0p0 Chapter 611 The Children's Examination Begins
Chapter 611 The Children's Examination Begins
Night fell, and Xiangping City was deathly silent. There were no lights, no cheers, only the howling of the cold wind and the occasional cough of a soldier.
King Yan sat in his "palace," staring blankly at an oil lamp. The lamp was dim, the wick too short, and he couldn't bear to trim it—the oil was almost gone.
"Father." The youngest son, Ji Yan, quietly entered. The child was only ten years old. He should have been enjoying a life of luxury in Ji City, but instead he had been on the run all the way. His little face was red from the cold, and his hands were covered with frostbite.
"Yan'er, why aren't you asleep yet?" Prince Yan beckoned him over.
"I can't sleep." Ji Yan nestled in his father's arms. "Father, when are we going back to Ji City? I miss the sugar figurines of Ji City, and I miss the lotus flowers of Taiye Pond..."
Prince Yan's eyes welled up with tears, and he hugged his son tightly, saying, "It'll be soon, it'll be soon."
But he knew in his heart that he could never go back. Jicheng was now Qin territory, and the lotus flowers of Taiye Pond would never be seen again.
"Father, why are the Qin people attacking us?" Ji Yan asked, looking up with clear eyes.
Why? King Xi of Yan couldn't answer. For the sake of the world? For the sake of unification? But what had the State of Yan done wrong? For eight hundred years, the State of Yan had lived and thrived on this land; why should it be destroyed?
But he knew there was no answer to this question. In chaotic times, the law of the jungle prevails. The Yan state was weak, so it was destroyed—it's that simple.
"Yan'er, if... if we go to a very far place, are you afraid?" Prince Yan asked softly.
"Wherever Father goes, I will go." Ji Yan hugged his father tightly. "I'm not afraid."
The King of Yan embraced his son tightly, tears streaming down his face.
That night, no one in Xiangping City slept.
The Qin state, Beidi Commandery.
Su Yao sat in the carriage, gazing at the scenery outside the window. Leaving Xianyang, the further north they traveled, the more desolate the landscape became. Trees were sparse, fields barren, and villages dilapidated. This was the North, a land of bitter cold.
She opened her baggage, inside which, besides clothes and provisions, were several books—"Invigilation Regulations," "Summary of Qin Laws," and "Gazetteer of Beidi Prefecture." She opened the gazetteer and saw that it read:
"Beidi County is a vast and sparsely populated area with frequent sandstorms and little rainfall. The people are fierce and live by animal husbandry. Women are mostly uneducated but skilled in riding and archery."
She closed the book, her heart pounding with anxiety. Would women even come to take the exam in a place like this? And who were those five women who had registered?
The carriage arrived in Beidi County fifteen days later. The county governor, a rough and boorish man, looked surprised when he saw Su Yao: "The imperial court really sent a female examiner?"
"Yes." Su Yao bowed. "This humble official, Su Yao, has been ordered to supervise the examination."
The prefect scrutinized her for a moment, and seeing her composed demeanor and clear eyes, he abandoned his disdain: "Very well, the examination venue is set up at the prefectural school, and all preparations are complete. All five who have registered have been notified, but..." He paused, "...one of them lives in the Blackwater Ranch, a hundred miles away, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to take the exam."
Why?
“The road is long, and her family is poor, so they have no carriages or horses to travel on.” The prefect shook his head. “Besides, her father doesn’t allow it. He says that it’s better for a woman to get married as soon as possible than to take exams.”
Su Yao was silent for a moment, then asked, "What's her name?"
“Ado”.
Su Yao nodded, saying nothing more. Her duty here was to proctor the exam, not to encourage others to take it. The imperial decree had been issued, and the opportunity was given to everyone, but whether or not to take it was a personal choice.
Two days later, the examination hall at the prefectural school was set up. Su Yao checked each examination cell, verified the roster, and inspected and sealed the examination papers. Everything was in perfect order.
Three days before the exam, four of the five women who had registered arrived. All were from impoverished families, simply dressed, their expressions timid yet their eyes resolute. Su Yao registered them according to procedure and informed them of the exam rules.
“There is still one person who has not arrived,” Su Yao said to the prefect.
"I'm afraid she won't be able to come," the prefect sighed. "Blackwater Ranch is too far away, and her father is too stubborn."
Su Yao glanced at the name "A Duo" on the roster, a slight thought stirring within her, but she ultimately suppressed it. She was an invigilator, not a student advisor; such was the imperial system, and she had to adhere to her duties.
However, at dusk the day before the exam, a thin horse galloped into Yiqu City, kicking up dust. A dark-skinned girl dismounted and headed straight for the prefectural school.
"I...I'm called A'duo, I'm here for the exam." She was panting, her face covered in dust.
Su Yao was conducting a final check of the examination room when she heard the sound and turned around, seeing the girl's chapped hands and resolute eyes.
"Did your father give his permission?"
“I ran away secretly.” Ado lowered her head, then quickly raised it again. “Sir, I want to take the test. I can read and do math, I… I want to try.”
Su Yao paused for a moment, then nodded: "Let's register according to the procedures. Be there promptly at 7:00 AM tomorrow."
Ado's eyes suddenly lit up, and she bowed deeply: "Thank you, Your Excellency!"
Watching her joyful figure disappear into the distance, Su Yao suddenly recalled Lü Zhi's words: "Women's resilience often far surpasses men's imagination."
On April 15th, the children's examinations began in various places.
The examination venue in Xianyang was set up on the site of the former Confucian temple, with three hundred temporary examination tents erected. Before dawn, candidates had already formed long queues outside the gate.
Wang Yueniang was among them. She wore an old dress altered by her mother, faded from washing, but very neat. She clutched a pencil case tightly in her hand, containing a new calligraphy brush and two ink sticks that her father had bought with great difficulty. For this exam, her father had sold all the furs they had prepared for winter at a low price.
"Moon Girl, don't be nervous." A round-faced girl whispered beside her. She was a friend Wang Moon Girl had met in the literacy class, named A Xiu. "The fact that we even came to take the exam is already a victory."
Wang Yueniang nodded, but her palms were sweating. How could she not be nervous? This was her only chance to change her fate. If she passed the exam, she could enter the official school and perhaps become a female official in the future; if she failed, she could only go back to help her father sell furs, then get married, have children, and repeat her mother's life.
She didn't want that kind of life.
"The women's examination room is over there!" an official shouted.
Wang Yueniang followed the group to the left. The women's examination room was set up separately, surrounded by a cloth curtain, and female invigilators checked at the entrance.
The proctor was a woman in her thirties with a serious face but gentle eyes. She checked Wang Yueniang's credentials, glanced at her pencil case, and said softly, "Go in and do your best on the exam."
"Thank you... thank you, examiner." Wang Yueniang bowed.
She was stunned when she entered the examination room. The room was large, with desks and chairs neatly arranged, each labeled with an examination number. At the front, five female invigilators sat upright; all were women, some young, some older, but all with solemn expressions.
So women really can be examiners. A surge of warmth welled up in Wang Yueniang's heart. She found her seat, laid out her brush and ink, and took a deep breath.
At exactly 7:00 AM, the bell rang.
The chief examiner stood up and announced loudly: "The first imperial examination for children of the Great Qin Dynasty is now beginning! The first session is on classical texts. There are two questions: 1. Discuss 'education for all'; 2. Explain 'the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important.' Choose one question and write an essay within one hour."
The sound of exam papers being turned filled the examination room. Wang Yueniang unfolded her exam paper, thought for a moment, and chose the second question.
"The people are the most important, the state comes next, and the ruler is the least important"—this is a famous saying by Mencius. She was deeply moved by this statement when she read Mencius. The people are more important than the ruler—what a bold idea!