Chapter 2426 - 2400: Ministry of Rites Examination

Madam Tang was very curious. "Why are you always vaccinating for smallpox? Last time you came you also said you were going to vaccinate."

"It’s a different vaccine," Manbao turned her head and gave Madam Tang a bright smile. "We’ll keep researching new, safer vaccines. When the time comes, your three children can all get it."

Madam Tang: "...They... don’t need to, right?"

Manbao said, "If they’re going to travel far, it’s still safer to get it. Children aren’t like adults; actually the risk is even lower. Right now our test subjects are all between fourteen and twenty‑five, but next batch we’ll choose from twelve to nineteen, and later we’ll lower it to around seven. When the time comes you can look at the data."

Madam Tang: ...She didn’t want to look at it at all.

Manbao waved at her and strolled back to the imperial estate.

At this time, Bai Shan and the others were still waiting at the Ministry of Rites’ exam venue.

For the Ministry of Rites exam, last year’s successful Ming Classic candidates, this year’s Ming Exam passers, and the three of them who had passed the imperial examination the year before last were all taking part together.

Based on numbers, the exam was split over two days. Bai Shan and well‑known candidates like Liu Huan were put on the first day.

But they were scheduled in the afternoon; the previous year’s successful candidates were tested first in the morning.

While they were waiting, a clerk came out and called the names of Bai Shan and two others.

The three of them were all successful candidates from the year before last. For various reasons they hadn’t received appointments last year, so they hadn’t come to take the exam.

Bai Shan rose, smoothed out the tiny creases on his sleeves, exchanged bows with the other two, and then strode in. From the moment they stepped into the courtyard, their exam had begun.

The three walked forward with long strides, bowing to the three examiners seated above them, smooth and flowing like drifting clouds and running water.

The chief examiner nodded slightly, raised a hand and said, "You may rise."

The three thanked him and straightened up.

The Ministry of Rites exam was very simple: it was to see whether you were good‑looking— cough, cough— no, whether your facial features were proper and well‑proportioned.

Besides that, there was your bearing when you walked— cough, cough— meaning whether your limbs moved in coordination; whether your hair was black and glossy (whether your body was healthy); whether your bow was pleasing to the eye (whether you understood etiquette)...

Anyway, the time was very short. From entering the courtyard to standing before the examiners, you bowed, then let them have a look at your face, and each person answered one question. While you answered, the examiners would look at your teeth. People with buckteeth or poor teeth might also be eliminated; that too counted as having improper features.

Of course, the most important thing was that an official must not stutter. That was the main purpose of the oral test.

Great Jin was just this obsessed with looks, so although the Ministry of Rites exam result was basically just "pass" or "fail," the symbols recorded on the list were still ranked high to low.

Bai Shan, for example, received an "excellent."

As soon as the three of them left, the chief examiner stroked his beard and said, "Not bad, not bad, this child truly has fine looks."

The official beside him laughed. "The last time Old Master praised someone like that was when Ms.Yang’s Little Master Yang came to be tested."

"Oh, that can’t be compared," the chief examiner narrowed his eyes with a smile. "I’m talking about bearing, not just the face. If we’re talking faces, how many in this world can compare with Little Master Yang?"

"Indeed. I still remember back when he came for our Ministry of Rites exam, there were so many young ladies who’d hitched rides on their fathers’ and brothers’ carriages into the imperial city. Aiya, they nearly blocked the gate of our Ministry of Rites, hahahaha..."

"Cough, cough, be proper, students are coming."

The official who’d been laughing heartily immediately straightened his expression and looked solemnly at the three students walking toward them. All three were a bit disappointed. In terms of bearing, the previous one, Bai Shan, was still more outstanding.

Bai Shan received his slip and patted Liu Huan. "I’ll wait for you outside?"

Liu Huan was a bit nervous, but not about the Ministry of Rites exam that was about to begin. He was nervous about next month’s Ministry of Personnel exam, and he couldn’t help asking Bai Shan again, "Do I really have to register for the Ministry of Personnel exam?"

Bai Shan: "...You already registered. Is there any point in asking now?"

"Yeah, I registered. It was my grandfather— he said shrinking your head is one slash, stretching it out is also one slash. But I read those papers you found for me, and I can only do half of them."

Bai Shan comforted him. "Being able to do half is enough to ask for a post. After we finish the Ministry of Rites exam, I’ll help you review. You’ll just focus on the arithmetic section for the Ministry of Public Works. Then you can just request a post over at the Ministry of Public Works."

The Ministry of Personnel exam was required for selecting officials, and the papers for candidates from the imperial examination and the Ming Classic were different. The Ministry of Personnel exam for Ming Classic candidates was much easier and could be tailored toward a preferred direction.

For example, did you want to go to the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Personnel?

Or the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Public Works?

Once you reported your preference, apart from some basic questions that were the same, the rest would be focused accordingly.

But for the imperial examination track there was no such choice. Not only did it have to be comprehensive with a large number of questions, it was also much more advanced.

Ever since returning to the capital, Bai Shan had been preparing for the Ministry of Personnel exam. Especially since he planned to be posted out to the provinces, he not only had to be well versed in criminal law, he also had to understand taxes, land measurements, and population data from the Ministry of Revenue, as well as local agriculture and sericulture, water conservancy— all of these would be tested.

There was also education, public sentiment, and so on, because a county magistrate had another important task— to educate the common people and align their hearts with the sovereign.

These days, whenever Mr. Zhuang returned home from work, he spent his time helping Bai Shan patch up weak spots. You could say what Bai Shan had to study was much heavier than Liu Huan’s.

Because they all knew he was Bai Shan— that Deputy Magistrate Bai who had petitioned directly to the emperor, pulled Prince of Yizhou down from his horse, and even participated in the Conquest of the Western Battle— the examinees all liked to observe him.

Some people observed in secret, some simply walked up to make friends.

Bai Shan had been dealing with people all morning and was a bit tired by now, so after giving Liu Huan a few final reminders, he said, "I’ll wait for you outside, be quick."

Liu Huan nodded in agreement and reluctantly watched him leave.

Yin Huo and Bai Erlang were in the carriage outside eating snacks while they waited. At that moment, loud shouts and whoops were coming from inside the carriage. When he lifted the curtain and looked in, he saw Zhao Liulang raise his head to look at him with his whole head covered in paper slips, and he froze for a moment. "Why are you here?"

Seeing him was like seeing a savior to Zhao Liulang. He immediately tore off the strip on his forehead and shouted, "Get in, get in, we were just waiting for you."

Bai Erlang stared at his forehead, but after thinking it over, he didn’t call him out on it. He just reached over and pulled off the four or five slips still stuck there.

Of the three of them, only Yin Huo’s forehead was the cleanest.

Bai Shan glanced at the game of checkers on the low table, smiled faintly, lifted the curtain and got into the carriage, asking, "Did you two both lose?"

Zhao Liulang said, "It’s my first time playing, I’ve got no experience. I won’t lose next time."

Bai Erlang: "I was dragged down by him."

Zhao Liulang: "Bullshit, it’s a two‑player game, how did I drag you down?"

Yin Huo asked Bai Shan, "Done with the exam?"

Bai Shan nodded and showed them his slip.

The other three all nodded with little interest. Bai Shan didn’t look bad and he didn’t stutter. What problems could he possibly have with the Ministry of Rites exam?

Bai Shan asked Zhao Liulang again in curiosity, "Why are you here?"

Zhao Liulang said, "I came into the palace to request an audience with Her Ladyship. When I came out I saw your horses. I could never mistake your horses, so I came over."