Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 279 A Secret That Only He Could Enjoy

The 30th day of the twelfth month of the first year of the Jiayou era.

After tonight, it will be the new year.

Although his brother-in-law Jia Yan and sister Lu Nanzhi had invited Lu Beigu to their home to celebrate the New Year that evening, Lu Beigu still made the most of the daytime on the last day of the year. After a simple breakfast, he buried himself in his studies inside the house.

After all, he was only fifteen days away from taking the Ministry of Rites provincial examination, which would determine his fate.

All the efforts of the past were for this leap over the dragon gate.

As long as one can pass the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites, regardless of the ranking, at least under the current imperial examination rules of the Song Dynasty, it means that one is guaranteed to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Of course, Lu Beigu still hoped to achieve a top ranking.

In fact, after Song Xiang's meticulous teaching over the past few months, which was almost like "initiating enlightenment and transmitting skills," as well as the teachings of the great Confucian scholars of the Imperial Academy, the students were able to achieve remarkable results.

Lu Beigu's skill level is definitely completely different from when he first arrived in Kaifeng.

The problem is that, having been engrossed in his studies for so long, he had no practical experience other than the brief time he fought against the Imperial Academy on behalf of the Imperial College!

As a result, Lu Beigu is now completely unsure of his own level.
There's nothing that can be done about it. Before the state exams, the state association organizes internal mock exams, or even joint exams. But it's different for the provincial exams. Candidates come from all over the country and basically have to prepare on their own.

Oh, there are mock exams too; the Imperial Academy holds them before each provincial examination by the Ministry of Rites.

For the past ten years or so, the chief examiners of the provincial examinations of the Ministry of Rites were mostly from the Imperial Academy, and the examinations were conducted in the style of the Imperial Academy. Therefore, the mock examinations of the Imperial Academy were very popular. Candidates from other places who wanted to participate had to rely on connections, and those connections had to be very strong.

This is also true this year.

Today, the threshold of the Imperial Academy is so crowded that people are practically wearing it out. Before dawn, the East Street was already filled with noise.

Even when he was in the Imperial Academy, Lu Beigu was still awakened by these noises.

But in Lu Beigu's view, even setting aside the old grudges between the Imperial Academy and the National Academy, participating in the mock exam organized by the National Academy would be completely meaningless.

—Because the Imperial Academy style of writing was not tested in the second year of the Jiayou era.

He confirmed that the "Sky Eye" had not malfunctioned and was very certain about what would happen in the future.

That is, every candidate who wrote an essay for the Ministry of Rites provincial examination in the style of the Imperial Academy would be rejected by Ouyang Xiu without exception!

The news that Ouyang Xiu had become the chief examiner was something that the vast majority of candidates were unaware of.

As for Ouyang Xiu's plan to completely replace the Imperial Academy style with classical prose in this provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites, thus ending the Imperial Academy's dominant position in the civil service examination, this was a closely guarded secret known only to a very few people.

This means that even before the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites has begun, Lu Beigu's opponents have already been reduced by more than half.

Many people, even if unwilling, have actively practiced and used the Imperial Academy style of writing in order to achieve a good ranking, hoping to gain the favor of the examiners who were graduates of the Imperial Academy.

These people are destined to be eliminated in this provincial examination administered by the Ministry of Rites.

"Ah"

Lu Beigu put down his pen, breathed on it, and rubbed his stiff hands. Looking at the article in front of him, he was very satisfied.

Then, he threw the paper in his hand into the brazier.

Lu Beigu watched the flames rapidly licking the seven characters on the paper: "On the Utmost Importance of Rewarding Loyalty and Honesty," his mind slightly blank.

"With the guidance of the best teacher in the world, knowledge of the version's style, and the fact that competitors are automatically half-competitive, I even remember one of the exam questions." "If I still can't rank at the top with so many advantages, I might as well borrow a block of tofu from my older sister and smash my head against it."

Yes, as a time traveler, Lu Beigu was not familiar with the other exam questions of the Ministry of Rites provincial examination in the second year of Jiayou, but he still remembered this essay, "On the Utmost Kindness of Xing Shang," which was extremely famous because of Su Shi's newly compiled "Three Kills and Three Pardons" story.

Lu Beigu was not a pedantic person. If he had the advantage, why would he abandon it? How is that any different from Duke Xiang of Song losing his country because of his benevolence and righteousness?
He wouldn't do something as foolish as pretending not to know the topic and failing to prepare accordingly, much less leak the topic of "On the Utmost Importance of Rewarding Loyalty and Kindness".

This secret is for me to keep to myself!
After all, Lu Beigu couldn't explain where he got the information about the question.

Once others find out, they won't understand what "time traveler" means, but Ouyang Xiu, as the chief examiner, will be unable to defend himself. Everyone will just think that Ouyang Xiu leaked the exam questions to Lu Beigu in some way.

This would have made the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites in the second year of the Jiayou era a scandalous case of cheating in the imperial examinations that shocked the entire Song Dynasty.

For his own future, and to ensure that history is not changed for the time being and that the "Sky Eye" does not fail, as a time traveler, Lu Beigu must guard this secret at all costs!

Only after the entire article had been completely burned to ashes did Lu Beigu open the locked door and take a breath of fresh air to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning from prolonged charcoal burning.

The north wind blowing from Yanyun across Hebei is still fierce, cutting like a knife against the face.

He hadn't even taken a few breaths when he heard footsteps outside.

Then, a knock was heard on the courtyard gate.

"Boom boom boom!"

“Brother Lu, it is I, Zeng Gong.”

Lu Beigu went back to confirm that the article he had just prepared had indeed been completely burned to ashes before he went to open the courtyard gate.

He opened the door and saw Zeng Gong wrapped in a worn-out long robe, his cheeks slightly red from the cold.

"Brother Zigu, please come in quickly, it's freezing cold," Lu Beigu said.

Zeng Gong waved his hand, not going inside, and said in a slightly faster tone, "I won't go in. To make a long story short, Brother Jiefu sent someone to find me this morning, saying that Prefect Bao wants to see you. He asked me to take you to the Kaifeng Prefectural Government Office right now. He is currently handling official business at the government office and cannot get away, so he specifically asked me to come."

"Lord Bao wants to see me?"

Lu Beigu's heart stirred, and he immediately recalled Wang Anshi's enthusiasm for reforming the bureaucracy in the warm pavilion of Qingfeng Tower the night before, as well as his later practice in Hongqiao, and his own article "On the Gains and Losses of the Bureaucracy Since the Han and Tang Dynasties".

It seems that Wang Anshi has already reported this matter to Bao Zheng.

Wang Anshi, Zeng Gong, and Wang Tao were friends for twenty years, so it was perfectly reasonable for Wang Anshi to entrust Zeng Gong to find Lu Beigu.

“Exactly!” Zeng Gong nodded, his face showing a hint of solemnity. “Prefect Bao is known for his decisive and swift actions. Since he has already taken action, it is only natural that he would summon you to meet him.”

Lu Beigu dared not delay, so he immediately went back into the house to get a thick outer cloak, locked the door, and followed Zeng Gong onto the green-covered donkey cart he had hired on his way there.

The coachmen of the Imperial Academy had already gone on holiday for the New Year, so Lu Beigu had no carriages available at this time.

With a shout from the driver, the donkey cart creaked and groaned as it rolled along the frozen dirt road toward the Kaifeng government office.

The old felt blankets inside the carriage weren't much of a shelter from the wind, but fortunately the journey wasn't far, so the two of them could bear it for the time being.

The carriage crossed Longjin Bridge and traveled north along the Imperial Street. The closer it got to the government office, the more solemn and orderly the carriages and pedestrians on the road appeared.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Kaifeng Prefectural Government Office, Lu Beigu witnessed an even more extraordinary sight.

(End of this chapter)