Chapter 10: Apprenticeship and Extra Training, Minor Heat Assessment

The first animated straw figure swayed unsteadily, unable to stand firm.

The second animated straw figure, though still tottering, had achieved stability in its movements.

The third animated straw figure moved with increasing speed.

...

By the time Xue Wenzhong returned from a quick stroll around the front yard, he was astonished to see a straw figure in the backyard moving with remarkable speed; a second one was leaping among haystacks; a third was swinging under a locust tree; a fourth was winnowing grain nearby; and a fifth was weeding in the vegetable garden.

Although there were still several 'failures' that had overturned vegetable baskets, knocked over clotheslines, and startled chickens and ducks, Xue Wenzhong completely ignored them.

He stared at the animated straw figures, which were beginning to show a lifelike quality, and quickly walked over to Zhao Xing, who was propping up a clothes rack and collecting scattered vegetable baskets. "I was only gone for half an hour, and you've made all these?"

Zhao Xing glanced at the somewhat messy backyard and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Elder Xue, I'll have it cleaned up very soon. It's just that one duck flew out beyond the fence... I'll buy you a new one!"

Xue Wenzhong's facial wrinkles crinkled together with a smile as he grasped Zhao Xing's arm. "What's a mere duck? Don't worry about it!"

He patted Zhao Xing's shoulder. "Work hard. Strive for an 'A-plus' in the winter assessment, and after passing the spring temple examination, you'll be formally appointed to an official position. There will definitely be a place for you."

Zhao Xing paused for a moment, then, realizing the old Minister of Agriculture wasn't blaming him, he smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Thank you, Teacher."

"It's just that the Ministry of Agriculture is full of talented individuals, and my status is quite low. I might not be able to compete..."

Xue Wenzhong understood Zhao Xing's unspoken meaning, which alluded to the practice of other agriculture officials accepting benefits from subordinates, giving them special private tutoring, and providing strong assistance.

"You have such remarkable talent. It was truly my oversight to have overlooked it in the past. From now on, you can come to the backyard every day and study for an extra hour."

This was precisely the effect Zhao Xing had hoped for when he hesitated earlier. Xue Wenzhong's words indicated he was now treating Zhao Xing as a disciple. How could Zhao Xing not seize this opportunity?

Immediately, his form of address changed. He bowed and said, "Disciple thanks Teacher for your guidance and cultivation."

Xue Wenzhong, acting on an impulse, formally accepted the bow. He had never been one to compete or contend, but seeing such promising talent in his old age had stirred something within him.

"Keep working diligently, don't waste your talent, and do your work well. Sooner or later, you'll distinguish yourself. I don't care about others; if you still can't get in next year, then I will retire and leave my position for you!"

If any other leader had said this, Zhao Xing would have dismissed it as an empty promise.

However, coming from Xue Wenzhong, the words carried significant credibility. Firstly, his character was known for valuing trust and keeping promises. Secondly, he was already advanced in age and could have chosen to retire long ago.

If the number of available positions proved insufficient and Zhao Xing's ranking was borderline, it was indeed possible that Xue Wenzhong would choose to retire and make way for him.

"Thank you, Teacher. I will work hard and certainly not disappoint your expectations."

***

Over the next three days, Zhao Xing learned a fourth method of crafting straw figures from Xue Wenzhong.

Even Xue Wenzhong was surprised by Zhao Xing's progress, especially considering that Zhao Xing was only practicing the Liu-Chuan weaving method during the extra hour of study.

Zhao Xing himself was filled with emotion:

"With the dual blessings of luck and treasure, not only has my cultivation speed increased, but I've also gained the old official's high regard. The Grand Dream Academy is indeed a wonderful place; just a tiny bit of benefit leaking out to me has brought about such significant changes."

However, when he tried to enter the Grand Dream Academy again on subsequent nights, he found that even the Heart-Questioning Platform was hidden. He wondered if he was too weak, or if there were no suitable challenges for him to undertake.

At this moment, Zhao Xing was walking through the fields of the eastern suburbs.

Agricultural scribes typically spent their mornings studying and their afternoons working.

In addition to duties like encouraging farming and inspecting harvests, they were also assigned specific areas of responsibility, which depended entirely on their direct supervisor's portfolio.

While a large staff could have drawbacks, it also offered advantages. Working under Xue Wenzhong was relatively relaxed because with more people, the miscellaneous tasks assigned by superiors were fewer, making them less busy.

This allowed for more time to study and prepare for assessments.

The process of becoming an official in the Ministry of Agriculture involved multiple components.

First was the harvest yield of their assigned district's towns, which was tallied by the county yamen and not directly supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture officials themselves.

Most towns had roughly similar yields, but there were also divisions of superior, medium, and inferior grades of farmland. Being assigned to a good district would naturally be more advantageous, but Xue Wenzhong didn't compete for these, so the best ones were divided among the other agriculture officials.

Second was the moral conduct assessment, which covered many aspects, including the completion rate of miscellaneous tasks assigned by superiors, study attitude, public reputation, and so on. There was no specific standard for this, as the authority rested entirely with the superiors.

Third was the ability assessment, which was evaluated based on the content of the twenty-four solar terms. Among these, the Four Seasons and Eight Festivals—namely, Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—were mandatory examinations. Other crucial planting and harvesting solar terms were also included in the evaluation.

For example, the Mangzhong (Grain in Ear) assessment a month prior tested whether the final wave of 'original rice' planting was completed and its survival rate.

Both the person responsible for setting the questions and the examiner was Chen Shijie, a Ninth-Rank Official of Agriculture.

The three categories mentioned above counted as 'daily scores'. Those with the highest scores were recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture to the 'Nanyang Commandery Prefecture' at the end of the year. The combination of these three was known as the 'Winter Assessment'.

The Winter Assessment sometimes included a further round of examinations, but this depended on the situation, primarily on how the entire Nanyang Commandery performed in the previous year. If it outperformed other commanderies and the court allocated enough positions, then an additional examination might not be necessary.

The following spring, there was also a 'Temple Examination' to undergo.

The court would set the questions, further filtering the candidates recommended by each commandery.

Only by passing the Temple Examination was the matter considered settled.

Following that was the 'formal appointment to office', where the court issued an official letter of appointment, and the individual underwent a 'luck cleansing' ritual in the temple, becoming a part of the Great Zhou's 'luck dynasty' system.

In essence, this was a series of linked 'job transfer' tasks.

Zhao Xing had also completed this job transfer during Emperor Jing's reign in his previous life, so he was very familiar with the process. It was quite challenging during this period.

It would become much simpler in the 'resurrection version'.

However, difficulty also brought benefits; many items later became completely out of print.

"With the blessings of luck and treasure, transitioning into office shouldn't be difficult," Zhao Xing thought confidently, his steps light as he headed towards the public fields.

***

The Summer Solstice had passed, and Lesser Heat was fast approaching.

In the county yamen's public fields, the 'original rice' had already begun to mature.

This year's Winter Assessment had not included the Summer Solstice in its ability evaluation, so Lesser Heat would certainly not be skipped; otherwise, the fundamental number of assessment rounds for the Winter Assessment would not be met.

At this time, agricultural scribes mostly spent their time in the public fields, as examinations waited for no one. Consequently, many scribes were already gathered in the public fields of Gucheng, waiting.

"Everyone's waiting for the Lesser Heat exam, it's a bit like a scene from my past life," Zhao Xing observed, finding it reminiscent of frantically signing up for popular elective courses in college.

However, this was quite normal. Missing an assessment, though not leading to immediate disqualification, had a significant impact. No one could guarantee passing the overall evaluation if they missed scores for one subject.

As Zhao Xing entered the public fields, he immediately felt the stifling heat; his body began to sweat. Even with the 'Cloud Walking' spell to shield him from the sun, it was hard to bear.

After a short wait, he saw Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong, who had also hurried over to wait for the exam, as well as Li Chengfeng, Wen Nanxing, and others.

Without exception, everyone was panting and sweating by the fields, truly suffering from the heat.

"It's only Lesser Heat, yet the sun is as scorching as during Greater Heat. Official Chen certainly has a twisted sense of humor. Brother, what kind of tricky questions do you think he'll come up with this time?" Chen Ziyu asked.

"How would I know? Aren't you also named Chen?"

"Even though we share a surname, he's an itinerant official from Xishan Commandery. We have absolutely no relation," Chen Ziyu scoffed.

"Just save your energy and wait," Qian Dong said, weakly fanning himself with a straw hat.

Just as everyone was wilting from the heat, a sudden cry of surprise erupted from the south.

"Look, what's that?!"

"It's the exam question, it's here!"

"Oh my goodness, it's actually..."