Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1120: College Examination Results Announced

Chapter 1120: Chapter 1120: College Examination Results Announced

Scholar Qu also instructed Qu Wenliang, "Brother Liang, your knowledge is good. Stay steady, and you’ll surely pass. Remember what Brother An taught you: you must practice boxing every day and move around to sleep well. If you get drowsy or overwhelmed by bad exam numbers, just... take a sniff."

Before they came here, Gu Jin’an sprayed a faint yet highly energizing potion on the inside of their sleeves, which could help them.

However, with so many people gathered, including students from all Jianghuai Prefectures, Scholar Qu didn’t dare speak openly.

Qu Wenliang nodded, "Yes, Uncle, don’t worry, I understand."

Scholar Shang said to Gu Jin’an, "Your master is most at ease with you. As long as you take the exam well, you’ll certainly pass."

But Gu Jin’an wanted more than just passing the Scholar exam this time; he wanted the small three yuan... Previously, he didn’t care about it, but now he fancied a noble family girl. Although she belonged to Master Ouyang’s family, reaching for her without substantial skill would be inappropriate.

Seeing He Jinseng and Gu Dexing looking at them with some envy, Scholar Shang smiled and said to them, "Your knowledge is good too. You’ve been studying hard with Master Ouyang lately. As long as there are no mistakes, your chances of passing are high."

Hearing this, Gu Dexing and He Jinseng felt much relieved, especially He Jinseng, who hadn’t avoided famine and was terrified by the bandits. Even with calming pills, he still had nightmares for two days, only improving a few days ago.

Lv Bai and He Jinseng were similar, also having nightmares for days, needing Yao Youqian to accompany them to the latrine at night.

"What are you all doing here? If you’re not candidates, leave quickly, or you’ll be suspected of bringing cheat sheets!" The governmental official patrolled back and forth, saw Elder Xu and them gathered, and hastily scolded them to stand behind the wooden fence.

"Brother Ming, take the exam well, Grandpa won’t accompany you." Elder Xu spoke to Xu Zhao Ming, turned, and smoothly slipped a money bag to the constable Squad Leader.

The constable Squad Leader accepted it even more smoothly, whispering, "Rest assured, we’ll watch over things and won’t let those with ill intentions pass cheat sheets to your children."

The money bag was quite heavy, at least fifty taels, indicating a generous patron, so naturally, they would be attentive.

Elder Xu listened, smiled, nodded, and quickly called his servants, taking Scholar Shang and the others away.

Dong dong dong!

The governmental officers were still beating the copper gong, shouting, "The auspicious hour has arrived, candidates, line up to enter the Dragon Gate! All other irrelevant persons must leave quickly, or be driven off with sticks!"

At this shout, a group of officials with knives and clubs came out and frightened many families of the candidates who had been giving instructions to their sons to leave quickly.

"Eh eh eh, Lord, don’t hit us, we’re leaving now."

After one shooing, the area in front of the Ritual Room’s Dragon Gate was much clearer, providing a space for candidates to queue properly and for government officials to see clearly which were trying to slip cheat sheets to candidates.

Indeed, the government officials caught two.

These two were poor students who had failed many times and knew they’d never pass in this lifetime, so they accepted a large sum of Silver to pass cheat sheets on, one of which was even to Young Master Tong San.

Tong San was the top of the county in this Linhe Prefecture Examination, and someone dared to scheme against him? The student who attempted the bribery was dragged out and severely beaten!

Many candidates who doubted Young Master Tong San’s knowledge, favoring Yan Xiaowu instead, were indignant and even thought the Yan Family was behind it, starting to speak ill of them.

Even the Academic Administrator Kong from the Capital, after hearing, had a slight favor towards Young Master Tong San, saying, "Tong Anshou truly deserves the title of top of the county; they are talented and envied."

Magistrate Shi of Linhe Prefecture nodded and laughed, "The Academic Administrator is right; Tong San’s knowledge is genuine. This county’s top scorer is well-deserved. It’s just that Lord Yan’s Fifth Young Master was a bit off this time, so..."

So, I’m innocent, I didn’t commit any exam deceit, you must believe me!

The Academic Administrator Kong raised a hand, interrupting Magistrate Shi, and smiled, "Lord Shi, let’s not talk about this, let’s burn incense and worship heaven and earth to prepare for the major examination."

"Yes." Magistrate Shi wisely said nothing more.

...

Thump thump thump!

Four hours later, after all candidates were checked and took their tokens, they entered the exam hall. The main hall’s drum sounded, beating nine times consecutively, marking the start of the fate-influencing college examination across Jianghuai.

The examination was split into two sessions, each lasting a day: essays on poetry, writings, and Confucian classics in the morning, and essays in the afternoon, with candidates having to stay in the exam hall overnight and submit their papers by the hour of the Rooster the next day.

Due to time taken checking candidates’ entry, they’d lost the whole morning, meaning they’d have to stay up by candlelight to write answers. Once the questions were handed out, each person was extremely nervous.

The first essay topic was a single word, ’loyalty,’ straight from Emperor Chu. When candidates saw this word, they couldn’t have been happier; loyalty was about showing allegiance, something everyone knew how to do, making their essays flourish.

The second essay topic was also a single word, ’money,’ again from Emperor Chu. In recent years, Emperor Chu has been determined to amass Silver, and no amount of it seemed enough. So in this college examination, he ignored the cabinet ministers’ advice and chose this topic.

When candidates saw this topic, they were all bewildered. Money? They only knew how to study; how were they supposed to know how to make money?

Gu Jin’an, seeing the question, smiled. Sure enough, it was about money... In recent years, Great Chu, apart from Jianghuai and Jiangnan, had been stricken by disasters, leaving the court desperate for funds. Gu Jin’an had long anticipated this topic for the college examination and had written several essays on generating wealth for practice. After a moment of reflection, he began writing.

Other candidates weren’t as relaxed as him; they scratched their ears and cheeks. Some, unable to find a breakthrough, succumbed to the heat and shock, fainting less than two hours in, with over a dozen carried out because of heatstroke or agitation.

Hearing the commotion, other candidates in the exam hall, those with less composure, found their hands trembling as they wrote.

Regardless of their fears and anxieties, time wouldn’t wait. At the hour of the Rooster on the tenth of June, the main hall’s drums sounded again, and Academic Administrator Kong immediately ordered, "Time is up, collect the papers!"

At his word, several teams of governmental officers, led by officials, rushed to each row in the exam hall and announced to the candidates, "Academic Administrator has ordered, time is up, stop writing immediately and submit your papers, or all your scores will be invalidated this exam cycle!"

Hearing this, those candidates who hadn’t finished writing began to cry, "That’s it, it’s all over, I’ve failed this exam cycle!"

With this, another group fainted.

The officers were quite helpless, having to arrange for personnel to carry them out.

Gu Jin’an and his group did not faint; they came out from the main hall, intact, and were immediately pulled onto the mule cart by Scholar Shang and others, heading back to the Xu Mansion.

The Tong Family had been watching closely, sent someone to follow, but unfortunately, they were blocked again by Xiao Sui and his team and failed to track them.

After spending two days and nights in the Ritual Room, Gu Jin’an and his group were sweaty and smelly. After a bath and a hearty meal, they finally felt alive again.

Surprisingly, Elder Xu and the others didn’t ask about their performance, merely telling them, "Since the exam is over, don’t think about it anymore, rest well and wait for the results."

Because of this, Xu Zhao Ming and the others were quite happy and relaxed but didn’t go out looking for trouble, instead staying obediently in the mansion until the college examination results were released on June nineteenth.