Winter Assessment and Temple Examination, Jingxin Sixteenth Year

It was freezing cold, and dusk was approaching.

Within the Gucheng, fireworks lit up the sky one after another, making the gloomy haze seem even more oppressive.

The snow on the ground was a foot deep, and it was still falling from the sky, as if it were getting heavier and heavier.

The biting north wind whipped up the snow, turning the entire Gucheng into a white expanse.

"Crunch, crunch."

Zhao Zheng stood on the thick snow, a thick rope on his shoulder, at a 45-degree angle to the ground, his face flushed red.

"Eeya!"

He strained with all his might to drag the shovel behind him, but the snow was too thick, and the shovel was deeply stuck in the snow. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move it forward an inch.

"Thump~"

Zhao Zheng slipped and landed face-first in the snow.

"Where you fall, lie down there," Zhao Zheng said, panting.

"Big brother, I can't move it anymore!"

Zhao Xing pulled the shovel out of the snow and leaned it against the wall. "Get up, go get a small shovel, and keep shoveling."

"Oh." Zhao Zheng scrambled out of the snow and went to get a shovel from the yard.

Everyone swept the snow in front of their own door. At this time, neighbors in Kangping Ward came out one after another to clear the snow and make way for people and horses.

Zhao Xing looked up at the sky and felt a chill.

It is now the Minor Snow solar term.

Half a month has passed since the last attack by the Profound Heaven Sect.

"If it snows heavily when the Minor Snow Heavy Snow term arrives, it will snow no more when the Heavy Snow term arrives."

"The first sign is that rainbows disappear; the second sign is that the weather rises and the Earth Vein descend; the third sign is that the land closes off and winter arrives."

"During this solar term, I even find it difficult to sense the Earth Vein, and I can no longer lower the Cloudcalling too much."

"However, the power of the Icy Rain spell has only increased, and although the Earth Vein have decreased, the power of the Yin Wind spell is also much stronger than before, as long as it can be summoned."

Zhao Xing and his younger brother shoveled most of the snow in front of the door, then carried several pounds of pickled vegetables and cured meat made by Madam Cai, as well as dried fish, and headed towards the Xue Residence.

Upon arriving at the Xue Residence, no announcement was needed; the gatekeeper opened the door immediately upon seeing Zhao Xing.

The Old Sima Nong was busy working in front of a large stove in the courtyard.

"Teacher, why are you up so early brewing Minor Snow wine?" Zhao Xing put down what he was holding and ran over to help.

"I can't sit still when there's nothing to do." Xue Wenzhong smiled as he took the long ladle from Zhao Xing and stood on the ladder to stir the wine in the cellar.

A young man wearing a thin shirt walked into the woodshed carrying a bundle of firewood.

He bears a striking resemblance to Xue Wenzhong, and is none other than Xue Bai has already been released from prison.

"Junior Martial Uncle."

"Okay, give it to me." Zhao Xing took the firewood from Xue Bai's hand.

Xue Bai, the grandson of the Old Sima Nong, was released a few days after the Beginning of Winter.

At that time, Zhao Xing also accompanied Xue Wenzhong to the county town to pick up someone.

Upon his release from prison, Xue Bai spoke calmly and respectfully. After learning that Zhao Xing was his grandfather's disciple, he addressed Zhao Xing as "Junior Martial Uncle." It was hard to reconcile this with the dissolute young man who had injured someone in a jealous argument.

Whether it was because he was severely beaten in prison or not, Zhao Xing's impression of Xue Bai was quite good after several interactions with him.

Xue Wenzhong was even happier; it was the best thing that his grandson could turn over a new leaf.

The students have performed exceptionally well, surpassing their teachers, so Xue Wenzhong been in a good mood these days, always smiling and cheerful, and his mental state is much better than before.

After working for a while, Xue Wenzhong came down from the ladder.

"You don't need to come to see me all the time. After the Winter Assessment, the Temple Examination will be held after the Start of Spring."

"The imperial examinations, especially the theoretical ones, will involve the Favorable Timing and Location, and plants of different regions in the Nineteen Provinces. You should study more and focus on preparing for the exams."

"Yes, I'll go back to my studies after I finish eating," Zhao Xing said.

"It's still early for dinner. Go to my study to read," Xue Wenzhong clapped his hands and smiled. "That's all the theoretical knowledge I can teach you right now."

December 7th, Heavy Snow.

East Lake has been covered with a thick layer of ice, and many Shuidao around Valley County are frozen and impassable.

Only a few main waterways were still barely functioning, but this greatly impacted commercial activities in Nanyang County.

Because Nanyang County relies heavily on Shuidao transportation, if the canal transport cannot be guaranteed and the city is frozen for one or two months, prices in the city will skyrocket.

"Heavy Snow froze various parts of Nanyang, Gucheng was also affected by the disaster."

"This is a fairly severe ice storm."

"Nanyang County has never experienced such extreme weather in previous years."

With the arrival of the ice storm, officials from the local Agricultural Supervisorate also began to get busy.

Since it involves the entire Nanyang County, thawing a single county is not enough; the entire commandery must coordinate the efforts.

Otherwise, once this section of the river in Nigu Gucheng thaws, the ice from upstream will drift over and freeze again in less than a day.

It will also have an impact downstream, as water will overflow the surface of the ice layer, and it is uncertain whether it will cause any significant impact.

If another flood comes in winter, it could be fatal.

Chen Shijie wanted to stand firm at his post until the very end, so he led the officials of the Agricultural Supervisorate to travel to four different places and had not returned for several days.

"If too much is altered in normal Heavenly Timing, and the balance of the five elements is not properly maintained, then when the problems accumulate in the shadows, they will cause a major natural disaster that is difficult to resist." Xue Wenzhong analyzed the causes of this snow disaster for Zhao Xing at his residence.

" In the Youshan County, Lake County, Mingshan County, and Shuihe County, during the first three seasons of this year, the officials of the Agricultural Supervisorate either slacked off or lacked the ability, and repeatedly used magic to alter the celestial phenomena."

"Judging from the announcement issued by the county seat, they are only addressing the symptoms, not the root cause, which has led to an excessive accumulation of yin energy and an excessive rise of yang energy in these twelve counties."

"After the Beginning of Beginning of Winter, the power of the Minor Snow solar term increases exponentially."

"Among them, the chief officials of Agricultural Official in the three counties of Mount Ming, Shuihe, and Dangyue made serious mistakes. Instead of discovering the root cause, they wanted to reverse the Minor Snow term and start Beginning of Winter again."

"As a result, the problem has completely erupted. Since the Earth Vein of these three counties have completely subsided, the yin energy has spread to the sides and affected other counties as well. The Agriculture Official of these three counties will probably have a very bad performance evaluation this year, and if they do not handle it well, they may be demoted," Xue Wenzhong said.

Zhao Xing picked up the rubbings and looked at them. Fan Dongping's downward documents to these three counties were all written in the form of "", and the beginning of the text was "Appeal to the Agriculture Supervisor of Shuishihe County...".

Just by looking at the style and opening of the official documents, one can tell that these three counties have made serious mistakes.

Because the rest of the counties use the word "ultimatum" in official documents. The beginning of the text is just to announce, ask, and inspect, and the tone is relatively mild. Moreover, the ultimatum is only delivered internally and will not be made public.

"You should learn from these mistakes; you might see similar questions in next year's Temple Examination."

"Yes, I will take a good look."

December 21st, Winter Solstice.

The three days following the winter solstice are also known as the Winter Assessment.

Due to the ice storm, the Agricultural Supervisorate of Gucheng did not conduct any further on-site assessments. Instead, following the instructions of Nanyang County, they used the ice storm as a case study and set it as a question for the officials.

Zhao Xing didn't need to consult the reference, but he still went anyway.

Three days later, the Nanyang County Agricultural Supervisorate announced the results of the Winter Assessment.

Only fifteen people from Gucheng were selected for the Temple Examination.

According to convention, of these fifteen people, probably only one-third, or even one-fifth, will be able to pass the test and be Formal Appointment.

As for the remaining four hundred-plus people in the Agricultural Supervisorate, they were all just there to make up the numbers, not even qualified for the Temple Examination.

"Another year's work was for nothing."

"There are only fifteen spots available for the Temple Examination, compared to twenty-five last year."

"What's the use? Last year there were twenty-five, but only five were actually chosen."

"Those five people were transferred to Shangdang and Fengshan, thousands of miles away from their hometowns. What's so good about that?"

"Don't be so sour, Brother Liu. That's at least Sub-Ninth Rank. If you really had that chance, you'd crawl there if you could."

"That's true, hahaha."

In front of the notice board, many officials were discussing it.

Zhao Xing also took some time to go and take a look when he arrived.

Many officials quickly made way for them.

"Zhao Xing is here!"

"Congratulations, Brother Zhao!"

"Make way, let Lord Zhao see first."

"Of these fifteen people, Zhao Xing has the best chance; he is the hope of our Gucheng Agricultural Supervisorate."

Zhao Xing returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and after reading the notice, he left without lingering.

January 5th, Minor Cold.

With a slight increase in yang energy, the prolonged ice storm was resolved through the concerted efforts of all counties in Nanyang County, and the situation returned to normal.

After working for more than a month, Chen Shijie finally returned to Gucheng.

"The Agricultural Supervisorate in Mount Ming, Shuihe, and Dangyue counties are damn idiots."

"I spent the last two weeks helping out there, and I was almost driven crazy by the idiots in those three places."

Chen Shijie was drinking Minor Snow wine and eating roasted meat, and he was still a little excited.

"What happened?" Zhao Xing asked.

"What else could it be? They're all so stupid! Especially the Agricultural Official of Shuihe County!"

"Shuihe County is located at the confluence of four rivers. Five hundred years ago, Li Erlang and his father Li Yu divided the Bin River into inner and outer branches. Following the example of True Lord Cao Xi, they built dikes and weirs and installed Return to Origin Waterwheel."

"Furthermore, four Magic Array were set up: Lidui, Huisha Weir, Baopingkou, Yuwei. These formations, combined with the terrain, turned the threat of the four waters into a benefit."

"Fifteen years ago, these Magic Array and projects developed gaps and aged problems, requiring maintenance from time to time."

"Originally, we could have solved the problem by simply following the methods of Li Yu and Li Erlang."

"But the Agricultural Official of Shuihe County must have been out of his mind. He insisted on following the example of the True Lord Cao Xi and dug eight canals in the county."

"In one go, they set up 108 Five Elements Waterwheel."

"That place is inherently characterized by turbulent water veins and fragile Earth Vein. Although Li Yu and his son also learned from True Lord Cao Xi, they considered the situation in Shuihe County, and the solution they proposed was the best option."

"As a result, those fools in Shuihe County, thinking they had surpassed their predecessors, actually wanted to emulate Lord Caozhen and cultivate a Spirit Mountain in Shuihe County!"

"He spent fifteen years doing this, and not only did it not work, he also ruined the Earth Vein of Shuihe County. It was utterly foolish!"

Zhao Xing asked curiously, "It took fifteen years to discover the problem?"

Chen Shijie snorted, "How could that be? The problem has been there for a long time, but this fool thinks he has the ability to do it and refuses to repent. Whenever there are abnormalities in the Favorable Timing and Location, he uses magic to forcibly change them."

"When I looked through the records of the Agricultural Supervisorate, I almost couldn't resist beating him to death. That bastard secretly changed the four seasons more than three hundred times in just fifteen years!"

"He revised the solar terms for summer and autumn more than a thousand times!"

"He's so self-righteous and incredibly foolish. When I went to help him, he insisted that he hadn't done anything wrong! He said that it would be resolved in a few more years."

Zhao Xing asked in surprise, "How could there be such a person? How did you do it?"

Chen Shijie said, "I can't stand idiots, especially those who are stubborn and narrow-minded. If they don't listen after a few words, I'll just throw them into the river."

"He thinks he's right, so let him experience for himself whether he's right or wrong."

Long Xiao chuckled to himself, "Old Chen used the Water Imprisonment Technique. He couldn't come up for at least ten days. The same amount of time Old Chen stayed in Shuihe County was the same amount of time he was submerged in the river. In the end, people from the prefecture came and released him."

Zhao Xing raised his glass. "Lord Chen awe-inspiring! He deserves a toast!"

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp. After venting his frustrations, he finally felt much better.

After finishing their official business, Chen Shijie asked, "How is your learning from the Old Sima Nong going?"

Zhao Xing said, "I'm already 10% confident."

Chen Shijie asked in surprise, "How come it's only ten percent?"

"One-tenth refers to the unexpected situation of failing the exam, while the remaining ninety-nine percent refers to successfully becoming an official."

"Hahaha, you little rascal."

January 19th, the Great Cold.

At the end of the year, Year-End Feast Festival.

At this time, very few people in and around Gucheng went out to work.

Every household is getting rid of the old and starting anew, and neighbors are visiting each other for meals and drinks, and going to visit relatives.

They eat at either this restaurant or that restaurant.

Zhao Ruide stopped practicing martial arts and instead took Madam Cai around to visit relatives and friends.

As for Zhao Xing, he didn't go out much because he was preparing for the exam, but he still spent a few days eating, drinking and having fun with Zong Shichang, Chen Ziyu, Qian Dong and others.

Even Zhao Zheng rarely had time to relax. He stopped practicing martial arts and spent his days happily playing around.

That day, Zhao Zheng ran into Zhao Xing's room, his dark eyes scanning the room.

"What are you looking for?"

"Brother, do you still have any Firecracker Bamboo from last time?" Zhao Zheng asked. "Give me some more, the really powerful kind!"

"Giving you a few small ones is already generous; you expect them to be more powerful? Are you trying to blow up the County Office?"

"Besides, didn't I give you quite a bit? How come you've already used it all up so quickly?"

Zhao Xing asked, "Tell me, what did you use it for?"

Zhao Zheng's eyes darted around a little. "It's nothing, I just played with Er Gouzi."

"Hmm? Did you get into trouble?"

Just as Zhao Xing finished speaking, there was a rapid knocking on the door.

"Open the door! Open the door!"

"Damn you, Zhao Ruide! I was in the outhouse, what kind of crap did that bastard throw at me?!"

"Open the door! You bastard..."

Zhao Xing: "..."

February 3rd, the sixteenth year of the Jingxin Calendar, spring.

Everything is coming back to life, and the glaciers are thawing.

Zhao Xing walked out of his house.

The annual Temple Examination for officials of the Great Zhou has begun.