Chapter 500: Chapter 500

Because Xu Qing did not achieve the top rank in the provincial examination, the impact was significant.

However, directly having Old Liang as the chief examiner to select Xu Qing as the top rank would lack credibility. By appointing Huo Jing as the chief examiner, it was not only a compromise in the court struggle but also to clear Xu Qing’s name.

The reason Huo Jing made unfavorable remarks about Xu Qing was also to lay the groundwork in advance.

Of course, aside from these matters, Xu Qing also needed to produce convincing essays.

In this regard, the Grand Secretary naturally had no worries.

Although the provincial examination system was stricter, making cheating more challenging, the chief examiner’s authority to search for lost papers meant that they could find the essays they wanted to spot.

Moreover, Xu Qing’s essays were undoubtedly the most outstanding.

This was beyond doubt.

As long as Huo Jing did not oppose this essay, Xu Qing naturally could be selected.

Apart from this, as the chief examiner, Huo Jing had certainly investigated and researched the outstanding candidates’ essays before the examination.

Because the provincial examination itself was also an opportunity to expand influence.

Doing some preparatory work in advance was only natural.

Soon, it was the day the provincial examination began.

In recent days, the weather had been calm and sunny, pleasing to the mind.

A group of people escorted Xu Qing to the outside of the examination hall.

Xu Qing instructed the crowd: "It’s fine to send me here; everyone can go back."

His voice was clear and resonant, like a phoenix’s cry, with an imposing and undeniable authority.

Xu Qing bid farewell to those who saw him off, walking among the crowded examinees.

His footsteps had a mesmerizing rhythm, as if in harmony with propriety, rules, and natural order, causing people to instinctively make way and genuinely believe that the man before them spoke and acted correctly, worthy of emulation and compliance.

Wherever he was, propriety followed.

The disorder among the examinees turned orderly.

The government officers maintaining order outside the Examination Hall were astonished.

They had never seen any provincial examination with such a stable order.

The examinees in the provincial examination were all respected scholars, inevitably facing some conflicts during queueing and body searches, though there were cases of government officers deliberately humiliating the scholars.

In short, the searches during provincial examinations were never smooth.

Now, with Xu Qing’s appearance, his pace seemed to establish propriety and discipline, making everything orderly.

Turning disorder into order was the "Infinite Heavenly Sound" Xu Qing comprehended, combining Tai Chi Boxing Scripture with his Confucian cultivation and Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound.

The foundation of this divine skill was primarily the Tai Chi Boxing Scripture.

In fact, it was not fundamentally different from the Buddha’s voice or the Heavenly Demon Sound, as they all primarily influenced and guided the mind.

If Xu Qing were a universally despised Evil Demon, his Mystical Sound would be the Heavenly Demon Sound.

If he were a virtuous high monk, it would be the Buddha’s voice.

If he were a Taoist, it would be the Immortal Sound.

The righteousness or evil of a divine skill depends mainly on the individual.

Xu Qing finally stepped into the most solemn and sacred examination hall in the world—the Capital Examination Hall.

The Holy Image here was even grander and more masculine than that in Yansheng Gong Mansion.

In reality, the Holy Image in Yansheng Gong Mansion was not immune to destruction over thousands of years; it was rebuilt or restored after conflicts. Crucially, the scholars coming to the provincial examination were the elite among all scholars. Their worship of the Holy Image cast a powerful and masculine aura naturally.

Reaching the Scholar level, it’s impossible to have no understanding of moral doctrines. At least they grasp some subtleties of profound meanings.

Moreover, when Scholars become Examination Candidates, with the eight-legged essay as the focus, even Scholars who do not pass for Imperial Examination are considered superior, so their diligence diminishes. They have some leisure to read more ancient books, reshaping their academic system.

In summary, many Scholars in the Great Yu Dynasty do not have time to study literary history beyond the Four Books and Five Classics until they become Scholars.

Or they begin to delve into miscellaneous studies only when they find no hope in the Imperial Examination.

Actually, in Xu Qing’s view, extensive knowledge and specialization are not contradictory; the key lies in balancing thinking and learning.

"Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous."

"To understand its essence, one must understand its nature and reason."

By mastering methods of thinking and learning, one’s thoughts will not be constrained by the rules found in books.

Though everyone understands the theory, actually implementing it is quite painful.

Timely feedback is, therefore, crucial.

Xu Qing became stronger step by step precisely because of the feedback from the bronze mirror.

After entering the examination hall, Xu Qing quietly sat in his booth, waiting for the procedures to finish, and began answering questions. The questions were standard and straightforward.

This was consistent with the usual provincial examination practice.

Questions in the provincial examination also primarily focused on balance, with not making mistakes as the most important.

Xu Qing did not deliberately take risks but combined what he had learned, writing a plain yet powerful essay. His writing style now was heavy and straightforward, more akin to the style of ancient philosophers.

His answering speed was neither fast nor slow, seemingly in sync with the timing of a day’s operation, with a seamless integration of essay content transitions, akin to the cycle of the Twenty-four Solar Terms.

The specifications for the provincial examination were high.

The officials in the chief examiner’s chamber were all dressed in red and purple official robes.

Among them, naturally, Huo Jing, the Left Imperial Censor, was at the forefront.

Having lost the chance to become the Minister of Personnel but gaining the position of chief examiner for the provincial examination, this trade was not too much of a loss. Moreover, he had already served once as a chief examiner for a provincial examination years prior.

Serving as chief examiner twice in the Country was rare.

This greatly bolstered Huo Jing’s reputation among the currently waning Conservative Faction.

Many compared him to Sima Gong, who opposed Wang Jingchuan’s reforms in the previous dynasty, suggesting that with time, Huo Gong would be remembered through history and might even compile a monumental work comparable to the "Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government."

Huo Jing greatly appreciated these words.

In his view, being remembered was more important than wielding power.

He was not unaware of the benefits of reforms, but he believed that reforms would ultimately fail, and if there were dynastic changes, the cause of this dynasty’s downfall would likely be pinned on the Grand Secretary’s reforms.

Once you undertake actions, flaws will inevitably be found and critiqued.

Therefore, if he critiques first, is he not destined to be remembered in history?

To him, figures like the Grand Secretary and Xu Qing were bound to be obliterated in both body and name, while only people like him would shine eternally in the vast river of history, much like an undying flowing river.

So what harm is there in awarding Xu Qing the top rank in this examination today?

He was destined to win, while Xu Qing and the Grand Secretary were bound to lose.

Tolerating temporary humiliation, he would eventually receive a fair judgment in history, making the sun and moon obscure and then shine again.

Unknowingly, the provincial examination drew to a close.

They collected the papers, locked the examination hall, and began the review process.

When the Copy Paper Officer started transcribing the examination papers, he opened one.

Under the dim oil lamp, in his eyes, this examination paper radiated bright light with every word, illuminating the entire space.

Huo Jing, along with the other examiners, was reviewing the examination papers. Everything proceeded according to procedure, orderly and methodical.

Suddenly, there was an urgent report.

Huo Jing and the examiners, astonished by the report, disregarded the examination rules and rushed to the transcription room, seeing under the lamplight an examination paper radiating light with every word, as if piercing through the ceiling.

At this moment, someone exclaimed toward the sky.

Huo Jing and others quickly went to the courtyard, looking up to the sky.

They saw the fourth star of Beidou in the Ziwei Doushu, suddenly shining brightly in the night sky, its star brilliance descending like a ladle.

"That’s the Wenqu Star," an examiner blurted out.

For a moment, Huo Jing was in disbelief, then immediately fell into a daze.

Everyone knew that with the Wenqu Star moving the Beidou, or being the Wenqu Star, it was destined to be remembered in history!