Top Scholar

Chapter 482 Palace Examination
Before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Liu Jin's imperial edict resounded. The candidates listened intently, for the questions for the palace examination were contained within the edict. Of course, it didn't matter if they couldn't remember them; the questions would be distributed later.

"...I do not know what laws should be followed today. What should be prioritized and what should be urgently implemented? Some say that we should rectify ourselves, encourage ourselves, respect morality, and promote loyalty and integrity in order to be in harmony with the virtues of our ancestors. Is this truly feasible? I now wish to promote the Way and govern the country so as to receive your blessings and extend the reign of Emperor Qianlong for countless years. You, my minister, should be ready to serve. If you have any suggestions to assist me, please respectfully present them to me."

After Liu Jin finished announcing the imperial decree, the officials of the Ministry of Rites distributed the examination papers. The candidates kowtowed and received the questions, and then, led by two vice ministers, they entered the east and west wings to take the exam.

Su Lu was taking the exam in the East Wing Hall. When he went in, he saw 175 low tables neatly arranged inside and outside the hall.

How low was that low table? It was only a foot high, not even reaching his knees. It was also cramped, only a foot wide and two feet long, just big enough to put a person's arm down.

To provide candidates with independent space to answer their questions, the low tables were spaced two feet apart in all directions. As a result, they couldn't be placed inside the hall, and half of them were placed under the eaves.

On each corner of the table sat a small wooden plaque bearing the candidate's name. Finally, it wasn't just a string of exam numbers anymore…

Su Lu's exam desk was under the eaves. Fortunately, it was already springtime and the sun was warm, so taking exams outdoors was not uncomfortable at all, but rather quite comfortable.

He took the exam questions to his seat, bent down to put down the exam basket, and took out a soft cushion from it.

Although the ground was covered with a thin layer of green felt, it was uncomfortable to kneel on and cold to sit on, so the teacher told him to bring a thick mat.

Actually, there were also benches and saddlebags, which could make people more comfortable when there were no chairs or stools, but the Ministry of Rites forbade people to bring these things, on the grounds that they were too unsightly and would be disrespectful in front of the emperor.

Therefore, the candidates could only bring a mat to the exam room, just like Su Lu did...

Su Lu arranged the cushions and knelt down.

Of course, some candidates sat cross-legged, but the Ministry of Rites did not require this, after all, times were changing and the people of the Ming Dynasty no longer sat on the ground.

Su Lu has done special research on this and concluded that the two postures should be alternated, otherwise the legs will go numb.

After setting out his writing brush, ink, and inkstone, Su Lu took out the answer sheet that the Ministry of Rites had distributed in advance. Of all the exams he had taken, this was definitely the highest-grade answer sheet—

The cover and back cover are bound in pale yellow silk, while the inner title paper is bound with three layers of high-quality Xuan paper. The book comprises nineteen folds, divided into two main parts. The first part is his confession, including personal information, a detailed resume, and biographies of three generations of his family. It consists of four folds, with the first fold bearing a square seal in seal script bearing the four characters "Seal of the Ministry of Rites."

The second part is the answer area, which is a 15-fold booklet with red lines on it, and only 24 characters are allowed to be written on each line.

Furthermore, the names of candidates in the palace examination were only anonymized and not copied, so the officials reading the papers and the emperor saw the candidates' own handwriting. The required style was the "official script," with neat and full characters.

Although Su Lu was usually cautious and wouldn't have put the answer sheet on the table before making a draft, the palace examination required candidates to place their answer sheets neatly in the upper left corner of a small table.

This is because the emperor might come down to inspect the examinations, and based on past experience, the emperor would stay for a maximum of one morning, usually only an hour, before leaving.

In such a short time, all the candidates haven't even finished transcribing their papers yet, so they need to prepare the official papers first so that the Emperor can check on the candidates' progress at any time.

Then Su Lucai picked up the exam paper, which still smelled of ink, and began to examine the questions.

The palace examination only has one policy essay question. There is no limit to the length of the essay, but it is generally required to be more than one thousand characters. Both the provincial and metropolitan examinations test policy essays. The only difference is that this one is for the emperor. Therefore, it must begin with "Your subject has heard" and strictly follow the writing rules of memorials. For example, if you encounter the emperor's name or other imperial taboo words, you must start a new line and write it at the beginning of the next line.

Furthermore, the ending must use the fixed format: "Your humble servant, a newcomer to the field, is unaware of any taboos and has dared to offend Your Majesty's solemnity. I am filled with trepidation and utterly ashamed. Your humble servant respectfully responds." This is a gesture of goodwill towards the examinee, serving as a disclaimer.

"I'm still young and don't understand anything. Please forgive me if I say anything wrong."

Of course, candidates shouldn't be too unrestrained and try to stand out by saying something outrageous. While that might not result in punishment for their words, it would get them marked wrong by the examiners and relegated to the bottom of the list, making it impossible for them to even see the emperor.

Moreover, overly outrageous remarks will be labeled as "dangerous elements," and when assigned an official position in the future, they will certainly be sent to a remote mountainous area as a county magistrate, never to return to the capital.

Therefore, the vast majority of test takers mainly focused on praising the achievements and then subtly offering suggestions.

Su Lu had taken the imperial examinations all the way through, so his ability to write policy essays was naturally beyond his grasp. Moreover, policy essays were the equivalent of the civil service examination essays of later generations, which was a natural talent of his.

Soon, all the candidates were seated, and the east and west wings quieted down as everyone entered exam mode...

~~
Upon examining the question, Su Lu realized that the core of this policy essay was to explore the issue of how a monarch should follow the laws of Heaven and his ancestors.

The emperor then raised a series of progressively deeper core questions, requiring candidates to first distinguish the similarities and differences between '代天、宪天、格天' and '率祖、视祖、念祖'.

When asked again about the founder having no ancestor to follow, what exactly did he emulate?
Then, we delve into the reasons why the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, which all claimed to emulate Heaven and their ancestors, achieved far less than the ancient three dynasties.

Finally, we must address the practical question of whether it is still possible to follow the laws of Heaven in the present world, and how we should follow the laws of our ancestors.
On the surface, this question tests the orthodox Confucian principles of governance, but Su Lu knew very well that things were not that simple.

Because his mentor, Grand Secretary Wang, had subtly hinted that the exam questions were not drafted by the cabinet, but rather by the emperor himself.

Based on Su Lu's understanding of His Majesty, this question was definitely a reflection of the realities of the court—essentially a contradiction between the Confucian tradition of "following the laws of Heaven and ancestors" and the rule of the emperor.

To put it bluntly, the emperor was looking for a theoretical basis to break free from the two shackles of Confucianism that bound him.

These two shackles are Heaven and Ancestor.

Heaven is the tight rein of the "interaction between Heaven and Man"—the emperor's words and actions must conform to the Way of Heaven. If he deviates even slightly, the civil officials will use natural disasters and unusual phenomena to make a big fuss, confining imperial power within the rules of "Mandate of Heaven." Ancestors are the family laws and ancestral systems passed down from one's ancestors—the phrase "the laws of the ancestors cannot be changed" is regarded by the civil officials as a "binding lock." Whenever the emperor makes any changes, he will be bound by it and obstructed at every turn.

Because the emperor claimed the title of Son of Heaven, and the throne was passed down from his ancestors, Heaven and ancestors were the two major sources of legitimacy for the emperor's rule.

Ironically, these two elements were transformed by civil officials into shackles that bound imperial power through their long-term indoctrination of the emperor.

Having witnessed firsthand his father's lack of control over his own destiny during his reign, and coupled with the constant setbacks he himself had encountered since ascending the throne, Zhu Houzhao naturally harbored deep resentment towards these two shackles. This is why he posed this question, secretly seeking a way to break the deadlock...

Other candidates could answer in a safe and conventional way, following the Confucian principles of "revering Heaven and honoring ancestors," but Su Lu was the only one who could not.

For over a month, he had already whetted the emperor's appetite with his previous outrageous remarks. If his answer this time were too conventional, it would surely disappoint His Majesty greatly…

He could not bear the consequences of disappointing the emperor—he had already thoroughly offended Liu Jin and Jiao Fang, and it was only thanks to the emperor's favor that his whole family was safe and sound, and he was even able to pass the imperial examination with flying colors.

If it weren't for his identity as 'Zhu Shou's friend,' he would have been killed eighteen times over, and each time in a different way.

Zhang Yong had warned him that the emperor was notoriously fickle, so before things settled smoothly, he couldn't afford to let the emperor lose interest in him, let alone become disappointed...

So in this friendship, he seemed strong, but in reality, he was just a sycophant, only taking advantage of the other person's kindness.

The most important thing about being a kept man is the word "stubborn." He has to be firm at all times and can't be limp...

Therefore, he had to believe that the emperor had set this question in anticipation of a satisfactory answer from him, even if it was just wishful thinking on his part.

Therefore, he had to devise a theory that could help the emperor break free from the constraints of Heaven and his ancestors without being too provocative to the civil officials.

Firstly, being one step ahead is genius, being two steps ahead is madness, and theories that are too outrageous always lead to ruin. They probably wouldn't even pass the emperor's test, let alone be used against the officials.

Secondly, his policy essay was to be shown to the examiners first, and would later be published throughout the country. He didn't want to be labeled a 'treacherous minister' by the court and the public right after passing the imperial examination with top honors...

How can it be easy in such a rushed situation?

Unconsciously, Su Lu sat cross-legged, arms crossed, lost in thought, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

Lost in his own world, he caught a glimpse of bright yellow out of the corner of his eye, and only realized a moment later that the emperor was coming to inspect the area.

According to the Ministry of Rites' training, candidates should keep their heads down while answering questions and avoid flattery.

But the man in the dragon robe stood there the whole time, and then picked up his exam paper and flipped through it quickly.

It would be extremely impolite for Su Lu not to look up at this moment, but little did he know that once he did, his eyes nearly popped out of his head—

However, after only two days apart, the emperor, whose mouth had been as smooth as his own before, suddenly grew two neat little mustaches.

Emperor Zhengde, Zhu Houzhao, however, feigned complete unfamiliarity and asked indifferently, "Are you the top scholar of this year's imperial examination?"

"The Emperor is asking you a question! Answer him quickly!" Liu Jin urged sharply from the side.

"Keep your voice down, everyone's taking the exam." The emperor glared at Liu Daban, his voice even louder than Liu's.

Su Lu quickly and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, it is indeed so."

"Does the Emperor still consider you the top scholar from Sichuan?" Zhu Houzhao asked with great interest as he looked at his personal confession.

Su Lu thought to himself, "Damn, he's a real actor. I wonder who it was that kept calling me 'Su Jieyuan' back then." So he played along with the emperor and said, "Yes, I was fortunate enough to pass the exam."

"Oh, you got first place in the provincial examination too?" Zhu Houzhao exclaimed in surprise. "First place in both the prefectural and county examinations? So you never got second place?"

"Your Majesty, I have taken the exam before," Su Lu said modestly, "but I haven't taken it again in recent years."

"Pfft..." Zhu Houzhao almost couldn't hold back, quickly touched his fake beard, and said seriously, "Let's see if you can write another 'Number One Strategy Under Heaven' this time."

"Your subject can only do his best and dares not presume to claim first place," Su Lu said respectfully.

"Hey, you've won five top honors in a row! You should have the air of someone who's second to none!" Zhu Houzhao tossed the blank exam paper back to him and said in a deep voice, "I will personally review your paper."

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Su Lu stared at the bright yellow figure and thought to himself, "As expected, he was waiting for my answer."

P.S. This is a post to be edited later; there probably won't be a next chapter...

(End of this chapter)