Chapter 66: Questions and Answers before the Emperor
The examinees were freed, but the busy work of the officials from the Ministry of Rites had just begun. They had to seal, copy and mark the papers overnight.
The Spring Examination was not as urgent as the Boy's Examination. The results would be announced nine days after the end of the examination. Although there was plenty of time, due to its high importance, outsiders could not be invited to help. It had to be handled by officials from the Ministry of Rites and various clerks themselves. With thousands of test papers, it would certainly be too much for the people from the Ceremonial Department alone, so people from other departments were called over.
Mei Cheng'an simply observed for a while and was then asked to leave. With his presence here, it was difficult for the officials to do anything tricky. Mei Cheng'an did not say much either, as it was all about social etiquette.
The officials of the Ministry of Rites had to stay up late because they had no choice but to do so as time was tight and the task was heavy. Mei Cheng'an had no tasks, so he would not be foolish enough to stay up with them. He would just clock in every day, take a tour and chat with the two assistant ministers for a while before going home.
However, Mei Cheng'an stayed in the Ministry of Rites for a longer time when the papers were being marked. It was quite interesting to look at the various poems. The people in the Ministry of Rites liked nothing more than to grab him and ask him for comments.
He is not stupid. He just watches and does not say anything. The judgment result has nothing to do with him.
On the seventh day, the marking work was basically completed. All that remained was to compare the test papers of the candidates, find the original papers, tear open the sealed papers, and confirm their identities.
On the eighth day, they started copying the list. Mei Chengan also contributed to this. He imitated the handwriting of the official who copied the list and wrote Guo Baokun's name himself, which was also a bit of a bad taste.
Mei Cheng'an was not surprised that Guo Baokun was admitted, not because he was the son of the Minister of Rites, but because he had read Guo Baokun's test paper and found that he had solid knowledge and wrote decent poems with gorgeous words. There were just some problems with the prosody, but it was not a big deal and his level was not low among the candidates.
As soon as he returned the pen to the owner, he was dragged out. Two assistant ministers and a group of officials surrounded him, staring at him without saying a word.
Mei Chengan was confused. What kind of rule was this?
Minister Liu chuckled and rubbed his hands.
"Cheng'an, where is the poem you agreed to write? The results will be announced tomorrow, so you can finally tell us now."
Mei Cheng'an was speechless for a moment, thinking what had happened was just a scare. He rolled his eyes and told her to experience the feeling herself.
"The results haven't been announced yet."
Minister Liu couldn't wait any longer. He didn't want to wait even a second. He had been anxious for several days.
"The list has been copied, what's the difference between that and the announcement? Just tell me now, it's too torturous."
"That's right, tell me now." A group of officials echoed.
Mei Cheng'an looked around and realized that it was not easy to run away, so he sighed.
"Paper, pen."
After he finished speaking, Minister Liu volunteered.
"I'll do it, I'll copy it myself."
After saying that, he quickly ordered people to prepare pens, ink, paper and inkstone. He sat down behind the table, picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and then looked at Mei Chengan expectantly.
Mei Cheng'an didn't keep the audience in suspense and recited the first sentence slowly and calmly.
"The jasper is dressed up like a tree."
Minister Liu picked up his pen and wrote. The officials around him were waiting for him to read the second half of the sentence while thinking about what kind of tree it was. There was silence in the room.
"Ten thousand green silk ribbons hanging down."
This sentence is very obvious and it is about to come out. The image of a willow tree vividly appears before your eyes.
“I wonder who cut out the fine leaves.”
The willow leaves are pointed and thin, but they look like they were cut out. It's wonderful. How did you come up with this idea? I just don't know where the last sentence will come from.
"The spring breeze in February is like a pair of scissors."
As soon as this last sentence came out, everyone's eyes lit up. What a brilliant idea! It not only answered the previous doubts, but also provided a perfect ending.
If you savor it carefully, you will find that the wording is plain and unadorned, but the aura is surging straight into the sky. The scene of the spring breeze blowing through the willow trees is described vividly, lively and natural. But when you recite it, you can feel an extremely strong breath of spring, just like a spring breeze blowing on your face, cleansing your soul.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. The more you taste it, the more you enjoy it.
Minister Liu held the poem in his arms, recited it over and over with his eyes closed, and loved it very much.
Mei Cheng'an took advantage of everyone being immersed in poetry to secretly play yo-yo. He was afraid that everyone would come to their senses and pester him with questions.
He guessed correctly. When everyone came to their senses, the first thing they did was to look for him to ask about his creative ideas. After discovering that he was missing, they searched the Ministry of Rites inside and out to make sure that he was gone. Everyone felt a little regretful, but soon they were immersed in the poem again.
.....
That night.
Royal study room.
Emperor Qing looked at the poem that Eunuch Hou had just presented to him, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"You said he hasn't written a poem in several years?"
Eunuch Hou thought about it.
"I haven't written since I was appointed as a proofreader by His Majesty. It has been exactly five years now."
"Five years? I was surprised. You said he could write good poems five years ago. I let him stay in Qilin Palace for four years. He read so many books and gained so much knowledge. How come he can't write poems anymore? Now it seems that it's not that he can't write, but that he's too lazy to write."
Eunuch Hou's face was filled with excitement.
"Thanks to your majesty's foresight in allowing Lady Xiaomei to experience the Spring Examination. Perhaps the enthusiastic atmosphere of the students of Qing Country preparing for the exam inspired Lady Xiaomei's desire to write poetry, which allowed Lady Xiaomei to write a good poem again after five years."
Emperor Qing glanced at Eunuch Hou and snorted.
"I think he is lazy. He won't write unless I give him some stimulation."
Eunuch Hou didn't know how to respond. "Your Majesty is right."
Emperor Qing looked at it a few more times and then put down the poem in his hand.
"There were rumors that Mei Cheng'an had run out of ideas. I scoffed at it at first, but he hadn't written a single poem in such a long time that I began to doubt it. Now that I have this poem, I can finally rest assured. I was not wrong about him."
Eunuch Hou quickly agreed.
"Your Majesty believed in Lady Xiaomei, and Lady Xiaomei did not disappoint Your Majesty. This is truly a good story of the relationship between the monarch and his subjects in Daqing."
Emperor Qing was in a really good mood right now. Hearing this, he burst into laughter and pointed at Eunuch Hou.
"very eloquent."
Eunuch Hou smiled shyly.
"Your Majesty, since Master Xiaomei has proven his talent again, should Master Xiaomei take over the next Spring Examination? Your Majesty asked him to take part in the Spring Examination probably for this matter."
Emperor Qing did not mind Eunuch Hou guessing what he meant, and sometimes he would even deliberately let him express his thoughts. They had been master and servant for decades, and they knew each other very well. Eunuch Hou never said much on sensitive issues and always knew how to act properly.
Is the matter of Mei Cheng'an sensitive? It depends on who you are talking to. Eunuch Hou asked this question not to gather information for anyone, but purely because he felt that having a top talent preside over the Spring Examination would be of extraordinary significance to the scholars of Qing State and would be of great benefit to the literary fortune of Qing State.
Emperor Qing understood him, so he didn't mind at all.
Emperor Qing had the same idea as Eunuch Hou mentioned after that morning court session, but he quickly dismissed it. I have to add here that Emperor Qing asked Mei Cheng'an to witness the Spring Examination on a whim at that morning court session. He just happened to be talking about something and suddenly thought of asking Guo Youzhi to take Mei Cheng'an with him because Guo Youzhi had resigned from the position of hosting the Spring Examination and he had time. It can be said that Mei Cheng'an guessed it right.
Sometimes it is like this, the leader says something casually, and the subordinates try hard to think about the implied meaning behind the words, and their imaginations run wild. In fact, the leader has no other meaning at all, and what he said is purely literal. It is quite interesting to think about this.
Let’s digress and get back to the topic.
Emperor Qing had the idea of letting Mei Cheng'an preside over the next Spring Examination, but he dismissed it. Why? Because Emperor Qing felt that it was unnecessary. The Spring Examination was a big dye vat, and who knows what would happen to Mei Cheng'an, a blank sheet of paper, if he entered it. He would not be able to solve his deep-rooted diseases, and he would be easily assimilated and stained. No matter how he thought about it, this deal was not cost-effective.
When it comes to the dyeing vat, you still have to find the right person. The right person does not only mean courage, but also enough power and influence to be able to compete with those who pour dye into the vat. Otherwise, even if you take sides, it will be of no avail. It mainly depends on himself.
So when faced with Eunuch Hou’s question, Emperor Qing gave a direct answer.
"I have considered it, he is not suitable."
Seeing that His Majesty was so sure, Eunuch Hou secretly said it was a pity, but did not say anything more. His Majesty has his own considerations.
"Yes!"
……
On the day when the results of the Spring Examination were announced, Mei Cheng'an did not go to see the list. He wanted to go, but before he could leave, Eunuch Hou suddenly arrived and invited him into the palace.
Imperial study terrace.
Emperor Qing was feeding the fish with fish food.
"Your Majesty, I, Mei Cheng'an, pay my respects to you!"
Emperor Qing didn't even turn his head. He pinched a small piece of fish food and sprinkled it down, then turned around and handed the food box to Eunuch Hou, and finally looked at Mei Chengan who was kneeling in front of him.
"Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Mei Cheng'an stood up obediently.
Emperor Qing said softly.
"I saw the poem, it's well written."
Mei Cheng'an showed a trace of embarrassment. Emperor Qing appointed him as an official because he could write poetry, but he hasn't produced a single poem since he became an official. It has to be said that he is trying to embarrass Emperor Qing.
"Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty."
Emperor Qing was still in a good mood.
"Tell me, what did you see in this spring exam?"
Mei Cheng'an had already prepared something in his mind, so when Emperor Qing asked him about it, he simply told him what he saw, heard and felt during the Spring Examination, with a slightly embellished account.
From being infected by the atmosphere of students preparing for the exam to being unable to extricate myself from it, from despising those students who brought cheat sheets to lamenting the cruelty of only three hundred people being admitted out of thousands of candidates, and finally, the excitement of being happy for the candidates when I saw and copied the list with my own eyes, and so on.
Emperor Qing listened silently and nodded without commenting.
"You've looked at the test paper. Do you think it's difficult?"
Mei Cheng'an was stunned for a moment. I said half a point in a very emotional way, and you at least gave me a comment, but you just changed the question directly. This made me feel like a clown.
"Uh... not that hard."
"That's right. With your talent and knowledge, you are more than qualified to be the teacher of those students. It would be a wonder that you were stumped by the Spring Examination."
Emperor Qing paused and continued.
"I asked you to witness the Spring Examination this time, and I asked Guo Youzhi to lead you. There are rumors that I want you to preside over the next Spring Examination. Have you heard of this rumor?"
Mei Cheng'an hesitated for a moment.
"I heard."
(End of this chapter)
