Great Wei Dynasty.
Wuchang Year One.
March twenty-fifth.
Ping'an County.
For ten straight days, Xu Qingxiao had stayed at Zhou Ling's home.
Throughout those ten days, he did nothing each day but read and practice his handwriting.
Reading was fine. It allowed Xu Qingxiao to voraciously absorb all kinds of knowledge and fill the gaps in his understanding.
But practicing his handwriting was rather painful for Xu Qingxiao.
His writing was not ugly, but it was untidy. That was a cardinal sin for a scholar, especially one about to take the Prefectural Examination.
The Great Wei Dynasty's various imperial examinations valued more than personal talent. Handwriting was also a strict requirement.
As the saying went, a person's writing reflected their character. Submitting an essay full of crooked, jumbled characters was torture for the examiner reviewing it-and torture for the writer himself.
Of course, if his essay could truly shake heaven and earth and move ghosts and gods to tears, that would not matter.
Could Xu Qingxiao write an essay like that?
Even Xu Qingxiao himself did not believe it.
So he could only buckle down and practice.
The process, however, was agonizing.
First came grip training. He held a chopstick between two fingers, with a stone weighing roughly two jin tied to each end, then kept it balanced without the slightest tremor for four hours.
After that came practicing the characters. As though copying from a calligraphy workbook, he wrote each character a thousand times, then moved on to the next.
Fortunately, Xu Qingxiao was a martial artist and could withstand the ordeal. An ordinary scholar subjected to such intense handwriting practice would have felt his wrist breaking after just an hour, never mind four.
But Xu Qingxiao knew there was no other choice.
April fifteenth was the day of the Southern Yu Prefectural Examination. With twenty-seven days in total to prepare, Xu Qingxiao had to make every moment count.
In Zhou Ling's words, he did not expect Xu Qingxiao to develop beautiful handwriting. At the very least, it needed to be neat and clean. He could not afford to lose points on first impressions.
Fortunately, although the practice was painful, Xu Qingxiao had managed to make his writing neat after ten days.
His handwriting was passable. At least, it looked fairly good to him.
And now he could read while training his grip, so neither task held up the other.
During those ten days, Chen Xinghe stayed in the study writing essays. Once he finished one, he gave it to Zhou Ling, who read it and then explained what needed work.
Their days were rather dull, yet wonderfully peaceful.
Studying was like that: tedious and bland. Yet it was also the only shortcut by which those of humble means could escape their social station.
That had been true throughout history. Studying was the fastest shortcut, and the only one.
At least compared with commerce, scholars inherently outranked the wealthy. Some rich men might hire scholars to work for them, but ultimately, at the very highest levels, no amount of wealth could place someone above a Master.
Xu Qingxiao understood that. He had already suffered the consequences of neglecting his studies in his previous life. In this life, he would not tread the same disastrous path.
Inside the side room.
Xu Qingxiao gathered his wandering thoughts and began practicing his handwriting.
He lifted his brush and wrote. The characters were small, but exceptionally neat.
Xu Qingxiao wrote ten characters in one flowing burst, then wrote another ten.
The first ten were extremely neat, and the ones that followed were neat as well.
Two hours later.
Only when his wrist ached did Xu Qingxiao stop. Setting his brush aside, he loosened his limbs, stretched his back, and rubbed his wrist.
Just then, Zhou Ling's voice rang out.
"Qingxiao."
Hearing the call, Xu Qingxiao immediately rose and headed toward the study.
When he entered, Zhou Ling had prepared a board with a sheet of white paper clipped to it. Chen Xinghe sat at the desk and nodded upon seeing Xu Qingxiao.
Xu Qingxiao nodded back in greeting. After ten days together, they got along fairly well. Chen Xinghe was indeed rather aloof and rarely spoke, but he answered every question and was thoroughly conscientious.
"Qingxiao, sit down first."
Zhou Ling had Xu Qingxiao take a seat.
Once Xu Qingxiao was seated, Zhou Ling took his brush and wrote several terms on the white paper.
[Secure the Nation]
[Prosper the Nation]
[Vassal kings]
[The frontier]
[Demons]
Five terms appeared. Xu Qingxiao was curious, but said nothing as he waited for Zhou Ling to continue.
"Qingxiao, Xinghe, your teacher has spent several dozen days studying this. A few days ago, I also discussed it with several former classmates. Barring any surprises, this year's Prefectural Examination should cover one of these five questions."
Zhou Ling sounded quite confident.
Predicting examination questions was a skill. A correct prediction yielded twice the results for half the effort. A wrong one did no harm; one simply treated it as though no prediction had been made.
Neither spoke. They merely nodded, their gazes settling on the five topics.
Zhou Ling did not keep them guessing and began explaining at once.
"The Female Emperor's accession was an unprecedented marvel. The Great Wei Dynasty was founded seven hundred and forty-three years ago, and its fortunes have flourished. Yet the arrival of a new reign has introduced uncertainty."
"Since ancient times, no woman has ever proclaimed herself emperor. Throughout the government, there are those who refuse to accept it. Beyond the imperial court, many voices have also risen in opposition. The common people, in particular, are easily swayed."
"Now demons are throwing the world into chaos, and people say this ill omen was brought about by the Female Emperor's accession. Thus, Her Majesty needs a strategy to Secure the Nation and keep it under control. Otherwise, rumors will spread everywhere, hearts will fill with fear, and the nation's fortunes will falter."
"The reason I am so confident is that all essays from this Prefectural Examination must be submitted to the Capital. Normally, only the capital examination receives such treatment. But that examination is still half a year away."
"Her Majesty cannot wait that long. That is why this is happening."
Every word Zhou Ling spoke was a pearl of insight.
He considered the emperor's thoughts from the nation's perspective, while also using the submission of the Prefectural Examination essays to the Capital to infer the examination topics.
His reasoning was entirely sound.
Xu Qingxiao nodded, agreeing with every word Zhou Ling said.
Old ginger truly was the spiciest. His reasoning was clear.
"A strategy to Prosper the Nation is my backup prediction. Since the previous sovereign's seven frontier campaigns, the treasury has been empty, and every trade awaits revival. A strategy to Secure the Nation is important, but a strategy to Prosper the Nation remains important as well. You must pay attention to this too."
Zhou Ling explained that a strategy to Prosper the Nation was his alternative. In order of importance, it naturally came after a strategy to Secure the Nation. What the emperor needed now was stability. Without it, how could prosperity be possible?
Xu Qingxiao looked at the words "Prosper the Nation." He had thoroughly studied many histories recently, especially those covering more recent times.
The Great Wei Dynasty had been founded seven hundred and forty-three years ago. After its founding ancestor established the nation, three successive Martial Emperors waged war year after year, laying the foundations of Great Wei's might. They conquered abroad and subdued opposition within. Immortal Dao or demonic Dao-it made no difference. All bowed before the sovereign's rule.
Then came five successive civil emperors, who governed the nation, established stability, and fostered commerce, allowing the economy to develop rapidly. Those five reigns also led to the suppression of Great Wei's military officers and the rise of its civil officials.
Exalting the civil and suppressing the martial never ended well. Trouble repeatedly erupted along the frontier. All five civil emperors pursued leniency and benevolence, hoping to assimilate their enemies. Unfortunately, a wolf could never be fed into loyalty.
Frontier incursions culminated in the "Jingcheng Humiliation." The northern barbarians nearly fought their way to the Capital. Had the Great Wei Dynasty not possessed such deep reserves, and had the barbarians' massacres not provoked the wrath of gods and men, prompting sects everywhere to lend their aid, they might truly have stormed the Capital.
A year after the Jingcheng Humiliation, the Great Wei Dynasty's eighth emperor, Emperor Jiankang, passed away. The ninth emperor succeeded him, a man whose rise was itself full of miracles.
This emperor had been born of a concubine, not the empress.
In theory, he could never have become emperor. But because of the Jingcheng Humiliation, Emperor Jiankang understood that Great Wei needed a Martial Emperor. The people understood it, and the civil and military officials understood it too.
And so this concubine-born prince miraculously inherited the throne, adopting the reign name Wu Yuan.
Using the character for "martial" in his reign name was enough to demonstrate his spirit.
Over the next fifty years, Emperor Wu Yuan truly upheld Great Wei's backbone. He personally led seven campaigns, marched north seven times, and killed countless barbarians. His iron-and-blood methods earned him the name of the emperor on horseback.
Unfortunately, those years of campaigning left him with countless injuries and kept him away from court for long stretches. After returning in crushing defeat from his seventh northern campaign, he became suspicious of everyone and everything.
Moreover, the Great Wei Dynasty's seven northern campaigns had restored its backbone, but exhausted its money. The treasury was empty, taxes rose year after year, and the people could barely survive.
The most immediate example was official pay. A yamen runner earned one tael of silver a month, the lowest salary since Great Wei's founding.
Just a year ago, Emperor Wu Yuan had passed away, abandoning an enormous mess.
The first half of the Martial Emperor's life had been filled with great achievements. How stirring those seven northern campaigns had been! What tremendous spirit they had shown!
But the latter half of his life inspired regret. Unable to distinguish loyalty from treachery, he grew suspicious of everyone, slaughtered innocents, and stubbornly trusted only his own judgment. In the end, he received the posthumous title Martial Conqueror.
It evoked both his northern conquests and his ferocity. Ultimately, what came afterward was for later generations to judge.
Emperor Wu Yuan had another problem: he had no heirs-or, more precisely, no sons. He had only one daughter.
Everyone had expected the senior court officials to select a successor from among the other vassal kings or the imperial clan.
But to the astonishment of the entire world, Emperor Wu Yuan's only daughter, barely twenty-four years old, ascended the throne and proclaimed herself emperor.
The whole world erupted in debate.
Zhou Ling had chosen [Prosper the Nation] as his backup precisely because Emperor Wu Yuan's seven northern campaigns had emptied the treasury.
Thus, it was quite likely to become the examination topic.
Drawing on the histories he had recently read, Xu Qingxiao understood why Zhou Ling had selected it as his alternative.
Then Zhou Ling pointed to the final three topics.
"Vassal kings, the frontier, and demons. These three are less likely to appear, but they still might."
"Since Emperor Wu Yuan's accession, vassal kings throughout the land have raised their descendants to revere martial prowess. This has now caused a series of problems, which may appear in the examination."
"The frontier needs little explanation. Unrest there is an eternal constant. Unless their tribes are exterminated, peace will be difficult to achieve. But exterminating them is as difficult as climbing to heaven."
"The demonic upheaval is connected to unorthodox arts. In theory, however, it should not become an examination topic."
Zhou Ling pointed at the final three questions.
In truth, he wanted to explain them thoroughly, but his spirit was willing and his strength insufficient.
Whether vassal kings, the frontier, or demons, all were rather far removed from him. As a scholar, knowing a little about court politics and military affairs was already an achievement. He certainly did not know the full details.
Demons were even further beyond him. Specialized organizations dealt with them, and he knew nothing of their work.
Ultimately, he was only a teacher. He knew of many major national affairs, but knowing of them was all. Inferring five possible topics from that limited information was already quite impressive.
Xu Qingxiao carefully absorbed these points.
But just then.
A voice sounded outside.
"May I ask whether Xu Qingxiao is here?"
"Lord Cheng of Southern Yu Prefecture requests your presence."
The voice rang out.
And shattered the tranquility.
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