right time, there will be more timber than can be used.”

As the ancient sages have said, everything must be in its proper time.

Chen Xu wrote: "Is the logging of mountains and forests today not against the times? The world's need for materials, the construction of palaces, the making of boats and carriages, and the operation of markets all depend on this for daily expenses and annual expenditures."

If the benefits of the mountains and forests are completely destroyed, then the use of timber will be insufficient, and the people will be burdened with heavy labor..."

First, break down the problem, then solve it.

A lengthy and detailed piece, less than a thousand words.

These will not be discussed in detail.

In short, after finishing the first two questions, Chen Xu carefully put away his answer sheet and placed it in his exam basket.

Then he put down his pen and ink, and sat in his cell, closing his eyes to rest.

Yes, he finished the first two questions, but he didn't even try to answer the third question!

Actually, Chen Xu wasn't refusing to write; rather, he was sitting in the present moment, carefully pondering the third question.

Countless strange lights flashed through his brain like lightning. He didn't make a sound, but it felt as if a storm was churning and boiling inside his mind.

Build models, calculate data, organize language, and polish wording.

The third major question seems to have no connection with the first two, but in Chen Xu's view at this moment, the cause-and-effect relationship of the third major question is clearly consistent with that of the first two sub-questions.

The title reads: "It is said that 'natural disasters are frequent, and even sage kings fear them.' Recently, there has been no rain for three periods, and the land is parched and cracked..."

Since the beginning of drought, locusts have been abundant.

For example, a hundred years ago, locusts flew in formation like clouds over Longchuan, their wings covered with blue phosphorus, and they devoured the crops as if they were harvesting them; in western Shandong, there was a monstrous locust over ten feet tall with eyes as red as torches, which drove people to eat. The immortal said it was "the resentment of the drought demon".

You students, having studied the classics and the teachings of Heaven and Man, should all present your views on current affairs:
Drought and locusts follow one another, now plagued by malevolent locusts. How can we quell this evil influence, save the fields, and bring peace to the people? [Let us devise a strategy to quell this locust plague, and thus fulfill the Emperor's expectations.]

It turns out that the third major question was about strategies for "suppressing the locust monster"!
The "strategy to quell the demons" that Feng Yuanbai had mentioned to Chen Xu indeed appeared in the provincial examination.

Feng Yuanbo's previous statement about the "severe drought in northern Xinjiang" is now also closely related to the questions in this exam.

In a way, Feng Yuanbo was like an elder in the Luo family who had correctly predicted the questions for this provincial examination.

Of course, Feng Yuanbo's predictions were also very broad and could not be considered accurate.

As for how to answer this question, that remains to be seen and will depend on Chen Xu himself.

Chen Xu sat in his cell and pondered carefully for a whole day and night.

During that time, he closed his eyes and pondered, remaining motionless, and did not drink a drop of water or eat a grain of rice throughout the entire day and night!

His actions went unnoticed until the first night had passed.

But by noon the next day, he still kept his eyes closed and didn't move, so the inspecting soldiers had to come and check on him.

"Number 36, Class A, how are you? Should we call a doctor?"

The issue of seeking medical help has now finally fallen to Chen Xu.

Chen Xu remained motionless with his eyes closed, but finally managed to reply, "Thank you, but no need."

When the soldiers who came to inquire were refused, they looked at each other and shook their heads slightly.

After the soldiers left, they inevitably began to discuss it quietly, their words filled with sighs and lamentations:
"That person is Chen Xu, the one who wrote the poem about green smoke. I never expected that he would run into trouble now..."

"Being good at poetry doesn't necessarily mean being good at writing articles; it's not surprising if problems arise."

"Hey, look, that's Luo Wenhuan, the one who coughed up blood in the exam hall. He's in great shape now. In the past two days, he's revised his draft several times and is still writing."

His thoughts flowed like a spring, without stopping for a moment.

"Alas, in that case, Luo Wenhuan is more likely to achieve a good result in the third round of policy essays?"

"Who knows?"

"Yes, who knows? The competition for the top scholar title is something no one can predict until the very end..."

The soldiers whispered among themselves, sighing with emotion.

Meanwhile, it wasn't just the soldiers inspecting the examination hall who felt a sense of melancholy and regret.
The examiners on the Star-Gazing Platform, looking down upon the entire audience, couldn't help but feel a bit emotional as well.

However, since examiners need to review the papers, there are some things they cannot say too explicitly. Even discussions among colleagues are often kept to a minimum.

A day and a night passed in this way, and the next day at noon, Chen Xu did not open his eyes or eat anything.

As night fell, Chen Xu still did not open his eyes.

On the morning of the final day of the third event, Chen Xu still did not open his eyes.

Finally, until noon—

It was at noon on the ninth day of the provincial examination that Chen Xu finally opened his eyes and picked up his pen.

By this time, most candidates had already finished answering all three questions.

There are only two hours left until the end of this provincial examination!

Luo Wenhuan closed the book with delight, his emotions running high.

Looking at Chen Xu, who had been silent for a long time, he finally picked up his pen and began to answer the questions.

However, after several days of painstaking writing, Luo Wenhuan had gained great confidence in himself.

When he looked at Chen Xu again, his mindset was completely different from before.

"Chen Xu, I'm afraid his talents have run their course..." Luo Wenhuan thought to himself.

Of course, despite these thoughts, Luo Wenhuan still couldn't help but secretly pay more attention to Chen Xu.

He began to count in his mind, calculating how long Chen Xu finally took to answer the question.

A quarter of an hour, half an hour, a whole hour...

An hour and a half later, Luo Wenhuan even began to drift off, silently counting down the remaining time until the end of the book.

Suddenly, a beam of purple light shot into the sky!

(End of this chapter)