txolops Chapter 046 Civil Service Examination
Chapter 046 Civil Service Examination
The small window in the study was opened, and Li Yue sat at his desk, holding a yellowed copy of "The Doctrine of the Mean" in his hands, studying it.
Classical Chinese is difficult to understand. When I encounter some parts that I don't understand, I stop and think about them. If I still can't figure them out, I mark them for now and think about asking Mr. Wang in town for help later.
It is said that Mr. Wang had taught literature at the academy for several years and should have some knowledge of the Doctrine of the Mean, one of the Five Classics.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
Qianqian's voice came from an old umbrella leaning against the corner of the wall.
The wandering ghosts are shallow in their cultivation, fear sunlight and are afraid of roosters crowing, but they do not disappear during the day. They can still be active in places without light.
"read."
Li Yue didn't even look up, and said something indifferently.
"Of course I know you're reading, sir. What I mean is, what are you reading for, sir?"
Qianqian spoke again, her voice filled with curiosity.
In her eyes, Li Yue was a high and mighty god. Why would a god need to study?
Li Yue put the book down for the moment, a confident smile appearing on his lips, and uttered two words softly.
"Taking the civil service exam."
"Roasting a bow? What does that have to do with a bow? How can you roast it without a fire?"
"Ignorant and incompetent, I mean you want to pass the imperial examinations and gain official rank."
"To pass the imperial examinations and gain official rank..."
Qianqian opened her eyes slightly, still not understanding, but judging from Li Yue's expression, he seemed very powerful.
Li Yue chuckled again, thinking, "This little brat has no idea about the benefits of taking the civil service exam."
Seventeen hundred years later, that was just a secure job, but now it's a real chance to rise to prominence and achieve great success!
Of course, Li Yue followed the path of the divine; worldly riches and honors were nothing but dirt to him. What he truly valued was the power within the government.
Little did they know, the Emperor's word could bestow divine status.
As long as he passes the civil service exam and obtains an official position, such as a county magistrate, he can directly order every household to set up a shrine to him and for everyone to worship and pay homage to him.
At that time, wouldn't the incense offerings be endless, and wouldn't the golden statue be completed in an instant? If we were to think a little bolder, a sixteen-foot-tall golden statue might not be impossible. As for the rank of the ceremonial register, wouldn't it rise as quickly as drinking water?
There's no need for us to work so hard every night, putting on a show with Qianqian, just to fool a few believers.
Classical Chinese is really difficult.
It was already noon, and I had only managed to turn a few pages of the Doctrine of the Mean, albeit with some difficulty.
Li Yue sighed, closed the book, tossed it on the desk, and got up to cook.
As a soul, he doesn't need to eat; he can consume qi (vital energy). However, this body does.
Shen Qingzhu was scared to death by Qianqian; in modern medical terms, it was cardiac arrest.
In other words, the body was actually undamaged.
After Li Yue possessed the body, his soul moved the physical body, stimulating the heart and causing it to resume beating.
The heart started beating again, and the body naturally came back to life, but the soul inside had now been replaced by Li Yue.
Rather than being a reincarnation, it was more like a possession and rebirth. However, Li Yue did not destroy Shen Qingzhu's soul; instead, Shen Qingzhu left the underworld on her own.
Li Yue was amazed at how rare it was to find a body that was ready to be used immediately and completely undamaged.
"They're really poor."
Looking into the east wing kitchen, one sees a lack of oil and salt, and the rice container is almost empty. As for meat and vegetables, there are none at all.
Li Yue couldn't help but sigh. He'd just have a sip of well water to tide him over; he shouldn't starve to death if he skipped two meals.
He then turned around and went back to his study to continue studying the book "The Doctrine of the Mean".
"Sir, weren't you going to eat?"
"What's the point of eating if there's no rice?"
"If Shen Qingzhu hadn't been a compulsive gambler and a spendthrift, my entire collection of furniture alone would have been enough to buy countless meters of rice."
Qianqian snorted coldly and continued.
"Why don't we wait until tonight, and I'll go to the grain store's rice warehouse in town and bring back some rice and flour?"
"Hmm, some more vegetables and meat, please."
"I might as well go and get some money!"
"That works too."
Li Yue nodded, saying that a true man doesn't concern himself with trifles and that moral boundaries can sometimes be appropriately lowered.
Without further ado, let's continue studying the Doctrine of the Mean.
As evening approached, the evening incense offerings arrived. Li Yue sat cross-legged, calming his mind and continuing to refine his golden body.
By the time the incense offerings were finished, night had already fallen.
He called out to Qianqian and got to work.
Qianqian went to fool the ignorant masses, while Li Yue pretended to be a savior god, and another busy night ensued.
As dawn broke, Li Yue finished consuming the morning incense offerings, took the silver that Qianqian had casually taken from a wealthy household the night before, and went out to buy some rice and vegetables.
I cooked something simple when I got back, and at least I filled my stomach.
Then I picked up the Doctrine of the Mean and started scratching my head again.
Several days passed in this manner, and it remained the same.
"A dog chews on a turtle."
That morning, Li Yue returned home and angrily threw the books aside.
Taking the civil service exam?
Exam my ass!
This is 1,700 years ago, assuming the Journey to the West world follows the timeline of official history. If we calculate, it's only up to the Jin Dynasty, which adopted the Nine-Rank System, also known as the Nine-Rank Official System.
In each prefecture and county, a magistrate was appointed to evaluate local talents, classify them into nine grades, and then select officials based on family background, virtue, and ability.
There was no such thing as an imperial examination system at all!
That system only emerged four or five hundred years later during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and truly flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
In this era, being a scholar was merely a profession, not much different from that of a common laborer. It was just that this profession was somewhat more refined; in an ordinary family, it would be considered a sign of poverty.
He didn't even take the imperial examinations, so what kind of academic achievement did he obtain?
Moreover, this is Chechi Kingdom, not the Eastern Lands.
According to the geographical divisions in official history, it should be similar to the Western Regions.
The time and place are wrong. Even if he memorizes the Four Books and Five Classics perfectly, what use is it?
If you're going in the wrong direction, it's all for nothing.
So all he's been doing these past few days has been a waste of effort.
"Selecting officials..."
After a moment, Li Yue calmed down and pondered.
The absence of the imperial examination system might not have been a bad thing for him.
After all, if he were to actually take the imperial examination, with his last-minute cramming, he wouldn't even be able to understand the books, and he would definitely fail.
But if it's about selecting officials, he still has some chance.
Today he made a special inquiry and found that Chechi Kingdom was similar to the Central Plains in many national policies.
That makes sense when you think about it. The world of Journey to the West is a fictional world created from a novel. Wu Cheng'en was from the Central Plains, so the social structure he described was naturally largely based on the Central Plains.
The next question is, how to select an official?
"Family background?"
After careful analysis, Li Yue sighed softly again.
Selecting officials doesn't seem to be that easy either.
The Nine-Rank System was well-intentioned, but it was too subjective and therefore easily manipulated.
As the saying goes, nepotism prevailed. The officials selected by the Zhongzheng official came from powerful clans and aristocratic families.
Therefore, in the later stages, a situation arose where the upper ranks were devoid of commoners and the lower ranks were devoid of noble families.
Shen Qingzhu was just a poor scholar, not from a prominent family. Therefore, no matter how talented or virtuous he was, he could not be selected as an official.
Moreover, Shen Qingzhu is a scoundrel with no moral character, and Li Yue is utterly ignorant.
"We still need to plan this out carefully."
Li Yue walked around the room with his hands behind his back.
He thought to himself, if this really doesn't work, let Qianqian try and see if she can scare a few young masters from powerful families to death.