Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 89 Unparalleled Writing, Dragon Among Men

Chapter Eighty-Nine: Unparalleled Literary Talent, A Dragon Among Men

The sudden sound brought the two back to their senses instantly. A white rabbit emerged from their sleeves, leaving them extremely embarrassed.

"How could I forget about this rabbit..."

Ye Ru looked at Xiao Bai, then suddenly woke up with a start.

"Why don't you guys continue... I'll excuse myself for a moment..."

Little White scratched its snow-white fur with its paws and tentatively said.

"Need not……"

Ye Ru breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for Xiao Bai, he probably would be...

The consequences would be absolutely unimaginable. This is not the modern world; this is the feudal Confucian and Taoist continent.

If he really does something outrageous, no matter how much he has made, he will be labeled a lecher, his reputation will be ruined, and it will become a stain on his life.

Su Tongyao, on the other hand, would be criticized by malicious people as promiscuous, shameless, and unchaste.

A cold sweat broke out on my forehead; I hadn't expected my willpower to be so weak.

Then Ye Ru took a deep breath, calmed down, and said to Xiao Bai:

"Thank you."

Upon hearing this, Little White paused for a moment, then waved its little paws:

"Sister-in-law, you are indeed a beauty that could shame the moon and flowers, a beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky. Ye Ru, you are truly blessed."

Su Tongyao's face flushed red to her ears, and at the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's eat first."

Ye Ru coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject, helping Su Tongyao bring all the food to the table.

"Young people are full of vigor and easily impulsive. They are indeed not immune to worldly desires. If they really engage in sexual relations, it will be difficult for them to advance on the path to sainthood in this life."

Xiao Bai sighed, then jumped onto the table, waiting for dinner to be served.

After a while, the two people and the rabbit started eating, chatting and laughing about the imperial examinations.

The fact that the rabbit could talk surprised Su Tongyao, but she was even more delighted.

By evening, all the candidates had come out, and all the learned people in Qingyun County began to grade the papers.

The faculty building was brightly lit.

Chen Tianjian and others, along with Magistrate Zhang, were all present. They bowed to the statue of Confucius and then began to review the documents in batches.

The grading of examination papers here utilizes the power of Confucius, because Confucius was able to discern the level of candidates for the imperial examinations.

Confucius emitted a bright light, which enveloped all six thousand exam papers, dividing them into four batches and arranging them from highest to lowest score.

The examiner and Chen Tianjian looked at the stack of exam papers, and with a flick of their wrist, the papers appeared in his hand:

"This time I'll use my power for personal gain and look at the Category A exam papers first."

"Chief Examiner Song, please hurry up, I can't wait to see Scholar Ye's poems and essays."

Chen Tianjian urged.

Ye Ru's exam paper was placed on top, and Song Xiuwen looked at the first passage of the classic text and fell into thought.

"This passage from the Book of Documents is surprisingly difficult, containing only the Five Elements and Grains. I wonder how well Scholar Ye has written it."

Song Xiuwen continued to examine the area, and the further he looked, the more his expression changed. After a moment, he sighed.

"Ye Ru's interpretation is quite unique. It explains the mutual generation and restraint among the five elements, but it is also closely related to the theme. It uses the principles of the five elements to explain the way of the king, which is both simple and natural, and also admonishes the emperor to abide by the laws of heaven and earth."

Chen Tianjian also accepted the text and said:

"The key point is that he also quoted Mencius, the sage of Mencius, which is a great example of a master. I will report it after the imperial examination is over."

Everyone passed it around for a while, and then couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Song Xiuwen nodded, picked up his brush, and dipped it in ink:

"A masterpiece by a renowned author, the foremost among all classical texts, number one!"

Then Song Xiuwen said:

"If any of you have any objections, please feel free to speak up."

"none."

"No objection."

Everyone said one after another.

Then everyone looked at Ye Ru's exam paper again, and when they saw the three rivers, they frowned and pondered.

"If I had been a student in the imperial examinations, I would have answered this question according to the Commentary on the Waterways Classic, but Ye Ru answered it with the Book of Han. He is indeed quick-witted."

Hearing Song Xiuwen's praise, everyone nodded. The question was too tricky, involving geographical knowledge.

Then came the examination of the poems, sutras, and calligraphy; everyone wanted to find an error, but instead they discovered…

Ye Ru's exam paper was flawless!

The group exchanged glances, and one person said softly:

"Could it be that he knew the answer beforehand?"

"Impossible! Leaking the imperial examination questions is punishable by the execution of nine generations of one's family!"

Chen Tianjian shook his head, but his face showed disbelief.

This is not unfounded. There was once a scholar who was a candidate for the imperial examination. His family was composed of officials who held high positions in the imperial court. He stole the examination questions and wrote a flawless essay. He was ranked first by the chief examiner.

However, in the end, the temple was shaken, the matter was exposed, and the official was executed by the Confucian Temple, and his entire family was exterminated.

The examiner was dismissed and imprisoned.

"I am no longer qualified to comment on this exam paper. Quickly take it to the Holy Temple and let the National Holy Court arbitrate."

Song Xiuwen quickly took Ye Ru's exam paper and went out.

A moment later, the Confucian Temple emitted a bright light, and Song Xiuwen walked in.

A somber expression appeared on his face.

"What did the leaders of the National Holy Academy say?"

one person asked.

Song Xiuwen remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

"Examiner Song, please tell me quickly, stop keeping me in suspense."

Magistrate Zhang also said.

Chen Tianjian's heart skipped a beat, wondering if Ye Ru had really cheated.

However, as everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, Song Xiuwen suddenly said with envy:

"His writing is unparalleled, and he is a dragon among men."

Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly shocked. The word "peerless" was the highest praise for any piece of writing in the world. Generally speaking, the Holy Academy would not make such a statement if they were to ask them to arbitrate. Even Su Sheng back then only received the praise of "writing is fluent and coherent".

"His writing is unparalleled, and he is a dragon among men. This Ye Ru is a divine being. What a great compliment!"

Chen Tianjian clicked his tongue in admiration.

With feedback from the National Academy, everyone then began to examine the other exam papers.

After a night of review, the evaluation was finally completed, and the next step was the second review.

If one has two Jia grades, one can become a Tongsheng (a student who has passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

After all the exam papers have been graded, the top scorer will be selected.

"Ye Ru has the talent to bring prosperity to the country. If he had not died young, he might have become a great Confucian scholar, or even a semi-saint, and would surely have passed the imperial examination."

Magistrate Zhang addressed Song Xiuwen.

Song Xiuwen nodded and then said:

"Top of the Five Scholars".

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped.

Song Xiuwen's evaluation of Ye Ru was far too high. If Ye Ru's talent had been slightly inferior in the future, the former would have been condemned for a thousand years.

"call……"

Song Xiuwen let out a long breath, as if summoning some courage, bowed to the sky, and finally said loudly:

"I recommend worthy men for the country, and Ye Ru is the top scholar among the fifth-ranked candidates. I, with my Hanlin academic rank, request the semi-saints of the Academy of Saints to make an assessment!"

These words made everyone's eyes widen. Song Xiuwen's courage made them realize that everything he did was for the sake of the Yanhuang Kingdom.

The clear shout stirred the blood of everyone present. They knew that Song Hanlin's actions were all for the sake of the Yanhuang Kingdom.

After a moment, they exchanged a glance, then clasped their hands in a fist salute, their synchronized voices echoing throughout the land, lingering for a long time.

"Based on our literary rank, we have ranked Ye Ru as the top scholar among the five ranks. We request arbitration!"