Miscellaneous Words on the People's Affairs, to Be Presented Before the Dragon

The official surnamed Hu's face was ashen, not from anger, but from extreme shock.

He has risen to this position through extensive experience and was considered a talented scholar in his youth; how could he not know the reputation of the Sage Paper?

However, while the production process of Sage Paper may seem ordinary, some steps have been kept secret. But secrets don't stay hidden forever. The method of dyeing Sage Paper has long been circulating among Scholar Forest, but it is incomplete, consisting of fragments, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false. Even if someone wanted to verify it, ordinary scholars and officials would not have the means.

However, even such incomplete rumors were enough to shock others. Now, upon hearing Wang Fu's sigh, the official surnamed Hu and Luo Zhongjie, recalling the fragments in the rumors, felt a sense of lingering fear.

Wang Fu raised his head, glanced at the two men, and noticing their expressions, said, "Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie, you two handled this matter well. You didn't rashly reject the exam paper. Otherwise, if we investigated, even I, the examiner, Metropolitan Examination likely be implicated. This time, someone has managed to Literary Imprinting qualities, almost turning ordinary paper into Sage Paper with their own power. This is a sign that the nation is about to be revitalized!"

Upon hearing Wang Fu's assessment, Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie both breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they had passed a hurdle. With Wang Fu's words, they would not be a laughing stock in history books, and might even become a celebrated story.

Wang Fu added, "This matter should be reported to the emperor as soon as possible. His Majesty attaches great importance to this imperial Metropolitan Examination, and such a thing should be reported to the palace immediately."

Luo Zhongjie then suggested, "Should we remove the title first, so that the Emperor can be at ease knowing the name of this virtuous and talented person?"

"There's no rush, we must follow the rules." Wang Fu placed the exam paper on the table and reached out to turn the pages. Looking at the sections on the classics and calligraphy, he couldn't help but nod. "Not bad, worthy of someone who can Literary Imprinting the Sage Paper. This handwriting already has a divine quality. It seems to contain the vitality of the body Qi and Blood. The understanding of the classics and calligraphy is also upright and dignified, showing profound skill and a solid foundation."

Beside him, Hu Yong saw Luo Zhongjie talking to Wang Fu, who seemed quite pleased with the exam paper. Hu Yong sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but interrupt, "Prime Minister Wang, has this essay truly transformed an ordinary exam paper into something resembling the Sage Paper?"

Wang Fu shook his head. "That's not it. This paper merely possesses the characteristics of the Sage Paper, but what it contains is the examinee's thoughts and perspectives, allowing the reader to purify their mind and cleanse their thoughts. Frequent viewing can lead to an understanding of its profound meaning. The true Sage Paper, on the other hand, is more like a medium, allowing people to connect with the Human Path Order through the paper..."

Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie pricked up their ears. They could tell that what Wang Fu was saying was quite secretive, seemingly involving the secrets of the Sage Paper. But just as the two were getting anxious, Wang Fu's words came to an abrupt end!

"What's going on?" Feeling a sense of emptiness and uncertainty, the two looked up again and noticed that Wang Fu had frowned. He was looking at the exam paper in his hand, his lips moving slightly as if he were reciting something silently.

Looking at the exam paper again, one side was densely covered with writing, clearly indicating an essay.

The essay for this imperial Metropolitan Examination revolved around the central idea that "low grain prices harm farmers, while high prices harm merchants."

This saying has been around for a long time, and Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie naturally knew it and understood the reasoning behind it. However, the Imperial Examinations of the past did not involve such matters. They mostly examined the candidates' literary talent. Even if they involved current affairs, Metropolitan Examination their understanding of national and familial matters and their overall perspective.

"Discussing grains is too narrow a perspective. Repeated explanations and analyses may not necessarily be impressive. The smartest candidates will probably use this statement as a starting point to expand on it and elaborate on it. The best among them will have a clear understanding of the situation and will be able to combine it with the New Law, but ultimately they cannot compare to those of us who hold high positions in the government and have a clearer and more far-sighted view."

Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie had the same thought at that moment, but Wang Fu's next words stunned them both—

"Whether grain is cheap or expensive, it hurts farmers; if it's cheap, it benefits the retail sector; if it's expensive, it benefits the retail sector?"

Wang Fu pondered those words, while Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie looked on in astonishment. Ignoring everything else, they took two steps forward, came to Wang Fu's side, and also looked at the essay. Their expressions changed constantly.

"This candidate's view is quite strange. If grain is cheap, it will hurt farmers, but if the price is high, will farmers still suffer? Conversely, regardless of the price of grain, merchants can profit? Why would this person say such a thing?"

Hu Yong's face darkened; he sensed a dangerous undertone in this essay.

Luo Zhongjie smiled and pointed to a sentence in the scroll, saying, "Isn't this an explanation? At harvest time, Agricultural School have to pay off debts and taxes, so they sell their grain in bulk. With so much grain, merchants take the opportunity to drive down prices, which hurts farmers and reduces their profits. But in this way, Agricultural School have limited grain on hand, and if they want to plant as usual, they have to buy seeds from merchants. In this way, merchants can buy low and sell high, which also hurts farmers and reduces their profits!"

"If farmers grow their own grain, how could they not have seeds to sow?" Hu Yong raised a point of view that stumped Luo Zhongjie. Although neither of them came from the Aristocratic Clan, they were not exactly descendants of farmers either. They had some understanding of farming, but they had not gone deep into the fields. On several occasions when they went to investigate, they were accompanied by clerks and were often deceived. Therefore, when they thought about farming, they mostly relied on common sense and were detached from reality.

"Your understanding of matters concerning ordinary people is not comprehensive enough," Wang Fu said at the opportune moment. "However, this candidate's explanation represents the most extreme situation after removing all factors, but it also points out the harm that merchants hoarding grain does to agriculture!" As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The cold glint startled Hu and Luo, who suddenly realized that many merchants in Xingjing Imperial City were hoarding grain, relying on their powerful connections, in an attempt to force the implementation of the New Law.

"Could this candidate be trying to gamble?" In an instant, both of them had this thought.

Then Hu Yong said, "Since you have said that 'both the noble and the lowly harm farmers,' do you perhaps already have a solution? Or do you intend to suppress commerce?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Zhongjie's expression changed slightly.

It should be noted that the Great Rui had a very open attitude towards merchants, even more so than the previous dynasty. Even the Old Party, which opposed the reforms, generally held a positive attitude towards merchants. Ma Yang himself was known for his saying, "Farmers should exert their utmost effort, craftsmen should use their skills to the fullest, and merchants should facilitate smooth operations."

Of course, the deeper reason lies in the fact that merchants were involved with the interests of the imperial court.

In this environment, if test takers hold a mindset that discourages quotient (or lack thereof), their future prospects are likely to be affected.

After saying this, Hu Yong continued reading. He was very wary of this candidate and planned to find one or two more points in the text as flaws, but unexpectedly, he gradually became engrossed in reading it.

This article doesn't use many fancy words; it mostly describes the lives of ordinary people, using simple language to record the trivial things they experience. Normally, none of the three people present would have had the leisure to pay attention to such an article.

But this piece of writing, though seemingly trivial, is actually connected by a clear thread and constantly points out a series of phenomena.

Contrary to Hu Yong's expectations, the text not only failed to offer a solution, but instead described a series of problems, such as rising prices, a decrease in copper coins, exorbitant taxes, and land annexation...

The more you look at it, the more creepy it becomes; it's truly riddled with flaws!

The reason for this effect is that the content is not fabricated, but rather derived from Qiu Yan's Human Path of traveling north and west, his insights into humanity, and his observations of the lives of believers. Every detail is based on real events and is self-consistent. Combined with the joys and sorrows of the characters in the story, the three people were so stunned that they could not recover for a long time after reading it.

After a long while, Hu Yong exhaled and asked suspiciously, "What is the background of this examinee? How could he know so much?"

Luo Zhongjie remained silent, but his face was extremely gloomy, and he felt somewhat uneasy.

"This article is simple and unadorned, quite different from Wen Zhizhen's writing style. I'm afraid I've overdone it."

In addition, he was also struck by the events described in the article, leaving him with a heavy heart.

Luo Zhongjie's defection to the New Party was partly driven by political ambitions, but the main factor was power. However, after reading this essay, his opportunistic thoughts faded somewhat, and he developed a few ideas about reform and strengthening the country!

As for Wang Fu, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a long while, he finally spoke up, "This essay must be shown to His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Yong suddenly changed. He knew that Wang Fu had made a decision. This essay contained a sense of simplicity that touched people's hearts. If the emperor were to see it, it would have a huge impact, and he had to be careful.

However, he couldn't easily object, so he could only say, "What's said in the text needs further verification. It would be inappropriate to present it to His Majesty so hastily. Besides, the candidate hasn't offered a solution, which could be seen as an insinuation..."

Wang Fu glanced at him and said calmly, "If even a candidate can provide a solution, what use are we?"

This was already a rather strong statement, Hu Yong wisely kept his mouth shut.

Wang Fu ignored everything else and turned to the last part of the exam paper.

Policy Discussion!

In this Metropolitan Examination, he intervened halfway through and seized the position of chief examiner, all for the purpose of selecting talent. Leaving aside the interpretations of the classics and the Mohist school, the miscellaneous essays were merely a trial balloon to gauge the candidates' abilities. The real highlight was the policy essay.

Policy proposals, when extended further, resemble governing programs.

Most candidates lack relevant experience, and their essays will inevitably have flaws, though they may reveal their thoughts and political leanings. Even if they try to guess the examiner's mind and cater to their preferences, how can they write an essay that can influence the examiner without deep thinking?

Now, because Qiu Yan's exam paper was anonymized, none of the three people present knew the candidate's identity. After reading the essay, they had different opinions on the policy discussion section.

However, having been exposed to miscellaneous essays, I inevitably felt heavy-hearted, and I also had my own speculations about the policy questions section, believing that it would be in line with the miscellaneous essays.

"If one only looks for flaws, that shows some ability, but it doesn't really demonstrate talent, so it's not good to be ranked in the top three."

With this thought in mind, Wang Fu focused his gaze, and what he saw were four characters—

Is there any profit to be made?

These four short words, like a bolt of lightning, flashed through my heart, bringing a ray of light to my heavy soul!

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