Chapter 685 - 250: Palace Examination
Chapter 685: Chapter 250: Palace Examination
The candidate slumped to the ground and was immediately dragged out by the eunuchs and imperial guards standing guard nearby. In the silent hall, the heavy footsteps of the guards marching out and the SWISH of a body dragging across the floor echoed like a sudden thunderclap. Half of everyone’s bodies instantly went numb from the shock.
The Advanced Scholars were so anxious they could barely hold their brushes. But having reached this stage, one step forward meant soaring to the heavens, while a step back meant waiting another three years—no, since this was a special examination by imperial grace, the next Palace Examination would be in two years, so they wouldn’t have to wait three. Still, whoever could enter the court as an official a step earlier would never willingly delay it for two years.
If they gave it their all, who knew? They might just succeed.
No one cared when the Emperor left. Even without that towering presence looming over them, no one dared to slack off, much less make any suspicious movements.
There were simply too many eunuchs in the hall. They stood rigidly around the perimeter like wooden puppets that neither breathed nor moved. If one didn’t look closely, they would blend right into the shadows. However, the moment anyone made the slightest abnormal movement, their eyes would lock onto the culprit with the sharpness of an eagle. They couldn’t move, and they didn’t dare to. No one wanted to leave a bad impression on His Majesty, nor did they want to endure the psychological pressure of being stared down as a suspected cheater.
At Noon, many in the hall set down their brushes and began to eat. The Palace Examination did not provide food or water; all provisions had to be brought from home.
Inside Taihe Palace, pungent foods were strictly forbidden. Therefore, Zhao Jing and Xu Yanhe each brought two salt and pepper flatbreads wrapped in oil paper. To prevent crumbs or sesame seeds from falling and dirtying their seating area, these were unleavened flatbreads without a single sesame seed sprinkled on top. If bought on the street, such flatbreads would only cost one cent each. Yet, because they were generously seasoned with salt and pepper and flavored with other spices, they tasted remarkably delicious.
Zhao Jing ate both of his flatbreads, then took out the waterskin from his waist to take a drink. A generous amount of honey had been added to the water, giving it a sweet taste. However, he didn’t dare drink too much, afraid he might need to relieve himself later. It wasn’t that leaving for the restroom was forbidden, but every word and deed during the Palace Examination was officially recorded. Running to the latrine frequently would not only waste time, but it would also leave an unflattering mark on one’s reputation in the future.
Clearly, everyone present shared Zhao Jing’s mindset. After lunch, they took tiny sips of water and, not daring to dawdle, immediately resumed writing furiously.
Time passed quickly amid the flourishing of their brushes. During this time, several high-ranking court officials entered Taihe Palace. They stood behind the Advanced Scholars. Some stroked their beards and nodded repeatedly, while others furrowed their brows in sheer disgust, evidently wondering how someone with such subpar skills had managed to reach the Palace Examination. Perhaps the candidates were numbed by the grueling exam, or perhaps time was too tight to care. They allowed the officials to scrutinize them while their brushes continued to go SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH as they drafted their essays.
The sky gradually darkened until, eventually, all light faded away. The examination time was up. A candidate who still had a few words left to write panicked. Pressing down too hard, he pierced right through his exam paper. Just like that, on the verge of completion, his efforts were ruined, rendering the entire ordeal worthless.
Zhao Jing finished his exam without any mishaps and was guided out of the palace by a little eunuch. Standing at the palace gates, he looked back to see the evening clouds blazing furiously like a wildfire in the sky. Tomorrow would undoubtedly be another sunny day.
The Palace Examination was over. The candidates were finally free, but the Emperor and his ministers became truly busy.
The Palace Examination essays had to be reviewed by the grading ministers, who would select the top ten to be presented before the throne. The final rankings would depend entirely on His Majesty’s wishes. However, since His Majesty had not yet fully consolidated his independent power, the Empress Dowager also had the right to intervene.
Unsurprisingly, arguments soon broke out in Taiji Palace. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager were locked in such a fierce dispute that they nearly summoned the Cabinet ministers into the hall to grade the papers together. But having reached this stage, it was already glaringly obvious which paper belonged to which candidate.
Zhao Jing’s essay was undoubtedly the best. The next-highest scorers—Chang Zai, Fan Chunxiu, and Zhu Tianxiang—were absent for various reasons. Since the second through sixth-place finishers from the previous stage had all missed the Palace Examination, the candidate seated beside Zhao Jing in the great hall was the seventh-place finisher of the Imperial Examination. While the gap between the Metropolitan Examination Champion and the second-place finisher might be neck and neck, the disparity between first and seventh place was rather substantial.
If they forcefully passed over Zhao Jing to elevate someone ranked lower, the scholars wouldn’t be blind to it. Once the selected essays were published after the Palace Examination, the scholars would certainly curse the Emperor as a foolish ruler behind his back.
The Emperor strongly backed Zhao Jing, but the Empress Dowager was unwilling to let the Royalist Party’s influence grow any further.
She said, "We had an unspoken agreement before..."
How could the Emperor be willing to compromise?
He simply retorted, "Selecting scholars through the imperial examinations is of paramount importance. How can it be treated like a child’s game? If the academic prowess of these other candidates were on par with Zhao Jing, I would have taken a step back. But the gap between them is like an unbridgeable chasm! If we truly push this person to the top, what will the scholars say? What fairness and justice would be left in the examinations?
"Mother, surely you don’t want to go down in infamy and be condemned by everyone over this matter, do you?"