Zhao Yuan had not yet passed the provincial examination; he was only a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar), which was not relevant to the metropolitan examination.
He repeatedly came to the entrance of the examination hall, purely for Xu Mo, or rather, for the certainty in his heart.
It is said that simple-minded people have simple thoughts. Zhao Yuan was convinced that Xu Mo could become the top scholar in the imperial examination, or at the very least, a tribute student, and one of the top students.
He came to check the list with the same excitement and confidence as Jiang Sheng, but he couldn't find the name "Xu" anywhere. He was stunned for a long time before finally shouting, "Why? Why did Brother Xu fail the exam while he became the top scholar?"
All the students in front of the list turned to look.
Someone couldn't help but say, "They're just talented; those who aren't capable failed the exam."
"Bullshit!" Zhao Yuan retorted angrily. "Brother Xu is the one with real talent and learning. It's impossible for Brother Xu to have failed the exam. Absolutely impossible."
Just as the two were about to fight, Qi Huai and An Jun rushed over and pulled the flailing Zhao Yuan out of the crowd.
"Don't stop me! He says Brother Xu is incompetent, that's pure nonsense! I'm going to beat him up!" Zhao Yuan gritted his teeth. "Don't you know Brother Xu's abilities?"
An Jun nodded with a bitter face.
Qi Huai sighed, "Brother An passed the exam, and even I barely made it through. How come Brother Xu did..."
It turned out that Qi Huai and An Jun had both passed the imperial examination, and Xu Mo was genuinely happy for them.
"That's fine, but why is Fang Yuan the top scholar? We all know how he became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination)." Zhao Yuan said sullenly, "To put it another way, if a military family takes the top spot, we civil officials should really slit our throats and hang ourselves."
Fang...Yuan.
The name is both familiar and unfamiliar.
But when the topic of military families came up, Xu Mo suddenly realized that his third brother, Fang Heng, was a child of the Fang family, a family of military generals. Fang Yuan must be his cousin, with whom he had fought.
Based on this calculation, the current top scholar is two years younger than Xu Mo, making him truly exceptionally talented.
"...Bullshit about being a genius." Zhao Yuan's voice came just in time, "A thirteen-year-old top scholar, do you believe that?"
He glanced at Qi Huai, who shook his head.
Looking at An Jun again, An Jun shrugged blankly.
Finally, turning his head, Zhao Yuan saw Xu Mo. He was startled at first, but quickly came over with a wronged expression. "Brother Xu, you failed the exam. How could you fail? You are my role model."
Xu Jieyuan never expected that he would fail the imperial examination. His younger brother didn't cry, his younger sister didn't cry, but Zhao Yuan cried.
She was still wailing and crying.
“Brother Xu, there must be something fishy going on here. I’m not convinced. How could you fail the exam? Even Qi Huai passed.” Zhao Yuan cried and wiped his nose with a handkerchief. “I wouldn’t have said anything if someone else had won the top prize, but how could it be Fang Yuan?”
indeed.
The sons of military families who abandon martial arts for literature can easily win the top prize in the imperial examinations. How amazing is that?
However, we cannot doubt that the imperial examination system was problematic.
In order to protect the rights of commoner students and prevent aristocratic families from cheating, the Dayu Dynasty specifically ordered that the names on the examination papers be covered during the provincial and metropolitan examinations, and that the papers be graded blindly.
Unfortunately, each type of calligraphy has its own style, and those who are familiar with it can still recognize it. So, two other types of exam papers, one in red ink and one in black ink, were subsequently produced.
As the name suggests, students used ink pens to take the exams in the examination hall. The written papers were called ink scrolls and were sent to the chief examiner. The scribes would then copy them with vermilion pens, which were called vermilion scrolls.
The chief examiners of the provincial and metropolitan examinations graded the papers with their names covered in red ink, thus minimizing the possibility of favoritism and protecting the opportunity for talented individuals without power or influence to rise to prominence.
"Perhaps it's just that I lack ability and am not as skilled as others," Xu Mo comforted Zhao Yuan, patting him gently on the back.
As a result, Zhao Yuan was even more desperate.
“If even you can’t pass the provincial examination, I’ll never become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in my life, and I won’t be able to fulfill my parents’ expectations.” He was heartbroken.
Xu Mo was both amused and exasperated, and had no choice but to accept it.
After Zhao Yuan finally regained his composure, Qi Huai and An Jun both looked over, hesitant to speak.
"I haven't congratulated Brother Qi and Brother An yet," Xu Mo said, cupping his hands in greeting. "Once you pass the palace examination, you'll be able to realize your great ambitions."
An Jun was most pleased that he had obtained the title of Gongsheng (a student who passed the imperial examinations), which proved his talent and meant he would no longer be afraid of being bullied by powerful families.
Three friends in one group, only Xu Mo failed the exam.
It's a bit sad to talk about, but there's nothing we can do about it.
"This shouldn't be, this shouldn't be," An Jun murmured, confused and helpless.
Qi Huai calmed down a bit and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "The essays of the students who failed the exam will be released in ten days. There will be annotations from the chief examiner. You can come and take a look."
Xu Mo smiled and nodded.
More and more students gathered at the entrance of the examination hall to see the results. They said goodbye to each other and agreed to come back in ten days to see the annotations.
Inspired by her brother, Jiang Sheng also rallied her spirits to deal with the business dispute.
She calmly went to Jiuzhenfang, touched the slightly damp chestnuts, and asked, "Did the two brothers from the Gao family say how long these chestnuts can be stored?"
Zhang Xianglian recalled, "It can be stored in a dry, cool place for two months."
The Gao brothers need a month to transport the goods, and then a month to sell them after they arrive, which ensures that all the roasted chestnuts are fresh.
Jiang Sheng nodded, then went to the pastry shop across the street to confirm that their roasted chestnuts were also selling like hotcakes. Finally, she decided, "I don't need to do anything."
Zhang Xianglian asked in surprise, "Little Jiang Sheng, are we really just going to do nothing and watch them maliciously undercut prices and steal our business?"
“Yes,” Jiang Sheng said calmly. “Chestnuts can only be stored for two months in a dry and cool environment. In summer, they will get infested with insects and mold in half a month at most. We have the villa that my second brother bought and the ice we have stored to extend their shelf life. What do they have?”
Merchants were everywhere in the Dayu Dynasty, and many people traveled between the two places to transport goods. However, they would only go to one or two places at most to transport some items that could be stored for a long time.
Only Zheng Ruqian recognized the unique properties of ice and purchased a villa in a suitable city to store it, thus extending the time before the goods spoiled in the most cost-effective way.
Of course, the pastry shop across the street could also buy ice from various places, but the cost of chestnuts would probably be more than twenty-five coins. Could they really sell them?
Jiuzhenfang doesn't need to do anything; as spring arrives and the sun gets stronger, the businesses across the street will inevitably go out of business.
Ten days passed quickly.
The entrance to the examination hall was even more bustling than before, with unsuccessful candidates crowding together, all looking up to examine their exam papers and annotations.
Xu Mo, along with her younger siblings and several friends, are also searching.
The examiner read the red-inked examination papers, and the ones displayed were also red-inked. This meant that the entire wall might be filled with the same scribe's writing, making it dizzying to find the right one.
Fortunately, Zhao Yuan discovered it soon after, "Here, here, I see Brother Xu's name."
The group crowded around and began to read the contents carefully.
The others were alright, at most frowning and sighing, but Xu Mo became more and more serious as he looked, until his face turned ashen.
“This isn’t…” he clenched his fist, his voice hoarse, “This isn’t my test paper.”
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