AWB Chapter 756 Wei Zijie
Chapter 756 Wei Zijie
Liangzhou.
While Zhou Yingjie and his three commanders were clearing out the landlords and powerful families in Taiqing County, news of the Yang family army's occupation of the prefectural city was also delivered to Liangzhou by fast horse.
For a time, the entire Liangzhou was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
"Okay, great!"
Upon receiving the military intelligence, Wei Zijie excitedly stood up from his seat, repeatedly expressing his delight.
Wei Zijie was one of the talents that Li Mingyuan recommended to Yang Zheng.
Wei Zijie showed remarkable talent for reading from a young age. He could recite articles at the age of five and compose poems at the age of seven, making him a child prodigy!
It was precisely because of his remarkable talent that Wei Zijie's parents, despite their family's modest means, gritted their teeth and made up their minds to support his education.
Wei Zijie did not disappoint his parents. He studied very hard and passed the imperial examination at the age of 14, becoming a well-known scholar in his hometown.
His parents and neighbors all believed that becoming a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations) was just the beginning for Wei Zijie. They believed that he would surely pass the provincial-level imperial examinations and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and then rise to prominence, bringing prosperity to his entire family.
However, to their utter surprise, Wei Zijie's path to the imperial examinations ended at the Xiucai level, which is the first stage of the provincial examination.
The reason he stopped there was not because Wei Zijie didn't study hard, nor because he lacked literary talent, but simply because... he had no connections!
After the provincial examination comes the provincial examination. Those who pass the provincial examination will be granted the title of Juren, which will qualify them to become officials!
But can just anyone become an official?
Wei Zijie was born into a peasant family, a background that destined him to never pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar!
Because the number of candidates for the provincial examination was limited, and the number of positions for officials was also limited, the chief examiner in charge of the provincial examination would naturally give priority to his own clansmen or other family members who were on good terms with his own family.
As for Wei Zijie... he was just a poor scholar from a peasant family. How could he compete with scholars from aristocratic families for the title of Juren?
When Wei Zijie failed the provincial examination for the first time, he did not realize this. He thought that the other candidates were more capable and that it was normal for him not to pass them.
It wasn't until he failed the imperial examination six times in a row that Wei Zijie realized that the reason he couldn't pass the exam was not because he lacked knowledge or performance, but simply because... he wasn't born into one of those aristocratic families.
Upon realizing this, Wei Zijie felt utterly hopeless. The Xia Kingdom's academy examinations were generally held twice every three years. Participating in the academy examinations six times would have consumed nine years of his life!
Nine years!
How many nine-year periods does one have in a lifetime?
Wei Zijie lived from the age of 14 to 25, transforming from a naive child into a distraught middle-aged man.
In the past 25 years of his life, studying has been almost everything for Wei Zijie, and taking the imperial examinations has become his only way out. Apart from becoming an official through the imperial examinations, Wei Zijie had no idea what else he could do...
That day, Wei Zijie stood outside the examination hall, his eyes filled with confusion. He thought of his parents, who toiled in the fields all day long, their skin cracked from the sun, yet still insisted on supporting his studies and still held high hopes for him.
Thinking of all the hard work I've put into my studies over the years, and of the neighbors who have always praised me...
The praise from neighbors that sounded so sweet back then now sounds so jarring in retrospect.
At that time, Wei Zijie felt ashamed to face his parents who raised him, and even more ashamed to face the villagers who kept praising him...
Fortunately, Wei Zijie was lucky.
Just as he was feeling lost and confused, an old man appeared in front of him and asked gently, "Young man, are you a candidate for the provincial examination?"
Wei Zijie nodded subconsciously: "Yes."
"So you failed the exam?"
The old man asked again.
"Yes."
Wei Zijie nodded numbly.
Seeing this, the old man comforted him, saying, "Young man, don't be discouraged or disappointed. Although the sky is dark, it will always brighten. If you believe me, why not try again next time you take the imperial examination?"
After saying this, the old man did not linger and walked into the examination hall with the middle-aged man beside him.
At that time, Wei Zijie did not know the old man's name, but the old man's words gave him renewed confidence. Just as the old man said, although the sky was dark, the dark clouds would eventually disperse and the earth would regain its light!
So, Wei Zijie returned home and continued to study diligently in preparation for the provincial examination the following year.
A year and a half later, Wei Zijie returned to Yuezhou Prefecture with renewed confidence to participate in the provincial examination.
And this time, Wei Zijie finally made the list!
On the day the results were announced, Wei Zijie and countless other students from poor families wept with joy outside the examination hall, while the students from aristocratic families looked grim.
Because this provincial examination was personally presided over by Prefect Li Mingyuan, it was extremely fair. The sons of noble families who only knew how to play and never studied hard were no match for those diligent students from poor families.
Therefore... the vast majority of scions of prominent families failed the exam, while candidates from humble backgrounds like Wei Zijie, who had failed the exam multiple times, successfully passed.
This made the powerful families of Yuezhou extremely dissatisfied with Li Mingyuan, while the poor scholars, including Wei Zijie, were extremely grateful to Li Mingyuan and regarded him as their mentor.
It was at this moment that Wei Zijie learned that the old man he had met outside the examination hall was none other than Li Mingyuan, the newly appointed prefect of Yuezhou.
"So he was the prefect of Yuezhou."
Upon learning the old man's identity, Wei Zijie was filled with gratitude. If it weren't for Li Mingyuan's encouragement, he would have given up on the imperial examination long ago; if it weren't for Li Mingyuan's impartial examination, he probably wouldn't have passed even if he took the exam ten more times.
At this moment, in Wei Zijie's heart, Li Mingyuan was his second parents and a benefactor on his life's journey.
Filled with endless gratitude, Wei Zijie returned to his hometown. As expected, he was warmly welcomed by his neighbors and was surrounded by their praise. Even the county magistrate personally visited him to befriend this scholar.
Most people would have been overjoyed to receive such treatment, but Wei Zijie was different.
Having failed the exam six times, he has matured and can now face everything with equanimity.
After seeing off the visiting magistrate and neighbors, Wei Zijie and his family had a simple celebration, and then he prepared for the exam while waiting for his official appointment.
Unfortunately, official positions were scarce, and Wei Zijie waited a full year but still did not receive any news from the imperial court about being granted an official post.
So he had no choice but to prepare his travel expenses and head to the capital to participate in the imperial examination.
Unsurprisingly, Wei Zijie failed the imperial examination.
The powerful families in the capital were far more influential than those in the provinces, and their monopoly on the imperial examinations was much tighter. For someone like Wei Zijie, a peasant's son from humble beginnings, to pass the metropolitan examination was harder than climbing to heaven.