Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 149: The ranking of all the poems and essays is revealed, and all names are disclosed!
Without a doubt, the Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River was rated as the highest grade.

They are among the very few who can achieve this grade.

The Grand Secretaries were somewhat subtle in their grading of the papers.

Song Shi'an has very few surviving articles. His resume before the age of twenty is practically blank, with only two articles from the provincial examination, "Exhortation to Learning" and "Strategy for Military Farming," available for reference.

These examiners had reviewed his writing at least a dozen times beforehand, just to find out some of his writing habits so they could find fault with him when making their judgments.

Of the hundred poems in the first-class category, only a few are similar to his writing style, and none of the nine poems that are rated as first-class are by Song Shi'an.

They are certain.

Therefore, he ranked at least outside the top ten in the category of poetry and prose.

I was originally planning to trip him up a bit...

But he collapsed on his own without even the Grand Secretaries having to lift a finger.

It seems that he still lacks literary talent.

Please ascend the Lingxiao Pavilion for a moment. For those scholars who aspire to high office, their ambition and aspirations are more important than their literary talent.

The next afternoon, it was time to rank the poems.

Of course, the Grand Secretaries couldn't make the final decision either; it was ultimately up to the Emperor. However, they had to provide a suggested ranking based on a consensus.

Basically, the suggested ranking is equivalent to the actual ranking.

Except for a few minor adjustments to the radish pits.

The emperor's word is law, but he cannot be too domineering. If the conclusions reached by these Grand Secretaries through collective discussion are completely invalid and the actual rankings are distorted beyond recognition, the Grand Secretaries' enthusiasm will be greatly diminished.

Aside from tyrants and incompetent rulers, anyone who wants to be a good emperor understands one principle—the court must never become a one-man show where anyone says, "Go play by yourself."

"Has His Highness Prince Jin arrived?" Gu Yixin asked.

"Master Gu, you should be arriving soon," Zhang Zhao said.

"Those scholars who are not ranked first will be judged first. As for those ranked first, we will wait for the Prince of Jin to arrive," Gu Yixin decided.

The crowd waited for the Prince of Jin to arrive.

He arrived shortly afterward.

Everyone stood up and saluted.

The Prince of Jin returned the greeting.

Then, he and Gu Yixin sat in the main seats, with six Grand Secretaries on their left and right.

“Your Highness, all those in the first rank are here, but their names have not yet been revealed. We are now about to discuss the specific rankings, and we ask Your Highness to make the decision,” Gu Yixin said.

“Master Gu, all of you are learned and knowledgeable masters. You may discuss freely. I am merely listening in. In the end, the matter will be submitted to His Majesty for a final decision,” said Prince Jin.

"Then I will obey."

Gu Yixin nodded and then said, "Then let's start by ranking the first-class students."

Work begins.

Sun Kang stood up and said, "These three pieces are slightly inferior to those in the upper-middle tier of Grade A, and are ranked seventh, eighth, or ninth. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone agreed.

Ranking directly from first to ninth would be too agonizing, but it's much easier to differentiate between the top ranks.

“This piece, ‘Dream of Lanxi,’ is the least meaningful of the three. How about the ninth one?” Sun Kang asked.

"The scenery description is good, but it lacks content."

"Yes, poetry and prose are never just about displaying words; this piece basically obscures the meaning."

"Simply beautiful writing."

It's like someone writing a long, beautiful description of a scene, and then concluding by saying, "This is truly a wonderful place, one that you'd never want to leave." That's the limit of its scope.

Why can there be articles in the top-tier (Class A) that lack emotional depth but are still lacking in substance?

Because its writing style is so soothing.

Just like Yu Qiuyu, who has been criticized by his peers, and his book "A Cultural Journey," which has also been criticized.

Many people dislike the author, perhaps because they question the author's character.

But putting aside the author's character, it is truly a good book.

It's a very pleasant read.

These three articles were quickly finalized after discussion.

Then the scholar handed it over to the Prince of Jin for him to read personally.

After reading it, he realized that he really couldn't become a Grand Scholar.

My insights and experiences are completely different from those of these old scholars.

But they're all fine; not a single one was something he could have written himself. Even if it wasn't about scientific research, but rather something that would take him ten days or half a month to figure out.

What intrigued him even more was the hierarchical distinction between the nine articles.

These three works are together. Of the other six works, five are stacked together, and the remaining one is separated.

That should have belonged to Sun Qian.

How can things be done so obviously?
Even if you're going to pre-select him as number one, you can't do it so openly.

They've all reached the level of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), how could they possibly fall behind?
Didn't their father's reprimand teach them a lesson?
Prince Jin was indeed a member of the aristocratic faction, and he wanted the aristocratic families to check and balance the nobles, but he also did not want his subordinates to be rebellious and argue with the emperor.

Let me say a few words later.

“These five pieces are all excellent in terms of writing style and theme. Among them, the best in terms of writing style are ‘Ode to the Mountains and Rivers of Dayu’ and ‘Ascending the Flying Phoenix Pavilion on the Xiang River’,” Sun Kang said. “In terms of scenery description alone, they are better than the other three pieces.”

"But the grandeur of 'The Great River Flows East' and the student's patriotism are expressed vividly," Zhang Zhao said. "The theme is very lofty and far-reaching."

"Such a vision can also be found in the Ode to the Mountains and Rivers of Dayu."

"Yes, the line 'The waves crash against the majestic pass, once shattering the horse of Ji Wang, and the waves sinking the sword of Qi,' combined with this great victory in the north wind, can inspire the people."

This statement greatly pleased the Prince of Jin.

But he couldn't comment.

Because according to the Grand Secretary's arrangement, the first place in the poetry and prose category was reserved for that individual piece.

"Your Highness, please read."

Others then presented these three articles to the King of Jin.

After examining it carefully, he felt that the difference was indeed not significant.

However, it is clear that "Ode to the Landscape of Dayu" is better.

Perhaps it was the Grand Scholar's evaluation that had given him some preconceived notions. He was particularly pleased with the nine characters: "The horse that shattered Ji Wang's heart, the sword that sank into the waves of Qi."

Prince Jin nodded.

They were quite efficient; the second through ninth places were all decided.

"Ode to the Mountains and Rivers of Dayu" is the second in line.

What remains is number one.

The first place went to Sun Qian.

So, the second-best candidate, whom even the Prince of Jin thought was good at first glance, might be Song Shi'an?

If that's true, it would be terrifying.

Even on subjects he's not good at, he performs so perfectly?

Does this person have any shortcomings?
Perhaps using him back then could have truly been a way to counter the powerful nobles and aristocratic families. What the Prince of Jin feared most was being sidelined, so he needed strong supporters.

Could it be that missing out on Song Shi'an was the biggest mistake of my life...?

"Finally, the winner we collectively selected doesn't need further evaluation." Gu Yixin smiled slightly and looked to the side. "Your Highness, please take a look."

The Prince of Jin took the document.

Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River.

It is about the Luo River, which is a river within the territory of Sizhou.

Why did Sun Qian write this?
It's not a major river, nor is it a river from his hometown.

Don’t understand, but respect.

Keep watching.

As he watched, he became completely immersed in the experience.

It was as if one had entered a dreamlike, hazy, and vast divine realm. Within it dwelled a goddess of noble beauty, exuding a captivating fragrance that enchanted all who beheld her…

The Prince of Jin immediately found it pleasing to the eye.

After the goddess vanished, he felt a sense of loss and emptiness.

"What a great article!"

After reading it, the Prince of Jin truly felt that the title was well-deserved.

It was written so beautifully, with an effortless elegance, and what was rather embarrassing was that there were some words in it that he didn't even recognize.

However, in his view, this was somewhat of a lingering attachment to romantic relationships...

The second-place work seems to have a grander scale.

There is little difference between the two.

Based on the Prince of Jin's reaction, the scholars finally understood.

It's unclear what other qualities this prince possesses, but in the area of ​​literature, it's unlikely he'll achieve much more.

If you can't even distinguish between essays and famous works, you'll have a hard time passing the imperial examination.

"I have no objection," the Prince of Jin finally said.

“In that case, let’s follow this ranking for A,” Gu Yixin said.

Next, there are the remaining Grade A grades.

Because they had already been reviewed, it took about a minute to review each one.

In less than two hours, the rankings for Grade A were all finalized.

At the same time, the rankings of all the remaining fifty-odd bachelors' papers, except for those in the first tier, were determined.

Of course, it's impossible for all three thousand students to line up.

There are nearly 500 people in the second tier, and they are ranked one by one.

The rest are simply labeled as Grade C and Grade D.

The arduous and demanding work finally came to an end, and the old men were exhausted.

Next, under the supervision of Prince Jin and the palace eunuchs, the registration process began.

However, this task was done by the remaining bachelors.

Ordinary examiners will continue to conduct the initial review of policy essays.

Therefore, those who had the time to pay attention to the unveiling of names were the Grand Scholars and the Prince of Jin.

Of the three thousand names, they only cared about two.

The Prince of Jin wants to know who this second-place candidate, who is almost as good as the first, is.

The Grand Secretary only cared about who came in first place.

“Ode to the Mountains and Rivers of Dayu”, by Sheng Ansun Qian.

With a loud announcement, the Prince of Jin was completely stunned.

what?
Sun Qian is second, shouldn't he be first?
Have the other Grand Secretaries made a mistake?
Just as he was thinking this, he realized that everyone was expecting it, with only a few showing only superficial surprise.

"This young master Sun Qian is quite impressive," Sun Kang said.

"Yes, he's already second to none at such a young age," someone praised. "He has a bright future ahead of him."

It's clear that they deliberately placed Sun Qianan second.

In other words, everyone felt that "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" was far superior to Sun Qian's, which deterred them from engaging in any underhanded tactics.

Who is this person?
"Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River, by Sheng An and Song Shi'an."

However, as soon as these words were spoken, all the Grand Secretaries were stunned and dumbfounded.

I never imagined it would be him!
Apart from Sun Kang, who was somewhat expected.

But he couldn't believe it could really be Song Shi'an!
However, the Prince of Jin was even more confused—you didn't know this was Song Shi'an's, yet you collectively ranked him as number one?

.........

That night, after receiving the message from the eunuch, Chen Bao hurriedly went to report to the emperor.

His feelings were chaotic and agitated.

There is simply too much to say.

"Your Majesty, Song Ce's ranking in poetry is out. He's ranked eighteenth in the second tier, roughly around one hundred and twenty overall," Chen Bao said.

"That's great, he's raised his son well."

Even the emperor was a little envious of Song Jing.

At the age of sixteen, he took the imperial examination and ranked 120th out of 3,000 candidates in the poetry and prose category.

This is absolutely a child prodigy!

"When the policy essays are released, pick someone from the poetry and prose section who is absolutely impossible to pass even if they achieve the highest rank, and swap their ranking with him," the emperor said.

Fifty students were awarded first-class honors for their poems and essays, and the first-class honors for their policy essays.

Song Ce's chances of becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) are basically secure.

“That Wang Shuishan ranked 290th in the second tier of poetry,” Chen Bao said.

"Fiftyth in Class B, and we'll swap places with him," the emperor decided.

If Wang Shuishan can demonstrate his abilities in policy essays, he has a very good chance of becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

Next up is the main event.

Sun Qian and Song Shi'an.

After a brief pause, Chen Bao suppressed his joy and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Your Majesty, in the ranking of the poetry and prose examination, Song Shi'an is first and Sun Qian is second."

Policy essays were Song Shi'an's forte.

Now, no matter how much shady dealings Sun Qian pulls, he can no longer compete with Song Shi'an for the top scholar title!

Originally, Chen Bao thought the emperor would be happier.

However, the other person slowly turned his head to look at him and asked, "You mean that if the Grand Scholars set the questions in favor of Sun Qian, graded the papers in favor of Sun Qian, and ranked the papers in favor of Sun Qian, then Song Shi'an would be first and he would be second?"

"..." Chen Bao was stunned.

The emperor's face was frosty and filled with murderous intent: "His two sons are terrifying."

(End of this chapter)