"Ten years by a cold study window, and no one asks after you; one triumph makes your name known throughout the world," Zhao Buwei sighed.
For most scholars, taking the Court Examination was already a dream come true. Merely qualifying meant they stood only one step away from the ultimate goal of their studies.
This year's Spring Examinations, however, had been delayed by a cheating scandal. Though it had been discovered early and had not ended in bloodshed, it had still postponed the examinations.
After a round of examinations, five hundred candidates had been selected. Now came the final examination of this year's Spring Examinations: the Court Examination!
Some time had passed since the Metropolitan Examination ended. Today, the five hundred accepted Tribute Students would enter the Imperial Palace and answer questions directly in the great hall.
There are five hundred Tribute Students this year, but they cannot all be accepted as Presented Scholars. At most, they will select around three hundred, perhaps a few more. If they choose fewer, it could be only two hundred. Still, anyone who enters the Court Examination has a chance of being accepted. How many people would not envy such an opportunity?
Thinking this, Zhao Buwei climbed the artificial hill. A pavilion stood at its summit, and from that high vantage point, he could just make out what lay outside.
Zhao Buwei reached the top and gazed into the distance. Sure enough, he saw the approaching procession, which had now moved farther away, heading straight for the Imperial City.
The procession numbered just under a hundred, some old and some young. Zhao Buwei's eyes grew somewhat unfocused. The Court Examination...
"Unfortunately, I have no such opportunity." Zhao Buwei held an examination degree himself: he was a Provincial Graduate. Indeed, all the chief advisers at