Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 11 Examination

Seated at the head of the main hall was a refined-looking old man in his fifties, who was Hai Xiuyuan, Lu Wang's classmate.

When he saw Zhou An enter, he put down his teacup and looked Zhou An up and down.

"Grandfather, they've arrived!"

Haisi bowed slightly and stepped aside.

"Junior Zhou An greets Academician Hai!" Zhou An bowed and said.

"No need for such formalities!"

Hai Xiuyuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Xuewen mentioned you in his letter before, praising you highly. Please sit down."

"Thank you, Master Xie. This is a gift that Instructor Lu asked me to bring for you."

After Zhou An expressed his gratitude, he presented the long wooden box he was carrying.

He opened it on the way and saw that it was a piece of calligraphy written by Lu Wang himself.

Hai Xiuyuan asked Hai Simian to accept the gift and then invited Zhou An to sit down.

"How is Xuewen's health?" Hai Xiuyuan asked.

Xuewen was Lu Wang's courtesy name. Generally speaking, it is very impolite to call someone by their given name except for their immediate family elders.

"Your Excellency is in good health and has asked me to convey your regards," Zhou An replied.

"He didn't accept you as a student?"

Hai Xiuyuan was somewhat surprised. If Lu Wang accepted Zhou An as a student, then Zhou An should call him teacher.

"No." Zhou An shook his head slightly.

"Sigh, it seems he hasn't gotten over it yet," Hai Xiuyuan sighed.

Zhou An was taken aback upon hearing this. Judging from Hai Xiuyuan's meaning, could there be another story behind this?

"Xuewen said that you could study at Jinling Academy for a period of time. I also wrote back to tell him that if you want to go to Jinling Academy, you need to take a test and you can only go after you pass the test."

Hai Xiuyuan paused for a moment and then said, "If you can't pass, I'll have to arrange for you to study at another academy in Jinling. Are you ready?"

Zhou An was taken aback. Lu Wang had never told him that there would be an exam.

He thought that once he arrived in Jinling, he could stay and go directly to Jinling Academy. He didn't even know there would be an exam, so he had no preparation at all.

"Xue Wen remains as confident as ever; that old habit hasn't changed at all!"

Hai Xiuyuan laughed and said, "It seems he thinks highly of you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou An could only manage a forced smile. There was no need to think so highly of him; he himself lacked confidence.

"Don't be nervous. The entrance test isn't too difficult. Since you're so confident, you'll definitely be fine," Hai Xiuyuan reassured him.

Zhou An could only nod and say, "This junior understands!"

"Do you know anything about the affairs of the court?" Hai Xiuyuan asked.

Zhou An knew this was a test, and said, "I often read the official gazettes of the court and have some understanding of them. May I ask what Scholar Hai is referring to?"

The Imperial Gazette was a newspaper published by the imperial court and distributed to officials at all levels for their reading.

It was compiled by the Imperial Secretariat and then reviewed by the Secretariat and the Privy Council before it could be printed.

The contents include imperial edicts, appointments and removals of officials, memorials from officials, and military reports.

Of course, these are all things that have already been decided. The purpose of issuing these documents to officials is to ensure that they are aware of important events in the court.

Due to various reasons such as transportation and printing efficiency, these local gazettes were issued once a month.

Ultimately, the purpose of studying is to become an official. The county examination is alright, as it mainly tests what one can learn from books, with at most some simple political questions added to ask how to handle the situation.

In the provincial examinations, there were policy essays. The policy essay topics for the metropolitan and palace examinations could even be current affairs.

Therefore, candidates must have a certain political insight and be familiar with some of the policies and issues in the Central Government.

Many people have a misconception that the ancient imperial examinations only tested the Four Books and Five Classics, and that as long as you mastered those, you could pass the imperial examinations.

Zhou An used to think so too, but after he actually came into contact with the imperial examination, he realized that it wasn't like that at all.

There was one advantage to studying at the county school. Whenever a gazette came down from the capital, the teachers at the academy would give it to them to read.

"Two months ago, Prime Minister Han stepped down from his position as Privy Councilor and assumed the post of Grand Chancellor. There has been much discussion among the people that the Emperor intends to restart reforms. What do you think?" Hai Xiuyuan asked.

"..."

Zhou An really wanted to ask, is such a sensitive topic something that can be discussed so casually?

A few years ago, when Han Zhang was transferred back to the capital to serve as the Minister of the Three Departments, there were already related discussions.

The discussion gradually subsided only because there was no further development.

Two months ago, Han Zhang was promoted to Grand Chancellor, and this discussion resurfaced, with many people believing that the Emperor had not mentioned reforms before because he was waiting for the right opportunity.

Now that Han Zhang has become the Grand Chancellor, the Emperor will inevitably restart the reforms.

As if sensing Zhou An's worry, Hai Xiuwen smiled and said, "Nowadays, every scholar in the world discusses this matter. It's just being talked about in private now, so it's alright."

Zhou An knew he had no choice but to speak up, so he pondered for a moment and said, "This junior believes that His Majesty has no intention of implementing reforms."

Hai Xiuyuan's expression remained unchanged, and he nodded slightly to signal him to continue.

"If His Majesty truly intended to implement reforms, he would have mentioned it directly when Han Xianggong was promoted to Grand Chancellor."

In fact, Zhou An felt that the Emperor was more like making preparations for the future.

The reason for transferring some reformers back to Bianjing was to balance the power in the court.

When the new laws failed, the reformists were all demoted and banished from the capital, leaving only the conservatives in the court.

Although the conservatives were merely banding together to oppose the reforms, they were not a monolithic group.

However, the emperor's previous sons all died young, and he only had a son again last year.

The young prince is not even a year old yet, but the Emperor is already quite old.

If the emperor were to suddenly pass away, the prince would still be young, and the situation in the court could easily spiral out of control.

Only by balancing the power dynamics within the court can the emperor feel at ease.

He dared not voice this speculation.

"Are you done talking?" Hai Xiuyuan asked.

"Um."

Zhou An said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry to have made Hai Xuezheng laugh at me."

"hehe."

Hai Xiuyuan smiled and didn't continue on that topic, but instead started talking about other things.

After chatting for more than half an hour, seeing that it was getting late, he said, "It's getting late. I'll have Mian-ge take you to settle down first, and then we'll have lunch."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Hai Xue."

Zhou An stood up and said, "But I have friends waiting for me, so I won't bother you any longer. I'll come to visit again after I've settled in!"

He had intended to present his calling card and visit again the next day, but he never expected that Hai Xiuyuan would be home and meet him directly.

Therefore, I didn't even prepare a gift, so I felt embarrassed to ask you to stay for a meal.

"Since you still have companions waiting for you, then I won't keep you any longer. Once you've settled in, remember to send someone to let me know."

"I've got it!"

"Mian-ge'er, see Huai-de off for me."

"yes!"

Hai Si stepped forward and said, "Brother Zhou, please!"

"This junior takes his leave!"

Zhou An bowed and left the Hai family home, escorted by Hai Simian.

After seeing Zhou An off, Hai Simian returned to the main hall and saw his grandfather unfolding a calligraphy scroll to appreciate.

"Grandfather, the person has been sent away!"

"Um."

Hai Xiuyuan nodded slightly, rolled up the letter, and put it into the wooden box.

"What do you think of Zhou An?" Hai Xiuyuan asked.

"My grandson thinks it will be difficult for him to pass the academy's test," Hai Simian said.

"Oh?"

Hai Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Is it because of his answer to the Emperor's question about whether he wanted to implement reforms that he looks down on him?"