"My daughter was wrong."
Cao Ying obediently admitted her mistake; she had just gotten too excited when she heard those two conditions.
"Father, Mother, I'm willing to marry."
Despite her shyness, Cao Ying expressed her thoughts again.
Cao Qian snorted fiercely.
"There is no chance of staying in a female university."
"Dad~"
"My daughter truly wants to continue the Cao family line!"
"You, you."
Madam Cao couldn't bear to say anything more; she understood the child's thoughts perfectly.
"Are you really willing? Don't force yourself for this."
“Father, Mother, I really do want to. Putting everything else aside, the Li family is indeed a good family. They have many members but are very harmonious. Li Qingzhang is the eldest son in the family, and he is also very handsome. Now it seems that at least the main branch of the Li family will stay in Shao County. In this way, I won’t have to leave you and my parents. Besides, those two promises, which one of them wasn’t made with the utmost sincerity?”
With no outsiders around, Cao Ying spoke her mind freely.
"Furthermore, they are not here for the Cao family's power. They don't seek priceless treasures, but rather a loving husband."
"Yes, it's rare to find such a loving husband. The Li family is truly dedicated to making such a promise for Ying'er. Husband, shall we agree to this marriage?"
"Since you all say so, I have no other opinion."
Cao Qian vaguely said that the Li family was indeed sincere.
Sure enough, Li Xuming and his companion received news from the Cao family the very next day.
"You can get ready!"
The news had barely been sent out when the matchmaker arrived, so fast that the Cao family couldn't even react.
However, this also shows how much the Li family values this marriage and is unwilling to wait even a moment longer.
Mr. and Mrs. Cao were very satisfied; it seemed that the Li family hadn't taken yesterday's events to heart.
When word got out about the marriage between the Cao and Li families, many wealthy merchants in Shaoguan regretted it immensely. They felt that if their own family had proposed, the marriage would have gone through too! The Li family only had a workshop.
Regardless of how others may regret or envy them, the person involved is very satisfied.
With the marriage arranged, Li Qingzhang was all smiles every day. Yan Min and the others also returned to Li Family Village to offer their congratulations.
I wasn't embarrassed, but I just felt that things in this world were a bit strange.
At this time, Li Qingyao was going to participate in the prefectural examination.
The prefectural examination was held in Ning'an Prefecture, and Yan Min did not buy a house in the prefectural city.
Therefore, the family hurriedly went to the prefectural city again. Li Qingyi did not plan to take the exam again. He knew he could not pass and did not want to suffer that ordeal at the examination hall again.
However, the two brothers also went to the prefectural city.
Mo Qiaoniang wasn't worried at all. A good man should have ambitions beyond his hometown, and it's good for him to travel more.
The inn Yan Min booked was the famous "Top Scholar's Inn" in the prefectural city. It was said that many scholars who stayed here passed the imperial examinations and became scholars, and several even achieved the highest rank in the examinations. It was truly the top scholar's inn in the prefectural city.
However, the accommodation fee at Zhuangyuanlou is not cheap, more than twice that of ordinary inns. However, if you are the first in the county examination, you can stay for free, and the second and third place will also receive a discount.
Therefore, even though the room rate is very high, many families are willing to pay the money for good luck.
So many top scorers in the county-level examinations, the top three, are staying here. Wouldn't it be a good thing to be able to befriend these people and discuss scholarship with them?
Yan Min chose to stay here because of this good fortune.
With the prefectural examination approaching, many scholars are busy organizing literary gatherings.
Li Qingyao also received quite a few, but he didn't participate in any of them. He didn't understand why the literary gathering had to be held at this critical juncture.
Moreover, these so-called literary gatherings were mostly just affectations or visits to brothels. They might have the air of romantic scholars, but they were of no help whatsoever in the prefectural examinations.
It's hard to understand what these people are thinking. Maybe they're trying to make people slack off in their studies so that they can reduce their competitors?
Li Qingyao thought so.
However, while many people participated in the literary gathering, even more did not, especially those students who ranked highly in the county examinations. None of them were foolish, and in order to maintain their advantageous position in the county examinations, they studied even more diligently.
The prefectural examination consists of three sessions. The first two sessions are held in one day, while the last session is held over two days. Candidates need to stay overnight at the examination venue. This is why Li Qingyi didn't want to take the exam at all. His lack of knowledge was one thing, but he really couldn't handle staying overnight. Since he knew he wouldn't pass anyway, he simply didn't want to go and save himself the trouble.
Moreover, since the prefectural examination still required someone to act as a guarantor, this saved on a guarantee fee.
After spending a few days at the inn, the prefectural examination officially began.
Yan Min and the others escorted Li Qingyao to the outside of the examination hall before leaving.
Li Qingyao went through the verification process from the last county examination again. The only good thing was that it didn't rain today.
The guarantor this time is still Master Liu.
After successfully passing the verification, Li Qingyao received his seat card and headed towards his assigned cell.
Li Qingyao looked at his cell, his heart skipped a beat.
The good news is that he wasn't assigned to a "bad number".
The bad news was that his cell was only a short distance from the "stinky cell," and he had a feeling that the stench would eventually reach his cell. Just thinking about it made Li Qingyao shudder.
Li Qingyao shook his head. Since he was already there, he might as well make the best of it; the exam was the most important thing.
After all, he was no more unlucky than the student sitting next to him in the "stinky cell." Happiness is relative; there were others who were more miserable than him, so Li Qingyao stopped being sentimental.
I took a deep breath of the air in the dormitory, which smelled of decaying wood, and cleared my mind of all distractions to prepare for the exam.
This exam still tested knowledge of classical texts, but the content was much more advanced than the county exam. There was also an additional major question, which was equivalent to memorizing the entire text. The question only required the first and last sentences of the book to be written, and the candidates had to fill in the rest.
Candidates were not required to bring their own food for the prefectural examination. The examination fee included three days' worth of meals, and the yamen runners would provide them with meals on time every day.
The cost of the inn for the prefectural examination, the examination fee, the examination paper fee, and the insurance fee, all added up, would cost at least three taels of silver even for those who were frugal. For a family like the Li's, who paid for their own accommodation in the Zhuangyuan Tower, the cost was no less than ten taels of silver.
That's why people say that studying is not something ordinary people can participate in. If one person takes the exam, the whole family may have to tighten their belts and go hungry.
Passing the exam is fine, but if you fail, all that money will be wasted.
Therefore, it is very difficult for children from farming families to get ahead. Every exam carries not only the expectations of their entire family and clan, but also the life and death of their entire family. The psychological pressure is unimaginable.
Every year, many students, almost immediately after leaving the examination hall, may jump into the river.
It's a vicious cycle.
Li Qingyao looked at each question with a clear and serious expression. The Li family was indeed not short of money at the moment, but he also carried the expectations of the entire Li clan.
For myself, for my family.
You must pass the prefectural examination!
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