Chapter 31: The Spring Imperial Examination Begins

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In the hour before dawn the following day, the bright moon hung high overhead, while a scattering of stars glittered across the sky.

Outside the examination compound, thousands of candidates had gathered. Nearly ten thousand scholars stood waiting in orderly lines that wound along the long street like a great serpent.

The vermilion gates of the compound had yet to open. Two stone lions stood majestically before them, while the bronze rings on the doors gleamed with a cold, hard sheen in the moonlight.

After much coaxing and pleading from Pinlan, Sheng Wei had finally agreed to bring her along to see Zhao Han off to the examination. Shulan came with them as well.

Far away in Yangzhou, after supper that evening, Nanny Hu had led a group of maids and servants in worshipping every deity in the household: the Celestial Lord of Literature, the Vermilion-Robed Divine Lord, Manjushri Bodhisattva, and the Sage Confucius.

Even Sheng Hong had repeatedly bowed before the household shrine, silently praying that Zhao Han would place high in the rankings and win one of the top positions, so that wagering his legitimate eldest daughter’s future would not prove to have been in vain.

Hualan, meanwhile, paced back and forth at home. Her almond-shaped eyes, usually bright and sparkling, now held a trace of anxiety and worry.

“Eldest Sister, could you please stop pacing? You’re making my head spin.”

Rulan frowned and looked up at Hualan.

“Be quiet. If you keep pestering me, I’ll have Father come inspect your lessons!”

At those words, Rulan immediately lowered her head. Taking her maid Magpie with her, she quietly slipped away to Concubine Wei’s courtyard to play date-pit grinding with Minglan.

Outside the examination compound, it was the fourth watch of the night.

A commotion suddenly arose in the distance. Changqing lifted the examination basket and rose onto his toes to look ahead.

The great gates of the examination compound were slowly opening with a creak. Clerks in official robes held registers in their hands and began calling out the candidates’ names in ringing voices.

“Young Master, the gates are open. We should move forward, or we’ll miss the appointed hour.”

“All right!”

Zhao Han answered, then drew a deep breath and clenched his fists unconsciously.

Anyone who claimed not to be nervous would surely be lying.

Three years of study by lamplight, and success or failure would be decided in this one moment!

Sheng Wei swept his gaze over the crowd and saw that everyone had begun pressing forward.

He stepped closer, leaned beside Zhao Han’s ear, and whispered, “Nephew, put your mind at ease. I’ve already made the necessary arrangements. You’re certain to receive an excellent examination cell.”

Zhao Han felt a warmth spread through his heart.

He was just about to offer his thanks when Sheng Wei had already retreated half a step without a trace.

Straightening his robe, he instantly resumed the dignified bearing of an elder.

Pinlan had deliberately worn a brand-new outfit that day. Her eyes shining with delight, she said brightly, “I wish Elder Brother Zhao success in the imperial examinations and victory at the first attempt! Better yet, you should become the top scholar! When that happens, we can play polo and hammer-ball together!”

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Shulan stood quietly to one side in a lotus-colored cross-collared gown, a white cloak tied over her shoulders and fluttering gently in the night breeze.

The corners of her eyes drooped slightly, lending her a tender, timid air. Pressing her lips together, she said, “I wish Elder Brother Zhao success in leaping through the Dragon Gate and ascending the Golden Register.”

“Thank you, Second Miss and Fourth Miss!”

Zhao Han clasped his hands, then strode forward with Changqing.

He had taken only a few steps when, from the corner of his eye, he happened to catch sight of Gu Tingye and Shitou.

The two men were pushing through the crowd and hurrying toward him.

“Fortunately, we made it. The crossroads were jammed with carriages just now, and I was frantic.”

“I ran all the way here with Shitou. Thankfully, Brother Zhao, you hadn’t entered the examination compound yet!”

Gu Tingye was breathing heavily. After taking a moment to steady himself, he solemnly clasped his hands and said, “Brother Zhao, you are certain to win the laurels in this metropolitan examination. In the future, you and I shall serve the realm together—one with the brush, the other with the sword—and build a lasting achievement.”

“It’s a promise!”

Zhao Han raised a hand and patted him on the shoulder, engraving this friendship firmly in his heart.

Only after his figure had vanished completely beyond the vermilion gates did Gu Tingye, Changqing, Sheng Wei, and the others leave.

Once inside the examination compound, the candidates faced identity verification, disrobing and inspection, and the distribution of examination papers before being led to their assigned cells.

Thanks to Sheng Wei’s ability to make things happen with money, Zhao Han was indeed assigned a cell far from the latrines—relatively spacious, clean, and comfortable.

He set down his examination basket, tidied the place briefly, and then began quietly waiting for the examiners to release the questions.

The Great Zhou’s Spring Examination consisted of three sessions held over three days.

The first tested the interpretation of the Classics, the second poetry and rhapsody, and the third policy essays.

At daybreak, the gates of the examination compound slowly closed.

With the sounding of drums and gongs, the examiners finally released the questions. The candidates had to complete their answers and submit their papers before sunset.

When Zhao Han opened the examination paper, the first question came into view:

“Explain Mencius’ words: ‘The people are the most important; the altars of state come next; the ruler is the least important.’”

Those thirteen brief words revealed the fundamental principle of governing the country.

Throughout history, every age of prosperity had placed the people’s livelihood first. The Rule of Wen and Jing lightened corvée labor and taxes; the Rule of Taizong used bronze as a mirror; the Hongwu reign governed officials with severity; and the prosperous reigns of Kangxi and Qianlong encouraged the growth of the population.

Those dynasties that treated the people like blades of grass ultimately fell beneath the immutable law that water can carry a boat, but may also overturn it.

Zhao Han took a deep breath. After composing his answer in his mind, he lifted his lake brush, holding his wrist slightly aloft. As his brush moved with the force and freedom of dragons and serpents, exquisite formal script poured across the paper like drifting clouds and flowing water.

The Book of Documents says: “The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace.”

…

The Commentary of Zuo says: “When a state is about to rise, it listens to the people; when it is about to perish, it listens to the spirits.”

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…

He wrote on at length, until noon was nearly upon him.

Zhao Han set down his brush and rubbed his aching wrist. Then he opened his examination basket and took out a food box carefully wrapped in thick cotton cloth.

The box had three tiers. The first contained soft steamed cakes, which still released faint wisps of heat.

The second held several slices of ham with a lustrous sheen, accompanied by an assortment of crisp, refreshing side dishes.

The bottom tier contained glutinous-rice porridge, good for warming the stomach and strengthening the spleen.

After eating his fill and resting briefly, he lowered his eyes to the bamboo-green sachet tied around his waist, then resumed writing with renewed vigor.

Mencius says: “He who wins the hearts of the common people may become Son of Heaven.”

…

The Book of Changes says: “When Heaven and Earth unite, there is peace.”

At the conclusion, he did not forget to flatter the reigning sovereign, writing:

“His Sacred Majesty now devotes himself wholeheartedly to good government, taking the people as his foundation. In this, his heart accords perfectly with that of the sage kings of antiquity.”

At the exact hour of the Rooster, the evening drums sounded faintly from beyond the examination compound.

The examiners collected the papers punctually. Some candidates were still scratching their heads, unable to finish their answers, while others sat calmly and confidently, arranging their brushes and inkstones.

Night fell. A chill wind swept through the cracks of the examination cells and struck Zhao Han in the face. After laying out the wooden bed board, he did not forget to put on the knee protectors given to him by Concubine Wei.

At dawn the following day, after another peal of drums and gongs, the examiners released the next set of questions.

This session tested poetry and rhapsody. The subject matter was broad, and for Zhao Han the difficulty was not particularly great. Besides, matters of literary taste varied from person to person, making this examination a poor measure of genuine talent.

The question was:

“Using bamboo as your subject, compose a poem.”

After considering it for a moment, he calmly dipped his brush in ink and wrote:

Bamboo and Stone

Clinging fast to the green mountain, it will not yield;
Its roots are sunk within the shattered stone.
Though battered by a thousand blows, it remains unbent;
Let the winds from every quarter rage as they will.

The third session, the policy essay, was the most important of all. Whether one would make the rankings depended on it to a degree of eight or nine out of ten.

The question was:

“Today, the Khitan and Western Xia encroach upon our two northwestern frontiers. The court presents them yearly with gold and silk, yet the border troubles do not cease. If we are to secure the frontiers and ease the burden upon the state treasury, what policy should be given priority?”

When Zhao Han saw the question, his eyes lit up. He could not help but admire the examiner’s ingenuity.

It plainly forced candidates to weigh war against peace and defense, testing both their learning and their ability while offering a means of selecting genuine talent.