Chapter 44: Five Elements Natural Disaster Scenario

The examination took place at the county office because the Directorate of Agriculture lacked sufficient tables and chairs.

The county magistrate, who also oversaw cultural and educational affairs, typically held theoretical examinations in the dedicated examination rooms of the county office.

County Magistrate Li Wenzheng was not present. The chief examiner and invigilators were still familiar faces from the Directorate of Agriculture, but the number of county office staff participating in supervision increased to fifty, with additional clerks assigned to deliver food and water.

This time, endurance was not being tested, so food would be delivered to the examination rooms during the exam.

The examination was scheduled for two days, so there was naturally a large number of test papers.

After Zhao Xing found his assigned examination room and sat down, he waited for the test papers to be distributed. When they arrived, there were forty sheets in total!

Thirty of them contained questions, and ten were blank.

Zhao Xing did not rush to start writing. He first scanned through the questions and requirements, checking for any errors or omissions.

The first fifteen sheets contained "free points" questions, which could be answered by rote memorization.

For example: "The 'Seventy-Two Pentads' of the Monthly Ordinances originated from which ancient text? By whom and when was it compiled?"

Zhao Xing didn't even have to think; he immediately wrote down the answer: "It originated from 'Shixun Jie,' compiled in the ninth year of Kaiping by Grand Minister of Agriculture Wu Cheng."

Or, he might be required to complete a sentence by filling in the preceding or succeeding phrase, taken from a classical work.

For instance: "Duckweed does not grow; Yin energy overflows. ________"

Answer: "The cuckoo does not preen its feathers, and the state does not engage in military affairs; the hoopoe does not descend to the mulberry, and governance is not impartial."

This was an 'Yin-Yang Phenology' question, indicating that if Yin energy becomes excessively heavy in the balance of Yin and Yang, corresponding abnormal natural phenomena will occur. In such times, it is best for the state not to engage in warfare or issue new decrees, as their effectiveness would be diminished.

Zhao Xing answered smoothly, and the "free points" questions were quickly completed.

Next came the scenario-based questions designed to screen candidates.

"There is a violent wind from the south of the city, causing frequent droughts in spring and autumn. To the east of the city, there is a river where rainfall consistently exceeds capacity, leading to severe floods in summer and winter, making it difficult for crops to survive. How can this be resolved?"

An official with a weak grasp of fundamental theory would likely answer directly, "Modify it with a spell for favorable wind and rain, and grains will flourish."

Such an answer would receive only 2 points out of 10, or even zero.

This is because it provides only a solution without explaining the process, which is unacceptable for a theoretical examination.

Furthermore, the answer misses the point entirely, indicating either a misunderstanding of the question or insufficient theoretical knowledge of spells.

"The small city experiences constant violent southerly winds, which blow away the clouds and rain in spring and autumn, leading to droughts. However, to the east of the city, there is a sea where vapor rises, causing floods in summer and winter. Therefore, this is fundamentally not a question about weather conditions (heaven's timing) but about geographical advantages (earth's benefits). Any spell from the Heaven's Timing school would be incorrect." Having clearly identified the trap in the question, Zhao Xing began to formulate his answer.

The solution was actually quite simple, mirroring what True Lord Cao Xi had once done.

"Nourish the earth's meridians in the south; when the land is high, the winds will be regulated. Construct channels in the east to divert water around the city. Additionally, select a low-lying area east of the city to create a lake for water storage, and build 'Guīyuán' water wheels. This will equalize rainfall throughout the four seasons. Supplemented with seasonal decrees, favorable winds and timely rain will be achieved within three years."

After writing his answer and confirming it would earn full marks, Zhao Xing continued to the next question.

He only encountered difficulty with the very last question.

This was a scenario-based question involving the Five Elements, Four Seasons, and their respective prohibitions and suitable actions.

"The ground is cold with Yin energy, rendering spring wood unusable. Summer's Yang energy causes excessive heat, leading to a proliferation of locusts. How can this be resolved?"

The fewer the words, the harder the question.

Moreover, it was an interconnected question.

Because it described both seasonal disorder and natural calamities, linking them together, the answer also had to address them conjointly, not separately.

A standard answer had to be rooted in the theory of the Five Elements and Four Seasons, and ideally, supported by evidence from classical texts. Otherwise, an answer phrased in the candidate's own words would lack substantiation and persuasiveness.

Even if the answer was correct, points would be deducted for lacking persuasiveness.

Understanding this, Zhao Xing began to ponder, sifting through various texts to find a perfect answer.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhao Xing picked up his brush to write his answer.

"If there is residual cold in spring, the ground will be Yin-cold, preventing all trees from growing. One must draw on the Bing Fire of the earth's meridians to regulate the climate. If Bing Fire is absent, then use Ding Fire. If both Bing and Ding are unavailable, then allow the natural progression of the seasons."

"Excessive Yang in summer, causing steaming heat, indicates a shortened spring. When insect plagues run rampant, direct modification is needed: restore the season to spring, use Ding Fire from the earth's meridians, restore one pentad of spring, then revert to summer, shortening summer by one pentad, thereby returning to the correct seasonal alignment."

The standard answer drew upon content from the 'Geographical Advantages' and 'Heaven's Timing' chapters of the treatise on the Four Seasons and Five Elements.

This question addressed how to resolve situations where, under the governance of an agricultural official, spring wood could not be utilized, the land's energy was Yin-cold, and intense summer heat led to locust plagues.

The question involved the Five Elements, the Four Seasons, and natural calamities.

The answer had to be framed using the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, and Earthly Branches, providing a relatively comprehensive solution.

First, using the 'Geographical Advantages' method, one must regulate the power of the earth's meridians. Earth's meridians have different attributes; Bing Fire is the strongest and can be used to regulate Yin-cold phenomena, followed by Ding Fire, which is also marginally effective.

If the local environment is too harsh to channel Bing or Ding Fire, one must then alter heaven's timing, causing spring to pass quickly to the next season, which is "allowing the natural progression of the seasons."

Excessive Yang in summer leads to steaming heat and various insect plagues. This occurs due to a shortened spring, linking to the previous point as cause and effect.

At this point, one should not overthink but directly alter heaven's timing, as the insect plague has already emerged. Summer is the most suitable time for insect plagues to run rampant, and staying in summer would not resolve the issue.

Therefore, it is necessary to restore "heaven's timing to spring." Could it be changed to autumn or winter instead?

No, because previously, 'Bing Fire from the earth's meridians' was used in spring to resolve the Yin-cold problem, which resulted in a shortened spring. Now, one pentad of spring time needs to be compensated.

Using Ding Fire from the earth's meridians is more gentle; it will not cause the Yin-cold to reappear, nor will it deviate too much from summer, because after resolving the insect calamity, one must return to summer. This is called "returning to the correct position of the four seasons."

When answering, Zhao Xing considered the possibility of the insect plague recurring, so when realigning, he wrote that summer should be shortened by one pentad.

This is because the difference in heat between summer and autumn is not significant; shortening summer by one pentad and extending autumn by one pentad would not cause major problems or significant impact. Major problems would arise if spring were shortened by one pentad and summer extended by one.

"Unless the examiners are blind, I should get full marks for this question," Zhao Xing thought as he reviewed it. He then turned the page and continued with the rest of the exam.

Time slowly passed. By evening, many candidates had stopped writing, as most officials lacked the ability to see clearly at night.

Zhao Xing, unwilling to waste time, intended to finish early and submit his paper ahead of schedule.

So, even as the light faded, he did not stop writing.

After completing all the preceding question types, he began to review his answers, looking for better alternatives and potential areas where he might lose points.

Only after several rounds of such verification did he proceed to the next category of questions.

By nightfall, Zhao Xing had only one more category of questions left:

This category consisted of a single, exceptionally difficult question on scholarly thought.

"Please match the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, and Earthly Branches with the Four Seasons, and elaborate on the underlying principles of their alignment."