Chapter 742: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 742: Shock and Awe (3)
After reviewing the essays, Emperor Huian was satisfied with the well-rated essays, but his attention was captured when he saw that one of the essays had been rated as “Exceptional.” His eyes were filled with surprise and delight.
Having reviewed the excellent essays, Emperor Huian had little interest in the remaining three and signaled the Grand Secretary, indicating his approval of the grading results. He returned the test papers and results to him.
The Grand Secretary, observing the eager scholars stretching their necks to see the results, did not keep them waiting. He announced directly, “In this palace examination, one was rated as exceptional, four as excellent, two as average, and three as poor… Zhao Gao, Qin Hui, and Wei Zhongxian are rated as poor… Meng Haoran and Du Fu are rated as excellent… Mo Qingze is rated as exceptional!”
As soon as the announcement was made, a buzz of discussion erupted in the hall, with most expressing their astonishment at Mo Qingze’s exceptional rating.
In Da Chu, whether in the autumn or spring examinations, or in academy and school evaluations, students are rated as poor, average, excellent, special, or exceptional.
Achieving an exceptional rating is no small feat. There are two fixed requirements for this rating: first, the exam paper must have no more than three mistakes; second, the final policy essay must be flawless and impressive. Especially the latter, if only one person rates an essay as exceptional, it might be acceptable, but being rated as exceptional by a group of evaluators is almost unimaginable!
“Wow, I always knew Mo Qingze was good at his studies and frequently praised by the teachers. I didn’t expect him to achieve such an exceptional rating in such a short time. It’s truly impressive! No wonder he dared to propose the palace examination!” exclaimed a scholar from Changshan Academy, clearly admiring Mo Qingze’s achievement.
This comment quickly received agreement from other scholars of Changshan Academy: “Indeed, all the scholars from Changshan Academy are exceptional, so how could they resort to unscrupulous means? Mo Qingze is truly innocent. It was worth braving the cold to support him!”
Although there was a bit of jealousy, preserving the reputation of Changshan Academy and making a strong impression on Emperor Huian and the nobles was more important. The greater the academy’s fame, the more benefits the scholars received, so any jealousy quickly turned into admiration for Mo Qingze!
“No one expected the result to be like this. Does this mean Mo Qingze couldn’t have cheated?” Some scholars who had doubts about Mo Qingze asked their companions, uncertain about how to accept the outcome.
A nearby friend rolled their eyes: “Even the top scholar of this year’s autumn exam only got a special rating. Mo Qingze surpassed even the top scholar. With such skill, cheating is out of the question.”
Similar conversations occurred among many scholars. Some supported Mo Qingze, others had their doubts alleviated, while a few remained unwilling to accept the outcome and believed there might be “hidden manipulations”:
“Humph, let’s not forget he’s the daughter of a Marquis who has contributed to the country. Who knows if everything was arranged in advance?”
“That’s right, achieving an exceptional rating is harder than climbing to the sky. It’s not something easily attained. Besides, it involves the Crown Prince. To clear Mo Qingze’s name, the Crown Prince would be safe. It’s possible that this was arranged beforehand!”
These voices were numerous but kept low to avoid attracting trouble.
(End of Chapter)
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