Chapter 45: Rankings

Dong! Dong! Dong!

With three beats of the drum, the first session of the prefectural examination came to an end. As soon as he finished writing his answers, Li Jie began to meditate. The practice of internal martial arts requires first clearing the twelve regular meridians. Once all twelve are thoroughly opened, the internal energy flows through the limbs, internal and external, front, middle, and back in a continuous, endless cycle. In martial arts, this is known as the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, and those who reach this level are generally considered the backbone figures of the jianghu.

After clearing the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, the internal energy gradually surges from the twelve regular meridians into the extraordinary meridians. There are eight extraordinary meridians in total: the Du, Ren, Chong, Dai, Yin Qiao, Yang Qiao, Yin Wei, and Yang Wei, collectively known as the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. When these eight are fully opened, one achieves the Greater Heavenly Cycle circulation. Nowadays, those who have attained this realm in the jianghu can be counted on one's fingers; Feng Qingyang should have reached this stage. Anyone who has cleared four or five of the extraordinary meridians can be classified as a first-rate master.

Ever since he began practicing the Evil-Warding Sword Manual, Li Jie had diligently trained day after day, completing the Lesser Heavenly Cycle circulation last year. Currently, he had cleared the Yin and Yang Qiao meridians, temporarily placing him above the second-rate and just below the first-rate level. Even Yu Canghai might not necessarily be able to defeat Li Jie in a fight right now.

Exhausted after a whole day of testing, all the examinees hurried back to their lodgings to rest. Since the second session was scheduled for the next day, this was no time to lose focus. Although the second session carried less weight in the overall examination, scoring too poorly in it could still lead to disqualification.

The following day, the second session arrived as scheduled. Li Jie was full of confidence for this part as well, writing down virtually everything he had learned. Among the questions, the Four Books topic was a spliced composition and exceptionally difficult—similar to the "Misfortune and yet—dwelling therein" from the prefectural examination. It was estimated that six or seventy percent of the candidates would make mistakes even in deciphering the prompt.

However, this posed no difficulty for Li Jie. He was naturally an extremely intelligent person, and coupled with the system's comprehension bonus in this world, studying was as easy as eating and drinking for him. After years of intensive study at the academy, dealing with these questions was effortless.

He smoothly deciphered the prompt and wrote the entire piece in a fluid, unbroken flow before noon. The second session only required one prose essay and one poem, leaving just the final five-character, eight-rhyme regulated poem. As long as one mastered the basic techniques of poetry composition, one could get most of it right, though making it truly brilliant was no easy task. The poem by the renowned Ming dynasty official Yu Qian, titled "Inscription on a Lime Rock," was the one that had left the deepest impression on Li Jie's mind:

Thundered and hammered a thousand times out of deep mountains,
It treats the blazing fire as a matter of course.
Not fearing to be smashed to powder and bones,
It leaves its pure whiteness in the human world.

This poem was a rare masterpiece handed down from the Ming dynasty. Yu Qian's spirit—fearing no hardships, showing a willingness for self-sacrifice, and maintaining a character of loyalty and purity—had inspired generation after generation of benevolent men and lofty scholars.

When the second session ended, the clerks collected the examination papers.

On the next day, Imperial Inspector Lin took the papers to the grading room, where he and the other examiners began the evaluation process. Because the number of candidates for the prefectural examination was not as large as the county or prefectural tests—amounting to only a few hundred—they finished a rough review within two days, selecting fifty papers out of the hundred-plus as passing.

From the passing papers, Imperial Inspector Lin picked out the top three, tentatively established their rankings, and prepared to discuss them with the others. Although the prefectural examination used anonymized papers with covered names, to avoid suspicion, he could not make the final decision entirely on his own.

Imperial Inspector Lin instructed the clerks to summon the instructors from the various prefectural and county schools. He placed the three papers on the desk and addressed the gathered crowd:

"For this prefectural examination, according to the quota assigned by the imperial court, a total of fifty candidates have passed. Among them, these three papers are the best-executed, and I have provisionally determined their rankings. Please pass them around and see if you have any suggestions."

Hearing Inspector Lin's words, everyone present dared to be angry but dared not speak out. In past years, the rankings after grading were always determined through collective discussion among all the examiners. None of them acted like Inspector Lin, who set the rankings beforehand and then merely sought their opinions. Who would dare to cross swords with a superior official right to his face?

The examiners separated to circulate and read the papers. One instructor clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Magnificent writing! Such heroic prose has not been seen in years!"

"This essay is vigorous, robust, elegant, plain, and honest, with a brilliance that renews itself daily. It truly employs the spirit of Han Yu and Ouyang Xiu to convey the principles of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, perfectly harmonizing with the semantic meaning of the ancients!"

Hearing that this essay possessed the backbone and style of Han Yu and Ouyang Xiu, the other instructors eagerly requested the answer sheet and passed it around in turn.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! The profound principles are clearly distinguished, gushing forth like ten thousand bushels of spring water, welling up everywhere!"

"The rigorous words and lofty arguments stand steadfast like mountains; this calls for a large goblet of wine!"

"His talent is lofty, and his learning is extensive!"

Seeing everyone showering praise on this essay, Inspector Lin nodded with a smile, apparently pleased that the ranking had won universal recognition.

"The Classic of History question in this paper, 'Proclaiming the Three Virtues Daily,' has a breathtakingly brilliant deciphering of the prompt. The entire essay flows in a single breath, naturally integrated. The vocabulary is concise and refined, without a single redundant phrase or superfluous word. The profound principles are clearly distinguished, with each sentence logically succeeding the next, without creating unconventional formats. The six-fold structural application unfolds layer by layer, following the prompt until the core meaning is fully revealed. If this paper does not take first place, I, your subordinate, will have objections!"

Following this, the assembled instructors all cupped their hands in unison and echoed:

"Seconded!"

When they reached the second examination paper, one of the instructors sighed:

"If this paper hadn't been preceded by such a dazzling piece of jade, it could well have taken first place in this prefectural examination."

Hearing this, the others began to pass it around as well.

"The Four Books question in this paper is also answered with exceptional brilliance. What a pity that it falls slightly short on the classic exegesis question; it can only be relegated to second place this time."

Instructor Zhang of the county school, after finishing the answer sheet, remarked, "The introspective depth and ancient vigor of this essay not only delve deeply into the principles but also perfectly match the form of the prompt. It's just a pity that its primary classic was also the Classic of History, which was clearly not as well-written as the previous paper."

After everyone finished reading the top three papers, Imperial Inspector Lin asked, "Do the various instructors have any questions regarding the rankings established by this official?"

The crowd cupped their hands in unison and replied:

"We humbly follow your lordship's instructions; no objections!"

"Then unseal the papers!"

As the covered names on one examination paper after another were unsealed, the accompanying recording clerks transcribed the names onto the public notice board. This notice board was the official document that would be published the following day. Anyone whose name appeared on it was admitted as a student of the prefectural or county school, officially crossing into the gentry class, even if only at the lowest rank of *xiucai* (cultivated talent).

All admitted students were assigned to prefectural, state, or county schools. Initially, students in these schools were supported by the government with a monthly stipend. Each level of school had a fixed quota—generally forty for prefectural schools, thirty for direct imperial sub-prefectural schools, and twenty for county schools. Students within this quota were known as *linsheng* (stipendiary students), and the imperial court provided each with a monthly stipend of six bushels of grain. Over time, as the number of *linsheng* grew, these extra students were designated as *zengsheng* (augmented students), who received no monthly grain stipend. Beyond them were the *fusheng* (subsidiary students).

Among them, the *linsheng* held the highest status. For instance, when a raw candidate took the prefectural examination, he had to be guaranteed by a *linsheng*. Many impoverished *linsheng* would also collect a formal fee for providing such a guarantee. However, acting as a guarantor was not to be done casually; if the guaranteed person got into trouble, the guarantor would also be implicated. Generally, *linsheng* from slightly well-to-do families rarely agreed to guarantee others.

New students like Li Jie were typically classified as *fusheng*. Only after undergoing annual examinations and departmental examinations (roughly equivalent to final exams) and placing at the top of the first tier could one acquire the status of a *linsheng*. However, exceptionally brilliant students could sometimes be directly admitted as *linsheng* if vacancies permitted when they entered the school.

As the names on the examination papers were successively revealed and they reached the final paper, upon seeing the name written upon it, many instructors exclaimed:

"As expected!"

On the essay that had been universally praised earlier, the name written clearly read: Lin Pingzhi, Min County, Fuzhou Prefecture.