Chapter 83: The Provincial Examination and the Qualifications for the Top Prize

Candidate confirmed.
The Sheng family immediately invited Madam Kong to enter the courtyard which had already been tidied up.

The daughters of the Sheng family began to take etiquette lessons from Nanny Kong.

A few more days passed.

The day of the provincial examination has arrived.

On this day, the fifth watch drum sounded.

Yang Wenyuan got up early.

It was still dark outside.

It’s just like taking the college entrance examination in my previous life.

In order to maintain their condition, most candidates will arrive at the examination room early to wait, get used to the atmosphere and stay spirited.

Therefore, at this time, there was already some movement on the street outside.

The sounds of many carriages, horses, and footsteps could be heard on the street, heading towards the Imperial Examination Hall.

Most of the imperial examination halls in the Great Zhou were located in the southeast corner of the city, which means "purple air coming from the east".

By the time Yang Wenyuan finished washing up, Changqing had already prepared the necessary items for the exam, such as pens, ink, paper, and inkstone, and placed them in Yang Wenyuan's bookcase.

Yang Wenyuan took the book box and checked the contents again. After making sure there were no mistakes, he nodded and went out, got on the carriage of Pingyang Marquis Mansion, and rushed to the examination room.

There were numerous wealthy families in Bianjing.

Therefore, even though Yang Wenyuan thought he had arrived early enough, at this moment, the area outside the Imperial Examination Hall was still filled with horse-drawn carriages carrying candidates for the exam.

Yang Yuqing and Mrs. Chen also wanted to come to see him off for the exam, and Yang Ruijin was also clamoring to come, but was persuaded by Yang Wenyuan.

Just like when he took the college entrance examination in his previous life, Yang Wenyuan did not like having his relatives send him to the exam, and was used to going to the examination room by himself.

Maybe it’s a mentality problem. Yang Wenyuan feels that the earnest gazes of his relatives at this time are not encouragement, but pressure.

The closer to the Imperial Examination Hall, the more ornate and exquisite the carriage decoration was.

Obviously, that place belongs to the realm of the rich and powerful.

There were too many carriages, and Yang Wenyuan didn't want to bother squeezing in, so he got out of the carriage and looked inside. After confirming that there was a carriage from the Duke of Qi's Mansion, he immediately jumped off the carriage, told the coachman to go back by himself, and took Changqing inside.

We are all friends, so what’s wrong with a little help?

Arriving in front of the carriage of the Duke of Qi's Mansion, Yang Wenyuan stuck his head out to take a look.

Sure enough, the Qi family of three were sitting neatly inside.

Qi Heng sat upright inside, but at this moment his handsome face was full of solemnity, and there were some dark circles under his eyes, which showed that he was under a lot of pressure.

Qi Heng had to get up early and was nervous, so when he saw Yang Wenyuan coming over, he simply nodded.

He bowed and greeted the Duke of Qi and his wife.

Yang Wenyuan then successfully refused and got into the carriage and sat down.

I have to say that the carriage of the Duke of Qi's Mansion is very spacious.

Sitting is so comfortable!

After a while.

The sky is bright.

The slight fog on the street dissipated and the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall opened wide.

The soldiers guarding the gate began to check the candidates against the list, comparing their names, places of origin, appearances, ages, etc. one by one. If there was any deviation in any of the items, they would be questioned again carefully.

Then they searched my body and the book boxes I brought with me.

However, Yang Wenyuan and Qi Heng naturally don't need to go through so much trouble.

The two were dressed in expensive clothes, and had an aristocratic demeanor. The soldiers who were checking them did not dare to offend them. They simply verified their names, and when they learned their identities, they immediately cleared the way and let them pass. When they entered the Imperial Examination Hall, they were greeted by a wide bluestone road.

On the pink wall facing the street, the names of the candidates and their dormitory numbers are posted.

Yang Wenyuan and Qi Heng each found their own room, bowed to each other, wished each other well and left.

After entering the dormitory, Yang Wenyuan took out the items needed for the exam from the book box.

Then the examiner announced the questions.

As a great scholar of the time, Zhuang Xuejiu had produced countless successful candidates. He had already prepared the test questions for the provincial examination in advance and had also assigned many homeworks for the students during the weekdays.

Therefore, Yang Wenyuan felt relaxed as soon as he started.

He sharpened his inkstone, picked up his pen, and began to answer.

By the time the exam was over, it was already dark outside.

The candidates handed in their papers and walked out of the examination hall.

After finishing the exam, although he didn't know all the questions, he got most of them right. Therefore, Yang Wenyuan felt relieved and relieved.

He originally wanted to take a ride on Qi Heng's carriage on his way back, but when Yang Wenyuan came out and took a look, he immediately discovered that Yang Yuqing and his wife, and Yang Ruijin were standing in front of the crowd not far away.

This sudden scene made Yang Wenyuan very happy, and he ran over quickly with the book box in his arms.

"Didn't I tell you not to bother? Why are you here?" Although Yang Wenyuan complained in his heart, he couldn't help but feel happy in his heart.

"What? You, a junior, tell us not to come, so we won't come?" Yang Yuqing teased.

"How dare I, nephew!" Yang Wenyuan smiled awkwardly.

Mrs. Chen was the one who spoke nicely and gave Yang Wenyuan a way out: "Rujin met Changqing today and came back to tell us that you asked the groom to come back on his own this morning. We thought that by the time you finished the exam, it might be dark, so we came here to wait in advance."

There is no doubt that the reason why Rujin met Changqing was that Mrs. Chen must have asked Yang Rujin to come to her house and ask in person.

Otherwise, with Yang Yuqing and Yang Rujin's personalities, since Yang Wenyuan said they didn't need to come, they would definitely not come unless the sky fell.

Don't have that spare time.

Yang Wenyuan nodded with emotion.

At this time, Yang Ruijin stretched out her tender little hand and pulled out the book box from Yang Wenyuan's arms.

Feeling his hands were empty, Yang Wenyuan couldn't help but asked in confusion:
"What are you doing with my bookcase?"

Yang Rujin, however, did not have the manners of a noble lady at all. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she moved slowly and clumsily to put the bookcase behind her. She did not answer, but tilted her head upwards and snorted softly in a proud and coquettish manner:
"Hmph! I want you to take care of it!"

Yang Wenyuan was touched, but considering Yang Rujin's face, he pretended to be teasing and said, "You stole my bookcase. Are you planning to inherit my title of top scholar in the future?"

"The top pick?"

Hearing Yang Wenyuan's arrogant words, Yang Rujin turned her head back and gave Yang Wenyuan a nice roll of the eyes, wrinkling her nose and said, "Cousin, you are too shameless. You can't even pass the provincial examination, and you are the top scorer?"

Yang Wenyuan laughed dumbly: "Okay, wait until my palace exam list is on the list, it will lay a foundation for the future imperial examinations, and I will definitely help you get the top scorer in the exam!"

Yang Wenyuan originally thought that the road to the imperial examination was just an embellishment, but after today, it seems that he will have to put some thought into this aspect.

The imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty placed great emphasis on poetry and prose. If you pass the palace examination in the future, it might not be impossible to become the top scorer!

A scholar can bring peace to the world with his pen, and a warrior can rule the world on horseback.

That’s right, I, Yang Wenyuan, the leader of the Great Zhou!
Not far away, Qi Heng also came out of the Imperial Examination Hall. His slightly tired face showed a relaxed expression, and it was obvious that he had done well in the test.

Just as he was about to look for the carriage of the Duke's Mansion, he saw the intimate scene on Yang Wenyuan's side and couldn't help but feel envious.

The original joy suddenly diminished a lot.

Yang Wenyuan also noticed Qi Heng at this time.

The two looked at each other, smiled, and got on their own carriages.

(End of this chapter)