Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 85 Whose article is this?

According to Professor Zhao Bian's "three-times method".

Lu Beigu wrote a poem of more than 600 characters in less than half an hour.

He was quite satisfied with this poem.

Next, I hastily ate a few bites of the steamed buns I made at noon, and then dozed off for a while while sitting at my desk.

Lu Beigu felt as if only a moment had passed before he heard the gong ring again.

The afternoon was the final policy essay exam. Because this time the exam was on "historical theory," it was not as challenging as the previous "policy" exams and seemed rather unremarkable.

The title of the historical essay is "On the Three Dynasties Gaining the World Through Benevolence".

Lu Beigu wanted to laugh when he saw it. Just like Li Mi's "Memorial to the Throne" which says "I humbly believe that the Holy Dynasty governs the world with filial piety," why not write "The Great Jin governs the world with trustworthiness"? That's because after Sima Yi swore an oath by pointing to the Luo River, the Great Jin had no trustworthiness to speak of.

The county-level examination essay topic in the Song Dynasty, "Winning the world through benevolence," was quite similar in its approach, leaving one wondering whether the question setter was being complimentary or sarcastic.

However, the topic is about the "Three Dynasties," namely the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. This historical essay must take this as its starting point, combining history and Confucian classics to analyze how the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties gained the world through benevolent governance.

Of course, there's no need to dwell on whether the three dynasties truly won the world through benevolent governance, or what the real story was about Tang of Shang overthrowing Xia and King Wu of Zhou conquering Zhou.

In short, for Lu Beigu, writing "discourses" is not as challenging as writing "strategies."

Yes, although the exam subject is called "policy essay," "policy" and "essay" are actually two different topics.

"Strategy" is a topic that addresses specific issues in politics, military affairs, and economics, requiring candidates to propose solutions. It assesses candidates' ability to solve practical problems and emphasizes pragmatism.

The "discourse" section is divided into two types: "classical discourse" and "historical discourse." These are argumentative essays that analyze Confucian classics or historical events, testing candidates' theoretical reasoning and classical interpretation abilities, and emphasizing logic and depth of thought.

Therefore, in the policy essay exam, "historical theory" is the simplest, "political theory" is more complex, and "policy" is the most difficult.

"This kind of topic is hard to write well, so let's write a perfect essay on the history of exam preparation!"

Lu Beigu pondered for a moment, then began to write.

"The rise of an emperor must be in accordance with the will of Heaven; the mandate of Heaven is bestowed solely upon the hearts of the people. Yu the Great dredged rivers and channeled the waters, Tang of Shang freed the birds from their nets, and King Wen of Zhou drew a circle on the ground to create a prison—all these were based on benevolence, thus winning the hearts of the people and extending the reign of the state. The three dynasties gained the world not through force, but through virtue. Therefore it is said: benevolence is the foundation of a royal enterprise and the pivot of rise and fall."

Lu Beigu wrote a historical essay that was already quite easy, and finished it in one go in no time.

He gently rubbed his sore wrists, carefully checked them twice, and then sat down to wait for the papers to be collected.

As the final gong resounded through the county examination hall, it signaled the end of the county examination, which had lasted for most of the day.

The ink on the answer sheet on the workbench had long since dried. After confirming that the name and examination booth number were correct, he placed the exam paper flat in the center of the workbench.

The reason for this confirmation is that although the exam papers will be copied, the county exam will still require candidates to write their names and exam booth numbers on the original papers to prevent errors during the collection process. This way, if there are any objections later, the papers can be checked.

—In terms of allowing candidates to check their exam papers, the county-level examination was relatively humane.

"Collect the papers."

The yamen runners filed in along the alleyway and collected each candidate's answer sheet in turn, following the order of the examination booths.

Lu Beigu heard a long sigh coming from the examination shed next to him. It must be the candidate who was so nervous that he was reciting scriptures that he finally felt relieved.

He himself was calm. He performed very well in the exam. Overall, except for the unexpected difficult question Mo Yi asked at the beginning that made him nervous for a moment, the rest went smoothly.

After the exam papers are collected, the candidates can leave the examination area located at the back of the county school.

However, leaving the county school was definitely not an option. According to custom, after the exam, all candidates had to go to the school to wait for the teachers to grade their papers. Only after the county exam rankings were announced would the school gates be opened and the candidates be allowed to leave.

"Brother Lu!"

Just as he stepped out of the examination hall, a familiar voice came from behind him. Lu Beigu turned around and saw Zhang Sheng walking quickly towards him. At this moment, there were still a few drops of cold sweat on the other's forehead, clearly indicating that he had been tormented by the exam.

The county-level examination, which was not difficult for Lu Beigu, seems to be quite challenging for most candidates.

"How did you do on the exam, Brother Zhang?" Lu Beigu asked with a smile.

"Hey, don't mention it."

Zhang Sheng grabbed his sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Brother Lu, how do you answer the riddle about 'myna birds coming to nest' from the 25th year of Duke Zhao's reign? I don't even know what kind of bird that is!"

Lu Beigu patted his shoulder gently, but didn't give him the answer.

In reality, it's too late to say anything now. What good will knowing the answer do anyway? This behavior is just a sign of anxiety, a desire for peace of mind.

The two followed the crowd and slowly moved towards the county school.

The corridor was crowded with candidates whispering to each other. The air was filled with a sense of relief mixed with the anxiety that arose when they were comparing answers.

"How did Brother Lu do on the exam?"

Lu Guangyu had been walking with his head down, and only looked up when he heard the sound, saying with a strange expression.

"Ugh, don't even mention it."

Feeling that his answer was similar to Zhang Sheng's, Lu Beigu was about to offer a few more words of comfort when he suddenly heard a commotion behind him.

However, one examinee, after checking the answers, plopped down on the ground and burst into tears. His eyes, brimming with tears, were completely lifeless, and he kept muttering to himself, "It's over. It's all over."

Zhang Sheng whispered, "I heard that his family sold their ancestral land to support his studies for several years. If he doesn't pass this time, he might have to drop out of school and go back to farming."

"."

The path of the imperial examination was so cruel; a single exam paper could determine the fate of a scholar and even his entire family.

The difference between passing the exam and failing it is like heaven and earth.

— Either rise to the top or sink into the mire!

When the three of them arrived at the county school, there were already many candidates inside.

Normally, everyone in the school has a fixed seat, so they all quickly arrived at their seats, and discussions rose and fell around them.

"How did you answer the third question in the 'Book of Rites'? Was that question really from the 'Analects'? I have absolutely no recollection of it!"

"The Ji family appointed Min Ziqian as the magistrate of Fei. Min Ziqian said, 'Please decline my offer. If anyone replies to me, I will surely be on the banks of the Wen River.'"

"Bitter!"

"How did you guys approach the strategy question? I started directly with 'The Celestial Bird of Destiny'."

Lu Beigu listened quietly to the discussion without participating.

At this moment, in the back hall of the county school, a minor official transferred from the county government was quickly transcribing the last batch of policy essay exam papers.

Previously, once the papers for one subject were collected, they would be immediately copied and sent to the examiners for grading. Therefore, the scores for the classical texts, the interpretation of classical texts, and the poems had already been determined.

At that moment, the examiner, who was grading the essays, looked at one of them and let out a soft exclamation.

Whose article is this?

(End of this chapter)