The Chancellor Takes Charge, the Metropolitan Examination Approaches

"Chancellor Wang?" Qiu Yan looked surprised. "Is it Chancellor Wang holds power in the court and presides over the reforms?"

"Besides that Black-faced Chancellor, who else could it be?" Cao Hanqi laughed heartily upon seeing Qiu Yan's expression, somewhat smug. He was clearly pleased that his information had surprised Qiu Yan. "I was also taken aback when I first heard this news."

Qiu Yan scanned the crowd. "Rumors have been circulating that there will be some changes to this year's Imperial Examinations, but at most it was speculated that it would be taken over by Cen Bo or Zhang Hou of the New Party, or by a highly respected person. I never expected that it would be Chancellor Wang himself who would preside over it! Where did you hear this news?"

Cao Hanqi replied, "It's quite a coincidence. Yesterday, when we went to the literary gathering, we ran into the Chancellor Zhang Lian. We had a guess at the time, and when we returned, we happened to hear the rumors. We then asked several familiar fellow villagers and classmates, and after confirming with them, we finally figured out the mystery."

"Is it really Prime Minister Wang? If so, this Imperial Examinations is indeed not simple. I'm afraid the wind is really about to change." As he spoke, Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, glanced at Luo Jiayun and Zhou Guan, and noticed that there was worry on both of their faces.

High-rise buildings, seemingly lofty and unattainable, are actually closely related to the lives of ordinary people. Often, a casual idea from above becomes a policy program, which is transmitted layer by layer through the ruling structure and reaches ordinary people, causing huge impacts on their daily lives, including their clothing, food, housing, and transportation, with both good and bad effects.

In contrast, the literati, while enjoying the benefits of policies from successive dynasties, were also surrounded by waves of policy changes. To say nothing of other things, the trends in the annual imperial Imperial Examinations reflected the direction of the court's policies that year.

The Imperial Examinations, Talent Selection Ceremony for selecting talent, was meant to choose virtuous and capable individuals for the country. Those chosen were to implement the nation's policies; if someone with differing ideologies were selected, wouldn't that create numerous problems?

Of course, in reality, there will always be compromises, but this means that many people will lose opportunities.

People like Luo Jiayu and Zhou Guan, whose daily reading and writing were actually targeted, mostly referred to the content of previous Imperial Examinations. After all, the core principles remained the same, and once they knew who the examiners would be, they would then strengthen their skills in a targeted manner.

However, nowadays, the New and Old Parties are vying for power in the government, and their political views are irreconcilable. The New Party's advocacy differs greatly from the content of previous Imperial Examinations, making it difficult to answer the questions using previously learned knowledge.

This naturally caused them both concern.

Cao Hanqi noticed their expressions and said, "Brother Luo, Brother Zhou, don't worry. According to Wen Zhizhen, this time the New Party is in charge of the Imperial Examinations. It might not be a bad opportunity. After all, how many candidates have studied the methods advocated by the New Party? If we answer steadily, the New Party will certainly not dare to go too far. Besides, having learned the news in advance, we can gather more information about the New Party in the next few days and write it on the exam paper. Wouldn't that immediately make us stand out?"

Luo Jiayun shook his head. "That's true, but impromptu decisions are bound to have oversights. If you try to imitate something poorly and end up with something that doesn't resemble a proper idiom, it will only cause trouble, and you won't even be able to utilize your Original Edition knowledge."

Zhou Guan, however, looked thoughtful, and then said, "However, many candidates are actually in similar situations. We are not able to seize the opportunity presented by the New Law, and so are the others. It still depends on their individual abilities. Whoever can thoroughly understand the New Law's propositions in a short period of time will stand out in the examination hall."

"That makes sense." Cao Hanqi nodded.

After the news came out, many candidates were worried, and some were even indignant. However, the country had laws that if they caused trouble, they would not be able to force the court to withdraw their names, but they would be sent back first, ultimately benefiting others. Therefore, after their anger subsided, the candidates began to consider the opportunities available.

After saying this, Cao Hanqi looked at Qiu Yan and noticed that the latter was deep in thought, so he said, "Brother Qiu, what are your plans?" His words revealed a tone of seeking advice.

Luo Jiayun was even more puzzled upon hearing this.

"I'm wondering why Prime Minister Wang would personally serve as the chief examiner. Logically, the chief examiner should be locked in the Examination Hall for several days in advance to prevent the exam questions from being leaked. As a high-ranking official, it's not without some potential risks that he hasn't had any contact with the outside world for several days."

The chief examiner, co-examiners, and numerous invigilators were required to enter the Examination Hall several days, sometimes even half a month, before the imperial Metropolitan Examination. They would stay there to eat, live, and arrange the examination. This was a long-standing rule that even the highest-ranking officials could not change. If Wang Fu were to become the chief examiner, he would be no exception. However, national affairs were constantly changing, merchants in the city were subtly resisting, and the promulgation of New Law was not easy. He should have stayed at the Central Pivot government headquarters for as long as possible. Why would he go to the Examination Hall?

Cao Hanqi and the others had also considered this question, so they said, "Perhaps it shows that the Prime Minister attaches great importance to the Imperial Examinations and genuinely wants to select a group of talented people. In fact, this is also an opportunity for us. Once we pass the exam, we will become the prime minister's protégés!"

Officialdom values personal connections. Fellow townsmen, classmates, and teachers and students are all solid potential relationships that form the basis for future factionalism and infighting. Each examiner is a mentor to the successful candidates, hence the saying "disciples of high-ranking officials".

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Wanren said, "But they've also been labeled as part of the New Party. If they don't express their political views in the future, they'll inevitably be attacked by the Old Party. It's like stepping into party strife the moment they pass the exam, and every step they take from now on will be fraught with danger."

"That's not right. Now, with the old and new factions vying for power, how many people can escape factional strife and remain untainted?" Yu Xun shook his head. "Besides, passing the imperial examination is already a stroke of luck. Why think about so much?" The implication was that whether or not one could pass the exam was another matter, as it was a highly competitive process.

Hai Ming also said, "In fact, the fact that Prime Minister Wang personally took charge of the Imperial Examinations can be seen as both an indication of the importance he attaches to selecting officials and a reflection of the current predicament of the New Party, which lacks talent. In either case, if we can seize the opportunity, we may be able to rise to prominence!"

Their words revealed the thoughts of many examinees, and what was presented to Qiu Yan was merely a microcosm.

Luo Jiayun concluded by saying, "In any case, the key lies with oneself."

Cao Hanqi was about to argue further, but after glancing at Qiu Yan, he stopped himself from speaking and changed the subject, "Let's not dwell on that. The main reason we've come here is to congratulate Brother Qiu. For some reason, someone mentioned your name at the literary gathering yesterday, and it's spread far and wide. Many people are comparing you to Wen Zhizhen."

He then recounted what had happened at yesterday's literary meeting.

"It's clear that Chancellor Zhang has a good impression of you, Brother Qiu." He then suddenly added, "By the way, Brother Qiu, do you know someone named Qi Jiulian?"

"Qi Jiulian?" Qiu Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing the name, then nodded. "I recognize him. Why are you bringing him up?"

"You really recognize him?" Cao Hanqi was slightly surprised. "This Qi Jiulian said that you once gave him some insights, and he practically considers himself your disciple. He even challenged Wen Zhizhen on your behalf and made an agreement to determine who would win in the Imperial Examinations. However, there are quite a few errors in his words. I'm worried that he's using your name to act on his own initiative, which is why I'm asking this question."

"My disciple?" Qiu Yan shook his head, recalling his encounter with Qi Jiulian. "This person would never submit."

Although he and Qi Jiulian did not directly clash, they had already determined who was superior. However, Qi Jiulian was unwilling to admit defeat. How could someone like that consider himself his disciple?

In fact, at yesterday's literary meeting, Qi Jiulian was just looking for a way to save face. If he knew Cao Hanqi and others' opinions, he would definitely be furious and cry out that he was wronged.

"The details of this matter are beyond our knowledge." Seeing Qiu Yan's response, Cao Hanqi said no more and instead inquired about some academic questions.

Beside them, Luo Jiayun and Zhou Guan, hearing about the literary gathering for the first time, exchanged bewildered glances. They found it hard to believe that Qiu Yan's name had spread even though he hadn't arrived. In the end, they could only sigh, "Once a person's reputation reaches a certain level, it truly does travel far and wide without the person even moving."

As they talked, Cao Hanqi and the others clearly grew tired. Qiu Yan realized that their purpose in coming over was not to ask for advice but to build a friendship, so he arranged to drink with them at a later date and then saw them off.

Upon returning, Luo Jiayun also took his leave, saying, "We came here to inform you about the examiners. It's also time to go back and organize your books in preparation for the changes in the Imperial Examinations."

"That's fine then." Qiu Yan didn't stop them and saw them off. Watching their departing figures, he focused his gaze and noticed that Luo Zhou's Fortune was still connected to some the Unseen entity, just like before, but without much fluctuation or change.

"Although we don't know the purpose of the person behind this, it seems there won't be any major problems in the short term. With the Imperial Examinations approaching, we shouldn't cause any unforeseen complications, as they could affect the future of the two of them. We can only wait and see for now. If anything seems amiss, we must act immediately. However, even if that person is truly capable of concealing their methods, they shouldn't be able to act within the Examination Hall. Otherwise, there would be no need for concealment."

The Examination Hall is a place where culture and learning converge, embodying the Votive Thoughts of scholars from all over the Great Rui. If one can overcome the Literary Dao constraints within it, there is no need to resort to underhanded tricks; one can simply crush the Imperial City.

Thinking this, Qiu Yan closed the door, walked back to the table, took out a book, and casually glanced out the window, noticing a few figures.

"His fame last night has already had an impact today. Although no one has come knocking on our door, there are quite a few more people keeping watch on us. Let him be."

Shaking his head, Qiu Yan focused his attention on the book and began to read aloud softly.

The sun shone brightly, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye. In early February, the Metropolitan Examination finally arrived. Before dawn, many candidates began their preparations. Qiu Yan, carrying his examination basket, was escorted by Hu Qi and Dai Guo to the Examination Hall. (To be continued...)