Chapter 46: Securing the Top Rank Again—Marvelous, Marvelous, Marvelous
Zhao Xing had originally planned to hand in his exam and rush off to eat, but since Chen Shijie had spoken up, he had no choice but to stand by and wait.
The examiners graded the papers separately, each responsible for different sections, then exchanged them for cross-checking.
After all, there were only a little over five hundred papers—not an overwhelming number.
But there could be no mistakes.
Xue Wenzhong first encountered the question on “The wind blows fiercely in the southern city.”
Seeing that Zhao Xing had not fallen into the trap embedded in the question and had answered perfectly, a great weight lifted from his heart.
“He’s well-acquainted with the methods of Lord Caoxi, which makes sense since most of his techniques come from the True Lord's teachings.”
Next, he saw the question about “Earth's yin cold, spring wood dormant, summer sun steam, locusts flourish.”
After reading Zhao Xing’s answer, Xue Wenzhong was completely reassured.
His expression shifted from somber to bright, even breaking into a smile.
“I misjudged him. To answer this question perfectly shows his profound understanding of the Five Elements and the four seasons. The rest of the questions will be a breeze for him.”
The Senior Minister of Agriculture felt greatly relieved; his mood lightened, and his demeanor relaxed.
He no longer worried that Zhao Xing might become arrogant because of his results.
Gao Linong, Tang Wanchun, and Pang Yuan examined Zhao Xing’s transcription of classic works.
He scored full marks on the easy questions with no mistakes or omissions.
It wasn’t just about his encyclopedic memory; more impressive was Zhao Xing’s speed—thirty sheets of paper, completed flawlessly even after burning the midnight oil. Truly remarkable.
“Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!” Chen Shijie suddenly shouted three times.
The other examiners were startled by the loud outburst.
Chen Shijie’s voice was so loud that even the candidates outside could have heard.
Indeed, some candidates outside did hear and were not deaf.
Some even saw Zhao Xing submit early and enter the hall.
But they wondered just how marvelous Zhao Xing’s answers were that the chief examiner was literally meowing like a cat!
“The Five Elements value earth above all; earth resides at the center and governs the four directions, commanding everything without contending for fame with fire.”
Chen Shijie was reading Zhao Xing’s answer to the final question.
His delight stemmed purely from being a ‘land affinity’ faction member.
Zhao Xing’s answer perfectly matched his preferences.
Moreover, it resonated deeply with the ‘land affinity’ ideology—anyone from that school would appreciate it.
It elevated the earth element further, even awarding it the title of controller of the four directions. Although somewhat flattering, it was skillfully done.
Zhao Xing’s answer hit the mark exactly; it was not nonsensical praise but precisely what Chen Shijie wanted to hear.
“Ahem, I must apologize for my outburst,” Chen Shijie said, noticing the surprised looks around him and quickly masking it with a dry laugh. “No matter, everyone, please carefully review this paper and report it officially.”
“You don’t need to hide it at all. Your smile is wider than a waterwheel. With the chief examiner so obviously biased, how can we pretend to review it impartially?” Gao Linong thought bitterly, finding the chief examiner utterly unreliable.
He refused to accept the paper himself; he could not bring himself to give Zhao Xing a high score even with Chen Shijie’s endorsement. Gao Linong was straightforward like that.
Others were different—they immediately took the paper and read it seriously.
“Hm? Truly marvelous!” Tang Wanchun praised. Though not a ‘land affinity’ adherent himself, objectively, Zhao Xing’s answer deserved a high score.
Pang Yuan and the other examiners felt the same. Regardless of Chen Shijie’s attitude, Zhao Xing’s final answer was refreshing, well-reasoned, and by no means fabricated.
When the papers were cross-checked, the other officials also recognized Zhao Xing’s brilliance.
“Returning to the heavenly timing, supplementing the first solar term of spring and early summer? Fire of the Bing stem regulates yin, Ding fire continues yang—this answer is even more complete than what I had previously conceived.”
“The southern city’s terrain forms mountains that block the wind; the eastern city has canals diverting water around the city, creating the Guiyuan waterwheel. Isn’t this exactly what Lord Cao had done?”
“I set this question using Lord Cao and the ancient city as examples. I didn’t expect him to see through it at a glance.”
Seeing so many colleagues begin to praise the paper, Gao Linong couldn’t help but take a closer look.
After a moment, his gaze toward Zhao Xing grew complicated.
Why wasn’t this person my student? Yet here he was, discovered by the Senior Minister of Agriculture!
“Hmph, at least his handwriting is terrible!” Gao Linong thought bitterly. “Yes, among the top tier, his writing must be the worst!”
...
Unsurprisingly, all the examiners unanimously gave a top-tier rating.
Even Gao Linong did not give a middle-tier grade insincerely because the examiners’ comments had to be recorded and reported.
Giving a middle-tier grade just because of poor handwriting would leave a biased negative impression. Poor penmanship was not a serious fault in this era.
Once formally ranked, one’s vital energy was sufficient to precisely control their own work, making handwriting akin to carved printing blocks. So this was a minor detail and could never be a reason to reject a candidate.
Normally, the top-tier list would not be finalized so quickly, but because the consensus was strong and Zhao Xing submitted first, he received the first top-tier rating.
Others still had to continue the exam, and the examiners could not detain Zhao Xing for questioning. He saluted silently and left the examination hall.
...
The next day, as candidates gradually handed in their papers, the results of over five hundred clerks’ examinations were released that afternoon.
Zhao Xing once again received top-tier ranking. Due to the difficulty of the theory exam, only two others besides him achieved top-tier: Ding Shan and Liang Bai.
Ding Shan was relatively well-known—he was the oldest clerk at the Huailiu Institute and had long assisted Xue Wenzhong with documents and classics.
His aptitude in magic was average, but he scored top-tier purely due to his age and the volume of questions he had answered.
Liang Bai was top-tier for the first time. This theory exam focused solely on theoretical knowledge rather than magical skill, so it was normal for someone with average cultivation to place highly.
Besides these, nine others made the top list, including Li Chengfeng, Wen Nanxing, and Xiao Ze.
Zong Shichang earned a second-tier ranking; the young master Zong was not skilled in this area.
“He actually got top-tier again? His magic is exquisite enough, but now his theory is so proficient too? Could this man truly be cut out for officialdom?” Wen Nanxing and Xiao Ze were determined to surpass Zhao Xing in this exam.
When the results came out, they were instantly disappointed.
How could he be top-tier again?
“It must be the Senior Minister of Agriculture showing favoritism, giving this favorite disciple hints or extra tutoring,” Huang Tao said bitterly.
“Brother Huang, just because you did poorly doesn’t mean you can’t stand others doing well,” someone retorted.
“Exactly. The questions weren’t set by the Senior Minister alone—your teacher would have seen them too.”
Mrs. Cai’s countless meals had not been in vain; more people around began to defend Zhao Xing.
“You lost to Brother Zhao before; there’s no need to hold a grudge. You were the one who challenged and tried to steal territory first.”
“Brother Huang, stop fooling yourself. It’s pointless.”
...
Huang Tao’s heart was pierced by their words. Seeing more and more people defend Zhao Xing, he dared not argue further for fear of losing face. He slunk away dejectedly.