Chapter 3: A Test

It was still night when Tang Yuqin began to queue for the checks leading into the capital's examination hall. Clouds streaked over the dark sky like the fine lines of a brushstroke and in front of him loomed the tall lofty arch he'd dreamt about stepping past into ever since he'd successfully topped the first round of the prefecture examinations and had officially been granted the title of 'xiucai' or 'scholar'. 

The other candidates around him were just as excited and the air was thrumming with an undercurrent of nervous energy but no one dared to converse under the stern watch of the administrators from the Department of Rites, whose arduous task was to keep the flow of the day smooth. His Majesty would be watching today, seated at the head of the hall and might be the only time that Tang Yuqin, as a mere commoner, would be able to be this close to the imperial presence. 

Just the thought of that made the blood in his veins quicken. Having made it to this final lap, all candidates of the spring administration would be granted a rank and accepted into the pool of officials. But there was a world of difference in the political career of the principal graduate and a candidate that only made it into the lowest band. If Tang Yuqin wanted to serve his country and his emperor well, he would have to do his very best later on. 

Ten years of studying by the cold window with no one asking for him, one day of honour and his name will be renowned throughout the lands (1). 

The queue moved, Tang Yuqin along with it. It was a long wait but he didn't feel any impatience, an odd dissociation between the anticipation he felt and the tranquillity that he responded with making him stand out in the fidgeting crowd. One or two sharp-eyed administrators noted his unnatural calmness with interest; this was a man whose bearing was suited to court, a good sprout (2), so as to speak. Should he perform well this spring, his future would be bright, possibly much brighter than that last principal graduate from the Wu Family, whose reputation had taken a severe hit recently after the recurrent rumours of the unrest within his backyard. 

Judging from his robes, which were clean but simple, he was of a humble origin. During the late emperor's reign, this would have been a strike against him, but everyone knew that Emperor Xuanjun was seeking to elevate a new group of officials from the populace. 

This year might really be this chap's year. 

Tang Yuqin didn't realise that he was already under observation by these alert low-ranking officials. His mind was focused instead on reciting the Four Books and Five Classics in his head, which he'd known by heart since a tender age. He wasn't trying frantically to recall a line or to revise any of the debates he'd had with his teachers on a certain theme. Instead, this was just a light warm-up for him, going through the material with a confident ease that was as soothing to him as copying the scriptures were for others. 

The queue led into a side chamber, where candidates first had their identities verified. Tang Yuqin already had his provisional ticket ready, which he had kept locked up like it was his greatest treasure after obtaining it. This ticket, validated by an official red seal, was used to prevent a substitute from sitting for the examination in place of a candidate and included his name, seat position, as well as physical features, such as his height, his build, and a detailed description of his body, down to the small mole he hadn't even known existed on the back of his right earlobe. This, in combination with the strict criteria for the referees that all candidates had to supply to prove their good standing, made it difficult to carry out an impersonation. 

Once this check was passed, all candidates regardless of background were asked to strip naked and unbind their hair. This was in accordance with the examination rules; in order to prevent cheating from occurring, every nook and cranny of a candidate's body, as well as their stationery, would be thoroughly examined. The first time this had happened to Tang Yuqin in the prefecture examinations, he had been embarrassed but hadn't fared as badly as some of the richer merchant sons that had been brought up with a silver spoon in the nearby towns. 

Propriety was a luxury good and Tang Yuqin's family couldn't afford for him to be too fussy about it. 

The checks today were shorter than the ones Tang Yuqin had undergone in the past because everyone had brought along little baggage. Unlike the prefecture and provincial examinations, the spring examinations in the capital were only one day long and as such, candidates did not have to bring along any daily necessities. 

He emerged on the other side, was led to a grand hall, and felt his heart soar as he took in the rows and rows of low tables that flanked a long carpet leading from the entrance to a dais. There was no one seated upon it yet but once all the candidates had entered and the examinations were ready to begin, only then would the emperor take his place to preside over them.

Settling in comfortably, Tang Yuqin began sorting out his brushes and ink. When it came to his studies, he'd always had a good rein on his emotions but today he couldn't stop his heart from soaring. The hopes of his family, all the years his relatives had toiled away in the fields under the hot sun to afford his fees at the local school, had boiled down to this moment. 

After living in the capital for a while, Tang Yuqin had learnt that the waters near the throne were murkier than he'd naively believed back when he was just a peasant boy with ideals that were too big for his straw shoes. But from the day he'd picked up the brush all those years ago, a brush that he now knew was of the roughest make but had cost his little siblings the chance to eat any meat that spring festival, Tang Yuqin knew that he'd no choice but to wet his sleeves in this pool. 

For the sake of his family and for the sake of the others like them who led such hard lives, he was determined to make a difference. 

Soon, it was time. 

The examination questions were handed out but no one opened them yet, waiting for the one person they had spent most of their lives hoping to meet. The eagerness that Tang Yuqin felt was overwhelming, such that when a figure finally approached the dais from a side chamber his heart nearly leapt into his throat. 

But quickly, he realised that something was wrong. And judging by the faint stirrings of unease around him, he wasn't the only one. 

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The young man who stood on the dais was dressed regally but didn't wear the headdress with the twelve strings of beads that would denote his status as the Son of Heaven. More importantly, he didn't have the aura that Tang Yuqin expected; though he carried himself in a stately manner and with great poise, he lacked the firmness and resolution that Tang Yuqin had detected in the emperor's way of running things, which had rippled across the country in a wave that no one had expected. 

Five years ago, when Tang Yuqin had first heard of the emperor's attempt to clamp down on corruption by investigating the officials outside of the capital, he'd known that becoming an official wasn't going to just be a job to him, it was going to be his life's work. 

True enough, the young man soon introduced himself as the fourth prince and whatever polite goodwill Tang Yuqin had felt for him initially dissipated right away. 

Tang Yuqin had the feeling that the emperor was worth pledging loyalty to. The fourth prince, despite his eloquence and charm, was not. 

"This prince welcomes everyone to the final round of the imperial examinations," the fourth prince said, sounding like he was making an opening speech at a frivolous banquet instead of officially announcing the start of what would be one of the most serious events in a candidate's life. "Everyone present today is worthy of being called the pinnacle of talent in Great Ye and it is with much respect that this prince thanks you for striving to make it this far." 

His tone turned apologetic. "However, this prince regrets to inform everyone that due to unforeseen circumstances, His Majesty is unable to preside over today's spring examinations and that this prince shall be stepping in to—"

Before the fourth prince could complete his sentence, before the disappointment towards the emperor could firmly take root in the hearts of the candidates, the door to the side chamber swung open again and a loud declaration from a high-pitched eunuch's voice resounded to the rafters. 

"Announcing His Majesty!" 

The candidates had already been instructed on how to behave in this situation and there was no need, of course, for any of the administrators or examiners present to be told what to do. As such, the entire hall bowed in tandem as they responded to the emperor's arrival with, "May my liege live for ten thousand years!" The only person who failed to react in time was the gobsmacked fourth prince, whose face had drained of blood. 

"Royal Brother," he said, backing away from the seat on the dais once the emperor walked up to it. "This brother-subject is pleased to see that you're able to make it." 

The emperor's eyes flickered to his face. "This sovereign is indebted to your care," was his calm reply. He said this casually, as though he was just making polite talk, but the forced facade of impeccability on the fourth prince's face began to chip at its corners. 

"Since Royal Brother is here…" 

The emperor gazed over the crowd, his inscrutable eyes sweeping over the sea of candidates. They didn't linger on anyone in particular but still, Tang Yuqin felt the pressure in the atmosphere begin to build up. So this was what it felt like to be surveyed by the most powerful man in the country. And to have to do this, perhaps have to step out from the crowd in morning court and have his full attention whilst presenting a report, was of such immense stress that not everyone could cope with it. 

Already, some candidates were green about the gills and this tension exacerbated when, without further ado, the emperor called for the examination to commence. 

Less than a snap of the fingers later, disbelieving gasps and sharp intakes of breath disrupted the silence. The administrators issued harsh warnings but in his seat, with his chin propped up on one hand, the emperor didn't seem to mind the small commotion. 

Tang Yuqin heard a ringing in his ears. He could feel a slight tremble throughout his entire body as he reread the question on the page again and again, unable to believe what he was seeing. 

Unlike the previous examinations, which had candidates cooped up in cramped booths in terrible conditions for three sessions over nine days, the spring examinations were blessedly short and with an examination script that was set by the emperor himself. Based on His Majesty's preferences, Tang Yuqin and his teacher had already predicted that the questions would have a more practical slant, focusing on policy, such as the management of floods, rather than theory-based. 

But no one saw this coming. There was only one question on the parchment and it read: 

[If it was discovered that members of the nobility had sought to tarnish the integrity of Great Ye's imperial examination by releasing the examination questions beforehand to certain candidates, what stance should this sovereign take and what measures should be implemented?]

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