Chapter 069: Passing Smoothly

"To answer your question, sir, I merely did my best," Xue Rui replied, standing before Hu Ying, a high-ranking official of the second rank. He showed neither timidity nor arrogance, his words measured and flawless.

At that moment, Hu Ying noticed the name written on the exam paper and was slightly surprised. He asked, "So you are Xue Rui?"

There was something subtle in his tone. Xue Rui could not tell where Hu Ying had heard his name before and responded with some confusion, "I am indeed Xue Rui. May I ask if my humble name has reached your ears, sir?"

Hu Ying chuckled. "You have rendered meritorious service. Naturally, I have heard of you. I took it upon myself to serve as examiner today just to see whether you possessed three heads and six arms, to have come up with such an ingenious idea. Now that I see you, I must say I am a little disappointed."

"You flatter me, sir. I merely spoke without much thought and do not deserve any credit," Xue Rui replied. But inwardly, he was puzzled by Hu Ying's ambiguous words and wondered which incident he was referring to.

In the past days, he had first provided Cheng Jing with a way to deal with Xu Cheng, and only yesterday had offered Yu Qian three strategies for transporting grain—either of which could be considered a great achievement.

In his heart, Xue Rui leaned towards the former. After all, trading logistical methods with Yu Qian—who was known for his uprightness—was an act the latter would certainly despise, and so would not advocate on Xue Rui’s behalf.

As they spoke, Xu Dun and Cui Shizuo looked on with envy. Both thought that Xue Rui had truly struck a stroke of luck this time, to be regarded so favorably even by a senior official from the upper offices. Such treatment, perhaps not even Peng Deqing, the chief examiner, had received.

After exchanging a few words with Xue Rui, Hu Ying turned to Xu Dun. "Lord Xu, how would you rate Xue Rui’s answers to the exam?"

Xu Dun quickly withdrew his gaze and replied with a forced smile, "If the Chief Minister will give me a moment, I shall review his answers at once."

Taking up the red brush, Xu Dun swiftly marked the paper. The first section, which required definitions, was answered perfectly, not a word out of place. But further on, the results grew less impressive. The arithmetic problems were relatively simple, basic calculations necessary for elementary astronomical computations. Xue Rui had filled the page, and two of his final answers were correct, but the methods he used were unfamiliar to Xu Dun, appearing as if they had been pieced together by sheer luck.

To Xu Dun, this seemed like a case of a blind cat catching a dead mouse—pure guesswork.

He graded the paper in a few strokes, then calculated the score, his expression turning somber. According to past examination standards, the results were divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D. Only the first two were considered passing; Xue Rui’s score barely merited a C, which was technically a failure.

He cast a glance aside, seeing an elder and a youth deep in conversation.

Xu Dun thought to himself that with Lord Hu holding Xue Rui in such esteem, to assign him a C would be a slight to the senior official. Moreover, as Xue Rui was the first to hand in his paper, giving him a failing grade would disgrace the examiner’s own students.

After some consideration, Xu Dun decided to add a few points out of courtesy, elevating Xue Rui’s grade to a B—a solution that would satisfy all parties.

Putting down the red brush, he handed the paper to Hu Ying, saying, "Chief Minister, although Xue Rui’s answers were somewhat unconventional, the results were correct; one might say he found his own path. After careful consideration, I have assigned him a B. Please review it, sir."

A sharp intake of breath followed these words as the students in the front rows looked up in astonishment. They thought they had misheard. Xue Rui, who had only been enrolled for a little over a month and previously didn’t even understand the concepts of the ecliptic and celestial equator, had now been awarded a B? Was this some kind of joke?

But Xu Dun was not joking.

Hu Ying, not versed in the details, glanced at the paper, then smiled at Xue Rui. "Well done. I hear you have only been here a month, yet you have passed the assessment. I am pleased. Now that you are a full-fledged astronomical student, you must serve the court diligently, to live up to what you have learned. Do you understand?"

"Your kind instruction, sir, I shall remember always," Xue Rui replied, bowing deeply.

Hu Ying nodded and stood. Turning to Xu Dun and Cui Shizuo, he said, "Very well, I have other pressing matters to attend to and must take my leave. I leave the rest in your capable hands."

"It is our duty, sir," the two replied, rising quickly with the other students to see him off.

"Continue with your exam and invigilation," Hu Ying waved. "I will go on my own."

After Hu Ying departed, the students handed in their papers one after another. Xu Dun and Cui Shizuo graded them together, finishing the seventeen or eighteen scripts in the span of a single tea.

When the results were announced, some students were joyful, others disappointed. This year, seventeen students took part; ten passed, seven failed.

Liu Jin and the other top students, having strong foundations and with the difficulty of the questions reduced, passed easily and were delighted with their results. Among the rest, Fan Yan and Lu Wen failed yet again and lay dejectedly on their desks, utterly disheartened.

After the excitement subsided, Liu Jin recalled that Xue Rui had also passed and exclaimed, "Well done! We all thought you wouldn’t make it, but you managed a B. You really surprised us."

"Just luck, that’s all," Xue Rui replied, fully aware of his own abilities. If he hadn’t employed a few tricks, he likely wouldn’t have passed. Hence, he felt no pride.

From behind, Fan Yan remarked sourly, "It really was just dumb luck. With Minister Hu vouching for you, how could you not pass? Why do such lucky breaks never come my way?"

Liu Jin did not appreciate this and retorted, "You’re just jealous. We’ve all seen how hard Xue Rui works. He passed the exam because of his true ability. If you think the Minister’s words alone could turn a D into a B, you’re only fooling yourself."

Passing by ability and passing by connections were two very different things for Xue Rui’s reputation. If he were seen as standing on shaky ground, people would always use it against him, whether he took the full exam or filled in as a substitute in the future—it could hinder his prospects.

Thus, Xue Rui knew he had to stifle any rumors that might harm him.

He considered for a moment, then said to Liu Jin and the others, "There were a few questions I wasn’t sure about. Why don’t we compare answers?"

"Compare answers?" Liu Jin and the others immediately understood that Xue Rui wanted to prove he deserved the B.

Since the test papers had been collected, they could only judge from memory. To the students’ astonishment, Xue Rui’s oral answers to the definitions were almost all correct, and most of his arithmetic results matched the others.

Judging just by the questions he got right, a B was unquestionably deserved!

From that moment, whether or not they had previously doubted him, everyone saw Xue Rui in a new light.

Who would have thought that this supposed wastrel, once rumored to be ignorant and undisciplined, could, after only a month of study, surpass more than half of the students in the archives with his examination results?

"He must be the reincarnation of the God of Literature!" the students exclaimed in admiration—even Liu Jin and his friends felt the same.