Chapter 91: A Difficult Question
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
…
"Boom!" The gong rounded, and represented the official start of the theory examination.
The examination paper was very quickly given out. A group of scholars instantly began to briefly glance over the questions. When they finished, their faces instantly turned into a bitter, forced smile.
Difficult…
It was too difficult!
Who was the one who had set this paper? He actually even included the Diagrams Tactics, and also the I Ching volume. This was a notoriously hard volume in the Law of Dao.
Even the vocabulary used was foreign and exotic. Most of the scholars simply skipped over this volume, even if there was someone who was able to read it, all they could do was read…
At this moment, Fang Zhengzhi also saw the contents of the I Ching that were being tested. Without the countless numbers of later generations' annotations and interpretations, it was really very hard to understand.
Just the terms mentioned in it - Force Hexagram, Field Hexagram, Sprouting Hexagram, Enveloping Hexagram, Attending Hexagram, Arguing Hexagram, Leading Hexagram, Grouping Hexagram, Small Accumulating Hexagram, Treading Hexagram, Pervading Hexagram, Obstruction Hexagram....
All these could cause people to become dizzy.
But, this evidently couldn't stump him. After all, the efforts of the later generations were great, and they had already used simple words to express the deep meanings behind this, and, the summary was very beautiful.
Other than the I Ching, the theory examination paper also tested the contents of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the main area being tested being the judgements and usages under different conditions.
From the examination paper, one could infer that the capital theory examination, compared to the county theory examination, was indeed much harder. Furthermore, the questions were very flexible, hence the possibility of cheating and copying the model answer was much lower.
Fang Zhengzhi saw this, he couldn't help by sigh. Even if Li Zhuangshi really managed to sabotage him, Cai Yongfeng probably wouldn't be able to care about him?
After all, based on conventional reasoning, it wouldn't be possible for answers that were completely the same to appear.
Hence, why would Cai Yongfeng take the risk to share his answers with Li Zhuangshi?
Fang Zhengzhi didn't think further, and quickly started to answer the questions. The summary of the Thirty-Six Stratagems was already done and classified nicely by later generations. Winning stratagems, desperate stratagems, enemy dealing stratagems, attacking stratagems etc… Theory-wise, Fang Zhengzhi had long ago committed these to heart.
As the surrounding scholars scratched their heads and pondered hard, Fang Zhengzhi had already begun to write furiously, wearing a light smile on his face, just as if he was copying out notes in class.
"He's so powerful?!"
"Such a hard question, yet writing after taking just one look?"
"Isn't this a little too extreme?"
The surroundings scholars were somewhat in disbelief. But, after all, Fang Zhengzhi had attained Roll Champion in the Huai An County, hence the possibility of him failing the theory examination was ultimately very small.
Even though they were dubious, but nobody believed that Fang Zhengzhi was scribbling nonsense.
Hence...
The surrounding scholars became much more stressed. They were initially already anxious, but when they saw Fang Zhengzhi's pen flying, and considered that the number of people passing the capital examination was limited, their foreheads instantly beaded with sweat.
"I must pass!"
"The reward of this capital examination is going to be the one and only of its kind!"
When the scholars thought of that special reward in this capital examination, they all couldn't bear to give. One by one, they calmed down, and began to ponder seriously.
But...
The capital examination's questions were really too difficult!
Fang Zhengzhi wrote very quickly, and continued to write just as fast the entire way. He just had to sweep his gaze across the question to come up with the answer. This feeling was very comfortable, just like a university student studying literature competing with high school students in an essay competition.
It was a bit of a bully.
But, bullying once in a while, what was wrong with that?
As he wrote, Fang Zhengzhi saw a weird question. Write from memory the twenty-seventh chapter in the Law of Dao and the Six Secret Teachings. This question wasn't too difficult.
After all, the Six Secret Teachings was a text even the generals in his previous world had to read.
The capital examinations emphasized military tactics and this was understandable.
However, when Fang Zhengzhi read, he was used to classifying them by name and title. When he read the Six Secret Teachings, he would split them into six portions, then, giving a title to each portion.
For example: Civil Strategy, Military Strategy, Dragon Strategy, Tiger Strategy, Leopard Strategy, Dog strategy etc… This didn't mean that he didn't read according to the order listed in the Law of Dao, but was instead a long-term habit.
Then…
Herein lay the problem.
Which chapter was the twenty-seventh chapter?!
Fang Zhengzhi stopped writing, and tried his best to recall what it was like when he was reading the Six Secret Teachings. He thought for exactly fifteen minutes, but didn't recall anything about the twenty-seventh chapter flashing across his mind before.
Was he about to lose marks?!
Fang Zhengzhi looked to the back. There were still a few questions, but there weren't any further questions that caused him a headache in writing a chapter from memory.
When studying, the teacher had taught examination skills.
If one encountered a question one couldn't do, or didn't have the confidence in doing, then leave it blank first!
Fang Zhengzhi decided to do the questions behind.
The furious writing sound rang out again, and not too longer later, the questions behind had all been completed. Then, he had to come back to this problem regarding the twenty-seventh chapter again.
"Leaving a question blank! That is an action that disrespects my efforts!"
Fang Zhengzhi naturally couldn't leave this question blank. Not mentioning how many marks this was worth, this attitude alone wasn't very good.
Then…
He couldn't possibly write out the entire Six Stratagems?
Even if he did this, he still might not get the marks. The question was about writing the twenty-seventh chapter from memory, if one wrote out the entire volume, it was evidently not answering the question!
What to do?
Fang Zhengzhi felt that he should sneakily take a peek.
After all, the examination hall was huge, there would definitely be somebody who knows which chapter this twenty-seventh chapter was? He didn't ask for much, he just had to peek just once sentence, and everything would be solved.
A very cheerful thought, hence Fang Zhengzhi carried it out.
Opening his eyes wide, and using all his eye-power, his neck even elongated...
Unfortunately, the left and right side at the back were all completely separated by wooden boards. Even though the gap between every wooden board was only the length of a fist, but, it was still rather hard to look to the left and right through this gap.
As for the front, that was even more impossible. Everybody knew how hard it was to see the answers one was writing from behind him.
Other than a sweaty back, even the slightest bit of paper wouldn't be seen.
Alright…
Give up!
Fang Zhengzhi wasn't a perfectionist, occasionally leaving a tinge of regret, or damaging a beautiful piece of work, was still acceptable.
But, acceptable was acceptable. Giving up before the time was up was something he didn't wish to do. Hence, even though he clearly knew that he wouldn't be able to see anything, he still intensely and continuously swept his gaze about the examination venue. Sweeping his gaze across…
Then, he suddenly saw somebody in the same situation as him.
That was a fatty wearing brocade clothes. At this moment, the fatty seemed rather anxious. The beads of sweat that filled his forehead rolled down continuously, and his pair of eyes were wide open, looking left and right.
And on his right-hand side, an examinee was discreetly lifting up his examination paper in the direction of the fatty.
"Cheating?" The edges of Fang Zhengzhi's mouth curved into a smile.
Against a fatty like that who he felt no animosity towards, he didn't wish to report him. Ten years of intense studying and the imperial capital examination, how could that be a joke?
Never mind, let him be.
Just as he thought, Fang Zhengzhi's gaze quickly landed on a patrolling invigilator. At this moment, the invigilator's gaze was intensely fixated on this fatty.
On the other hand, the fatty continued to extend his neck, simply oblivious.
"Looks like they are about to be caught together…" Fang Zhengzhi shook his head rather sadly. Just as he lamented that this fatty and the examinee on his right were about to be asked to leave the examination venue, his eyes suddenly lit up.
Wait a minute…
I know!