Chapter 73 (2/2)
Ning Que knew this year the examinees recommended by the military were much more than the past year. At first he thought the Court was worried about a shortage of strength in the military – how would he have thought that inside there was so much behind the scenes? Thinking that these past years he was staking his life on a Frontier fortress killing enemies, struggling to cut firewood, and toiling to acquire military merits before getting through the Primary Exam, he could not help but to get a great sense it was unfair, and in a low voice cursed several times, and lamentingly said, “2200 silvers……half a blanket could cover it all, and it could actually buy entrance into the Academy!”
Hearing this, Sang Sang who had all along stood beside him quietly couldn’t help but to raise her head and look at him, inside thinking, Master you’re not happy, why would you insist on bringing up that thing and directly saying it?
“2200? That won’t even get past the gate! My family’s old man pestered and cried, yelled and begged, and took out 22,000………and that was just enough for the entrance exam, completely not guaranteeing you can get in!”
Chu YouXian disdainfully glanced at him and said, “Our Tang Dynasty simply doesn’t have a government department that dares to take money and guarantee you can get into the Academy. Because for this, without mentioning those high officials, even if His Majesty spoke it wouldn’t matter, so you don’t need to look down on me. My old man said, today come to take a test of gold plating, afterwards be a little more confident for marriage.”
The two of them chatted like this, and Prince Li PeiYan accompanying officials and instructors walked over, his gaze directly ignoring Ning Que and Chu YouXian, and falling onto Sang Sang. Seeing this short and skinny little girl, smiling he turned his head to an instructor and said, “I hadn’t thought that there would also be a female examinee at such a young age. This is younger than the Lin Province’s w.a.n.g Ying by two years right?”
Lin Province’s w.a.n.g Ying was precisely a young examinee that an Academy instructor brought back from his own village’s instruction – this year he was less than 14 years old. Earlier an official had introduced and brought His Highness to him, and the crowd hadn’t thought that on this side they would be able to see a small dark-faced little girl surpa.s.sing him in youth, only that seeing her clothing it was simply……
“This is my maid.” Ning Que gently clasped his hands in propriety and explained.
The Prince Li PeiYan knew that he had mistaken the person, and his face couldn’t help but to show a bit of embarra.s.sment. The officials behind saw and with extreme speed suddenly they quickly widened their eyes. To an Academy instructor they said, “At the opening ceremony, how can a maid be allowed inside with the flow of people?”
That Academy instructor was middle-aged, and like he completely didn’t sense the official’s anger, he lightly replied, “An ordinary maid is not at all barred from entering the Academy. This is partic.i.p.ating in the ceremony, and not to the examination hall. In a while she will not be allowed to enter and that’s all.”
Being retorted by the instructor with this, the officials were shocked till they had no way of being angry. After all no matter how high his status was, or how weighted his power was, in a place like the Academy, it did not have the slightest use. His Highness the Prince smiled in self mockery, then extended his arm and patted Ning Que’s shoulder, and without saying anything further, he led the crowd of high ministers and continued walking forward.
Ning Que used his shoulder and lightly nudged Chu YouXian, watching that instructor next to Li PeiYan, and in a low voice he praised, “Exemplary. This is what is called neither weak nor salty. More and more I like this Academy place.”
The bell rung a second time. It was the last call.
The Academy instructors explained the rules of the examination hall expressionlessly, while the examinees were so nervous they couldn’t remember because the discipline of the examination hall’s for the entrance exam was unexpectedly so lax – neither warning against talking or against questions, only that they were not allowed to tell each other answers.
Stepping with the bell’s sound, and stepping past the peach petals scattered on the limestone tiles, with their long robes fluttering the students climbed the stairs, entering various cla.s.srooms, preparing to meet the exam. Only Sang Sang stood solitary on the stone plain, and just in this moment, the spring rain again dripped a few drops. She raised her little face and squinted her eyes looking, and opened the big black umbrella she carried on her back.
The Academy Exam and the Tang Dynasty’s Imperial Exam had similar content – the entirety of it was divided into six parts: the rites section, music section, shooting section, Imperial section, literary section, and the math section, all counted separately, and then the total score for enrollment. The entrance exam would carry out the written test in the morning, and was exactly the three sections of rites, literary and math – and the very first one was what Tang people were most not good at, or perhaps to say, the least happy with – the math section.
During the test was one period of quietness – on the wall was a window that framed a clear wall of pink plum flowers, just like a picture of a peaceful and beautiful pastel art work, creating an especially suitable environment to study. However after getting that scroll of the math section, the students previously sitting behind their desks seriously with their bosoms full of danger suddenly became a mess, speaking lamentations in a low voice.
“Why is it an integrated question?” There were students painfully pulling their hair.
“Our luck is too bad isn’t it?” There were students with pale faces.
Because the rules at the examination hall hadn’t forbidden noise, the students couldn’t help but to use various ways to express their own dissatisfaction and grief. It was the hardest integrated math question in years of the entrance exam, frequently having a professor of literature and a professor of math draw up the question together. Sometimes examinees taking the test truly couldn’t even read anything of the question topic.
Ning Que got the brush resting on the table top. Letting out a deep breath in the slightly cold air, he then tore open the ink scroll, only seeing one question topic on the scroll with about dozens of words that read:
“That year’s spring, Master went traveling. Receiving fine wine from Peach Mountain, consequently he sought to climb mountains and taste peach wines, all along picking flowers and drinking wine as he went. At first he cut one catty of peach blossoms, and drank one jug of wine. Afterwards Master regretted the wine, thus he cut one catty of peach blossoms and only drank half a jug of wine, and again cut a catty of peach flowers, and drank half of half of a jug of wine. If he went on like this…….to the mountain peak, and Master drank all of the wine of his pouch, then disappointedly looked all around, and lightly asked all you students: Today how many catties of peach blossoms were cut, and how many jugs of wine were drunk?” …… ……
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