"Could this top scholar be the reincarnation of a Confucian sage?"
The Civil Judge felt restless and couldn't help but sigh.
"Who knows? Maybe he is. But even if he isn't, there will surely be a place for him among the sages who Confucian scholars worship in the future!"
"Indeed, it must be so!"
The Civil Judge agreed unequivocally, and soon afterward, another thought came to him.
"The candidates' identities are concealed during our Imperial Examination, so how could the examiners distinguish the top scholar's paper from those of other candidates? Could it be that the rules were broken for him this time? Is he no longer anonymous?"
"Everything was as usual, no rules were broken. One's name and birthplace can be concealed, but their profound scholarly spirit is something that cannot be hidden. If an examiner is fair in grading papers and can recognize a scholar who possesses such spirit, it would be easy for that scholar to stand out above the rest."
