Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 419 - 255 The Imperial Exam Ends

The next day, Gu Chengyu woke up very early.

The two steamed buns he bought at the examination hall last night weren’t even finished, and there was still some jerky left. Gu Chengyu planned to heat these up, adding clear water into the little red clay stove with charcoal, he could cook a pot.

He was really tired of eating dry food these past few days and wanted to have something more fluid.

Gu Chengyu cooked a fragrant meat stew, which stirred the cravings of the fellow candidates still writing diligently.

"Gulp!" A candidate swallowed his saliva. He had been writing since yesterday, and had only eaten a steamed bun at night. By now, he was famished.

After thinking about the exam questions all night, he had only solved two problems by today. What was he to do? With such difficult questions, how could someone still eat so comfortably?

The candidate slightly extended his head and thought the smell was coming from the inside row of the opposite line.

If Gu Chengyu knew, he would definitely admire that candidate’s nose. The smell from the toilet was so bad that it wafted over to their two rows of examination cubicles. Yet that candidate could still precisely discern the smell of food through the stench.

Having eaten, Gu Chengyu spread out the test paper, ready to finish the last question. Since the paper was nearly complete and he could leave the examination hall in two hours, Gu Chengyu felt a bit lighter, even ignoring the foul smell.

Min Feng frowned as he looked at the last question. He was unsure of one or two of the earlier questions, and this last one he had no clue where to start.

He forced himself to calm down, thinking of articles in the Four Books and Five Classics that mentioned "two."

The last two times he had seemed very confident, but he found that Gu Chengyu was not affected by the smelly hall, only appearing a bit disheveled! After all, the top scorer was the top scorer, and his strongest opponents this time were Gu Chengyu and Fu Yanshan. As for Huang Junheng and Liu Haonan, he didn’t even consider them as competition.

Huang Junheng only had a good uncle! If it weren’t for his uncle seeing some potential in Huang Junheng, would Huang Junheng enjoy such prestige? Earlier, Huang Junheng privately sought him out, suggesting that he join his uncle’s circle, but he was hesitant.

Huang Junheng’s uncle had tremendous power and was the Grand Secretary Xia Qing. As a candidate from Jiangnan, if he joined the Jiangnan official faction, it would be difficult to extricate himself in the future. But being from Jiangnan, even if he didn’t join Xia Qing, people would still associate him with Xia Qing’s faction.

Min Feng carefully thought over Xia Qing’s behavior; he didn’t seem close to any Prince. Could he truly be a Pure Minister? Such talk could deceive fools like Liu Haonan, but he didn’t think so. He couldn’t tell which Prince Xia Qing was loyal to.

His family’s ancestors were all commoners for generations, with him being the only scholar. The clan supported him in his studies, hoping that he would succeed and look after the clan in the future.

He had no foundation and had to slowly build his network on his own.

Closing his eyes briefly, he refocused on the exam paper. The questions that stumped him might also stump Gu Chengyu, and the difference in first and second place in the Provincial Examination wouldn’t be too great.

Gu Chengyu finished writing the last question and then copied it onto the test paper. Looking at the sky, it should soon be the hour to submit the paper.

He reviewed the paper once, and after confirming his name, origin, and answers were all in order, he finally rang the little bell beside him.

Gu Chengyu leisurely walked out of the examination cubicle, waiting in the hall. To leave the examination, they had to wait for the release notice.

The candidates present felt even more pressured, with some looking at Gu Chengyu leaving the examination hall grinding their teeth in frustration, unsettling everyone.

The questions this time were difficult, and many candidates were unsure of their answers. Submitting first in all three exams, how could that not arouse resentment?

Some candidates became anxious; there was still over half a day left, but they had to submit before dark. Even if it wasn’t finished, the examiners wouldn’t allow any more writing, not even a single word.

The candidates all had worried expressions, and in such a silent examination hall, the sound of the ringing bell was particularly piercing. Min Feng was sure it was Gu Chengyu again.

Fu Yanshan was also deep in thought. He had reached the final question. This year’s examiners had set such tricky questions, and even he wasn’t sure about the last one.

Gu Chengyu waited for the first time slot to leave and exited the examination hall.

This time, not many people came out. Gu Chengyu glanced around and saw no familiar faces. Some candidates looked ashen, while others seemed very confused, none appearing confident.

However, universally, their faces looked unfavorable. Having stayed in the examination hall for nine days, they appeared unkempt and lethargic.

Some were in decent condition, but three had been carried out mid-exam.

Even Gu Chengyu felt a bit fatigued. Fortunately, he was away from the toilets; otherwise, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t be carried out. During those days, he barely ate, forcing himself to consume some buns.

Outside the examination hall, many candidates’ families were waiting, with some servants carrying sedan chairs and carriages waiting on the side.

After all, after each examination session, the candidates felt like they had been stripped, and who had the energy to walk back?

Ming Mo weaved through the crowd, knowing his master would definitely come out early and might already be outside the examination hall.

Finally, Ming Mo spotted the slightly haggard Gu Chengyu making his way to the outer ring through the crowd.

"Master! Over here." Ming Mo quickly ran over, having heard that candidates were often carried out of the examination hall, he was sure his master was running on fumes as well.

Ming Mo squeezed forward, running up to Gu Chengyu.

Gu Chengyu felt slightly repelled by his own smell, thinking of getting home quickly for a bath and a nap.

"Let’s head home first. Send some servants over when Mr. Ye and our second brother-in-law come out, to take them home."

At this moment, Gu Chengyu didn’t want to delay any longer, directly instructing Ming Mo and then heading to the carriage, climbing aboard.

Ming Yan saw this and knew the master was very tired, said nothing more, and drove the carriage back to the residence.

Gu Chengyu returned home, took a quick bath, and fell into sleep.

He slept until the next day. Early in the morning, Gu Chengyu woke up in bed, thinking that if it weren’t for the toilets, he wouldn’t be so exhausted, sometimes being kept awake all night by the odor.

Even the patrolling examiners rarely walked to his cubicle, indicating how strong the smell was.

"Send someone to Mr. Ye and our second brother-in-law’s houses to check if they’ve woken up?" Gu Chengyu asked while putting on the clothes Ming Yan handed over, and inquired about Sun Xian and the others.

This time Zheng Lun was also participating, but he didn’t see Deng Lun inside the examination hall. There were just too many people, and anyway, those from prominent families had their own servants, so it wasn’t his concern.

Feeling refreshed, Gu Chengyu tidied himself, initially not noticing, but now the aroma from the meal Ming Mo just brought in made his stomach rumble.