Chapter 10: The Courtyard Examination
During the fifth and sixth months, the fields were extremely busy, and Li Xiaonan and Li Xuedong were buried in their books, equally busy and unable to look up.
In the blink of an eye, it was already July.
Old Master Kuan from the Li Jiawang Study Room quietly made two trips to Gaojiaji and discussed the matter of the Hangzhou City Courtyard Examination with Mr. Gao.
This was not a complicated matter, and it was quickly settled:
For Li Xuedong, Eldest Sister Li Jinzhu would accompany him. Old Master Kuan’s nephew, Li Wenhua, would arrive in Hangzhou City two days in advance to assist and make arrangements.
On this trip, Old Master Kuan entrusted Mr. Gao to deliver fifteen silver coins to Li Jinzhu.
Li Jinzhu kept six silver coins for Li Yuzhu and Li Yin Zhu, to be used for hiring oxen and people if they became too busy to manage.
The night before their departure, Li Jinzhu had Li Yuzhu tailor a set of clothes for Li Xuedong to wear and work on during the journey.
It would take a full two days to reach Hangzhou City by boat, so they couldn’t be idle.
The meeting point was arranged at the entrance of the Hangzhou Academy. Li Wenhua waited for Li Xuedong and his companions, and his eyes first fell on Li Xiaonan, who was shyly hiding behind Li Jinzhu. He immediately frowned, “Why did you bring her?”
“Eldest Sister was afraid she couldn’t manage alone. Besides, A Nan is literate, and Eldest Sister said A Nan could help her read notices and such,” Li Xuedong quickly explained.
Although Li Wenhua’s brow remained furrowed, he said nothing further.
With his assistance, how could she not manage? This little girl was already this old, capable of half a laborer’s work. Instead of letting her work in the fields, she was brought along to eat and drink for free!
Alas, what a waste!
Never mind, she’s already here. Besides, his uncle had instructed him to listen to Xuedong in all matters and not to put on airs as an elder.
Li Wenhua, with a furrowed brow, led Li Xuedong and the other two to the tavern he had booked.
He had arrived two days early and spent a day and a half searching, but it wasn’t until this afternoon that he finally settled on the most cost-effective tavern and paid the deposit.
As for the first two nights, it wasn’t cold in July, and as a grown man, he could make do with a night anywhere, so there was no need to spend extra copper coins on lodging.
Early the next morning, a notice was posted at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall: All child scholars who were to take the examination must receive the Ancient Classics Examination questions within the Imperial Examination Hall’s Ceremonial Gate before the Yin Hour that day, and submit their papers within two days.
Li Xiaonan went to retrieve the questions. Among the Exegesis of Classics, Historical Discourse, Poetry and Prose, and Investigation of Things questions, she chose Exegesis of Classics.
She was most skilled in Investigation of Things, and for this level of Investigation of Things questions, she was 100% confident of achieving full marks. However, her brother was only above average in Investigation of Things, so she dared not fully display her talent.
As for Historical Discourse, she was very good at it, but discussing history required taking a stance and expressing opinions. Her stance and opinions were highly likely to deviate from the current orthodoxy and mainstream. It was not advisable to be unconventional when seeking an official career. Moreover, she was a substitute, a fake, so she had to be low-key, moderate, and follow the crowd.
Li Xiaonan wrote a standard essay for the Exegesis of Classics, submitting it two hours before the deadline. A day later, the results of the Ancient Classics Examination were posted. This Ancient Classics Examination eliminated one-third of the candidates.
This greatly surprised and astonished the candidates, and a commotion erupted at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall.
To eliminate so many people for a mere assignment was too much!
In the previous two terms of the Educational Commissioner for the Liangzhe Circuit, the Ancient Classics Examination was entirely voluntary; it was optional whether to take it or not, and no candidates had ever been eliminated by the Ancient Classics Examination!
However, according to the court’s rules, whether to eliminate candidates in the Ancient Classics Examination was entirely at the discretion of the Educational Commissioner.
This Educational Commissioner was too much!
The eliminated candidates, in small groups, were indignant but did not even dare to complain loudly.
The Wei Educational Commissioner, who had just taken office after the new year, was from the direct lineage of the Yu Zhang Wei family. He was a second-place scholar and had been famous for his talent since he was a teenager, considered one of the top talents in the world.
Such an Educational Commissioner, whose family background and talent were both awe-inspiring, had caused this elimination based on Ancient Classics. Although it was extremely unexpected, no one dared to voice their dissatisfaction.
Li Xuedong’s name was ranked in the middle among the students who passed, and Li Xiaonan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, gaining some confidence in her essay writing skills.
Li Xiaonan stood with her hands on her hips, full of confidence.
She, who used to be a top student, could still be considered a top student now!
Go, classmate Li! Aim for Xiucai Scholar!
Along with the posting of the Ancient Classics results, the official examination schedule was released, with Pingjiang Prefecture scheduled for the last day.
The Courtyard Examination was much more rigorous than the Prefectural Examination. Just before the Yin Hour, the scholars taking the examination that day lined up neatly at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall according to their ranking in the Ancient Classics Examination.
At the beginning of the Yin Hour, the main gate of the Imperial Examination Hall was pushed open on time. Educational Commissioner Wei, in a brand-new official robe, emerged from the gate and stood on the steps. He took a roster from a servant and began calling out names.
The summoned scholars, carrying their examination baskets, walked towards the Dragon Gate.
A clerk standing next to Educational Commissioner Wei clearly and loudly announced the scholar’s place of origin, age, and facial features. After Educational Commissioner Wei carefully examined them and nodded, he would then loudly proclaim, “So-and-so vouches for him.” A group of scholars stood below the steps of the Imperial Examination Hall, and someone would step forward, loudly respond, “So-and-so vouches for him,” and then step forward to press their handprint.
Li Xiaonan, her heart pounding, watched and listened carefully.
The order of being called in was the same as the order in which they lined up. After the person in front of Li Xiaonan was called in, Educational Commissioner Wei called out Li Xuedong’s name. Li Xiaonan’s heart leaped into her throat. Carrying her examination basket, she stood before Educational Commissioner Wei.
Educational Commissioner Wei looked at the three generations of the Li family’s résumés listed on the roster. This was a poor orphan. He then looked at the Li Xuedong before him: short, thin, and dark-skinned, wearing clothes woven from home-spun cloth, his head wrapped in black cloth, carrying a very old examination basket. His dark, bright eyes were filled with apprehension, like a startled little beast, nervously looking at him.
“Don’t be nervous, do well on the exam, and go,” Educational Commissioner Wei said with a smile, gently reassuring him.
Li Xiaonan subconsciously let out a breath.
After passing the screen wall, two scribes who were searching them checked the examination basket, while another quickly patted Li Xiaonan down from head to toe. Then, another scribe handed Li Xiaonan a beautifully printed rhyming dictionary and gestured for her to enter.
A fine layer of cold sweat covered Li Xiaonan’s back. After walking a few steps, she slowly exhaled in relief.
Good! The most difficult hurdle was passed!
The examination rooms within the Imperial Examination Hall were also arranged according to the order they lined up at the entrance. Li Xiaonan stood before her pigeon-cage-sized examination room and cautiously looked around.
Her position was in the middle of a large area of examination rooms, neither at the front nor the back, neither good nor bad, perfectly in line with her philosophy of moderation and following the crowd.
The Courtyard Examination questions, like the County Examination and Prefectural Examination, consisted of two classical discourse essays, one five-character, six-rhyme poetry examination, and one Investigation of Things paper.
The topics for the two classical discourse essays were steady and unremarkable.
Li Xiaonan breathed another sigh of relief and decided to tackle the Investigation of Things paper first. She was confident she could get this Investigation of Things paper completely correct.
Li Xiaonan meticulously finished the Investigation of Things paper. As she picked up the classical discourse questions, the invigilating scribes walked past each examination room, stamping a red seal in the middle of the characters on each written page.
It was the character “Chen.”
Did this “Chen” mean the Chen Hour? This was probably a method to prevent cheating. What was the principle behind it?
Now was not the time to think about this!
Li Xiaonan quickly refocused and began drafting the classical discourse essays.
At the Shen Hour, the Dragon Gate opened, releasing the first batch of candidates who had submitted their papers. Fifteen minutes later, the Dragon Gate opened again, releasing the second batch.
Li Xiaonan meticulously checked everything again. Half of the examination rooms on both sides were already empty; it was time to submit her papers.
Li Xiaonan submitted her papers, carried her examination basket, hunched her shoulders and lowered her head, appearing timid and withdrawn. After waiting for a while, the Dragon Gate opened for the fourth time. Li Xiaonan, following the candidates exiting this time, passed through the Dragon Gate.
She was very confident about this examination.
