Top Scholar

Chapter 360 Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick
If an exam paper is particularly outstanding, the examiner may give it a 'high recommendation,' meaning a strong recommendation.

Such highly recommended exam papers are rarely rejected by the chief examiner; they are more likely to give face to the other examiners.

Because once such a paper is rejected, the examiners often recommend it again, a practice known as "carrying the sedan chair".

If the chief examiner repeatedly rejects the exam paper, but the co-examiners still insist on recommending it, then it becomes... 'arguing for the sake of arguing,' and that would be undignified for everyone.

Some may ask, why are exam papers being recommended before the three exams are even over?

In fact, after the first round of marking and recommendation, the papers from the second and third rounds can still be recommended; even if a candidate is not recommended in the first round, they can still be recommended if their answers in the second and third rounds are exceptionally good.

When reviewing the recommended papers, the two chief examiners will first look at the papers from the first exam, then review the papers from the second and third exams, and finally decide on the selection based on the combined scores of the three exams.

However, this would significantly increase the workload of grading. Therefore, in practice, examiners often place more emphasis on the first essay (the "eight-legged essay") and do not pay much attention to the second and third essays.

Therefore, usually, if a candidate's paper is selected in the first round of exams, they will not be rejected in the second and third rounds as long as their writing is coherent and without obvious flaws. Conversely, even if a candidate performs well in the second and third rounds, they have very little chance of being selected if their performance in the first round is mediocre.

Although the imperial court has repeatedly emphasized the need for "equal emphasis on all three aspects," the sheer number of demands from the court means that whether or not they can be followed depends on the actual circumstances...

~~
After noon that day, the review of examination papers continued in Hengjian Hall.

While the examiners were busy grading the papers, Liu Bing and the deputy chief examiner sat behind a large desk, having nothing to do.

The proctor, who was practically dozing off, sat there nodding incessantly. Suddenly, a loud "smack" startled him, and he quickly looked up and asked, "What happened?"

"My apologies, Commander," one of the examiners from the Book of Poetry section quickly rose and bowed. "I saw a truly exquisite paper and couldn't help but applaud it..."

"Oh." The examiner, Wu Kun, the commander of the Sichuan Military Region, nodded upon hearing this and said nothing more.

The two chief examiners, however, became quite interested. Zhang Yan, the deputy chief examiner and advisor to the Provincial Administration Commissioner, laughed and said, "What kind of article could excite Brother Ziying like this? Bring it up so we can admire it together!"

“Indeed, my brother, would you like to highly recommend this article?” Liu Bing asked politely.

"Highly recommended! Absolutely highly recommended!" the examiner exclaimed excitedly. "Looking across Sichuan, I don't believe there's another person who can write an article like his!"

"Is it really that good?" The other examiners were also extremely curious, and they all stopped reading the papers and craned their necks to look.

Then the examiner presented the red examination paper to the two chief examiners, and Liu Bing took it in his hands and read it with Zhang Yan.

Upon seeing the first essay, which had already been marked with a series of circles by the examiner, the two read it carefully and exclaimed in unison, "Excellent! Excellent! It's not an exaggeration!"

"Is that so?" The examiner, even more excited after receiving confirmation, exclaimed, "Among the people of Sichuan, perhaps only Sima Xiangru and Su Dongpo could surpass him!"

"Your Excellencies, please read it to us!" The examiners could no longer contain themselves and pleaded, "Just one!"

"Hmm." Liu Bing nodded and smiled at Zhang Yan, "Then please read the first of the Four Books, 'The Journey of the Sun, Moon and Stars,' by Lord Zhang."

This sentence comes from Chapter 26 of the *Doctrine of the Mean*: "Now, consider the heavens, so bright and numerous; yet, in their infinity, the sun, moon, and stars are bound to them, and all things are covered by them."

This means that what we now call the sky was originally just a collection of tiny points of light. But when it became boundless, the sun, moon, and stars were sustained by it, and all things in the world were covered by it.

Although this is a challenging question, it is quite difficult and is the kind of question that can differentiate students based on their abilities.

This is normal. The first session of the provincial examination is the most important, and the first question is the most crucial. Therefore, the difficulty of the first question can more fairly differentiate the candidates' abilities.

"Okay." Zhang Yan nodded and began to read aloud with intonation:
"Heaven provides boundless protection, which is the result of utmost sincerity and ceaseless transformation!"

"Excellent! The question is well-defined and insightful!" the examiners exclaimed in unison.

Zhang Yan continued reading:

“The faint light accumulates to form the vastness of the dome, and slowly transforms and condenses into the constant warp and weft. At first, it is a primordial energy that flows and disperses to form a bright and clear image, and then it encompasses and gathers into an infinite body.”

"When Qingming arrives, the moonlight shines upon us. I have no intention of binding the stars, yet the stars are inseparable from me; I have no intention of covering all things, yet all things are inseparable from me. Why? Because the virtue of utmost sincerity, if it does not cease, will endure; if it endures, it will manifest and become clear; if it becomes clear, it will move and transform!"

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!" Upon hearing this, all the examiners were completely captivated, clapping their hands in praise.

"The phrase 'accumulating tiny lights to form a dome' vividly captures the meaning of 'the brilliance is infinitely abundant' in the Doctrine of the Mean! It's truly a display of exceptional talent. How could ordinary scholars possibly match such skill in word choice?"

"What's even more remarkable is that this text not only aligns with the foundation of the Song Dynasty Confucian 'theory of principle and material force' but also possesses the gravitas of Han and Tang commentaries. It is neither superficial nor frivolous; every word is firmly rooted in the meaning of the classics! This lineage truly connects with the orthodox lineage of Confucius and Mencius!" Several elderly Confucian scholars were almost moved to tears.

"The teachings of our Holy School will never be lost!"

"Yes," the examiners exclaimed in unison, "If such a talented writer, whose pen can wield such power, were to fail, wouldn't that be a regret for the examinations and a disgrace to us all?"

Even Liu Bing couldn't help but sigh, "I may not be able to become Ouyang Xiu, but I still have a student like Su Dongpo!"

"I think he's more than just a top scholar; he's the undisputed champion of this examination, even the best in the provincial examination!" The examiner who discovered this paper slammed his fist on the table excitedly. "Just ask me, whose essay can compare to this one?" "No one, right?" He looked down at the group of examiners and added a harsh remark: "If there is, I'll crawl out of Hengjian Hall!"

“Actually… there is one.” The old gentleman in the ceremony room whispered.

"What?!" Examiner Na Ziying exclaimed incredulously, "Then why didn't you recommend my paper?"

"I forgot him." The old gentleman in charge of the ceremony said, rummaging through the pile of lost documents. "Let me see where it is..."

"Mr. Zhengde, what are you doing?" Even the chief examiner, Liu Bing, couldn't hold back anymore and questioned, "Don't even mention comparing them. Even if someone had three-tenths of this person's ability, you should still recommend him."

“Indeed.” Zhang Yan nodded in agreement. “This person only needs to use 30% of his strength to pass the imperial examination.”

Mr. Na Zhengde quickly stood up and explained, "Your Excellency, you are unaware that this person's three essays on the Four Books are all brilliant, every word a gem, but his essays on the Five Classics..."

"Although it is written more brilliantly," the old gentleman paused and sighed, "it contains too many errors and fabricates classics. At least half of the four characters 'pure, true, elegant, and upright' do not apply, so I have to reluctantly part with it."

"Let me see it." Liu Bing was even more curious now. "It's not a problem for young people to fabricate classics; Su Dongpo did it back in the day. If they really have the former's level, I can criticize them, send them to the supplementary list, and let them take the exam again in three years. Wouldn't passing it be a piece of cake?"

“Yes, Sichuan has really made something of itself, producing both Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.” Zhang Yan stroked his beard and laughed.

“Found it, found it.” Mr. Zhengde took out a red scroll from the pile of papers and presented it to the two chief examiners, saying, “Please take a look, gentlemen.”

Liu Bing and Zhang Yan reviewed the exam papers together again. After reading them, they remained silent for a long time.

"Sir, what's wrong?" the examiners asked, puzzled.

Liu Bing then came to his senses and exclaimed in shock, "The greatest sound is silent; these are the words of sages!"

“Indeed, it is comparable to the former…” Zhang Yan also exclaimed.

Zhang Yan had already guessed who the author of the first article was, so it was quite remarkable that he said it was "comparable".

"Yes, it is truly a masterpiece that I cannot match. If his interpretation of the Five Classics were not so outrageous, I would definitely recommend it highly..." The old gentleman sighed again, full of regret.

"..." Liu Bing then turned to the section on the Five Classics and asked the old man, "What exactly did he do wrong?"

“I have already marked it for him,” the old gentleman said hurriedly. “Take the first major question for example, there are several obvious fabrications in it.”

"For example, he said, 'Zheng Xuan said, "Sacrifices have principles and expedient measures. Principles are the constants of the four seasons; expedient measures are the changes arising from righteousness.'" The old gentleman continued, "I have studied rites for half my life, and I have long memorized Zheng Xuan's commentary. How come I don't remember this sentence?"

"He also said that in the sixth year of Jianwu reign of Emperor Guangwu of Han, after a border victory, a sacrifice was offered at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, known as the 'Gaogong Di'!" The old gentleman became increasingly angry as he spoke, saying, "Even I, the one who set the question, have never heard of this. It's obviously nonsense!"

"The most outrageous thing is this. He actually fabricated an imperial edict from the founding emperor, saying that the emperor said: 'Rites are not inanimate objects, but should be used for governance.' If this gets out, he won't even be able to keep his scholar's degree." Mr. Zhengde lowered his voice and said:

"I am impotent in order to protect him."

"I see, you are kind-hearted, sir." Zhang Yan nodded and said softly.

"Then we won't even include the secondary list."

"Sigh..." Mr. Zhengde sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time, still feeling a great pity.

Liu Bing shook his head and said in a deep voice, "This man should be the master of the Book of Rites!"

"Huh?" Mr. Zhengde was about to say, "Isn't this ridiculous?"

He immediately remembered that Liu Bing was also a scholar of the Book of Rites, and even a junior official in the Hanlin Academy—the highest level of education in the Ming Dynasty. He swallowed back the word "nonsense" and instead asked, "Why is that?"

“First of all, his level of expertise in classical studies is already at the Hanlin Academy level,” Liu Bing explained, giving him a cold glance.
"Furthermore, he did not fabricate anything; all his quotations have sources."

"Ah?" Mr. Zhengde's face immediately turned red, and he blurted out, "No way?"

He quickly apologized after speaking: "This humble official misspoke."

"It's alright." Liu Bing shook his head and began to lecture him:
"‘Sacrifices have principles and expedient measures. Principles refer to the constants of the four seasons; expedient measures refer to the changes arising from righteousness.’ This sentence was indeed said by Zheng Xuan, but Kong Yingda did not include it in the main text when he wrote the ‘Correct Interpretation of the Book of Rites’. Instead, he appended it to the end of the book as a lost text. However, it can only be found in the Song Dynasty edition.”

"'In the sixth year of Jianwu reign of Emperor Guangwu of Han, there was a victory on the border, and an additional sacrifice was offered at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, called the Di sacrifice for meritorious service'—from Xun Shuang's 'Discourse on Rites'. The 'Discourse on Rites' itself comes from 'Collection of Han and Wei Remnants'."

"As for 'rites are not inanimate objects, but should be used for governance,' this is absolutely true, said by the Taizu Emperor, and comes from 'A Study of the Rites of the Ming Dynasty.'" Liu Bing refuted Mr. Na Zhengde's statement point by point, and also presented the source.

Mr. Zhengde was immediately filled with shame...

P.S. This is a post I'll edit later. Please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)