“The Minor Heat assessment has concluded. The content was the 'Grain-Eating Bird Disaster.' This assessment's results are based on the extent of damage to each clerk's responsible farmlands.”
“Those with less than 10% damage to the Yuan Rice will be rated Grade A.”
“Those with less than 20% damage will be rated Grade B.”
“Those with less than half damage will be rated Grade C.”
“If more than half is damaged, this assessment will receive no score, and they will be penalized to replant, using Cultivation Arts to accelerate growth. If they can make up for it, they may receive a supplementary Grade C.”
“The Minor Heat assessment scores have been publicly posted. Clerks, please check them yourselves. Regardless of the results, you should strive diligently and avoid arrogance or impatience.”
After Chen Shijie finished speaking, a clerk from the flying boat's study waved his hand, and a yellow paper floated in the air, accurately sticking to the nine notice boards in the public fields and pastures.
The clerks bowed respectfully towards the flying boat, and once the Flowing Cloud Flying Boat drifted away, they swarmed forward with a clamor.
“What? Only thirty people on the Grade A list, and only five on the Top Grade A list?!”
“It's over, it's over. There are only two hundred and fourteen people on the list. Doesn't that mean half the clerks failed?”
“Brother in front, please help me check if my name, Liang Bai, is there?”
“Yes, Grade C list, ninth place, Top Grade C. Congratulations, Brother Liang.”
“Sigh, only Grade C? Last time I was on the Grade B list…”
“The Minor Heat assessment is already so difficult; what about the Autumn Moon Review after this? Next spring, only a few people will be appointed as officials. What the hell is the point of making up for it! Let's go, let's drink!”
“Hey, you're right. If worst comes to worst, I'll just quit!”
The Minor Heat assessment was much more difficult than the previous ones, so the atmosphere in front of the list was utterly dismal.
There were very few happy people; everyone felt they had performed poorly.
Among them, a small portion of people were indifferent.
Because only three to five people are appointed as officials each year, and the assessment difficulty will only increase later, weeding out those clerks who are not diligent or lack Aptitude.
If they had no chance to begin with, why worry? They simply gave up, not even planning to take the make-up exam.
What? You say they'll be fired? So be it. Anyway, the pay isn't much. In times of peace, if you're not a clerk, it's not like you'll starve to death, right?
Of course, the vast majority of people still cared, otherwise why would they have chosen this path in the first place? Besides, they had worked so hard for so long; with the sunk cost, they naturally still held onto hope.
Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong were also desperately pushing their way to the front.
Soon, they squeezed back out, looking dejected.
Both of them received a Bottom Grade C, just barely passing.
As soon as they emerged from the crowd, Chen Ziyu slapped his head: “Right, Qian Dong, how did my elder brother do? Did you check for him just now?”
Qian Dong lifted his slumped head, a little hesitant: “I didn't see Big Brother's name on the Grade C list just now. Could it be that…”
“What 'could it be'? Are you saying Big Brother failed? He didn't even make the Grade C list? Big Brother was so diligent before; how upset would he be if he didn't even make the Grade C list? No wonder he's nowhere to be seen. Could he be thinking of doing something rash?”
Qian Dong quickly shook his head: “No, no, it wouldn't come to that. Big Brother is usually so carefree; how could he let something like this… However, sadness is probably unavoidable.”
Chen Ziyu worried: “I'll go check the list again. Qian Dong, you go look for Big Brother nearby. We'll meet at the Triangle Field later.”
A quarter of an hour later, at the Triangle Field.
Qian Dong saw the distraught Chen Ziyu. Seeing his appearance, he thought something bad had happened. Why was his face even gloomier than before?
“I haven't found Big Brother yet. What's wrong with you now?”
Chen Ziyu looked up blankly: “Elder brother's name is not on the Grade C list.”
“If it's not there, it's not there. Failing isn't that unusual…”
As Qian Dong spoke, he couldn't help but stop: “Is it on the Grade B list?”
Seeing Chen Ziyu not answer, Qian Dong's mouth gradually widened: “Could it be…”
“Yes, Elder Brother is on the Grade A list, and he's ranked Top Grade A. He's tied with Wen Nanxing, Li Chengfeng, Zong Shichang, and Xiao Ze.”
“…”
Qian Dong's expression became the same as Chen Ziyu's.
Not far from the Grade A list, Li Chengfeng was surrounded by people, cooling off on a stone.
He naturally didn't need to go check himself, and he had enough confidence that he was at the top of the list.
What he enjoyed wasn't the moment the list was posted, but the flattery of the crowd at this moment.
“Congratulations, Brother Li, for once again being ranked on the Grade A list and receiving Top Grade A!”
“Brother Li truly lives up to his exceptional Aptitude. How many times has this been Top Grade A?”
“This is the sixth time!”
“Next spring, I'm afraid we'll be calling him Lord Li.”
Li Chengfeng smiled and cupped his hands to those around him: “Please don't joke, everyone. What 'lord' or not 'lord,' we are all brothers. Besides, I'm not the only one with a Top Grade A rating; I'm far inferior to Brother Zong… Brother Zong, Brother Zong! What are you looking at?”
The burly young man, Zong Shichang, heard Li Chengfeng call him and looked up, slightly curious: “I'm looking at the list, Brother Li. There are five people in Top Grade A. Besides you, me, Wen Nanxing, and Xiao Ze, this fifth person is someone I've never heard of.”
“Oh?” Li Chengfeng couldn't help but step forward to look. When he saw the unfamiliar name Zhao Xing, he frowned: “Indeed, I haven't heard of him. I know most people in the Seven Institutes of Agricultural Supervision. Where did this person come from?”
“Could he be under the Old Minister of Agriculture?” Zong Shichang asked.
“No need to overthink. We'll know once we pay him a visit another day,” Li Chengfeng narrowed his eyes.
At the same time, Wen Nanxing, Xiao Ze, and others on the Grade A list also noticed the name Zhao Xing.
The Agricultural Supervision Bureau only appoints three to five officials each year. Other lists don't matter, but everyone on this Grade A list is a competitor.
If someone else gets in, they might not, and that person could even become their direct superior. How could they not pay attention?
It's just that Zhao Xing was usually too low-key and inconspicuous. Inquiring among friends, almost no one had heard of him, at most only knowing he was a clerk under the Old Minister of Agriculture, which made people even more curious.
Zhao Xing didn't know that he had already been noticed by many clerks. He hadn't gone to look at the list at all.
Because after Chen Shijie announced the rules, he immediately knew that he would definitely be on the Grade A list. Why bother crowding in the hot weather and getting sweaty? It was better to go home early, take a shower, change clothes, and eat.
If he came back too late, Madam Cai might hide the meat. She was truly capable of doing such a thing.
“This year's assessments, including the Minor Heat, have been six. According to custom, there are six more minor exams that follow the solar terms.”
“My previous five times were one Middle Grade B, two Top Grade C, and two Bottom Grade C. Quite mediocre.”
“But it doesn't matter. Rapid progress is also a kind of distinction. These minor exams don't entirely depend on scores; good potential also offers a chance to be recommended.”
“If I can make it onto the Grade A list in every minor exam before the Winter Review, I will surely enter the Dharma Eye of those above. Then, as for the Old Minister of Agriculture, I wonder how much he can help me at that time,” Zhao Xing thought to himself.
“The Old Minister of Agriculture, Xue Wenzhong, is famously a good old man. He doesn't contend or compete, and he's very incorruptible, never accepting things from others. Assuming I'm on par with others at that time, the crucial moment will depend on whether my superior fights for me.”
“Sizzle sizzle~” The aroma of meat suddenly wafted into his nose, interrupting Zhao Xing's thoughts. He had already arrived home, and the scent of meat was drifting from the kitchen.
“Hmm? It seems to be stewed ginseng and black chicken soup… Hey, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early!”