Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examination Ch. 111

Chapter 111

The event organizer, Cui Xie, along with the ten judges and few adjudicators who had lingered for amusement, did not dare to make a sound. They silently gestured to Cui Qi, who was the nominal organizer, quickly scribbling notes to prompt him to courteously escort the Teaching Assistant out.

Fortunately, Cui Qi was quick on the uptake. Lowering his voice and maintaining his composure behind the screen, he said, “All the adjudicators have retired for the evening, and those of us here are merely attendants or musicians. We lack the authority to provide critiques for this scholar. However, seeing the author’s distinguished literary prowess and integrity, it is clear the scholar is not someone who would falsely claim a prize  There is no need for further verification of identity. Simply registering your name and acknowledging receipt of the painting would suffice.”

Swiftly donning the clothes left by a musician, Cui Qi hurried to invite Teaching Assistant Xie to sit briefly, then went to another resting room to invite the performer playing Diao Chan for presenting the award.

Fortunately, the ladies portraying the beauties greatly enjoyed their new outfits so much that they hadn’t yet changed out of their costumes or makeup. The lady playing Diao Chan quickly appeared, gracefully gliding forward like a celestial being, holding the scroll in her hands and presented the award to Teaching Assistant Xie with her long trailing skirts and ribbons.

Teaching Assistant Xie accepted the painting with a dignified and polite expression, unrolling it to take a look at his prize. He then took up a brush to sign his name on the registration paper, composing an additional grand poem as proof of his scholarly identity. He respectfully bowed towards the people behind the screen, saying, “I have composed another poem as proof of my identity. Should anyone question my identity, you may show them this poem.”

As he turned to leave, ‘Diao Chan’ followed his back with her eyes, waiting until he was well out of the stage door before returning. She then rapped on the screen, her voice tinged with amusement and playfulness, “The gentleman has left, the adjudicators can come out now.”

The adjudicators finally felt their hearts return to their chests, relieved. They went out to look at Teaching Assistant Xie’s composed poem. Seeing that the poem was still in the style of extolling ancient virtues and higher in tone than the poems about beauties,  without any hidden messages, this suggested that he had not recognized them and wanted to settle accounts later, which made them feel thoroughly reassured. They unanimously praised Cui Qi for his quick thinking and courage under pressure, crediting him with saving everyone from a potentially awkward situation of water and fire:

“Today’s incident was luckily mitigated by the quick response of Little Businessman Cui. He promptly intercepted the Teaching Assistant at the gates. Otherwise, if we had come face to face with him, how would we have managed to wrap things up?”

“Indeed, indeed, we owe a lot of Cui Qi today. Earlier, when we were judging from the stage, the screen in front and the water tanks buried underneath near the stage, making our voices sound different than usual and not easily recognizable. But if we had spoken like this in the room—”

“Ah, if we could recognize the Teaching Assistant’s voice, he surely could have recognized us too.”

“We were too careless. Today’s event at the Peace of Mind Study was such a grand garden party, not a place forbidden by the Imperial Palace for officials to attend. It is inevitable that officials and nobility would attend, and the winners of the contest could have been anyone.”

As the saying went, once bitten by a snake, one would live ten years in fear of a rope. After such a narrow escape, the scholars did not dare to linger on the stage anymore. They waited until the courtyard was cleared of guests, then took their lanterns and left through a side gate to return to their smaller, eastern courtyard. There, they ordered a few jars of wine to celebrate their recent escape, potential embarrassment and awkward situation and to also bid farewell to the Uncle of the top scholar, Fei jieyuan.

The next day was not a day off from their studies, so they could not indulge too much. Before dawn broke, they hurriedly got out of bed and rode the large carriage back to the Imperial College. Not only did they group arrive on time, but they were also among the earliest, which earned them approving nods from the instructors for their punctuality

The eighth day of the month was another day packed with lectures. Chancellor Qiu lectured on the 《Great Learning》in the morning, while Vice Director Lin gave a talk on the《Classic of Poetry》in the afternoon. They just had to listen and take notes without worrying about being called on to explain anything, so a bit of tiredness from the evening before was not a big deal.

However, when it came to note-taking, many rubbed their foreheads with deep sighs, “How great would it be if the Peace of Mind Study could print the colorful, annotated notes of yours. It would save us from the tedious task of copying, which would still not be as neat or clear as your version.”

Cui Xie wished himself he could have brought a color photocopier with him during his transmigration. He could only chuckle in response, “I would like them to print it too, but these are Director Qiu’s lectures. As students, how can we privately print such material?”

…

Several gazes seemed to pierce through the classroom’s partitioned walls, as if they were looking at the Hall of Natural Accordance: “Heard that Fei juren is the nephew of the Director of Studies, and is now studying under him…”

Perhaps Fei Hongcould speak to the Chancellor on their behalf? Or even not the Chancellor, the Director of Studies’ lecture notes would also be good! At any rate, they had just participated in the poetry contest with Fei Hong and narrowly escaped being caught behind the screens by Teaching Assistant Xie. The shared experience had forged a bond between them.

Meanwhile, Cui Xie, who was the subject of note-copying and printing, stayed out of these discussions. Whenever he had time, he caught up on sleep and continued to attentively listen to Vice Director Lin’s lecture on the four sentiments: evocation, observation, community and complaint in the Classic of Poetry.

In the evening, Cui Xie urgently summoned Cui Qi, Shopkeeper Ji and the accountant for a meeting at the residence to review their account books. The accountant began by itemizing the expenses on a piece of plain paper, “Renting the garden, paying for cleaning, services, light decorations, tables, chairs, fabrics, hiring courtesans, opera troupes, singers, female narrators, storytellers, costume and makeup expenses…all of these amount to nearly three hundred taels of silver. I thought that we would not be able to earn back our investment and would have to dip into our own pockets for the sake of reputation. Surprisingly, just by renting guest rooms to visitors, leasing stands and stoves to food vendors and selling out estate’s fresh produce, homemade teas, dairy products and snacks, we have already earned back the initial investment!”

Following the report, Cui Qi flipped through the voting registry and began accounting, “Since the beginning of July, within these seven days, it seems everyone who brought our deluxe edition of the Three Kingdoms volumes came to submit their votes, resulting in over 1530 deluxe votes. When people returned to the city in the evening, only about a hundred or so stayed in the garden, yet the group cast another three hundred votes, bringing in nearly 1200 or more silver taels into the coffers…”

Cui Qi was visibly astonished by these figures, expressing his confusion, commenting, “Such an effective strategy, why did we not use it during the daytime too?”

Conducting such a strategy would not have suited what they had in mind…the beauty and the charm of the ladies would not have been the same in broad daylight.

Cui Xie smiled and shook his head, “Did you see the performance of the five beauties last night? That enchanting atmosphere, could it have been replicated in the daylight? Besides, although the daytime crowd was larger, they were mostly onlookers rather than spenders. It is those who are willing to stay outside the city at night, those with money and the leisure to do so, who will be the big spenders.”

Those who could afford to spend the night in a garden outside the city, apart from the judges and critics who had been hosted by the store, were usually the wealthy and frivolous, ready to spend lavishly to support their idols.

If he had not been so focused on the Imperial Examinations, Cui Xie could have easily formed a Grand Ming Dynasty’ 48 girl idol group. Releasing singles today, concerts tomorrow, drama performances the day after and a grand-year end finale performance…all designed to completely empty the wallets of their devoted fans.

After tallying the income from ticket and voting sales, Shopkeeper Ji reported the numbers for the sales of the large posters. Since these large portraits required a combination of printing and painting, their production had moved at a snail’s pace. They had started preparing them nearly two months ago, and to date, only about sixty had been produced, with the rest having only received a third of the price as a deposit, to be made and delivered later.

Following the summary of the numbers, Shopkeeper Ji raised a query, “The portrait of Empress Zhen was claimed by the head of the ‘Scholar of the Clear Hall’, who had sent a servant with a written agreement and seal. However, ‘Master of the Western Waters’ has still not claimed his prize of a portrait of Xiao Qiao after a full day, and it is still hanging on the wall.”

As of last night, two poetry prizes remained unclaimed. Cui Qi had immediately posted notices outside the Peace of Mind Study’s residence, waiting for Master of the Western Waters and Scholar of the Clear Hall to claim them. While the family servant of the Scholar of the Clear Hall promptly claimed the portrait of Lady Zhen, Master of the Western Waters had still yet to appear. Although several claimed to be the author, their poems were written in the current popular ancient style, starkly different from the original poem’s delicate and ethereal style, and the handwriting did not match either, so they had been reluctant to hand over the prize.

The poems had been handed over to Cui Xie for verification. As a student of the Imperial College, he examined them, and found that indeed, all the submitted poems were in the contemporary Taige calligraphy style, contrasting sharpy with the Master of Western Water’s poem praising Xiao Qiao, which was a delicate as pear blossoms swaying in the misty rain.

Holding the plain paper, Cui Xie said, “I will take these to the Imperial College and have my fellow peers take a look. As for Master of the Western Waters…let us write several more notices, with the headline ‘The Peace of Mind Study Earnestly Seeks the Number One Scholar’. Transcribe the poem into larger characters and add in with smaller font our desire to find the author of the number one poem about the Three Kingdoms. Keep the writing simple and unadorned, avoiding flowery language, and emphasize our respect for their literary talent.”

Shopkeeper Ji, accustomed to writing notices for the shop, readily agreed to handle this task. He worked late into the night, drafting several versions of the notice, revising and refining them with the accountant and Cui Qi’s assistance, finalizing them only after midnight. Early the next morning, Shopkeeper Ji hurriedly had his staff transcribe the notices onto large sheets of paper with the ‘Master of Western Water’s and the poem prominently displayed in bold, shiny ink. Before dawn, the notices had been plastered throughout the city.

The poem had already garnered widespread acclaim during the beauty contest and had become a popular subject of discussion in the bustling streets and alleyways. Now, with the notice posted by the Peace of Mind Study, it became an instant sensation, Passing scholars and literati stopped to comment, admiring the skill while lamenting their own lack of talent. They also expressed that the author, seemingly aloof and heartless, had not claimed the captivating portrait of Xiao Qiao to take home to enjoy.

In a tavern, not far from one of the notices, a young official in his early twenties, clad in blue robes, smiled as he asked an older colleague, a man in his thirties, “That bookstore is truly an establishment of integrity, posting a notice to find someone who has not claimed their prize. Their imitation of the Cui Beauty’s artwork is considered a masterpiece of our era. Academian Li, you really are not claiming it?”

Academician Li, observing the crowd gathered around the notice, discussing the poem, smiled faintly with an air of nonchalance, “It was but a casual piece of writing, not worthy of being called a masterpiece, let alone carrying the title of the foremost scholar of this era. Let them keep it for themselves. While the painting is exquisite, I am not eager to bear the laughable title ‘Number One Scholar’ for the sake of a mere painting.”

The younger official shook his head, “There is a saying in the 《The Six Talents and their Commentaries on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms》that is quite apt: ‘True gentlemen are naturally elegant’. Your scholarship, Academician Li, is profound and being ranked first is something that is recognized by others, not a title you claimed for yourself. Why the modesty? My own composition certainly cannot compare to yours. Had I been fortunate enough to be ranked higher, I would have proudly claimed it in public like that ‘Idler Amidst Books’.”

Academician Li chuckled, “Youth, you are still young, unafraid of the world’s idle chatter. I, on the other hand, have spent many years in the Hanlin Academy and no longer possess such a hold spirit.”

The true first place poet left the painting unclaimed in the end, yet there were many who longed for that tile and the painting, but could not obtain it.

In a bustling tea house adjacent to the Hanlin Academy, Junior Compiler Wan Hongbi gazed at the wall where a notice from the study declared their intention to permanently keep the painting of Xiao Qiao, until it could find its way to its rightful owner. His face wrinkled up sourly, muttering as he curled his lips, “What is the point of holding on to such a fine painting instead of selling it, only leaving it for those pretentious scholars?”

A fellow Junior Compiler, keen to flatter, chimed in with a smile, “If Wan-xiong fancies such a painting, I have already pre-ordered a few portraits from their shop. I can have them delivered to your residence this evening for your enjoyment.”

Wan Hongbi offered a dismissive smile, his gaze returning to the poem on the notice. “I would not dream of depriving my fellow brother of your treasures. I have already acquired several copies myself. My disdain lies not with the art, but with the affected airs of that scholar who admires Xiao Qiao is all!”

Unbeknownst to many, Junior Compiler Wan had already secured the complete set of beauty portraits at the garden party and had spent several days admiring them. He had them meticulously packed and sent as a respectful gift to his grandfather. 

Senior Grand Secretary Wan, usually immersed in the rigors of state affairs, rarely had the leisure to peruse art galleries like his grandson. He marveled at the life-sized portraits, previously only heard of in the esteemed Chen Ying’s collection, “I had heard of Chen Ying’s prized life-sized portraits, treasured and never lent out for viewing. Never did these old bones of mine expect to encounter such exquisite beauty in these paintings myself.”

Amidst the soft glow of the lanterns, the maids gathered around to compare themselves with the figures in the paintings. Under the dim lighting, the ethereal, gentle grace and vivacious spirit captured in the portraits seemed to outshine the real women present, rendering them ordinary, like vulgar powder, in comparison.

Wan Hongbi had exclaimed in awe, “This is a celestial fairy, looking as if ready to step right out of the canvas. If the replica is this magnificent, how splendid must have been the originals painted by the Cui Beauty?” A thought suddenly struck him, “Grandfather, what do you think? Is it with your appreciation? Should we perhaps present it to the Emperor?”

Wan An, deeply absorbed in the artwork, was abruptly pulled back to reality by his grandson’s suggestion, instantly losing his interest. Despite his prickled irritation, he could not bear to scold his beloved grandson. He waved his hand dismissively, “Do you think it’s that easy to get an audience with the Emperor, or to send gifts so casually? Even I, as a senior official of the cabinet, have rarely met His Majesty. These paintings can only be presented through the Eunuchs, but a few paintings alone seem too insignificant to offer.”

Wan Hongbi, anxious not to miss an opportunity, interjected, “As Senior Grand Secretary, shouldn’t Grandfather not be the first to present such fine art? If the Secondary Grand Secretary were to present it first…”

Wan An gave his grandson a stern look, “Can you comment on the Secondary Grand Secretary Liu’s affairs? Don’t even think about it. He is not someone you should be concerned with. Leave the paintings here and return home, I will handle this matter myself!”

He could not help but feel his grandson was overstepping, too eager to emulate Secondary Grand Secretary Liu’s child prodigy son, who was favored by the Emperor, who frequently presented gifts to the Imperial Palace just by opening his mouth. Could such conspicuous things be so easily presented? After his grandson left, Wan An called for his long-serving steward and inquired about the cost of the paintings.

Upon learning that each painting was merely priced at ten taels of silver, the Senior Grand Secretary abandoned the idea of presenting the scroll in the palace, opting instead to savor the artwork privately. The more he gazed upon the painting, the more entrancing and lifelike the figure within appeared, igniting an insatiable desire within him. Spreading out a sheet of paper for a memorial to the Emperor, he began to write, his words flowing from a palace of deep admiration after he finished writing about official business: “This official has fortuitously come upon a portrait of a beauty, whose allure seems insufficient by daylight, yet haunts my dreams at night. In slumber, this official beholds her visage as in the painting–her graceful demeanor, her skin smooth and lustrous as cream…”

In the midst of writing, the Senior Grand Secretary recalled a new soap his beloved concubine had recently used, its fragrance delicate and enticing. The soap’s wrapper bore the image of a demure beauty in bridal attire, casting furtive glances to onlookers. He promptly instructed a servant,, “Fetch a bar of that fragrant soap from Lu -yiniang’s quarters—-the one wrapped with the blushing bride peeking out shyly.”

The soap wrapper, although not made of particularly sturdy material, bore an image that perfectly fit the dimensions of the memorial he was to submit. Senior Grand Secretary Wan carefully cut out the image and affixed it to the back of his written report.

When the Senior Grand Secretary Wan’s elaborate memorial reached the Imperial Court, the Chenghua Emperor personally perused it. Unlike his usual writings, which subtly alluded to amorous escapades, this time, a bold and vivid illustration accompanied the text. The Emperor, taken aback by the sudden appearance of such striking colors, exclaimed in surprise, “Isn’t this, Gao Liang…?”

Chief Eunuch Gao, Gao taijian, swiftly approached to attend to the Emperor. The Chenghua Emperor closed the memorial with a snap, tucked it into his sleeve and shook his head, remarking, “Zhen, Zhen wanted to say that the painting of Da Qiao you presented—-it is quite good. If they paint it, everyone learns it, but if they painted in a different way, the original likeness would become unrecognizable.”

Chief Eunuch Gao replied with a smile, “Your Majesty’s praise is a great fortune for that bookstore, they must have accumulated good karma from a past life. This servant has heard that the owner of the Peace of Mind Study, a father and son, were once servants in the household of Cui Xie, the Cui Residence. They developed a deep bond while serving him in the countryside, and he eventually emancipated them.

“When Cui Xie donated his family’s bookstore, those former servants, taking the artisans from the bookstore, revived the business. Now, the Peace of Mind study has established itself in the capital, occupying the premises of an old Southern Goods shop owned by the Cui family located in the eastern part of the capital.”

The Emperor glanced at him, curious about how a servant came to own his former master’s property.

Sensing the Emperor’s unspoken question, Chief Eunuch Gao hastily explained, “The Cui family was not adept at managing their assets. Shortly after Advisor Cui became an official, their shop was on the brink of closure. Out of necessity, Cui anshou sold the remaining inventory at a low price and the shop’s premises and frontage were sold to the former servant, who surprisingly paid a handsome sum for them. It is said that the sale of the shop, fetching several hundred silver, provided the crucial funds needed for the Cui family to sustain themselves.”

Inner Counselor-in-Chief Qin, who was standing by, remarked with a sigh, “The Cui family’s old servant embodies loyalty, despite thriving in his own fortunes, he still harbors a sense of duty and affection for his former master, seeking ways to aid them through tough times.”

Chief Eunuch Gao agreed, “Indeed, a case of a righteous master and servant! When Cui anshou was forced to sell his goods at a loss, he instructed his servants to burn the inferior items, ensuring only quality goods were left. The remaining stock was donated to the almshouse in Daxing County. This act of charity became well known throughout the city, as people witnessed only the best and cleanest items being donated.”

The Chenghua Emperor’s eyes showed a glimmer of appreciation, and Qin Chang also sighed twice.

Only Liang Fang, somewhat jealous of Chief Eunuch Gao’s close relationship with the Emperor, remarked sarcastically, “It is surprising that Gao gonggong is so well informed about Cui anshou, detailing even the minutiae of his family’s shop as if gonggong has witnessed it firsthand.”

Chief Eunuch Gao glanced at him sharply, replying sternly, “It is not that I am particularly concerned with Cui anshou, but a recent memorial from Daxing County to the Ministry of Works mentioned his contributions. It proposed the implementation of ‘elderly beds’ in various relief agencies and medical institutions, an idea initiated by Cui anshou. Although His Majesty did not officially endorse the proposal, he did commend the ingenuity of the bed design. Liang gonggong, who is preoccupied with numerous affairs and unaware of such details may not have known this, but my duty is to attend to His Majesty at all times, taking even his slightest cough with the utmost seriousness. How could I be unaware of the people and the matters His Majesty has praised?”

With this reminder from Chief Eunuch Gao, the Chenghua Emperor, also recalled the memorial from the Ministry of Works and remembered Cui anshou, this older ‘child prodigy’.

Despite being a ‘child prodigy’ who did not even know how to compose poetry, Cui anshou was recognized for his upright and generous character, embodying both filial piety and righteousness. The Chengua Emperor had not completely forgotten about him. It was just that he did not dwell on such matters regularly. Recalling his expectations for Cui Xie, glanced at Chief Eunuch Gao and casually inquired, “Towards his family, how does he treat them?”

Chief Eunuch Gao, almost considering Cui Xie as one of his own, naturally spoke highly of him. He quickly replied, “This servant has not inquired in detail, Your Majesty, but when his Grandfather was bedridden with paralysis, Cui anshou had designed a special elderly bed so his Grandfather could sit up regularly, preventing the harm caused by lying down for long periods of time. The Daxing County Magistrate, acknowledging his charitable contributions to the orphaned and elderly, even presented his family with a plaque that read ‘Virtuous Household’. There must be more instances that showcase his character. If Your Majesty wishes, this servant can investigate further into the matter.”

Emperor Chenghua listened and felt a sense of satisfaction. However, harboring different expectations and a stricter standard for Cui Xie’s conduct, he planned to observe more before making any decisions. He slowly instructed Chief Eunuch Gao, “For now, watch him for Zhen. When…his stepbrother, returns, then, report back to Zhen, see how he treats him!”

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TN: Hope you are all doing well, have a great weekend and stay safe! A cherry blossom festival is happening in my city and I can’t wait to enjoy the festivities and scenery 🙂 hope you all can enjoy the warming weather as well as spring comes ❤ Enjoy the chapter!

Huge Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters for Blood-Sucking Empress OR TMD, those options are available for you (in support us page)! I have just added a patreon tier for Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examinations in which patreons can have access to a google document with ALL of my advanced translated chapters for the novel. Since I am a college student, there should usually be at least 10 advance chapters in the document at a time, but depending on my schedules, there may be fewer or more. I’m currently extremely busy, but I have translated out some new chapters for you all! But, I will still post each week with the same schedule. Thanks!

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