The First Scientific Expedition of the Great Han Dynasty

The eight-legged essay, also known as the eight-legged essay, required candidates to choose topics from the Four Books and Five Classics, and to express their opinions in the style of the ancients, speaking on behalf of the sages. The entire essay had to be structured in the eight-legged style.

The steps are: breaking the topic, continuing the topic, starting the discussion, getting started, followed by the initial phase, the middle phase, the later phase, and the conclusion!

These eight sequences together form the eight-legged essay.

The handwriting must be neat. If the handwriting is not good, no matter how well it is written, it is very easy to be rejected!

Xie Bo'an was very fast at solving problems. More obviously, he had a thorough understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics and other related books.

But doing it quickly is useless; you still have to take the test for nine days and six nights, with each test lasting three days and two nights. This not only gives you ample time to polish your writing, but also serves to test your character.

Those who can't endure nine days and six nights show a lack of workplace resilience. How can they handle things when they become officials? If the Yellow River were to burst its banks or encounter a major emergency, such people would likely be unable to cope.

Thus, the imperial examination lasted from the third day of the fourth lunar month until the tenth day of the fourth lunar month, at which point the examination was considered to have come to an initial conclusion.

Why say "preliminary"?

Because after selecting the five hundred scholars designated by Liu Mu for this year, these five hundred scholars will also have to participate in the palace examination.

The questions set by the emperor were all matters of national importance.

The top three were finally selected. The first place consisted of three people, ranked as the champion, runner-up, and third-place winner.

The second category was to select a few people who were granted the title of Jinshi (进士).

The third class also selects several people who have been granted the title of Jinshi!

After the candidates submitted their papers, Li Guangdi, who was in charge of the imperial examination, led the civil officials from the six ministries to review the papers, which took a full month to complete.

The next morning, before dawn, the gates of the Ministry of Rites were already crowded with people, including not only the candidates but also a large number of wealthy merchants and gentry.

Now, a thousand wealthy merchants and gentry from Beijing have moved out, and they are waiting for the results of the imperial examinations.

As long as they can win the heart of a wealthy and powerful man, their family will be able to establish a firm foothold in Beijing. At that time, having an official in the capital will be a source of pride for the family.

As the sun rose, the gates of the Ministry of Rites opened, and two yamen runners posted a large red notice on the screen wall before standing guard on either side.

A scholar skilled in divination could calculate the total number of candidates the moment the list was posted.

"His Majesty is truly thirsting for talent, having recruited five hundred scholars. He is indeed a sage emperor!"

The others were also astonished when they heard the number five hundred, which was almost twice that of the Ming Dynasty.

Those who originally had no hope were given more than two hundred more spots, giving you the opportunity to become an official. What else could this be but a saintly emperor?

Xie Bo'an was still searching carefully when the bearded scholar next to him patted him on the shoulder.

"Xie Bo'an, Datong, Shanxi!"

"Brother Xie, you've won!"

"Hahaha!"

Xie Bo'an felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders, and tears welled up in his eyes. As the saying goes, a man doesn't easily shed tears, but that's only when he's deeply moved. This imperial examination was a testament to a man's deep feelings.

The bearded man's loud voice immediately drew the attention of the surrounding gentry, making him the focus of attention outside the Ministry of Rites.

A portly butler strode forward, leading two other butlers, and pulled Xie Bo'an out of the crowd. He then respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.

"Young Master Xie, this is wonderful news!"

"My master is from the Zhang family, a prominent clan in Taiyuan. He wishes to give his eldest daughter, Yu Pei Gongzi, to the family. The dowry is already prepared, and the engagement can be arranged immediately!"

As a native of Shanxi, Xie Bo'an naturally knew the background of the Zhang family in Taiyuan. They had the largest bank business and were once known as the "bank of the world" during the Ming Dynasty.

Just then, a flamboyant matchmaker stepped forward and swept a silk scarf across the butler's face.

"What are the Zhang family of Taiyuan compared to them?"

"I observe that Young Master Xie is exceptionally refined and will surely achieve great success in the upcoming imperial examination. The Wang family of Taiyuan is willing to offer their daughter as a dowry to pave the way for your future!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding examinees all turned into envious snarls, each secretly wondering why it wasn't them.

The Wang family of Taiyuan has always been a family of scholars and poets, and during the Ming Dynasty, no one in their family ever fell below the rank of a third-grade official.

Even though they don't have a strong foundation in the Han Dynasty, with their resources, how could they possibly fall behind in the next few years?

Xie Bo'an had no interest in this, so he winked at the bearded scholar and prepared to exert force with his feet.

"Gentlemen, Xie Bo'an already has a marriage agreement in his hometown."

"I won't take up any more of your time!"

But seeing Xie Bo'an's mere appearance, some people still refused to give up, and upon hearing this, they cursed him with regret.

"Foolish, utterly foolish! How can a humble, commoner family be worthy of being compared to the powerful clans of various regions?"

At this moment, the bearded man exerted his strength, hoisting Xie Bo'an onto his shoulder and using his height and strength to break through the crowd before darting into the alley.

They only put Xie Bo'an down after confirming that he was safe.

"Brother Qi, thank you very much!"

"But congratulations to me, did you win yourself?"

The bearded scholar chuckled upon hearing this.

"Qi Yanzhao, Yongping Prefecture!"

"Of course it was a hit!"

Xie Bo'an nodded upon hearing this.

"The imperial court has set a quota of five hundred this time. Brother Qi is a member of the Qi family, a man of both literary and martial talents, how could he possibly fail to qualify!"

"It's a pity the imperial court didn't hold a military examination; otherwise, with Brother Qi's talent, he would surely have been the top scholar!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Yanzhao shook his head, his gaze turning thoughtfully towards the palace. "I observe that His Majesty is merely guarding the northern provinces, showing no intention whatsoever of advancing south. He should currently be focused on pacifying the north while simultaneously accumulating strength!"

"At that time, we will march south with all our might and conquer the Qing Dynasty!"

"At that time, 50,000 people skilled in both military and political affairs will be in charge of the local area, so this is the perfect opportunity for me, Qi Yanzhao, to demonstrate my abilities!"

Xie Bo'an knew nothing about military affairs or strategy. He listened, nodding his head and striding towards the noodle shop!

……

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Liu Mu looked at the exam papers of the top ten students.

That's right, the rankings had already been released; the palace examination was merely a way for the emperor to verify the authenticity of the results.

"The calligraphy, the spacing between the characters—you couldn't find the slightest difference even with a magnifying glass. This isn't handwriting; it's practically a printer!"

Looking at these exam papers, each three meters long, and the neat handwriting on them, Liu Mu couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

So don't envy those who become officials. Just look at their calligraphy, how many people can reach this level!

Upon hearing this, Li Guangdi, who was standing to the side, was secretly delighted, even though he didn't know what a printer was.

After all, he himself was a graduate of the imperial examination.

The calligraphy is, of course, superb!

"Your Majesty, Xie Bo'an is truly a talented individual. His understanding of the philosophy of mind is unique, and he possesses the spirit of Wang Yangming!"

"Therefore, I recommend him as the first-class candidate!"

Liu Mu nodded absentmindedly, but he noticed something different in the essay by a man named Qi Yanzhao, as if this man had seen through his thoughts.

"I have heard that the greatest virtue of an emperor is to unify the world, and the greatest achievement of an emperor is to pacify the four borders. In the past, Emperor Wu of Han defeated the Xiongnu in the north..."

Because it was a rigid, formulaic essay, although it used epic allusions, every word was still precious.

The text implies that the Han dynasty's economic dominance in the north was insufficient. It argued that they needed to plunder other countries to supplement their own resources.

This is absolutely heretical!

But I like it!