Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 55 The Highly Competitive State School

Then, the old man brought over two dishes of tea and snacks: one was bean cakes coated with sesame seeds, and the other was candied plums cut into the shape of plum petals.

"Try it, this bean cake goes best with tea, and the candied plums go even better with perilla drink."

After serving them their drinks and snacks, the old man, not expecting them to skip out on their bill, simply said, "If you want more, just call out. You can settle the bill when you're done drinking."

Then the old man leaned against the wall and pretended to doze off in his chair.

The three of them were still too hot to drink their tea, but Ji Yun couldn't wait to pick up the cool ceramic bowl. Water droplets seeping from the bowl wet his fingers, and when he lowered his head to sip, the stray hairs on his forehead almost swept into the perilla drink.

“Delicious!”

The boy, his eyes sparkling, licked the plum juice from the corner of his lips and reached for the bean cake.

Just as her fingertips touched it, she suddenly seemed to remember something and withdrew her hand. She took out a plain handkerchief from her sleeve and used it as a pad before picking up a piece and handing it to Lu Beigu: "Here, you can try it."

They are quite polite and hygienic.
Then, Ji Yun grabbed a piece of bean cake and bit off half of it, sesame seeds falling into the cracks of the elm wood table.

Lu Beigu looked at the two people sitting opposite him without eating or drinking, but he didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, he leisurely sipped his tea and ate a piece of bean cake, and thought that the combination tasted really good.

"By the way, has the state school started its holiday so early?" he asked Ji Yun.

“Of course,” Ji Yun said hastily. “Well, not entirely. It’s just that the lower and middle dormitories are on holiday, while the upper dormitories, which have the opportunity to take the state exam, still have classes.”

Lower dormitory? Middle dormitory? Upper dormitory?

The county school doesn't have separate classes; all two hundred-plus students study together. As for whether the prefectural school has separate classes, Lu Beigu isn't sure.

And this term sounds so familiar, could it be the "Three Houses System" from the Xining Reform?
Lu Beigu thought about it again and felt that something was wrong. Wang Anshi's system was set up in the Imperial Academy, called "outer dormitory, inner dormitory, and upper dormitory"!

“Brother Lu may not know this,” Han Ziyu explained, “The students at the Luzhou State School, numbering in the hundreds, are divided into dormitories.”

Sure enough, the state school was divided into classes.

Although the names are different, the principle is similar to the "three-rounding method," and it can be considered the prototype of the "three-rounding method."

In other words, Wang Anshi could not have created a system out of thin air; all systems have a history and evolution.

In fact, many state schools in Sichuan, as well as state schools in other parts of the Song Dynasty, were forced to divide students into classes in order to achieve a balance between limited resources for the imperial examinations and a large number of students of varying abilities.

Let the best teachers teach the best students.

The purpose is certainly not for the state exam itself. The number of people who can get a quota after passing the state exam is fixed. If it is only for the state exam, it doesn't really matter to the state school who gets the quota.

The real purpose was to enable as many candidates who received the quota as possible to pass the provincial examinations administered by the Ministry of Rites.

why?
—Of course, it's because the more candidates from this prefecture who pass the provincial examinations administered by the Ministry of Rites, the better the examinations will be conducted by the prefectural school and even the prefectural officials!
This directly affects the promotion of officials, so it's natural that no effort is too much to select the best of the best from the state school students.

At this moment, Lu Beigu asked Ji Yun, "So, are you in the lower or middle rank?"

"Of course I'm from the lower dormitory!"

Ji Yun, with a self-righteous air, pointed to himself and said, "How old am I?"

Lu Beigu couldn't help but chuckle. Ji Yun did look young, but in two years he would probably grow taller and his face wouldn't look so immature anymore. "Brother Han is much more capable than me. He's currently in the middle class."

Ji Yun then pointed at Han Ziyu and said this, and Han San Niang seemed quite pleased to hear it.

"Where is Zhou Mingyuan?" Lu Beigu asked again.

Han Ziyu said with a smile, "He is a senior student, but it's hard to say whether he will be next time."

"how do I say this?"

Lu Beigu was a little curious. He had only heard about class divisions, but now he was talking about dropping grades.
Ji Yun interjected to explain, "There are exams. The state school ranks students on a large list, and the exam questions and grading standards are the same. Then, the top third of the students on the list go to the upper dormitory, the middle third go to the middle dormitory, and the bottom third go to the lower dormitory. Otherwise, how do you think the upper, middle, and lower dollies came about?"

Hearing this, Lu Beigu understood: they were using rankings to divide students into regular classes, key classes, and experimental classes!
It's estimated that newly enrolled students will definitely have to start from the lower dormitory. Anyway, there are plenty of people who spend more than ten years in the state school and still can't pass the imperial examination. If you don't have talent, just slowly grind it out.

Conversely, if you can make rapid progress and shine even with "not-so-good educational resources," then you should definitely be promoted to a higher grade for further study, or even receive special training.

Therefore, the system of state schools was much more competitive than that of county schools, emphasizing survival of the fittest.

"So Zhou Mingyuan is now at the bottom of the upper dormitory?"

“Yes.” Ji Yun grinned to show his disdain. “Three years ago, he was just lucky and passed the imperial examination. He didn’t actually have the ability.”

Lu Bei asked a question he was particularly concerned about: "I heard from people in Gulin that Brother Zhou was unable to go to the capital to take the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites because of his place of origin."

"You believe this too?"

Ji Yun rolled his eyes: "The quota system certainly can't be absolutely fair, but it's not as unfair as you think. Overall, it's still ranked from top to bottom. For example, if 7 people pass the exam, and the court gives 5 quotas this year, then the last 2 people have to be eliminated. Or if 3 people pass the exam and 2 quotas are given, then 1 person has to be eliminated. There are definitely issues with place of origin, but even in a normal ranking, Zhou Mingyuan wouldn't be in the running. He's just trying to make himself look good."

Lu Beigu nodded and didn't say anything more.

Ji Yunming clearly doesn't get along with Zhou Mingyuan, but Zhou Mingyuan has also helped him before, so Lu Bei doesn't care about the people behind his back. He just needs to ask the questions he cares about and get the answers.

"Of course, the decision to lift the quota is ultimately made by people."

Ji Yun thought for a moment and admitted, "Anyway, the prefect, the vice-prefect, and the judge all have the power to make decisions. The state examination is held every three years. This list not only affects the future of the candidates but also their future. If someone in the state ranks particularly high, they can directly benefit from it in their examinations. So generally speaking, it is the best of the best. But if everyone's level is about the same, then who gets the quota will naturally be the one they favor more. It's not entirely based on ranking. There's no way around it."

"understood."

Listening to their conversation, Han Ziyu asked a question.

"Is the county examination for Hejiang County School about to begin? Young Master Lu, are you confident you can get into the prefectural school?"

“I’m still confident,” Lu Beigu replied earnestly. “There’s still a little over a month until the county exam. As long as I solidify my poetry and prose skills and study calligraphy diligently, I should be able to pass the county exam.”

Ji Yun nodded and said, "It's only natural. Once Brother Lu passes the county examination, we will be classmates."

In his view, with Lu Beigu's talent, he was sure he could get into the state school, and it was impossible for him to stay in the county school forever.

"However, Brother Lu, you must be mentally prepared. Passing the county exam is nothing special; the prefectural school and the county school are completely different things!"

(End of this chapter)