Hot flashes

After the news of the imperial examinations spread, the capital city was like a pot of boiling water.

Before long, a new notice was posted all over the streets and alleys.

"The imperial examination system is not limited to the capital. Examinations can be held in various prefectures and counties. Anyone who wishes to take the examination can register at the nearest location and does not need to travel to the capital."

This year marks the first year of the imperial examinations, hence this special decree: all those who pass the provincial and prefectural re-examinations may directly participate in the spring examinations without waiting until next year. However, starting next year, after the re-examinations are completed, one must wait a year before being eligible to take the spring examinations.

The notice also outlines the process:

The first round is the preliminary examination held at the prefectural level. It consists of one essay on classical texts and one on policy. Those who pass can proceed to the next higher prefectural level to participate in the second round.

The second round was the provincial and prefectural re-examination. It consisted of one essay each on classical texts, policy essays, and mathematics. Those who passed were allowed to travel to the capital for the third round.

The third round was the imperial examination in the capital. It consisted of one essay each on classical texts, policy essays, and current affairs. Those who passed were eligible to participate in the palace examination.

The palace examination was presided over by the emperor himself, with questions set on the spot, answers given on the spot, and rankings determined on the spot.

On the day the notice was posted, some people were happy and some were sad.

Those who were happy were those who didn't have enough money for the journey and worried they wouldn't be able to stay in the capital. Those who were worried were those who had already arrived in the capital—if only they had known they didn't have to come, why waste so much money?

Regardless, once the notice was issued, the pressure on the capital city was greatly reduced.

Those who hadn't yet set off registered nearby. Those who had already arrived in the capital stayed where they had a place to stay, while many others chose to go back and come back after passing the preliminary exam.

After the news spread, long lines formed at registration points in various state capitals.

Preliminary examination in the prefecture.

This is the first hurdle in the imperial examination.

Zhou Heng's rules were simple: all prefectures and counties would hold examinations on the same day, with the examination questions drafted uniformly by the Ministry of Rites and sent in sealed envelopes to each region. After the examinations, the papers would be sealed and sent to the capital for grading.

A month later, the results of the preliminary examinations from various regions were successively sent to the capital.

Zhou Heng had all the exam papers unsealed and examined them one by one.

After reading it, I had a general idea of ​​what to expect.

The quality is truly poor. Some papers are so bad that you can't even recognize all the characters. Some papers are thousands of words long, but they're just a few empty phrases repeated over and over again.

There were also good ones. Zhou Heng had those good papers picked out separately and set aside.

Watching from the side, Chen Shen couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, how many people passed the preliminary test?"

Zhou Heng said, "A total of more than 7,700 people have reported this from various places."

Chen Shen was taken aback: "So many?"

Zhou Heng shook his head.

"This is only the first round," he said. "The second round will be even tougher."

The second round was the provincial examination.

This exam was twice as difficult as the preliminary exam. Besides classical texts and policy essays, mathematics was added. It wasn't particularly difficult; it consisted of simple land calculations and grain tax conversions. But even these basics stumped many people.

Those scions of wealthy families who had only studied the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood and had never even touched an abacus were dumbfounded when they saw the question.

After a month, the results of the second round of interviews came out.

More than 3,200 people passed the test.

Half of those who failed were due to problems with mathematics.

The third round, the imperial examination in Beijing.

Those who pass this stage can participate in the palace examination. The top three in the palace examination are the top scholar, the second-ranked scholar, and the third-ranked scholar.

People from all over the country who passed the second round of examinations began to flock to the capital.

Zhou Heng had the examination venue set up in the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall) in the east of the city.

The examination hall was very large and could accommodate several thousand people.

The question was set by Zhou Heng:

On the saying "Those who excel in learning will become officials".

On the "Way to Enrich the People".

There are also exams on current affairs.

Once the papers were collected, Zhou Heng had them reviewed overnight.

The examiners were all renowned scholars invited from various regions. Some were from the capital, some from other places, some were old, and some were young. Zhou Heng separated them, with each person reviewing a portion, and they did not communicate with each other.

Everyone can say a few words about how to enrich the people. But in the end, it's all the same old stuff: light taxes and levies, and letting the people rest. Very few can come up with anything new or connect it to actual national policies.

Zhou Heng drafted a proposal overnight on the causes of this year's floods in Jiangnan, asking candidates to analyze the reasons for the disaster and propose countermeasures.

When this question was asked, some people were dumbfounded.

The Jiangnan floods: how much relief money the imperial court distributed, how the local governments handled the situation, and how they made amends afterward—only those who follow current events know the details. Those who are only good at studying are completely clueless and can't write anything down.

Three days later, the papers were collected.

Zhou Heng personally reviewed the papers.

He stopped when he saw a test paper.

The scroll read:

"...The disaster of floods is both a matter of Heaven and man. Natural disasters are unavoidable, but man-made disasters can be avoided. When the imperial court distributes silver for disaster relief, the silver is embezzled at each level of the prefectures and counties, and less than one-tenth of it reaches the hands of the people."

The dikes are repaired but breach every year, not because they are weak, but because those who repair them are not diligent. I believe the key to disaster relief lies not in allocating more money, but in ensuring that the money reaches the people…”

Zhou Heng read the article three times.

Then he picked up his pen and wrote a single word on it.

"First."

After he finished approving the papers, he remembered to check the names.

Lin Jun. A native of Jiangling Prefecture.

All the papers have been graded.

The number of students to be admitted has been decided.

Three hundred and seventeen people.

Zhou Heng was drinking tea when Chen Shen reported this number. He listened and nodded.

"Three hundred and seventeen people," he said. "That's about right."

Outside the window, it was already dark. The admitted candidates were probably preparing for the palace examination three days later.

"Are there many scions of prominent families?" he suddenly asked.

Chen Shen said, "I had someone take a rough look. Of the more than three hundred people, about two hundred are from aristocratic families."

Zhou Heng nodded.

Expected.

Distinguished families possess books, teachers, and a wealth of knowledge accumulated over generations. It is extremely difficult for children from poor families to surpass them.

But so what?

This is the first year.

It's just a small opening.

Once the opening is made, it will only get bigger and bigger.

Three days later, the palace examination will be held.

On this day, before dawn, the area outside Chengtianmen was already packed with people.