RPAGF Chapter 605 The Imperial Examination Begins
Chapter 605 The Imperial Examination Begins
Chapter 605 The Imperial Examination Begins
"The demon race is using a strategy of retreat to advance."
Li Baiyuan, the Minister of Literature, pondered for a moment and said:
"As you know, shrinking the demon race's forces allows for troop reorganization, which will make them even stronger."
If that's really the case, then the demon race is probably plotting a huge trap.
"Moreover, it is said that there is a mysterious person commanding the demon race. This mysterious person is likely the mastermind behind this war. You should be careful."
Chen Tianjian continued.
After receiving the notification, he was somewhat incredulous. He then sent people to investigate the demon race and indeed found some clues.
There is indeed someone behind the demon race.
"We need to know who this person behind the scenes is, what he wants to do, and what secret agreement he has reached with the demon race. If war breaks out a year from now, the ten kingdoms will be unable to cope with the united demon race and the demon clan, given their current relationship."
Wen Xiang took a small sip of tea and then spoke.
"Therefore, this is the most urgent matter. Uniting the ten countries is not an easy task."
Ye Ru, who was standing to the side, naturally knew the connection between them, and then slowly said.
"Let's discuss this matter at tomorrow's morning court session. We can then discuss with the other ministers how to negotiate with the other ten nations regarding this holy war."
Wen Xiang nodded, then clapped his hands, and a servant came in. After the former told him about the banquet to be held today, the latter went to prepare.
"Come on, it's getting late, let's have dinner. We're having a feast today to celebrate Ye Ru's success on the list tomorrow."
After speaking, Wen Xiang stood up and walked outside, with Ye Ru and the others following closely behind.
After finishing his meal and discussing some matters of the imperial court, Ye Ru went to bed early.
The next day, as the sun shone on the ground, a ray of morning light covered the Confucian and Taoist continent. Countless scholars got up early and headed to their respective examination sites.
Today is the imperial examination for successful candidates in the provincial examination. Although it is held every year, the difficulty of the questions is extraordinary compared to the examinations for candidates in the county-level and junior examinations.
Above the level of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), the questions on the examination papers were all set by the semi-sages. Most of them were about discussing one's own feelings about a certain passage from the classics of the sages, and there were very few questions about copying scriptures or interpreting them in calligraphy.
After leaving Wen Xiang's house, Ye Ru headed straight for the location of the imperial examination.
Upon arriving at the entrance to the imperial examination hall, Ye Ru presented his credentials to the proctor and then entered the examination room.
The examination hall still had thirty people, with large gaps on both sides. Everyone carried a solemn expression, clearly knowing that this imperial examination was of great significance to them, so they dared not be distracted in the slightest.
As Ye Ru sat in his place, he suddenly felt countless gazes converging on him. Their faces showed a hint of awe, as if they knew Ye Ru's identity, and he responded with a smile.
clang!
The clear sound of bells rang out in the imperial examination hall, followed by a scholar who came to distribute the examination papers. He held a thick stack of pale yellow papers in his hand and handed them out one by one.
After distributing the exam papers, the proctor cleared his throat and said:
"Today is the imperial examination for the title of Juren. Anyone found cheating will be dealt with according to the law. Their collateral relatives and direct relatives will be barred from taking the imperial examination for ten years. Do you understand?"
"understood."
"it is good."
The proctor nodded in satisfaction, then looked up at the sky, waiting for the imperial examination to begin.
Ye Ru looked at the questions on the paper with a somewhat solemn expression. This exam paper had very few questions on calligraphy and classical texts. The entire paper consisted of a portion of the eight-legged essay and then explanations of the classics of the sages. All of these questions were filled out by a semi-sage, which shows how difficult they were.
clang!
Another clear bell rang out, and with the proctor's command, everyone in the room began to pick up their pens and write.
"When a gentleman serves his superiors, he thinks of being loyal when he advances and of making amends when he retreats. He will follow their good points and correct their bad ones."
Ye Ru looked at the sentence and fell into thought. Then, as he was about to write, he suddenly stopped because he realized that there were six blanks after the sentence, and the sentence was only one line short of being complete.
After a moment of contemplation, Ye Ru noticed that everyone else was also frowning, pondering the sentence.
"Sir, is there a printing error on this exam paper? The first question seems a bit off."
At this moment, a scholar stood up and spoke.
"There's nothing wrong with that. These questions have all been personally reviewed by the Half-Saint. Since this question was posed, there must be a reason for it. Think about it carefully again."
The proctor stroked his beard and said calmly, leaving the scholar with no choice but to sit down.
“If we follow what is good and correct what is bad, then superiors and inferiors can be close to each other. When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame.”
Ye Ru substituted this sentence into the blanks, and then added the missing sentence, making a total of six blanks.
"When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame." This saying originated from Guan Zhong and was also written into the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. These two sentences became the guiding ideology for the State of Qi to strengthen itself and seek wealth.
A smile crept across Ye Ru's lips; he seemed to know the traps in these questions.
The trap used in this sutra is to find similar sentences, and these two sentences were similar words in the previous life.
Having figured out the problem, Ye Ru continued writing. Clearly, with this experience, Ye Ru's writing speed was also very fast, and he finished writing the sutra in almost half an incense stick's time.
The speed at which he wrote shocked the surrounding examinees. Ye Ru ignored them and immediately began writing the interpretation of the text after finishing the calligraphy.
This time, the question was not very difficult. All that was needed was to recite the article that was presented. Ye Ru did not hesitate at all and wrote it down within half an incense stick's time.
"Poetry."
Upon seeing the poem, Ye Ru stopped and carefully examined the question. The theme of this poem was musical instruments, and there were no restrictions on describing the instruments, but the prerequisite was that a poem that could amaze the saints would be required to achieve full marks.
So astonished was the poem given no score.
After a moment's hesitation, Ye Ru wrote down two words:
"The Poems on the Qin"
If you say that the zither has a sound, why doesn't it play when it's in its case?
As soon as the first two lines were written, a ray of light began to emerge within them; the brilliance of those first two lines alone had already reached the level of a masterpiece of poetry.
Everyone was surprised to see Ye Ru do this, especially the proctor, who had written down the entire meaning of the classic text in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
If you say the sound is on your fingertips, why don't we hear it on your fingertips?
As the last stroke was written, the intense light shot directly into the sky, eventually scattering like petals in all directions.
The chief examiners, along with Wen Xiang and others, couldn't help but smile at this scene.
"The first perfect poem has been written. Let me see how good it is."
After speaking, Wen Xiang made a grasping motion in the air, and a text appeared before them.
"It's actually a poem of sacred teachings. Who wrote it?"
Wen Xiang turned his head and asked.
"It's Ye Ru."
Then one of the chief examiners below spoke respectfully.
"So it was this kid. Then this song is no surprise."
Wen Xiang shrugged. With the appearance of Ye Ru's poem, many more lights appeared, each one more astonishing than the last.
Wen Xiang led the examiners to appreciate the poems one by one, their faces occasionally showing admiration. However, although the other poems were well-written, they were still far inferior to Ye Ru's poems.
After finishing the poem, Ye Ru began to carefully consider the last question.
This question is a quote from the Records of the Grand Historian, and you are required to explain its meaning in your own words.
The next question is: He who rides in another's car carries that person's troubles; he who wears another's clothes bears that person's worries; he who eats another's food will die for that person.