Chapter 511 - 193: Provincial Examination (Part 2)
Chapter 511: Chapter 193: Provincial Examination (Part 2)
Perhaps because he had eaten a large lunch, or perhaps because his mind was weighed down with other matters, he didn’t feel hungry yet. He decided to seize the opportunity to catch up on sleep.
A look around the examination hall revealed that quite a few candidates were like Zhao Jing, taking the opportunity to rest.
After a full day of answering questions, everyone was exhausted. Their minds felt numb. Trying to tackle another question now would likely lead to a less-than-perfect result.
But there were also some candidates who, fearing they didn’t have enough time, lit their candles and continued to write.
Zhao Jing paid no attention to any of this. Taking advantage of the pleasant temperature, he lay down on his cot and quickly fell asleep.
Zhao Jing slept straight through to the third watch.
He woke up fully rested, looking refreshed and full of vigor.
Zhao Jing lit his stove and placed a pot on top. Once the water boiled, he cracked in three eggs to poach. When they were done, he added a bundle of fine noodles. A drizzle of sesame oil before serving completed his delicious breakfast.
By the time Zhao Jing had eaten his fill, the sky was beginning to brighten.
He sat upright in his seat and, just as he had the day before, ground his ink. Once he was completely calm and composed, he picked up his brush to begin answering the questions.
The first session of the examination went smoothly for Zhao Jing. The other students in the examination hall also seemed to be doing well.
When leaving the examination hall that day, all the candidates were smiling, as if victory was already in their grasp and the laurel of a scholar was just within reach.
However, at the start of the second session, something major happened.
Someone had brought in a cheat sheet!
This is how it happened.
The provincial governor had ascended Mingyuan Tower to supervise the exam. Wielding a telescope, he happened to spot a student acting furtively, trying to hide something with his sleeve. Sensing something was amiss, he sent constables to investigate, and sure enough, the student was cheating.
Speaking of which, it’s worth mentioning Mingyuan Tower.
Mingyuan Tower was four stories high, making it the tallest building in the entire Prefecture.
It was built right in the center of the examination hall, a structure specifically designed for proctoring and preventing candidates from cheating.
From its top, one could look down and monitor the candidates in all directions.
And because thorny branches, specifically from the sour jujube tree, were often placed atop Mingyuan Tower, some people also called the examination hall Jingwei.
But I digress. Let’s get back to the cheating candidate.
It was later discovered that this candidate’s ancestors were masters of mechanical contraptions, and he himself was quite skilled in the art. Before the examination, he had a wild idea. He created an inkstone with a hidden compartment and transcribed the entire *Four Books with Complete Annotations*—all 300,000 characters—onto a tiny booklet smaller than an egg, which he hid inside the inkstone.
Because the weight of the inkstone easily concealed the hidden item, the constables responsible for the search didn’t notice anything amiss, allowing the man to enter the examination hall without a problem.
The man was indeed cautious, never taking it out in the daylight, waiting until night to sneak a few glances.
But after looking at it that night, he had hastily put it back in the inkstone, and a small corner was left sticking out. He was drowsy at the time and didn’t notice. When the exam began the next morning, he saw it and quickly tried to fix it, but by a stroke of bad luck, that was the exact moment the provincial governor, telescope in hand, caught him red-handed.
When the candidate was dragged out, he was as limp as a pile of mud. The fate awaiting him would certainly not be pleasant. For daring to openly defy the court’s laws, being stripped of his Scholar status and banned for life from the examination hall would be a light punishment. He would likely face corporal punishment as well.
But no one pitied him. Because of his actions, the four other candidates who had vouched for him were all expelled from the examination hall and barred from taking the exam again for three years.
Even the stipendiary student who acted as their guarantor would be implicated. He might even have all the stipends and grain allowances granted by the court suspended.
Was it unfair?
Outrageously unfair!
Never mind the reaction of the implicated stipendiary student; among the candidates who were dragged down with him, one couldn’t hold back. He burst into tears on the spot, begging the officials to give him another chance.
Another man began frantically slapping himself across the face, hating himself for his poor judgment of character. This incident would now be a permanent stain on his record, no matter what he did in the future.
’Even if I do manage to achieve something in the examinations someday, who would dare entrust me with any real responsibility with this mark of "poor judgment" against my name?’
’My life is ruined.’
As the five men were led away, the atmosphere in the examination hall grew even more oppressive.
Patrols were tightened. Officials frequently walked past the cells, causing some of the more timid students to break out in a cold sweat, their writing hands trembling.
One candidate, perhaps with a guilty conscience, dropped a spot of ink from his brush as an official and a constable walked by. His legs gave out instantly, and he collapsed to the floor.
A sullied examination paper was treated the same as a cheating paper—it would be voided.
This session was a complete waste.
This entire Provincial Examination was a complete waste for him.
Countless candidates were left trembling, their hearts filled with growing anxiety and fear. But none of this had anything to do with Zhao Jing.