Chapter 45: 提前交卷

Establishing a grand unified theory that uses the Five Phases, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Four Seasons to explain the mysteries of heaven and earth, and the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of all things, has always been the ultimate goal of the Nongjia school.

This proposition is too grand and profound to be truly answered, even by a first-rank Grand Minister of Agriculture.

However, it is precisely for this reason that everyone can still score points on the final question.

Clerks can secure two or three points out of twenty by simply answering according to existing theories and writing down memorized facts.

If they can subtly link the Five Phases, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Four Seasons, they can earn half the points.

To achieve a higher score, one must present some original ideas.

However, it cannot be overly unconventional; it must remain grounded in existing theories. Otherwise, it would be considered 'pure fabrication,' a feat even seasoned agricultural officials might struggle with.

So, if originality is so challenging, why is this question still posed?

The theory of the Five Phases and Four Seasons is highly important because all agricultural officials consult it when issuing seasonal decrees and performing rituals.

If the Four Seasons are unclear, they must be established; and this establishment requires aligning them with the Five Phases.

If the Four Seasons become chaotic, they must be altered; and this alteration still relies on the power of the Five Phases.

Consequently, this question is essentially timeless.

"Clerks are free to answer, writing down their own views and conjectures, but their answers should also align with the examiners' preferences."

"If the examiner belongs to the Heavenly Timeliness school, they should certainly approach the question using the theories from 'Heavenly Timeliness and the Great Five Phases.' If the examiner is from the Earthly Advantage school, then the 'Soil King in Late Summer' theory would be most suitable."

"What if the examiner is from the True Self school? Then the 'True Self Classic of Yin-Yang and Five Phases' would be relevant. However, the True Self school is currently weak, and its ideas are not popular or aligned with mainstream theories. Using its principles to address the question would be a forced attempt," Zhao Xing mused.

The True Self school posited that living beings possess an inherent cyclical timing, essentially a 'biological clock.' They associated the five zang organs with the Five Phases and other body parts with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

This theory is known as the 'Lesser Five Phases and Four Seasons Theory' or the 'Internal Five Phases and Four Seasons Theory.' Its very names indicate that it is not widely accepted by the mainstream and remains a relatively niche concept.

However, during the 'Era of Revival,' the True Self school rose to prominence, and this theory became widely adopted, eclipsing other schools of thought.

This was due to concepts like 'cultivating pure primal soil within the body,' 'nurturing primordial seeds in the dantian,' and even 'contemplating the cosmos internally to form one's own world.'

However, if one were to write about such ideas now, even adherents of the True Self school would consider it lunacy. At present, the most one can achieve is 'cultivating pure primal soil.' 'Forming one's own world within the body'? That's preposterous!

Zhao Xing immediately ruled out that option.

"The earliest treatises on the Five Phases assigned Jia to Wood, Bing to Fire, Wu to Earth, Geng to Metal, and Ren to Water. However, the correlation was too weak, completely disregarding the harmony of the Four Seasons."

"Later, the Four Seasons were each divided into three months: Meng (early), Zhong (mid), and Ji (late)."

"The three months of spring—early spring, mid-spring, and late spring—are located in the East, belong to Wood in the Five Phases, and are associated with Jia and Yi."

"The two months of early summer and mid-summer are located in the South, belong to Fire in the Five Phases, and are associated with Bing and Ding."

"The third month of summer, 'Late Summer,' is located in the center, belongs to Earth in the Five Phases, and is associated with Wu and Ji."

"The three months of autumn—early autumn, mid-autumn, and late autumn—are located in the West, belong to Metal in the Five Phases, and are associated with Geng and Xin."

"The three months of winter—early winter, mid-winter, and late winter—are located in the North, belong to Water in the Five Phases, and are associated with Ren and Gui."

This constitutes the mainstream 'Soil King in Late Summer' theory.

Zhao Xing had no intention of submitting a groundbreaking answer. As he had likely lost very few points on previous questions, he was already positioned to excel in this assessment. Consequently, he simply transcribed the mainstream theory verbatim.

This approach would guarantee him at least 30% of the points.

"If this question were to appear in a formal temple examination, I could suggest a slight improvement. The current allocation of the Five Phases to the months is unbalanced; Fire and Earth are too weak, together only assigned two months."

"Should I offer a small opinion now?"

Zhao Xing pondered for half an hour, his pen held motionless.

Ultimately, he decided to write two more sentences.

"Among the Five Phases, none is more noble than Earth. In relation to the Four Seasons, Earth dictates all things and does not share its prominence with Fire."

"Let Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water each govern one season, while Earth resides in the center, holding the reins and controlling the four directions."

After writing these two sentences, Zhao Xing added nothing further. This was merely a minor improvement addressing the imbalance in the monthly allocation of the Five Phases, not a significant alteration.

In essence, it excluded 'Earth' from directly 'governing the Four Seasons,' granting it a nominal role of 'controlling the four directions.'

Nevertheless, it was sufficient; for a junior clerk, such writing demonstrated significant thought.

In reality, this was the embryonic form of the later 'Soil King in All Four Seasons' theory. However, Zhao Xing had no intention of revealing the refined 'Soil King in All Four Seasons' theory from future generations at this time. He believed that virtue must match one's position, and speaking too much could invite disaster.

Having finished the last question, Zhao Xing noticed that dawn had broken; it was already the next day.

"The exam started in the afternoon, and now it's the morning of the second day. Did I really spend this much time answering? It seems I deliberated over the last question for too long."

True academic prodigies are adept at score management. In the previous assessment, Zhao Xing not only managed his own score but also influenced those of others.

This time, he needed to consider the practical implications, which led him to ponder for an extended period.

"I'm starving. I haven't even eaten, and the food they delivered is cold."

After his sudden wealth from the river, Zhao Xing no longer looked favorably upon the cold 'staff meal.'

Regardless, he planned to submit his paper early and dine at a restaurant after leaving the examination hall.

Zhao Xing neatly arranged his answer sheets, ensuring not a single one was missing, and carried them toward the invigilation hall.

It was still early morning, not yet fully bright, yet patrols and invigilation remained vigilant. In a formal temple examination, even Yin spirits would be present to invigilate, preventing any supernatural assistance for cheating.

"Hm? Why is he submitting his paper so early?" Seated in the hall, Xue Wenzhong watched Zhao Xing enter with the guard and couldn't help but frown.

He thought Zhao Xing was being overly arrogant. The exam period hadn't even reached its halfway point, and he was already finished?

Xue Wenzhong, having set the questions, naturally understood their difficulty. To select talented individuals for recommendation to the county, subsequent exams were designed to be progressively harder.

While Zhao Xing's aptitude for magic was commendable, theoretical understanding was a different matter entirely. A person of brawn might not necessarily excel at crafting elegant essays.

"Could two 'top-grade A' results have made him arrogant?"

Zhao Xing submitted his answer sheets, then bowed and said, "Esteemed sirs, I am here to hand in my paper."

Gao Linong, Tang Wanchun, and Pang Yuan were quite surprised by this. Their thoughts echoed Xue Wenzhong's: 'You're finished in such a short time?'

However, they quickly composed themselves, showing no emotion, yet all shared a common thought:

"Excellent, excellent. We don't fear your arrogance; we fear you're not arrogant enough. Since you're the first to submit your paper, we must review it thoroughly, without any leniency!"

Chen Shijie, however, held a different opinion. His confidence in Zhao Xing far surpassed that of the others, stemming from an innate trust in his 'confidant.'

"Excellent, you're the first to submit your paper. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Please wait here for a moment; we will have the results ready very soon."