“You two are word-perfect again. I made a mistake, so hurry and drink a cup.” George Bolton shouted, so the two had no choice but to drink another cup. Edward Jr. Sutton, being a lightweight, finished his drink and was a bit tipsy. Seeing Richard Bennett reading his own paper aloud, he took out the third paper of the two and looked it over, shaking his head slightly—George Bolton’s understanding of the classics was indeed shallow.

As for Richard Bennett’s grasp of the classics, it already showed some depth and poise, each of them having their own strengths, but overall, he himself still had a slight edge. If his prediction was correct, the other’s knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics was probably close to level 5 as well.

“County top scorer is within reach!” Edward Jr. Sutton thought. “With the county top scorer, I’ll almost certainly become a xiucai. By then, it’ll be time to settle accounts with Eldest Bolton and Oakridge Abbey.”

Although he had killed two people and acted as if nothing had happened, in truth, Edward Jr. Sutton still harbored hidden worries. Local thugs and gangsters didn’t care about evidence and would surely come looking for him—but if he became the county top scorer, how could they possibly bully him?

Just as he was thinking this, Richard Bennett, who had been reading aloud with growing admiration, suddenly came to a line: “A small terrace set with stones, just under the shade of the rose, sitting there in the height of summer, not a ray of sunlight to be seen!”

He suddenly stopped and asked, “Rose, that’s a short taboo name. You didn’t omit any strokes for the taboo in your draft—did you avoid the taboo in your final copy?”

To avoid the names of the revered, the relatives, and the virtuous was a general principle of ancient taboos.

Edward Jr. Sutton’s heart skipped a beat. He steadied himself and asked, “I didn’t know about the taboo for the character ‘rose’.”

“In our dynasty, there are long and short taboos. The imperial and ancestral names are long taboos.”

“Short taboos are mostly for princes or high ministers who have passed away; for three years after, their names are taboo. The imperial consort just passed away, her maiden name was tabooed as ‘rose’. In the exam papers, whenever this character appears, you must omit a stroke to avoid the taboo. If you violate this, you’ll be disqualified—how could you not know?” Richard Bennett was full of sympathy. “And you just happened to use this character in your essay.”

Suddenly, he realized, “The imperial consort passed away only a month ago, and the short taboo was issued to the county just a few days ago. Since you haven’t entered the county school, no wonder you didn’t know.”

“No matter, the county and prefectural exams are held once a year, and the provincial exam once every three years. With your talent, even if you’re disqualified this time, you’ll pass next year.”

“Not good!” Hearing this consolation, Edward Jr. Sutton was not comforted at all. Instead, he suddenly felt dizzy and cold sweat broke out. The words themselves were not wrong, but the situation was different now. If he didn’t pass, how could he defend himself against Eldest Bolton and Oakridge Abbey?

Damn, was I too reckless?

At this thought, his heart pounded, and he didn’t notice that the half-piece of purple sandalwood hairpin on him flashed once and then dimmed again, the whole room seeming to darken a little.

At this moment, in the county yamen, rows of red candles were lit. The county magistrate sat in the center, with three academic officials seated on either side, and an old man present as well. This old man looked over sixty, thin and gaunt, but dressed in plain clothes rather than official robes.

This county exam had only about a hundred participants, and there was no need even for anonymous copying; the papers were reviewed directly. The county magistrate and academic officials could finish reading them all in a day.

Magistrate Bolton was a second-rank jinshi, newly assigned to the local post, and quite learned. As a result, he found the average papers unimpressive. But Linhua County was not a place known for scholarly excellence, and out of these hundred candidates, twenty still had to be selected—five for the upper list, fifteen for the lower—so he had to force himself to endure the eye strain and read through these mostly “plain” essays.

Suddenly, Magistrate Bolton came across a paper that made his eyes light up. The opening and development were both quite precise. Though the writing lacked some polish, it was proper and by the book—a composition with merit. Magistrate Bolton pondered for a moment: “In the context of the county exam, this is quite good.”

“It would pass the prefectural exam nine times out of ten.”

He was about to mark it when he suddenly frowned at the character “rose”—a short taboo, but the stroke was not omitted. He shook his head, thinking, “This candidate is too careless!”

He sighed repeatedly, “What a pity, what a pity!”

The county instructor, Thomas Miller, was sixty, with black hair and robust health. Though only a ninth-rank official, he was respected by all. He smiled at Magistrate Bolton: “Sir Bolton, you’ve mostly been frowning while grading. Why do you call this one a pity?”

“It really is a pity. Among all the papers, this candidate is the best, but unfortunately did not omit the stroke for the taboo character. Take a look.” With that, he handed the paper to the instructor and the proctor.

The instructor and proctor read it and also frowned. “This candidate’s fundamentals are solid, and this essay on the classics is good. But, there’s a taboo character without the omitted stroke, so it must be disqualified.”

“Let me see…” The old man took the paper and examined it closely, pondering for a long time before saying, “This is a new short taboo, and it’s only been in the county for three days, right?”

“If the candidate had already entered the academy, even three days would be no excuse. But this is just the county exam—how would a candidate who hasn’t entered the academy know about it?”

“Ignorance is not a crime. County magistrate, you should reconsider!”

If it were the prefectural or provincial exam, which concerned official titles, not even the most influential person would dare to intervene. But the children’s exam was not for official rank, just a qualification test. Hearing this, Magistrate Bolton hesitated, carefully reread the essay, and finally nodded: “Indeed, this essay on the classics is fit for the prefectural exam. With Mr. Carter speaking on his behalf, it’s this candidate’s good fortune!”

With that, he put down his brush and changed the mark, saying, “Then let’s put him on the children’s list.”

Chapter 11: Restlessness

Linhua County · Results Day

There were few names on the county list, so the results were posted quickly—normally within three days, sometimes as soon as the second day. Therefore, the candidates all stayed at the inn waiting for news, not returning home.