Chapter Twenty-Four: The Solution

  Jiang Biao was the chief examiner of this year's provincial examination in Hunan. Anyone who passed the examination had to respectfully address him as "Master Fang", even though Jiang Biao had never taught Tan Yanqing before. However, this "Master Fang" was a great honor for those who passed the examination. The saying "examination halls do not discuss literature" refers to the provincial examination, which has a large element of luck and randomness. If one reaches the metropolitan examination, where eighteen provinces' successful candidates gather in the capital, this is a crucial hurdle that must be overcome. Only when the top-notch essays are put together for evaluation will luck come into play. Having a reliable "Master Fang" would also bring unexpected benefits in the future - the officials who supervised the metropolitan examination were all from the Hanlin Academy, and no matter whether they were still in the academy or not, this special experience would leave an indelible mark on these officials. The Hanlin Academy placed great emphasis on seniority, so even if one held a high-ranking position, when meeting a former Hanlin official, one had to bow and address them as "senior".

  The tradition of the Hanlin Academy was not formed in one dynasty, but after the Sui Dynasty established the imperial examination system, it accumulated day by day, regardless of the change of dynasties. The Hanlin Academy has been guarding this tradition for thousands of years. Each level of the imperial examination had different traditions. The examiner for the provincial examination was called "Fang Shi", and the examiner for the metropolitan examination was called "Zuo Shi". If one passed all the way to the palace examination, the emperor would be his teacher, and he would be renamed "Tianzi Men Sheng" (Heavenly Master's Disciple). All education officials came from this Hanlin system. A good "Fang Shi" could play an invaluable role in the metropolitan examination. Of course, it was not easy to take a shortcut in the examination hall, but "Fang Shi" could provide a non-shortcut shortcut - after being selected, one would pay homage to "Fang Shi", and then the relationship between the teacher and student would depend on whether the student was a good person or not. Filial piety was essential, but most importantly, one had to constantly submit his writings to "Fang Shi" for review, so that "Fang Shi" could deeply understand his writing style - in the metropolitan examination, it was all about copying and recopying, and recognizing handwriting was no longer feasible. However, a person's writing style would never change, and this was a shortcut!

  Just as everyone hopes to have a good teacher, the teacher himself even more eagerly hopes to have a good student - in the officialdom, this master-apprentice relationship is second only to blood ties, and sometimes even more important than blood ties. There are many cases of sons selling out their fathers throughout history, but it's rare for students to sell out their teachers. If one were to reach the point where they would "sell out their teacher for fame", then that official has reached the end of their rope! In the future, if officials can support each other like master and apprentice, this is the most reliable model. Blood ties still need to be careful not to get cut down by the sharp words of the censor's brush, the risk is just too high - the rulers of the imperial court can tolerate two people in a master-apprentice relationship being in the central government, but they absolutely will not tolerate parents and children or other close blood relatives being together in the central government.

  Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, Tan Yanxin should be very lucky, because his master values him very much. Although the final result of this year's imperial examination has not yet been announced, Jiang Biao has already decided to make Tan Yanxin his disciple. He thinks that being able to be Tan Xuan's master is his own good fortune. If Li Hongzhang knew that Tan Yanxin would participate in the imperial examination this year, he would definitely have made arrangements in advance and sent someone to compete for the position of Hunan scholar-official. With the publication of "Quanxue Pian", all scholars under heaven were amazed by it. Anyone can see that Tan Yanxin's starting point is higher than anyone else's. His family background, his own learning, everything is perfect. Being able to pull such a talented person into one's own camp is more useful than anything else. Jiang Biao also received special instructions from Zhang Zhidong, hoping to observe Tan Yanxin more closely. If possible, solidifying this master-disciple relationship will bring even greater benefits to their faction.

  Tan Yan thought differently, however. Although he had heard of the rules of "household teacher" and "seat teacher", in his opinion these things were not enough to bind him. In this era, he only believed in power and his old man's wrist, and the rest was not in his eyes. According to his standards, Jiang Biao's family background was not even in his eyes, and he had never even heard of this name. It was even more impossible for him to be afraid. The imperial examination path was indeed what he would pursue in the next few years, but that was just to make the old man happy. If he succeeded, it would be great, but if not, it didn't matter to him. With his current momentum, even without Jiang Biao's help, he could still do very well on this path.

  Jiang Biao, as a historical figure, is also worth mentioning, but unfortunately, Tan Yanqian's knowledge of history from his past life was limited. In his eyes, the influential figures of this era who could be remembered were only people like Empress Dowager Cixi, Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, and Weng Tonghe, or perhaps Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, or Tan Sitong, who would make a name for themselves in the next few years. Compared to these people, Jiang Biao's weight was clearly negligible, which made it difficult for him to consider himself a notable figure, when in fact he wasn't even as significant as a scallion in Tan Yanqian's eyes.

  The provincial examination is not like the imperial examination, which often takes several days. The examinees are confined in the classroom for a whole day and can finish their work quickly. The results will be announced very soon, two days later, the red list will be posted at the Imperial Academy - the examinee's scores will be listed according to the examiner's evaluation, those who can be on the red list are eligible for the title of "Held Man", of course, the most prominent one is the first place in the provincial examination - "Jiayuan".

  The examination papers of the scholars who participated in the imperial examination were not directly handed over to the examiners, but were copied by special personnel and then given to the examiners for evaluation. This was also done to prevent revealing the identity of the examinees from their handwriting. After the examination papers were copied, they were divided into several copies, and the examiners were also divided into several rooms. Each room's examiner evaluated a portion of the examination papers, and finally, each room's examiner collected the examination papers in hand and recommended the outstanding examination papers to the chief examiner for evaluation, who then selected the most outstanding examinees - the top scholars.

  Tan Yanqing did not know that his test paper, after being copied and handed in, was directly pulled out by Jiang Biao. Jiang Biao had a very deep impression of Tan's article, plus Tan answered questions extremely quickly, and the time he handed in his paper was also relatively early, making it one of the first batch to be copied. For Jiang Biao, finding Tan's test paper was not difficult at all. This time, it was Jiang Biao's intention - Zhang Zhidong had previously instructed him to have a certain bias towards Tan Yanqing, and "Quan Xue Pian" was the most important reason. Of course, the anti-opium pills and the military equipment that were about to be delivered also played an important role in Zhang Zhidong's decision.

  "This essay is well-written and indeed worthy of being the top choice!" Jiang Biao said, holding up an essay to show the other examiners.

  Jiang Biao was the chief official presiding over this Hunan provincial examination, and he had the power to determine the qualifications of the top candidate. Of course, other examiners could also raise objections, but unless Jiang Biao's chosen paper was really unacceptable, only officials who were at odds with Jiang Biao would do so. Apparently, among the examiners in this provincial examination, Jiang Biao still had a good relationship with them, and coupled with his close relationship with Zhang Zhidong, none of these officials dared to say no - Zhang Zhidong was notorious for being arrogant towards his subordinates, unlike Tan Zhonglin who would turn a blind eye as long as you didn't provoke him, and treated people very kindly. As Zhang Zhidong's years in office grew longer and his official rank grew higher, he became somewhat arrogant and rude; it was normal for officials to wait three to five days without being summoned after submitting their name cards; if a few words were not to his liking, he would scold them loudly and throw their name cards on the ground, leaving those seeking an audience with no choice but to slink away in embarrassment.

  The chief examiner did not want to offend Jiang Biao and make Zhang Zhidong unhappy, let alone after reading this volume, it was indeed a rare masterpiece, unlike some "crazy scholars" who were boastful and irrelevant. Jiang Biao's proposal was echoed by other officials, but he did not open the volume on the spot to see who the author of this volume was. Other officials had this idea and did not want to bother with it, and they also had a few more good feelings towards Jiang Biao - although this academic administration had set down to understand the original, it still followed the rules of the imperial examination hall and did not reveal the name until the end of the final volume.

  Two days later, on the day of the announcement of the exam results, the examiners gathered in the public hall, ascended to their seats, unsealed and unfolded the papers, and filled in the rankings. Of course, no one had forgotten the paper nominated by Jiang Biao. After opening the sealed envelope and comparing it with the examinee's handwritten paper, all the examiners were extremely surprised.

  "The calligraphy of this volume is neat and tidy, with no one surpassing it. It's rare to see both the writing style and content being equally excellent. This should be the top-ranked paper!" The examiners all gathered around the paper, evaluating it. This was their genuine assessment of the paper, after having read through all the papers over the past two days. Compared to Jiang Zhi's selected paper, the other examinees' papers may not have been much different in terms of five-character and eight-rhyme poetry, but when it came to the policy essay, they really couldn't compare, perhaps because this paper was simply too outstanding.

  Of course, some examiners were not quite satisfied with Jiang's conclusion so early on. They had been frantically flipping through the papers for the past two days but couldn't find a single one that could be compared to his. They thought to themselves, "This paper still has a section on calligraphy, if there's any taboo on the cover page, even with Jiang's recommendation, it would be useless." But when they saw the original paper, they were truly speechless and convinced - just based on the calligraphy alone, even in the imperial examination hall in the capital, it would be hard to find a few people who could compare. After all, including themselves, although not famous scholars, they still had to put on an air of being one. The font was mostly running script, but what they saw in the examination room was regular script - among which Yan's style was the most revered. When Emperor Wu Tongping took the imperial examination, his unparalleled Yan-style calligraphy made everyone in the Hanlin Academy surrender.

  One of the examiners casually opened the seal on the paper, and everyone curiously squeezed in to take a look. The name of the scholar who wrote this paper was Tan Yanke, and everyone's heart skipped a beat - they were no strangers to Tan Yanke's name. Who among the scholars in the two lakes didn't know about the famous "Hunan Three Gentlemen"? In fact, these examiners were very clear in their minds that because of the "Exhortation to Learning" essay, Tan Yanke would definitely have a place in this provincial examination. They had even calculated that if Tan Gongzi was unlucky, they would have to work together to make it look good. But what they didn't expect was that the author of this paper, which all the examiners agreed was the best in the whole field, was actually Tan Yanke himself. This was both unexpected and reasonable.

  Of course, there are lucky ones and unlucky ones. In the imperial examination, only a handful of people were lucky enough to pass, while countless others failed to achieve anything. Tan Yanke was one of the lucky ones, but his distant cousin, Tan Sitong, who would shock China in a few years' time, was extremely unlucky - he had failed his fourth provincial exam. The examiners were not unfamiliar with Tan Sitong either, after all, his father was the governor of Hubei, Tan Jixun. Now that the "Three Gentlemen of Hunan" were so famous, and Tan Yanke had performed so well, it was natural for the examiners to take a look at Tan Sitong's results when they graded the papers.

  In the county examination, the list of successful candidates will be posted on the gate of the Confucian Temple with a red poster, which is also a big event in this era and provides an entertainment project for people who like to watch the excitement. Generally, people like to call this red poster "Red Record" - it is said that after the imperial examination in Beijing, the Red Record will also be posted at Liulichang, although this place cannot compare with the imperial examination in Beijing, but people still call this list "Red Record".

  This day of the Red List was extremely important to every candidate who took part in the imperial examination, and almost as soon as it got light, the entrance to the Gongyuan was packed with scholars waiting in twos and threes, as well as some common people who liked to watch the excitement. Tan Yanqing wasn't very interested in the Red List; he had felt extremely good during the provincial exam, and based on his father-in-law's experience, unless the chief examiner was having a hard time deciding, it would be difficult to get first place, but getting a juren title was still relatively easy. The old man placed great importance on official titles, so this time when he went back, bringing him a juren title would make him happy and content.

  Tan Yanqian originally wanted Fu Bo or his uncle to take a trip to see if he had passed the exam, but Zhao Hengjun, the martial arts instructor of the Imperial Guard, was more eager than anyone else and directly ran to him for help in checking the results. Tan Yanqian felt that as long as someone brought back the result, it would be fine, so he sent Zhao Hengjun to check the results. The Imperial Guard, except for those on duty, all surrounded the lotus-shaped decorations and continued to run laps.

  When Zhao Hengjun arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Academy, the area around where the list was to be posted was already packed with people and it was impossible to get in. It wasn't time for the list to be posted yet, and no one had come out from the government office. Zhao Hengjun naturally knew what this exam meant for his future as a son-in-law, so he used all his strength to force his way in. The people standing in front were just some scholars taking part in the exam, who could be a match for this martial arts expert? Before long, Zhao Hengjun had forced his way to the very front, clearing a "blood path" through the crowd.

  Just as Zhao Hengjun had managed to squeeze his way to the front, ten yamen runners came out of the government office, escorting two old men who looked like teachers, to the spot where the list was posted. One of the runners put together two stools and first went up to paste a large red paper on the wall, then came down to help one of the old men onto the stool, respectfully handing him a brush and ink. The other old man, after making sure everything was ready, took out a paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and read out in a loud voice: "First place, First Class, Provincial Graduate, Tan Yanqi of Chaling, Hunan!"

  Zhao Hengjun was taken aback and immediately reacted, asking loudly: "Is it Tan Yanqing, the third son of Governor Tan of Fujian and Zhejiang?!"

  The old scholar holding the list nodded and smiled: "Not bad, it's indeed Tan Du's third son!"

  When the old scholar confirmed, the surrounding readers were all stirred up. Two years ago, Tan Yanqian was already a remarkable thing at the age of 15 to become a Xiucai, and it was unexpected that this time he would not only pass the exam as a Juren but also get the first place as a Jiayuan. At that time, people who looked at the list were all discussing, and Zhao Hengjun, after getting confirmation, was busy squeezing out to go back to the mansion to report the news. However, it was not easy for him to come in, and it was even harder to get out. Under the circumstances, he had to squeeze hard, but there were too many people watching the excitement at this time, and he couldn't move forward. If he squeezed again, the person next to him would definitely be injured. Zhao Hengjun simply didn't squeeze anymore and directly jumped onto someone's shoulder in front of him, running out with his light body skills on top of a group of people's heads. Unfortunately, Tan Yanqian did not see this scene, otherwise, he would have thought that Huang Feihong from the movies had come to the future.

  Zhao Hengjun's move naturally caused a bit of commotion among everyone present, but more people cheered and applauded after seeing it. Those who were stepped on the head or shoulder could only resign themselves to their fate, as everyone was packed in here and couldn't move. It was impossible to find that person to settle accounts, so they could only consider themselves unlucky. This small commotion quickly subsided with the old academic's voice saying "First place, second name..." Zhao Hengjun had already run away without a trace by this time. He still couldn't handle the scene where everyone turned to stare at him together, it was his first time showing off his martial arts skills in front of so many people.

  "Miss, the third young master has been awarded first place in the imperial examination and is a top scholar!" Zhao Hengjun trampled over people's heads as he ran out of the crowd and quickly sprinted towards the direction of the Lotus Pond. However, his eyes were sharp and he spotted a small sedan chair being carried by several men walking towards the Imperial Academy. As soon as he saw the sedan chair, he recognized it as Miss's because these sedan bearers were all handpicked by him. He immediately ran over to report the news.

  The curtain of the small sedan was gently lifted, and Fang Qiu inside asked: "Uncle Zhao, how are you here? Did you just say that San Gongzi is really a genius? Uncle Zhao, didn't you make a mistake? Is he really a genius?"

  "Miss, I'm not yet in my seventies or eighties, and my eyes are still very useful! Just now, I was standing next to the list and personally heard the person reading out the names mention the name of San Gongzi. I didn't believe it, so I personally asked him to confirm, and his hometown, family background, and name were all correct - he was indeed talking about Tan Du's third son..." Zhao Hengjun said with a smile.

  Fang Zhongying in the sedan remained silent for a moment before calmly saying, "Uncle Zhao, since that's the case, you should hurry back and inform Third Young Master of this good news..."