Chapter 290: Do your best and leave the rest to fate

Zhang Chengyan was delighted to hear these words. Even though the child had not yet been born, he already liked him.

"If this pregnancy produces two princes, that would be great. However, if there is a princess, that would be even better."

Everyone hopes to have both a son and a daughter; even emperors are no exception.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I have a feeling that this baby will be a princess."

Doctor Ji has examined it, but he can only tell that it is a boy, but he cannot be sure whether it is a girl. We will have to wait until the baby is born to know.

Seeing that Zhang Chengyan looked exhausted, Bai Wutong stopped disturbing him and took Yun and Yunxi back to Tishun Hall.

Yunhe sat on the crib obediently and asked curiously, "Mother, when will the little brother in your belly be born?"

"Soon, in about four months, I'll be able to see my brother."

Bai Wutong tucked in the quilt for him.

"Then you will be able to play with your brother in four months."

"You will have a younger sister by then. You all came out of your mother's belly. You must take good care of your brother and sister, understand?"

Yunhe nodded vigorously, "Mother, I will definitely protect my brother and sister."

Yunxi, who was standing by, also said in a baby voice, "Brother, I want to protect my younger brothers and sisters too."

Bai Wutong looked at the two sensible children and felt very relieved.

Only after they fell asleep peacefully did she return to the inner room to rest.

On May 4th, the much-anticipated imperial examination finally kicked off.

As soon as day broke, countless students arrived near the examination room early and lined up in an orderly manner.

In February and March, the weather is still quite cold.

But now it is May and the weather is pleasant, so they no longer have to suffer from the severe cold.

The students, dressed in light clothes, opened their beddings one by one and received detailed inspection by a dedicated person.

Xun Yuanliang and Xun Yuanshan were also in this huge team.

Their bedding, clothes and other examination supplies were all carefully prepared by Xun Mingzhi, and were much more comprehensive and sophisticated than what they had originally prepared.

"Okay, go in."

"Come on, come on, next one! Hurry up, everyone!"

"Don't make trouble. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be disqualified from the exam immediately!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the few people who were about to quarrel because of queue cutting shut their mouths instantly and dared not even breathe.

Xun Yuanliang and the other man successfully completed the inspection, walked into their own cubicles, and prepared for the exam.

Fortunately, their cubicles were in a good location, in the middle of the area, away from the toilet, and the smell was not too pungent.

The basket was filled with broken dry food, which would be their only food source for the next three days.

As a burst of passionate drumbeats spread outside the examination room.

The scientific expedition officially began.

Xun Yuanliang took the test paper, quickly scanned the questions on it, and suddenly felt relieved.

Great, I guessed the question right!

As long as you answer the questions steadily, you will definitely be among the best!

The sound of candidates writing furiously and answering questions could be heard in the examination room.

The officials in charge of supervising the exam patrolled the rows of cubicles, leaving no corner untouched to make sure no one was cheating.

Three days passed in a flash.

Xun Mingzhi arrived outside the examination room early in the morning, looking around anxiously.

Not long after, the candidates walked out of the examination room one after another.

The Xun Yuanliang brothers are tall and handsome, standing out in the crowd.

Xun Mingzhi spotted them at a glance and shouted loudly, "Yuanliang, Yuanshan, this way!"

People around who heard the shouting looked over.

"Isn't that Concubine Zhao's father? Could it be that someone from the Xun family is also participating in this imperial examination?"

"It should be a younger generation in his clan. Don't worry, the Xun family's family background is ordinary. They can't cultivate any top talents, but they won't cause any big waves."

When the Xun Yuanliang brothers heard the shouting, they walked over quickly.

Xun Mingzhi smiled and asked anxiously, "How did you do in the exam? Are you confident?"

The two brothers looked at each other and said, "Uncle San, we have done everything we can, now we can only leave it to fate."

"Okay, get in the car. I've already asked someone to prepare hot water. Go back and have a good rest."

Even though the weather is getting warmer now, it is still uncomfortable to eat and sleep in that small and cramped examination room for several days in a row.

Look, there are still candidates being carried out.

If the weather had not improved, I am afraid that more candidates would not be able to hold on, and some students might even lose their lives.

The two got on the carriage, which was already equipped with hot water and pastries.

They ate a few bites and then closed their eyes tiredly due to the hard work of several days.

At the same time, the candidates' test papers were sent to the Hanlin Academy.

The examination of the papers was undertaken by the Grand Tutor and officials from the Hanlin Academy.

When the test papers are delivered, the candidates' names have been sealed.

The Grand Tutor took the test paper and said, "Everyone, hurry up and mark the papers. The Emperor has ordered that the marking period be shortened this time. The rankings must be determined as soon as possible!"

The scientific expedition date has been postponed for several months, and all processes need to be accelerated.

After only seven days, the marking work was completed.

The Grand Tutor personally presented the test papers to the Yangxin Palace.

Bai Wutong was also in the palace. She glanced at him and stood up sensibly, "Your Majesty, I will return to Tishun Hall first."

"Well, you go back first."

Bai Wutong took another look at the test paper before turning around and leaving the Yangxin Palace.

Zhang Chengyan sat at the desk, carefully reading the test papers one by one, "This one is good."

The Imperial Tutor hurried forward and agreed, "Indeed, Your Majesty, this person is not only knowledgeable, but also has very neat handwriting, and he did not make any mistakes while answering the questions. This shows that during the three days of the exam, he was calm and composed, and his performance in all aspects was outstanding."

Zhang Chengyan put this test paper aside and continued to look through the other papers.

After a day of review, the rankings were finally determined.

"Check it again carefully. The results will be announced the day after tomorrow. Give the candidates on the list three days to prepare, and then the palace examination will be held!"

The Grand Tutor took the order and left in a hurry.

Zhang Chengyan was in a state of headache after dealing with the list issues. I read too many words and my eyes feel uncomfortable.

Just then, Bai Wutong entered the Yangxin Palace.

"Now that you are here, help me massage my head. Although Wang Decai's skills are good, he is still not as good as you."

Bai Wutong walked to Zhang Chengyan with a smile, let him lie on his legs, stretched out his soft fingers, and massaged him with just the right strength.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling better?"

"Very good." Zhang Chengyan closed his eyes and suddenly said, "I heard that someone from your Xun family participated in this imperial examination?"