Chapter 61061 Cutting off the official career

Without further ado, Ruan Liang planned to set off immediately and rush to Xiajing overnight.

Du Qingtang agreed: "Tomorrow I will officially recognize your sister as my adopted sister."

Ruan Liang clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, sir."

But they both knew that Ruan Ran was not only Du Qingtang's adopted sister, but also her hostage to control Ruan Liang.

Before leaving, Du Qingtang reminded him, "Remember to change back into your boy form. If anyone follows you, either kill them or take a detour."

Ruan Liang didn't understand what he meant.

Du Qingtang didn't want to explain too much, saying, "There's no deadline for this mission, so safety is our top priority."

Ruan Liang tactfully stopped asking questions, took one last look at his younger sister, and turned away.

......

Du Qingtang put down the teacup with a soft "click" sound.

Ruan Ran shrank back, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't dare look at Du Qingtang and clutched the corner of her clothes in panic, like a frightened bird.

Du Qingtang's nonexistent conscience pricked him for a moment. After a moment's hesitation, he opened the oil-paper package and said, "Fragrant, sweet, and soft Fuling cake. Want some?"

Ruan Ran's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she raised her head timidly. Her big eyes were moist and particularly adorable.

Du Qingtang pushed the oil-paper bag towards her, and said in a tone that brooked no argument: "You can only eat one piece. Eating too much is bad for your teeth."

A sweet aroma filled her nose, and Ruan Ran couldn't help swallowing.

When she was still a baby, she was forced to flee with her brother. They lived a tight life and were lucky to be able to fill their stomachs. She had never seen such exquisite and beautiful pastries.

Ruan Ran was a little envious, but also worried that it was a trap, so he didn't dare to take any action.

Du Qingtang picked up the book and flipped through it as if no one was around.

Ruan Ran stole a glance at her and saw that she looked focused, as if immersed in a book. He licked his lips and finally couldn't resist the temptation.

The little girl slowly moved to the table, climbed up the edge of the table with her fingers, picked up a piece of Poria cocos cake, quickly retracted it, turned her back and squatted beside the table leg, and took a careful bite.

After chewing it twice, my eyes suddenly lit up.

Sweet!

Du Qingtang turned the pages of the book. Small flowers were floating around Yu Guangzhong's little ball, and even her hair exuded a happy atmosphere.

"Tang Ge'er, we're back!"

Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju walked into the house talking and laughing.

Ruan Ran was so startled that the Poria Cocos Cake in her hand fell down. She curled up beside the table leg like a fool trying to cover up her crime, thinking that she would not be discovered.

The first person to discover the little girl was Du Qingju.

She walked into the main room and immediately saw a small ball under the table. She thought it was because of the dim light in the room and she was hallucinating, so she blinked hard twice.

The person is still there, it is not an illusion.

Du Qingzhu also noticed it shortly afterwards and exclaimed curiously, "Tang Ge'er, what is this?"

Du Qingtang avoided the main issues and briefly summarized the touching story of a brother and sister selling themselves to bury their mother.

Du Qingju's eyes were full of pity as she looked around: "Where is her brother?"

"I have something for him to do." Du Qingtang said briefly, "We don't need any servants in our family. I plan to adopt her as my sister."

Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju looked at each other in surprise.

However, they were all smart people and soon realized that the youngest one must have asked Ruan Liang to do something important. In order to win people's hearts, they recognized Ruan Ran as their sister.

"I've always wanted to have a younger sister, and I never thought that one day my wish would come true." As the youngest of eight sisters, Du Qingju squatted down and said softly, "My name is Du Qingju, and I'm your eighth sister. Can I teach you, Sister Ran?"

Du Qingzhu also came over and introduced herself with a smile: "Besides me and your eighth sister, there are six older sisters above me, but they are all married and only come back occasionally. I will introduce them to you when I have the chance."

During these years of fleeing from place to place, Ruan Ran was the best at reading people's expressions. She could tell at a glance whether a person was kind or malicious.

These two sisters, like Master Du, had no ill will towards her.

Du Qingju saw Ruan Ran's tense face relax a bit, and stretched out her hand to her: "It's dirty under the table, can you get up first?"

Ruan Ran hesitated for a moment and placed his hand in Eighth Sister's palm.

"Ah! Poria cocos cake!" Du Qingzhu happily picked up a piece, ate it in two bites, and said coquettishly, "Tang Ge'er is so nice. I wish I could have it tomorrow too."

Du Qingtang rolled up the book and pretended to hit her on the head.

Du Qingzhu quickly dodged, hands on hips, and complained, "I take back what I said, Tang Ge'er, you're really getting more and more aggressive!"

Du Qingtang sighed, "This month's cakes are gone."

Du Qingzhu screamed: "Ahhhhhhhhhh, I'm going to fight you!"

Ruan Ran held his breath, thinking that a fierce battle was about to take place.

Unexpectedly, Du Qingzhu suddenly turned and rushed out of the hall while screaming: "A good woman doesn't fight with a man. Today, I will let you go for now!"

Ruan Ran: “???”

Du Qingju was overjoyed and looked down at the girl's clothes: "Sister Ran, let's take a bath first, and then eat, okay?"

Ruan Ran secretly glanced at Du Qingtang and nodded obediently.

While Ruan Ran was taking a shower, Du Qingju found some clothes that she couldn't wear anymore and altered them to be smaller for her. She also converted one of the guest rooms into her room.

It was late at night, and Du Qingtang was teaching two girls in the main hall. Ruan Ran was not feeling well, so she went to bed early.

She lay in the warm quilt, her nostrils filled with the fresh scent of soapberries, and she fell into a sound sleep while thinking of her brother.

There was no evil second uncle in the dream, nor were there any bad people who wanted to kill her and her brother. There were only sweet Poria cocos cakes, delicious meals, and her sworn brother and sister whom she had just met for less than two hours.

......

"So you recognized a sister?"

In the dormitory, Fu Ci stared at Du Qingtang without blinking.

Du Qingtang admitted generously: "I felt sorry for them, so I did what I wanted to do."

"Qingtang, you are always so kind." Fu Ci sighed, then changed the subject, "By the way, should I prepare a gift for her?"

Du Qingtang stuffed the book into his bag and recalled the scene of the kitten stealing food last night: "She likes to eat cakes."

Fu Ci remembered it in his heart, and after class he took Du Qingtang to the pastry shop and bought two of the child's favorite pastries.

Du Qingtang still had to go to Yao's house for class, so before parting, he reminded her, "She's not feeling well, don't let her eat too much, just a few pieces."

Fu Ci nodded, said goodbye to his friend, and went to the Du family carrying the oil-paper bag.

On the other side, Du Qingtang came to the Yao family.

Yao Xuan was playing chess with a handsome, gentle young man. The chessboard was full of smoke and gunfire as they fought back and forth.

Du Qingtang stood aside, watching the game in silence until the winner was decided.

The young man only noticed Du Qingtang at this moment and hurriedly stood up to greet him: "I guess you are Uncle Du."

As the winner, Yao Xuan twirled his beard and smiled widely as he introduced him to his disciples: "He is my grandson, Yao Jingzhou, courtesy name Wenjing."

Du Qingtang returned the greeting, not knowing how to address him.

Yao Xuan noticed the confusion hidden beneath his disciple's calm face and said kindly, "He's your nephew, just call him by his courtesy name."

Du Qingtang should be.

Yao Jingzhou said gently, "I had been traveling abroad to study. When I received a letter from my grandfather, informing me that he had accepted a disciple, I immediately rushed back. Unfortunately, the journey was long, and I only arrived in Qingyuan County last night. I hope my uncle-master will forgive me."

It’s okay for Du Qingtang to speak frankly.

After the master and his nephew exchanged a few pleasantries, Yao Xuan put away the chessboard and began teaching.

An hour and a half passed in a flash. Du Qingtang was thinking about Ruan Ran and Fu Ci from the Du family. He wrote down the homework assigned by Yao Xuan and said goodbye.

Yao Jingzhou personally saw him off and asked on the way, "When will my uncle plan to take the provincial examination?"

Du Qingtang said without hesitation: "The fifteenth year of Qingyuan."

That is two years later.

"In that case, Uncle-Master should take the imperial examination with me." Yao Jingzhou raised his hand to signal, and the two of them turned the corner at the end of the corridor. "Actually, I had originally planned to go to Beijing this year, but my grandfather thought I needed more time, and I also felt I still had some shortcomings. After last year's provincial examination, I traveled extensively to study, and I've benefited greatly from it over the past year."

Du Qingtang had no intention of traveling to study, but it was undeniable that one could learn something valuable from traveling. "Are you still leaving after this trip?"

Yao Jingzhou hesitated for a moment and said, "I plan to continue my study tour next year. This year, I want to spend more time with my grandfather."

As they were talking, the two of them walked to the door of Yao's house.

Du Qingtang raised his hand: "Wen Jing, please stay."

Yao Jingzhou bowed and said, "Master, take care."

As expected of someone who was taught personally by Yao Xuan, he is truly a gentleman with a bright and clear mind.

Unfortunately, this true gentleman finally died tragically at the hands of the second prince, his cousin.

-

Half a month passed in a flash.

When the girls of the Du family learned that Du Qingtang had adopted a sister, they rushed home one after another to see what was going on.

Ruan Ran is a good kid, and no one would dislike her after she cleans up.

The girls had a very good impression of her and affectionately called her "little sister" or "Ran Jie'er".

On the day off, Du Qingtang took Ruan Ran to Huimin Medical Clinic.

Doctor Qu happened to be in clinic today, and Du Qingtang asked him to take Ruan Ran's pulse.

"Although she's severely deficient, she can be cured. I'll prescribe five doses of medicine first. You can bring her back after she finishes taking them." Doctor Qu paused. "You can also let your eighth sister take charge of the follow-up diagnosis and treatment."

"Excuse me." Du Qingtang handed over the consultation fee and asked casually, "Excuse me, Doctor Qu, how is my eighth sister doing lately?"

Doctor Qu glanced at her unhappily and said, "If she is not good, I will expel her from the sect."

The apprentice picked up the medicine and handed it to Du Qingtang.

Doctor Qu gave some further instructions, and finally asked curiously, "What is your relationship with this child?"

From Du Qingju's few words, Doctor Qu roughly deduced that Du Qingtang was the youngest child in the Du family.

Could this child be some kind of relative of hers? Du Qingtang is so cold-hearted that he would bring him here personally.

Du Qingtang gently stroked Ruan Ran's hair: "She's my sister."

Ruan Ran's eyes widened for a moment, then curved quietly, sweet as honey.

Doctor Qu had no doubts: "If she were three or five years older, I could give her acupuncture directly, and she would recover faster."

"No rush, take your time." Du Qingtang picked up the medicine bag, "I believe in your medical skills."

Even though the family of imperial physicians of the previous dynasty has completely declined, their medical skills should not be underestimated.

Du Qingtang took Ruan Ran away.

People were coming and going on the street. Du Qingtang was about to remind Ruan Ran to go inside when he felt a touch of warmth on his fingers.

Looking down, Ruan Ran held two of her fingers and called softly, "Second brother."

......

Autumn passed and winter came, and November came in a blink of an eye.

Good news came from Du Qinghua and Du Qinglan one after another.

The former was three months pregnant, while the latter was two months.

However, even when she was pregnant, Du Qinglan still went to the Qiong English Society on time every day to teach the members to read and write.

It is worth mentioning that Qiong English Publishing House has survived tenaciously despite the pessimism of countless people.

To date, in addition to the original thirty members, nearly one hundred women have joined the literary society.

Some of them were already literate, and they joined the Qiong Ying Society just to find like-minded people to read, paint, and write poetry and essays together.

But the above are only a minority. The majority are women who come from poor families and are unable to read and write due to various reasons such as poverty, parents’ disapproval, etc.

For these women, a group of elders headed by Meng Qingyan competed to teach them how to read and write, and they were proud of whoever taught more and whose students learned faster.

"Tang Ge'er, you don't know that Zhang Xiaoxue, who first applied to join the club, is smart and hardworking. In less than a year, she has already learned over 2,000 words."

Du Qinglan, wearing a loose and comfortable dress, sat under the eaves to bask in the sun while making small clothes for her unborn baby.

"The most important thing is that she can only study for half an hour every day. After returning home, she still has to do laundry, cook, take care of her younger brother, and there are still a lot of things waiting for her in the fields."

"I asked her where she found the time to practice calligraphy, and she said that when she was tired from work, she would take a branch and practice on the ground during her breaks. The more she wrote, the more she would remember it."

Speaking of this, Du Qinglan sighed and felt a little ashamed: "She was able to persist in studying under such a difficult environment. I had the conditions at the time, but I was still unwilling to learn to read and write."

When I think about it now, I wish I could go back to the past and teach myself a lesson.

Du Qingtang had been doing exercises for the whole morning and was feeling a little tired, so he went outside to bask in the sun and help Du Qinglan with her needlework.

After hearing Zhang Xiaoxue's inspiring story, Du Qingtang just wanted to ask: "Are her parents dead?"

Du Qinglan was stunned for a moment before she reacted, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "The Zhang family is just like ours, with many daughters. Zhang Xiaoxue's older sisters are all married, leaving only her."

She thought of herself from Zhang Xiaoxue's perspective, and a pang of sadness welled up in her heart. As she stroked her still-unclear belly, she said, "Whether the child is a boy or a girl, I will love her dearly. When she's old enough, I'll teach her to read and write."

Du Qingtang threw the ball of thread into the sewing basket: "Very good."

Du Qinglan smiled with some pride after receiving the praise.

Du Qingtang basked in the sun for a while and then went back to the room to continue doing his homework.

In the evening, Du Qinglan returned home. Du Qingtang found that the rice paper was gone, so he asked Ruan Ran not to run around at home and to go to Xuanbaozhai to buy paper.

Passing by a bookstore, the shopkeeper saw Du Qingtang and greeted her warmly: "Mr. Du, a new batch of question books arrived yesterday. Would you like to take a look?"

Du Qingtang did not refuse.

Although Yao Xuan gave her questions every now and then and even brought various question books from other places, practicing questions made her think calmly and made her progress. It never hurts to do more.

When I walked into the bookstore, I saw several young men dressed as scholars talking loudly at the corner.

"My eldest brother wrote from Xiajing, saying that the court intends to reform the tax system. The court is in chaos and even the Hanlin Academy has been affected."

Du Qingtang recognized the person who was talking. He was a student in the Tongsheng class. They had been classmates for a month.

This man was a late-born son. He had an older brother who was more than ten years older than him. He passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi a few years ago and worked as a Shujishi in the Hanlin Academy.

But…tax reform?

It seems that Prefect Yan presented the policy paper and Du Qingtang's personal views on economic reform to Emperor Qingyuan.

However, this efficiency is too low, as it was only put on the agenda two years later.

By the time those people in the court come to a conclusion, it will probably have to wait until next year or even the year after before it can be implemented.

"I hope the tax reform can truly benefit the people. If it happens to an honest official like the county magistrate, it's fine. But if it happens to corrupt officials who are idle, incompetent and cruel, the people will suffer unspeakably after being exploited layer by layer."

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler and will certainly side with the people. Unfortunately, the officials in the court may not be so."

Du Qingtang picked up two volumes of policy essays, went around to the other side, and selected a volume of classics.

Sun, whose brother was an official in the Hanlin Academy, added, "In addition to tax reform, my eldest brother also mentioned the recent autumn hunting trip in his letter."

"What did they say? Did they describe the heroic figures of His Majesty and the others on the hunt?"

Classmate Sun: "Not really."

The crowd booed in disappointment.

Classmate Sun changed the subject: "Do you still remember the Duke of Changguo's Mansion that was tragically wiped out two years ago?"

"Of course I remember."

Classmate Sun lowered his voice and said, "My eldest brother said that the second grandson that the Duke of Changguo found two years ago was attacked again during the autumn hunt!"

Everyone gasped.

"But the people back then?"

"Nine out of ten chances it's the same person from back then," said classmate Sun. "When the incident happened, the guards risked their lives to protect Second Young Master Qi, but he was shot through the wrist by the murderer..."

"Shot through the wrist? Will he ever be able to write again?"

Classmate Sun sighed, "Of course not. Even the head of the Imperial Hospital is helpless."

"Then can he continue to serve as an official?"

Sun Teacher shook his head. "Second Young Master Qi has resigned from his post. His Majesty, in consideration of the Duke of Changguo and the Second Prince, has awarded him a sixth-rank honorary position. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Second Young Master Qi will remain in this position until he retires in old age."

The so-called honorary position naturally has little real power.

Everyone sighed: "It seems that the decline of the Duke of Changguo's Mansion is God's will..."

"Five volumes of examination books total three coins."

Du Qingtang paid the money, left the bookstore and went to Xuanbaozhai.

Recalling what classmate Sun said, she tutted in dissatisfaction.

The sixth-rank honorary position is still too cheap for Qi Heming.

But at least his hand was crippled, completely cutting off his path to promotion.

Du Qingtang walked into Xuanbaozhai: "Second-grade paper, two knives."

Let's just consider it as feedback from someone trying to disturb her mind on the eve of the college entrance examination.

The waiter brought two rolls of paper and said, "Eighty cents."

Pay the money and get the goods.

Du Qingtang hugged the rice paper and the inscription book tightly in his arms and headed home in the sunset glow.

This year is the twelfth year of the Qingyuan reign, and I will go to Beijing to take the imperial examination in the sixteenth year.

At most in five years, she would personally take Qi Heming's life.

......

In late November, Ruan Liang returned to Qingyuan County.

"Sir, I have fulfilled my mission."

Du Qingtang looked at Ruan Liang, who lowered his head and looked submissive. Although there was a short distance between them, she could still keenly smell the scent of blood and medicine mixed together.

"Is he badly hurt?" she asked.

Ruan Liang shook his head: "I was only hit once by the sword, the rest were flesh wounds, and the bumpy ride is why it's taking so long to heal."

Having said that, he looked up at Du Qingtang, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Du Qingtang tapped the table lightly: "If you have something to say, just say it directly. No need to hesitate."

Ruan Liang told the truth: "After I shot that man, I retreated. The guards asked to pursue him, but he stopped me."

Those guards were very skilled. If Qi Hezhang hadn't stopped them, he would not have been able to escape unscathed.

It's just a crude trick. He doesn't think he's very affectionate, does he?

Du Qingtang sneered: "Sister Ran is practicing calligraphy in the southwest room, you can go and see her."

Ruan Liang was overjoyed. He bowed respectfully and walked quickly towards the southwest room.

In the southwest room, Ruan Ran was practicing calligraphy.

After drinking the medicine for a month, Ruan Ran's health improved significantly, so Du Qingtang asked Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju to teach her how to read.

Only learning three or five words a day is quite easy for a four-year-old girl.

Ruan Ran held the brush and practiced calligraphy seriously.

She looked at the neat handwriting on the rice paper and smiled softly, thinking that her second brother would definitely praise her later.

"Sister Ran!"

A familiar voice sounded, and Ruan Ran suddenly raised his head.

The person standing at the door was her elder brother whom she missed day and night.

"elder brother!"

Ruan Ran dropped her brush, ran into Ruan Liang's arms, and burst into tears.

After crying, Ruan Ran leaned in Ruan Liang's arms with wet eyes, chattering about her experiences and observations over the past few months.

I haven't seen my sister for a long time. She has grown taller, her face has become plumper, her skin is fair and rosy, and she is no longer as pale and thin as before. She has become much more lively and cheerful, and every smile is full of energy.

Ruan Liang's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down.

Finally, Ruan Ran raised her head and looked at Ruan Liang, and said seriously: "Second brother and sister are very good to me. Ran likes them."

Ruan Liang didn't say anything, but just hugged his only relative tightly.

With this sentence, no matter how hard or tiring it is, no matter how much blood and sweat you shed, it is all worth it.

Ruan Liang did not stay at the Du family for too long and left that night.

He still has a blood feud to avenge.

After he settles his grudge, he will reunite with his younger sister and fulfill the ten-year promise.

-

"Qingtang, have you packed your luggage? Yuanzhong's carriage is already at the door."

As the sky was getting light, Fu Ci walked into the Du family courtyard.

"The door is open."

A clear voice came, and Fu Ci pushed open the door of the west room.

Du Qingtang turned his back to her, put the clothes into the bookcase, and slowly turned around.

The dim candlelight illuminated her face.

A green headband holds up her raven-feather-like hair, her eyes, as black as stars, are deep and calm, her superior facial features are like thick ink and heavy colors, sharpness and coldness are cleverly blended together, and beneath the calmness lies an indescribable sense of oppression.

Even though they were together day and night, Fu Ci still wavered for a moment. He walked towards his friend with a slightly unsteady step and looked up at her: "Qingtang, why have you grown taller again?"

Du Qingtang glanced at her: "......"

To be honest, Du Qingtang didn't know either.

Time flies like an arrow.

Two years passed in a flash, and now it is the fifteenth year of Qingyuan.

This year, Du Qingtang was seventeen years old.

Perhaps due to balanced nutrition and consistent exercise, Du Qingtang in this life seems to have been injected with hormones. His height has soared since he turned fourteen, and he is now almost 1.78 meters tall.

In contrast, Fu Ci stopped growing at the age of sixteen and was half a head shorter than Du Qingtang.

Du Qingtang raised her hand and rubbed her eyebrows. From the first month of the year to now, August, she has changed two sets of clothes. It is really troublesome.

"I'm done packing, let's go."

Du Qingtang carried his book box on his back, said hello to Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju, got on the Cao Mansion's carriage, and left.

......

In the twelfth month of last year, Fu Ci's three-year mourning period ended, and he will take the imperial examination this year.

In the same month, Du Qingtang and Cao Xingcan went to Northern Zhili to take the provincial examination.

Because the two exams were held on similar dates, Fu Ci shamelessly borrowed Cao Xingcan's carriage and his house, and stayed at Cao's house in the provincial capital during the college entrance examinations.

The provincial examination began on August 9th, and candidates had to enter the examination room the day before, so they set off on August 6th.

They set out from Qingyuan County before dawn and arrived at the provincial capital in the afternoon. They sent Fu Ci to Cao's residence, and the carriage set off again, heading for Cao's residence in northern Zhili.

Yes, that’s right, Cao’s house.

In order to prepare for the provincial examination, Cao Xingcan asked someone to buy a two-story house in northern Zhili.

When Du Qingtang learned about it, he immediately said: "......"

However, staying at Cao's house is indeed more convenient and safer than staying at an inn.

During the provincial examination, all the major inns in northern Zhili were overcrowded, with a mixed crowd coming and going, and there were many cases of theft.

In previous years, many candidates had their travel expenses stolen by thieves and could no longer stay in the inn. Not only did they fail the provincial examinations, but they even had no money to return home.

It was already late at night when the group arrived at Cao's house.

At that time, the chief examiner, deputy examiner and local officials sent by the court had entered the examination room during the day and held a banquet to celebrate the entrance and the mounting of the horse.

After the banquet, the inner curtain officials who were responsible for supervising the examination and marking the papers would move into the Imperial Examination Hall. They were not allowed to go out after that, and were not allowed to have any contact with the outer curtain officials who were responsible for managing the examination room.

The butler had been waiting outside the door. When he saw the group get off the carriage, he greeted them warmly but not flatteringly: "Sir, the food is ready. Would you like to eat first, then wash up and rest?"

Master Cao nodded, and the butler immediately made the arrangements.

Du Qingtang, Cao Xingcan and their three classmates Zhao, Fang and Qian filled their stomachs without savoring the food, went back to their rooms, took a comfortable bath to wash away their fatigue and sweat, and fell asleep.

On the seventh day of the eighth month, the five people gathered in the study, asking and answering each other's questions, and did not disperse until the hour of Hai.

On the eighth day of the eighth month, Du Qingtang, dressed in a white linen robe as usual, and a group of five people went to the Imperial Examination Hall under the scorching sun.

It didn't take long before the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall suddenly opened.

The chief examiner, deputy examiner, curtain officer and others arrived and began to call the roll.

"Du Qingtang, from Taoyuan Village, Qingyuan County, Baoding Prefecture, seventeen years old..."

"Cao Xingcan, Qingyuan County, Baoding Prefecture..."

After the roll call, the next step is the body search.

The body search during the provincial examination was stricter than that during the academy examination, but without exception, candidates did not need to take off their clothes unless they were extremely suspicious.

Du Qingtang raised his arms high and allowed the inspector to search him.

After a thorough inspection, the inspector raised his hand and let him go.

Du Qingtang found the examination room and his own room according to the examination instructions.

Just like the Tongsheng exam, the rooms were narrow and very simple, consisting of only two wooden boards.

The upper wooden board serves as a table, and the lower one serves as a chair. At night, the two wooden boards are put together to serve as a bed.

In addition to wooden boards, there are charcoal basins and candles in the cell.

But it's the hottest time of the year now, so there's no need for a charcoal brazier.

There was still a long time before the first exam, so Du Qingtang simply closed his eyes and rested, reciting the Four Books and Five Classics silently.

After dark, someone will deliver meals.

The food was bland, but Du Qingtang still finished it all. Then he put two wooden boards together, extinguished the candle, and lay down to sleep.

There were snoring sounds everywhere at night, and Du Qingtang couldn't sleep well. He covered his ears with his hands and could only fall asleep reluctantly.

The next day was the ninth day of August.

At the hour of Chen, the Imperial Examination Hall fired a cannon, and the provincial examination officially began.

The chief examiner copied the test questions onto a piece of paper two feet high and one foot wide, and then posted it on a wooden sign.

The patrol soldiers held up wooden signs and walked back and forth in the examination room so that the candidates could browse the test questions.

Du Qingtang wrote down the test questions on a piece of scratch paper. They were still the same old questions about the Four Books and the classics.

As usual, Du Qingtang first wrote his answers on a piece of rough paper.

It took Du Qingtang five hours to write the first draft of three questions on the Four Books and four questions on the meaning of the scriptures.

As the last stroke was made, the sun set and the examination room was filled with orange-red glow.

Du Qingtang estimated the remaining workload and decided to write it tomorrow. He pulled the small bell at hand and someone brought him food.

After eating and drinking his fill, Du Qingtang fell asleep to the sound of candidates around him flipping through their test papers.

The next day was the tenth day of August.

Du Qingtang got up early, ate the steamed buns and pancakes provided by the Imperial Examination Hall, revised and polished yesterday's essay, and then copied it into the test paper in neat regular script.

Thinking of going back in the afternoon, Du Qingtang didn't eat lunch. He copied seven articles in one go. It was already three quarters after midnight when he stopped writing.

Du Qingtang stretched out, and his bones crackled, which made people's hair stand on end.

She took a deep breath and pulled the small bell at hand.

The examiner came forward to seal the test paper and ordered Du Qingtang to leave the room immediately and not to make any noise.

Du Qingtang bowed and walked out of the Imperial Examination Hall.

"Mr. Du!"

Shi Tou had been waiting outside for a long time, and when he saw Du Qingtang he waved and shouted.

"Mr. Du, how are you feeling? Are you feeling unwell?" Shitou breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Du Qingtang's affirmative answer. "There's cold tea and ice in the carriage. Please go in and rest."

Du Qingtang stepped onto the carriage and was about to lean over to get in when he heard a loud noise behind him.

Looking back, I saw a candidate being carried out by patrol soldiers.

Shitou sighed, "Master Du, you don't know that I have been waiting outside for half an hour. During this time, no less than twenty people have been carried out horizontally."

Everyone wants to pass the imperial examination and become an official, but often things don't go as planned.

Countless people failed the exam, and many suffered physical injuries or even lost their lives as a result.

Having lived for so many years and experienced dozens of imperial examinations, Du Qingtang was no longer surprised: "Your young master has practiced martial arts for many years, so he will be fine."

Shitou held his head high and chest puffed out, looking proud: "Of course, my young master is the strongest!"

Du Qingtang sat in the carriage, eating fruit in an ice jar and drinking cold tea. After waiting for about an incense stick of time, Cao Xingcan and the other three handed in their papers and came out.

The group returned home, washed up, rested, and fell into a deep sleep.

The second session of the provincial examination will start on August 12, and candidates must enter the examination hall the day before, August 11.

The second round of the test consisted of one question on the Five Classics, and one question on imperial edicts, judgments, memorials, and imperial edicts. These were also common question types, not too difficult, and there were no traps.

During this period, a white-haired old scholar choked while eating and died on the spot.

The patrolmen carried the old scholar's body past Du Qingtang. Du Qingtang took a quick glance, sighed that life is unpredictable, and continued answering.

The third session of the provincial examination will begin on August 15th, and candidates must enter the examination room the day before, August 14th.

A night later, Du Qingtang woke up to the sound of cannon fire and patrol soldiers holding up wooden signs. She wrote down the test questions on straw paper and began to answer them.

......

Just as Du Qingtang was answering questions about current affairs, a hundred miles away outside the Baoding Imperial Examination Hall, there was a bustling crowd and a lot of noise.

On August 15th, the results of the college examination were announced.

"Congratulations to classmate Fu for winning first place!"

Congratulations were heard everywhere. Fu Ci looked at the two words "Fu Wen" ranked first on the red table, and started crying while smiling.

She is a scholar!

She is Fu Xiucai!

Fu Ci couldn't wait to share this good news with his close ones, but unfortunately Du Qingtang was far away in Northern Zhili and was taking an exam at the moment.

"Now that you've looked at the list, let's go back." Fu Ci said to his classmate Li who was traveling with him.

Although I cannot share this good news with Qingtang in time, I can share it with the sisters of the Du family.

Classmate Li also passed the examination and became a scholar. He smiled and agreed when he heard this.

So, the group went back home.

According to convention, students are allowed to rest for three days after taking the college entrance examination.

Fu Ci went straight to Du Ji Snacks and said to Du Qingzhu, "Seventh sister, I passed the exam!"

Du Qingzhu was overjoyed and waved his hand: "My child passed the exam today, all snacks are half price!"

My children.

Fu Ci smiled, his eyes moist.

On the other side, classmate Li returned to the village in style on an ox cart.

The villagers surrounded him and showered him with compliments.

"Our village actually produced a scholar, how amazing!"

"Smoke is really coming out of the Li family's ancestral tomb!"

Classmate Li was delighted, but said modestly, "My performance is nothing. This year's top candidate, Fu Wen, is only eighteen years old. She is the truly amazing one."

At this moment, there was an explosion outside the crowd.

The talking and laughing stopped, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound. It was a couple, and the noise just now was caused by the man accidentally dropping a clay pot.

Li met the man's eyes full of disbelief, and a strange feeling flashed through his mind. He was about to ask the man what was wrong when the woman suddenly rushed up and grabbed his arm: "Ahhhhhhhhh!"

The voice was hoarse and full of madness.

The woman opened her mouth wide, and classmate Li was horrified to find that she had no tongue!

Classmate Li was so frightened that he stepped back repeatedly and stammered, "What's wrong with her?"

Classmate Li's mother pushed away the woman who was about to pounce on her again, cursing at her and forced her to leave. Then she turned around and explained to her son.

"They came to our village three years ago. The couple has no tongue and can't speak, and they've lost several fingers. Their son is even worse off. Not only can he not speak, he's also paralyzed. He always howls in the middle of the night. It's terrifying."

"Everyone said this family must have offended someone, which is why they had their tongues and fingers cut off. They don't want to have anything to do with them."

"Those two are acting crazy all the time. Second brother, stay away from them next time you see them."

Classmate Li said yes repeatedly, and after finally dealing with the villagers, he went home with his mother.

As we passed by a house, we suddenly heard hysterical roars from inside the house, which sounded like despair and resentment.

Classmate Li was frightened when he heard this and quickened his pace to leave.