Chapter 829 - 178: Raise eyebrows and sigh
Mo Heng had already informed Chang Yonglin and others about Jiang Benxin’s preferences last year. Chang Yonglin was aware of them, but Mo Heng did not recommend that he tailor his strategic essays to those preferences. It was better for Chang Yonglin to retain his uniqueness, to write as he ought to write. Now, Jiang Benxin wouldn’t dare seek death before him.
Chang Yonglin did not ask further and directly followed his regular thought process when composing his strategic essays.
Li Baoxiang, fearing he might fail the examination this year too, inquired about Jiang Benxin’s preferences. Mo Heng told him to just write truthfully. Although Jiang Benxin was now following Xiao Guangbi, he also came from a humble background and was a Palace Graduate himself. While splendid and ornate writing was appealing, truthful writing captured his current performance and thoughts even better.
Chang Yonglin’s essays were somewhat florid; he was more tactful than Pei Wendong and Zhao Yong, and his essays often contained excessively flattering words, splendid and ornate.
After reading Pei Wendong’s and Zhao Yong’s essays, Li Baoxiang felt that neither of their essays matched up to his, though they had their unique points. However, their chances of passing the examination were not solely based on the quality of their essays. The educational officer even recognized Pei Wendong and the others, while Mo Heng wouldn’t even introduce him to the Master County.
Therefore, he also did some inquiries on his own and made his essays splendid and ornate. However, he couldn’t learn Chang Yonglin’s opulence or Zhao Yong’s style of aristocracy. After finishing his essay, he himself felt that it was perhaps a bit excessive. When he left the Tributary Court, he hadn’t even reached the gate when he overheard two students discussing anxiously in a hushed tone, suffering the same plight, exclaiming how dire it was.
Fearing he might miss this year’s opportunity too, Li Baoxiang quickly sought out Mo Heng, hoping he would use his connection with the Master County, because in the final analysis, passing or failing still depended on Jiang Benxin, and if Mo Heng recommended him to the educational officer, his chances would be eighty percent secure.
"Write down your exam responses for me," Mo Heng instructed Zhang Gengshan to bring paper and pen.