Chapter Ninety-Two: Reviewing the Prefectural Academy's Examination Papers

After the rites at the Confucian Hall were completed, the newly qualified scholars were all guided out of the prefectural academy.

What came next was the scholars’ procession through the streets, the moment they all looked forward to most, save for the posting of the results.

Amid the crash of gongs and drums, to accept the envious gazes of the common people was a glory and a satisfaction for any man of learning.

Song Mu followed the others out of the small Confucian courtyard as well, only to be suddenly seized by someone. Turning his head, he saw that it was Superintendent Fan, and he hurriedly raised his hands in salute.

Yet Superintendent Fan merely waved a hand and then said to Song Mu in a low voice,

“If anyone asks you about the policy essay today, say no more than necessary.”

With that, Superintendent Fan turned and left. Song Mu froze for a moment, then frowned deeply.

Just after leaving the prefectural academy, the streets were still being cleared. Song Mu and the others had a brief moment, and so they went to look at the top three papers in each subject from this year’s academy examination.

Even to see the papers, Song Mu had to go to some trouble.

After all, he was now the first-place man in the academy examination and could be considered a man in great demand. Naturally, he was everyone’s target. Just at the gate of the prefectural academy, Song Mu had already returned more than twenty salutes, and there had been two or thirty people coming up to greet him, each one hurriedly announcing his own name.

Even with Song Mu’s astonishing memory, he was somewhat overwhelmed.

When he finally reached the posted lists, there were already many people gathered there, examining the papers.

The essays and poems from the academy examination would be displayed before the gate of the prefectural academy for three days, after which bookshops would specially compile them into volumes and sell them throughout the Prefectural City of Ji.

At the moment, soldiers were keeping the common people at a temporary distance, both to prevent their impulsive movements from disturbing the newly minted scholars and to keep them from rashly tearing down the papers.

Among all of these, the most vulnerable was Song Mu’s paper as the first-place man.

This time, after all, Song Mu’s paper had placed first in all three subjects at once. Such a thing had not appeared in Prefectural City of Ji for many years, and naturally it drew countless men of letters like moths to flame.

They all felt that Song Mu must have been aided by some divine favor. They wanted to tear down those three papers and take them home for careful reading, both to bask in some of the first-place man’s luck and to indulge the dream that one day they might write such essays themselves and draw congratulations from a sage half a step short of sainthood.

During the earlier procession of the examination papers, there had nearly been such a scene of papers being torn down. Fortunately, the soldiers and guards had acted in time and prevented those people from succeeding.

In the provincial capital, during the provincial examination, and in the imperial capital during the metropolitan examination, such incidents of paper snatching happened even more often.

Indeed, snatching papers beneath the posted rankings and snatching a bridegroom beneath the posted rankings were spoken of together as famous exam traditions.

“Gentlemen, our papers are still relatively safe. When it comes to the provincial and metropolitan examinations in the future, the papers must be displayed for seven days, and the ranking sheets will be crowded with people every day, with countless men reading and studying them.”

“There are even bold fellows who set their minds on snatching the papers.”

At that moment, Song Mu had paused before several notice boards, wanting to see exactly what the essays and poems of each candidate in this examination were like.

Just then he heard someone say as much, and Kong Zong beside him could only smile helplessly.

“Brother Song, that is indeed true. No one even knows when the custom of snatching papers began. I heard that in the years when it was most popular, examination boards in all places had to post papers dozens of times a day.”

“At that time, scholars flocked to it, even regarding it as an elegant amusement.”

“Later, His Majesty issued an edict saying that snatching papers showed a lack of decorum. After the public display period, one could tear them down; but if anyone tore them down during the display period, they would be beaten with ten strokes in the street.”

“But ten strokes are hardly enough to cripple a man, and compared with a good essay or poem obtained for free, it is nothing worth speaking of. Even now there are still people who flock to it, and the practice has never truly stopped.”

Hearing this, Song Mu could only shake his head with resignation.

Though the matter seemed almost laughable, it also showed the reverence in which men of letters were held.

It was likely that when that order was first issued, the court had never truly intended to curb the snatching of papers. On the contrary, by issuing such an order publicly, it may well have given the practice a kind of indirect encouragement.

Song Mu said nothing. He merely stepped up before the papers, and the first thing to meet his eyes was the classics interpretation. His own essay was naturally placed first.

There were many red marks upon it. Although it was not the original manuscript but a fair copy made by a minor clerk, nothing had been omitted; even the markings made by the examiners were copied down.

This was done so that those who came to view the papers could see where the brilliance of the piece truly lay, and at the same time to test the judgment of the various examiners.

Of course, there were also unsuccessful candidates and men of letters who wore indignant expressions, pointing at the papers and denouncing the examiners as blind to talent.

Song Mu examined his own paper for only a moment before immediately turning to the second classics interpretation essay.

That second essay belonged to Xue Kaiwen. After reading it carefully, Song Mu could not help but nod.

If it came to examination essays like these, his own level was absolutely inferior to Xue Kaiwen’s. That he had taken first place now seemed to owe quite a bit to luck as well.

As Song Mu was thinking this to himself, a figure appeared at his side, standing there and studying Song Mu’s paper intently.

It was Xue Kaiwen.

His eyes swept over Song Mu’s essay, and his brow also furrowed. At first his face had been a little puffed with displeasure, but after a while Song Mu saw his brows slowly relax, and his expression even became somewhat downcast.

At that moment their eyes met, and Song Mu smiled and raised his hands in salute.

“Brother Xue, this essay of yours is truly beautifully written.”

Yet Xue Kaiwen opened his mouth, then closed it again, a look of lingering regret on his face. Still, he lifted a hand and returned Song Mu’s salute.

“Brother Song, I am fully convinced by your essay.”

Xue Kaiwen said this, his gaze fixed directly on Song Mu’s paper, and then added,

“‘How can the stream be so clear? Because it has a source of living water’—such a line is the finest explanation of a gentleman’s learning.”

At that, Song Mu gave a wry smile and modestly demurred again and again.

But just then Xue Kaiwen suddenly turned back, his eyes bright and intent as he looked at Song Mu and asked,

“Brother Song, I would very much like to know: what on earth did you write in your policy essay?”

Hearing this, Song Mu was momentarily stunned, wondering if his essay had perhaps not been posted on the list.

When he turned to look aside, he saw that the place where the policy essays were displayed contained only two essays, while his own name was written on a sheet of plain white paper.

That sheet of white paper had been pasted there, stark and straight, in the very first position.

Seeing this, Song Mu was also somewhat taken aback. He turned to look at Xue Kaiwen and saw the other man’s earnest gaze.

Nearby, others also looked over and asked Song Mu,

“First Scholar Song, what exactly did you write in your policy essay?”

Song Mu pressed his lips together. His thoughts, however, were in turmoil, and he recalled what Superintendent Fan had told him when the Confucian rites had just ended.

He had told him not to say too much about the policy essay.

Could it be that his policy essay was truly so unspeakable?

Song Mu thought back on what he had written, and his mind was still filled with confusion. Yet he also understood at once that he could only smile and say,

“Gentlemen, perhaps the prefectural academy has some other arrangement for this matter. This…”

He trailed off.

Naturally, such words carried little force, but at that moment the others seemed to think of something as well. In past years, there had often been policy essays displayed as nothing but a field of blank white.

No one had expected to see such a sight even in the academy examination.

But if that was so, was it not effectively telling everyone that the policy essay Song Mu had written was an excellent piece, one that had won approval?

And the topic of the policy essay had already been spread far and wide.

If it reached the ears of someone with intent, would they not immediately know that what Song Mu had written might be of immense value?

Would such a self-deceiving gesture really be enough to convince everyone?

Song Mu also thought of this and became somewhat puzzled, but after a moment he could only let it go.

These were the thoughts of those above him, and for the moment he could not fathom them.

Besides, if what he had written truly was useful, then that was a good thing. At the very least, it meant that the views expressed on high had indeed been taken seriously by the officials, and perhaps might even be adopted in the future.

Thinking of this, Song Mu suddenly felt a kind of disbelief.

...

If you would like, I can also provide a polished version with more archaic literary flavor.