Song Yunfan paused at this thought. He picked up the paper he had designated for the top rank and looked at it, then picked up the second-ranked paper, which he felt had spiritual insight, and compared them repeatedly.
This time, he noticed something.
The candidate he had chosen for the top rank wrote excellent poetry and verse, but it was full of craftsmanship without soul, as if someone had used a ruler to write according to the preferences of people from Suzhou.
The second-ranked candidate, however, was full of spirit and originality in everything except his essays.
His poetry and verse, while not to Song Yunfan's personal taste, were realistic and documentary. At first glance, they seemed ordinary, but upon careful reading, they were left a lasting impression.
For example, both wrote about praising snow. The first candidate only described the snowscape, while the latter used snow as a metaphor to depict the misery of poor families in the harsh winter.
The first used beautiful phrasing that made readers yearn for the scene; the latter was realistic and full of genuine emotion.
Song Yunfan read slowly, savoring carefully, going through this candidate's paper from start to finish. The more he read, the more astonished and engrossed he became.
"Excellent! Excellent! Truly excellently written!" After finishing, Song Yunfan read it again.
It was completely different from the monotonous answers from Suzhou. The entire text was full of sincere emotion, without a single wasted word. Although the phrasing wasn't as beautiful as that of Suzhou writers, every word was like a masterstroke.
It could move scholars and also make common people weep. He was truly a rare talent.
As long as he studied diligently, his future official rank would surely not be beneath his own.
This time, it wasn't just about wanting this candidate to write the stele inscription for him. He sincerely crossed out the previously chosen top candidate and wrote this candidate's name in his place.
The stele inscription could be entrusted to the new top candidate. But what about the calligraphy for carving the stele?
Song Yunfan tapped the edge of his desk.
He was still very taken with that beautifully handwritten paper he had adored. He Jianghai was old; sending a stele with overly sharp calligraphy might not please him or catch his attention.
Other soft calligraphy styles were too soft, lacking dignity, making them unsuitable for a stele—they would look incongruous.
Xu Huaqian's calligraphy was just right—not too soft, not too rigid, perfectly balanced, and it could calm the mind, making it most suitable for the elderly.
Unfortunately, he had looked at that essay dozens of times and truly couldn't find a reason to include it; otherwise, he would have definitely admitted him.
Thinking of this, Song Yunfan was again itching to see that calligraphy. He picked up the pile of failed papers again to search for that particular paper.
...Hmm, let him admire it again! Admire it!
But no matter how he searched, he couldn't find that paper. It was as if it had never existed...
Panicked, he frantically went through the failed papers again, sweating profusely. He slammed the table and asked the educational official below: "Where is my calligraphy?! Where is my calligraphy?!"
The official below was also confused: "Sir, what calligraphy?"
"The one I held and looked at for several days!" Song Yunfan was almost frantic. This feeling of wanting to see something but not being able to find it was torture.
"Didn't you say, Sir, that apart from the good calligraphy, it had no redeemable qualities?" The official tilted his head, curiously looking at Song Yunfan's anxious state.
"This official wants to look again!" Song Yunfan thought about how he only saw the merit in Meng Fangxun's paper on the second read. Perhaps if he looked at Xu Huaqian's essay a few more times, he might also find some merit?
"Then it might have been taken by the servants to the storeroom for sealing." Such failed papers were usually sealed and stored in the examination compound for future reference in case of any changes. However, sometimes, if servants were lazy and didn't store them properly, they could get wet in the rain or faded by the sun, losing the writing...
Before he finished speaking, Song Yunfan hurried out the door, rushing toward the storeroom. He remembered it had rained last night.
The official watched, dumbfounded. Where was the usual impartial, iron-hearted lord? This was clearly saying one thing but meaning another!
The examination compound's storeroom wasn't as strict as the grading hall. These were all failed papers; unless under exceptional circumstances, they would never be taken back for re-grading.
Therefore, usually, besides a few lazy servants guarding the door, the county's Registrar and Magistrate could freely access them.
When Song Yunfan entered, the Magistrate of Yong'an Prefecture, Gu Fengchao, was carefully reviewing an exam paper. Song Yunfan didn't pay him much mind. After asking the servants, he searched through the newly delivered failed papers.
Still not there!
He was so anxious he was about to yell at the servants who had moved the papers when he noticed Gu Fengchao, who hadn't moved and was still reading a paper. He walked over for a look!
Hey! Wasn't this exactly the paper he was looking for?!
Song Yunfan stepped forward and snatched the paper back: "What are you doing here reading exam papers?!"
"I found it in the box of failed papers," Gu Fengchao was engrossed. Startled by the snatch, he saw it was Song Yunfan and became furious. "You officials actually failed such a good paper! It shows the world is full of flowery, confused officials!"
Gu Fengchao was there to review the candidates' information, seeing what policy essays the candidates from his county had written this year.
Unlike other magistrates who just wanted to muddle through, he genuinely wanted to achieve something in his county!
But Yong'an Prefecture was too poor!
The treasury had hardly any money, and above him was a Yong'an Prefect who压制 (suppressed) him.
This Yong'an Prefect was domineering and greedy. Yong'an Prefecture was like his personal purse; anyone hindering him from filling it was his enemy.
Seeing Gu Fengchao wasn't on his side, he directly marginalized Gu Fengchao's authority, controlling the entire prefecture.
With his passion having no outlet, Gu Fengchao could only come to the exam storeroom daily to read the students' answers, understanding what Yong'an Prefecture looked like through the eyes of scholars.
As soon as he entered, he saw a stack of failed papers brought from the grading hall, with Xu Huaqian's strikingly well-written paper on top.
He was first attracted by the calligraphy, but as he read, he became completely engrossed in the content.
Ignoring the minor magistrate's scolding, Song Yunfan caught the meaning in his words. He spread out Xu Huaqian's paper and asked: "What did you say? You said this paper is very good? Where is it good?"
Gu Fengchao pointed to the section on people's livelihood: "Here. It's better than any other student's essay."
Song Yunfan looked. It was a very straightforward sentence: "To get rich, first build roads."
"Empty and grandiose!" Song Yunfan retorted immediately. Everyone knew that to get rich, you must first build roads. But where does the money for road building come from? And it was too blunt; who wrote essays like this?
"Don't dismiss it so quickly," Gu Fengchao knew these examiners from Suzhou only cared for flowery essays—whoever used beautiful phrases was best, with no regard for practicality. "Read on."
"...If the people below are poor, the state above is poor; if the people below are rich, the state above is rich. Encourage livelihoods, suit measures to local conditions, integrate resources..."
"What nonsense is this?!" Song Yunfan couldn't even continue reading. If it weren't for the excellent calligraphy, he wouldn't have wanted to look at this essay at all.
Gu Fengchao: "Look beyond the essay style. His suggestions aren't baseless; each one is implementable."
"Look at this one: encourage rural areas to cultivate large-scale breeding households. I've calculated: the price of a piglet ranges from two to three hundred coins. Raised for a year, it can sell for around two thousand coins. If every household raised two pigs a year, they could increase their income by three or four taels annually, aside from farm yields."
"Easier said than done," Song Yunfan still shook his head in disagreement. "How do you raise them? How do you encourage raising? Do you know?"
"And raising so many pigs easily triggers epidemics. How do you sell them? If every household has pigs, who will still buy pork?"
Gu Fengchao rebutted him using the paper: "That's why he mentioned merchants driving and establishing channels."
Xu Huaqian's words were so straightforward; if they still couldn't understand, they would be fools.
Hearing this, Song Yunfan patiently read through these plain statements, frowning in thought: "These suggestions sound good, but no one has implemented them. Who knows if they're true or false?"
"But aren't policy essays precisely for proposing suggestions?" Gu Fengchao disagreed. "Do the policy essays among the papers you admitted have any usable content?"
"Most are just a pile of flowery nonsense, aren't they?" Gu Fengchao could recite them. "Lighten corvée labor, reduce taxes; living in constant fear—how bitter! How bitter!"
"Is that a good essay?" Gu Fengchao said disdainfully. "Is a sincerely proposed suggestion not a good essay?"
Song Yunfan was very hesitant. He really couldn't muster any interest in such essays, but he felt Gu Fengchao made sense.
Yet he also felt it was wrong. As an examiner, he should only admit candidates based on the quality of their essays. Livelihood matters weren't his concern.
"Moreover, this candidate's calligraphy is excellent. Doesn't it meet your Suzhou criteria for admission based on calligraphy?" Gu Fengchao had also taken the imperial exams and knew how candidates were selected. But now that he was a county magistrate, his perspective had changed.
He felt those flowery essays were only good to look at, with no practical use. In contrast, Xu Huaqian's essay was simple and direct, allowing him to see at a glance how to reform the county.
Unfortunately, he was now just a figurehead magistrate, unable to implement anything. But seeing such a truly talented student fail made him uncomfortable, so he tried to persuade Song Yunfan from the side.
"Lord Song," he said, appealing to reason and emotion. "You came back to look for this essay, proving it's not entirely without merit. It's just that you are always perfectly impartial and refuse to show favoritism, right?"
"Why not admit him with a low rank?" Gu Fengchao suggested. "Give him an inconspicuous placement. It won't cause trouble for you, and no one will notice."
Song Yunfan thought it made sense. Other chief examiners also admitted candidates based on calligraphy or poetry; why couldn't he?
And...
He glanced at Gu Fengchao: "Is this policy essay really acceptable?"
"Truly acceptable!" Gu Fengchao nodded emphatically. "When I have time, I even want to meet this candidate personally and hear him elaborate on the suggestions in his essay."
"Then let's admit him with a low rank."
Persuaded, Song Yunfan returned and wrote Xu Huaqian's name just above the last place on the list. Last place was too conspicuous; second-to-last would hardly be noticed.
Moreover, how could someone without any official rank write a merit stele for a Rank 4b Lecturer-in-Waiting? Having some rank now looked much better!