Sparring Match Shenanigans

"Wei Tu?" Magistrate Chen stroked the three-inch white beard under his chin. After a moment of thought, he ordered the clerk to bring the roster of this Martial Arts Examination candidate to his desk.

The Zheng State court had now enjoyed 263 years of rule. The administration had become corrupt, far inferior to the previous dynasty.

Corruption and cheating in the Imperial Examinations occurred frequently in every province, prefecture, and county.

This was not limited to just Qingshan County.

"However, if Wei Tu's results are poor, I can find another reason to refuse him. The risk is still too great..." Magistrate Chen mused as he searched the roster.

In academics, there's no first place.

In martial arts, there's no second place.

The Martial Arts Examination was different from the civil examination. Unlike the depth of essays, a martial arts candidate's skill level was obvious even to a layman.

The results of the three disciplines – horsemanship, archery, and foot archery – could not be faked.

"He's Class A in the Stone Lifting, and his other subjects are also Class A. Only his Saber Dance is slightly weaker, B-plus grade..."

Magistrate Chen was slightly surprised for a moment after finding Wei Tu's results. With such scores, Wei Tu was a strong contender for the top spot.

This indicated that the Huang Family's gift was not intended to simply get Wei Tu on the list and qualify for the Prefectural Examination, but rather to have him appointed as the County Examination's Martial Arts Examination Top Scholar.

"Now, only the outdoor sparring match and the indoor Military Strategy remain..."

"I can tamper with both."

Magistrate Chen tapped the roster on the wooden desk and asked the clerk to summon the examiner for this county's Martial Arts Examination sparring match.

In the afternoon.

The outdoor sparring match began.

The sparring match was the only practical combat assessment in the Martial Arts Examination. Candidates competed in pairs, and those who successfully ranked in the top ten were considered Class A.

The specific skill levels of the top ten in the sparring match were not compared in detail during the county or prefectural examinations. After all, fists and kicks have no eyes, and candidates had no need to suffer serious injuries in the county or prefectural Martial Arts Examinations because of this.

Except for the Martial Arts Examination Top Scholar, who received preferential treatment for the Prefectural Examination, there was no difference between the other candidates who made the list.

The second-place finisher received the same treatment as the last-place finisher.

There was no need to further differentiate their rankings.

During the Dao Examination, Martial Scholars would have different treatment, and it was then that their true rankings and distinctions would be made.

"I hope I don't encounter those Martial Masters who got Class A in Saber Dance during the sparring match, otherwise..."

As the examiner began to group the candidates and call out their names, Wei Tu prayed silently.

At best, he had practiced saber techniques for less than half a year, with no practical combat experience during that time.

Therefore, whether it was the "Saber Dance" performance or the actual sparring match, he was at a considerable disadvantage compared to those wealthy martial artists who had practiced saber techniques since childhood.

Soon.

The sparring examiner assigned a martial artist to fight Wei Tu.

"I don't recognize this Martial Master. It seems he didn't make it into Class A," Wei Tu thought, glancing at the martial artist and comparing him to the list of masters in his mind.

Before the sparring matches began, the merchants at the City God Temple would buy the results of each martial artist in various subjects from the clerks, compile them into a booklet, and sell them.

Martial Masters who achieved Class A in any subject were called Class A Martial Masters and were popular candidates for the list.

"Ma Hong from Wangdu Township, please go easy on me, Martial Master Wei."

Soon, Wei Tu and his opponent, Ma Hong, stepped onto the stage. They introduced themselves.

However, Ma Hong clearly recognized Wei Tu. After Wei Tu stepped onto the stage, his expression changed slightly, and he clasped his hands in greeting.

"Wei Tu from Changming Township."

Wei Tu also clasped his hands in return.

After the salutations.

The two immediately engaged in combat.

After a short while.

After more than ten exchanges, Wei Tu forced Ma Hong off the stage, securing his first victory.

—His B-plus grade in Saber Dance wasn't weak. He only feared those dozen or so Martial Masters who had achieved Class A in Saber Dance.

Next.

There were several more rounds of combat.

To Wei Tu's slight surprise, in each practical combat, the examiner assigned him opponents who were from the same batch of relatively weaker Martial Masters.

"Could it be..." After the fifth match, Wei Tu seemed to have an idea. He paused on the stone steps of the stage, his gaze subconsciously drifting towards Master Huang among the gentry.

There's always a reason for unusual occurrences.

In participating in this county's Martial Arts Examination, other than revealing to the Huang Residence that he was a disciple of Martial Graduate Dan, Wei Tu had not widely publicized this identity.

—He hadn't been confident of winning the top spot in the county Martial Arts Examination, so there was no need to mention his background as a disciple of Martial Graduate Dan.

It was clear then that the examiners weren't replacing opponents for Martial Graduate Dan based on his connections. Someone else was helping him from behind the scenes.

Someone with the influence to affect the county Martial Arts Examination examiners, and who was willing to help him…

Their identity was obvious.

Besides Master Huang, who had acknowledged him as family, no one else fit these conditions.

"Cheating in the Imperial Examinations?" Wei Tu frowned.

He wasn't unfamiliar with such dirty dealings, but he worried someone might use it to harm him. For a Martial Master like himself, engaging in underhanded tactics would do more harm than good.

"I've acknowledged Master Huang as family. Even if I don't accept his patronage, he shouldn't want to harm me…"

Thinking this, Wei Tu shook his head, pushing these distracting thoughts aside.

Soon.

Several more matches began.

Without encountering any top contenders in the county Martial Arts Examination, Wei Tu had no pressure to win. He crushed his opponents with ease, securing a spot among the top ten in the final "Sparring Match."

The "minor adjustments" Wei Tu had noticed were barely perceived by the other Martial Masters or the surrounding citizens. After all, Wei Tu's pre-combat performance was already strong, making him a popular candidate for the Martial Arts Examination Top Scholar. Defeating other Martial Masters was naturally easy for him.

"Wei Tu?"

Among the top ten, a young man with sharply defined eyebrows glanced deeply at Wei Tu standing beside him, his gaze tinged with disdain.

Others hadn't noticed Wei Tu's cheating in the sparring matches, but he had. Because he was wary of Wei Tu's strength, he had kept a close eye on Wei Tu, observing his moves to formulate a strategy…

But unexpectedly…

During this time, he noticed that Wei Tu might have been cheating in the matches.

"Forget it. Causing a big scene wouldn't be good for me either," Wei Fei shook his head, withdrawing his gaze from Wei Tu. Reporting cheating in the Imperial Examinations would target not only Wei Tu but also officials of all sizes in Qingshan County. He didn't have the guts to do something like that during the examination. Furthermore, even if the report was successful, his future prospects would be ruined. The protection of officials for each other had always been more than just talk.

After the event concluded.

Wei Tu sought out Master Huang to confirm his suspicions from the sparring matches. The result was as he expected. Master Huang had indeed spoken to Magistrate Chen for this Martial Arts Examination.

"The County Top Scholar may seem useless, only serving as a prerequisite for the Guaranteed Examination and Dao Examination, but… in reality, when it comes to official appointments, the government will consider your status as County Top Scholar and assign you favorable martial positions…"

"Moreover, even if I, your uncle, didn't do this, other gentry would do the same for their nephews and nieces."

"I spoke to Magistrate Chen in advance simply because I didn't want your deserved results to be downgraded due to a lack of bribery…"

On the carriage, Master Huang and Wei Tu sat opposite each other as he explained slowly.