Chapter 489
Chapter 489
*Clang!*
As the gong sounded, the examination papers were officially distributed to the candidates. Unable to wait, they all looked at the question and let out a collective murmur. The question was neither biased nor difficult, but it was exceedingly bold. The title was: *Discuss the Enfeoffment System.*
‘Your Majesty, it hasn’t been long since you annihilated Su Nan. Are you so impatient that you must declare the victory of the New Policies?’
If this question had been posed in the imperial examinations of the Great Yan Dynasty, it would not have been strange at all. In the Great Yan Dynasty, the New Policies had already reached their final stages. But the State of Yue, at best, was only halfway through implementing its New Policies, and it could even be considered a relative failure. Although Su Nan, a major leader of the old aristocracy, had been eliminated, it was due to rebellion, not the New Policies. Moreover, even the Great Yan Dynasty, which had successfully implemented its New Policies, had never posed such a question. Was it appropriate for our State of Yue to be the first to do so? And what stance were the candidates supposed to take on this issue?
Wasn’t the ultimate goal of the New Policies not only to strip the old aristocracy of their fiefdoms and private armies but also to separate civil and military authority, reorganize commanderies into prefectures, and cities into counties? In short, it meant implementing a centralized system of government. One only had to look at how the Great Yan Dynasty had accomplished this to understand. While the candidates could discuss such a radical topic privately, writing their thoughts down in a formal essay was a truly sensitive matter, leaving them on edge.
However, when Madman Nan saw the title of the policy essay, he was both wildly ecstatic and mournfully wailing inside. He wailed because he had hoped for a more difficult question, one that would require him to rack his brain and spend a whole day to compose an answer. He was ecstatic because he knew his own level; the policy essays he wrote, though citing precedents and crafted with perfect phrases, lacked a soul. Ning Zheng, Shen Lang, and Zhang Chong had all judged that while his essays would certainly pass, they would struggle to place in the top three. Zhang Chong, in particular, was a master of the imperial examinations, so his words carried credible authority. But this essay topic happened to be one he had memorized, so he wouldn't have to write it himself.
Shen Lang had forced him to memorize over a thousand policy essays, each a masterpiece for the ages. Among them, Liu Zongyuan’s *On Feudalism*, which championed the superiority of the prefecture and county system and criticized the trend of restoring the enfeoffment system, was a classic among classics. It could be said that among all the policy essays that had appeared in China over more than a thousand years, Liu Zongyuan's *On Feudalism* was a true gem, ranking among the top five.
Moreover, this essay was highly relevant to the current politics of the Great Yan Dynasty. The Great Yan Dynasty was vigorously implementing its New Policies, separating civil and military authority, and the prefecture and county system was already in place. Thus, with minor modifications, *On Feudalism* could be quoted in its entirety. Of course, this world had no Han or Tang dynasties, but it had similar ones. Furthermore, while some figures mentioned in *On Feudalism* did not exist in this world, every world had its heroes and great men. He just needed to replace the historical figures from *On Feudalism* with the heroes of this world.
The framework of an essay is like its soul. What Madman Nan's policy essays had lacked until now was precisely that soul, and the soul in the text of *On Feudalism* was profound enough to pierce the bone. However, Madman Nan did not let his joy get the better of him. He first considered King Ning Yuanxian’s intentions in setting this question. As a retainer representing the Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, his views had to reflect those of his prince. Therefore, his writing had to scratch the king’s innermost itch.
The king, having just secured a massive victory, must be feeling elated and eager to press on with the New Policies. So, what should Ning Zheng, as the weakest contender in the struggle for the throne, do? Naturally, he should maintain a deeply aligned stance with the king, pursuing a political direction that was in absolute agreement.
When a king chooses his successor, his personal likes or dislikes are important, but even more crucial is how that person will govern in the future. What monarchs throughout history feared most was that their political initiatives would be extinguished like a lamp upon their death. Ning Yuanxian, like any other king, would worry that the son who succeeded him might overturn all the policies and directives he had established.
‘Yes! I’ll write in that direction. I must use this examination to show His Majesty what is in Prince Ning Zheng’s heart. Your Majesty, the Crown Prince resembles you, and the Third Prince, Ning Qi, is also very outstanding, but their political approaches may not align with yours. Only Prince Ning Zheng can carry on all the policies you have implemented.’
Once Madman Nan had his direction, ideas for the essay flowed endlessly. He did not simply copy Liu Zongyuan’s *On Feudalism*—though he believed it was written by Shen Lang. In fact, the version of *On Feudalism* he had received was indeed written by Shen Lang, who had adapted Liu Zongyuan's original to better fit the politics and history of this world. But Madman Nan did not copy it verbatim. He used *On Feudalism* as the framework, altering phrases and citing precedents and current events. He wrote every word as if pained that he could not perfectly capture the king’s thoughts, crafting it so that with every paragraph, the king would slap his knee and exclaim, "Is the writer of this essay not my confidant?" With his course set, Madman Nan’s brush flew across the paper.
This paragraph was already perfect; he just needed to copy it from the original. There was no need to embellish it, which would have been like adding feet to a drawing of a snake and ruining a masterpiece. Greatly excited, Madman Nan continuously wrote down the magnificent phrases in his mind. Once he started, he couldn't stop. In just one short hour, Madman Nan had written freely, composing over two thousand characters in one go. The finished piece was exquisitely beautiful, without a single correction, and was clearly a masterpiece for the ages. After finishing, Madman Nan was so sure of his success that his blood boiled. He couldn't believe anyone else in this examination hall could surpass the policy essay he had written. It was absolutely impossible. A top-three finish was already a certainty; if luck was on his side in tomorrow’s poetry and prose section, he had an eighty to ninety percent chance of taking first place.
‘Hahaha! I’ve done it. Young Master Shen, Prince Ning Zheng, I have not let you down!’
In just one short hour, Madman Nan had completed his policy essay, *Discuss the Enfeoffment System*, without a single correction afterward. Then, he once again turned his paper over, rested his head on the desk, and fell soundly asleep. This time, he had put a lot of thought and energy into writing the essay, so he quickly fell asleep and even began to snore. The surrounding candidates heard the sudden snoring and instinctively looked up. Wasn't it that worthless scum, Madman Nan, still sleeping during the exam?
‘He’s mad, completely mad! The first day’s subject wasn’t critical, so one could sleep, but the policy essay on the second day is extremely important. And yet he’s sleeping again today? Ning Zheng, Shen Lang, and even His Majesty the King will become laughingstocks of the realm. Especially His Majesty the King! He trusted Shen Lang and granted Madman Nan the status of an Imperial Academy student so he could take this special provincial examination. And the day before yesterday, when all the civil and military examination candidates went to surround the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Military Affairs, the king issued an order suppressing them all for your sake. Do you know how much public outrage he endured for that? And yet you sleep through every single exam? This is a brazen slap in the face to the king. Just you wait. As soon as this examination is over, you’ll be torn to shreds and die by a thousand cuts, and Shen Lang will suffer an inexplicable disaster. You’re all finished!’
A proctor on patrol saw Madman Nan sleeping again and couldn't help but frown.
‘This time, Shen Lang is finished, and so is Prince Ning Zheng.’
Hearing Madman Nan’s clear, resonant snores, the proctor walked over and tapped on his desk. Madman Nan simply shifted his sleeping position, and the snoring stopped. The proctor sneered inwardly and walked away.
‘Go on, sleep. Keep sleeping. You only have a few days left to sleep. Your head will soon be on the ground, and Shen Lang will probably be thrown in prison, won’t he?’
It was easy to imagine how the king would unleash his fury after being so thoroughly humiliated.
Just like the previous day, Madman Nan slept until noon. After waking up, he ate lunch and then spent the day happily reading *Journey to the West* in his mind. As much as he preferred *Battle Through the Heavens*, he had already finished the first volume yesterday, so he had no choice. Reading like this, evening came again, and numerous candles were lit inside the examination hall. Although there was only one question for today’s policy essay section, it took a very long time to write, revise, and deliberate over every word. Because the policy essay was a heavily weighted and crucial subject, almost every candidate flipped their papers over and over, making numerous corrections until they felt it was perfect.
But in Madman Nan’s examination stall, no candle was lit. He had wrapped himself in a blanket early on and lay down on the floor to sleep. For the past few years, he had slept on the floor every day; only after taking refuge with Ning Zheng did he get to sleep on a bed. Suddenly sleeping on the floor again felt quite familiar. However, perhaps because he had slept too much during the day, he couldn't fall asleep now that it was night.
‘Should I read some more, then?’
He then began to read *Boundless Wind and Moon* in his mind, and as he read, he became aroused. But what could he do? This was the examination hall. There was a water bucket, but washing up was inconvenient.
‘Should I just endure it? The examination hall is not a good place for self-pleasure.’