Establishing a unified theory that can elucidate the mysteries of heaven and earth, as well as the cycle of life and death of all things, through the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Four Seasons, has always been the ultimate goal of the Agricultural School.
This proposition is too grand and profound. It is impossible to truly answer it, even for the highest-ranking Minister of Agriculture.
However, precisely because of this, anyone can score points on the final question.
The officials only need to answer according to the current theories, writing down what they have memorized; they can at least earn two or three points.
If they can slightly relate the Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and Four Seasons, they can earn half the points.
To achieve a higher score, they must provide some new insights.
But they cannot stray too far from the established theories; otherwise, it would be considered "fabricating nonsense." Even those experienced Agricultural Officials might not be able to accomplish that.
So, since it is difficult to provide new insights, why must this question be asked?
Because the theory of the Five Elements and Four Seasons is extremely important. All Agricultural Officials refer to the theory of the Five Elements and Four Seasons when formulating seasonal decrees.
If the Four Seasons are not evident, then how do we establish the Four Seasons? It must be done in conjunction with the Five Elements.
If the Four Seasons are chaotic, then how do we change the Four Seasons? We still need to utilize the power of the Five Elements.
Thus, this question is essentially timeless.
"Officials may answer freely, writing down their own views and guesses, but the answers must also align with the preferences of the examiners."
"If the examiner is from the Heavenly Timing faction, they will certainly approach the topic using the theory from the book 'Heavenly Timing and the Great Five Elements.' If the examiner is from the 'Geographical Advantage faction,' then the 'Earth King and Late Summer Theory' would be most appropriate."
"What if it is the Original Self faction? Then it would be the 'Yin-Yang and Five Elements Original Self Classic.' However, the Original Self faction is weak; its ideas are not popular and do not align with mainstream theories, so using it to approach the topic would be considered a forced answer," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
The Original Self faction believes that within living beings, there exists a set of heavenly timing operations, which can be simply described as a "biological clock," matching the Five Organs with the Five Elements, and aligning other organs with the Earthly Branches and Heavenly Stems.
This theory is known as the "Minor Five Elements and Four Seasons Theory," also referred to as the "Internal Five Elements and Four Seasons Theory." From its name, it is clear that it is not accepted by the mainstream and is relatively obscure.
However, when the revival version emerges and the Original Self faction rises, this theory will flourish and overshadow other schools.
Because "pure primordial soil can be cultivated within the body," "the Dantian can nurture primordial seeds," and even through introspection of heaven and earth, one can create their own world.
But now, if you were to write this down, even those from the Original Self faction would consider you insane, as currently, one can at most achieve "cultivating pure primordial soil." Creating a world within the body? Are you mad!
Thus, Zhao Xing directly excluded it.
"The earliest Five Elements theory matched Jia with Wood, Bing with Fire, Wu with Earth, Geng with Metal, and Ren with Water. However, the correlations were too weak and did not consider the coordination of the seasons at all."
"Later, the seasons were divided into 'Meng,' 'Zhong,' and 'Ji' for the three months."
"In spring, the three months of Mengchun, Zhongchun, and Jichun are located in the east, belonging to the Wood element, matched with Jia and Yi."
"In summer, the two months of Mengxia and Zhongxia are located in the south, belonging to the Fire element, matched with Bing and Ding."
"The third month of summer, Jixia, is located in the center, belonging to the Earth element, matched with Wu and Ji."
"In autumn, the three months of Mengqiu, Zhongqiu, and Jiqiu are located in the west, belonging to the Metal element, matched with Geng and Xin."
"In winter, the three months of Mengdong, Zhongdong, and Jidong are located in the north, belonging to the Water element, matched with Ren and Gui."
This is the mainstream "Earth King and Late Summer Theory."
Zhao Xing did not intend to provide an outstanding answer, as he would not lose points on the earlier sections; he had already stood out enough in this assessment. Thus, he simply transcribed the mainstream theory without alteration.
In this way, he could at least secure thirty percent of the points.
"If this question were part of a formal temple examination, I could add a bit of improvement; the current Five Elements matched with the months is unbalanced, with Fire and Earth being too weak, only matching two months combined."
"Should I express a little opinion first?"
Zhao Xing pondered for half an hour, pen in hand but unmoving.
In the end, he decided to write a couple more sentences.
"The Five Elements do not value Earth; Earth, in relation to the Four Seasons, commands all, and does not share merit with Fire."
"Using Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water to govern each season, Earth resides in the center, holding the ropes to regulate the four directions."
After writing these two lines, Zhao Xing did not answer further. This merely slightly improved the imbalance of the Five Elements matched with the months, not constituting a significant change.
In reality, it excluded "Earth" from "governing the Four Seasons," giving it a nominal title of "regulating the four directions."
But that was enough; for a minor official to write this already reflected considerable thought.
In fact, this was the embryonic form of the later "Earth King and Four Seasons Theory," but Zhao Xing did not intend to reveal the later improved "Earth King and Four Seasons Theory" now, as virtue does not match position, and speaking too much can lead to disaster.
After completing the final question, Zhao Xing discovered that the sky had already brightened; it was the next day.
"The exam is in the afternoon, and now it's the morning of the next day. I actually took this long? It seems I spent too much time considering the last question."
True scholars must consider point control. In the last assessment, Zhao Xing not only controlled his own points but also those of others.
This time, he had to consider the actual impact, so he thought a bit longer.
"I'm starving; I haven't even eaten. The food that was sent is already cold."
After becoming wealthy from the river, Zhao Xing looked down on the cold "employee meal."
In any case, he planned to submit his paper early and go to a restaurant after leaving the examination hall.
Zhao Xing organized his answer sheet, not leaving a single one behind, and carried it toward the examination hall.
Early in the morning, the sky was not fully bright yet, but the patrols and examiners were not lax. If it were a formal temple examination, even the Yin Spirits would come to supervise, preventing any ghosts from aiding in cheating!
"Hmm? Why are you submitting your paper so early?" Xue Wenzhong, sitting in the hall, frowned as he watched Zhao Xing walk in with the guards.
He believed Zhao Xing was too arrogant; the exam time had not even passed half, and he had already finished?
Xue Wenzhong knew the difficulty of the questions he set; to filter talent for submission to the county, the subsequent exams would be increasingly difficult.
Zhao Xing's comprehension of spells was good, but theory was another matter; a muscular man might not necessarily produce exquisite writings.
"Twice at Jia, has he developed a sense of arrogance?"
Zhao Xing submitted his answer sheet and then bowed, "Esteemed officials, I have come to submit my paper."
Gao Linong, Tang Wanchun, and Pang Yuan were surprised; their thoughts were similar to Xue Wenzhong's—did he really finish in such a short time?
But they quickly restrained their expressions, neither sad nor happy, each harboring a thought in their hearts:
Good, good, good. We are not afraid of your arrogance; we are only afraid you are not arrogant enough. Being the first to submit, we must carefully review; we absolutely cannot let you off lightly!
Chen Shijie, however, had a different view from theirs. His confidence in Zhao Xing far exceeded that of others, stemming from a natural trust in "knowing oneself."
"Good, the first to submit! I indeed did not misjudge you. Please wait here for a moment; we will soon be able to review the results."
(End of Chapter)