Shanggong Bai
With plenty of time, she first listed out her thoughts one by one, wrote out an outline, and then began to write on the draft paper.
Because there was no copying and sealing process like in the provincial and metropolitan examinations, the examination papers were presented directly to the officials of the Ministry of Ministry of Rites and the emperor. Therefore, the neatness of the paper and the beauty of the calligraphy were extremely important and largely determined the ranking.
Since the essays for the palace examination were reviewed by the emperor, they could not be lengthy treatises; in addition, given the concise writing style of classical Chinese, a policy essay was at most three or four hundred words, and as short as one or two hundred words.
In her previous life, Zhao Ruxi had been through the ordeal of writing 800-word essays in half an hour during high school. Writing long papers in university, graduate school, and doctoral studies was a piece of cake for her. While writing in classical Chinese was a bit more difficult than in vernacular Chinese, with practice, it wasn't that hard, and it didn't take much time.
She was already quick-witted, but after taking the Agility Pill, she became even more agile. Her hand skills also improved significantly. She could write a calligraphy piece of thirty characters with the same quality, but in a third less time than before.
Therefore, these three articles, totaling over a thousand words, were completed in an hour and a half after she had written similar articles before and had already given deep thought to these issues, and after meticulous refinement and revision.
It was lunchtime.
Lunch consisted of two steamed buns and a bowl of meat and vegetable soup. A damp cloth was also brought along with the food.
Zhao Ruxi carefully wiped her hands with a damp cloth before picking up the steamed bun, breaking off a small piece, and slowly eating it.
At this moment, the food was served, and even the candidates who did not want to be interrupted had to take into account the rules of the palace and put down their pens to eat. Now everyone had time to admire the beauty, and their eyes were intentionally or unintentionally drawn to Zhao Ruxi, wanting to know what this talented woman looked like while eating.
Only Duan Chen maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, not glancing in Zhao Ruxi's direction, and quietly ate his lunch.
Despite the subtle scrutiny from so many unfamiliar men, Lord Mo was still worried that Zhao Ruxi would feel uncomfortable. However, she remained completely at ease, as if unaware of their gazes, eating her steamed bun in small bites with unhurried and elegant movements, showing no trace of embarrassment or panic.
Seeing Zhao Ruxi's posture, the male examinees suddenly felt that the steamed buns in their hands were as delicious as a dish served at a state banquet.
This is the same kind of steamed bun that the beauty makes, and it tastes exceptionally different.
After arriving in ancient times, Zhao Ruxi lived a life of luxury, except for the few days she spent under the banyan tree. She simply couldn't stomach plain white steamed buns, and she didn't really want to touch soupy dishes like meat and vegetable soup either, as going to the toilet was too much of a hassle.
Therefore, she ate only half a steamed bun and drank two sips of soup to satisfy her hunger, which also indicated that she was not dissatisfied with the meal in the palace, and then stopped eating.
She gestured for the maid to remove the food from the table, washed her hands with a damp cloth, and began to copy the text.
Two years of calligraphy practice, along with her habit of writing quickly and neatly when taking notes, enabled her to copy at an extremely fast pace. By the time the male examinees had finished lunch and even went to the restroom, Zhao Ruxi had already finished copying all three articles.
She had no intention of lingering any longer and gestured to Lord Mo.
When Lord Mo approached, she said, "I've finished writing."
Lord Mo was quite surprised. He looked down and found that the exam paper was filled with writing, the handwriting was beautiful and neat, and it did not look like it was written in a hurry.
Zhao Ruxi always submitted her papers early, and it had never affected her grades. Although Lord Mo was surprised, he was not unexpected.
He said, "Take this and place it on the desk in front of the Minister. Someone will then lead you out of the palace." As he spoke, he gestured to the female official.
Originally, the palace examination was not divided by gender, and all candidates were in the same hall, so there was no need to prepare special invigilators for Zhao Ruxi.
However, the palace examination lasted all day, and it was permissible to go to the toilet during the exam. The Ministry of Rites made a special request to the Emperor, and Xiao Ge sent a female official and two palace maids to stay in the palace with the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
The male examinees in the hall had just finished lunch and tidied up their belongings when they sat down, intending to work on their last essay, when Zhao Ruxi stood up, placed the exam paper in front of the Ministry of Rites, bowed, and then left accompanied by three palace maids.
Everyone stared in disbelief, exchanging glances, almost asking each other a question, but then realized they were still taking an exam and quickly shut their mouths.
Good heavens, is this Layperson Zhiwei really that amazing? How did he finish and hand in his paper so quickly?
All eyes were on Duan Chen.
Duan Chen had been indifferent, seemingly unconcerned about Zhao Ruxi. But seeing that Zhao Ruxi had handed in her paper so early, he couldn't help but glance at his own. Although he had prepared a draft, he had only copied one question. He stared blankly at Zhao Ruxi's departing figure.
Sensing everyone's gaze, he looked away, regaining his composure, but his copying speed noticeably increased.
"Layperson Zhiwei truly talented and brings honor to us women. I am truly admirable. Although I am just a palace maid, I am also honored." The female official praised as she accompanied Zhao Ruxi out.
This female official was Xiao Ge, Principal Fifth Rank official, and the highest-ranking female official among them.
Although she held an official rank and had some power in the palace, received a salary from the court, and was served by palace maids, she was still selected from among the palace maids and was considered a slave. Therefore, she still referred to herself as "slave" when facing Zhao Ruxi.
"You flatter me Shanggong Bai," Zhao Ruxi said. "Shanggong Bai Shanggong Bai exceptionally talented. Zhiwei, dare not call myself 'powerful' in your presence."
Becoming a lady-in-waiting in the palace was no easy feat. One had to be exceptionally talented, shrewd and resourceful, and beautiful—truly a woman of both beauty and talent.
This Lady Bai, who appears to be only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, must be quite remarkable to have risen to the top of the ranks of female officials. While concubines rise in rank based on family background, appearance, and luck, female officials truly do so through talent and ability. If she were a man, she would certainly be no less capable than the scholars in the Hall of Literary Glory.
Thinking of this, Zhao Ruxi felt sympathy for Shanggong Bai and was also grateful to heaven. Although she was transmigrated into a cannon fodder character, it was not a hellish start.
If she were to transmigrate into the body of a woman who entered the palace through literary talent, no matter how talented or hardworking she was, she would probably end up like Shanggong Bai, who, even if she climbed to the highest rank of female official, would still be enslaved, without freedom, and whose life and death would be in the hands of others.