Top Scholar

Chapter 461 Highly Recommended (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

“However, wouldn’t it be too deliberate if we didn’t take any?” one of our classmates worried. “It would make it seem like we know the key points…”

“I already knew that it is valuable to know something but not take it!” Dong Qi said in a deep voice.

“Don’t worry. If someone really asks that, you can just say, ‘Those who use connections are all opportunists. How could these people possibly settle down and do scholarship? Their writings are naturally terrible. It would be strange to hire them!’” Zhai Luan instantly came up with his answer.

"Alright, alright, let's say that!" The other students were overjoyed upon hearing this.

While Zhan Ruoshui and the others were discussing behind closed doors, the other examiners were also pondering countermeasures in small groups.

They face the same dilemma: there are simply too many test papers to handle, and forcing them to be handled will inevitably lead to failure...

The final conclusions were surprisingly consistent—the eunuch faction had gone too far this time, and they absolutely could not play along, or they would be utterly disgraced!
This decision was by no means easy, because given the arrogance of the eunuch faction, they would definitely not let them off the hook—if they said they would be exiled to Qiongzhou in Guizhou, they would definitely do it!
If the charges brought against them by the eunuch faction are too serious, they might have to experience the imperial prison first, and receive a beating as a bonus...

So that evening, no one ate much at dinner. Many of the examiners suffered from insomnia that night.

~~
The next morning, after the examiners finished breakfast, they returned to the outside of Ju Kui Hall to wait for Grand Secretary Wang and the Duke of Yingguo to open the door.

Once everyone had arrived, the two big shots finally came together.

Good morning, Your Excellency.

"Good morning, Your Excellency." The examiners all bowed and greeted him.

"Good morning, everyone," the Duke of England said with a smile. "How did you sleep last night?"

"It's alright, it's alright," everyone said with a forced smile.

"Liar!" The Duke of England shook his head and said, "Look at your dark circles and bloodshot eyes. You were playing cards last night, weren't you? You didn't even call me! That's really not nice of you!"

"No, no." Everyone quickly shook their heads, thinking to themselves, "How can someone who's been dreaming about being beaten have the mood to play cards?"

"Alright everyone, let's go in." Wang Ao knew they had been having separate meetings yesterday, but he didn't stop them. He just wanted to see if they would pull back from the brink.

After saying that, the two took out their keys, unlocked their respective locks, and opened the door to Ju Kui Hall.

The examiners filed in and, under the supervision of the proctors, opened the sealed box of papers to continue grading.

~~
The atmosphere inside Ju Kui Hall remained tense during the morning's exam review.

The examiners looked at the numerous exam papers before them, their hearts heavy. Although they had made their decision, it was merely a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Every time the words "若兹丕休" appeared, it was like a heavy hammer blow to their hearts, making it hard for them to breathe and almost causing them to vomit blood. It reminded them of how serious the consequences of their actions were.

Zhan Ruoshui was no exception; he was in poor condition all morning, even worse than yesterday. He couldn't help but secretly mock himself, realizing that his cultivation was still far from sufficient. He could make a decision with the mindset of 'sacrificing oneself for righteousness,' but he couldn't eliminate the confusion and fear in his heart.

How can we face the many hardships that await us in the future?
Until he opened a scroll and suddenly came across a masterpiece—

'A sage serves in Lu because he can apply the Way; a virtuous person enters service solely for the sake of righteousness!'

The sharp opening statement immediately captured his attention.

Zhan Ruoshui involuntarily sat up straight, picked up the book and read it carefully, feeling as if every sentence was knocking on his heart. He savored each word and sentence, and the more he read, the more his heart surged, and his eyes unconsciously welled up with warm tears.

In recent days, the turmoil of conflicting texts, the torment of making choices, and the worry about his future have weighed heavily on his mind.

But at this moment, this article was like a ray of light, piercing through the somber atmosphere of the hall and illuminating his heart... The article's sincerity towards his country, its compassion for the common people, and its adherence to morality all made him feel as if he were bathed in a spring breeze, and his spirits were lifted!
He did not bow to the ills of the times, nor did he falter in the face of hardship; he remained steadfast in his commitment to the righteous path of the nation. This sincerity and sense of responsibility not only greatly soothed his anxiety and exhaustion of the past few days, but also struck him like a thunderclap, filling him with a surge of righteous spirit!
He involuntarily exhaled a long breath, and a long-lost courage and determination rose from the bottom of his heart, spreading throughout his body.

All previous hesitation and doubt have vanished—to safeguard the integrity of the imperial examination system and select such pillars for the Ming Dynasty is the most important thing to do, and I have never made a wrong step!
As he gazed at the resounding words on the scroll, he felt as if his worldly dust had been cleansed and his spirit had been uplifted—with such scholars around, the literary tradition of the Ming Dynasty would not be severed, and there was still hope for a peaceful and prosperous world!
~~
After reading the entire paper, the page was covered with circles and dots drawn by Zhan Ruoshui.

He then eagerly flipped through the next two Four Books articles, which were also full of gems and exquisite, showing the demeanor of a master!

Upon further examination of the Five Classics, their level of scholarship was even more exceptional, drawing upon a wide range of sources and demonstrating a profound understanding of both ancient and modern times. Even he, a renowned scholar of classical studies, admitted his inferiority...

He could no longer contain his excitement and stood up!

In his excitement, he accidentally overturned the chair...

A loud bang rang out in the Ju Kui Hall!
It was already afternoon, and the examiners were getting sleepy. His sudden movement startled them all.

The old man, who was dozing off, almost slipped off his chair.

"Oh..." The Duke of England jolted awake, quickly sitting up in his chair, and asked blankly, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency, I knocked over the chair when I stood up." Zhan Ruoshui quickly bowed and apologized. "Damn, you scared me." The Duke of Ying wiped his drool and said with a kind smile, "I thought there was an earthquake."

"What are you doing, so impulsive?" Liang Chu scolded unhappily.

"Your Excellency, I request a recommendation!" Zhan Ruoshui announced loudly.

Liang Chu grew increasingly displeased and said, "Hasn't it already been established that, unless there are special circumstances, the submission of papers should only be made once a day at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM)?"

"Your Excellency, this is indeed a special case!" Zhan Ruoshui said, her voice trembling slightly as she could barely contain her excitement. "This paper deserves a 'high recommendation'!"

"Oh?" All the examiners in the hall became interested, and even the chief examiner, Wang Ao, looked up at Zhan Ruoshui.

Similar to the provincial examination, when examiners encountered a paper they considered to be exceptionally good, they could "highly recommend" it, which meant to strongly recommend it.

The chief examiner rarely rejects these kinds of papers, otherwise it would be too embarrassing for the examiners.

At that time, the examiners, eager to prove themselves, would often insist on recommending the candidate again, determined not to give up until they achieved their goal. Although the chief examiner could stubbornly disagree, that would be too undignified.

To avoid this situation, it was later agreed that each examiner had only one right to make a high recommendation, and the chief examiner should not veto it.

Therefore, as long as there are no major flaws in the second and third rounds of this exam, one can be assured of a Jinshi degree.

Although this is only the provincial examination, barring exceptional circumstances, no one will be eliminated in the final palace examination.

Therefore, passing the provincial examination could be considered equivalent to becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

~~
Upon hearing that Zhan Ruoshui was going to exercise his power of recommendation, Liang Chu said no more and took the paper with both hands to read it carefully.

After reading just the first article, he couldn't help but nod in approval: "Indeed commendable!"

Without looking further, he picked up his brush and wrote a large character "取" (take) at the beginning of the scroll, then presented it to Wang Ao for review. He smiled and said:
"Your Excellency, take a look at this article. Can it be used to carry on your legacy?"

"Ah?!" The examiners were all shocked upon hearing this. Who was Mr. Zhenze? The greatest literary master in the world!

It's no exaggeration to say that how a scholar should write his articles can be seen in how Wang Ao wrote them.

Every single one of the examiners present had grown up by studying his writings.

Now you know how high Liang Xueshi's praise was, right? It was practically as high as the sky!
"Let me take a look." Wang Ao calmly took the paper and carefully read it word by word. Before he knew it, he was deeply moved by the writing; at a particularly poignant part, he seemed to quietly wipe a tear from the corner of his eye…

Everyone waited for Grand Secretary Wang's comments, but he remained silent and continued reading. Only after finishing the remaining six articles did he sigh and say, "The Yangtze River's back waves push the front waves forward; each generation is stronger than the last!"

Hearing the examiner's evaluation, Zhan Ruoshui finally breathed a sigh of relief and secretly clenched her fist.

At this moment, Wang Ao said in a deep voice to the people below the hall: "Please stop for a moment, everyone. I will read to you the first chapter of the 'Recommendation of the Book of Rites' by Fang Gao."

"We are all ears!" The examiners, who were already curious, stopped grading the papers and sat up straight upon hearing this.

Even the old man who was dozing off perked up one ear, and his heavy breathing became much lighter.

Then Wang Ao spoke slowly, his voice steady and powerful:
“When a sage serves in Lu, he can apply the Way; when a virtuous person enters service, he only seeks righteousness.”

"..."

"When the state is well-governed, we should implement policies and promote benevolence; when the state is poorly governed, we should seize the opportunity to clarify the Way. We should not demand perfection from the state, but rather examine the feasibility of the Way; we should not shy away from the difficulties of the times, but rather guard the integrity of our hearts..."

"..." The examiners now understood why this article was so highly praised by the three. It was vigorous yet gentle, simple and elegant, without a trace of embellishment, and completely captured the essence of Mr. Zhenze's writing.

Such profound knowledge is already extremely rare, but what is even more precious is the sincerity hidden within the interpretation of the classics, which aligns with the principles of sages and embodies a deep love for one's country and its people. In this dark time, it is truly like a ray of light, bringing people precious hope!
The examiners listened intently, completely absorbed... feeling that every word and phrase fully expressed the responsibility of a scholar and the original aspiration of a sage.

In particular, the lines “The state is without the Way, yet the Way does not perish, thanks to the virtuous who uphold it; times are many, yet the will does not falter, thanks to the gentleman who takes responsibility” struck a chord with the audience, leaving them silent for a long time.

"Undeterred by the criticism of petty people, I deeply understand the importance of the people's livelihood; I do not crave personal comfort, but only remember the hardships of the nation. If I can do even a little bit of the right thing, the people will receive a little bit of benefit; if I can preserve even a sliver of benevolence, the world will retain a sliver of light..."

After reading the paper, Wang Ao put it down, glanced at the examiners, and said in a deep voice, "I wish to encourage you all to work hard together!"

"Yes, we will follow Your Excellency's teachings!" The examiners hurriedly stood up to receive the instruction.

“I am not alone in my path!” Wang Ao then picked up his brush and wrote a powerful “中” character at the beginning of the scroll!

This one word determined the scholar's status in the imperial examination!

P.S. This is a first post, I'll revise it later. I haven't written the next chapter yet... Please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)