Chapter 76: Course Examinations, New Things Every Moment

“They are but women, how can they… how can they…”

“If you look down on women, then leave. Why come here for the examination?”

“I possess great talent; it must find a place where it can be put to use.”

“But don’t you look down on them? Even if you pass the exam, could you serve them with a clear conscience? Rather than offending them later and ending up in prison or facing execution, you might as well leave now.”

“But my talent…”

“Everyone who came here today is a person of great talent. The nation’s operations won’t fail just because you are missing. I advise you to leave early to avoid causing even greater trouble later.”

“How can you speak up for them?”

“What if I do speak for them? If not for them, the country would still be embroiled in the flames of war. It was they who stabilized the nation. Now that the new state is established and exams are being held to recruit talent, I naturally intend to serve. If you continue to be so ungrateful and stubborn, I won’t be polite with you.”

“You have lost your original heart¹. Unreasonable, truly unreasonable!”

“Who exactly has lost their heart? You know the answer better than anyone!”

…

“Women in politics… it is still a difficult path.”

“No matter how difficult, Eldest Sister and Second Sister have already seized the world. If anyone is dissatisfied, they are welcome to try and take it. If they can’t take it, they can only bow their heads and submit,” Bai Miao snorted softly.

Bai He chuckled. “I know. These people are just sour because they lack ability themselves. I’m just reflecting on how difficult it must have been for your Eldest Sister and Second Sister to reach this point over the years.”

“Mm,” Bai Miao nodded, looking at the tall gates not far away. “That’s why I came back to help them.”

Ever since Bai Yu and Bai Xi decided to take over the world, almost every time someone went to the island to transport supplies, Bai Miao would have them bring back a proposal or plan.

Bai Miao’s own life experience wasn’t particularly vast, but she had read many books. The books from the future explained the history of ancient development and various systemic problems very clearly.

Winning the world is hard, but maintaining it is even harder.

The historical records in the books from the future emphasized the importance of using history as a mirror². Bai Miao naturally wouldn’t let Bai Yu and Bai Xi repeat the mistakes of the past.

Bai Miao read extensively and knew much about history. Although Bai Yu and Bai Xi were not as brilliant as she was, they had also read many books. Combined with their experience in warfare, the correspondence between the sisters quickly evolved from one-sided plans to mutual discussions.

Bai Miao wrote plans based on the content of her books, while Bai Yu and Bai Xi wrote back about the actual situation on the ground. Bai Miao would then revise the plans based on reality, striving to ensure every step was practical rather than just theoretical talk on paper.

With this exchange, Bai Yu and Bai Xi’s management indeed became twice as effective with half the effort.

But now that the world was settled, more issues were coming to light.

During the war, one only needed to worry about the safety and sustenance of the people. Other matters could be set aside; the leadership had no time to manage them, and the common people had no energy to care.

Now that things had stabilized, many deep-seated problems were gradually surfacing.

The world’s prejudice against women was merely one tiny issue among them.

Bai Miao and Bai He stood near the people waiting for the exam for a while and heard many hidden issues, to say nothing of those they hadn’t heard.

Not far away, after the two people with differing opinions parted on bad terms, a new topic reached the ears of Bai Miao and Bai He.

“I wonder who the chief examiner will be for this exam?”

“Do you all have no news either? Logically, the chief examiner should have been decided long ago, but we’ve been asking around for a long time and haven’t heard a word.”

“Normally, the chief examiner should be a court official. But the new dynasty has just been established, and there’s a shortage of officials. That’s why we’re here to fill the gaps… Perhaps it’s one of the strategists who were by those two’s sides before they won the world.”

“But none of those strategists were particularly outstanding.”

“Whether they were or not, the choice can only be made from among them.”

“It’s strange, actually. Over the years, the management style of those two has been very stable. They take one step while looking three steps ahead; there must be someone advising them behind the scenes. Yet, we’ve never heard of any renowned strategist appearing by their side.”

“Perhaps it’s those two’s own ideas. They are quite exceptional themselves.”

“Not so. While they are exceptional, they aren’t exactly the most brilliant minds. Moreover, I heard that during the war, whenever they encountered a major issue, they would say they needed to discuss it. Then, it would always take several days before an answer was given. During those days, they lived their lives as usual and didn’t seem to be discussing anything, and…”

“And what?”

“Exactly, stop being vague. Out with it.”

“I only heard this. A friend of a friend who is a guard said that every time before they came up with a method, they would receive a letter. They were likely asking someone.”

“Who was that person?”

“No one knows. No one has ever seen them.”

“What a pity. Someone with that kind of ability must surely have a reputation. If we could discover that person’s identity, perhaps we could cater to their preferences during the exam.”

“Maybe it’s a great scholar from the previous dynasty who fears being purged, so they remain hidden.”

“It made sense to stay hidden before, but it’s already this stage. Why still not show their face?”

…

Listening to the grand talk over there, Bai He couldn’t help but laugh. She leaned in close to Bai Miao and whispered, “If these people knew that you are the ‘great scholar of the previous dynasty’ they’re talking about, I wonder what they would think.”

“Of the people speaking just now, few are qualified,” Bai Miao shook her head. “We are selecting talent according to the standards in the books from the future. The focus is on choosing those who are smart and capable, not those looking for shortcuts to win.”

“But the fact that they could come here today shows they have at least some brains.”

“Then we can only look at the exam results. A candidate is what they are,” Bai Miao said, looking at Bai Wei who was walking out from the gate. “Let’s go.”

Bai He also saw Bai Wei and quickly followed Bai Miao through the main gate.

After the two entered, the sound of rustling whispers soon rose behind them. Bai He glanced back to see many people looking at them with curious eyes, whispering something under their breath.

Bai He looked back at the few who had been talking grandly but were now looking nervous, and she turned away with a light smile.

Not long after the two entered, the students who had been waiting at the entrance for a long time were allowed inside.

They thought today’s exam would be no different from those of the past. To their surprise, the exam site was not what they expected. Instead, it was a room filled with neatly arranged desks and chairs.

After all the scholars were seated, Bai Miao walked in.

“Today, I will be giving you a lecture. Listen to as much as you can. After all the lessons are over, there will be an exam this afternoon. It is now the beginning of the Hour of the Snake³. Our classes will continue until the beginning of the Hour of the Rooster⁴. We will begin now.”

As soon as Bai Miao finished speaking, someone spoke up: “What lecture? Why is a child like you giving us a lecture?”

Bai Miao simply looked at him calmly. “If you are unwilling to attend the lecture, you may leave now. Class starts now. Once it begins, no one is allowed to speak. Anyone who speaks again will be sent out immediately.”

Having said that, she offered no further explanation to the scholars and quickly began the lesson.

From the beginning of the Hour of the Snake to the beginning of the Hour of the Rooster was a total of nine hours. Subtracting half an hour for meals, rest, and breaks, it was eight and a half hours in total. Every moment, new content was being poured into the minds of these scholars.

The scholars were already very familiar with language and literature, so Bai Miao skipped those subjects entirely. However, she scheduled the remaining courses very tightly.

Mathematics served as the foundation, followed by physics, chemistry, geography, and biology.

There were also sections on politics and foreign languages. The political content was closely tied to the current era, while the foreign language content covered various languages spoken across different nations at this time.

These two sections could be mastered through rote memorization, but for the earlier subjects, the methods of questioning could be infinitely varied even if one attended every lecture.

The students had no paper or pens before them. To record the information, they had to stare intently at the blackboard. Once the content was erased and replaced with new material, they had to memorize the new information while simultaneously recalling what had come before.

When Bai Miao first began the mathematics lecture, many students wore expressions of arrogance. However, as the curriculum grew increasingly complex, their expressions gradually turned solemn.

In contrast, those who had remained steady from the start maintained their composed demeanor throughout.

When the morning sessions concluded, boxed lunches were quickly delivered to everyone. They were given time to eat, and anyone needing to use the restroom was permitted to go then.

Conversation was not forbidden during the meal.

Before long, someone spoke to the person beside him. “Brother Fan, how much of that content did you manage to memorize?”

“Barely fifty or sixty percent,” the man addressed as Brother Fan replied with a heavy expression. “The material sounded quite simple on the surface, but the underlying logic is incredibly complex. It felt like we were only seeing the tip of an iceberg.”

“Even you only remembered sixty percent?” the questioner asked in surprise.

“If it were just the notes on the board, I would have remembered it all, but those are just surface-level strings of information,” Brother Fan said, frowning at him. “Do you really think the exam this evening will feature the exact same problems? If that were the case, this selection exam would be meaningless.”

“Based on what you’re saying, I’ve only understood ten or twenty percent. I’m doomed. Why is this exam so complex and tricky? That young girl is truly impressive, though. She could summon so much information at will. I wonder if she’ll be the one teaching this afternoon as well.”

“Just try your best on the exam.”

“Sigh, this is just too difficult. I’ve studied hard for ten years, yet I never expected that everything I read in the past would be so useless. I truly can’t see the point of this morning’s lessons. What use is there in knowing the velocity of a small ball on an inclined plane?”

Brother Fan frowned. “On the contrary, I believe this knowledge might bring immense changes to many people’s lives.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I do. So, listen carefully to the lectures. Even if you don’t pass this time, you’ll be able to use this knowledge in the future.”

“Then I’ll try to focus more this afternoon. If the lessons are the same as this morning, I doubt I have a chance.”

Fortunately, the afternoon curriculum included politics and foreign languages. These subjects were within the students’ comfort zones, and those who had been tormented all morning finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That was, until the classes ended and the exam papers were distributed.

As they saw the questions on the papers clearly, every single person present sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. original heart: A translation of ‘benxin’ (本心), a concept in Chinese philosophy (particularly Mencius) referring to one’s innate moral conscience or fundamental nature. To lose it implies a betrayal of one’s principles or humanity. ↩
2. history as a mirror: Refers to the idiom ‘yi shi wei jian’ (以史为鉴). This is a foundational Chinese historiographical concept, famously associated with Emperor Taizong of Tang, suggesting that studying the successes and failures of past dynasties is essential for stable governance. ↩
3. Hour of the Snake: The ‘sishi’ (巳时) period in the traditional Chinese dual-hour system, corresponding to 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. ↩
4. Hour of the Rooster: The ‘youshi’ (酉时) period in the traditional Chinese dual-hour system, corresponding to 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. ↩