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The theme for the first day’s poem was the spring scenery, while the essay topic was a passage extracted from “The Doctrine of the Mean”: “Self-evident sincerity is called one’s nature. Sincere when self-evident is called teaching. If sincere, then evident indeed; if evident, then sincere indeed.”
Compared to the questions in the county and prefectural exams, which focused on memorizing and interpreting the Four Books and Five Classics, this kind of topic added another layer of complexity.
Not only did the candidates need to grasp the meaning behind it, but they also had to articulate their own interpretations with substance.
Upon receiving the exam question, all examinees pondered deeply.
Some furrowed their brows, some bowed their heads in contemplation, while others gazed up at the sky.
After a moment, some began to pick up their brushes, dipped them in ink from the inkstone, and started writing on the paper on their desks.
It took Song Jingyun half an hour after the exam began before he picked up his pen. Unlike others who started with drafts, he wrote directly on the exam paper.
As the exam commenced, officials started their rounds.
Education Prefect Zhou Yuanjie paced back and forth in the examination hall with his hands behind his back.
When he observed someone writing swiftly with determination, he nodded slightly. However, when he noticed someone looking distressed, unsure of how to begin writing, even after all this time, he remained expressionless. And when he saw Song Jingyun, who had already started writing his answers on the exam paper…
Zhou Yuanjie shook his head.
During the exam, there were specific rules regarding the number of characters allowed per line on the answer sheet. The written content should not exceed the space provided on the paper; any violation of this rule would result in disqualification.
The same applied to errors and corrections made during the exam.
Because of these strict guidelines, during the exam, everyone would first draft their responses to ensure accuracy before transcribing them neatly on the answer sheet, aiming for legible handwriting and a clean presentation.
This was essentially the unwritten rule during imperial examinations, and everyone adhered to it rigorously.
Zhou Yuanjie was accustomed to such situations. However, witnessing something so out of the ordinary now…
Either one is a genius who drafts their thoughts with precision and flawlessly writes without errors, or they are self-deluded, leading to a plethora of issues, ultimately dooming themselves as fools.
True geniuses are rare in this world, while fools are abundant, especially among the examinees seen in the provincial exam, mostly falling into the latter category.
A smirk played on Zhou Yuanjie’s lips as he continued his rounds, hands clasped behind his back.
At this moment, Song Jingyun was wholly focused, calmly and methodically penning his essay.
The pens provided in the exam hall were passable at best, serving the sole purpose of evaluating the candidates’ penmanship.
Many were accustomed to using their carefully selected high-quality brushes, making it uncomfortable to write with these standard pens, resulting in noticeably poorer handwriting than usual.
However, as Song Jingyun’s wrist moved subtly, impeccably neat characters in regular script leaped onto the paper, flowing effortlessly like engraved print. Each character was precise and orderly, impressing anyone who glanced at them.
Yet, since this was an exam setting, other examinees couldn’t see this exceptional handwriting. Only the examiners passing by occasionally would pause briefly, marveling at the sight.
Nevertheless, good penmanship and neat writing were ultimately futile.
Since this was the provincial exam with challenging questions, someone who didn’t even bother with drafts must be quite headstrong, likely resulting in an article full of self-assuredness.
Unnoticed by Song Jingyun, many secretly shook their heads and couldn’t help but sigh at his approach.
After completing his rounds, Zhou Yuanjie took a brief rest and engaged in conversation with those nearby, inquiring about the provision of water and food in the exam hall.
“Your Excellency, as per tradition, the exam hall provides each candidate with water and food three times a day. Typically, breakfast consists of rice porridge, steamed buns, minced meat with vegetables. Lunch includes rice with potato and meat slices, while dinner offers noodles with shredded meat. If the food and water run short, they can be replenished.”
“Ah.” Zhou Yuanjie nodded slightly, then asked, “Is there a candidate named Song Jingyun in this exam hall, and if so, what is his number?”
“Song Jingyun?” The person paused, “Why does Your Excellency ask about him?”
“Why?” Zhou Yuanjie raised an eyebrow, “Is there something amiss?”
“It’s not that,” the person shook their head, “Song Jingyun was the top scorer in the prefectural exam. Among all the scholars from the county who participated in the prefectural exam, he was considered the most formidable. I’ve heard of his reputation. However, during my rounds earlier, I noticed that Song Jingyun didn’t draft anything; he wrote his answers directly on the exam paper…”
“I wonder if he truly had a clear plan in mind or if his success in the prefectural exam has made him a bit too confident.”
Could it be that the one who answered directly on the exam paper was Song Jingyun?
Zhou Yuanjie paused for a moment, then stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Minister Cao was an old friend who had specifically instructed him to take care of matters within his jurisdiction during the provincial exam.
Initially, Zhou Yuanjie had been quite intrigued. He wanted to see for himself what kind of scholar had caught Minister Cao’s attention even before passing the provincial exam.
However, it turned out that this person, who had piqued his curiosity, was merely overly confident.
It seemed that even Minister Cao could misjudge someone occasionally.
Upon his return to the capital, Zhou Yuanjie decided that he would have a discussion with Minister Cao about this matter.
While he didn’t particularly fancy such a person, he had agreed to look after them, so he instructed, “Ensure that all necessary items for Song Jingyun’s exam are provided in abundance and delivered promptly to ensure he can take the exam smoothly.”
Although he didn’t hold Song Jingyun in high regard, fulfilling the commitment he made to others was important.
“Understood.” Although the individual didn’t quite grasp why a rural-born scholar like Song Jingyun would receive special attention from the Education Prefect, it was a task assigned by the Education Prefect, and therefore, it needed to be carried out diligently.
During the meal, Song Jingyun noticed that his bowl seemed larger than the one used during the prefectural exam, and there were more meat slices in his food than before.
Is it because all the exam candidates are scholars-in-training, and once they pass, they become scholars, that they receive special treatment during the provincial exam?
Unable to see the situation in other examinees’ dormitories, Song Jingyun pondered for a moment and concluded that this was likely the case. Satisfied with this thought, he enjoyed his meal and finished it completely.
By the time he finished his lunch, Song Jingyun had already put away the essay he had written.
With time still on his hands and ideas forming for the spring-themed poem, he decided to take a short nap by resting his head on the desk.
Later, as people, including Zhou Yuanjie, conducted afternoon rounds and discovered Song Jingyun peacefully asleep while others wrote fervently, they shook their heads in disbelief once more.
In the evening, the completed exam papers for the first day were collected, sealed, and set aside for grading.
At night, the examinees slept in their dormitories.
Some tossed and turned restlessly, others managed fitful sleep, easily disturbed, while a few snored loudly…
Song Jingyun also found it challenging to fall asleep.