Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 780 The Imperial Examination Turmoil Begins

"Black Mountain... must be guarded against!"

At this moment, the Black Mountain Demon was oblivious to the fact that he was unleashing his immense magical power, and the massive mountain range, like a mobile war fortress, was slowly approaching the continental shelf of the underworld.

What it wants is a spectacular debut!

A return that sends shivers down the spines of all beings in the underworld!
A stage to declare that it is still the hegemon!

Unfortunately, it didn't know.

The stage lights had already been turned on in advance.

The direction of the script had already been secretly written by someone.

The kind-hearted Xu Xuan was sitting upright at his desk, tapping his fingertips lightly on the surface, his gaze fixed on the open "Collected Annotations on the Four Books".

With his current spiritual level, the ability to remember everything he sees and apply what he has learned to other situations is just commonplace for him. Not to mention the mere provincial examination, he could easily write essays for the palace examination.

But—"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."

Squinting slightly as I gaze at the sky outside the window, I realize that there really is a "literary star" in this world.

That star, which governs the literary fortunes of the world, can determine the top scholar with a single thought, and sway the rise and fall of an official's career with a single stroke. If one were to activate the power of the Literary Star in the imperial examinations…

"Miss Bai," he suddenly chuckled, flicking his finger, and a paper butterfly fluttered out the window. "Tell me, what would happen if I invoked the Wen Chang star during the exam?"

Paper butterflies flutter their wings, skimming over the misty rain of the Qiantang River, and flying towards the depths of West Lake.

During this period, Xu Xuan continued to communicate with Bai Suzhen in this way.

Sometimes he would ask for guidance on Taoist principles, sometimes he would discuss poetry, and occasionally... he would also try to probe the other person's thoughts.

Affection for one's children is the most dangerous thing. A slight misstep can lead to utter ruin.

Although Xu Xuan was somewhat fearful, he also had some anticipation for the trip to the Purple Bamboo Forest.

While he was studying and practicing calligraphy and exchanging love notes with Bai Suzhen via paper butterflies, undercurrents were already surging throughout the entire Nine Provinces!

The imperial examination is approaching!

"He was recommended as a scholar, but he was illiterate; he was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official, but his father lived separately from him."

This folk song represents the discontent and resentment of some ordinary people.

Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, the Nine-Rank System had long been a tool for powerful families to monopolize official careers. The saying "the upper ranks have no poor families, the lower ranks have no powerful clans" was nothing more than a trick to gild the reputation of the sons of aristocratic families.

That is why the imperial examination system, a lifeline that should never have existed in this era, is all the more precious.

Despite being a strategist and a manipulator who had been obsessed with alchemy for many years, Emperor Jin never relaxed his control over the imperial examination system.

The emperor personally selected the top three candidates for the palace examination, while the provincial examinations, which were monopolized by aristocratic families, would "coincidentally" produce a few scholars from humble backgrounds—like a carefully orchestrated play, making the people believe in the myth of "rising from a peasant in the morning to a high-ranking official in the evening."

This is what has led to the classic short stories that have frequently appeared over the years.

Xu Xuan sometimes sighed with emotion.

The world is interspersed with all sorts of things that don't belong to this era, such as Jinshan Temple, Leifeng Pagoda at this time, the dike of Qiantang River, and all sorts of other things. Even the ingredients have a strange feel to them: chili peppers, corn, sweet potatoes... These crops, which should have been introduced to the Central Plains hundreds of years later, are now circulating in the streets.

From the spread of religion to the integration of myths, and even the evolution of mountains and rivers, these are all momentous events.

But what shocked Xu Xuan the most was the imperial examination system.

Originating in the Sui Dynasty and perfected in the Tang Dynasty, this Eastern selection system, which lasted for 1,300 years, took root in the world much earlier than it has in history, and is even more mature than in the past.

This is completely contrary to common sense.

He consulted ancient books in an attempt to find the answer, and eventually discovered that all the changes had occurred three hundred years ago.

Tracing back further, the historical threads become blurred. Whenever he tried to delve deeper into his heart, a sense of unease would rise within him, as if some unseen force was preventing him from uncovering the truth.

"Knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing."

Let's get back to what happened recently.

The three autumn imperial examinations will be held on August 9th, 12th, and 15th at Shouchun, the capital of Yangzhou.

With only one month left until the exam, the atmosphere at Chongqi Academy is already incredibly tense.

"The lamp burns at dawn and the rooster crows at midnight; this is the time for a man to study."

In the lecture hall at dawn, the oil lamp burned all night, and the ink in the inkstone dried again and again.

The students were either writing furiously at their desks or reciting silently with their eyes closed, even clutching copied copies of current affairs theories in their hands while eating.

Xu Xuan packed his belongings, as he would be leading a group of students from non-aristocratic families to Shouchun in a few days.

Chongqi Academy had already booked inns near the examination site to ensure that these poor scholars wouldn't be left without a place to shelter when they arrived—after all, Yangzhou was a bustling city, and room rates could increase tenfold before the exam, so candidates without any family wealth might even have to sleep on the streets.

The old scholars of the academy usually value integrity the most, but at this critical juncture, none of them would pretend to be aloof.

Professor Gu worked through the night to write a letter, inquiring with his former classmates about the preferences of this year's examiner—whether the examiner favored ornate, parallel prose or practical, down-to-earth theories.
Dr. Qin then dug out outstanding essays from previous years and annotated key paragraphs in red ink: "This will definitely be on the test!"

Even a retired former vice minister was invited over, squinting and stroking his beard, saying: "This year, there was a disaster in the southwest region, and a large star fell. In the East China Sea, a ten-thousand-foot wave cast a lotus shape. His Majesty's court and the officials in the court were in an uproar... The policy essay questions will mostly revolve around these two things."

The more information Chongqi Academy collected, the more absurd and bizarre it seemed. The latest rumor in the capital was that the policy drafted by the Ministry of Rites was actually based on the idea that "Heaven also has emotions of joy and anger, sorrow and happiness, which correspond to those of man."

In recent years, natural disasters have occurred frequently and strange phenomena have emerged—the north suffers a severe drought, with the land parched and people starving; the Sichuan region experiences an earthquake, city walls collapse, and countless people die.
Even more meteors flashed across the sky, their red light illuminating the night. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau conducted divination throughout the night, but dared not directly predict whether it was auspicious or inauspicious.

The imperial court needed a set of explanations that could account for the disasters without leading people to associate them with "the emperor's moral failings."

Therefore, the Ministry of Rites brought up this theory of "interaction between heaven and man," implying that the disasters were just God's occasional "bad mood" and had nothing to do with the court.

But another faction of officials secretly promoted another proposition: "A gentleman has three things to fear: the mandate of Heaven, great men, and the words of sages."

They prioritized "fear of Heaven's mandate," ostensibly admonishing scholars to cultivate themselves, but in reality, they concealed a veiled sarcasm:
The warning to Emperor Jin is that the wrath of Heaven is unpredictable; are you not afraid of divine retribution for your pursuit of immortality through alchemy?

The Mandate of Heaven is above the emperor, but who holds the power to interpret the Mandate of Heaven? Naturally, it is the civil service group well-versed in the classics.

It is said that the blood and tears of some Grand Astrologers played a part in this, so who wouldn't be afraid?

This debate over the proposition was essentially a form of subtle constraint exerted by the civil service on imperial power.

They dared not say outright, "Your Majesty, you are wrong," but could only subtly remind him by borrowing the words of the sage.

Some even speculated that the Ministry of Rites might ultimately compromise.

"Heaven and man are in harmony, therefore the superior man fears Heaven," which both gives the emperor a way out and inserts a private agenda to restrain imperial power.

Under the corridor of the academy, Xu Xuan listened to the discussion and gently tapped the spine of the Spring and Autumn Annals with his fingertips.

“What a clever trick to ‘use classical texts to embellish politics,’” he said in a low voice. “Using the words of sages as knives, each cut is bloodless, yet each one forces people to bow down.”

Those people really have too much free time.

The old scholars of Chongqi Academy were so angry that their beards bristled, and they banged their rulers on the desk with loud thuds.

"Those people in the Golden Palace are now completely spineless!"

Professor Gu slammed his fist on the table and roared:

"If Yu Manqing were still in the court, would they be allowed to be so secretive? To have to beat around the bush when offering advice, what kind of decorum is this!"

Unfortunately, Yu Gong was trapped in Wu County and couldn't even go to Shouchun.

That old man, how could he do something so taboo in Jianye?

Dr. Li sneered: "If Grand Secretary Yin hadn't gone to Shu, how could the Ministry of Rites have distorted the words of the sage like this?"

It is said that the Grand Scholar is currently arguing with Prefect Luo about the demonic calamity, and the two sides are locked in a fierce battle.

Professor Wang sighed, "Even if Fu Tianchou were still here... sigh, forget it! It wouldn't make a difference if he were here!"

His prestige and strength are so-so. He was supposed to be sent to Jiangnan to investigate the White Lotus affair, but a year has passed and he still hasn't received an order to return to the capital. He's really stupid.

Anyway, after all the information came back, the professors started arguing, each insisting that their guesses about the exam questions were the "orthodox" ones.

When the argument got heated, some people even brought up various past offenses, accusing the other party of "misleading the youth."

Professor Gu, as the head of the Mingjing Department, did nothing particularly noteworthy before his retirement, so there was nothing to criticize about him.

They gained the upper hand for a time, but the final decision on the direction was somewhat somber.

Geniuses, of course, don't care; they can start a research project with anything.

But those who need help the most are also the ones who can't afford to lose, and that's the crux of the problem.

If it's wrong, then some students' three years of schooling might be wasted.

Professor Gu stroked his white beard, staring intently at Xu Xuan as if he had grasped at the last straw.

"Hanwen, you are always quick-witted. Do you have any insights into the trends of this year's imperial examinations?"

Xu Xuan's lips twitched, and he sighed inwardly, "You only remember me now? I'm a test taker myself!"

But under the watchful eyes of everyone, he could only cough lightly and adopt a humble posture:
"Students... are all fine."

—That's the truth, but it's also nonsense.

After all, not everyone is like him, possessing the White Lotus Dharma Image, which is practically a "cheating device" in the imperial examinations.

Ultimately, reading requires talent.

The examination hall is like a battlefield. Some people study hard for ten years and still can't solve the questions; others can read ten lines at a glance and write like gods.

Since Xu Xuan couldn't help, he ran away, not wanting to listen to the argument of a group of old professors.

The insults were incredibly vulgar.

If professors are under such pressure, students are naturally under even more pressure.

So some people started to pin their hopes on underhanded tactics.

They chose between doing the questions and cheating.

(End of this chapter)