ofit-driven and may appear to be solely focused on personal gain, it must be acknowledged that a nation and society are incomplete, even impossible to establish, without the existence of a merchant co...Chapter 840: Xu Junlou's Answer Sheet

The whole exam lasts for one shi, which is roughly equivalent to two hours in modern times.

However, for such a difficult question, some people had already handed in their papers after less than half an hour.

The first person to hand in their paper naturally became the center of attention.

The guard immediately took the scroll and handed it to Minister of Civil Appointments, Hu Pi. Then, Hu Pi respectfully turned around and presented it to Li Chen.

Li Chen stopped his writing and looked up at the unassuming, short candidate. He took the test paper.

At first glance, Li Chen praised, "What beautiful handwriting."

Whether it's the ancient imperial examinations or modern college entrance exams, there's a concept of "face value" scores. And undoubtedly, beautiful and neat handwriting is incredibly easy to win over the graders.

At least it's not tiring to look at.

In ancient times, this was even more so.

A scholar who studies for ten or even decades, in the end, simply cultivates a beautiful handwriting. If one cannot even produce a good hand, it is highly unlikely to reach the imperial examination.

"Students from the Jiangzhe region, Fuzhou and Minqing, are taking an examination before the Crown Prince of the Qin Empire. Their exam paper is titled 'Guolun' (National Discourse)."

National Opinion.

Li Chen glanced at the examinee named Fu Minqing who was already packing up and preparing to leave.

Ordinary people wouldn't dare use such a grand name.

He read it carefully, not missing a single character.

The entire essay is about 2,200 words long. The handwriting is beautiful and flowing, and the content is detailed, with clear rules and logic. It can be said to be a rare good piece of writing.

What pleased Li Chen most was that many of the ideas coincided with his own. Although there were still some places where his insights showed immaturity and narrowness, considering the other person's status and identity, it was already remarkable to have such a broad perspective.

After reading it, Li Chen silently gave him a high score in his heart.

"Put that aside for now."

Hand in the papers to Hu Pifang, and then one by one, other people started handing in their papers.

Li Chen treated every student equally, personally reviewing each exam paper.

Most of it is just superficial and empty talk, with little practical use.

This kind of paper, Li Chen would glance over and put it aside at a rough estimate, and the likelihood that they would be flipped open again was very low.

Apart from Fu Minqing's papers, there were two other students' papers that left a deep impression on Li Chen.

The conception is lofty enough, and the writing is excellent as well. Especially commendable is the clarity of thought and its openness, not being confined by the rigid constraints of feudal times. This is precisely the kind of talent that Li Chen hopes to find in this imperial examination.

Keep these three papers together, and at this time, Li Chen received a paper signed by a familiar name.

Xu Junlou.

Li Chen glanced at Xu Changqing, who stood below with unwavering eyes, and smiled: "Xu sir, your nephew's paper is here. Come take a look."

Xu Changqing didn't even have time to avoid suspicion at this point, let alone go up to him. He hurriedly said, "Your humble servant dares not."

"Come on, have a look and see how well your nephew has been educated."fter politely nodding to her, he lowered his head and took a sip, letting out a sigh and saying: "One sip, fragrant on the palate; after swallowing, the aftertaste lingers endlessly. First bitter then...