Let's finish reviewing all the papers before drawing conclusions."
The Emperor glanced at the large stack of unread exam papers from Changnan and did not agree.
It was too early to make a decision after seeing just one satisfactory paper. If there were better papers later, it would be unfair to the subsequent candidates.
Although the Emperor knew the chances were slim—having reviewed so many papers and found only this one—and that the others were likely similar to the mediocre ones seen before, a glimmer of hope remained in his heart.
What if?
What if there was another?
Could a large region like Changnan, with thousands of candidates, produce only one capable scholar? Surely, there could be a second?
Regardless, as Emperor, he naturally hoped for as many truly talented and capable scholars as possible under his rule.
Since the Emperor said this, the examining academicians said no more and continued reviewing the papers.
It had to be said, the quality of this batch of candidates was rather poor. After days of grading, the Hanlin academicians grew increasingly frustrated and impatient.
Most of the answers were utter nonsense.
Especially with the excellent paper the Emperor had seen earlier serving as a benchmark. Compared to that, the others simply didn't measure up, which was even more aggravating.
"Is it possible that our vast Jin Dynasty, aside from that one scholar from Changnan, cannot produce a few other talented individuals?" someone sighed, looking at a paper that treated the current affairs topic like a flowery, meaningless essay.
To be honest, when the Emperor first reformed the exams, many officials had disagreed. Since the dynasty's founding, the imperial exams had always been conducted this way.
The previous Emperor had particularly favored those skilled in poetry. They recalled that just after the founding, for three consecutive sessions, the Zhuangyuan top candidate selected was from Suzhou Prefecture. Suzhou was immensely prestigious at that time.
As those above behave, so do those below. Knowing the previous Emperor valued literary talent, a strong literary atmosphere swept across the Jin Dynasty. Scholars everywhere vied to showcase their literary skills, creating a peak of cultural flourishing.
These officials themselves had been selected through such means. Initially, no one saw anything wrong with it.
It wasn't until the previous Emperor, old and frail, lay dying and was about to pass the throne to the Crown Prince, that the second Prince, who had been guarding the frontier, led troops into the capital, seized the throne, imprisoned the former Crown Prince for life, and the entire court found itself powerless to resist, forced to watch the second Prince ascend.
The second Prince, having long guarded the borders, carried a fierce, bloody aura, completely different from the kind, amiable previous Emperor.
His temperament was mercurial, his moods unpredictable. The slightest displeasure could lead to dismissals or executions. At first, the court officials struggled to endure this tyrannical-seeming ruler.
But then, five years ago, the Huayin flood disaster struck. The entire court proved utterly incapable of providing solutions, leading to the death of nearly the entire population of 100,000 common people in Huayin. This provoked the Emperor's furious decision to reform the imperial exams.
Only then did these court ministers realize that literary talent alone could not govern a state. Yet, after so many years of literary practice, the scholarly habits were ingrained in their bones. They could only reluctantly accept the Emperor's exam reform decree.
If, for the first current affairs exam four years ago, everyone was unprepared and failed to produce answers satisfying the Emperor, it might be understandable.
But three years had passed. The Emperor had clearly ordered all prefectures to focus on current affairs in the exams. Even these court ministers had begun studying current affairs. However poor the quality, after three years, surely the scholars across the land couldn't all be this bad?
There must be one or two good ones, right?
But the reality was that scholars everywhere seemed not to take it seriously, still adhering to the old ways. How could this be acceptable?
With a new ruler comes a new court. Adapting to change is a universally understood principle. Had they forgotten this?
"You're absolutely right," another academician sighed, looking at the papers. If they continued failing to find satisfactory answers, they feared the unpredictable Emperor would erupt in anger again.
The exam reforms four years ago had already cost many civil officials their heads. This year's exams might lead to another wave of executions.
If this continued, the court would be decimated. Ah, accompanying a sovereign is like being with a tiger!
As these ministers harbored these apprehensions, an academician in a crimson official robe spoke up, holding an exam paper: "Everyone, take a look at this paper!"
"What is it? Have you found a satisfactory one?" others asked curiously upon hearing him.
"Satisfactory! Very satisfactory!" The academician stroked his beard and smiled. "Although this candidate's handwriting is somewhat poor, his line of thinking is quite novel. He approaches taxation through medicine, which directly relates to Yong'an Prefecture's theme of massively increased tax revenue from medicinal herbs."
"Let us see." Several academicians immediately crowded around him and quickly scanned the paper he held.
At first glance, the handwriting, though orderly, was undeniably ugly, making it somewhat hard to read. But as they delved into his insights, their eyes lit up.
"Quite good!" the academicians nodded in agreement. "It's not inferior to the previous candidate who analyzed Yong'an's taxes. Moreover, his approach of 'using medicine to boost taxes' is excellent. The Ministries of Revenue and Personnel have been arguing about this recently. Showing them this paper might help them avoid some detours."
While they were discussing, another voice chimed in nearby: "Speaking of novel ideas, I also have a paper here with a different approach."
Everyone looked over: "What is it?"
"Increasing taxes through commerce!" the academician reviewing the paper said. "Although the court has commercial taxes, it doesn't emphasize them. This student's method of integrating commercial taxes into the regular tax system seems quite promising."
Several academicians gathered around again. Seeing that this candidate had detailed his family's annual income and calculated, based on commercial tax laws, how much the state treasury could gain annually if commercial taxes were integrated nationwide, they were struck by the potential.
"This method of increasing tax revenue is faster than farming," one official remarked, "and it doesn't require the same level of caution. The only issue is the need for coordination with the Ministry of Personnel's various offices."
"But that's a minor problem. The important thing is that he provides a direction, and a highly feasible one at that. This makes it an excellent answer."
"Today is strange indeed," another examiner mused as they passed the paper around. Just then, a different official pulled out another exam script. "I also have an unusual one here."
"Another novel approach?"
"Yes," the man nodded. "This candidate doesn't focus on taxes directly. Instead, he emphasizes agricultural tools and farming development, only touching on taxes at the end."
The approach was slightly off-topic, but compared to the many irrelevant answers, it was infinitely better.
After circulating it, the group considered the content. "He has a point," one conceded. "Improving farming tools, whether to free up labor or cultivate more land, is indeed a valid path to increasing tax revenue."
While this direction seemed more straightforward compared to the previous papers, it was still commendable. Many others lacked even this level of practical insight.
"Today is a good day," someone noted, reflecting on the three quality answers they had found, plus the one the Emperor had identified earlier. It proved the world wasn't full of fools who only knew how to memorize texts rigidly; there were indeed people who cared about current affairs and people's livelihoods.
Even if no more answers of this caliber appeared, they could now report to the Emperor with confidence.
"Ah!"
Just as everyone's spirits were lifted, shaking off the earlier lethargy, one man suddenly slapped his thigh, his whole body trembling with excitement.
"Superb calligraphy! Truly superb!" he exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. "In all my years as an official, I have never seen handwriting that lifts the spirits so effortlessly upon sight."
The sudden outburst startled everyone. Hearing it was just praise for penmanship, they shook their heads and were about to return to their work when the man spoke again.
"And the thinking behind it is truly excellent!" he announced to the hall. "The papers you saw earlier all addressed the topic too narrowly. Only this one in my hands truly provides a comprehensive answer on increasing tax revenue."
The academicians who had already reviewed four good papers were skeptical. How could that be? Among the previous four, aside from the one about improving farming tools being slightly weaker, the other three were all strong contenders. Could the paper he held possibly surpass them?
"Don't doubt it," the man said, unperturbed by the lack of belief. He simply offered the paper. "See for yourselves. I believe this paper deserves to be this year's top candidate!"
"Calling it the top candidate is going too far just because it answers the question well!" the other examiners protested. After reviewing so many, they still favored the paper the Emperor had found first. Its handwriting, factual reporting, agricultural insights, and tax proposals were all perfectly addressed. Importantly, it created a vivid picture. That's why they had suggested ranking it first immediately after reading it. It was genuinely outstanding. Surpassing it would be very difficult.
The academician took the offered paper and unfolded it somewhat dismissively. His expression immediately shifted to surprise. "This—this handwriting!"
"Don't just look at the script," the first man said calmly. "Read the content."
"Focusing on agriculture as the foundation, supporting it with commerce, grounding it in medicine, basing it on labor... expanding... opening..." The reader followed the pleasing script, and everyone in the hall listening was astonished. "He's considered everything!"
"And he provides specific ideas and methods," someone who had been listening intently remarked. "If the Ministries of Revenue and Personnel had seen this earlier, they wouldn't have needed to argue in court for so many days. They could have just followed his suggestions."
The previous four papers, while good, each focused on one aspect. This paper, however, considered the problem from all angles. It used examples like ginger, charcoal, and road building to illustrate its points. The language was so refined that one immediately understood how to proceed with implementation. It read less like a proposal for increasing taxes and more like a report on results already achieved.
"Well-reasoned, evidenced, and practical," the examiner finished reading and sighed. "No wonder you said this paper should be the top candidate!"
If this didn't qualify for the top spot, they must be blind.