A Grandmaster of Calligraphy
However, everyone's comments had to be written on the exam papers and circulated among the other officials. These ten exam papers also had to be presented to the Emperor for his review. If anyone's comments were even slightly biased or unfair, the other officials and the Emperor could see through the hidden grudges and ulterior motives at a glance.
Doing so will not only fail to help one's relatives or younger generation, or suppress any particular person, but will also leave one with a bad impression in front of the emperor and his ministers, such as being unable to distinguish between public and private matters, being opportunistic, and having a narrow mind.
Moreover, Wu Huaisi and Kang Yannian, who were present, had close relationships with Zhao Ruxi, and Zhang Changshen and Qi Xugu were very protective of Zhao Ruxi. Four out of the nine cabinet members were biased towards her. In addition, the emperor was extremely fond of Zhao Zhiwei's painting skills, and Grand Princess Shangde was not someone to be trifled with. Shen Wenyong did not dare to reveal his little bit of sexist thoughts in his comments.
He read Zhao Ruxi's three articles carefully, trying to find fault with them. As long as he found something wrong, he wouldn't be considered to be acting out of personal vendetta. He simply couldn't believe that a young girl could understand national politics, offer suggestions and opinions, or write insightful and good articles.
He read them for a long time, pondering each sentence two or three times, but found he couldn't find any fault with them. Not only were these three articles without fault, but their merits were also very prominent.
In the end, he had no choice but to give it a "Grade A" rating and write a lengthy, eloquent praise.
He felt incredibly exhausted and desperately needed to find a test paper better than Zhao Ruxi's to soothe his wounded soul. However, after reading Huiyuan's paper, he found that while it was also quite good, it was only on par; the styles were different, and it didn't clearly surpass Zhao Ruxi's work. The other candidates' papers were far inferior to theirs.
He felt even more exhausted.
The Ministry of War had a good relationship with Shen Wenyong and sat next to him, waiting for the exam paper in his hand.
Seeing that he had finally finished reading the exam paper, she couldn't help but tease him as she took it from him, saying, "I say, what kind of article took you so long to read? Although my eyesight is failing, I can still read articles twice as fast as yours. I've already finished reading all three of your papers, and you haven't even finished grading this one yet. Lord Shen, your speed is not good."
Although there are rules for grading papers, everyone here is a veteran grading these papers, so the atmosphere isn't too tense. It's fine to exchange a few words occasionally, as long as it doesn't involve the exam paper or the content of the essay.
Shen Wenyong glanced at the Ministry of War expressionlessly, picked up another exam paper on the table, lowered his head to continue grading, and ignored him.
They received the exam papers at approximately 7 PM; by 9 PM, they had finished grading them all. After handing the papers to the Ministry of Rites, they left the palace to go back to sleep.
The next day was a day off, so there was no need to attend the morning court session. Their subordinates still had to grade more than a hundred exam papers, and they would probably be busy until evening before they could go home to rest.
On his day off, Xiao Ge also got a good rest.
It wasn't until the afternoon that he arrived at the main hall where state affairs were handled, and asked Eunuch Xie, "How is the grading of the palace examination papers going?"
"The papers of the top ten students were delivered last night; the adults just finished grading the others and are discussing the rankings," Eunuch Xie reported.
Xiao Ge nodded and asked Eunuch Xie to bring over the top ten exam papers so he could grade them.
In the imperial examination, if the emperor was lazy, he would only need to grade the top ten papers; if he was more diligent, he would look at the top twenty or thirty papers, and then stop looking at the rest.
Eunuch Xie placed the exam papers on the table and stepped aside. The hall fell silent, save for the sound of Xiao Ge flipping through the papers.
"Wow, beautiful characters, beautiful characters!"
Before long, Eunuch Xie heard the Emperor's cheers. He quickly looked up and saw the Emperor waving at him.
"Come and look, this is Zhao Zhiwei's calligraphy. In my opinion, it's no worse than Qin Zhe's, and it's comparable to Master Mingcang's calligraphy, only the styles are different. I prefer her calligraphy."
Eunuch Xie became curious upon hearing this.
He had seen Zhao Zhiwei's calligraphy before, on Zhao Zhiwei's paintings. While the calligraphy was not bad, bearing some resemblance to Master Mingcang Master Mingcang. Although half a year had passed since then, surely half a year couldn't allow someone's calligraphy to undergo a qualitative leap?
He walked over, peeked at the table, and exclaimed "Ah!" as his eyes widened in surprise.
Xiao Ge laughed and said, "Am I right?"
The reason why Eunuch Xie and Eunuch Zhang were able to become the chief and deputy chief stewards and stay by Xiao Ge's side at all times was because, in addition to their loyalty, they also had other abilities.
Eunuch Xie was highly accomplished in calligraphy, painting, and literature, and possessed a photographic memory, which greatly helped Xiao Ge in handling government affairs; Eunuch Zhang was a person with strong execution ability, and he could basically do the things assigned to him to Xiao Ge's satisfaction.
This is why Eunuch Xie was able to attend the auction in Xiao Ge's place.
Eunuch Xie knew that the Emperor had a habit of listening to his comments.
He composed himself, tilted his head to think for a moment, and then offered an objective critique. "While the original Miss Zhiwei's calligraphy is quite good, possessing seven or eight Master Mingcang's style, there are quite a few people who have reached that level; moreover, imitating others' calligraphy without one's own style and personality is insufficient to amaze. It's like a caged eagle; even if it's of exceptional quality, its wings are broken, its freedom is imprisoned, it lacks its spirit, and it won't inspire awe."
"But now, Miss Zhiwei's calligraphy is like an eagle breaking free from its shackles, soaring high into the sky, surveying all directions with overwhelming power, making one tremble involuntarily. Its structure bears the shadow of Master Mingcang, yet it is completely different from Master Mingcang's style of vast skies and clear, sunny days. This reminds me of the paintings of Layperson Zhiwei and Mister Kumu. How similar the difference is between their calligraphy and their paintings."
At this point, Eunuch Xie bowed deeply to Xiao Ge: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on gaining another master calligrapher."
Xiao Ge burst into laughter, pointing at Eunuch Xie and saying, "As expected of Xie Divine Eyes the Insightful! Your comments are spot on and exactly what I wanted to hear."
Eunuch Xie possessed exceptional eyesight, keen insight into the appreciation of calligraphy and painting, and an unparalleled memory. He could remember everything he saw, whether it was a person or the content of a piece of writing, with the utmost accuracy. In modern terms, he had a photographic memory. Therefore, he earned the nickname "Divine Eyes."
After laughing, Xiao Ge sighed, "Zhao Zhiwei's talent is unparalleled in my life. He excels in calligraphy, painting, and reading; he is truly a rare talent."
Eunuch Xie then realized that the Emperor was considering making Zhao Ruxi a first-class scholar.
Her calligraphy really makes up a lot of points.
Moreover, she achieved second place in the provincial examination, and her essay was no worse than the top-ranking scholar's, which shows that Zhao Zhiwei's writing was also excellent. There was absolutely no problem in selecting her as a first-class scholar.