Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Favoritism
There are only three days left until the courtyard exam.
After lunch, Song Wei began to study how to change his writing style.
His usual style was not to flatter the chief examiner’s preferences, but to deal with the topic methodically and meticulously.
Now that he needed to switch, there were only three styles to consider.
The first, is to follow the chief examiner’s preferences.
If the chief examiner liked articles with flowery language, he would have to add more beautiful words to his original writing style. If the chief examiner preferred straightforward and concise articles, he needed to lower his level from the original foundation.
The second style belongs to the moderate and mediocre, neither completely pleasing the chief examiner nor entirely deviating. The article lacks substantial content, not outstanding but not inferior either.
The third style is sharp and radical.
This type of article is extreme, with sensitive content and sharp language, bold enough to sweep across the world with a single pen.
There were similar articles in the past exams, but those examinees did not end well.
With precedents set, subsequent candidates either chose a moderate style or sought to please the chief examiner, avoiding any taboos of those in power.
Song Wei pondered for a moment and decided to take the risk with the third writing style.
He was not skilled at currying favor with examiners nor did he want to hide his talents with mediocrity in the examination hall.
Although the radical writing style didn’t match his usual steady demeanor in dealing with people, if utilized well, it shouldn’t pose a significant problem.
Having made up his mind, Song Wei began to change his writing style. Wen Wan quietly assisted by grinding ink by his side without interruption.
It was not until nightfall that Song Wei produced a satisfactory article.
Hao Yun knocked on the door from outside, calling the couple downstairs to have dinner.
Song Wei put away the freshly written article and went downstairs with Wen Wan.
The three of them ordered dishes and ate in the inn’s main hall.
During the meal, Hao Yun consulted Song Wei on several academic questions.
This person was deep; those questions seemed trivial at first, but upon further thought, they were all key issues in the examination hall.
Song Wei picked a few to answer, appearing serious and reasonable in every word, yet despite Hao Yun listening for a long time, not a single point hit the crucial areas. He smirked without asking further and continued eating with his head down.
Three days passed in a flash.
Wen Wan personally saw her husband off into the examination hall. After waving goodbye, she returned to the inn, feeling uneasy, unable to focus on the book in her hands, occasionally looking out the window.
Never before did time seem so slow, checking left and right, yet the sun refused to set.
——
Courtyard exam topics: One five-character-six-rhyme test poem, one historical commentary, and one each from the Four Books and Five Classics.
Song Wei’s five-character-six-rhyme poem was exceptionally good, and all six examiners stroked their beards in praise.
But when they saw the essay, their expressions changed instantly.
The extreme and sensitive content was simply shocking.
At best, it could be described as unrestrained; at worst, as outrageous!
The Vice Chief Examiner was the first to see it, angrily slapping the paper onto the table, "Outrageous, in Ningzhou’s examination hall, there turns up such a wild candidate! Chief Examiner, this person absolutely cannot be indulged, otherwise if it is reported back to the Capital and the Emperor knows, our official hats will be hard to keep."
Upon hearing this, the other examiners stopped what they were doing and passed Song Wei’s paper around, and whoever held it in their hands broke out in a cold sweat.
Given the current situation, Song Wei certainly wouldn’t secure the top spot, and if he could save his own neck, it would already be a blessing.
But he was fortunate enough to encounter Chief Examiner Lord Liu.
This Lord Liu was an Emperor’s Student, someone under Emperor Guangxi.
Emperor Guangxi sent him south to oversee the exams, with the secret intention of supervising Song Wei.
What’s more interesting is that Emperor Guangxi told Lord Liu that Song Wei was a rebellious rascal with spikes all over, whose every word could enrage people, but paradoxically, as a ruler of the country, he particularly favored this kind of person.