The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

Inside the top-tier room at Gaosheng Inn, candlelight flickered.

Outside the window, the night watchman of Bianjing had just struck the third watch, the sound of his clapper particularly crisp in the quiet night. Most of the candidates were either too nervous to sleep or frantically memorizing obscure and difficult classical Chinese texts, trying to impress the examiners with a few unfamiliar characters in tomorrow's exam.

But in the room of Su Shi and his two companions, the air was eerily quiet.

On the table lay the brocade pouch, its surface as red as blood.

Su Shi's finger was still on the end of the letter, where Jiang Lin had specially instructed him on the "secret code for answering the question," or rather, a near-mad "guide to writing style."

"Sir, is this...is this really how you teach us to take exams?"

Su Shi swallowed hard, pointed to the cursive script, and read aloud:

"Remember: Speak like a human being."

"Ouyang Xiu hated the 'Imperial Academy style' more than anything in his life. Those who deliberately piled up fancy words and used obscure characters to appear profound were nothing but a pile of shit in his eyes. If you dare to write such articles, don't wait for Ouyang Xiu to punish you, I'll clean house first."

Su Zhe and Zeng Gong looked at each other in bewilderment.

In today's literary world, the prevailing trend is "obscure and strange." Everyone is competing to see whose words are more difficult to recognize and whose allusions are more obscure. But the teacher actually wants them to "speak human language"?

"And this too."

Zeng Gong pointed to the three-page appendix at the bottom of the letter, his voice low as if afraid of being overheard, "The topics predicted are... far too specific."

Page 1, Classical Interpretation Prediction: "Ren" (benevolence) and "Li" (rites) in the Analects.

On the second page, the poem prediction is: the theme is "Spring," but avoid writing about flowers and birds; instead, write about "the Way."

Page 3, Policy Prediction: "On the Utmost Importance of Benevolent Punishment and Reward".

Each of these three questions has a clearly marked "skeleton" for solving it.

Especially the essay question, Jiang Lin even added a line of small annotations in vermilion ink next to it:

"This question is designed to test your understanding of 'governing the country with benevolence and compassion.' If you feel that you lack examples from ancient times to support your argument, you might as well... make one up yourself. As long as it conforms to the principles of the sages, Old Man Ouyang won't consult any books; he'll just think you're very learned."

"Should I...make one up myself?"

Su Shi stared at the words, his lips twitching violently. "Sir, you're instigating us to forge documents! If this is discovered, it's a crime of deceiving the emperor!"

"Brother, do you believe in the Master?" Su Zhe suddenly asked.

Su Shi was stunned for a moment, and the image of Jiang Lin, who was always lazy but seemed to have the entire Song Dynasty in his hands, came to mind.

From the county examination to the prefectural examination, from improving papermaking to predicting the special imperial examination, when did the gentleman miss anything?

"letter!"

Su Shi slammed his hand on the table, his eyes shifting from surprise and doubt to fervor. "Since you say Ouyang Xiu likes 'human language,' then let's speak human language! You say we can fabricate allusions, then let's... cough cough, that's called 'flexibly applying history'!"

"Hurry! Dawn will break in two hours!"

Zeng Gong, being the most pragmatic, immediately began assigning tasks: "Stop memorizing those rote texts. Memorize these three 'skeletons' the teacher gave you! Especially the logical deduction of this policy essay—you must memorize it!"

That night, the other rooms in the Gaosheng Inn were filled with the sound of people reciting classical Chinese texts.

Only in Su Shi's room could one hear strange mutterings:

"Benevolence is the substance, propriety is the outward appearance..."

"Spring is not about flowers, spring is about life..."

Yao said: "I will not kill this man." Gao Yao said: "Kill him..."

……

5 a.m. (卯时)

The imperial examination hall in Bianjing (Kaifeng) was wide open.

Thousands of examinees, carrying their exam baskets, lined up in several long queues. The biting wind made the lanterns flicker.

The air was filled with a strange smell that was a mixture of ink, flatbread, and anxiety.

The bailiffs who searched the candidates were extremely rude. They not only checked the candidates' identity documents, but also messed up the candidates' hair and even broke up flatbreads to see if there were any cheat sheets hidden inside.

"Ouch! Be gentle! That's incredibly uncivilized!"

The candidate in front of him, dressed in finery, was shouting and yelling when the guards pulled off his shoes.

Su Shi and his two companions stood calmly in the middle of the line.

They didn't bring cheat sheets—the biggest "cheat sheet" was already in their heads.

"Zizhan, look at those people."

Zeng Gong gestured in a low voice. He noticed that many candidates around him were still muttering to themselves, reciting obscure and difficult sentences, such as "the darkness and yellow of heaven and earth, the primordial chaos of the universe."

"A bunch of pathetic pedants who only know how to spout off their books."

Su Shi straightened his clothes, touched the empty red brocade pouch on his chest, and felt an unprecedented sense of superiority welling up inside him.

That's the confidence that comes from a game of dimensional reduction.

"Next up! Su Shi of Runzhou!"

The constable shouted.

Su Shi took a deep breath and strode forward.

After verifying his identity and conducting a thorough search, he was found to be without fault.

Just as he was about to step into the "Dragon Gate," which symbolizes the carp leaping over the dragon gate, he suddenly turned around and glanced at his younger brother and senior brother behind him.

The three people's eyes met in mid-air.

He didn't speak, but his eyes conveyed only one message:

"Let's perform this grand play according to the script, sir."

……

Inside the examination hall, the examination cells were like a forest.

Su Shi was assigned to cell number nine, a "yellow" cell. It was a notorious cell, not far from the outhouse; if it had been anyone else, they probably would have lost their mind long ago.

But Su Shi didn't care at all. He put down the examination basket, took out his writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and even took out Jiang Lin's specially made "peppermint energizing oil" and applied some to his temples.

"when--"

With a long, drawn-out bell tolling, the imperial examination of the second year of the Jiayou era officially began.

Two bailiffs carried a huge wooden plank across the passageway, on which were posted the questions for the first exam.

Su Shi looked up.

When he saw the question clearly, the calligraphy brush in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter".

It wasn't from being scared.

It was exciting.

On the wooden board, the title of the first session of scripture was clearly written:

[A Discussion on the Distinction between "Ren" (benevolence) and "Li" (rites) in the Analects]

Exactly the same word!

Even the punctuation marks are within the gentleman's range!

Su Shi quickly covered his mouth, afraid that he would burst out laughing.

A groan came from the next cell: "Benevolence and propriety? That's too broad! How am I supposed to answer that? I need an obscure question!"

Hearing the screams from next door, Su Shi suppressed a laugh and picked up his pen again.

He closed his eyes, and the "answer framework" that Jiang Lin had written in the brocade pouch instantly appeared clearly in his mind.

"Sir, oh sir..."

Su Shi dipped his brush in thick ink, looked at the pristine white Xuan paper, and his eyes gleamed with confidence.

"This isn't an exam!"

"This is clearly a charade put on by us, master and disciples, for the Song Dynasty court!"

The pen falls, the wind rises.

"Benevolence is the virtue of the heart; propriety is the order of reason..."

Su Shi's calligraphy is no longer the stiff style that deliberately imitates the ancients, but rather flows smoothly, carrying an indescribable elegance and composure.

At this moment, a "ranking sweep" operation destined to go down in history officially began.