We said we would experience life, fairy, how did you become real?

"What is this?" The clerk looked at the snake scales on Xiao Mo's chest.

"amulet."

Xiao Mo turned his head and glanced at the girl who had been gazing into the distance from outside the guardhouse.

"My wife gave it to me."

Chapter 36 Xiao Mo? This person is quite interesting.

After entering the examination room, Xiao Mo waited for the official start of the exam.

The provincial examination in the State of Qi was divided into three sessions.

The first exam tested knowledge of classical texts.

The Four Books usually come up with three questions.

Candidates are required to select and interpret passages from the four books: The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects, and Mencius.

The Five Classics correspond to the five classics: the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. One question is given for each book, and candidates can choose four out of the five.

Yes.

The history of the State of Qi is actually quite similar to that of the Chinese civilization on Blue Ocean Star. Both had the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and also had Confucius and Lao Tzu.

However, these legends of the ancient sages all refer to cultivators who have transcended the Ascension Realm and have already ascended to heaven to become gods.

This possibility cannot be ruled out.

Because this world is inherently a place for spiritual practice.

Ancestors who pioneered such a path may have truly reached unimaginable heights.

After the preliminary examinations, there were no strict restrictions on the format of the eight-legged essay.

Candidates are free to express themselves.

Xiao Mo wasn't very confident about the first exam.

He doesn't consider himself a genius.

Although the teachers I studied under had a certain reputation, it was limited to a few towns in the surrounding area.

They are not the kind of truly renowned teachers.

Many successful candidates in the imperial examinations received one-on-one tutoring from renowned teachers in the prefectures and counties.

Therefore, for the first exam, Xiao Mo only hoped not to hold anyone back.

The second exam was on writing practical documents such as essays, judgments, edicts, proclamations, and memorials.

Essay: This is a question that usually requires candidates to express their views and discuss a historical event, figure, or political or ethical proposition.

Judgment: Five questions, providing five simulated litigation cases or official document examples, requiring candidates to draft judgments based on the "Great Qi Law" and related rites and laws.

One question each for imperial edicts, proclamations, and memorials.

Xiao Mo was quite confident about the exam the next day.

Xiao Mo can use his divergent thinking based on the various cases he sees on Blue Ocean Star. His vision is higher than that of scholars in this world, and his perspective is also more novel.

The third round was a policy discussion.

There are usually five questions in the policy essay section.

The topics cover a very wide range.

To comment on the gains and losses of historical events and figures, and to summarize historical experiences and lessons.

This paper analyzes and proposes countermeasures to address the current political, economic, taxation, canal transport, military and border defense, military system, social education, disaster relief, and cultural issues facing the country.

The last question in the policy essay tested the candidate's views on the vassal kings of the State of Qi.

"The vassal kings of Qi."

Xiao Mo frowned as he looked at the question.

Xiao Mo was not oblivious to what was happening around him.

He also knew that the current emperor's desire to reduce the power of the princes was not something that would happen overnight, and that the officials in the court were also strongly calling for the reduction of the power of the princes.

Unexpectedly, the examination paper set by the chief examiner of Jiangnan Prefecture put "vassal king" in the open, which must have been approved by His Majesty.

This is truly a blatant act of blatant disrespect towards the feudal lords...

Xiao Mo definitely has to support the reduction of the power of the princes; it's politically correct.

But how to weaken the power of the regional military governors?

After thinking for a long time.

Xiao Mo wrote three characters on the exam paper: "Decree of Grace".

At dawn on the fourth day, the bell rang, the candidates stopped writing and began answering the questions, and the exam papers were collected one after another.

The scholars filed out of the examination hall.

Some people believed they were certain to pass the imperial examination this time.

Some people feel they failed the exam.

Others asked the scholars around them for their opinions and viewpoints on the various topics.

Xiao Mo spotted a veiled woman in the crowd at first glance.

Her embroidered shoes touched the stones as she looked up, searching for someone's figure.

The moment the woman saw Xiao Mo, her beautiful eyes shone with boundless joy: "Xiao Mo, here, here!"

Bai Ruxue jumped off the rock and ran towards Xiao Mo.

"Have you finished the exam?" Bai Ruxue asked.

"Yes, the exam is over." Xiao Mo nodded and gently patted Bai Ruxue's head. "Let's go home."

"Yay~ Time to go home~"

The Examination Hall's Examination Paper Review Pavilion.

The grading of the provincial examination papers took a total of five days.

Each set of exam papers needed to be graded three times by officials.

According to the latest rules of the State of Qi, if three officials deem a paper acceptable during the three rounds of grading, the candidate can be selected as a successful candidate and the character "录" (recorded) will be written on it.

If two officials deem the exam paper acceptable, they will submit it to the chief examiner, who will then review the paper and decide whether to admit the candidate.

If only one official deems a candidate qualified, the candidate must return three years later.

On the third day of grading, an official named Yang Zifang saw one of the exam papers.

The handwriting on this exam paper is good, the answering logic is very clear, and the thinking is even somewhat novel and open-minded.

When Yang Zifang had read half of it, he felt that the scholar was almost ready to pass.

But when he saw the answer to the last question, he suddenly stood up.

"Old Fang, stop and take a look at this exam paper first!" Yang Zifang said to his colleague.

"What's wrong with this exam paper?" Fang Yue took the paper and looked at it. "The handwriting is good, although the Four Books and Five Classics are a bit weak, but the rest is alright, and the policy essay is even better. You can be hired, huh???"

When I saw the last question.

Fang Yue stood up like Yang Zifang, his eyes wide, and read it over and over again.

"Why are you two acting so strangely? Let me see this exam paper."

"I'll take a look too."

The other officials in the room all stopped writing their exam papers and walked over to the two of them.

When they saw the last question on the test paper, they were all stunned and looked at it over and over again.

After a stick of incense had burned, Yang Zifang, holding the exam paper, hurriedly went into the examiner's room.

"Lord Zhang, here is an exam paper that you would like to review."

Yang Zifang bowed to Zhang Qianzhi.

Zhang Qianzhi was a Hanlin Academician and head of the Hanlin Academy.

Although the position of Hanlin Academician is a nominal one, this Lord Zhang has an extremely high reputation and seniority, and is highly valued by His Majesty.

The current prime ministers are all disciples of Lord Zhang.

Zhang Qianzhi came to Jiangnan Province as the chief examiner this time mainly because he had nothing to do in the capital and wanted to go out for a walk.

"Leave it there," Lord Zhang said calmly. "I'll finish reading this first."

"Lord Zhang," Yang Zifang mentally organized his thoughts, "All five of my colleagues in the same room have seen this exam paper and all think it passes."

"Hmm?" Zhang Qianzhi looked up.

The exam papers were supposed to be graded by only three people, but six examiners ended up reading them.

Moreover, even though the exam paper didn't need to be submitted after the three examiners passed it, he still took it.

"What's wrong with this exam paper?" Zhang Qianzhi asked.

“There is no problem at all. It’s just that regarding this candidate’s final round of ‘reducing the power of the princes,’ we all believe that it is necessary for you, Lord Zhang, to take a look,” Yang Zifang said respectfully.

"Bring it up."

"Yes, my lord."

Zhang Qianzhi took the exam paper and read it from beginning to end, without going straight to the last section.

But when he saw the last argument, Zhang Qianzhi narrowed his brows.

Zhang Qianzhi directly tore off the anonymous signature next to the exam paper. Yang Zifang gasped in shock; only Old Zhang would dare to do such a thing…

"Xiao Mo".

"This person is quite interesting."

Chapter 37 How about I personally arrange your marriage?

Shiqiao Village, Xiao Mo's courtyard.

Xiao Mo, who had just returned from the provincial examination, was making tea with the village chief.

After returning to the village, Bai Ruxue went back to the mountain to see her younger sister.

However, Bai Ruxue would still go down the mountain to cook and do laundry for Xiao Mo at noon and in the evening.

"You mean the last question in the policy essay is about feudal princes?"

The village chief took a sip of tea, his tone somewhat surprised.

"Yes." Xiao Mo nodded.

“Nowadays, the princes do indeed have a lot of power, and they also have military power. Although I am just an old scholar, I have heard that there are many voices in the court calling for the reduction of the power of the princes.”

Although the last question in the policy essay was supposed to discuss the feudal princes, everyone knows that the politically correct approach is to reduce their power.

This final question essentially laid bare the matter of the vassal kings; it seems His Majesty truly intends to take action.

Xiao Mo smiled and said, "Which scholar participating in this provincial examination dares not write about reducing the power of the vassal states? I'm afraid the current emperor is also using the 'voices' of these scholars to deliberately put pressure on those vassal kings."

The village chief smiled and said, "A year ago, His Majesty personally led an expedition to quell the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, which greatly weakened the power of the vassal kings. In addition, His Majesty's imperial power is at its peak, and the military strength and morale of the court are overwhelming compared to the vassal kings in various regions. It is indeed the best time to weaken the vassal kings."

“That’s how it is.” Xiao Mo nodded.

Xiao Mo finally decided to write the "Decree of Grace" because he thought that although the various vassal kings had military power, the current emperor had quelled the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, and the court had a great military advantage over the local areas. Moreover, the vassal kings were even more afraid of the court.

The fact that the imperial examination openly presented the idea of ​​"reducing the power of the vassal kings" on the exam papers this time meant that the court was going to take a hard line against the vassal kings.

Otherwise, how could the imperial court openly allow scholars to discuss the vassal kings?

In fact, in Xiao Mo's view, even if the imperial court dared not provoke the vassal kings, even if the imperial court's strength was deadlocked with that of the vassal kings, it was still possible for him to write down the decree of grace.

If the central government's power is not strong, it is obvious to everyone that the "Decree of Grace" cannot be implemented, but the examiners will not say anything.

This is a different perspective I've come up with.