In Haojing City, thousands of scholars who had traveled from the provincial cities were waiting for the date of the Ministry of Rites Examination to arrive.
Inside and outside the Imperial City, after discussions with the Nine Ministers, Emperor Jingwu also confirmed the chief examiner and the selection of three associate examiners for this examination.
The examination questions for this Ministry of Rites Examination were simultaneously completed!
For the same examination, fifteen individuals were selected from the Sports and Arts College.
Each of these fifteen individuals must have a clean background, and are comprised of young Advanced Scholars.
The task of these officials is to assist with sealing, transcription, proofreading... and other tasks, effectively serving as assistants to the four chief examiners.
However, after the imperial examination questions are released, these nineteen officials are strictly monitored by the Daqian Court to prevent any actions that might impact the fairness of the talent selection process.
At this time, all attention in and around Haojing shifted away from the decaying battlefield in the south, and refocused on this spring Ministry of Rites Examination.
Many experienced Advanced Scholars were hurriedly preparing.
Early spring remained extremely cold, and staying in an enclosed exam room for nine consecutive days and nights in such a cold night required not just perseverance but also preparations, otherwise one could easily collapse halfway.
Every year there are such unfortunate individuals who faint midway through the examination, missing the triennial imperial exam.
The duration of the Ministry of Rites Examination is similar to the provincial exam, also divided into three sessions, one every three days, with different tests for the four books, five-word eight-tone poems, six classics, and policy questions.
This is a physically demanding task.
Whether it is provincial exams or Ministry of Rites Examinations, candidates enter a confined space the night before, and must stay there overnight, completing all daily necessities inside.
However, this presents no problem for Zhang Jian.
Cultivators have a definite advantage over others in this regard.
...
On February 8, this day finally arrived amidst the eager anticipation of many scholars.
The dark and gloomy night was illuminated with torchlight like a dragon!
In front of the Imperial College Examination Hall, Dragon Sect was slowly opening.
Before Dragon Sect, thousands of scholars gathered outside, many dressed in padded cloaks, holding small hand warmers, with attendants by their side carrying exam baskets filled with ink and dry food, kept as tidy and simple as possible.
The simpler it is, the fewer procedures when entering later.
Zhang Jian was no exception; he was dressed in a satin blue fur-lined robe, with his hair crowned by a jade hairpin, although he had not formally undergone the hair crowning ceremony, no one would question it at this time.
"Brother Zhang, how do you feel?"
Nearby, Shi Lun, Zhan Xiong, and several other scholars from the Southern Provinces were present, Shi Lun speaking with a cheerful demeanor.
Several scholars around also turned their gaze towards him.
Having spent time together recently, everyone knew that despite this young scholar being younger than them, he was full of knowledge and exceptionally talented.
If anyone among those present had the highest hope of passing the Ministry of Rites Examination and entering the Palace Examination, it was undoubtedly this young scholar.
Facing the gaze of the scholars, Zhang Jian simply smiled and said,
"Burn the midnight oil and rise at the crow of dawn, ten years of arduous study is finally for today!"
"Indeed, today is the day!"
Shi Lun and others were greatly encouraged as well.
Many scholars nearby smiled upon hearing this.
At this moment, accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs, a governmental official's voice was loudly heard by Dragon Sect.
"Dragon gate is open, please line up to enter. Prepare all items beforehand, and be sure not to carry anything unauthorized, otherwise detection will result in being escorted to Haojing Prefecture's government office, and the court will revoke your title and permanently disqualify you from service!"
At this time, squads of city defense soldiers were constantly sent over to begin stationing at the Imperial College Examination Hall.
Zhang Jian faintly sensed that he was surrounded by waves of Divine Power.
At Dragon Sect, several gatekeepers were already in position to start examining the items carried by the scholars.
Such procedures were experienced by every scholar.
This inspection was extremely strict; even dry food was split open, and grains were checked for any markings.
Zhang Jian noticed several daoists and martial artists from Dong Shen Temple beside Dragon Sect, each holding Dharma Artifacts seemingly to identify something.
Seeing this, Zhang Jian was unconcerned, knowing that among the thousands of scholars present, there were many Inner Cultivation Martial Artists and some cultivators with Spiritual Mechanism flowing in them.
Evidently, the Daqian Court did not exclude their presence; rather, they were eager for their talents.
Those belong to special skills.
If voluntarily exposed, it could even be an additional merit, allowing them to hold special government positions without needing to go through the imperial examination process.
...
The long queue lasted for a while, as thousands of scholars proceeded to the examination together, creating a grand but arduous scene; many scholars stood in the chilly wind for hours at Dragon Sect, yet the distance to Dragon Sect was still lengthy and genuinely exhausting.
The only thing alleviating the monotony was the increasing number of vendors gathering around, along with many family members of wealthy households.
For vendors, it was understandable; merchants in Haojing often seized business opportunities during these times, promoting ink, paper, brushes, and various dry food and fine snacks.
There were also services for temporarily taking one's place in the line, helpful for scholars enduring long wait times who needed to relieve themselves; they couldn't really relieve themselves in their pants during the long wait.
With cold weather and surrounded by many spectators, that would be disgraceful.
Despite having some substitutions available, after entering the Imperial College Examination Hall, the first thing many scholars did was a hundred-meter dash to seize the limited urinal's use.
When Zhang Jian entered, the sky was faintly bright.
He first checked his exam venue and number on the red list at the Imperial College Examination Hall, confirmed no issues, and then queued at the main hall of the Imperial College.
According to tradition, before the spring examination begins, examiners lead scholars to pay respects to the Saints enshrined at the Imperial College.
Before the Divine Aspect of the Saints in the Imperial College, Zhang Jian distinctly felt the dense incense's Divine Power fluctuations, besides a purely Vast Righteous Qi.
Led by four officials dressed in purple robes, thousands of scholars gathered in a vast area, preparing to complete the final step before the spring examination.
Then the Dragon Sect was formally closed.
The nine-day and six-night examination officially began.
...
Zhang Lu stood outside Dragon Sect, breathed a sigh of relief seeing Zhang Jian enter and the gate closed.
Zhang Lu still had a look of confident ambition in his eyes.
He had great faith in Zhang Jian, having watched firsthand how this Young Master persevered on his journey.
Now all that was left was to quietly await news.
He planned to take this opportunity to write a letter reporting the situation to Clan Leader Zhang Yi for peace of mind.
But just as he was about to leave, he encountered a beautiful woman approaching, carrying herself with a dignified demeanor, clearly from a wealthy and prestigious family; she was adorned with an exquisite hairpin, and smiled as she stepped forward to inquire.
"Young brother, does your Young Master bear the surname Zhang, and might he be the renowned young scholar from Fengyang County?"