One evening after the autumn examinations ended, Old Master Chu said while eating: "This noon, I chatted with the official in charge of the policy essays. He said that when he was grading the papers, he saw a paper that was absolutely brilliant. It had unique insights, a broad perspective, and was truly eye-opening. It could even be presented to the Emperor as a practical example."
"We don't know how this candidate performed in the other subjects. If he also performed well in the other subjects, then this candidate will be the top scorer in the Southwest."
The provincial examination in Dazeguo, also known as the autumn examination, implemented a regional admission system, with each region, such as the northeast, southwest, northwest, and southeast, allocating a certain number of places.
Yuezhou City is the largest city in the southwest region, so the examination location for this area is set in Yuezhou.
The imperial examination, also known as the Jinshi examination, was called the Spring Examination. It involved all the successful candidates from across the country going to the capital to take the exam, which was held at the Gongyuan (Examination Hall) of the Ministry of Rites.
Winning first place in a region is certainly a glorious and joyous occasion.
As he spoke, Old Master Chu gave Mu Xinghe a meaningful look.
Of course, he hoped it would be Mu Xinghe, and everyone else did too.
Mu Xinghe felt both anticipation and nervousness.
"Xi'er, if I don't pass the exam, will you—" Mu Xinghe asked with a heavy heart under the pavilion.
"No, and don't even think about making me leave you. Even if you never succeed in your life, I'm still willing to marry you." Qiao Xi'er said, "The most important value of a person is not how much wealth they have, nor whether they can become an official, but their character. That's what I truly value."
Meeting someone like Shen Liang made her realize the value of good character. A person without integrity cannot stand in the world; even if they hold a high position, they are still a petty person.
Mu Xinghe placed his hand on the back of Qiao Xier's hand and gently grasped it.
"With Xi'er's heartfelt wishes, even if I don't succeed this year, I won't be discouraged. You are my motivation."
Although the Qiao family said that regardless of whether he passed the imperial examination this year, they would still let him and Xi'er get married, he longed to be on the list, to give his efforts an explanation, and to give her a sense of honor and a sense of security in life.
The exam papers from the entire Southwest region were all in Yuezhou. To ensure fairness, they had to be cross-reviewed and supervised by each other. By the time the grading was completed and the results were released, it was already half a month later.
On the day the results were released, Mu Xinghe was a little nervous and couldn't even eat breakfast.
He paced back and forth in the back garden, and even though the banana and bamboo groves overhead provided some shade, beads of sweat still formed on his forehead.
"Young Master Mu, let's go. I heard the results have been released." Around noon, a fellow student he knew from the exam called out to him from outside.
The courtyard was some distance from the back garden, and the sound was so faint that it was almost inaudible, but Mu Xinghe heard it clearly.
He quickly said "Oh," lifted his robe, stepped into the courtyard, passed through several halls, and came out the door.
Where is the ranking list?
"It was posted on the wall of the prefectural government office, very close to the Chu family residence, yet you didn't rush over there immediately."
This student was also very nervous, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel from time to time.
He was almost thirty years old and had never missed a provincial examination, but he always failed.
If he fails the exam again, he will go back to his hometown and become a schoolteacher.
Many students had already gathered outside the government office, some overjoyed, even grabbing the hands of passersby and shouting, "I passed! I passed!"
Some were dejected, shaking their heads and sighing, while others wanted to bang their heads against the wall. Fortunately, Lord Tu had anticipated this situation and sent soldiers to guard the area, stopping those who were suicidal.
The closer they got to the list, the more anxious Mu Xinghe became, but he comforted his thirty-year-old brother beside him.
The papers of the top three students were also posted on the wall, including those on classical texts, policy essays, and poems, and the onlookers discussed them as they looked at them.
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