Liu Bowen was originally the chief examiner and one of the question setters for this imperial examination. He reviewed his own answers, otherwise it would be an injustice for him to have come in first place.
Upon receiving the questions and answers personally from Liu Bowen, Li Boyang's only task was to memorize both the questions and the answers.
After doing all this, simply wait quietly for the imperial examination to begin.
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Chapter 166 Return
Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
The first imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty began amidst great anticipation and numerous shady dealings.
The scholars entered the examination hall eagerly, all anticipating the moment when their five sons would pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar.
The first part of the imperial examination tested the Four Books, the second part mainly tested five-character eight-line poems, and the third part was the most important, testing the Five Classics and policy questions, which was also the one that truly determined whether one could advance.
The imperial examination was not completed in one day; it consisted of three sessions, with a three-day interval between each session. The candidates would enter the examination hall together the day before the exam.
Before entering, each person was searched and given three candles. Once inside, the door was immediately sealed, and the examiners were assigned numbers. The examinees answered questions inside and rested there overnight until they came out the next day.
There is a three-day rest period after each exam, and then the exam continues again after three days. This is a torment for both a person's physical and mental strength.
Of course, it might be difficult for the average person, but for Li Boyang, it was nothing. He spent more time practicing martial arts than answering questions during each exam.
While others were desperately trying to recall knowledge, he was cultivating himself.
While others were frantically writing, he was still practicing his cultivation.
While others were racking their brains quoting scriptures and classics, he was still practicing his cultivation.
The officials who were taking the exam with him wandered around the examination hall. Every one of them shook his head when he saw Li Boyang's behavior and exclaimed that he was beyond redemption.
However, who knew that he finished writing all the answers that other scholars took a whole day to complete in less than an hour?
When the examination, which lasted for nearly half a month, came to an end, everyone who came out of the examination hall looked exhausted; clearly, the mental strain was the most agonizing.
There was only one exception, and that person was naturally Li Boyang. There was nothing he could do; the other person was genuinely taking the exam, while he was just going through the motions.
On the night the imperial examination ended, the Qinhuai River in Jinling was packed with people, and the scholars who were finally free all flocked to the painted boats on the Qinhuai River to indulge themselves. Li Boyang, on the other hand, quietly returned to the Shen residence to continue his cultivation.
"One day of practice brings one day of progress; one day without practice is a hundred days wasted." This saying remains true even at the Qi Refining stage.
The results of the imperial examination have been released.
This time, only a little over 300 people were admitted, which is quite a dismal number compared to the more than 10,000 candidates who took the exam.
The list of names was posted outside the Donghua Gate of the Imperial Palace, which is the famous Donghua Gate where the names were announced.
Before the list was even released, the streets outside Donghua Gate were already packed with scholars. When the messengers who were announcing the names ran out of the imperial city, they were instantly swallowed up by the sea of people.
The gentry of Jinling had secured the best spots early on, and whenever a scholar shouted "I've passed!", a sack would be slung over his head the next second.
As expected, the scene of "catching a son-in-law after passing the imperial examination" unfolded.
As expected, Li Boyang topped the list of the first imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty, ranking first in the first class. When the messenger came to the Shen residence to announce the names, Shen Wansan directly gave the messenger a red envelope containing ten thousand taels of silver on Li Boyang's behalf.
The palace examination will be held ten days after the conclusion of the provincial examination.
Ten days later, when the East Gate of the Imperial Palace opened, more than 300 successful candidates walked into the palace with their heads held high. This was the most triumphant moment of their lives, and they couldn't help but flaunt it.
Li Boyang, who was the top scorer in this year's imperial examination, quietly walked at the very back of the procession. The group soon arrived at the venue for the palace examination.
The imperial examination was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Nanjing Imperial Palace, which was also the place where the grand court assembly was held. It was presided over by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, which is the origin of the term "disciples of the emperor".
The palace examination mainly tested policy questions, which were set by Zhu Yuanzhang himself and asked to the candidates who had passed the provincial examination to write their policies. These policies were generally related to major events that happened that year.
Just like with the provincial and metropolitan examinations, Li Boyang received the questions and answers in advance for this palace examination.
The question for the palace examination can be summarized in one sentence: What is the way of governing the people?
This question naturally reflects Zhu Yuanzhang's truest thoughts: conquering the world is not easy, but maintaining it is even more difficult.
If governing this vast country was Zhu Yuanzhang's primary concern, then he directly presented it as a question to the candidates.
Whoever's answer matched Zhu Yuanzhang's expectations would inevitably rank higher in this palace examination.
Although he received the answers to this imperial examination, Li Boyang did not answer according to the answers given by Liu Bowen.
This was the imperial examination. Li Boyang, based on his own insights, expounded on his views on the way of governing the people from three aspects: human nature, human desires, and human feelings, and submitted them to Zhu Yuanzhang.
After the imperial examination, he will leave this world, perhaps wanting to leave something behind.
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw Li Boyang's question, he was speechless for a long time, clearly stunned by Li Boyang's answer. After a long while, in front of more than three hundred scholars and civil and military officials, he said:
"Master Boyang has extraordinary talent, but unfortunately he cannot be used by me. It is sad and lamentable."
In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, given Li Boyang's abilities, there was no need for his help. Based on this essay alone, no one could surpass him, making him the undisputed top scholar.
These words immediately shook the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Liu Bowen promptly requested Li Boyang's strategy from Zhu Yuanzhang, and after reading it, he also remarked:
"The teacher's talent is something the student may never be able to match in this lifetime."
Upon hearing this, 90% of the officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony stared at Li Boyang in horror, while the scholars looked on in disbelief.
These people had no idea about the relationship between Li Boyang and Liu Bowen until this moment when they realized that the unassuming scholar in front of them was actually the teacher of the Grand Secretary of the current dynasty.
While they were shocked, they were also puzzled. Why would someone who was already the teacher of the First Grand Secretary take the imperial examination? Wasn't this just occupying a position without doing anything?