odessanovel Chapter 417
Chapter 417
Grand Councilor Wang shot a glare at Grand Councilor Hu, but after some thought, he found his argument somewhat reasonable—it was difficult to implement and would take time, and given the current drought, the Great Yan Empire could not afford to wait.Ji Hongming, seeing that the two had both backed down, spoke unhurriedly: “Only this one—every word is grounded in reality, not a single false statement.
Labor, grain, funds, canals, wells, and silver all have clear provisions, and it seems it could be immediately dispatched to the prefectures and counties for implementation. Therefore, I recommend it as the top-ranked paper.”
Grand Councilor Wang flicked his sleeve in rebuttal: “However, his essay lacks a certain artistry, missing the sage ideal of ‘governing by non-action.’ Moreover, the policy of ‘relief through labor’…”
He glanced cautiously at Yue Fuguang, who sat in the presiding seat, and continued, “...was originally proposed by the Junior Preceptor’s people. He is merely picking up crumbs from the Junior Preceptor’s table.”
By now, Yue Fuguang understood the three men completely. Grand Councilor Wang favored essays that were elegant, ornate, and bold in speech.
Grand Councilor Hu was conservative, preferring essays that were balanced, moderate, and substantive in content.
Minister Ji, much like herself, valued practicality above all.
Yue Fuguang had already made up her mind, but she still asked the Crown Prince: “Your Highness, what do you think? Which one should be the top scholar?”
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and said, “Minister Ji’s paper is like coarse grain—it sustains life; Grand Councilor Hu’s paper is like ritual etiquette—it steadies people’s hearts; Grand Councilor Wang’s paper is like strong medicine—it cures illness, but it may be too potent.”
Seeing the others lost in thought, he continued, “At present, holding a ritual sacrifice to heaven could calm the people. But if the rain still does not come after the sacrifice, what will the court do then? Distant water cannot quench a near fire.”
He pushed open the window and stared into the pitch-black night sky. The bright moon was hidden, and the stars were twinkling—tomorrow was sure to be a clear day.
“A ruler must understand that writing’s value lies in its feasibility, not in its recitability. If we select Paper C as the top, we win posthumous fame; if we select Paper A, we save the people of today.”
Yue Fuguang nodded. Exchanging a glance with the Crown Prince, she picked up the three papers on the table and said, “Paper B is mediocre—it can be placed in the second rank, for those who maintain the status quo; Paper C is florid in style yet substantive—it can be placed at the end of the first rank, to be preserved for the future; only Paper A is immediately actionable—let it be crowned as the top.”
With Yue Fuguang having the final say, she left the rest to others and did not wait until dawn before taking a carriage back to her residence.
On the day the list was posted, she did not go to watch the excitement. Back in the sixth year of Yuankang, she had gone once to watch, and she could only say that the scene of examination candidates waiting for the list surpassed the desperation of expectant fathers pacing outside a maternity ward.
Those who passed cried and laughed, almost insane. Though not as mad as Fan Jin in the story, it was true that civilized men lost all pretense of civility.
The failed ones turned pale and dejected. In short, tears filled the scene—successful ones cried with joy, the unsuccessful with grief.
She had even seen an old man with gray hair carried away by his family. But even that family was lucky—though the father failed, his son barely scraped by, earning a spot as an associate scholar.
“Seventh Sister, it’s a pity you didn’t come today. You should have seen those families trying to snatch the sons-in-law at the list—they nearly came to blows over a single scholar!”
Yu Ningxuan picked up the tea on Yue Fuguang’s table, took a sip, and continued, “This batch of scholars—every unmarried one—was snatched up to be a son-in-law!”
Hearing that the classic scene of “snatching sons-in-law at the list” had occurred this time, Yue Fuguang was indeed intrigued. “Then it must have been even more lively. Why didn’t anyone try to snatch a son-in-law in the last examination?”
Yu Ningxin chuckled at Yue Fuguang’s question. “It wasn’t that no one went hunting for sons-in-law in the last examination. They all held back because they knew in advance that our younger sister would be watching the excitement.”
Yu Ningxuan nodded in agreement. “Wasn’t it chaotic? Imperial censor Zhang and Vice Minister Liu each grabbed one arm of the same young graduate and pulled. I actually saw tears streaming down the young graduate’s face—I couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or pain.”
“If Academician Liu hadn’t suddenly stepped in to mediate and then snatched the prize for himself, those two families might have come to blows.” Yu Ningxuan wore an expression of pure delight at the spectacle. “By the time we left, Imperial Censor Zhang and Vice Minister Liu had already stormed over to Academician Liu’s house. I bet the fight among those three families is still going on.”
Yue Fuguang was very curious about the man at the center of this dispute. Who could be so sought after? He must have either outstanding talent or good looks.
She had stayed in the examination hall for a full nine days, and with her excellent memory, she had remembered most of the candidates by name and face—especially the talented and the handsome ones, who left deeper impressions. As she sifted through her memories of the unmarried young men, she turned to Yu Ningxuan, who was nibbling on pastries. “Second Sister, which graduate are they fighting over? I might even know him.”
Yu Ningxuan paused for a moment, then nodded eagerly. “Right, right! How could I forget? Dear Sister, you are technically their chief examiner.”
Yu Ningxin chimed in with a smile. “This year’s examination has drawn more families hunting for sons-in-law under the announcement board than usual. Maybe it’s all because of you, little sister, being the chief examiner!”
Yu Ningxuan agreed with a nod. As for the crown prince, who was the head examiner… the emperor was still in his prime, so not everyone was eager to have such a person as their mentor. Even if the crown prince’s position as heir was stable for now, how many throughout history had actually ascended the throne from that role? And even those who did—how many were secure in the beginning?
But her little sister, the Junior Preceptor and Prince, was different. She not only held a noble position, but she was also known as a divine maiden, with poetic talent unmatched across all six kingdoms. Anyone with sense would want to be her student.
With this thought, Yu Ningxuan’s face glowed with pride. She broke into a wide smile. “I heard from the onlookers that the graduate being fought over is the tenth-ranked scholar of this year, named Zhao Pengfei. Judging by his clothes, his family is ordinary. Still, he’s young and good-looking—much better than those widowers.”
In this year’s examination, even widowers with children were being snatched up by lesser families eager to form marriage ties. That was rare in previous years. Perhaps it really was because of their little sister’s reputation as their mentor.
Zhao Pengfei? Yue Fuguang recalled him without much effort. He was indeed among the younger candidates and was handsome among the unmarried ones. No wonder someone was rushing to claim him as a son-in-law.
As for the three families, Yue Fuguang had a vague impression they were all well-off. But people of that standing normally wouldn’t marry a legitimate daughter off to a mere new graduate whose future was uncertain.
Still, in Yue Fuguang’s view—dominated by modern ideas about marriage—Zhao Pengfei was hardly an ideal match.
“Little Zhu, what do you think of this Zhao Pengfei?” Hearing Yue Fuguang ask a question to which she already knew the answer, the system couldn’t help rolling its eyes.
But despite the eye roll, the system always answered when asked. [Master, which aspect do you want to know? Ability or character?]
When it comes to ability, setting aside other factors, Little Zhu currently rates as above average.
As for character, Zhao Pengfei—having passed the imperial examinations at a young age—is somewhat arrogant due to his talent, and he shares a common flaw of most mortal men in this era: he is overly chauvinistic and possesses a strong desire for control.