Academy Assessment

"'Politics' meant cultivating our ability to govern a region. It covered the broadest range of subjects: governing a locality, judging cases, developing agriculture and the forging industry, improving local prosperity, and so on—all of it counted as politics."

"'History' was simple: it meant history itself, recording and studying it, and drawing on it to learn from our predecessors' wisdom, experience, and lessons."

"'Rites' meant rites and music, including the zither, Go, calligraphy and painting, etiquette, and institutions. It also covered the administration of places like private schools and academies. Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy, for example, had been spearheaded by the Ministry of Rites."

"Military strategy covered both troop formations and martial arts training."

"Generally speaking, the most people chose politics and history. If they passed the County Exam, they'd have a good chance of becoming civil officials or clerks. I chose politics and history."

"Next came history and rites. They could take part in things like developing local policies, and they offered just as much room to make a name for themselves."

Guan Chong had chosen history and rites.

"As for military strategy..." A flicker of something passed through Lu Xian's eyes. "Military strategy is divided into two parts: learning troop formations and martial arts training. Very few people choose it."

"Why is that?" Chu Ming had guessed the reason, but asked anyway.

"Brother Chu," Guan Chong cut in, "everyone who comes to an academy has passed the Academy Exam and earned the title of Student. Ninety-nine out of a hundred hope to become officials governing a region or refined scholars. Who would want to spend their time fighting?"

Lu Xian added, "Choosing military strategy means not only studying troop formations but also going to the Criminal Defense Division for martial arts training. Both reading and martial arts take a great deal of time, and it's hard to manage both. In the end, you might well fail to excel at either, caught in the middle."

When they finished, both men looked at Chu Ming expectantly. "Brother Chu, have you made your choice?"

Chu Ming lowered his gaze, deep in thought.

He had already finished the military strategy and politics sections of Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy, and had read about half of the history section. It wouldn't be long before all five volumes of the book were stored in his mind.

To him, any choice was much the same. He only needed to enter the Great Qin Dynasty's system and gain access to things beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Can I choose more than one?" After thinking for a moment, he looked up and asked.

"More than one?" Lu Xian's expression shifted. "What do you mean, Brother Chu? You want to choose four volumes?"

"Can I?" Chu Ming asked.

"...It's not that you can't. You can choose as many volumes as you like. The main thing is, the County Exam only tests three subjects each time, so there's no point choosing more. You'd only waste time," Lu Xian replied.

"Oh, it's because of the County Exam. Then it's fine." Chu Ming lowered his head again and ate slowly.

"Huh?" Lu Xian and Guan Chong stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that, Brother Chu?"

He still wanted to choose more?

The two exchanged silent guesses, but didn't ask again.

After eating a little longer, Lu Xian returned to the subject of the academy's exams. "Brother Chu, the academy's assessments are divided into monthly exams and the Academy Promotion Exam, which is held twice a year."

"As the name suggests, the monthly exam is held every month. It's a way to check how well we've studied during that period."

"The Academy Promotion Exam is the exam for moving from the Lower Academy to the Middle Academy, or from the Middle Academy to the Upper Academy."

"Since you've entered the Middle Academy, Brother Chu, you should know the difference between the Lower, Middle, and Upper Academies."

"Mm."

"So the promotion exams held every six months are the most intense." Lu Xian suddenly lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously. "And I heard that the next promotion exam won't follow the old format. They're adding a literary contest to the existing exam."

At that, even Guan Chong leaned closer, ears perked up.

"The number of students in each academy is fixed. If you want to move up, you have to push someone else out. In the past, they ranked everyone by their final scores and decided who went to which academy."

"But the new literary contest will be different. We Students will get to choose our own opponents."

"For example..." Lu Xian looked at Guan Chong. "You're in the Lower Academy right now, Guan Chong. You could choose me or Brother Chu as your opponent. The literary contest tests how well you've mastered Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy, and its result will count for half of your promotion score."

Guan Chong's eyes flickered. "Even if I choose someone, I'll pick a weak one."

And who was weak? Naturally, it would be the Students who had just entered the academy, like Chu Ming and Lu Xian—the weakest among this new batch.

The way to judge who was strong or weak was the monthly exam.

"Exactly." Lu Xian suddenly grew a little excited. "If you think that way, so will everyone else. When it comes to moving up, the weak will definitely become targets."

"Someone like me, someone like Brother Chu—we just entered the academy. There's no way we can compare with those old Students who've been studying here for a year or two, or even longer."

"But Brother Lu, the exam's on Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy. Didn't the Ministry of Rites compile that book only recently? Shouldn't everyone be starting at the same point?" Guan Chong asked, recalling something.

Lu Xian shook his head. "Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy was indeed compiled recently, but its contents weren't. It simply selected and reorganized the material from five existing volumes, then bound them together."

As he spoke, he turned to Chu Ming. "Brother Chu, although we're in the Middle Academy now, there are only five months until the next promotion exam. That means we'll only have five months in the Middle Academy before there's a good chance we'll be sent down to the Lower Academy."

There were many Students in the Lower Academy who had been at the academy for a year, or even two.

Very few stayed for three years.

Students could stay at Baiyuan Academy for no more than three years. During that time, they could take the County Exam. Those who passed would be sent to West Rong Prefecture to study for a year, and then they could finally show their talents to the world.

Those who failed would either stay in Baiyuan County or be sent down to the towns below to teach at a private school.

Those who did especially badly would have no chance of earning a living as officials of the Great Qin Dynasty.

"Oh." Chu Ming kept eating, unconcerned.

"Aren't you worried, Brother Chu?" Lu Xian asked.

Worried?

Chu Ming paused, then replied calmly, "I'm pretty worried."

But what he was worried about wasn't the same thing Lu Xian was.

He was worried about finishing Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy, making money, deducing and refining cultivation techniques, getting into Wenlan Study to read more books, and dealing with the Chu Family's affairs.

As for moving up... it shouldn't be a problem.

Lu Xian was delighted when he heard that.

Good. If Chu Ming was worried too, he felt much better.

"Brother Chu, you arrived seven or eight days late and missed a lot of lessons. Our first monthly exam since entering the academy will be held in twenty days. If you need help, you can come to me."

"Okay."

After eating, Chu Ming returned to Cloud-Perch Academy. Ning Hao and Liang Yuan had also returned.

Liang Yuan had changed into a clean scholar's robe, and he'd washed the ink off his face. He even looked more scholarly than Ning Hao.

"Junior Brother Chu, have you eaten?" Ning Hao and Liang Yuan were picking out an oil lamp and admiring the landscape painting, its ink now dry. Ning Hao asked casually.

Chu Ming lowered his gaze to the ink painting.

"Junior Brother Chu, do you know about calligraphy and painting?" Liang Yuan asked.

"Not very well, but this painting has exquisite brushwork. The lines flow smoothly, the shades of ink are distinct, the mountains are imposing, and the water seems alive." Chu Ming gazed at the painting and spoke with complete seriousness.

"Oh?" Liang Yuan's eyes lit up at once. "You think this painting is quite good too, Junior Brother Chu?"

"It certainly is. I wonder which great master painted it?" Chu Ming continued.