Exam Turmoil (Seeking Reads)

Very soon.

Taste Classics Academy's examinations arrived.

The invigilators in Daily Renewal Hall were Instructor Wang, whom Xu Xing had met on his first day, and another teacher.

Instructor Wang sat at the lectern, his gaze fixed tightly on the examinees below.

The other teacher patrolled back and forth through the lecture hall's aisles.

He was around fifty or sixty, with reading glasses perched on his nose, a goatee beneath his chin, and a withered white braid trailing down the back of his head. As he walked, he bobbed and swayed.

"Stand up!"

The old teacher walked up to an examinee and barked.

His gaze was stern. Once the examinee rose, he seized the braid behind the student's head and discovered a cheat slip tucked within. He loudly ordered him out of the examination hall, then cursed, "Cheating at the academy now, and the teachers will at most punish you with extra coursework or force you to withdraw. But if you are caught cheating in the imperial examinations, not only will your scholarly rank be stripped away, you will be exiled to the bitterly cold frontier, unable to hold your head up for the rest of your life."

At the sight, all the examinees instantly fell silent as cicadas in winter, not daring even to breathe loudly.

Xu Xing, however, did not take it to heart.

In his previous life, he had gone through countless major and minor examinations. In terms of his learning in the Confucian classics, he might not surpass these ancients, but when it came to maintaining the right mindset in an examination hall, he was unquestionably among the very best.

A moment later.

The examination hall returned to silence, and the papers were handed out.

One test paper filled with questions, along with four blank sheets for answers.

The questions on the test paper had been written by hand.

He did not know whose handwriting it was, but the neat small regular script was as orderly as machine printing.

There were ten practical learning questions and three Four Books questions.

The academy held a minor examination every ten days and a major examination every thirty days.

Today was a minor examination.

Therefore, they did not take up too much of the students' time, placing both the practical learning questions and the civil-service examination essay questions on the same paper. For a major examination, they would be tested separately.

For the practical learning section, Xu Xing did not cheat and answered according to what he had learned.

Though some questions gave him difficulty, after careful thought, he ultimately came up with the answers and filled them in one by one.

He still remembered everything he had learned in his previous life.

When he reached the three Four Books questions, he pondered for a while. He wrote opening statements for all three, then copied the model essays from Thirty Thousand Selected Essay Topics for the first two Four Books questions, without changing a single word.

The questions for the eight-legged essay came from the Four Books, while the answer had to speak in the voice of a sage and expound upon Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Four Books. Within an eight-legged essay, the opening statement was the most important part, equivalent to the very essence of the entire essay.

After a long while, a bell rang, and the examination ended.

Xu Xing had timed it precisely, finishing just as he completed the second eight-legged essay.

By the time he left the lecture hall, dusk had already fallen.

"Brother Xu, Serene Residence in the county town is quite good. We just finished the examination—why not go celebrate?"

"My treat..."

The moment he returned to the dormitory, Chen Jian'an eagerly began clamoring about treating him to a meal.

When answering the practical learning questions today, his pen had moved as though aided by the gods.

Thinking carefully about it, his rapid improvement could not be separated from Xu Xing's tutoring.

It seemed that... using the methods Xu Xing had taught him, he solved problems faster, and the arithmetic he employed became easier as well.

Although the basic mathematics of later generations had not advanced greatly compared with that of a century ago, the knowledge itself had remained unchanged, while problem-solving methods and answer-writing procedures had made tremendous strides.

Modern methods of answering questions were somewhat simpler than those of a century earlier.

Chen Jian'an's foundation had already been solid; Xu Xing had merely given him that final kick at the threshold.

"Now that the examination is over, I feel I still have some shortcomings..."

"Now is precisely the best time to study. I intend to burn the midnight oil and read through the night. You go ahead."

Xu Xing entered the room, lit an oil lamp, and spoke.

He believed that it would not be long before the academy's teachers came to question him.

As for feasting at Serene Residence... he knew it was a good opportunity to make friends.

But the prerequisite for all friendships was having strength of one's own.

So long as his strength was sufficient, and he did not put on airs, making friends would naturally become much easier.

Friendship, in essence, was an exchange of interests.

There were certainly friends who understood one another like kindred spirits, but since ancient times, such confidants had been hard to find...

"Since that's the case..."

"Then we'll go to Serene Residence tomorrow..."

Chen Jian'an hesitated for a moment, then changed the date of the invitation.

Before this examination, his attempts to draw Xu Xing in had merely been the customary cultivation of a fellow student. But after today's exam, he began to view Xu Xing in a different light. He felt that Xu Xing was bound to become more than a creature trapped in a pond sooner or later.

Though Xu Xing had not yet reached the point of being a rare commodity worth hoarding, changing the date of a banquet for his sake was hardly a big deal.

"Move your backside over. Let's study together."

Chen Jian'an scooted over beside Xu Xing, opened his book chest, found a copy of Mencius, and began reading.

Thus, the two studied by lamplight deep into the night.

Not until the fourth watch of the night.

Zheng Zhaifu came to the examination cell and knocked on the door.

With a creak, the wooden door opened.

"Instructor Wang asked me to fetch you. He... seems a little angry."

"What mistake did you make?"

Zheng Zhaifu asked.

He thought quite highly of Xu Xing.

Ever since Xu Xing had arrived at the academy, aside from studying, he would occasionally help Zheng Zhaifu with whatever odd chores he could manage. He was a decent young man.

"We'll know once we see him..."

After giving Zheng Zhaifu a clasped-hands salute, Xu Xing replied with perfect composure.

After encountering a crisis... being able to keep calm, handle matters without disorder, and remain unruffled in the face of events were all qualities that earned one points in ancient times. If someone panicked and lost all bearings whenever something happened, then although it might reveal his true temperament, in the eyes of ancient scholar-officials, he would be someone beyond cultivation.

"I'll come too."

Chen Jian'an followed behind the two of them as they headed for the instructors' residence.

Instructor's residence.

"Speak."

"What happened...?"

After Xu Xing and the others entered, Instructor Wang first sent Zheng Zhaifu and Chen Jian'an outside. Once Xu Xing was the only one left in the room, he handed him today's answer sheet and said, "Your answers are exactly the same as the model essays in Thirty Thousand Selected Essay Topics, not a single word changed. Take the first question, for instance. The prompt was 'The Master said,' and your answer was: 'A common man may become the teacher of a hundred generations; a single phrase may become the rule for all under Heaven.'"

"This opening is an excellent one, but it isn't something you could have come up with..."

He did his best to suppress his anger. "Xu Xing, considering that you have only just entered the academy and suffered much hardship in childhood, so long as you admit your mistake yourself and promise never to commit it again, we shall let today's matter pass. You and I alone will know of this. As for your ranking, it will fall to the bottom of the list. Can you accept that wholeheartedly?"

Everyone made mistakes.

Yet... the Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals also said: "To err and be able to correct oneself—there is no goodness greater than that."

Instructor Wang was willing to give Xu Xing a chance.

In his eyes, Xu Xing was also a talent that could be molded.

"Instructor..."

"Xu Xing has only just begun studying the Confucian classics, and the words of the sages have yet to penetrate his heart. Therefore, I was unable to answer today's three Four Books questions..."

Xu Xing lowered his head and hesitated for a while before finally speaking.

At this, Instructor Wang gave a slight nod.

If Xu Xing truly insisted on refusing to admit to plagiarism, then even if it meant ruining his own reputation, he would still drive Xu Xing out of Taste Classics Academy.

If one's learning was lacking, one could slowly pursue deeper study.

But if the person himself was lacking...

Yet at that moment, Xu Xing paused before continuing, "Therefore, this student borrowed books from my roommate, intending to commit all the civil service examination model essays to memory in order to deal with today's test... If there is anything wrong in this, I ask that Instructor correct and reprimand me."

PS: Please leave more book reviews. Going it alone is too hard.