Placid Chang’an Chapter 3

 Chapter 3: The Imperial Examination Hall

Su Cen walked straight until the first streetlamp came on before he stopped. He glanced around and realized that this wasn’t the way back home. Ah Fu trailed behind with his head down, seemingly unresponsive even after being called several times. Helpless, Su Cen had no choice but to let him follow along.

As dusk settled, the coolness of early spring seeped through their thin clothes bit by bit. Su Cen headed towards the illuminated lamp and saw a weathered flag with “Tianji Tangshui” written in clerical script. The faded characters indicated its age. The shop itself was a simple structure made of thatched roof and a few tables and chairs. Beneath the strict curfew system in Chang’an city, an elderly man was busy gathering the chairs onto the tables, a clear sign that they were closing for the day.

Su Cen took a step forward, originally intending to inquire about the location and how to return to his residence in Changle Lane. As he approached, he noticed two bowls of steaming pear soup still on the table. His curiosity was piqued, and he took out a few copper coins to buy the two bowls of sweet soup.

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Mbl sze xyd dsvknle yde bwaaklezu alxshle vbl nbykap qasx vbl vyczl. Fw Uld bwaaklezu pyke, “Ls dlle, ol nyd fwpv pvyde blal yde eakdj.”

Gqvla nsdpwxkdt y nwr sq oyax pollv pswr, bkp bydep yde qllv altykdle psxl oyaxvb. Fw Uld pwahlule vbl eyaj xydpksd dsv qya yoyu yde nswzed’v blzr cwv ypj, “Ebyv rzynl kp vbyv?”

Wszzsokdt Fw Uld’p tygl, vbl sze xyd pxkzle yde pyke, “Zsw xwpv cl blal vs ryavknkryvl kd vbl kxrlakyz lmyxkdyvksd, aktbv? Tso nsxl usw esd’v lhld alnstdkgl vbl tyvl sq vbl Rxrlakyz Omyxkdyvksd Tyzz?”

Fw Uld oyp pvyavzle, “Mbkp kp vbl Rxrlakyz Omyxkdyvksd Tyzz?”

The old man kindly smiled and said, “It looks more grand during the daytime. With tomorrow being the examination day, the Imperial Examination Hall has already been heavily guarded. It’s no wonder you couldn’t tell.”

“Sometimes fortune comes without much effort, even after treading through iron shoes,” Su Cen chuckled. Since the shop had already closed, he didn’t linger for long. After bidding farewell to the old man, he decided to take a stroll around the Imperial Examination Hall, wanting to get a better understanding of this place that captured the hearts of countless scholars.

The three main gates were tightly shut, and above them hung a plaque that read “Chang’an Imperial Examination Hall.” On the red pillars on the left and right, there was a couplet:

Generals and ministers compete not with military prowess, but with the stroke of a brush.

In the palace, officials are listed on the golden scroll.

The couplet was signed by Lin Zongqing, a current Hanlin academician. He had once served as the Imperial Tutor to the late emperor and was an exemplary figure for scholars throughout the country. However, since the emperor’s passing, he had grown disillusioned with the corrupt atmosphere of the court and resigned from his position, returning to his hometown to establish a private school. Although he no longer concerned himself with court affairs, he continued to nurture talented individuals and contribute them to the imperial court.

Su Cen couldn’t help but cringe at the calligraphy of his own teacher. It was this handwriting that mercilessly criticized his essays, finding no value in them. The old man transformed when he held a pen, exhibiting sharp and incisive words, his eyes gleaming with intelligence. The next day, when Su Cen brought a new piece of writing, the old man narrowed his eyes and said, “Actually, your essay from yesterday had its merits. Let’s weigh both sides and submit another one tomorrow.”

Su Cen quickly bypassed the main entrance and walked around the outer wall of the courtyard. The wall was over two zhang high and adorned with thorny bushes. At regular intervals along the wall, there were watchtowers, indicating its strict security.

He walked along the east wall, and it took him just half a joss stick’s worth of time to traverse the Imperial Examination Hall, which could accommodate over ten thousand people. As he was about to turn towards the north wall, he suddenly froze in place.

A cold sweat broke out, and his scalp tingled.

In front of him, a foot away, flickering flames illuminated the faces of three or four people who were kneeling on the ground and muttering words as they burned paper. Their faces were devoid of any color, and the atmosphere was eerie to the extreme.

Both sides stared at each other, and after a moment, they erupted into howls.

After a while, one of the men stood up and gestured for silence, away from the eerie flames. It was then that Su Cen realized that these were ordinary people.

“What are you doing?” Su Cen frowned and asked.

The chubby man pulled him aside and whispered, “Are you also taking the examination tomorrow?”

Su Cen didn’t respond, but the chubby man didn’t mind. He divided the paper money in his hand in half and handed it to Su Cen. “Hurry up and pay your respects. Tomorrow, you will surely be listed on the golden scroll.”

Su Cen didn’t accept it and only asked, “Are you burning paper here for the purpose of being listed on the golden scroll?”

“You must be new here and haven’t inquired, right?” The chubby man leaned mysteriously close to Su Cen’s ear. “In this Imperial Examination Hall, there are ghosts.”

Su Cen was momentarily stunned and couldn’t help but roll his eyes inwardly. He thought to himself, “You guys are the ones who seem like ghosts.” Fortunately, it was dark, and the chubby man didn’t notice. He continued to pull Su Cen and said, “Many years ago, a scholar participated in the examination, but he died from coughing up blood in the examination hall. His lingering resentment transformed into a vengeful ghost that haunts the place, disturbing those scholars who come here. But if you come to pay respects to him the day before the examination, he won’t trouble you.” The chubby man then handed the paper money to Su Cen. “Hurry and pay your respects. You must show reverence, or else it won’t work.”

Su Cen returned the paper money to the chubby man. “There’s no need. I don’t believe in these things.”

“It’s better to believe than to dismiss it,” the chubby man persistently advised. “Young man, you should have some reverence. I’m telling you this because we have a connection. I won’t tell others.”

So, the other three kneeling individuals were not called by you?

“Thank you,” Su Cen smiled and turned around, stepping back.

The chubby man helplessly shook his head and continued to kneel down, burning the paper money in his hands.

The two of them finally returned home before the curfew. The inns near the Changle Lane were already fully occupied. Fortunately, the old man had arranged this house for him. Otherwise, if they had arrived at this late hour, they would have had to negotiate with people even in a dilapidated temple outside the city. Su Cen instructed Ah Fu to lock the door and sat on a chair, lost in thought. Sometimes it was Qu Linger’s exquisite face, and other times it was the chubby man burning paper money in the firelight. In the end, it all turned into a pair of bottomless eyes. He considered himself a well-traveled person, but no one had ever given him such a strong sense of oppression.

If he had been like a cat baring its fangs and claws before, then in front of that person, he felt like his neck was being held, unable to move a single inch, despite his fur standing on end.

And that person only glanced at him.

Ah Fu brought the lamp over and cautiously asked, “Young Master, are you still going to study?”

Su Cen looked at the stack of classical texts on the table and said, “Put the lamp down and leave.” He casually picked up a copy of a doctrine, and flipped through a couple of pages, and threw it back.

He had exerted all his energy in his daily life, so this kind of last-minute cramming was really not his style. He turned his head slightly and saw that Ah Fu was still standing in place. He spoke carefully, “Ah Fu, if you want, you can go and burn some paper for me. I know this kind of thing is beneath you, but as that chubby man said, it’s better to believe than to dismiss it. If you go on my behalf, I can rest well at home.”

Ah Fu was originally someone under the old man’s command. Su Cen had always thought that this person was sent by the old man to supervise him. But now it seemed that the person genuinely cared for him. Su Cen couldn’t help but joke, “Aren’t you afraid to go alone in the middle of the night and be dragged in by that vengeful ghost to be eaten?”

Ah Fu’s heart trembled, his face turned pale, but he still insisted, “This… but…”

Su Cen laughed, “Rest assured, your Second Young Master has real abilities. I don’t rely on the protection of ghosts and gods. You should go back and rest properly now. Don’t cause any disturbances that would disturb my peaceful sleep. Otherwise, I’ll take you to feed the ghosts.”

Ah Fu grinned, bowed, and retreated.

The next day, Su Cen prepared his books, writing materials, and three candles. He joined the stream of scholars and arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall. He looked at his teacher’s calligraphy, gritted his teeth, and entered the main gate.

He watched nervously as his master narrowly and safely entered the gate, and even after the gate closed, nothing strange happened. Ah Fu couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Inside the Imperial Examination Hall, the halls were small cells, measuring five feet long, four feet wide, and eight feet high. They were called “cells” in a more euphemistic manner, but in reality, they were worse than cages. The imperial examination consisted of three rounds, each lasting three days. That meant spending the nights cramped in these small cells, enduring the bitter cold with legs unable to stretch out. Su Cen looked at them and involuntarily twitched his lips, wishing to finish his essays quickly and get out as soon as possible, avoiding spending the night there if possible.

Just as Su Cen found his designated cell and was about to enter, he heard some commotion behind him. He turned around and saw a tall and thin person pointing at a chubby man, scolding him.

Su Cen raised an eyebrow, finding it quite coincidental that the chubby man was the same person who had burned the paper last night.

“You, the son of a butcher, are already pushing your luck by participating in the Spring Examination. Don’t you know your own foundation from studying at a private school? How dare you come out here and make a fool of yourself!”

Before long, a crowd had gathered around, and the thin man seemed to gain confidence as the confrontation escalated. The chubby man simply hung his head, occasionally wiping the sweat off his forehead. It was either cowardice or a deep cunning that prevented him from responding when he was scolded and sweating profusely on a February day.

It was only when the commotion caught the attention of the guards patrolling the examination hall that the crowd gradually dispersed. The thin man grumbled and left, while the chubby man wiped his sweat and happened to meet Su Cen’s meaningful smile.

The chubby man clearly recognized Su Cen and forced a smile, nodding slightly before entering the adjacent cell.

Only then did Su Cen turn his attention back to himself, bowing and entering his own small cell. As soon as he stepped inside, the door was locked from the outside. Su Cen arranged his writing materials and inkstone, stretched lazily, closed his eyes to focus, and when he opened them again, his gaze suddenly became clear and sharp.

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