Chapter 116: The First Session

Chapter 116: The First Session

After Du Yunse finished checking the items he needed for the examination hall, Qiu Huanian struggled to get up and freshened up.

Seeing him yawning repeatedly, Du Yunse came over and touched his face, "Brother Hua, if you're tired, just go back to bed."

Qiu Huanian shook his head, wrapped his arms around Du Yunse's neck, and leaned against his chest, nuzzling.

"I heard that the exam cubicles in the capital's Gongyuan are even narrower than those in Xiangping Prefecture. You'll have to stay there for three days straight, so don't make yourself uncomfortable."

"I brought you the priciest longan charcoal from the West Market, so don't skimp on it. But be cautious of carbon monoxide from the charcoal fumes at night, and make sure to ventilate."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just staying in the capital is a success in itself. If you pass, you still have the Palace Examination to look forward to."

...

Du Yunse quietly held Qiu Huanian, listening carefully to his advice. Outside, everything was silent, and the flickering lights cast their intertwined shadows on the wall.

Qiu Huanian eventually stopped talking, closed his eyes, and silently counted Du Yunse's heartbeat, as if he had drifted off again.

After some time, there was movement in the courtyard as Deng Die and Wang Yinzhi came out of the house, and the two of them separated as if waking from a dream.

Qiu Huanian adjusted their collars, put on a thick cloak, and donned a wind hat with a rim of red fox fur, framing his fair and delicate face.

"Let's go, let's go, don't get caught in traffic."

Deng Die had prepared breakfast, and after the two families had a simple meal, they hitched up two carriages and set off from their rented courtyard.

It was only the second quarter of the mao hour, around 5:30 in the morning. When they exited the alley onto the main street, the dim sky revealed a bustling scene of carriages and horses.

The triennial imperial examination, also known as the Spring Examination, attracts scholars from all over the country and students from the Imperial College to the capital's Gongyuan, hoping to make it onto the apricot list and secure an official position, rising swiftly in their careers.

By the time one achieves the title of a provincial scholar, their family circumstances are usually decent, at least able to afford a carriage. Thousands of scholars participating in the Spring Examination set off in carriages early on the morning of the ninth day of the second month, creating the spectacle of streets packed with carriages before dawn.

Qiu Huanian and his group lived nearby and left early, so they didn't hit any traffic on the way.

Qiu Huanian lifted the carriage curtain slightly, looking at the countless carriages on the broad street outside, and sighed, "No wonder Headmaster Min stressed in the guidelines to leave early and be careful not to get stuck on the road. The Yu Dynasty really has a lot of provincial scholars!"

At the level of a provincial scholar, one has land, status, and tax exemptions. After managing well for a few years, finances are usually manageable. Without financial pressure, one can almost certainly land an official position with a bit more effort, and most people are unwilling to give up.

But each session of the imperial examination only admits three hundred scholars, with an admission rate of dozens to one, making it not easy to pass.

The buildup of scholars who failed in previous sessions has created the grand scene of the streets filled with scholars during the imperial examination.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the two carriages arrived outside the gates of the Gongyuan.

Du Yunse stepped down from the carriage and helped Qiu Huanian down as well.

Many people had gathered at the entrance of the Gongyuan, with a dozen large lanterns illuminating the outer area. Clerks in uniform green robes moved about maintaining order, everything was chaotic but orderly.

The sky was beginning to lighten, and it was time to enter the examination hall.

Bai Quan handed the basket containing the examination items to Du Yunse, and in front of many people, Du Yunse simply pinched Qiu Huanian's cheek lightly.

"Brother Hua, go back to sleep. We'll see each other in three days."

His tone was as calm as ever, as if he wasn't about to face the most important and challenging part of the imperial examination, but merely going out for a short trip.

Qiu Huanian murmured in agreement, "See you in three days."

He watched as the hem of Du Yunse's robe swirled with his turn, his figure gradually merging into the flood of provincial graduates.

...

Du Yunse and Wang Yinzhi first followed the guidance to the area where the provincial graduates from Liaozhou gathered. They would verify their identities here before being escorted into the examination hall.

In ancient times, there was no photography or facial recognition technology. To confirm the identity of a candidate, it was necessary to go through three steps: checking official documents, recognition by fellow townsmen, and comparison with the floating ticket.

The floating ticket was somewhat like a modern-day admission ticket, which would record the candidate's origin, name, age, and physical characteristics. Before entering, an official would compare the candidate to the description on the floating ticket.

Du Yunse's floating ticket had been prepared in Xiangping Prefecture, stamped with several official seals to prevent forgery.

The floating ticket was a palm-sized piece of paper, with the candidate's name written in the middle, the candidate's origin on the left, and the age, height, and appearance on the right.

Du Yunse's record stated: "Twenty-one years old, tall, clean-shaven, no moles or birthmarks."

Qiu Huanian burst out laughing when he saw it.

"This is too brief. At least it should mention that you are good-looking?"

Qiu Huanian held the floating ticket and compared it with Du Yunse's face, "With this description, I could find dozens of Du Yunse on the street."

Du Yunse took the floating ticket from Qiu Huanian with a resigned expression and carefully tucked it into a book.

"The floating ticket has always included only these details. There are other verification methods to confirm the identity comprehensively."

...

Remembering Qiu Huanian's words, Du Yunse smiled faintly and handed the floating ticket to the official at the gate of the Beijing Examination Hall.

After a careful look, the official nodded his approval.

Wang Yinzhi was next and also passed. His floating ticket read, "Thirty years old, medium height, slightly bearded, with a mole under the left eye."

The two stepped forward, waiting for more Liaozhou graduates to gather. Once identities were confirmed, they could enter the examination hall.

"Yunse, Yinzhi, you are here!"

Du Yunse turned around and saw Qi Yazhi, who had passed the provincial examination with him.

Qi Yazhi was from Liaozhou but had lived in the south. He returned to Xiangping Prefecture just before last year's provincial examination. He was renowned for his scholarship, and before the provincial examination, locals were betting on whether he or Du Yunse would take the top spot.

Later, Du Yunse took the first place and became the top scorer, while Qi Yazhi was only one place behind, the second place in that provincial examination.

Qi Yazhi was witty and humorous, with true talent and knowledge. Although he had only returned last autumn, he had good relations with most of the provincial graduates in Xiangping Prefecture.

The official checked Qi Yazhi's ticket and motioned him forward.

Many Liaozhou graduates had already passed the check, and soon they could enter. Before entering the examination hall, Wang Yinzhi tugged Du Yunse's sleeve, gesturing for him to look back.

Following Wang Yinzhi's hand, they saw a luxurious carriage parked at the gate of the examination hall. Li Ruicong, last year's top scorer in the Liaozhou provincial exam, stepped down from the carriage.

It was somewhat late to arrive at this time. Li Ruicong, looking annoyed, scolded the carriage drivers, grabbed his basket, and hurried to the check area, with no one accompanying him.

Qi Yazhi also saw Li Ruicong and knew the discord between Li Ruicong and Du Yunse.

When Li Ruicong was young, he was favored by a wealthy merchant in his hometown, who married his daughter to him and invested in him. For many years, he had a harmonious relationship with his wife. But after passing the provincial examination, he immediately revealed his true nature, took several concubines, and even accepted his wife's cousin sent by his father-in-law.

At a banquet last year, Li Ruicong spoke disrespectfully and made inappropriate comments about the relationship between Du Yunse and his husband. Du Yunse severed their friendship on the spot by cutting his sleeve, and the two have been enemies ever since.

Qi Yazhi was a smooth operator, getting along well with everyone in one-on-one situations, but he knew exactly who to side with between Du Yunse and Li Ruicong.

Qi Yazhi didn’t wait around for Li Ruicong to show concern. Instead, he smiled and said, "It seems Li Jingkui’s in a bit of a bind. The exam’s about to start, so let’s head in."

Du Yunse casually looked away. After the officials inspected his clothes, shoes, and basket, he got his number tag and strolled over to the exam cell, where he’d be stuck for the next three days, except for bathroom trips.

Like Qiu Huanian said, the exam cells in the capital’s Gongyuan were tinier than the ones in Xiangping Prefecture.

Probably because there were so many candidates taking the exam, they had to cram the cells to fit all the examinees.

The cells were lined up in endless rows, with just narrow paths between the rows, barely wide enough for two. Even with windows and doors, hardly any sunlight got in.

In early February, the rooms were damp, cold, and downright chilling.

Du Yunse stepped into his cell and set up two long wooden boards at different heights, the higher one as a desk, the lower one as a stool.

Then he pulled out the big fur blankets Qiu Huanian had prepared. The thick dog fur padded the stool, while the lighter tiger fur would go over his legs. Qiu Huanian had planned out every detail of how to use each piece.

The tiger fur for this blanket was hunted by Wu Shen. He’d gone into the mountains just for it and had it sent through the Wanshi Escort Bureau as an early congrats for Du Yunse making the top tier.

Border clashes never stopped, and Wu Shen had racked up plenty of military credit. With the Commander of Liaozhou’s favor, he was set to be promoted to Qianhu this year, and Bao Yi might climb up to commander too.

Du Yunse didn’t use the meager charcoal provided in the cell. Instead, he poured longan charcoal into the simple brazier and lit it with a fire starter.

The precious charcoal made from longan wood quickly ignited, burning brightly and smokelessly, gradually dispelling the cold in the tiny room.

At that moment, Du Yunse heard Li Ruicong’s voice outside the cell.

Li Ruicong exchanged a few words with the guiding official but received no satisfactory response. Suppressing his anger, he entered the cell next to Du Yunse.

Du Yunse frowned slightly, paused for half a second, then dismissed the matter and continued to take out his writing materials and preserved food that could last for several days, arranging them one by one.

Then he calmed his mind and sat quietly in the narrow cell, waiting for the examiners to distribute the questions and paper.

At 7:45 in the morning, the large bell at the entrance of the Gongyuan rang three times. The deep and resonant sound reached the ears of every candidate in the cells, stirring their hearts.

The first session of the imperial examination in the 23rd year of Emperor Yuanhua officially began.

To prevent bribery and cheating, the examiners had been living in the Gongyuan for over half a month, sealed off and not allowed to leave. Only when the bell rang did they come to the area in front of the cells to supervise the officials in delivering the exam papers and writing materials to each cell.

The types of questions in the three sessions of the imperial examination were similar to those in the provincial examination, but the number of questions increased significantly.

For example, the first session of the provincial examination included three questions on the Four Books, five on the classics, and one five-character eight-rhyme poem. In the imperial examination, the number of questions increased to five, eight, and two, respectively.

When answering, each question had to strictly follow the eight-legged essay format, with precise allusions and carefully crafted words. One could not fabricate or pad the text. If even one sentence was deemed "incoherent" by the examiner, the paper could be disqualified.

Therefore, even though there were three days and two nights, without diligence, it was still possible not to finish all the questions.

Du Yunse received the exam papers and writing materials, calmly read through all the questions, pondered for a while, and then picked up his brush to draft his answers on the paper.

Time flew by in the silence. The sun rose from the east, gradually climbing to its zenith, and a few rays of sunlight finally managed to penetrate the cell.

There was movement in the neighboring cell again. In just one morning, this was already the third time Li Ruicong had turned the bathroom pass.

The imperial examination lasted three days per session, during which candidates were allowed to use the restroom. The latrines were located not far from the cells, built in a long row to ensure that all candidates could reach them as soon as they stepped out of the narrow paths of the cells.

When a candidate needed to use the restroom, they would turn the bathroom pass by the cell door, and a designated official would come to escort them to the latrine, ensuring they did not talk to anyone or check any notes along the way.

Although using the restroom was allowed by the rules, most candidates tried to minimize their trips to save time. Going three times in one morning was indeed rare.

The footsteps of the clerk who came to lead Li Ruicong to relieve himself were heavy, seemingly quite impatient.

Du Yunse was not disturbed by the outside commotion. He dipped his brush in the fine Chengni inkstone and began writing on the draft paper bathed in golden sunlight.

The five-character, eight-line poem was more than halfway done.

"At the age of twenty-seven, I dared to claim I could carry on the legacy of the sages."

The brush paused slightly, then danced smoothly again.

"Reflecting on the past in a fleeting moment, pursuing change that will endure for millennia."