The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 2059 - 2034: The Examination

Zhou Wulang packed his things and bid a reluctant farewell to Junior Ms.Lu.

Their child was still young and unsuitable for the journey, plus he was returning home primarily to process the harvested medicinal herbs before sending them to the capital. Therefore, he would need to go to the capital again after winter, so it wasn’t necessary to bring his wife and child.

With Zhou Wulang and Zhou Erlang and their wives gone, the house became even quieter. However, the peace had its perks, as Bai Shan and his companions became more engrossed in their studies during their breaks, and their reading sessions lasted longer.

As August came, Bai Dalang began writing poems and essays to submit, prompting Bai Shan and Bai Erlang to consider doing the same. Although they didn’t need to submit their work, they decided to write two pieces each and send them to Libationer Kong.

They had no choice. As they were now companions of the Crown Prince, submitting their work to anyone else would be inappropriate, so they might as well send it to Libationer Kong.

Libationer Kong received their submissions from the gatekeeper, and unable to resist, he rubbed his forehead before placing their poems and essays among the three other good ones he had selected. He brought them out during a drinking and dining session with his colleagues for a shared appreciation.

Submitting works was a rite of passage for every student aspiring to the imperial examination, aiming to gain some reputation before the exam. This way, when the examiners read their names, they might have a favorable impression.

Of course, encountering an official who admires and aligns with you is even better. He would recommend you to other officials, and even if you didn’t perform well in the exam, a strong recommendation would increase your chances of being selected.

Indeed, the imperial examination in this dynasty did not anonymize the candidates.

Therefore, the impressions of the examiners were very important.

The Emperor’s impression score was even more crucial, and Libationer Kong didn’t believe Bai Shan and Bai Cheng would fail the exam.

One of them, although not prominent, was indeed valued by the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and his character and talent were recognized by all the civil and military ministers;

The other was considered loyal and just, and as the future consort of the legitimate princess, they would not fail even if their rankings were not high.

Moreover, did they still need to gain fame?

Nonetheless, since they were his students, and they both had commendable talent, Libationer Kong decided to mix their poems with the few he favored for everyone to review.

As the libationer of the Imperial Academy and the Crown Prince’s tutor, Libationer Kong received submissions by the basketful every day.

Daily, the gatekeeper would bring basket after basket of submissions into his study.

He couldn’t possibly read every single one, as many feared he wouldn’t see their submissions if they only submitted once, leading to almost daily submissions with high repetition rates.

He could only let his disciples filter them, setting aside those already read, clearly nonsensical ones, poorly written ones, and those with messy surfaces. He would personally review the remaining ones, selecting those he found good or truly appreciated, meeting people, chatting, and then deciding whether to recommend them.

Due to the imperial examination, the previously sluggish capital economy after the national mourning began to revive, with a trend of becoming more bustling by the day. Numerous students arriving from various regions filled most of the vacancies in the capital, causing restaurants, bookstores, teahouses, inns, and even vendors selling small items outside to flourish.

Zhou Liulang felt business at their restaurant was booming, and despite hiring a head chef and recruiting two kitchen assistants, it was still somewhat overwhelming.

Junior Ms.Qian went to lend a hand, and business at the restaurant improved further.

It wasn’t that her cooking was particularly exquisite, but rather, "it hit the spot, just like home-cooked meals, yet a bit tastier than what we prepared at home."

Moreover, at Zhou’s Restaurant, the portions were generous, unlike some inns where the dishes were perfect in color, aroma, and taste, but so small that a table full of people would finish them in two bites.

Here, three or five fellow townsmen pooling together and ordering two or three dishes were enough, proving much cheaper than hiring a cook to prepare meals, so candidates living nearby preferred eating at Zhou’s Restaurant.

Especially students from Sichuan, they particularly favored Zhou’s Restaurant.

There was no alternative, as it suited their taste too well, whereas dishes from other restaurants and inns initially tasted novel but became unpalatable after a while.

Amidst the bustling tension, time swiftly carried on into October, when the imperial examination began.

Manbao followed Old Madam Liu to send the three Bai brothers to the examination hall entrance, and Mr. Zhuang, who had never experienced the imperial examination himself, also felt somewhat tense and could only remind them, "Don’t make any writing errors, write what you know first, carefully review, keep the paper neat..."

These warnings came from all colleagues at Chongwen Pavilion who had participated in the examination, and Libationer Kong was straightforward, "If the paper is messy and the handwriting sloppy, I will immediately discard it."

With so many papers, and already limited time, who had the luxury to decipher your handwriting word by word?

The Imperial Academy had long established regulations requiring all exams to be written in regular script, regular script!

So, Mr. Zhuang focused on reminding them of these three aspects at this moment.

Bai Shan, Bai Dalang, and Bai Erlang obediently agreed, then carried their exam baskets into the exam hall.

It was Old Madam Liu’s second time sending children to the exam hall, yet, to her surprise, she felt even more nervous than when she sent her own son to the exam hall years ago.

So, holding onto Ms.Zheng and Manbao, she suggested, "Let’s sit and wait at the teahouse nearby."

Her hands and feet were a bit weak, and she didn’t want to ride the carriage home just yet.

Mr. Zhuang thought they also needed to pickup the candidates in the evening, so he nodded in agreement.

Thus, the group made their way to a nearby teahouse to sit, drink tea, and wait.

Manbao poured tea for the elders and then asked Mr. Zhuang, "How many people will be selected in this year’s imperial examination?"

Mr. Zhuang replied, "According to Libationer Kong, only thirty-two will be selected."

Manbao was surprised, "So few?"

Mr. Zhuang chuckled, "It’s not too few. Last time, only twenty-seven were selected."

Manbao was a bit worried, "Can Senior Brother Bai pass?"

Mr. Zhuang, unconcerned, said, "If he doesn’t pass this year, he’ll take it again next time; he’s still young, there’s no rush."

Mr. Zhuang paused and continued, "But Bai Shan and Bai Cheng, if they pass, it might not be appropriate for them to assume office right away; they should go on a study tour."

Manbao nodded, exchanged a glance with Mr. Zhuang, and both master and disciple chuckled.

Old Madam Liu glanced at the two of them. Since the beginning of the year, they had been hinting at the idea of a study tour over the next couple of years, but she hadn’t decided whether to let them go yet. After all, the outside world wasn’t entirely safe.

Yet, keeping the children in the capital forever might not be good. Eagles soar in the sky; they don’t always shelter from the storm in their nests.

Old Madam Liu’s heart felt as if it was being roasted by flames; she wished for them to stay safely in the capital, but also didn’t want to clip their wings, so she consistently avoided participating in this topic.

However, once the imperial examination was over and the results were announced, she would inevitably have to face this issue.

On the first day of the imperial examination, the focus was on poetry and essays, which posed no problem for Bai Shan and the other two, as they returned joyfully in the evening.

But from the second day onwards, it became challenging as the examination shifted to classics. The three of them entered smiling, but all returned with frowns.