Chapter 295 – Medicine-Fueled Party, Rock Trade (Part Five)
Although the Dongqing family is becoming increasingly outrageous, it can’t be denied that the children coming out of these families truly have some skills.
“Talents emerge in every generation. Sigh, it’s truly a wave after another. These young folks are quite something, all pillars of the nation!”
The deputy examiner beside Liu Zhi lamented, inciting unanimous agreement from several others.
“Isn’t that why we call them young prodigies? This world will soon belong to them. Youth is a wonderful thing; in just a few years, we old bones might have to step aside and let the younger generation take over. Just looking at these youngsters makes my blood boil.”
An elderly scholar spoke up, his hair white and his face lined with wrinkles, yet his skin radiated a healthy glow, full of vigor.
Every three years, today was a significant day for Dongqing.
Despite Liu Zhi being the chief examiner, there were over ten deputy examiners by his side, some old ministers from the court, some famous scholars, and some intoxicated with knowledge. Each had more experience than Liu Zhi, but Liu Zhi despised their tendency to flaunt their age.
After listening to a few nostalgic remarks, he secretly clicked his tongue and let out a cold snort.
Indeed, even if a pig were to receive a pile of resources, it could still manage to walk on two legs, let alone humans.
As the other assessments wrapped up, the atmosphere in the venue heated up. Prompted by a few deputy examiners, Liu Zhi stood up from the couch, pulled out a scroll from his sleeve, and two maidservants quickly approached to remove the wax seal, unfurling it on the stand.
Seeing the scroll, the scholars straightened up, knowing the main event of the assessment had arrived.
When they laid eyes on the large character inscribed in powerful strokes, they all momentarily went blank, some frowning in contemplation, others quietly muttering…
People!
The scroll bore just this one character, which was the topic of this assessment.
In simpler terms, this was a prompt for a composition; the examiner provided a topic, and the students were free to express their thoughts.
There were no limits on length or format, and the subject matter was open as long as it centered around People. Be it governance of the populace, agriculture, trade, or education, as long as it stayed on theme, it wouldn’t be considered off-target… Seemingly simple, yet it was quite a challenge.
Firstly, the prompt was too broad, allowing for many possible interpretations. Because of this, crafting an outstanding piece that could impress Liu Zhi would be incredibly difficult; most would likely settle for mediocrity.
Secondly, most of these students came from well-to-do families, and although they weren’t complete strangers to the common folk, their knowledge primarily stemmed from books. A slip-up could easily lead them to write something superficial and empty—how would they tackle the topic?
For them, accomplishing the task wasn’t the problem; the real challenge lay in standing out among their peers!
Jiang Pengji naturally noticed this exam question and slightly furrowed her brow.
Liu Zhi’s topic could be seen as simple or excessively difficult, truly a tricky one.
People – the character composed of the radicals for “corpse” and “clan.”
The “corpse” can imply an immobile body, suggesting stability and rootedness. The “clan” signifies a nation or lineage.
Together, they denoted the common people.
If one were to think broadly, people could be interpreted not just as the populace but also as the matters of state and livelihood.
Connecting with the two, everything related to the common people’s daily lives, such as education and prosperous farming, could be included for consideration. Moreover, Liu Zhi offered no further hints after presenting the topic, leaving the students quite perplexed.
If they could just figure out Liu Zhi’s inclinations, they might grasp what he favored and align their content with his taste.
Many scholars felt challenged, and while the deputy examiners had their reservations, they kept quiet.
Here was someone who cared for the people and their livelihoods, pragmatic in nature—what could they say?
Seeing the topic, Wei Ci curved his lips in a slight smile.
He was quite convinced that Liu Zhi had some ulterior motives, yet overall, he didn’t seem too disagreeable.
With the topic set, discussions among the scholars couldn’t continue; with numerous examiners watching, they were left to rely solely on their abilities.
While others were still pondering Liu Zhi’s preferences, a few scholars had already begun preparing paper and ink to write.
Liu Zhi’s eyes scanned the room; most of those writing were within his expectations, prompting a quiet sigh from him.
These individuals who would leave a mark in history based on merit certainly had their reasons for being so revered—such talent was enviable.
He circled around a bit, glancing at the writing desks of several individuals and nodded slightly.
The topic he provided was indeed broad, but as long as they didn’t stray from “people,” they wouldn’t miss the mark. Instead of greedily attempting to cram an abundance of content into a brief piece, leading to empty writing, it was wiser to tackle specific points in depth—that’s the way to go.
Of course, understanding the logic was one thing; being able to produce substantial content was another.
Some had grasped Liu Zhi’s intentions but found themselves unable to deliver solid arguments.
Based on their analysis, Liu Zhi seemed quite pragmatic.
What good would flowery praise do? He likely preferred those knowledgeable in agriculture and irrigation, who were laborious and adept.
Naturally, some were self-aware, while many others turned up their noses; who didn’t enjoy flattery? Writing something beautifully does nothing if the examiner simply doesn’t appreciate it… Hence, there were always foolish individuals eager to show off their literary skills.
Among the many scholars, Liu Zhi was particularly interested in Mr. Yuanjing’s few students, and they were generally as he had anticipated.
Looking solely at the content of their writing, he could gauge their dispositions.
The only surprise was Wei Ci.
This fourth disciple of Yuanjing… didn’t seem like the one who was only good for his looks as Amin claimed.
Cheng Jing was stable and pragmatic, focusing on farming and irrigation; Han Yu was upright and enlightened, writing about law and order; Lü Zheng came off as conventional but got to the core issues in Dongqing through his writing, advocating for the populace… but Wei Ci…
Just by appearance, he looked like a jade figure, cold yet with a gentle demeanor, an odd harmony.
However, his writing was… quite sharp and biting.
Even though Liu Zhi appreciated what he wrote, at this juncture, he couldn’t award him too high a score.
There are limits to being self-destructive!
This kid seemed naively hopeful that all the common people could read, providing plenty of useful suggestions and plans.
Liu Zhi’s mouth twitched; provoking the authority of the aristocracy at a time like this? Didn’t he fear getting in trouble?
With a secret sigh, Wei Ci’s intentionally troublesome behavior, if assessed by Amin, was undoubtedly reckless!
But the ordeal wasn’t over yet.
Jiang Pengji was observing the scholars diligently writing in the pavilion, feeling a slight sense of relief as the exam atmosphere began to take shape.
However, her opinion would change swiftly.
Rip—
A sound of fabric tearing broke the silence.
Wei Ci was about to dry his completed piece using an incense burner, while a scholar nearby was lost in thought, his face flushed, expression squinting as he incessantly tugged at his clothing. The person wore old clothes, loosely fitted, and could not withstand such a rough treatment, soon developing a gaping tear.
Wei Ci: “…”
Liu Zhi turned at the sound to find the young master had stripped down completely, standing up from his seat, turning his back to him, proudly revealing his bare backside.
Liu Zhi: “…”
There’s a saying; my goodness, I almost blurted it out!
