Chapter 45: Submitting the Exam Early

Developing a grand unification theory using the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Four Seasons—one that could articulate the profound mysteries of heaven and earth and the cyclical birth and demise of all things—had always been the ultimate goal of the Agricultural School of thought.

This proposition was far too grand and profound. It was impossible to answer fully; not even a Grand Minister of Agriculture of the highest rank could achieve it.

Yet precisely for this reason, anyone could secure some points from the final question.

A low-ranking official simply needed to answer according to current orthodox theories, writing down rote-memorized knowledge, and they could easily salvage two or three points out of twenty.

If they could forge even a slight connection among the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Four Seasons, they could claim half the points.

To score higher, however, one had to demonstrate a degree of originality.

At the same time, it could not be too unorthodox; it still had to rest upon the foundation of existing theories, otherwise it would be dismissed as "wild fabrication." Even experienced agricultural officials could not necessarily pull this off.

Since genuine originality was so difficult, why insist on including such a question?

Because the doctrines of the Five Elements and the Four Seasons were of paramount importance. Whenever agricultural officials drafted seasonal decrees, they invariably referenced these theories to channel their spells.

If the four seasons failed to manifest, they had to be set—how? They had to be set in conjunction with the Five Elements.

If the four seasons fell into chaos, they had to be adjusted—how? Once again, by harnessing the power of the Five Elements.

Thus, this question was fundamentally evergreen.

"Officials are free to answer as they please, expressing their own views and conjectures, yet the response must still cater to the examiners' preferences," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"If the examiner belongs to the Heavenly Timing School, the response must align with the theories set forth in *The Great Five Elements of Heavenly Timing*. If the examiner belongs to the 'Terrestrial Advantage School', the 'Theory of Earthly Dominance in the Final Month of Summer' is most appropriate."

"And if it is the Inner Self School? That would be *The Classic of Inner Self on Yin-Yang and the Five Elements*. However, the Inner Self School is weak; its ideology is not popular, having little to do with mainstream doctrines, so using it feels forced."

The Inner Self School posited that within every living creature there operated a set of heavenly rhythms—in plain terms, a "biological clock." It matched the five viscera to the Five Elements and assigned the remaining bodily organs to the heavenly stems and earthly branches.

This doctrine was known as the "Lesser Five Elements and Four Seasons Theory," or alternatively, the "Inner Five Elements and Four Seasons Theory." Its very name revealed why it was rejected by the mainstream; it was obscure and esoteric.

Yet, when the version update of spiritual revival arrived, the Inner Self School would rise to prominence, and this theory would sweep the realm, utterly crushing all other schools.

This was because it enabled practitioners to "cultivate primordial soil within the body" and "nurture native seed-species within the elixir field," even allowing one to gaze inward at the cosmos and form a world of one's own.

But if one were to write that down right now, even members of the Inner Self School would think you were a lunatic. At present, the absolute limit was barely managing to "cultivate primordial soil"; a world of one's own within the body? You must be out of your mind!

Therefore, Zhao Xing immediately dismissed it.

"The earliest treatises on the Five Elements paired Jia with wood, Bing with fire, Wu with earth, Geng with metal, and Ren with water. But the correlation was far too weak, completely ignoring the need for seasonal harmony."

"Later on, the four seasons were divided into three monthly phases: Meng (beginning), Zhong (middle), and Ji (ending)."

"The three months of spring—Mengchun, Zhongchun, and Jichun—are located in the east, belong to the Five Elements as wood, and are paired with Jia and Yi."

"The first two months of summer—Mengxia and Zhongxia—are located in the south, belong to the Five Elements as fire, and are paired with Bing and Ding."

"The third month of summer—Jixia—is located in the center, belongs to the Five Elements as earth, and is paired with Wu and Ji."

"The three months of autumn—Mengqiu, Zhongqiu, and Jiqiu—are located in the west, belong to the Five Elements as metal, and are paired with Geng and Xin."

"The three months of winter—Mengdong, Zhongdong, and Jidong—are located in the north, belong to the Five Elements as water, and are paired with Ren and Gui."

This was the mainstream "Theory of Earthly Dominance in the Final Month of Summer."

Zhao Xing had no intention of striving for a flashy brilliance. Since he was practically guaranteed not to drop points elsewhere, he had already done enough to stand out in this examination. Consequently, he simply copied down the mainstream theory word for word.

By doing so, he was guaranteed at least thirty percent of the score.

"If this question had appeared in a formal imperial examination, I could have added a few refinements. The current allocation of the Five Elements to the months is uneven; fire and earth are far too weak, combined accounting for a mere two months."

"Should I include a tiny fraction of my own perspective?"

Zhao Xing pondered for a full hour, holding his brush aloft without moving.

In the end, he decided to add a couple of sentences.

"Of the Five Elements, none is more precious than earth. Earth governs all seasons without exception, yet it does not contend with fire for merit and renown."

"Let wood, fire, metal, and water each govern a single season, while earth resides in the center, holding the plumb line to regulate the four quarters."

Having written these two lines, Zhao Xing wrote no further. This merely slightly improved upon the flaw of the uneven distribution of months among the Five Elements; it was not a drastic alteration.

In reality, it stripped "earth" of its role in "unifying the four seasons," leaving it with the mere empty title of "regulating the four quarters."

Yet this was quite enough. For a minor official to write such things was already enough to demonstrate profound contemplation.

In truth, this was the embryonic form of the later "Theory of Earthly Dominance Across the Four Seasons." However, Zhao Xing had no intention of releasing the refined version of future eras just yet; virtue mismatched with position invited disaster, and excessive speech brought calamity.

............

Having answered the final question, Zhao Xing discovered to his astonishment that dawn had broken; a new day had arrived.

"The exam started in the afternoon, and now it's the morning of the second day? I've actually been writing for this long? It seems I spent far too much time pondering the last question."

True top scholars knew how to manage their scores. During the last examination, Zhao Xing had managed not only his own score, but those of others as well.

This time, having to consider practical repercussions, he had deliberated somewhat longer.

"I'm starving. I haven't eaten a thing, and the food delivered here has long since gone cold."

Ever since striking it rich by dredging the river, Zhao Xing could no longer look upon these cold "employee meals" with any favor.

He intended to hand in his paper early anyway; once out of the examination hall, he would go find a proper restaurant.

Zhao Xing gathered his answer sheets, making sure not a single one was missing, and hugged them to his chest as he walked toward the invigilation hall.

Early in the morning, the sky was not yet fully bright, but patrols and invigilation were by no means relaxed. In a formal imperial examination, even divine spirits would descend to invigilate, preventing any ghostly intervention or cheating!

"Hmm? Why are you handing in your paper so early?" Shen Wenzhong sat within the hall, watching Zhao Xing walk in alongside the guards, and could not help frowning.

He believed Zhao Xing was being far too arrogant. Less than half of the allotted time had passed, and he was already finished?

Shen Wenzhong naturally knew the difficulty of the questions he had set. To screen for talent and recommend individuals to the commandery, each subsequent test grew progressively harder than the last.

Zhao Xing's comprehension of spells was admirable, but theory was an entirely different matter; a muscle-bound warrior did not necessarily craft brocade essays.

"Two top-tier grades in succession—has that bred a sense of arrogant conceit within him?"

Zhao Xing submitted his answer sheets and then bowed. "My lords, I have come to submit my examination papers."

Gao Linong, Tang Wanchun, and Pang Yuan were rather astonished upon seeing this. Their thoughts were much the same as Shen Wenzhong's: you finished all of this in such a short span of time?

Yet immediately they reined in their expressions, becoming neutral and emotionless, though a single shared thought ran through their minds:

Very well, very well. We do not fear an arrogant lad; we only fear a lad who isn't arrogant enough. Since you are the first to hand in your paper, we shall most certainly scrutinize it with the utmost severity. There will be no leniency whatsoever!

Chen Shijie, however, held a different view. His confidence in Zhao Xing far surpassed that of the others—a trust born naturally from being a "soulmate."

"Good. The very first to submit his paper—as expected, my judgment of you was not mistaken. Wait here for a brief moment; the rest of us will grade your work presently."