Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 246 Another draw
In the usual imperial examinations for Jinshi degree candidates, there were only ten questions on the classics and the meaning of the classics, so the difference in ability was not obvious.

In this second round of competition, it became clear that the other two elites sent by the Imperial Academy, while not as good as Liu Ji, were still at the level of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Liu Ji, as a top contender for the top scholar, demonstrated his formidable strength in the second round of the Ink and Brush Competition.

—Fifty questions on the meaning of ink, forty-nine answered correctly!
This terrifying mastery of the art of ink was so astonishing that not only the onlookers but also the learned scholars and erudite men in the hall were shocked.

You should know that even if the people who set the questions were to answer them, they wouldn't be able to achieve this level of accuracy.

In this round, Cheng Yi's mentality and performance were clearly problematic. Normally, he should be about the same level as Cheng Hao. However, even if Cheng Yi performed normally, he wouldn't win, since this competition is based on the overall team performance.

However, Lu Beigu was still somewhat worried about Cheng Yi's condition.

Because the situation will only get worse, not better, as time goes on.

After two hours of intense mental exertion, not to mention others, even Lu Beigu, who was always full of energy, was feeling a bit dizzy.

After a short break, all the questions for the third round of current affairs strategy were quickly drawn.

Several clerks copied the twenty current affairs essay questions onto paper, and then the exam papers were distributed to the six candidates.

Lu Beigu looked at the first question.

"Now that the world has enjoyed peace for a long time, the treasury is gradually emptying, the borders are not yet pacified, the population is increasing daily, and the land is limited. Some say that we should broaden the sources of income, promote the monopoly on wine, and increase the taxes on salt and iron; others say that we should focus on the fundamentals and suppress the secondarys, emphasizing agriculture and sericulture, and reducing redundant expenses to support the people's strength. Which of the two is more urgent? How can we solve both at the same time? Let me present my thoughts."

This question directly addresses the core fiscal contradiction of the Song Dynasty, requiring candidates to weigh the priorities between "increasing taxes" and "reducing expenses" and propose a practical and feasible comprehensive solution.

It can be said that the questions were quite substantial, effectively testing the scholars' insight into the major policies of the dynasty and their practical abilities.

The same applies to the following nineteen questions.

Each question is a practical one that addresses current problems, covering all aspects of governance, finance, military affairs, people's livelihood, and education.

"With the population growing daily and arable land limited, land consolidation becoming increasingly rampant, and the number of displaced people gradually increasing, what measures should be taken to pacify and manage this situation?"

"The increasing prevalence of Buddhism and Taoism is depleting the people's wealth and energy. Does this hinder the rule of the emperor? How should we deal with it?"

"."

The questions are so broad and profound that they far exceed the scope of ordinary test questions.

The renowned scholars watching the battle inside the hall also wore solemn expressions, fully aware of the importance of this round.

Yang Anguo's hands, resting on his knees, were clenched into fists, his knuckles turning slightly white. Hu Yuan, on the other hand, had his eyes slightly closed, seemingly resting, but his upright posture revealed that he was not truly able to remain completely detached from the situation.

Lu Beigu took a light breath, and his chaotic thoughts instantly calmed down.

The political and strategic skills that Song Xiang had taught him were now flowing clearly in his mind like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, his wrist steady, and wrote with lightning speed, yet his thoughts were exceptionally clear.

However, the current affairs strategy is ultimately different from subjects like the classics and the principles of calligraphy, which have strict standard answers. Each person's subjective views will be reflected in the content written down.

For example, on the same topic, Lu Beigu tended to focus on practical application, while Cheng Hao approached it from the perspective of "benevolent governance," emphasizing that "the first priority of benevolent governance is to improve people's livelihoods" and "wealth is the heart of the people; accumulating wealth and harming the people is to harm the harmony of Heaven." His writing style was gentle and profound, and his reasoning was deep, but his specific measures for reducing redundancy and managing finances were somewhat vague, and his writing speed was also slightly slower than Lu Beigu's.

As for Cheng Yi, he was extremely serious, citing classical texts to vehemently criticize the harm caused by "ministers who amass wealth," and strongly advocated "abolishing unnecessary projects and saving unnecessary expenses." The core of his "how to plan comprehensively" was to "correct the ruler's wrong mind," believing that if the monarch could "uphold frugality and virtue," the social atmosphere would naturally be rectified.

However, due to the pressure of having the worst performance in the team in the first two rounds, he would occasionally pause and ponder while writing, and his writing speed would be even slower.

As expected of Liu Ji, who was studying at the Imperial Academy, his work was remarkable. He began with a series of obscure allusions and ornate language, and argued in a powerful manner that "a rich country must first have a strong military, and a strong military must have abundant resources." His writing was brilliant, his language was amazing, and he drew on a wide range of sources, which was dazzling to the reader.

However, upon closer examination of its core argument, it actually places "open source" as the absolute priority, while paying little attention to "cost reduction," especially the most thorny and fundamental issue of curbing "three redundancies," or merely glossing over it with the phrase "eliminating redundancies and selecting the best," which seems to avoid the important issues.

His classmates Chen Shu and Wei Gongda's policy essays also bore the influence of the "Imperial Academy style," with beautiful language, but they were either too idealistic or too abstract, and their grasp of concrete practical matters was far inferior to Liu Ji's, let alone Lu Beigu's pragmatism.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

"Time's up, put down your pen!"

Both sides reluctantly stopped writing, and the clerks quickly stepped forward to collect the papers.

What followed was a long and tense process of grading the papers.

The "judging team," composed of scholars from the Hanlin Academy, doctors from the Imperial Academy, and doctors from the Imperial University, gathered around the table, discussing in hushed tones and occasionally arguing.

Finally, the old Confucian judge, holding the results, walked into the hall, and all eyes were on him.

The twenty policy proposals on current affairs have been evaluated as follows:

"Imperial Imperial College."

Cheng Hao: A is below, B is above six, B is in the middle eight, and B is below five.

Cheng Yi: Yi Shang Wu, Yi Zhong Jiu, Yi Xia Liu.

“Lu Beigu: A is three below, B is ten above, and B is seven in the middle.”

The Imperial College's overall assessment was as follows: four questions were graded as A (lowest level), twenty-one questions were graded as B (highest level), twenty-four questions were graded as B (medium level), and eleven questions were graded as B (lowest level).

"Imperial Academy".

"Liu Ji: Jia below three, Yi above nine, Yi in the middle eight."

“Chen’s suffix: Yi Shang 4, Yi Zhong 10, Yi Xia 6.”

“Wei Gongda: Yi Shang San, Yi Zhong Ba, Yi Xia Jiu.”

The overall assessment of the Imperial Academy is as follows: three grades below Grade A, sixteen grades above Grade B, twenty-six grades in the middle Grade B, and fifteen grades below Grade B.

The chief referee, an old scholar, surveyed the entire hall and spoke clearly: "According to the consensus, considering both the ranking and the number of participants, the Imperial Academy wins this round of the Current Affairs Strategy!"

Liu frowned.

The combined strength of these three from the Imperial Academy in terms of current affairs and policy was somewhat beyond his expectations.

He personally achieved three A grades and nine B grades, yet he still lost to the Imperial Academy in the team's overall evaluation.
Especially Lu Beigu, whose name he had never heard of before, who actually outperformed him in terms of current affairs strategy.
The other two students from the Imperial Academy also looked rather embarrassed. They had thought that the competition, which they thought would be a sure thing and make them famous, turned out to be a drag on the team in the third round.

Hu Yuan, who had been resting with her eyes closed, also opened them. Her gaze lingered on Lu Beigu for a long time before sweeping over Liu Ji, whose face was solemn, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"The three rounds of competition have concluded."

The venerable judge's voice quelled the commotion: "Between the Imperial Academy and the National University, the Imperial Academy wins in the Classics section, the National University wins in the Essays section, and the Imperial Academy wins in the Current Affairs section. It's a draw!"

—Another draw!
This result brought the final suspense to its peak.

(End of this chapter)