Chapter 10 - His Majesty’s Thoughts Contradicts His Words (2/2)

*

It was finally the day of the conference examination.

Chu Wei woke up early in the morning and calmly practiced a set of martial arts in the courtyard. He didn’t stop until he was sweating. After washing up, he came out and his mother was recounting the items he had to bring into the Examination Hall again. This was the fifth time that she did it. Chu Wei felt somewhat helpless, “Mother, don’t be so nervous.”

“How can Mother not be nervous?!” Madam Chu retorted in a raised voice, and then tensely bowed her head and continued to count, “Scented handkerchief, papers, dried food…”

Chu Wei let her do as she pleases and finished his meal in silence. The manservant carried the things and accompanied the young master to the Examination Hall.

Madam Chu sent him to the door. She devoutly clasped her hands together and prayed for the blessing of the Gods, “May my son smoothly pass the conference examination.”

There were a lot of candidates coming to the capital to take the examination. Therefore, they were divided into different batches to enter the examination room. Chu Wei’s luck was very bad. He had to enter the Examination Hall early in the morning and had to wait in the Examination Hall for a whole day.

When he got to the front of the line, Chu Wei asked the manservant to go back first. He stood upright amid the crowd, carrying his examination case on his back.

His appearance was particularly striking, and his temperament was elegance like a clear and bright moon. Many people had noticed him. Between whispers, one then knew that this man was Chu Wei, the Number One Beautiful Man, whose good reputation had spread throughout the capital.

Li Yan, the Shizi of the Marquis of Pingchang, who was sending his good friend Tang Mian not far away, noticed the commotion for the first time and looked back. He patted Tang Mian on the shoulder, gloating over his misfortune, “Tang Mian, even Chu Wei takes part in the examination. Can you still get a good rank?”

Tang Mian also saw Chu Wei. He frowned and then relaxed, “He has not continued taking the examination for seven years. I don’t believe that his knowledge is as good as before. Chu Wei can take part in the examination; he isn’t a threat to me.”

At the back, Chu Wei’s ears perked up. All of a sudden, he turned to look at Tang Mian.

Neither Tang Mian nor Li Yan noticed. Li Yan asked, “You are one of the very best in the academy every time. This time, are you sure you will grasp the Number One Scholar?”

Tang Mian cautiously said, “Uncertain. I heard that Chang Yuyan, the son of the Deputy Chief of Dali Temple, also takes part in the examination. I have read his essays and poems. He is a strong rival to me.”

Li Yan couldn’t help saying in jealousy, “Anyway, as long as you are in the top three, you will be summoned by His Majesty himself.”

Tang Mian also couldn’t help feeling excited and nervous. He laughed and pretended to be calm as he said, “I will definitely make His Majesty have a completely new appraisal of me.”

Since that Cuju match, he could only relive the face of the emperor in the painting. But how could the appearance of the person in the painting compare with one-tenth of the real person?

The genuine emperor was the light of his life. If he wanted to remember him all of his life, neither second place nor third place was enough.

In the name that he had yet reached 20-year-old, if he won the Number One Scholar…

Tang Mian’s heart was burning hot.

Chu Wei quietly moved his gaze and lowered his eyes to cover his disdain and sneer.

The little rascal truly dares to think so.

*

When the conference examination in the Examination Hall began, Gu Yuanbai received the news in the Imperial Palace.

He carefully listened to the report. After quite a while, his undertone lips gently curved, showing a satisfied smile, “Good.”

Tian Fusheng brought him a cup of tonic soup. Upon seeing the emperor was happy, he said, “Your Majesty’s care is not wasted. This year’s candidates are honest and sincere; the next generation of scholars can enjoy a little shade.”

Gu Yuanbai nodded his head and put the government affairs aside. “It’s time for Zhen to ponder over the topic of their [final] palace examination.”

Tian Fusheng fetched the archived book, which recorded thousands of essays on the current affairs submitted to the emperor as policy advice. Gu Yuanbai flipped over a few pages and shook his head, “No matter how many times Zhen read them, it seems inconvenient to have no punctuation marks.”

Tian Fusheng doubtfully looked at the emperor, “Punctuation mark?”

Gu Yuanbai: “It’s nothing.”

Punctuation marks were the pauses in reading unpunctuated ancient writings; sentence breaking3 as the ancients said. But this punctuation mark could not be easily taken out, nor could it be easily used.

Since ancient times, some of the only copy extant theories had been monopolized by the academic factions. What they monopolized was the sentence breaking. For example, there were two ways to break the sentence in the famous saying “People can be made use of but cannot be made to understand”. One: People can be, made use of; but cannot be, made to understand. Two: People can, be made use of; but cannot, be made to understand.

Different factions held different methods of sentence breaking, and their understanding of the meaning was naturally different. If punctuation marks were implemented, it was bound to make these academic schools tremored. The outcome would be: which was right and why others were wrong? Why should they let the world know their factions’ ways of sentence breaking?

The reason why the academic factions were called factions was because of the monopoly characteristic given by their unique cultures. Because of their unique characteristics, students were required to devote themselves to the faction’s name if they wanted to learn. When more people studied there, such a faction would become a scholar-tyrant.

Even if there were official schools, it could not stop the growth and development of the academic factions.

Those who studied at this faction of knowledge would all have a unified sentence breaking and a unified understanding of the words of saints. At this time, if the emperor suddenly brought out punctuation marks, saying that the essay should be broken this way and read like that, the scholars in different factions and the factions with sentence breakings unlike the official sentence breaking would be dissatisfied. Why are we wrong? We spend time, energy, and money learning things. If this is wrong, doesn’t it mean that we are not getting any results and studying for nothing?

And the factions with the same sentence breaking as the official sentence breaking would be equally dissatisfied. Why is our private knowledge disclosed to all? How can the things we have accumulated for generations become common to all people?

As soon as the punctuation mark came out, it would be like taking their cake – these academic factions would never agree with it.

Punctuation mark was a good thing, but Gu Yuanbai couldn’t take it out at the moment.

When there was no strong enemy inside and outside, and when the emperor could lift the table, it was time to shock the schools of thought and carry out academic reformation.

Gu Yuanbai turned over two pages of the archived book as he sipped a warm tea. When he realized what he was thinking, he couldn’t help laughing.

He said he wanted to accept his fate, but he was like a sugar addict, who said he wanted to give up sugar, or a smoker, who said he wanted to stop smoking. He talked big, but his body was very honest. It completely showed what it meant to be inconsistent and insincere.