Chapter 123: Changing Majors

Zhang Yue cast a glance at Huang Haoyi, seeing that the man seemed completely oblivious to the true nature of the woman beside him.

Zhang Yue thought to himself that in the *Water Margin*, the final step of Mother Wang’s ten-step guide for Ximen Qing to seduce Pan Jinlian involved letting a chopstick fall under the table so he could reach down and pinch her foot. Although the Song Dynasty did not fetishize the "lotus foot" to the same extreme as the Ming and Qing dynasties, the practice of foot-binding was already well-established. It was said that when the official Qiang Yuanming was departing for Chang'an, he went to bid farewell to Cai Jing, who teased him, saying, "You’ll be drinking cold tea there." The implication was that the courtesans in Chang'an all had bound feet, making their movements sluggish, so by the time the tea was served, it had already gone cold.

Yet, for Yulian to be so forward right from the start—this was truly "striking with a single blade." In his previous life, Zhang Yue had often watched girl group dance videos on Bilibili, staring unblinkingly at the performers. But in real life, he preferred the soft, adorable type like Wang Bingbing. Even if such girls had never taken an interest in him, he still couldn't bring himself to accept someone like Yulian. Most importantly, one must never covet a friend’s woman!

Zhang Yue gave a light cough, raised his cup, and said coolly, "Many thanks, Miss."

Hearing Zhang Yue address her in such a formal manner, Huang Haoyi felt a slight twinge of embarrassment. Yulian, however, was not the least bit annoyed; she raised her cup for a delicate sip, leaving a clear imprint of rouge on the white porcelain rim. Zhang Yue suddenly recalled the anecdote about Jia Baoyu’s fondness for eating lipstick. In his own era, leaving lipstick on a wine glass would be considered poor etiquette. Using this modern mindset, Zhang Yue once again steeled himself against the temptation.

Nevertheless, he could not help but admire her alluring charms. It was no wonder people said, "Look from head to toe, and romance runs downward; look from toe to head, and romance flows upward." It was precisely because of this that so many scholar-officials in the Song Dynasty preferred to seek out courtesans rather than stay with their virtuous and prim wives at home. This was their livelihood, after all!

Thinking this, Zhang Yue decided he could not stay any longer. He stood up immediately and said, "I am feeling a bit tipsy; I shall return to my room to rest."

"Brother San, you are already drunk?" Huang Haoyi brought out a pouch of money. "Brother San, this is what I retrieved from my sister-in-law's house today. Let me repay you first."

Zhang Yue took the money and replied, "That is fine."

Huang Haoyi wanted to say more, but Yulian stopped him. Zhang Yue, unwilling to probe further, headed straight back to his room to rest.

The following day, Zhang Yue and Huang Haoyi arrived at the Imperial Academy to process their enrollment. Of the ten scholars recommended from various prefectures and counties, seven had been accepted. It was just as Zhang Youzhi and Hu Xuezheng had told him: the Imperial Academy entrance exam was not difficult; it was largely a formality. Even the three who failed could be admitted as students of the Guangwen Hall to participate in the Ministry of Rites examinations, or they could choose to switch to the Schools of Calligraphy or Law.

During his time at the inn, Zhang Yue had heard much news. For instance, Wu Zhongfu, who had replaced Hu Yuan as the administrator of the Directorate of Education, had submitted a memorial to the court stating, "Under the old regulations, whenever there was an examination, students of the Guangwen Hall were given supplementary tests. Recent edicts require this to be done a year in advance. However, many who arrive for the exams buy the credentials of Academy students in the capital, assume false names, and even register their households in the capital region to gain an advantage. This is not how we should treat the isolated scholars from afar."

In short, many were posing as Academy students to take the examinations, crowding out those from distant regions with no powerful connections. Thus, Wu Zhongfu pleaded for the original quota of 450 examination slots for the Directorate of Education to remain unchanged, despite the court’s plan to reduce quotas everywhere. The solution provided by Emperor Renzong was very "Song-style." The Emperor asked, "You say many scholars from afar are failing to gain entry? That is simple. We shall not only keep the 450 slots, but increase them to 600."

Today at the Directorate of Education, Zhang Yue heard another piece of news that had been rumored for some time but was now confirmed. It was exciting news for many, but not for him. Following the request of the Ministry of Rites, Emperor Renzong had decreed: "The examination quotas for *jinshi* and other categories across the empire are to be halved... The Kaifeng Prefecture shall have 210 *jinshi* and 160 other categories; the Directorate of Education shall have 100 *jinshi* and 15 *jinshi* in other categories; and 10 for the Mingjing category... The Ministry of Rites shall admit 200 *jinshi*, with other categories and Mingjing not exceeding the number of *jinshi*."

What did this mean? It meant the quotas for *jinshi* and other categories across the empire were being halved, effectively barring many from coming to the capital to test. Furthermore, while a typical list of *jinshi* usually consisted of over 300 men—for example, the class of the second year of Jiayou had over 390—it was now being expanded to 510. Of these 510, 210 were allocated to Kaifeng, 100 to the Directorate of Education, and 200 to the Ministry of Rites.

The bad news was that the Mingjing category now occupied the slots previously reserved for other categories, and even without the Mingjing category, the overall quotas were significantly reduced compared to previous years. For example, the Directorate of Education’s quota for other categories and Mingjing was now only 26, far fewer than the dozens from the previous year. Consequently, two of the three who failed the Imperial Academy entrance exam this time were from these categories.

Upon hearing this, Huang Haoyi became quite smug. With the Directorate of Education’s quota increasing from 450 to 600 and the *jinshi* slots increasing to 100, his status as a *jinshi*-track student had skyrocketed in value.

Just as Zhang Yue was about to leave, an academic official approached him. "Direct Lecturer Li wants to see you. Follow me."

"May I ask, who is Direct Lecturer Li?"

"He is Master Xujiang."

Zhang Yue’s expression shifted. That was Li Gou—the very man who had been debating his teacher! "Can I refuse?"

The official looked him up and down. "You would refuse when the Direct Lecturer calls for you? Do you know he is about to take charge of the Imperial Academy? If you don't go see him now, do you think you'll still be welcome here?"

What? Li Gou was taking over the Imperial Academy? This was like walking straight into the lion's den!

With no other choice, Zhang Yue followed the official to a faculty study. The official gave him a look that suggested he was on his own and departed. Zhang Yue knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Zhang Yue entered and saw an old man of nearly fifty years writing calligraphy.

"Zhang Yue, a new student at the Imperial Academy, pays his respects to Direct Lecturer Li!"

The old man looked at him. "I hear your seal script is excellent? Come, tell me what you think of my work."

Zhang Yue stepped closer and saw the man was practicing the famous *Kuaiji Inscription*. The old man looked at him. "Why are you silent? Since you are good at seal script, offer a critique!"

Zhang Yue replied, "This student does not dare to easily critique the work of his teacher."

"Nonsense! You are a prize student of Master Boyi; you must have insights into seal script! Do not be humble," Li Gou said, setting down his brush.

"This student truly does not dare."

"Hmph! I suppose you wouldn't!" Li Gou flicked his sleeve. "Regardless of your past, once you are in the Imperial Academy, you are my student and must obey my commands. Do not worry, though—I may have my grievances with your teacher, but I would never stoop to bullying a junior. I called you here to tell you one thing: you entered the Academy through the 'other categories' path, but the court has decreed that the Imperial Academy should prioritize the *jinshi* path. Therefore, students currently studying other categories may switch to the *jinshi* path."

"I have seen your three essays on the Confucian classics; they are passable, so I assume you can handle literature and composition. If you struggle at first, you can seek guidance from your teachers once you join the *jinshi* track and study diligently."

Zhang Yue was caught off guard. Back in Pucheng, the academic officials had advised him to switch to the *jinshi* track if he had the chance, but he hadn't expected Li Gou to suggest it himself. It was not an impossible idea. There was plenty of time; according to the reforms of Fan Zhongyan, one had to study in the Academy for 500 days before taking the exams. Zhang Yue would not make it for this year's exams anyway.

Truth be told, Zhang Yue had some confidence in the Nine Classics examination, even with the reduced quotas. But for the *jinshi* examination, he had no confidence at all. It wasn't just about rote memorization; it required mastery of poetry, prose, and policy essays—areas where he was completely lacking. If he failed, he would have wasted his efforts on the Nine Classics and achieved nothing.

Zhang Yue said to Li Gou, "May I have some time to consider this?"

Li Gou did not make things difficult for him. "When will you give me an answer?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Very well," Li Gou said. "Come to the Directorate of Education the day after tomorrow to be assigned to your dormitory. Once the decision is made, no changes will be allowed."

"This student thanks the Direct Lecturer."

Li Gou waved a hand, signaling for him to leave, looking as if he did not wish to speak another word.

As Zhang Yue left the study, he thought that his time at the Imperial Academy might be full of twists and turns. However, he could go to Ouyang Xiu’s residence tomorrow to seek advice before making his final decision. With that thought, he felt more at ease.

At that moment, Huang Haoyi had already been assigned his dormitory. He immediately asked, "How about it, Brother San? Has your dormitory been assigned?"

Zhang Yue shook his head. "The Direct Lecturer wants me to switch to the *jinshi* track. I told him I needed to consider it and would answer the day after tomorrow. He agreed to hold off on my assignment until then. I would like to hear your thoughts on this, Brother Si."

Huang Haoyi replied without hesitation, "The *jinshi* track, of course! There are 100 *jinshi* slots now, but only 15 for the other categories and 11 for Mingjing. If you can obtain a *jinshi* background, why settle for the others?"

"But I have no experience with poetry, prose, or policy essays," Zhang Yue said.

Huang Haoyi laughed. "No one is born with those skills. If a mediocrity like me can enter the *jinshi* track, why not you, Brother San?"

Zhang Yue glanced at him, thinking, *Here we go again.*

"I will consider it further. Let’s head back to the inn first!"

Huang Haoyi said, "Right, I am moving into the Academy today. What should I do with Yulian left alone? Brother San, could I trouble you to look after her for these two days?"

"What?" Zhang Yue stared at him.

"Brother San, after all our friendship, you won't even do me this small favor?" Huang Haoyi sounded aggrieved.

Zhang Yue shook his head. "Brother Si, I am happy to help with almost anything, but I cannot take responsibility for another man’s wife or concubine."

Huang Haoyi looked at him, completely bewildered. "Brother San, why is that?"