When the bell signaling the end of the literary test tolled, all the examination papers appeared inside the evaluation hall. Each paper had automatically bound itself into a booklet, with the examinee's name and number written on the cover. Seated at the head of the hall were six evaluators, who were responsible only for the policy essay section. The first two sections of the literary test had fixed answers and required no effort from the evaluators; a few low-ranking disciples simply swept a magical treasure over them to automatically tally the scores.
All six evaluators possessed profound cultivation, and multitasking was merely a basic skill for them. At this moment, multiple examination papers lay spread out before each of them—seven or eight at the fewest, more than a dozen at the most. The Buddhist monk in particular had twenty papers unfurled before him at once, replacing them with a fresh batch in less time than it took to drink a cup of tea.
In the eyes of these evaluators, grading the papers was no difficult task. The examinees were only children, after all; if a policy essay adhered to historical fact and was written in a proper, conventional manner, that was already quite good. Those capable of originality were a rare few, and those who could make their arguments hold together seamlessly were rarer still.
On the literary test, the scions of prominent, noble clans were noticeably a cut above the rest. They had learned under renowned masters, after all, and gotten an early start. Furthermore, the literary test had been conducted for centuries, and many noble houses had a clear grasp of its general scope. There were many tutors who made a name for themselves specifically by studying the test questions, and once famous, they were naturally retained by the great clans.
None of the evaluators graded slowly. In less than a shichen, they would finish evaluating all the examination papers.
As he read, the elderly Confucian scholar suddenly slammed his palm heavily against his desk and fumed, "Utter nonsense!"
It was only grading a paper—why be infuriated to such an extent?
The other evaluators looked over. Seeing that the old scholar was reading Wei Yuan's paper, they beckoned with their hands, each drawing out Wei Yuan's paper to flip through it themselves.
A young cultivator lightly tapped the armrest of his chair and said as he read, "This essay on the Memorial on Welcoming the Worthy is rather novel. Hmm... 'In times of peace and order, employ people according to virtue; in times of chaos, employ people according to talent.' Rather interesting."
Liu Sigu glanced left and right, his voice grim. "The ancient sages stated long ago that in employing people, virtue alone matters. This boy does not hail from our Confucian school. If he had staunchly insisted on employing people according to talent, so be it—this old man would have even thought better of him. But how can there be any logic in using virtue at one moment and talent at another? The principles of the sages remain unchanging through the ages; how can one vacillate back and forth? If such fence-sitting is not severely punished, I fear it will fail to convince the public!"
The middle-aged Confucian scholar, also from the Four Sages Academy, chimed in, "Elder Liu's words may be somewhat harsh, but the principle is sound. While the regulations encourage originality, that does not mean one can depart from orthodoxy and propose heresies and crooked notions. Since this boy has ties with the Palace of Grand Beginning, I wonder how Daoist Brother Fufeng sees this?"
The Daoist looked at the two Confucian scholars, his brow gradually furrowing.
The old scholar suddenly sneered. "It seems the Palace of Grand Beginning is involved in quite a lot this year. If my aged eyes turn dim in a moment and my brush loses its sense of proportion, Junior Brother Fufeng must not take offense."
The old scholar's meaning was crystal clear. In this unified examination, five families were contending for three spots in the Palace of Grand Beginning. As an evaluator, Daoist Fufeng was naturally caught at the heart of the storm: some candidates needed a boost, some needed to be held back slightly, and some required strict impartiality. The balance was delicate, and the Daoist was already at his wit's end. If Liu Sigu truly went ahead and made reckless, arbitrary evaluations that ruined that family's vital affair, the blame and punishment would fall entirely upon the Daoist.
Thus, although irritated at heart, the Daoist could only keep an impassive face and say, "Just act with impartiality."
The old scholar nodded in satisfaction and penned two marks for Wei Yuan: Earth-C, 8.
The maximum score for the policy essay section was twenty. This score of eight points instantly cast Wei Yuan right out of the range for a blessed land.
The other evaluators said nothing more and continued grading the papers in their hands. A moment later, once all sections were tallied, a line of small characters appeared upon the stone stele:
Wei Yuan: Earth-A, 19.
This nineteen included the scores from the preceding two sections. Wei Yuan had scored the maximum ten points in the first two parts of the literary test, where no one could tamper with the result. Out of the twenty points for the policy essay, Wei Yuan ultimately received nine, bringing his total to nineteen.
***
In the dead of night, when all was still, the light was still burning inside a side hall.
Sun Yu sat before a desk, glancing from time to time at the hour, an uncertain expression flickering across his face. Just then, the doors of the hall were pushed open, and Zhang Sheng walked in.
Seeing it was Zhang Sheng, Sun Yu was greatly astonished. "Why have you come out of seclusion now? Weren't you supposed to remain until after tomorrow's martial test?"
Zhang Sheng's face was noticeably pale at the moment. He said, "I felt a persistent unease in my spirit, so I paid a price to exit seclusion early. The Daoist test and the literary test should both be over by now. How did Yuan'er perform?"
"I am waiting for the results as well. They should be out by now." Sun Yu summoned a young Daoist priest and instructed, "Go retrieve the results of the Daoist test and the literary test."
The young Daoist gave a start and said hastily, "That seems to go against the rules."
Sun Yu's face hardened, and he said coldly, "Making excuses over such a trifle—do you look down upon my Hall of Xuanming? If you will not go, I shall fetch them myself. Afterward, I will rate your evaluation for this unified examination as inferior across the board, and you can look forward to another thirty years of menial chores!"
The young Daoist was terrified. Daring not say another word, he hurried off.
While waiting, Sun Yu handed the literary test questions to Zhang Sheng. Zhang Sheng scanned them with a glance, and his expression softened slightly. "Though the questions for this literary test are odd, they are not actually difficult. With Yuan'er's foundation, even if he didn't get a perfect score, he should get at least twenty-nine. Even twenty-eight would be out of the question."
A moment later, the menial Daoist returned. Placing a sheet of jade paper before Sun Yu, he whispered, "These are the scores for the Daoist test and the literary test; I transcribed a copy in secret. Senior Brother Sun, you must never tell anyone, or else I will be expelled from the palace."
Sun Yu waved his hand to dismiss the young Daoist, then handed the jade paper to Zhang Sheng. Taking it, Zhang Sheng instantly furrowed his brows. Sun Yu knew something was amiss and leaned in to look as well.
Ranked first on the score sheet was Li Zhi: Daoist test 38, literary test 30, for a total of 68 points. Ranked second was Bao Yun: Daoist test 40, literary test 27, for a total of 67 points.
Zhang Sheng read down the names one by one, yet even by the end of the first page, he had not seen Wei Yuan's name. Sun Yu was also thoroughly baffled; the first page contained thirty names. Wei Yuan had not even made the top thirty—entering the Palace of Grand Beginning was already impossible.
With an ashen face, Zhang Sheng turned the pages one after another. Only after turning three pages did he finally spot Wei Yuan's name. Combining the Daoist and literary tests, Wei Yuan had forty-nine points, ranking ninety-fifth among all examinees.
Sun Yu frowned. To say nothing of entering an immortal sect, this score fell far short even of a grotto-heaven. Reaching this point, whether he took the martial test or not was virtually meaningless.
At this point, Zhang Sheng grew calm instead. He carefully examined the breakdown of Wei Yuan's scores, then closed his eyes in contemplation.
After a moment, Zhang Sheng opened his eyes and said calmly, "Even if I had only taught him for six months, his literary test score would not be a mere nineteen points. And his foundation and karmic destiny are rated only Earth-A? Heh... Earth-A... Good, very good! Senior Brother, you may not know, but Yuan'er's foundation and karmic destiny fall short of mine by only a sliver."
Zhang Sheng slowly set the score sheet on the table and said grimly, "If I, Zhang Sheng, were to take the Daoist test and receive only Earth-A, would anyone dare claim the word 'Heaven'?"
Sun Yu did not know what to say, and could only sigh. "Calm your anger, Junior Brother. This... this matter..."
"Since their methods are so despicable, there is no need for me to save them any face!"
Zhang Sheng rose and strode toward the doors of the hall. Sun Yu could not stop him no matter what, and could only call out, "Junior Brother, what are you going to do?"
From far off in the night came Zhang Sheng's voice:
"Flip the table!"
Chapter 13