Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 146 The Top Choice!
Lu Beigu followed the crowd out of the sweltering examination room, the blinding sunlight causing him to squint slightly.

The feeling of "temporarily coming to an end" eased his tense nerves considerably.

He has given his all, unreservedly bringing out all the knowledge and insights he has accumulated over the past month.

Next, it's time to wait.

He awaits the crucial ranking that will determine his eligibility to participate in the training camp and ultimately his chances of winning the state's qualifying spot.

Because all the papers from the four prefectures had to be taken to Chia-Chou for grading and wouldn't be immediately reassigned, the atmosphere at the prefectural school relaxed considerably during the waiting period.

But Lu Beigu did not slack off.

Mr. Baisha's assignments remained as heavy as ever. Every day, he traveled between the school and the teacher's courtyard, burying himself in classics and the teacher's ever-increasing annotations and practice questions.

Even Li Tian, ​​who witnessed his diligence, secretly nodded in approval.

Meanwhile, in Jiaozhou, located between Meizhou in the upper reaches and Rongzhou in the lower reaches, at the foot of Mount Emei, the academic officials were crammed into the office, diligently grading papers.

Although the windows were wide open, there were too many people, so it was completely useless.

Professor Chen Yuanli of Jiaozhou State School rubbed his tired eyes, put down a scroll of ink and righteousness in his hand, and took a sip of the cold tea.

As the examiner for the Chiayi region in this year's joint examination of four prefectures, he did not have to grade the papers directly, but the academic officials below would bring the papers to him when they encountered difficult problems. Therefore, after reviewing papers for several days, he was already exhausted and dizzy.

Making decisions is not easy. He can accept not knowing how to grade a good paper, but when faced with papers that are either exaggerated or biased but not bad, he feels like he has to take a bite of the paper even though he knows it is a tough one.

"Professor, please take a look at this scripture."

An academic official approached with a test paper, his voice tinged with surprise: "From Luzhou, this treatise is truly exceptional. I just wonder how it should be graded in the top category?"

Chen Yuanli took it and glanced at the anonymous signature area at the beginning of the book.

—This is the rule that names are sealed when grading papers. However, this year's four-state joint exam was held right after the state exams, so rankings needed to be released quickly to determine the number of students for the training camp. Therefore, there wasn't enough time to transcribe the papers, and only the names were covered up.

The topics for the classics were personally chosen by him, with the aim of testing the students' depth of understanding and ability to apply the core of Confucian "benevolent governance".

With a hint of caution, Chen Yuanli began to read.

At first, his brows furrowed slightly as he judged whether it was appropriate to quote the Book of Changes at the beginning to point out that "benevolence" was the foundation of maintaining one's position.

But soon, when the three exquisite and shocking metaphors of "taxes and levies like a gluttonous beast," "corvée labor like being driven," and "laws and decrees like claws and teeth" appeared on the page, his eyes, which had read countless papers, suddenly lit up.

As the examinee's pen moved with sharp strokes, dissecting the inescapable and life-destroying nature of "oppressive government" in great detail, especially the phrase "fearing oppressive government more than death," which struck a chord with him and gave him a jolt.

"'The cruelty of oppressive government is such that no one can escape its harm, and it never ceases, day or night. Three dynasties perished at the hands of tigers, yet they still clung to this land. It was not that they did not fear death, but that they feared the oppressive government more than death itself.'" Chen Yuanli read aloud in a low voice, then couldn't help but clap his hands. "Excellent! This metaphor captures the pain so acutely, truly understanding the Master's intention! This candidate has such profound insight into the suffering of the people?"

He couldn't wait to look down.

When he saw the four principles of benevolent governance—"nurturing the people," "educating the people," "appointing the virtuous," and "frugality"—he nodded repeatedly.

These four key points are concise and to the point, demonstrating not only an understanding of the classics but also a pragmatic talent for managing the world, proving that they are far from being mere armchair strategists.

The point about "frugality" is particularly insightful, especially when considering the current state of the Song Dynasty's excessive spending and the increasing burden of local levies.

By the end, the author uses the rise and fall of history as evidence to conclude with contemporary expectations, resulting in a powerful and concluding piece.

Chen Yuanli breathed a long sigh of relief, gently placed the paper back on the table, his eyes filled with admiration.

"What does the professor think? Can it be rated as top-tier?" the examiner asked as he handed over the paper. "The writing is fluent and the reasoning is profound!" Chen Yuanli praised generously. "The topic is precisely addressed, the argument progresses step by step, the citations are appropriate, and what is even more commendable is the profound concern for the people and the thought of governing the world! This essay can be rated as top-tier!"

"what?"

The academic officials grading the papers were all surprised to hear this assessment.

In the Song Dynasty, for examinations at the prefecture and county levels, candidates who could fully meet the answer requirements would usually be given a grade of "Lower Grade A," equivalent to a perfect score. If a candidate's answer was truly outstanding and significantly better than other perfect-score papers, they would be given a grade of "Middle Grade A" as encouragement. As for "Upper Grade A," it meant that the paper was not only better than a perfect score but also received the extreme appreciation of the examiner, which was an exception to receive this grade.

Clearly, Lu Beigu was able to receive the highest score because he knew the grading preferences of Jiaozhou beforehand, even though his writing was already excellent.

After reviewing the exam paper, the examiners all agreed that it was indeed very well written and deserved Chen Yuanli's praise.

Someone suggested, "Should we see who wrote this? This doesn't seem like the writing style of Su Shi from Meizhou, who came in first place in last year's joint examination of the four prefectures."

It is said that one's writing reflects one's character. Last year's excellent exam papers were circulated among the examiners of the four prefectural schools, so they knew Su Shi. Given Su Shi's free and unrestrained nature, even if he wrote "Oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger," he would never have written it that way.

"Let's watch it together after the exam, so as not to break the rules."

He gestured for everyone to remain calm and suppress their curiosity, and to wait until all the papers had been initially graded before conducting the final review and ranking.

However, when Chen Yuanli picked up the anonymously written treatise again, his curiosity reached its peak: "Who is this talented person? It seems that no one like him stood out in last year's joint examination of the four prefectures?"

Two more days passed, and it was finally time to log in and rank the points.

When the official in charge of the classics finally tore off the anonymous name tag, revealing the words "Lu Beigu, Luzhou Prefectural School," a murmur of discussion arose in the official residence.

"I feel like I recognize this name. Where did I hear it from?"

"This year's New Year's Gathering!"

"Oh right, this student is the top student at this year's freshman gathering."

Chen Yuanli said, "Let me see how well he does in calligraphy."

Soon, someone searched through the many ink-stained scrolls whose names had been torn off and found the corresponding scroll.

"The interpretation of the Mohist school is not as good as that of the classics, but the answer is still acceptable."

Chen Yuanli took the paper and examined it carefully: "The citations for the Spring and Autumn Annals questions are all correct, but the analytical skills are still lacking. It seems that as a freshman, your foundation is still a little weak."

"Bring over the poems and essays to take a look as well."

Soon, the academic official in charge of poetry and prose also brought over the exam papers.

"The poem is well-structured and regulated, with a pure and lofty theme and excellent parallelism. It deserves a grade of B or above."

"This 'Ode to Yu the Great's Cherishing Every Inch of Time' is grand in scope, clear and elegant, and it interprets the word 'diligence' in a righteous and powerful way. Although it doesn't have any particularly outstanding points, this basic skill is enough to be rated as top grade."

"Luzhou has truly produced a talent this year!"

After reading it, Chen Yuanli's tone revealed a hint of envy for Luzhou Prefectural School: "When the training camp starts, I have to meet this Lu Beigu in person."

Upon hearing this, several officials from Jiaozhou became quite interested in Lu Beigu.

"Alright, hurry up and log in your scores, then create a ranking."

(End of this chapter)