After the second child of the Zhao family had his third-day celebration, the men of the Zhao family prepared to go to the county school. Access to more educational resources was still necessary.

After all, there are still five people in the family who do not qualify for the imperial examination.

On this day, Huang and Zhao Qianci took Zhao Qingyan and all the men in their family to Qingyang County.

First, Zhao Qianci and others went to the county school to register.

When the teacher learned that Zhao Qianci was the top scholar in this year's imperial examination, he was quite surprised, after all, Zhao Qianci was quite old and had a whole bunch of grandchildren following him.

The funniest part was that Da Bao was even held in Zhao Qingshan's arms.

I thought to myself, "What a bizarre family."

Because of the rule that scholars were qualified to enter the county school, the teacher still gave questions to the Zhao family members who arrived late.

“Father and son, none of my children and grandchildren have achieved official rank, yet they have always followed me in their studies.”

"Could we have a few of them participate in the test together?"

Zhao Qian declined the request.

The master's surname was Zhang. He stroked his beard.

"It's fine for them to take the test together, but they won't be able to attend the county school. They'll have to pay for their own paper and pens."

Zhao Qianci quickly bowed in gratitude, "Thank you, teacher. We have brought writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

So, except for the little guy Da Bao who didn't take a pen to answer the questions, all the other men of the Zhao family took out their pens, ink, paper, and inkstones to answer the questions.

Master Zhang was a grandfather himself. Seeing Da Bao sitting quietly to the side like a little adult, without making a fuss, he went over and picked Da Bao up.

"Little one, what's your name? Have you been to school?" Master Zhang asked.

Although Da Bao is small, he is very clever.

He nodded and said,

"Hello, Master. My family calls me Da Bao. I started studying with my grandfathers last year and also attended a private school."

Later, after Uncle Fuzi passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he no longer attended the private school but instead studied at home and in the clan school with his grandfathers.

Master Zhang's eyes lit up. "Wow, a clan school? Is it the clan school of your Zhao clan?"

Da Bao nodded, quite proudly.

"Of course it's our Zhao clan school. The building for our clan school was built with money donated by our great-grandmother."

It's so beautiful. In the clan school, we not only had to read and write, but also practice martial arts.

Great-Grandma said, "Without good health, no amount of knowledge will help..."

Master Zhang became more and more curious as they talked; the Zhao family was truly interesting.

Not only did they get a thorough understanding of the affairs of the clan school in Zhao Family Village from Da Bao, but they also tested Da Bao's knowledge in the process.

After the exam, Mr. Zhang became withdrawn and isolated.

He felt that his seven- or eight-year-old grandchildren were nothing compared to this kid.

So after grading the exam papers of the five scholars from the Zhao family, he also took the opportunity to grade the exam papers of the rest of the Zhao family.

When grading each exam paper, Master Zhang would check which member of the Zhao family it belonged to, especially when grading Zhao Qingbei's exam paper, he would glance at it again and again.

He thought to himself, "This level of knowledge couldn't possibly be enough to fail the preliminary examination, let alone pass the county-level examination. Could it be that someone rigged the examination?"

After grading all the exam papers, I asked the questions I was most concerned about.

"I think these five people are quite learned, so how come they didn't even pass the preliminary examination?"

Zhao Qianci quickly bowed and replied.

"Master, you are unaware of this. My children only learned basic arithmetic and literacy from me before."

He never went to a private school to study in the usual way.

I only started attending a proper private school last year.

Therefore, failing to pass the preliminary examination this year is indeed due to insufficient knowledge.

It was fortunate that Master Zhang was sitting in a chair, otherwise he would have been terrified by Zhao Qianci's words.

“What monsters! This whole family are monsters.”

An old man, already quite old, takes the imperial examinations, shamelessly competing with children.

The younger ones are all exceptionally bright; I don't know what the old man was thinking back then. Was he out of his mind not to send his children to school?

After silently criticizing it to himself, Master Zhang continued to ask.

"According to regulations, those who have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who has passed the imperial examination) and pass the test can enter the county school to study."

"What are your plans for the remaining five who have no official titles?"

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhao Qianci, upon hearing the teacher's question, quickly stated his request.

"Thank you for your concern, Master."

The students naturally hoped that they would make an exception and admit my children to the county school.

I would be extremely grateful if you could help me out.

If it is truly impossible to make an exception, then we plan to find a private school nearby so that they can study.

We'll rent a place nearby later, so our family can get together in the evenings to discuss academic matters.

But I felt that arranging it that way was unfair to the children.

He looked heartbroken and gave Zhao Changgeng a wink.

Zhao Changgeng understood and took out two bottles of fruit wine, each weighing one jin, from the basket he had brought.

"These two bottles of fruit wine were left by the manager of Wangyuelou at my request. They are presented to you, Master, for your appreciation. Although they are not as precious as wine, they are still quite rare."

Zhao Qianci specifically mentioned Wangyuelou, not for any other reason than that Wangyuelou's other reputation is its high price, especially its wines and fruit wines, which are rumored to be incredibly delicious.

Although he couldn't see what was inside the porcelain bottle, he figured Zhao Qianci wouldn't lie to him.

Master Zhang's eyes were fixed on the bottle, and he almost couldn't pull it off.

They already had a heart that cherished talent. Although the Zhao family's scholarship wasn't the best, they hadn't spent much time seriously studying.

At this rate, if they were to be taken in at the county school, it might even bring more positive stories to the school.

It's definitely not because of the alcohol.

After a moment of internal struggle, Master Zhang said, "You guys go sit outside for a while, I'll be right back."

So, all the men of the Zhao family left the testing classroom.

Huang Shi and Zhao Qingyan, who had been waiting outside, anxiously asked when they saw everyone come out.

"Well, did you pass?" Mrs. Huang asked nervously.

Zhao Qianci said in a low voice, "Old woman, don't be anxious. Maybe something good is going to happen. Let's wait and see."

A moment later, Master Zhang came out carrying a cloth bag and a stack of papers.

Without saying hello, he hurriedly walked towards the backyard.

The Zhao family members exchanged knowing smiles, their understanding unspoken.

Half an hour later, Master Zhang returned, accompanied by an elderly man in a blue robe.

This man was none other than the headmaster of the county school. He had once served as a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, and after retiring to his hometown, he took up the position of headmaster of the county school.

His surname was Zhan and his given name was Tong. Besides his love for poetry and painting, he also loved wine.

After Master Zhang took the bottle of fruit wine, Zhan Tong immediately opened the seal, smelled it, and knew that the wine was genuine.

I quickly found a white porcelain cup and poured a glass of wine. The wine was clear and bright, with a rich and vibrant color. It had a fragrant fruity aroma, and after taking a sip, the taste was simply delightful.

"Good wine indeed, is it really from Wangyue Tower?" Zhan Tong asked.

Master Zhang's mouth watered at the smell of the wine.