The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0798 Talent (1)

The metropolitan examinations held in the capital attracted more than ten thousand candidates, creating an immensely grand spectacle. The capital became extraordinarily lively whenever the metropolitan examinations were held. However, this time the examination was held in Haocheng, and despite attracting a great deal of attention, there were too few candidates for the area to become bustling. Because there were so few candidates, there was practically no cheating either.

The nine days passed quickly, and the next step was marking the examination papers. With little else going on in the eleventh month, Yuxi handed over government affairs to Yun Qing and joined Tan Tuo and Han Jianming in marking them. Having never dealt with this sort of thing before, participating in the entire process was also a way for Yuxi to gain experience.

In half a day, Yuxi had gone through more than half of the examination papers. She had not discovered anyone with the talent to govern the realm, and she was dissatisfied with most of the papers.

Yuxi tossed the examination paper in her hand back onto the table, rubbed her temples, and said to Han Jianming, "Dage, I think that if women were also allowed to sit for the imperial examinations, perhaps I could even bring a Number One Scholar home for the Han family!" At this level, they were not even as good as her!

Han Jianming responded very seriously, "I have always regretted that you were born a woman. If you had been a man, the Han family would certainly have regained its former glory." Perhaps it might even have advanced another step and become a dominant power in its own right. Unfortunately, Yuxi was a woman, so Yun Qing reaped all the benefits.

Hearing this, the gloom in Yuxi's heart was swept completely away. She cheerfully said, "Dage, you're getting better and better at flattering people." She had only just said that to relax a little; she didn't really think she had the talent to become the Number One Scholar. It was simply because there were so few scholars in the northwest. If she were in Jiangnan, where literary culture flourished, her limited learning would not even qualify to cushion the bottom.

Tan Tuo was a very steady person. Instead of joining in the brothers' and sisters' joking, he kept his head down and continued reviewing the papers, burying himself in his work. When he came across one examination paper, he frowned slightly, but he still read it very carefully. After finishing it, he handed it to Yuxi and said, "Wangfei, I think this answer is quite good. Have a look."

Yuxi took it and looked at it. Seeing that the handwriting was crooked and twisted like earthworms, she frowned. "With handwriting like this, how did he pass the first two rounds of examinations?" There was a saying that put it well: a person is reflected in their handwriting. With handwriting like that, it was obvious the person himself was probably nothing much either.

Tan Tuo replied, "His handwriting isn't the best, but his answer demonstrates an excellent level of understanding. Wangfei, please read it carefully." He had only taken the time to read it seriously because there weren't many examination papers. Otherwise, he would have tossed it aside long ago.

Yuxi knew Tan Tuo well. If he said something was good, then it must certainly have something exceptional about it. She sat down patiently and read it carefully. After finishing, she said, "It's very plain and practical." There was no flowery language or expansive, lofty discussion; the writing was extremely straightforward.

Tan Tuo said, "I think this candidate probably comes from a poor family." Presumably, his family was so poor that his handwriting had turned out this badly. After all, good handwriting was also something built up with money. Never mind that brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were already a considerable expense; even copybooks for practising calligraphy were beyond what ordinary families could afford.

Yuxi shook her head and sighed, "I always say that one mustn't judge people by their appearance, yet I've gone and made the same mistake again." Had Tan Tuo not been so meticulous, they would have missed such a talented person.

Han Jianming did not particularly agree with Yuxi's view. This person probably had some talent, but he was unlikely to be exceptionally outstanding. The fact that Tan Tuo had picked him out now merely amounted to choosing the tallest man among a group of short men. "Yuxi, if we stick to the original requirements, more than half of them won't pass." What he meant was that they should loosen the requirements and select a few more people. Otherwise, after mentally and physically wearing themselves out arranging three rounds of examinations, they would end up selecting only a handful of useful people. It would hardly sound good if word got out.

Yuxi shook her head. "Anyone who doesn't meet the requirements will be screened out."

In the end, only eighteen people passed this examination. Of those eighteen, ten were from Haocheng, leaving only eight from all the other places combined. The number was far below expectations. Yuxi had originally thought that at least half of the candidates ought to pass.

When Yun Qing heard that only eighteen had passed, he exclaimed, "Isn't that far too few?" Eighteen people wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between one's teeth.

Yuxi replied, "It is very few, but when it comes to talent, what matters is quality, not quantity." If they had followed Yuxi's requirements strictly, there probably wouldn't even have been more than ninety candidates left after the second round.

Yun Qing sighed with some emotion. "The Northwest is a bitterly cold and impoverished land. People can barely get enough to eat, so where would they find money for schooling? Jiangnan is prosperous and wealthy, so there are far more scholars there, and naturally it produces more talented people as well." For an ordinary family to support one scholar, the entire family would need to contribute. The cost was simply too high. When people could not afford an education, naturally there were fewer talented scholars.

Yuxi could do nothing about this either. She had previously wanted to establish schools in every prefecture and county. Still, in reality, unless they provided students with free food and lodging so they could attend school, as they had in Yu City, they could not attract students. Even if they did recruit students, they would merely be children from wealthy families. And that went against Yuxi's original intention.

Yuxi said, "In three years, we'll establish schools throughout the various prefectures and counties. Then gifted children will also have the opportunity to study."

Yun Qing knew why Yuxi had said they needed to wait another three years. Firstly, they were short of money, and right now every coin must be spent on the knife's cutting edge. In three years, their finances would be more comfortable, and they would have the money to build schools. Secondly, in three years' time, the common people would certainly be living better lives than they were now. Once their lives had improved, they would voluntarily send their children to school to learn to read and write.

Thinking of Zaozao, who absolutely refused to study no matter what, Yuxi couldn't help saying, "Other people want the chance to study and learn to write, but they don't have the opportunity. Meanwhile, Zaozao lives amid blessings, yet she doesn't appreciate how fortunate she is."

As she said this, Yuxi remembered her own experiences of seeking an education all those years ago. Those days were truly enough to bring forth a handful of bitter tears!

Yun Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "How did the subject swerve back onto Zaozao again? Zaozao is still young. Don't put so much pressure on her. The more pressure you put on her, the less she'll want to learn. In a couple of years, when she becomes more sensible, she won't behave like this anymore."

Yuxi now felt an urge to unburden herself. "When I was little, my grandmother invited Teacher Song to teach us to read and write. Because Teacher Song set her sights very high, she was only willing to teach us for three months. After those three months, she only taught my San Jie. At the time, I was desperate to study, so I pleaded with Teacher Song. But she thought I lacked aptitude and rejected me."

Yun Qing stared in astonishment and exclaimed, "Song Mingyue actually thought you lacked aptitude? Was she blind?" If Yuxi lacked aptitude, then no one under heaven could be considered talented. Compared to Yuxi, he could just be thrown into the water.

Yuxi shook her head. "She wasn't blind. My San Jie was too gifted. She could learn something after being taught just once. In contrast, the same thing would take me three or four attempts before I understood it. With such a fine piece of jade before Teacher Song, it was perfectly normal that she didn't think much of me." It wasn't that Yuxi lacked aptitude; Yuchen was too much of a freakishly gifted prodigy.

Yun Qing said disdainfully, "A person's accomplishments do not depend solely on aptitude." Although Yuchen was celebrated as both the greatest beauty and the most talented woman under heaven, Yun Qing still thought Yuxi was far, far better than Yuchen.

Yuxi shook her head. "That isn't entirely true either. My San Jie is proficient in the qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, and other arts. Those aren't things that just anyone can master. As for what I learned, I only picked up a little skin and fur, so there's no comparing me with San Jie."

Yun Qing saw things differently from Yuxi. "The qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting can't be eaten as food, so what use is mastering them?" Yun Qing was a thoroughly practical man and had no interest in things like music or painting.

Yuxi did not argue with Yun Qing about that. Instead, she sighed and continued, "Back then, when Teacher Song refused to teach me, I knelt in front of her. I didn't even ask her to accept me as a formal disciple; I only asked to sit in on her lessons. Unfortunately, she wouldn't even agree to that. She said my aptitude was too poor and that I would only drag San Jie's hind leg." Usually, teachers tended to like students who were eager to learn and diligent. Yet Song Mingyue was precisely the opposite. She had disliked Yuxi from the very beginning, and in the end she had even wanted to place her in the land of death. Even now, Yuxi could not understand why.

Of course, it must be acknowledged that Song Mingyue possessed remarkable foresight. After all, Yuxi eventually rebelled and became a rebellious minister and a traitorous villain.

Yun Qing had no idea that Yuxi had endured such a distressing experience in her pursuit of an education. Yuxi was not the daughter of an impoverished family. In fact, she was the legitimate daughter of a Duke's household, a daughter of the nobility. Yet she had to kneel before a female teacher just to be allowed to study. Just imagining the scene made Yun Qing's heart ache for her. "Didn't you study under Song Mingyue for three years? How did she eventually agree to let you?"

Yuxi replied, "San Jie pleaded with Teacher Song on my behalf, and only then did Teacher Song agree to let me sit in on the lessons. Come to think of it, I still have San Jie to thank for that blessing." After saying this, she sighed again. "Unfortunately, she is in such a difficult position now, and there's nothing I can do to help her."

Yun Qing retorted coldly, "What blessing was there to thank her for? If the elders had been willing to step forward, would Song Mingyue really have refused even such a small request from you?" The ultimate reason was that the Han family elders did not care about Yuxi, treating her as though she were nothing, which led Song Mingyue to look down on her as well.

Seeing that Yun Qing was angry, Yuxi hurriedly said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. The final round of the examination is in ten days. When the time comes, you have to come with me."

Yun Qing had no intention of letting the subject go. He asked, "Yuxi, apart from this, what other grievances or mistreatment did you suffer in the past? Tell me everything."

Yuxi laughed. "What grievances could I possibly have had? I had enough food to eat, warm clothes to wear, and books to study. Compared with children from ordinary families, I was already very fortunate." She had only spoken up today because she had been moved to express her feelings at that particular moment. She hadn't wanted to complain to Yun Qing about past grievances; in fact, she didn't even consider them to be such.

Yun Qing embraced Yuxi and vowed, "From now on, I won't let anyone bully you ever again. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll take their life." His voice was filled with ruthlessness as he spoke.

Yuxi gently patted Yun Qing on the back and responded with a smile, "With you backing me up, who would dare bully me?" After a pause, Yuxi continued, "Actually, both boys and girls need an education. Only through studying can they learn reason and understand how the world works. I don't expect Zaozao to become a talented lady, but I absolutely cannot let her become someone with a simple mind with well-developed limbs."

Yun Qing laughed and promised, "From now on, when you're teaching Zaozao, I won't stick my hand into it anymore. Will that do?" If he still refused to agree, Yuxi would probably nag him about it every day.

Yuxi took the initiative to kiss Yun Qing as a reward. These days, when they were alone, she was no longer as shy as she had been before.