Chapter 684 - 250: Palace Examination
Chapter 684: Chapter 250: Palace Examination
Surrounded by an imperial procession of bright yellow, Emperor Ruicheng sat on the throne.
The Ministry of Rites Announcement Officer sang out loudly:
"Fall in line—
"Kneel..."
The Advanced Scholars filling the hall knelt in unison, their robes briefly fluttering. With their foreheads touching the ground, they did not dare gaze upon the Emperor’s face. Every single movement displayed their utmost reverence and awe for the Royal Family.
"Long live the Emperor, long live, long, long live—"
Their voices rang out like a giant bronze bell, carrying far into the distance. Even the birds perched on Taihe Palace were startled by the resounding sound, hastily flapping their wings and going CHIRP CHIRP as they flew far away.
Finally, the Emperor called for them to rise. "You may stand."
His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it carried an innate aura of solemn majesty. As his words echoed into every corner of the hall, everyone’s nerves tightened once more.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The crowd kowtowed once more before slowly getting to their feet. They stood with their arms respectfully at their sides, holding their breath and keeping quiet, afraid to make even the slightest noise.
From the head of the hall came the Emperor’s voice again. "Those present today are all profoundly learned scholars who have emerged from layers of rigorous selection. You are the backbone of the educated, and you are the future of the nation. In your policy essays today, there is no need to deliberately flatter, nor is there a need to cower in fear. Say what must be said, propose what must be proposed, express your thoughts to the fullest, and reveal your true hearts through your talent. Wield your brush as a sword and establish yourselves through your writing. Only then will you not let down your ten years of arduous study, nor the expectations of myself and the world."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Emperor slightly raised his hand. "Begin."
The Announcement Officer walked out holding the examination questions, and everyone in the hall fell to their knees once again. As the policy questions were distributed one by one, the crowd received them on their knees, kowtowed, stood up, and slowly returned to their seats.
Even now, many of the Advanced Scholars were still awed by the majesty of the Royal Family, their emotions surging and unable to calm down for a long time. Only Zhao Jing remained an exception. His expression was completely tranquil, and his mind was perfectly clear.
The Palace Examination began.
The schedule for the Palace Examination was arranged as follows: enter Taihe Palace at 7:00 AM and hand in the papers at 17:00. Those who failed to finish before sunset would be placed at the very bottom of the third tier.
The questions were both simple and difficult in their own way. There was only one set of policy questions on current affairs. The examination officials secretly drafted eight questions, and the Emperor circled four of them to serve as the final test. These typically covered classical principles, historical precedents, current politics, the people’s livelihood, official administration, the military system, and border defense. This time, the four questions tested national expenditure and civilian livelihood, border defense and military preparedness, official administration and talent selection, and the fundamental principles of governance.
The fundamental principles of governance was the first question, and it was also one that had been tested to death. This year was old wine in a new bottle—virtually identical in essence to what had come before.
"Since ancient times, when monarchs governed and pacified the people, some favored benevolence and tolerance, while others favored strictness and clarity. Ultimately, which should take precedence?"
Zhao Jing had long been prepared for such a topic. He ground his ink and calmed his mind until a rough draft formed in his head. Only then did he set brush to paper, laying out his arguments with measured grace.
"Your subject has heard that the governance of a monarch relies on virtue rather than strategic terrain, on the people rather than severe laws. For a nation takes its people as the foundation, a ruler takes the virtuous as the foundation, governance attains purity through incorruptibility, and the military attains peace through steadfastness. When these four elements complement one another, the world can be governed..."
The time allotted for the Palace Examination was about four or five hours. In these few hours, candidates had to write four policy essays. During this time, they also had to drink water, eat their dry rations, and take restroom breaks. Moreover, since candles were not provided during the Palace Examination, the light inside the hall would grow dim by the end of the Shen hour, severely impacting their handwriting and the neatness of their papers. Writing after dark was strictly forbidden. Therefore, all things considered, the total time available to answer the four policy essays was less than four hours.
To finish four policy essays with neat handwriting and a coherent flow of logic in such a short amount of time was a Herculean task. It was utterly impossible to draft them out on scratch paper and then copy them over. Back at the Xu Mansion, Zhao Jing had practiced with Xu Yanhe. Only by strictly limiting the time spent on each essay to one hour could one possibly put down their brush before sunset.
Time was of the essence; not a single moment could be wasted.
Thus, even when he noticed that the bright yellow figure had descended from the throne and even stopped to stand beside him, Zhao Jing remained completely unmoving, continuing to write his essay at a steady, unhurried pace. His body and mind were entirely immersed in his work; in the end, he did not even realize when Emperor Ruicheng had left.
Unlike Zhao Jing, who had previously met the Emperor—and had even accompanied him for tea, conversations, and meals—very few of the other Advanced Scholars present had ever laid eyes on the Emperor’s divine visage. Even the young men from aristocratic families had mostly only seen the Emperor at palace banquets or major celebrations. But with the massive crowds at those events and the great distance between them, how could they have ever gotten a clear look at his face?
Having never beheld the true dragon’s appearance, their hearts were naturally filled with apprehension, unease, panic, and fear. Fearing that their essays might lack profound insight or fail to please His Majesty, they became flustered before they had even begun. And in that panic, a single drop of ink spilled onto the exam paper would be immediately treated as cheating.