Chapter 100: Winter Evaluation and Temple Examination, Sixteenth Year of Jingxin

The weather was bitterly cold, and dusk was approaching. In Gucheng, household chimneys began to smoke, their wisps accentuating the oppressive grayness of the sky. The snow on the ground was already a foot deep, and it continued to fall from the sky, seemingly growing heavier. A biting north wind swept the snow across the ground, transforming the entire city of Gucheng into a white expanse.

"Crunch, crunch."

Zhao Zheng crunched through the thick snow, a stout rope slung over his shoulder, pulling it at a forty-five-degree angle to the ground. His young face was flushed crimson.

"Heave!" He strained with all his might to drag the snowplow behind him, but the snow was too thick. The plow was deeply embedded, refusing to budge an inch, no matter how hard he pulled.

Thud.

His foot slipped, and Zhao Zheng landed face-first in the snow.

Lying where he fell, Zhao Zheng panted: "Big brother, I can't pull it anymore!"

Zhao Xing pulled the plow free from the snow and propped it against the wall. "Get up," he said. "Go get the small shovels, we'll keep shoveling."

"Oh." Zhao Zheng struggled out of the snow and headed to the courtyard to retrieve the shovels.

Following the proverb, "Each sweeps the snow from their own doorstep," residents of Kangping Ward gradually emerged to clear the accumulating snow, making paths for people and horses to pass.

Zhao Xing looked up at the sky and felt a chill. It was now the Minor Snow solar term. Half a month had passed since the last attack by the Xuan Tian Cult.

"From Minor Snow to heavy snow, from Major Snow to no snow," he murmured. "First pentad: rainbows vanish; second pentad: heavenly energy ascends while terrestrial energy descends; third pentad: all is blocked, and winter sets in. During this solar term, even sensing the earth's meridians has become difficult, and I can't bring the clouds down too low. However, the power of ice rain spells only increases, it doesn't diminish. Although the terrestrial energy is descending, if I can summon the yin wind, its power will also be considerably stronger than before."

After he and his younger brother had finished clearing most of the snow from their doorstep, Zhao Xing picked up several catties of pickled vegetables and cured meat made by Lady Cai, along with some dried fish, and headed towards the Xue Residence.

When they arrived at the Xue Residence, there was no need to announce their presence; the gatekeeper simply opened the door upon seeing Zhao Xing.

The Old Chief Minister of Agriculture was busy at a high stove in the courtyard.

"Teacher, why are you brewing Minor Snow wine so early?" Zhao Xing put down his things and hurried over to assist.

"I can't sit still when there's nothing to do," Xue Wenzhong replied with a smile, taking the long ladle Zhao Xing offered. He stood on a ladder and stirred the contents of the wine cellar.

From the woodshed, a young man in a thin tunic emerged, carrying a bundle of firewood. He bore a striking resemblance to Xue Wenzhong, about sixty or seventy percent, and was none other than Xue Bai, who had recently been released from prison.

"Junior Master-Uncle."

"Alright, give it to me," Zhao Xing said, taking the firewood from Xue Bai.

Xue Bai was the Old Chief Minister of Agriculture's grandson and had been released from prison just a few days after the Start of Winter. At the time, Zhao Xing had accompanied Xue Wenzhong to the commandery city to pick him up.

Upon his release, Xue Bai spoke slowly and deliberately, behaving with respectful politeness. After learning that Zhao Xing was his grandfather's disciple, he respectfully addressed him as "Junior Master-Uncle." It was difficult to reconcile this demeanor with the profligate youth who had once injured someone in a fit of jealousy. Zhao Xing wasn't sure if Xue Bai had been beaten in prison, but after several interactions, his overall impression of him was quite positive. Xue Wenzhong was even happier; there was nothing better than his grandson reforming himself. Moreover, his student was performing exceptionally, proving to be even better than his master. Consequently, Xue Wenzhong had been in high spirits these past few days, smiling cheerfully at everyone he met, and his mental state was noticeably better than before.

After a period of bustling activity, Xue Wenzhong descended from the ladder.

"You don't need to visit me constantly," Xue Wenzhong advised. "After the winter evaluation, the Temple Exam is at the Start of Spring. The imperial examination, especially the theoretical part, will cover the climate, geography, and flora of various regions across all nineteen provinces. You should study diligently and focus on your exam preparation."

"Yes, I'll go back to my studies after dinner," Zhao Xing replied.

"Dinner is still a while away. You can read in my study," Xue Wenzhong said, clapping his hands with a faint smile. "These theoretical concepts are all I can teach you now."

December 7th, Major Snow.

East Lake had already developed a thick layer of ice, and many waterways around Guxian were frozen solid, making them impassable. Only a few major river channels remained barely operational, which severely impacted commercial activities in Nanyang Commandery. Nanyang Commandery relied heavily on water transport. If the waterways remained frozen for a month or two, disrupting shipping, prices in the city would skyrocket.

"The heavy snow froze Nanyang throughout, and Gucheng also suffered from the disaster. This counts as a severe ice disaster. In previous years, Nanyang Commandery never experienced such extreme weather."

With the onset of the ice disaster, officials from the Chief Minister of Agriculture's office across various regions began to get busy. As the entire Nanyang Commandery was affected, thawing a single county's waterways wouldn't be enough; unified coordination from the Commandery was required. Otherwise, if Gucheng's section of the river thawed, the ice from upstream would drift down within a day, freezing it over again. This would also affect downstream areas, as water could overflow the ice surface, though the exact impact was uncertain. If a flood occurred in winter on top of this, it would be truly disastrous.

Chen Shijie was determined to see his term through, so he led the Chief Minister of Agriculture's officials, traveling to four different areas. He hadn't returned for several days.

"If the celestial timing is altered too much during normal periods without adhering to the true balance of the Five Elements, then when problems accumulate unseen, it will lead to an irresistible natural disaster," Xue Wenzhong explained to Zhao Xing at his residence, analyzing the cause of the snow disaster. "In twelve counties, including Shanxian, Huxian, Mingshanxian, and Shuihexian, officials from the Chief Minister of Agriculture's office either neglected their duties or lacked the ability to properly manage the weather during the first three seasons of this year, repeatedly altering natural phenomena with their spells. According to the notices issued by the commandery capital, their solutions were merely superficial, addressing symptoms rather than root causes. This led to an excessive accumulation of yin energy and an overly strong rise in yang energy in these twelve counties. After the Start of Winter, the power of the Minor Snow solar term intensified exponentially. Among them, the chief agricultural officials of Mingshan, Shuihe, and Dangyue counties made severe mistakes. Instead of identifying the root cause, they attempted to reverse the Minor Snow season and re-establish the Start of Winter. As a result, the problem completely erupted. The terrestrial energy in these three counties fully descended, causing yin energy to spread to neighboring areas and impacting other counties as well. The agricultural officials of these three counties will likely face a very poor evaluation this year, and if they don't handle the aftermath well, they might even be demoted," Xue Wenzhong explained.

Zhao Xing picked up the copy of the document and examined it. Fan Dongping had used a 'xi' (proclamation) for the directives sent to these three counties, starting directly with "Notice to the Chief Minister of Agriculture's Superintendent of Shuihe County..." The formal style and opening alone indicated the severe errors committed by these three counties. For the other counties, the directives used a 'die' (dispatch), beginning merely with declarations, inquiries, or observations, and the tone was much milder. Furthermore, these dispatches were for internal delivery only and not made public.

"You must take these erroneous cases as a warning. Next year, you might even encounter similar questions in the Temple Exam."

"Yes, I will study them carefully."

December 21st, Winter Solstice.

The three days following the Winter Solstice were designated for the winter evaluation. Due to the ice disaster, the Gucheng Chief Minister of Agriculture's office did not conduct field assessments. Instead, following instructions from Nanyang Commandery, they used the ice disaster as a case study for the clerks' examination questions. Although Zhao Xing wasn't required to take the evaluation, he still attended.

Three days later, the Nanyang Commandery Chief Minister of Agriculture's office announced the results of the winter evaluation. Only fifteen individuals from Gucheng secured a spot for the Temple Exam. Customarily, only about a third, or even a fifth, of these fifteen candidates would pass and be officially appointed to office. As for the other four hundred-plus clerks from the Chief Minister of Agriculture's office, they were all out of the running, not even qualifying for the Temple Exam.

"Another year of wasted effort."

"Only fifteen Temple Exam slots this year; last year there were twenty-five."

"What's the use? Last year, out of twenty-five, only five were ultimately selected."

"And those five were transferred to places like Shangdang and Fengshan, thousands of miles from home. What's so good about that?"

"Don't be bitter, Brother Liu. That's still a ninth-rank official position, at least. If you truly had that opportunity, you'd crawl there on your hands and knees."

"That's true, hahaha."

In front of the announcement board, many clerks were discussing animatedly. Zhao Xing also took a moment to look. When he approached, many clerks quickly made way for him.

"Zhao Xing is here!"

"Brother Zhao, congratulations!"

"Everyone, step aside. Let Master Zhao see first."

"Among these fifteen, Zhao Xing has the best chance. He's the hope of Gucheng's Chief Minister of Agriculture's office."

Zhao Xing returned their greetings with cupped hands and did not linger after reading the announcement, departing shortly after.

January 5th, Minor Cold.

The yang energy slightly increased, and the long-lasting ice disaster was resolved through the combined efforts of the counties in Nanyang Commandery, returning to normal levels. Chen Shijie, after more than a month of continuous work, finally returned to Gucheng.

"Those agricultural officials from Mingshan, Shuihe, and Dangyue counties are truly damn fools!" Chen Shijie, sipping Minor Snow wine and eating roasted meat, was still visibly agitated. "I spent the last half month running around helping, and those idiots in those three places almost drove me to my grave with their stupidity."

"What happened?" Zhao Xing asked.

"What else? Stupidity! Especially the Chief Minister of Agriculture in Shuihe County! Shuihe County is located at the confluence of four rivers. Five hundred years ago, Li Erlang and his father, Li Yu, divided the Binjiang River into two branches, inner and outer, and, following the methods of True Lord Caoxi, constructed dikes and weirs, and installed Guiyuan waterwheels. They also established four spell formations—Lidui, Huishayan, Baopingkou, and Yuwei—which, combined with the local topography, transformed the hazards of the four rivers into benefits. Fifteen years ago, these formations and structures began to show gaps and signs of aging, requiring regular maintenance. The original plan was simply to follow the methods of Li Yu and Li Erlang. But the Chief Minister of Agriculture in Shuihe County, somehow misguided, insisted on adopting the methods of True Lord Caoxi, digging eight new channels in his county. And in one go, he installed 108 Five Elements waterwheels. That area inherently has turbulent water veins and fragile terrestrial energy. Although Li Yu and his son also learned from True Lord Caoxi, they considered Shuihe County's specific conditions, and their proposed methods were already the optimal choice. As a result, that fool in Shuihe County, acting on his own initiative and believing he had surpassed his predecessors, actually tried to emulate True Lord Cao and cultivate a spiritual mountain in Shuihe County! He spent fifteen years on this, and not only was it fruitless, but he also completely disrupted Shuihe County's terrestrial energy. It was utterly idiotic!"

Zhao Xing asked curiously, "It took fifteen years to discover the problem?"

Chen Shijie snorted, "How could that be? The problems appeared long ago, but that idiot believed he was capable of fixing them and stubbornly refused to admit his mistakes. Whenever there was an anomaly in the celestial timing or geographical conditions, he would forcibly alter them with spells. When I looked through the Chief Minister of Agriculture's records, I almost couldn't stop myself from beating him to death. That scoundrel secretly altered the four seasons more than three hundred times in just fifteen years! And the solar terms for summer and autumn were repeatedly changed over a thousand times! He thought he was so clever, utterly idiotic. When I went to help, he still stubbornly insisted he wasn't wrong! He kept saying he just needed a few more years to fix everything."

Zhao Xing asked in astonishment, "How could someone be like that? What did you do?"

Chen Shijie replied, "I can't stand fools, especially stubborn ones. After he ignored my advice, I simply threw him into the river. He thought he wasn't wrong, didn't he? So I let him experience firsthand whether he was wrong or not."

Long Xiao chuckled beside them. "Old Chen used the Water Imprisonment spell. He couldn't get out for at least ten days. However long Old Chen stayed in Shuihe County, that's how long that fellow was submerged in the river. He was only released when people from the Commandery arrived."

Zhao Xing raised his wine cup. "Master Chen is truly formidable! This calls for a toast!"

Chen Shijie and Long Xiao raised their cups and drained them. After venting his frustrations, Chen Shijie finally felt much better. After discussing official matters, Chen Shijie asked, "How are your studies with the Old Chief Minister of Agriculture progressing?"

"I have about a ten percent chance," Zhao Xing replied.

Chen Shijie looked surprised. "Only ten percent?"

"That ten percent refers to the unlikely scenario of me failing the exam," Zhao Xing clarified. "The remaining ninety-nine percent is my confidence in successfully becoming an official."

"Hahahaha, you rascal."

January 19th, Major Cold.

It was the year's end, the Weiya Festival. By this time, very few people were still working, both inside and outside Gucheng. Households cleaned house and prepared for the new year, while neighbors began visiting each other for meals and drinks, and relatives exchanged visits. They ate at one house, then another. Even Zhao Ruide stopped his martial arts practice, instead taking Lady Cai around to visit relatives and friends. As for Zhao Xing, because he needed to prepare for his exam, he didn't go out much, though he did spend a few days eating, drinking, and having fun with Zong Shichang, Chen Ziyu, Qian Dong, and others. Even Zhao Zheng had some rare leisure time; he stopped practicing martial arts and spent his days happily playing everywhere.

One day, Zhao Zheng ran into Zhao Xing's room, his dark eyes darting around.

"What are you looking for?"

"Big brother, do you still have any of those firecrackers from last time?" Zhao Zheng asked. "Give me some more, I want some powerful ones!"

"You're lucky to get a few small ones! 'More powerful'? Are you planning to blow up the county office? Besides, didn't I give you plenty? How could you have used them up so quickly?" Zhao Xing asked, "Tell me, what did you use them for?"

Zhao Zheng's eyes darted away. "Nothing much, just playing with Ergouzi and the others."

"Hmm? Did you cause trouble?"

No sooner had Zhao Xing spoken than a rapid knocking sounded from outside.

"Open the door, open the door!"

"Damn you, Zhao Ruide! I was in the outhouse, what the hell did that bastard from your family throw at me?!"

"Open the door, you scoundrels...!"

Zhao Xing was speechless.

February 3rd, the sixteenth year of the Jingxin calendar, Spring.

All things revived, and the frozen rivers thawed. Zhao Xing stepped out of his house. The annual Temple Exam for Great Zhou civil servants had begun.