Help from All Sides
Hearing Zhao Ruxi's words, Madam Cui was completely relieved.
It seems that Zhao Ruxi still intends to participate in the imperial examination. However, she doesn't want the teachers at the Imperial Academy to be criticized again, which is why she hasn't gone to the Imperial Academy there.
Madam Cui also found the problem raised by Zhao Ruxi somewhat difficult to solve.
When living in this world, one must always think of others and not be too selfish.
Although if Grand Princess Shangde were to plead with the Emperor, he might agree to allow the teachers of the Imperial Academy to tutor Zhao Ruxi again, it is not the act of a gentleman to force someone into a difficult situation. Once Grand Princess Shangde makes the request, the Emperor and the teachers of the Imperial Academy will certainly lose much of their goodwill towards Zhao Ruxi.
"Rest assured, Master. I had anticipated this situation after the provincial examination, so I consulted all the gentlemen about the problems I encountered. Without their guidance, my ranking in the metropolitan examination might not be very high, but passing should not be a problem," Zhao Ruxi said.
In fact, the provincial examination and the metropolitan examination were similar in format, both requiring essays on policy matters. The only difference was the depth and breadth of the policy essays' coverage of court politics. The palace examination following the metropolitan examination was merely a formality; as long as one passed the metropolitan examination, they could basically become an official. Therefore, the questions in the metropolitan examination would all involve the current court politics, requiring candidates to offer their own insights and suggestions on a particular policy issue.
Zhao Ruxi's only shortcoming was in the form of her writing. After all, she wasn't someone who had written in classical Chinese since childhood. Although she had memorized the Four Books and Five Classics because of her good memory, her knowledge of classical Chinese was not broad, and she was somewhat lacking in the use of allusions.
During those two months, several teachers at the Imperial Academy compiled a reading list for her to borrow from the Imperial Academy to make up for her shortcomings in this area; they also pointed out flaws in her writing style and language. As a result, she was able to write an impeccable essay in the provincial examination.
After filling in the gaps in her knowledge, she had no major problems with her writing. Her only weakness was her lack of familiarity with the politics of the Great Jin.
For example, if the examination question asked them to discuss water conservancy issues, Zhao Ruxi, having no knowledge of the water conservancy of the Great Jin, would be unable to raise specific questions and then provide solutions. His resulting essay would be very vague and unsubstantiated.
Therefore, for the next six months, she didn't need the gentlemen to guide her on how to write articles; instead, she should focus more on the political affairs of the Great Jin Dynasty.
To reassure Madam Cui and Grand Princess Shangde, Zhao Ruxi told Madam Cui about these issues.
Madam Cui was immediately in a dilemma.
Neither she nor Grand Princess Shangde cared about current affairs, so they couldn't help Zhao Ruxi in this regard. It's likely that the teachers at the Imperial Academy wouldn't be able to answer these questions for Zhao Ruxi either, since they didn't participate in court politics.
Zhao Yuanxun was only a sixth-rank official, not qualified to attend court, and had not been in office for long, so he couldn't help Zhao Ruxi in this regard. Kang Shilin was no match for him either.
"Your three senior brothers all serve as officials in the imperial court and attend court every day. They must be very familiar with these things. Why don't you ask them for advice?" she suggested.
Zhao Ruxi shook her head. "That's not a good idea."
These are not questions that can be answered in a short time. All three senior brothers are busy; they don't have time to explain these things to her.
"Does Her Highness the Eldest Princess have any books or materials about the situation in the Great Jin Dynasty? Or perhaps the official gazettes from recent years? If not books, the gazettes are the best source of information about the Great Jin."
Madam Cui perked up. "Alright, I'll talk to Her Highness the Princess, and I'll also ask someone to help you see if there are any books on this subject. The official gazette should be fine."
When they were running the newspaper, they even studied several issues of the official gazette. She knew that Grand Princess Shangde had copies of the gazette.
Zhao Ruxi nodded, and seeing that there was nothing else, she got up to take her leave.
Two days later, before the official gazettes collected by Grand Princess Shangde and Madam Cui had arrived, Zhao Ruxi received a large stack of documents from Wang Tong.
These materials include the essays of the top twenty candidates in the past four provincial and metropolitan examinations, as well as the official gazettes from the past five years and a type of essay written by officials when submitting memorials to the emperor.
In his letter, Xiao Lingyan said that he had asked those preparing for the imperial examinations and learned that Zhao Ruxi might need these things. So he had them collected and sent to her, hoping they would be of some help to Zhao Ruxi.
Zhao Ruxi was immediately warmed by the kindness shown to her.
Having a boyfriend is so different! You don't have to worry about anything. He cares about you and will always think of you first.
She wrote back, praising Xiao Lingyan highly and hoping he would continue his efforts.
Next, she received some books and official gazettes sent by Grand Princess Shangde and Madam Cui.
These books included agricultural treatises, theories of natural philosophy, as well as miscellaneous notes and travelogues, all of which recorded various aspects of the Great Jin and its customs and traditions, and were of some help to Zhao Ruxi.
She was happily reading when Kang Shilin called her over.
Kang Shilin said, "Lord Peng sent someone to ask why you haven't been going to the Imperial Academy lately. Several teachers there have been asking about you, wondering if you're not going to participate in the provincial examination."
Zhao Ruxi felt a warmth in her heart once again.
There are still more good people than bad in the world.
She shared her concerns and plans with Kang Shilin.
Kang Shilin nodded. "You're right. They're all good to you, you can't ignore them."
He thought for a moment and said, "How about this? I'll tell them to send you a copy of all the exam questions they give their students, and then you can send them to me. You write your essay based on the questions, send it to me, and I'll pass it on to Lord Peng so they can grade and guide you. That way, the teachers can say to others that they can't refuse because of my influence; they're not specifically asking for your guidance. This roundabout approach will minimize the impact on them."
Zhao Ruxi was grateful and stood up to bow deeply to her master. "Thank you very much, Master."
"Your three senior brothers should have quite a few books and articles on their respective government departments. I'll have them organize them and send them to you."
Zhao Ruxi was overjoyed and bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Master."
Zhao Ruxi was not very familiar with the imperial court's policies and practices regarding personnel selection.
Take, for example, the system of recusal for officials.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a "Three Mutual Prohibitions Law." The "Biography of Biography of Cai Yong" in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty records that "the Three Mutual Relationships refer to the prohibition of marriage alliances and the prohibition of people from two different prefectures from serving as officials in each other's jurisdictions." This system of checks and balances meant that some prefectural and county officials were not selected in a timely manner, but to a certain extent, it helped to reduce the interference of personal relationships among administrators in politics and promote political integrity. Subsequent dynasties mostly followed this principle, although the degree of leniency and strictness varied.
Did the Great Jin follow the same regulations as the Eastern Han in this regard, or were they different?
If she doesn't understand, she'll be completely at a loss when such a question appears in the imperial examination. No matter how well you write your essay, if you don't understand the court's policies, you won't be able to write anything coherent.