After half a month of intense work, the few donkeys on the farm, despite being well-fed with good food and even fruits daily, were so exhausted that they were on the verge of collapse.
Finally, Ding Yun, in her mercy, halted the labor.
She allowed the donkeys a temporary respite.
Meanwhile, she began packaging the bulk wheat and rice grains overnight. She didn't have the energy to investigate specifically how to distribute them or which people should receive them and which shouldn't. So, she simply threw a few bags into the yard of any family she saw was poor.
If she noticed a family with many children, she would add a few more bags.
Astonishingly, her own work and that of the donkeys over the past two weeks was all distributed in less than one night. This efficiency made Ding Yun feel an inexplicable urge to just give up, to be tired and say, "I'm done."
Because the efficiency was truly low.
The wheat and rice in the warehouse didn't seem to diminish.
This method of distributing grain clearly couldn't last. If it continued, she would likely be worked to death. So, after distributing the grain, Ding Yun returned to Nanhua Temple and quickly decided to abandon this plan. Instead, she resolved to dedicate herself wholeheartedly to memorizing Taoist scriptures.
Jinling City was close to Nanhua Temple, making certain actions difficult for her. Rather than exhausting herself daily with little accomplishment, it would be better to first obtain a certification (dujie) and register as a Taoist priest. Then, she could travel the world to places far from here. At that point, whether she set up a small mill for rice and flour or directly threw bundles of rice and wheat outwards, it would be much more convenient.
Greater distance would also hinder the spread of information.
It would further reduce her risk of exposure.
With this idea in mind, Ding Yun soon entered a state of complete focus, shutting out all distractions and dedicating herself to studying Taoist scriptures. Initially, she memorized, starting with all the scriptures at Nanhua Temple. After memorizing, she began to interpret them herself. For anything she couldn't understand, she would ask.
She asked fellow disciples, then Yunqi Nüguan.
At first, Yunqi Nüguan could reluctantly explain some of Ding Yun's questions. However, when Ding Yun delved into more profound content, professional annotations from ancient scriptures, Yunqi Nüguan found herself increasingly unable to cope.
Fortunately, she didn't fabricate explanations or try to fool Ding Yun. Instead, she honestly admitted, "I truly don't know what you're asking.
I don't fear telling you frankly now.
My certification wasn't earned through examination; I bought it for five thousand taels of silver. Back then, I simply wanted to become a nun and live a quiet life, but I hadn't studied the scriptures thoroughly, so I spent money to buy a certification. I learned Taoist scriptures after becoming a nun.
However, I'm not particularly proficient.
How about this: I can recommend you to another Taoist temple for further study. I can teach you the simpler content, but for anything deeper, I truly cannot."
"Ah??"
Ding Yun was utterly bewildered.
So, her temporary teacher hadn't even legitimately earned her own certification. If there was such a good method, why hadn't she told her earlier?
Wasn't this a trap?
If she had known, she would have found a way to earn money first.
Seeing Ding Yun's puzzled expression, Yunqi Nüguan likely understood her thoughts. To avoid misunderstanding, she quickly explained again:
"Don't misunderstand me. I know you're not short of money and could likely gather five thousand taels at any time. But things are different now compared to my time.
I became a nun when the former emperor was still in power.
Back then, the management of certifications was not strict. Not only was it very easy to buy a certification, but even the examination for one wasn't too difficult. Every year, five to ten thousand certifications were issued. With a little connection or a bit of financial resource, one could find a way to obtain one, as not everyone was willing to become a nun.
However, the current Emperor, upon ascending the throne, pursued diligent governance and felt that monks and nuns did not engage in production. He directly reduced the quota of certifications by more than a decimal point, and it hasn't changed since. Now, only one to three hundred certifications are issued annually.
Of these, half can be obtained through examination.
The other half can only be purchased.
Given the vast number of temples and Taoist monasteries across the land, some with millennia of history, they certainly don't lack money. Moreover, the specific examination standards are actually set by some of the larger temples and monasteries.
No matter how the examination is conducted, it favors them.
Therefore, the current situation is that ninety percent of the certifications issued by the imperial court annually go into the hands of those large Taoist temples and monasteries. Less than ten percent can barely flow out, and are fought over by countless people. Setting aside the difficulty of the examination itself, the price to purchase each certification has already risen to fifty thousand taels of silver, and even then, it's not something money alone can buy.
At its peak, someone offered one hundred thousand taels.
Without sufficient connections and background,
You can't even touch it.
My Nanhua Temple is just a small one. It has some reputation near Jinling City, but beyond that, no one knows it. Therefore, I lack the necessary connections. If you want to obtain a certification sooner, you can only work hard to study and take the exam.
If you're not in a hurry, there is a way. You can wait until I die. After my death, my certification can be directly passed on to you as an inheritance."
Because unless they were professionals, people wouldn't gossip about such information. Ding Yun, who had heard a lot of gossip in Jinling City, was genuinely unaware of this. Hearing it now, she was quite shocked.
She hadn't expected to choose such a difficult path.
What did it mean that only one to three hundred certifications were issued annually? To put it this way, on average, three hundred scholars passed the imperial examinations each year. Not to mention that only half of these one to three hundred certifications could be obtained through examination. If we exclude the base number of people participating in the examination, and compare solely based on the number of people who ultimately passed each year,
The difficulty is even greater than passing the imperial examinations.
It's comparable to the difficulty of achieving a second-class Jinshi degree.
This illustrates the current difficulty in obtaining a certification.
Once Ding Yun understood this, she was speechless and realized that if she wanted to obtain a certification through her own merit and by passing the examination, her chances of success would be minuscule.
This wasn't a lack of confidence in her own learning ability, but a lack of confidence in the so-called examination. Think about it: the large Taoist temples themselves participated in setting the examination standards. Regardless of other factors, they would have no problem with the understanding of Taoist scriptures and the interpretation of exam answers.
Through their teachings, their disciples
Should also have no significant issues.
But what about Nanhua Temple? Here, they only had some widely circulated Taoist scriptures. Ancient and rare editions were practically nonexistent. Furthermore, Yunqi Nüguan's understanding of Taoist scriptures was not great. Saying she only knew the surface might be an exaggeration, but her understanding of Taoist scriptures only reached the superficial layer at best.
Even if Ding Yun wanted to seek advice, there was no one to ask.
Even if she could go elsewhere to study,
Wouldn't there be sectarian bias there too?
They would still hold back information from disciples of their own sect, let alone outsiders who came to study under a temporary arrangement. The relevant examination wasn't just about memorization; more importantly, it was about understanding. Therefore, in summary, Ding Yun's probability of passing the examination on her own was extremely, extremely small.