Shi Huai passed the inspection without trouble. Just as he stepped through the main gate of the examination compound, a commotion broke out behind him.
He glanced back.
The constable captain, who had originally worn a cold expression, was surrounded by several of his colleagues. One was patting him on the shoulder, while another leaned close to his ear and whispered something.
The captain’s face had gone bright red. His mouth opened and closed as though he were trying to explain himself.
Shi Huai did not look any longer. He turned around and followed the escorting officer toward the examination halls.
The examination compound was much larger than he had imagined.
Row upon row of examination cells stood in neat formation, packed together like a vast honeycomb. Each cell was only three chi square, containing a wooden plank that served as both desk and bench. An oil lamp and several candles had been placed on the desk.
The officer led him to a cell and pointed at the number on the door.
“Bingchen-year Provincial Examination, third session, cell number nine.”
Shi Huai lowered his head and glanced at the paper pasted to the door. It bore his name and native place, along with a line of small characters:
“Three sessions over nine days. Food and lodging shall be provided in the examination cell. No unauthorized entry or exit.”
He nodded, bent down, and ducked into the cell.
The space inside was even more cramped than he had expected. A person could barely turn around.
He set his examination basket on the desk, then took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone one item at a time and arranged them neatly. He placed his dry rations and water flask in the corner of the desk.
A young voice came from the neighboring cell.
“Brother, are you nervous?”
Shi Huai turned his head and saw a candidate of seventeen or eighteen poking half his head through the gap in the partition.
He wore a smile, his eyes shining brightly. He was obviously the sort who made himself at home with everyone.
“I’m all right. Not nervous.”
The candidate chuckled twice. “I was so nervous I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I tossed and turned so much that I woke my mother.”
The corners of Shi Huai’s lips lifted slightly. “Your first examination?”
“My first. What about you?”
“My first as well.”
At that, the candidate’s eyes lit up even more. “Then we must be fated to meet! My name is Chen Zhiyuan, a native of the capital. How should I address you, brother?”
“Shi Huai.”
Chen Zhiyuan repeated the name twice. Then his eyes widened.
“Shi Huai? You’re the one who wrote ‘As though overnight, the spring wind has come’?”
Before Shi Huai could answer, a series of footsteps sounded outside the examination cells.
A middle-aged man in official robes approached, holding a wooden disciplinary ruler. He knocked twice against the doorframe.
“Silence! No whispering during the examination. Violators will have their examination qualifications revoked.”
Chen Zhiyuan hurriedly pulled his head back. He moved as quickly as a startled rabbit.
Shi Huai lowered his head and began grinding the ink.
When the examination bell rang, the entire compound fell silent.
Shi Huai unfolded the examination paper, his eyes settling on the first question.
The question was a line from the Analects: “The gentleman seeks harmony, not uniformity; the petty man seeks uniformity, not harmony.”
The candidates were required to write an essay on the meaning of the passage, explain its principles, and relate it to current political abuses while presenting their own views.
Shi Huai stared at the question for several breaths. In his mind, the structure of the essay had already begun to take shape.
He did not hurry to pick up his brush. Instead, he read through the entire examination paper from beginning to end, making certain that he had not overlooked a single question.
Then he closed his eyes and went over the outline in his mind.
From the initial exposition and development to the introduction, the transition, the successive sections, and the conclusion—every part was clear.
When he opened his eyes, he picked up his brush and dipped it into the inkstone. The tip paused briefly above the paper before he began to write.
“Harmony is the righteous principle of Heaven and Earth, the common justice within the human heart. Uniformity is the stubborn adhesion to private opinions and the fetters of vulgar conventions. The gentleman follows principle, and thus can achieve harmony without uniformity; the petty man pursues self-interest, and thus may appear uniform without ever attaining harmony…”
The brush tip glided across the paper, producing a faint, steady rustle.
Shi Huai wrote quickly, yet every character was neat and precise, every stroke firm and measured.
His breathing was even and his brow relaxed. He looked less like a man taking an examination in a cell three chi square than someone practicing calligraphy in his own study.
In the neighboring cell, Chen Zhiyuan gnawed on his brush and stared blankly at the examination paper. His brows were knitted into a knot, and a fine layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead.
He secretly glanced at Shi Huai through the gap in the partition and saw that Shi Huai had already written half a page, while his own paper still contained only the four characters “Your servant has heard.”
Chen Zhiyuan drew a deep breath, took the brush from his mouth, and closed his eyes as he began silently reciting the commentaries on the Analects.
After reciting them seven or eight times, his mind was still a muddle. He could not sort out a single thought.
He opened his eyes and glanced through the gap again. Shi Huai had already filled an entire page and was turning to the next.
Chen Zhiyuan let out a sigh and picked up his brush, dipping it into the inkstone.
He knew he would not pass.
Not because the questions were too difficult, but because he simply could not calm his mind.
His head was filled with all sorts of random thoughts.
One moment he was thinking of his mother waiting for him at home. The next, of the girl who sold wontons at the mouth of the alley. Then he was wondering where he would go to have fun once the examination was over.
The first session lasted three days.
When Shi Huai emerged from his cell, his legs were so weak they trembled.
He had not seen sunlight for three days. When the sudden brightness struck his eyes, they stung painfully. He raised a hand to shield them and only lowered it after his vision adjusted.
Qinghe was waiting outside the examination compound. The moment she saw Shi Huai come out, tears began to fall from her eyes.
Gathering up her skirt, she ran toward him and looked him up and down.
“Young master, you’ve lost weight, and you look awful. Did you not sleep well?”
Shi Huai smiled and reached out to pat her on the head. “Don’t cry. I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.”
Qinghe sniffed and nodded hard, forcing her tears back.
She helped Shi Huai into the carriage, then took out a bowl of warm chicken soup from the food box and handed it to him.
“Please drink this. Nanny Zhou simmered it all morning, waiting for you to come out.”
Shi Huai took the bowl and drank more than half of it in one go. The warm broth flowed from his throat into his stomach, and a comforting heat spread outward from within.
He leaned against the carriage wall and closed his eyes. Every bone in his body seemed to be crying out for rest.
By the time the carriage stopped outside the Marquis’s residence, Shi Huai had already fallen asleep.
Unwilling to wake him, Qinghe sat inside the carriage for quite some time. In the end, she gently nudged his arm.
“Young master, we’re here. You can sleep once we’re inside.”
Shi Huai opened his eyes, still wearing the hazy expression of someone newly awakened.
He jumped down from the carriage, his steps unsteady. He had to hold on to Qinghe’s hand before he could stand properly.
In Shou’an Hall, Nanny Zhou had already prepared a meal.
Every dish was one of Shi Huai’s favorites, each prepared with exquisite care.
Nanny Zhou stood beside the table, her eyes reddening slightly as she looked at Shi Huai’s thinner cheeks.
“Sit down and eat, young master. Have a proper sleep after you’re done. You still have the second session tomorrow.”
Shi Huai sat down at the table, lifted his bowl, and put a mouthful of stir-fried vegetables into his mouth.
He chewed and swallowed, then picked up a piece of braised pork and did the same.
The food had no flavor to him, but he knew he had to eat. Without food, he would not have the strength to sit the remaining sessions.
After the meal, Qinghe went to clear away the bowls and chopsticks, while Nanny Zhou went to prepare his bed.
Shi Huai sat in the study, running through the key points for tomorrow’s second examination essay in his mind.
Only after confirming that everything was in order did he rise to his feet.
He walked back to the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. The moment he closed his eyes, he fell asleep.
Tangerine jumped down from the windowsill and sauntered over to the bedside with elegant steps.
It glanced up at Shi Huai’s sleeping face, then leapt onto the bed and curled up at his feet, purring softly.
The subject of the second examination essay was water management.
In essence, the question stated that in recent years, the Yellow River had frequently flooded. The imperial court had allocated funds for flood control on several occasions, but with little effect. What good suggestions did the candidates have?
