Chapter 32: The Examination Begins

The next morning, before the sky had fully brightened and while the roosters in the back courtyard of the Fulai Inn were letting out their first cries, Wang Mingyuan snapped his eyes open. He was still feeling somewhat tense, having not slept particularly well the night before.

A rustling sound came from the side of the bed. His elder brother was already up, silently checking the examination basket by the dim light filtering through the window lattice. He moved with extreme care, afraid of waking Wang Mingyuan. Only after finishing his inspection did he seem to exhale in relief. He turned around, just in time to meet Wang Mingyuan’s alert gaze.

"Awake?" His brother immediately forced a wide smile, trying to appear relaxed and natural, though the smile was stiff and the anxiety in his eyes could not be hidden. "It’s still early. Want to snooze a bit more? I’ve checked everything again—I guarantee nothing is missing!"

Wang Mingyuan shook his head and sat up. "I can’t sleep anymore, Brother."

They tidied up and went downstairs. Li Mao was already waiting in the main hall. Seeing them descend, he immediately arranged for their meal. Soon, steaming hot food was served, all easy to digest and not greasy.

"Quick, Mingyuan, eat while it’s hot to line your stomach. Once you’re in that exam cell, you’ll be sitting for the whole day. You can't afford to be hungry!" Li Mao urged, his eyes full of concern, then turned to Wang Mingyuan’s brother. "Brother Mingxin, you eat something too."

Wang Mingyuan forced himself to eat, but he kept his intake of porridge to a minimum, preferring solid food to avoid needing the restroom during the exam.

As the horizon just began to show a hint of white, the three of them left the inn. The streets were silent, with only the sound of their hurried footsteps echoing on the bluestone pavement. As they neared the county magistrate's office, the sounds of people gradually grew louder. Outside the small vermilion-lacquered door on the east side of the office, a long line had already formed.

Wang Mingyuan followed Li Mao and his brother to the end of the queue. Glancing at the crowd ahead, he was secretly shocked. In the line, there were several elderly men with gray hair and hunched frames! Some wore long robes that were washed white and patched, their wrinkled faces etched with the hardships of life, yet their eyes were fixed intently on that small, tightly closed door, a near-fanatical light burning in their clouded pupils. One old man, in particular, was severely stooped and supported by a man who was not young himself, his hands clutching a worn, shiny old exam basket. Wang Mingyuan couldn't help but sigh; the ancient imperial examination truly was a narrow bridge that countless people spent their entire lives trying to cross.

The line crawled forward, and finally, it was Wang Mingyuan’s turn. Two bailiffs in dark green uniforms with stern expressions stood inside the gate. One was responsible for calling names and verifying identities, while the other held out a hand with an expressionless face: "Put down the basket, stand still."

Wang Mingyuan clearly stated his name. As he set down the basket, his fingers hooked into his sleeve with extreme stealth, and several copper coins he had prepared slid silently into the palm of the searching bailiff. The bailiff flipped his palm, and the coins vanished without a trace. His face remained emotionless, but his movements were noticeably more "proper." He patted Wang Mingyuan down—shoulders, underarms, ribs, waist—all the way down, using just enough force to be thorough without being excessive, focusing on joints and inner linings where things might be hidden. He then unbuttoned the outer robe, checked the inner garments, and squeezed the belt and cuffs before signaling him to dress. While the process was still humiliating and uncomfortable, it at least maintained a basic level of decency.

Wang Mingyuan had just exhaled in relief when a suppressed gasp and low sounds of shock came from ahead. He looked up to see a young student in a coarse cloth jacket—clearly of farming stock—being roughly stripped down to nothing but a thin loincloth by another bailiff.

The freezing air made the young man shiver violently, goosebumps erupting instantly on his skin. He was flushed with shame and anger, his head hung low, his hands covering himself in confusion, his body trembling from both the cold and the humiliation. The bailiff showed no mercy, patting him down roughly from head to toe, even untying his hair and rummaging through it before tossing his clothes back at him like trash.

Wang Mingyuan couldn't bear to look and quickly averted his eyes. He knew that being subjected to such treatment not only stripped one of dignity but also chilled the body. In the early spring morning, being stripped to one's undergarments meant the cold had already seeped in. Once he entered the drafty, dilapidated exam cell and broke into a cold sweat from nervousness, a bout of illness was almost inevitable. Even if he forced himself to finish, his performance would certainly be compromised. The copper coins Li Mao had suggested he use for bribery were worth far more than their weight in gold at this moment.

Once the search was over, the bailiffs began inspecting the exam baskets, with the food receiving special attention. The steamed buns and hard cakes Wang Mingyuan brought were broken into pieces, and even the bean paste buns Li Mao had carefully prepared did not escape. The bailiff’s rough fingers poked directly into the soft bean paste, kneading and digging until the once-delicate buns were a messy pile of crumbs and sticky filling. He couldn't eat them anymore. Looking at the bailiff, he could only offer a bitter smile; it seemed Li Mao’s information hadn't been entirely accurate, and the bean paste buns had been a wasted effort.

"Grade A, Number Thirty-Seven!" The bailiff in charge of calling names tossed over a rough wooden tablet. Wang Mingyuan took the tag, picked up his ransacked basket, and walked quickly into the exam grounds.

Before him lay a sea of tiny cubicles partitioned by simple wooden boards, densely packed like a honeycomb. This was the starting point of countless scholars' destinies—the examination cells. The air was thick with the smell of damp mold, aged wood, and an indescribable, stifling scent mixed with dust and the faint odor of urine.

Following the directions, he found his spot: "Grade A, Thirty-Seven." The location was decent enough, some distance away from the "stinking cells" (the latrines) in the corner. However, just as Li Mao had heard, the wooden walls and roof of the cell were dilapidated. Gaps were visible at several joints, the largest wide enough to fit a finger. A small hole in the corner of the roof revealed the gray, overcast sky outside. The early spring wind, carrying a chill, snaked through these fissures.

Wang Mingyuan dared not delay. He immediately pulled several sheets of oil paper he had prepared from the bottom of his basket. He moved nimbly, stuffing the larger gaps with paper balls and reinforcing them with small wooden sticks he had brought along. Though crude, it at least blocked most of the cold wind.

Just as he finished patching the cell, a chorus of splashing sounds and a pungent stench drifted over from the direction of the latrines. Wang Mingyuan decisively stood up and signaled to a patrolling bailiff nearby: "Officer, I need to attend to a necessity." The bailiff glanced at him and waved a hand impatiently. Wang Mingyuan trotted over, bracing himself against the discomfort to relieve himself. He had long since made up his mind: once the exam started, he would not go to the bathroom again unless pushed to the absolute limit.

Having emptied himself, he returned to the cell, sat down properly, and let out a long breath, waiting for the test papers to be distributed.

Time passed until the only sounds left in the exam hall were the suppressed breathing and occasional coughing of the candidates. Suddenly, a deafening "Clang!" of a gong shattered the silence.

"Silence! Distributing papers!" a booming voice commanded.

Wang Mingyuan braced himself and straightened his back. Several bailiffs, holding high stacks of papers sealed with yellow paper, began distributing them in order of the cell numbers. At the same time, a middle-aged man in a dark green official robe, thin and dark-skinned, began to pace slowly down the aisle between the cells, hands behind his back, surrounded by a few attendants. His gaze was sharp, sweeping over the candidates in their cells like a hawk, filled with a condescending scrutiny. This must be the Magistrate of Xianning County. Wang Mingyuan dared not stare and quickly lowered his head after a brief glance.

Soon, a sheet of paper emitting a faint scent of ink and the distinct aroma of quality parchment was placed on the simple wooden board in front of Wang Mingyuan. He steadied his nerves and scanned the entire page.

The questions were clearly set before him:

Question 1 (Classic Exegesis): "The Master said, 'The superior man desires to be slow in speech but agile in action.'" (Analects of Confucius: Li Ren). Requirement: Explain the essence of this statement and discuss how a superior man should practice this in daily life.

Question 2 (Classic Exegesis): "Mencius said, 'In obscurity, one should cultivate one's own virtue; in prominence, one should benefit the whole world.'" (Mencius: Jin Xin). Requirement: What is meant by "cultivating one's own virtue" and "benefiting the whole world"? How are the two related?

Question 3 (Classic Exegesis): "Those who uphold the Way receive much support; those who abandon the Way receive little. When support is minimal, even kin will rebel; when support is abundant, the whole world will submit." (Mencius: Gongsun Chou). Requirement: Is this "Way" compatible with the idea that "the people are the most important"? How should a ruler follow this "Way"?

Question 4 (Policy Essay): "In the countryside of this county, there are many fights and lawsuits arising from disputes over field borders and irrigation water, wasting wealth and harming relationships. How can this be resolved?"

Question 5 (Poetry): "Write a seven-character quatrain on the theme of 'Spring Plowing.' It must adhere to the rules of tonal patterns, with the rhyme scheme of your choice."

Wang Mingyuan’s gaze lingered for a moment on the difficult question regarding the "Way" and the "people being the most important." He frowned slightly. This question placed two of Mencius's key thoughts side-by-side and required an explanation of their internal connection to derive a method of governance; a slight misstep could result in empty rhetoric. He then glanced at the "Spring Plowing" poetry topic and felt a bit more at ease. This topic was grounded in reality and wouldn't be hard to elaborate upon.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, all the tension and distracting thoughts had faded, leaving only a stillness and focus as deep as an ancient well.