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

Inside the examination hall, the examination cells were densely packed like a honeycomb, yet it was so quiet it was as if no one was there.

Only the soft rustling of thousands of brushes falling on Xuan paper could be heard, converging into a chilling undercurrent. There was no gunpowder here, yet it was more brutal than any battlefield. Thousands of the Song Dynasty's most outstanding scholars would fight tooth and nail for those three hundred Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Su Shi sat in cell number nine, the faint smell of the latrine lingering around his nose, but he was in such a good mood that he wanted to sing.

Because when the exam questions were revealed, he saw two words: "benevolence" and "propriety".

This question seems simple, but it's actually a huge trap.

In this era where the "Imperial Academy style" was prevalent, most candidates, upon seeing these two characters, would immediately resort to piling up flowery language. They would write things like "benevolence is the greatest virtue of heaven and earth" or "rites are the order of the universe," using the most abstruse and mysterious phrases possible, fearing that the examiners would understand them and make them seem unskilled.

The candidates in the next cell were already scratching their heads, wishing they could copy the entire "Rites of Zhou" into their notebooks.

Su Shi, however, calmly ground the ink, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Sir, sir, you really are a fortune teller."

He closed his eyes, and the "answer skeleton" that Jiang Lin had left in the red brocade pouch appeared in his mind—

[Key to solving the problem: Dialectics.]

Do not separate "benevolence" and "propriety." Benevolence is the essence (core), while propriety is the outward appearance (form). Propriety without benevolence is hypocrisy, and benevolence without propriety is barbarity.

[Remember: Speak plainly, and be logically sound!]

Su Shi took a deep breath and dipped his brush in ink.

He had no intention of playing those fancy word games. Since the teacher said that Ouyang Xiu liked the simple style of the "Classical Prose Movement," then he would use the sharpest logic to dissect the essence of this problem.

The writing begins directly and to the point:

"Benevolence is the virtue of the heart; propriety is the order of reason. The two are like form and shadow, inseparable. There is no formless shadow that exists, nor is there propriety without benevolence."

There are no obscure characters or strange allusions; every word is plain and simple, yet every sentence makes perfect sense.

He wrote extremely quickly.

If other people's writing is like "building blocks," carefully constructed for fear of collapsing, then Su Shi's writing is like "flowing." His logic, which originated from Jiang Lin and transcended his time, gave his words a life of their own, progressing layer by layer, unstoppable.

In less than two hours, he wrote two thousand words in one go.

Su Shi put down his pen, shook his slightly sore wrist, picked up the cold flatbread next to him, and took a bite.

"Done."

He glanced at the other test-takers around him who were still deep in thought, and the sense of superiority he felt, as if he had a cheat code, was practically overflowing.

……

Meanwhile, two other cells were occupied.

Zeng Gong's essays were written with impeccable composure; his logic was like a tightly sealed fortress, leaving no room for error even for the most discerning examiner. He focused on "practical application of knowledge" and discussed the practical application of "benevolence and propriety" in governing the country, demonstrating a frightening level of stability.

Su Zhe, on the other hand, was more agile. He approached the issue from the perspective of "people-oriented governance," arguing that "rites" should not be shackles binding the people, but rather a bulwark protecting "benevolence." His views were novel and sharp as a knife.

On this day, the three sharp swords of Jingshi Academy were simultaneously drawn on the examination papers in the examination hall.

……

Three days later, in the examination room.

The atmosphere here was even more oppressive than in the examination hall. Dozens of examiners were buried in mountains of papers, occasionally letting out a long sigh or a cold laugh.

Ouyang Xiu, the chief examiner, was sitting in the main seat, rubbing his throbbing temples.

He has already looked at dozens of exam papers, all of which are nonsensical "Imperial Academy style" writing!

"What on earth is this?!"

Ouyang Xiu threw a test paper aside, his beard trembling with anger. "'The mystery of heaven and earth, the vastness of the universe'... You ask me about benevolence and propriety, and you're bringing up the universe with me? It's utterly pointless whining! Utter nonsense!"

The deputy examiner, Mei Yaochen, said with a wry smile, "My lord, please calm down. This is the current state of the literary world; the scholars are simply trying to conform..."

"Pandering my foot! Who wants to watch this kind of garbage?"

Ouyang Xiu was a straightforward person, and he showed no mercy when he scolded others. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and casually picked up the next exam paper.

This one is neatly written with elegant handwriting.

Ouyang Xiu's previously agitated mood calmed down slightly. He glanced at the beginning casually.

"Benevolence is the virtue of the heart..."

Ok?

Ouyang Xiu stopped moving.

This plain language... why does it look so pleasing to the eye?

He sat up straight and continued reading. The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became; the more he looked, the more rapid his breathing became.

There wasn't a single superfluous word or obscure character in this article, but its powerful logical reasoning and its thorough analysis of the relationship between "benevolence" and "propriety" were like a clear spring, instantly washing away the turbidity in his mind.

"Great! Great article!"

Ouyang Xiu slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, startling the examiners around him.

"What's wrong, sir?" Mei Yaochen came over.

"Look at this!" Ouyang Xiu pointed at the exam paper, his fingers trembling. "Grand in style, rigorous in logic! This is true classical Chinese! This is the kind of writing a scholar should produce!"

Mei Yaochen took a look and nodded repeatedly: "Indeed wonderful! This writing style... is somewhat similar to Su Mingyun (Su Xun) back then, but more composed and magnanimous than Su Mingyun."

"It's not over yet."

Ouyang Xiu excitedly rummaged through the papers on his desk. "I just saw two good ones, but I was confused by the style of those Imperial Academy students and didn't read them carefully."

He quickly pulled out two other papers—those of Zeng Gong and Su Zhe.

The three exam papers were placed side by side on the desk.

Ouyang Xiu scrutinized the area from all angles, his eyes growing increasingly bright.

"Did you guys notice?"

Ouyang Xiu pointed to the three papers, his voice hoarse with excitement, "These three essays, though stylistically different—one bold and unrestrained, one rigorous, and one sharp and incisive—but…"

"But their 'bones' are the same!"

Mei Yaochen, being an expert himself, immediately saw through it: "That's right! That method of argumentation, that way of thinking of 'seeing through the phenomenon to the essence'... these three definitely come from the same school!"

"From the same sect..."

Ouyang Xiu muttered to himself, and suddenly the image of that young man from half a year ago in Runzhou, who was sitting by the stove admiring the snow, languid yet surprisingly eloquent, appeared in his mind.

"Jiang Lin".

Ouyang Xiu uttered the name with certainty, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Someone come here!"

Ouyang Xiu summoned the clerk in charge of registering the candidates. Although the names were still covered up, he could check their place of origin.

"Go and check how many candidates from Runzhou are taking this imperial examination? Are there any with the surname Su or Zeng?"

A moment later, the clerk reported: "Your Excellency, there are twelve candidates from Runzhou. Among them are the brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe, who are registered in Runzhou but are from Meizhou, and Zeng Gong, who is registered in Jianchang."

"It really was them!"

Ouyang Xiu laughed heartily, his laughter so loud it shook the dust off the roof.

"Mr. Jiang, you really weren't lying to me! You've delivered a 'trump card' team to the Song Dynasty!"

The examiners around him exchanged bewildered glances. They had never seen Lord Ouyang so distraught, nor had they ever heard of this so-called "Mr. Jiang."

"My lord, how should we grade these three papers?" Mei Yaochen asked tentatively.

Ouyang Xiu waved his hand and drew three heavy circles on the three scrolls with his vermilion brush.

"Top ten! It has to be top ten!"

"Get rid of all that pointless, whiny garbage! This year, I'm going to use these three articles to give the literary world of the Song Dynasty a good slap in the face!"

……

Outside the examination hall, at the Gaosheng Inn.

After Su Shi and his two companions finished the first exam, they were catching up on sleep in their room.

Su Shi turned over and mumbled as if in a dream, "Sir... I want to eat braised pork..."

Unbeknownst to him, at that very moment, Ouyang Xiu in the examination room had become their biggest "backer." And that examination paper, already circled in red, was quietly rewriting the history of the Song Dynasty.