Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

On the first day of the tenth month, at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an.

Before dawn, long queues had already formed in front of the Imperial Academy.

Hundreds of scholars who had passed the provincial examinations and qualified for the capital examinations, dressed in deep robes and wearing official hats, carrying examination baskets, waited patiently in the cold wind. They came from Bingzhou, Liangzhou, Sili, and Yanzhou, and the furthest traveler had taken nearly a month to reach Chang'an.

The gates of the Imperial Academy slowly opened, and a troop of Imperial Guards marched out. The leading officer shouted, "By order of the Duke of Jin, all candidates must present their Xiucai certificates to enter the examination hall today! No books or notes are allowed. Violators will be expelled from the examination hall and permanently banned from taking the exam again!"

The candidates verified their identities one by one and entered the Imperial Academy.

The examination hall was set up in the Mingtang, which was originally where the emperor lectured on the classics. Now it was filled with desks and tables. Each desk and table was spaced three steps apart, and writing brushes, ink, and bamboo slips were prepared on each desk.

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the drums sounded.

Liu Xie, dressed in imperial robes, ascended the throne with the help of eunuchs. He was only thirteen years old, pale-faced, with shifty eyes, lacking any imperial majesty. Lü Bu, dressed in the court robes of the Duke of Jin, stood beside Liu Xie with his hand on his sword, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Greetings, Duke Jin!" The candidates bowed.

Liu Xie said timidly, "Rise..."

Lü Bu spoke, his voice booming like a bell: "Today is the first imperial examination of the Han Dynasty, held in the capital to select talented individuals to fill positions in the court. I hope all of you will answer the questions wholeheartedly and demonstrate your lifelong learning. Anyone found cheating or plagiarizing will be expelled on the spot and never employed again!"

"We will follow Duke Jin's teachings!" The crowd bowed again.

The exam has begun.

The first exam, covering classics, history, philosophy, and literature, consisted entirely of objective questions. The exam paper was covered in densely packed small print, including fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and multiple-choice questions.

"The three commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals refer to the Zuo Zhuan, the Gongyang Zhuan, and ______?"

How many chapters are there in the *Records of the Grand Historian*? A. 120 chapters / B. 130 chapters / C. 140 chapters

Judgment: "The saying 'The benevolent love others' comes from Mencius. (Yes/No)"

These questions are not difficult for scholars who are well-versed in the classics, but the sheer number of questions is enormous. To answer three hundred questions within two hours still requires a solid foundation.

The second exam covers practical skills, including mathematics, agronomy, medicine, and military strategy.

Mathematics problem: "There is a field that is 15 paces wide and 23 paces long. How much is the field?"

Agricultural Science Question: "Briefly describe the method of composting."

Medical question: "What medicine should be used in the early stages of typhoid fever?"

A military strategy question: "If the enemy outnumbers us ten to one and fortifies a city, how should we defeat them?"

These questions stumped many scholars who only studied the classics, while some children from poor families answered them smoothly because of their life experience.

A two-quarters-hour break is provided at noon, during which noodles and hot water are served.

The third test in the afternoon will assess the six arts of a gentleman: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.

The examinations included etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mental arithmetic.

At the archery range, Lü Bu personally supervised the examination.

A scholar from Yanzhou shakily drew his stone bow, the arrow flying off at an off-center speed, barely hitting the target. Lü Bu shook his head: "So physically weak, how can he govern and rule the people? Next!"

Wang Chang, from Bingzhou, was about twenty years old and tall. He stepped forward and drew his bow. He used a bow with a draw weight of one and a half stones, pulled it taut like a crescent moon, and with a whoosh, the arrow hit the bullseye.

Lu Bu nodded slightly: "Not bad."

When it was the turn of Zhang Ji, a commoner from Zuo Fengyi, he was dressed simply but had considerable strength and hit the bullseye as well.

In the final imperial examination, candidates had to drive around the test site three times without knocking over any wooden stakes. Several people, in their nervousness, overturned their cars, causing laughter and commotion.

All exams ended at the end of the You hour (5-7 PM).

The candidates walked out of the Imperial Academy exhausted, some with happy faces, others with worried expressions.

"I couldn't solve that math problem..."

"In agricultural science, I only know about composting manure; I didn't know you also needed to add straw ash!"

"Archery is too difficult; I've never practiced at home..."

As Wang Chang walked and talked with several fellow townsmen from Bingzhou, he said, "Although the test questions were varied, they were all practical. Duke Jin's selection of talent is indeed different from the past."

Zhang Ji followed silently behind, touching the few remaining five-zhu coins in his pocket, thinking that if he failed, he wouldn't even have enough money for the journey back to Zuo Fengyi.

From the second to the seventh day of the tenth lunar month, twenty doctoral candidates were in seclusion at the Imperial Academy grading papers.

Lü Bu appointed Jia Xu, Guo Jia, and Xun Yu to oversee the exams. Each paper was graded by the three, and the average score was taken. Objective questions were clearly divided into right and wrong, while subjective essays were graded according to three criteria: "theme, style, and practicality."

On the night of the eighth day, at the Duke of Jin's residence.

Lu Bu flipped through the exam papers of the top ten students.

Wang Chang's policy essay, titled "On the Advantages and Disadvantages of the New Policies," affirmed the nine-rank official system and the imperial examination system for selecting talent, but also pointed out that "the implementation of the new policies was too rapid, and local powerful families reacted strongly. If the implementation were slowed down and supplemented with appeasement, the whole policy could be successfully implemented." His views were pertinent, and his writing was solid.

Pei Qian's policy essay, "On Military Farming and Cultivation," elaborates on how to cultivate land on the border, combining military and agricultural work to alleviate the pressure on the imperial court's food and military supplies. It mentions methods such as "irrigation through rivers" and "crop rotation and fallowing," clearly based on research.

Zhang Ji's strategy moved Lü Bu the most. Titled "The Rise of the Poor and the Balance of Power with the Powerful Families," he stated frankly: "The imperial examination opens a path for the poor to advance, but the powerful families are deeply entrenched. If we suppress them indiscriminately, it may cause unrest. We should use the imperial examination to recruit talents from the poor, and use imperial favors to appease the powerful families. Only by doing both can we achieve long-term stability."

"This one shows insight." Lü Bu handed the exam paper to Guo Jia. "It's rare to see someone from a humble background who can clearly see the conflict between powerful families and the court."

Guo Jia took the book, read it, and nodded: "This child deserves special attention and cultivation."

On the ninth day, Lü Bu summoned the top ten candidates and personally interviewed them.

Wang Chang was dignified and answered questions with composure; Pei Qian was calm and capable, and every word he uttered was pragmatic; Zhang, though somewhat nervous, had a firm gaze, and his words all hit the nail on the head regarding current problems.

That night, Lü Bu determined the rankings.

At 7:00 AM on the tenth day of the tenth month, the area in front of the Imperial Academy was packed with people. Hundreds of candidates and thousands of ordinary citizens of Chang'an gathered to await the release of the results.

After three drumbeats, Jia Xu, holding a yellow silk handkerchief, ascended the high platform.

"The list of successful candidates in the imperial examination of the fifth year of the Chuping era has been compiled after reviewing and scoring the papers, and the results were personally determined by the Duke of Jin. The list of successful candidates is now being published!"

The entire room fell silent.

"Ranked 100th, Yang Fu from Hongnong, Sili!"

A young man in the crowd froze, then burst into ecstasy: "I won! I won!"

"Ninety-ninth place: Sun Zi from Yanmen, Bingzhou!"

"Ninety-eighth place..."

As names were read out one by one, some cheered, some sighed. By the fiftieth name, those who hadn't won looked ashen-faced.

"Tenth place: Cheng Wu from Dongjun, Yanzhou!"

"Ninth place: Zhao Ang of Hanyang, Liangzhou!"

……

"Fourth place: Yang Xiu of Hongnong, Sili!"

The top three have not yet been announced, and the atmosphere is extremely tense.

Jia Xu unfurled another scroll of yellow silk and said aloud:

"The third-ranked scholar is Zhang Ji from Fengyi, Sili!"

Zhang Ji was jolted, almost losing his balance. His fellow villager beside him nudged him, saying, "Wenhe, it's you! The third-place winner in the nation!"

"The second-place scholar is Pei Qian from Sili Hedong!"

Pei Qian took a deep breath and bowed to the surroundings.

"The top scholar—" Jia Xu drawled, "Wang Chang of Taiyuan, Bingzhou!"

Wang Chang closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he had regained his composure, though his hands trembled slightly in his sleeves.

"The three best candidates, step forward and receive your golden-flowered official robes!" Jia Xu shouted.

Wang Chang, Pei Qian, and Zhang Ji stepped out of the crowd and ascended the high platform under the watchful eyes of the crowd. The Imperial Guards presented three sets of red official robes, embroidered with gold patterns on the shoulders, and adorned the three men with gold flowers.

Lü Bu personally hung the gold plaque inscribed with "Top Scholar in the Imperial Examination" around Wang Chang's neck.

"You are the top three graduates of the first imperial examination; you should be role models for all scholars in the land," Lü Bulang declared. "I hope you will dedicate yourselves to serving the country and live up to your learning!"

"We students will do our utmost to serve the court!" The three knelt and kowtowed.