They stayed at Lord Li's house for more than ten days. Lord Li still treated them with courtesy and was very warm to them.

It was not until two days before the exam that the three of them moved out and looked for an inn, and Master Lin took them to familiarize themselves with the procedures.

The first thing is to go to the government office to get a portrait, which is equivalent to the admission ticket in ancient times. No wonder Master Lin asked several people to travel together!

Because this portrait requires fellow students to guarantee the other party. If this guarantee is false, several people will be guilty of the crime together. At the least, the test results will be cancelled and they will not be able to take the test for three years. At the worst, they will be imprisoned.

Then Master Lin took a few people to buy the items needed for the exam.

This includes stationery: pen, ink, paper, inkstone, knife, paste, etc. Because food and accommodation are in your own examination room, you also have to bring your own daily necessities, including: clothing, bedding, hammers, curtains, etc.

The examination room provides simple food, but it is very unpalatable, so you will need a small pot to cook rice, tea, etc. You also need to bring your own candles for lighting.

Also, because the place is only three to five square meters, you eat and defecate in it, so it is best to bring your own sachets, incense bags, incense sticks, etc. Otherwise, you will really stink yourself out.

Master Lin talked about a lot of complicated things, and it was the first time for several of us to take the exam, so we listened to him in everything. We could buy what he said and it would be right.

There were still two days left before the exam, and Ji Yu and his friends finally found a small inn in a remote alley.

Although the environment is a bit worse, it is not that expensive. This inn only charges 9 taels of silver per night. The inn must be booked for the nine days of the exam, otherwise the inn will be gone when you finish the exam.

So we booked 14 days in total. Two days before the exam, nine days for the exam, and three days after the exam. The total cost was 125 taels, which was a saving of one tael of silver.

"Junior Brother Ji, are you nervous?" Lin Yunxiao asked Ji Yu.

"Who wouldn't be nervous? After all, we have studied hard for decades just for this day!" Ji Yu said honestly.

"The entrance examination is getting closer. There are more and more students from Beijing Middle School. It is said that there are an estimated 250,000 people who sign up this time! But there are only a hundred vacancies!!" Lin Yunxiao said with a sigh.

"Wasn't there only 200,000 people last year? Why are there so many more people this year?" Ji Yu asked.

"Who knows? Things that happen in the court are not something that common people like us can find out clearly." Lin Yunxiao shook his head and went back to his room to review.

Ji Yu also went back to his room to rest. The room he booked happened to have a couch, so Wang Shanchuan rested on it.

"Shanchuan. This exam will last for a total of nine days. One session every three days. After I enter the venue, you can wander around the area by yourself. Just wait until I am about to finish the ninth day of the exam and then come to the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall to pick me up." Ji Yu reminded.

"Don't worry, I will wait for you at the entrance of the examination room. I heard from many people outside that some people fainted on the fourth day of the exam. I will wait for you at the door." Wang Shanchuan said stubbornly.

Ji Yu also waved his hand and said, "It's up to you, but we probably won't have much energy after the exam, so remember to ask someone to rent a carriage and bring us back."

After Ji Yu finished speaking, he handed some silver to Wang Shanchuan.

Wang Shanchuan nodded and accepted it.

Ji Yu read a book for a while and then took a rest.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, several people stood up and lined up together, because the numbers they drew happened to be for the afternoon inspection and entry.

Although the exam starts on the morning of the 3rd, it would be even worse if you were asked to queue up for examination in the early morning of the 3rd.

Several people did not complain and lined up obediently.

At the entrance to the Imperial Examination Hall, two rows of yamen runners were standing in an orderly manner. There were also many horse-drawn carriages parked near the entrance. Everyone was also lined up in an orderly manner. The long team looked very grand.

Ji Yu saw Zhao Xiuyong and his two followers, He Daqian and Wen Lixiang, at the back of the team.

Ji Yu only saw that the steps of the two people looked very strange. When they walked, their feet were not as fierce as usual, but they walked very lightly, as if they were afraid of damaging their shoes. When they saw puddles, they deliberately avoided their shoes, as if they were afraid of damaging them.

Ji Yu took a closer look and found that he was wearing a pair of cloth shoes that could not be more ordinary. According to He Daqian and Wen Lixiang's usual habit of spending money lavishly, this was totally not their style.

There must be something fishy going on here.

Moreover, the examination officials did not conduct a very strict inspection. They only asked people to take off their clothes to see if there were any words on their bodies, and then checked their belongings before letting them go.

Seeing that it was only a few days before his turn, Ji Yu noticed that one of the soldiers was checking particularly carefully, and a brilliant plan came to his mind.

When Ji Yu was searching, he stood in front of the strict soldier. When the soldier asked him to take off his clothes for inspection, Ji Yu whispered, "The fat guy among the three people at the back is so strange. He walks very lightly. He doesn't look like a fat guy at all! He looks more like a flexible thin guy."

This soldier was not stupid. After hearing Ji Yu's words, he glanced at the students behind him.

Seeing him walking so quietly, as if he treated his shoes as some kind of treasure, the soldiers understood what was going on.

Ji Yu said no more and quickened his pace towards the Imperial Examination Hall, looking for his examination room number as he walked.

What happens next is not something Ji Yu can control. If he cheats, his status as a juren will be directly revoked. I hope Zhao Xiuyong will not go along with the crowd and do such a thing, otherwise I will really look down on him from the bottom of my heart.