Chapter 43: The Prefecture Examination (Part I)

Li Jie respectfully accompanied Lu Heng in bidding farewell to the departing student-scholars. Once all the scholars had departed, Lu Heng led Li Jie toward the inner courtyard of the prefectural yamen. Passing through a covered corridor, an exquisite and serene courtyard came into view.

Lush and vibrant banyan trees flourished around the courtyard walls, casting lively shadows. A winding path paved with bluestone slabs led straight to the side hall. Attendants within the yamen had long since prepared the tea set, and a maidservant was currently brewing tea, filling the side hall with a rich, fragrant aroma.

Entering the side hall, Lu Heng took the primary seat first and then said to Li Jie, "Pingzhi, come, sit down and taste the Dahongpao produced from the old tea trees that a good friend of mine sent me a few days ago."

Li Jie bowed with cupped hands and took a seat, casting a glance around the side hall. The interior furnishing was extremely simple yet elegant. The surrounding walls were adorned with various calligraphy works and paintings; judging by the signatures, apart from Lu Heng's own casual leisure creations, the rest were gifts from friends. A set of tables and chairs was meticulously crafted from chicken-wing wood, featuring exquisite carvings. However, at a glance, they were aged heirlooms, likely left over from a previous tenure, while the rest of the furniture was made of ordinary timber.

Judging by usual rumors, Prefect Lu Heng was indeed exceptionally upright and incorruptible. Over his past few years in Fuzhou Prefecture, his reputation had been remarkably favorable, and the people's livelihood was flourishing. It seemed he was not far from a promotion.

Li Jie took a sip of the tea and remarked, "Fine tea, leaving a lingering fragrance on the teeth and cheeks, with an aftertaste that leaves one yearning for more. It must be produced in the Wuyi Mountains."

"Oh? I didn't expect you to have such an understanding of the art of tea, Pingzhi," Lu Heng said with a gentle smile.

"Not at all, not at all. It is simply because this student has loved drinking Dahongpao since childhood that I recognized it. If Your Honor had used a different tea today, this student would have been entirely clueless."

"To know what you know, and to know what you do not know, that is true knowledge! Being able to apply what one has learned makes a clever person. I hope you will maintain this attitude in the future."

Hearing Lu Heng's words, Li Jie stood up and bowed with cupped hands.

"Thank you for your instruction, Your Honor. This student will remember it by heart!"

"Very well, there is no need for such excessive courtesy. Formally speaking, you can also be considered my disciple."

After a brief pause, Lu Heng took a sip from his teacup and continued.

"I asked you to stay behind this time because I wanted to ask: what is your purpose in studying?"

After a moment of contemplation, Li Jie replied, "This student studies in hopes of achieving something in an official career, bringing glory to my family lineage and shielding my family from harm. I have heard that in the current martial arts world, the orthodox and demonic factions frequently clash, and ordinary people are often caught in the crossfire. Martial artists act quite willfully and refuse to submit to the imperial court's discipline."

"Good! You didn't utter empty platitudes about serving the court above and pacifying the common people below. I have also caught wind of the matters you mentioned. Fortunately, the martial practitioners around Fuzhou Prefecture are quite submissive to discipline and dare not act wildly. Martial artists are merely a minor affliction, not worth worrying about. The true stubborn disease lies in..."

"Ah! Better left unsaid. In the future, you must constantly remind yourself that once you step into officialdom, you must always mind your words and deeds, and avoid easily offending petty people. My teacher, Geng Yu, was demoted to Nanjing precisely for offending treacherous sycophants."

Hearing Lu Heng mention his teacher, Li Jie was quite surprised. Ordinarily, such things ought not to be shared so openly. It seemed Lu Heng intended to win him over. However, this Prefect Lu's background was not trivial either. Who was Geng Yu? He had attained the rank of Minister of Rites, but because he had long been at odds with the current Senior Grand Secretary Wan An, and Li Zisheng wanted to push his own people into power, they conspired behind the scenes and demoted him to Nanjing. He would only be reinstated after the Hongzhi Emperor ascended the throne.

Although Wan An and Li Zisheng were still basking in glory, next year—the twenty-third year of Chenghua—Li Zisheng would lose power and ultimately die of illness in prison. Compared to Li Zisheng, Wan An would meet a much better fate; Wan An would retire the following year and pass away in the second year of Hongzhi. Following his death, the Hongzhi Emperor even posthumously granted him the title of Grand Tutor, added the rank of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, and bestowed upon him the posthumous title of 'Wenkang'. In ancient times, ministers did not easily receive posthumous titles upon death, even though 'Wenkang' was a relatively lower-ranked title.

"This student believes that there will eventually come a time when the clouds part and the moon shines clear; since ancient times, righteousness has always prevailed over evil." Of course, Li Jie could not directly tell Lu Heng that next year, the Chenghua Emperor, Zhu Jianshen, would die, and upon the Hongzhi Emperor's ascension, these elements causing chaos in the court would be swept away one by one.

Lu Heng nodded and then offered guidance to Li Jie on the techniques of essay composition for the imperial examinations. Seeing that the prefectural examination was fast approaching, he urged him to diligently review his studies and strive to capture the top rank of *Anshou*, noting that winning the 'Little Three Yuans' would be a celebrated tale for the times.

Ever since returning from the prefectural banquet, Li Jie had closed his doors to the outside world, no longer even attending the academy. He spent every day reading, practicing martial arts, and writing calligraphy without fail. As the date of the prefectural examination drew near, Fuzhou City suddenly became bustling and lively, with student-scholars from various counties arriving in the city early to prepare for the exams.

Literary gatherings were held constantly, and numerous invitations were sent to Li Jie asking him to attend. Ever since he clinched the top *Anshou* rank yet again in the prefectural test, his fame had spread even wider. In the wagering on the rankings for the upcoming examination, he overwhelmingly surpassed everyone else to rank first, making him the heavy favorite to win the top spot of the examination. Li Jie brushed off all these invitations under the pretext of peacefully preparing for the exams.

However, Li Jie's refusals did not dampen the enthusiasm of these scholars. Their figures could frequently be seen in major taverns and brohethels, though naturally, there were also candidates who studied diligently behind closed doors.

Time passed smoothly until the very day of the prefectural examination.

Fang Yi rose early to begin preparing the items Li Jie would need for the examination. Although the Lin family members had repeatedly urged her to rest easy, the strong-willed girl insisted on attending to Li Jie hand and foot. Eventually, seeing that persuasion failed, they simply let her be.

Fang Yi walked up to Li Jie's door and knocked gently. "Patron, have you finished washing up? Today is the day of the examination; we must head to the examination grounds early."

Creak!

Li Jie pushed the door open and said, "Didn't I tell you not to call me 'Patron'? Just call me 'Young Master'."

"Um, alright, Patron!"

Seeing this, Li Jie shook his head. Fortunately, in front of others, Fang Yi always addressed him as Young Master rather than Patron. Li Jie did not yet wish for outsiders to know he possessed martial arts skills.

After a simple breakfast, he checked the examination basket for the admission pass, brushes, inkstone, and ink sticks. At a single glance, one could tell the pastries inside came from two different sets of hands; Madam Wang could never bake such exquisite pastries.

With everything properly prepared, Lin Zhennan had a servant bring the carriage prepared beforehand to the front door, and together with Li Jie, they headed toward the examination grounds.

Arriving at the perimeter of the examination grounds, they found a seething sea of voices, packed with student-scholars waiting to take the test. The youngest were around Li Jie's age, while the oldest possessed hair as white as snow, though the vast majority were youths in their teens. August mornings broke early, and by the time Li Jie arrived at the grounds, day had already fully broken.

Yamen runners patrolled the surroundings to maintain order. Before the exams commenced, groups of scholars from the same counties gathered in threes and fours to discuss various matters, while many others debated the star contenders of the present examination. Among them, the three characters 'Lin Pingzhi' were mentioned most frequently. Li Jie stood outside the examination grounds waiting for the gates to open, feeling numerous gazes converge upon him—a scrutiny to which he had long since grown accustomed.