For the past five days, everyone has been waiting cautiously, both wary of the magistrate of Xiyang County's underhanded tactics and worried about Xu Mo's performance.
Jiang Sheng was blindly confident and arrogant like a little wild chicken, practically wearing a sign that read "My older brother is super awesome" every day.
Every time Xu Mo sees his younger sister like this, he touches his nose.
I feel guilty; what if I don't do well on the exam?
On the day the results were released, all of us were on edge, and we couldn't even get a good night's sleep.
Early in the morning, while Jiang Sheng was still fast asleep, they rushed to the plaque at the entrance of the examination hall and tiptoed to search for the list of successful candidates.
The imperial examination system of the Dayu Dynasty consisted of the following stages: county examination, prefectural examination, academy examination, provincial examination, metropolitan examination, and palace examination.
After passing the county and prefectural examinations, one becomes a candidate for the title of Xiucai (a lower-level scholar), known as a Tongsheng (a student who has passed the county-level examination). Only after passing the provincial examination can one become a Xiucai.
Only those who had obtained the title of Xiucai were qualified to participate in the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination.
The county examination served as the first exam for candidates to pass the preliminary examinations, and it was a selection process. Although there were thousands of applicants in the county, only about fifty were actually qualified to take the prefectural examination.
Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng, relying on their strong physique, squeezed to the front of the crowd, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to watch.
Starting from the end, and continuing all the way to the middle, Xu Mo's name was nowhere to be found.
The two were secretly delighted and continued forward from the middle, but still found nothing.
Xu Mo's name was not on the list of successful candidates.
Zheng Ruqian's first reaction was to curse the magistrate of Xieyang County, "It must be that old bastard who interfered. He did something bad. My brother worked so hard, how could he have failed the exam?"
They thought that Xu Mo might not get into the top few, but he would definitely make it onto the list.
If there's no promotion, then someone is sabotaging it.
Fang Heng became even more impulsive, turning around to grab a stick, "I'll storm the county government office and demand an explanation."
Just as the two brothers were about to reach an agreement, Chang Yan, who was squeezed so tightly in the crowd that his feet barely touched the ground, managed to speak up, "Second brother... third brother... how about we go home and take a look first?"
Wen Zhiyun was like a bean sprout in a pot, drifting with the current, weak and boneless.
Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng then remembered their two short brothers and quickly pulled them out of the crowd.
Return to Xu Mo's side.
The group of people didn't dare to breathe too loudly, for fear of touching on his painful memories.
Xu Mo remained resilient, offering a slight smile as she tried to comfort her younger brothers.
The five brothers walked back from the entrance of the examination hall.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance to the courtyard in the city, I saw red paper and firecracker debris on the ground.
"Whose family is celebrating a happy occasion?" Zheng Ruqian muttered.
The others remained silent and continued walking forward, where they saw Jiang Sheng standing at the entrance of the courtyard, looking sleepy and bewildered, holding a piece of red paper.
Xu Mo's steps faltered.
Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng looked on in disbelief.
Chang Yan smiled slightly, revealing a hint of understanding.
"Big brother, second brother, third brother, fourth brother, fifth brother," Jiang Sheng called out in one breath, "Where did you all go?"
Heaven knows how soundly she had been sleeping when suddenly there was a knock on the door. She groggily woke up and had just unlatched the door when several people rushed in, offering congratulations and well wishes. Then a string of firecrackers went off, startling Jiang Sheng so much that she stood frozen in place.
What, did she dream of getting married?
Fortunately, her brothers returned shortly afterward. Jiang Sheng rushed forward, shoved the red paper into Xu Mo's hand, and pointed to a few people lingering at the intersection, saying, "That's them."
Zheng Ruqian, being quick-witted and astute, took out an ounce of silver and rushed over to give it to them.
The group left satisfied.
Xu Mo slowly unfolded the red paper, on which three characters were written in thick, flowing strokes: "Top Scholar of the County".
The term "first place" refers to the top-ranked candidate.
For some reason, the top scorer in this county did not appear on the promotion list, but was directly sent to their home.
Xu Mo let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, and when she opened her eyes again, they were even a little moist.
He did not fail his younger siblings who supported him.
I have not let my parents down.
Zheng Ruqian grinned broadly from the side, "That's great! With this chief investigator here, that old bastard won't dare to act rashly anymore."
Although the county examination was only the first step to becoming a candidate for the imperial examination, and there were still the prefectural and provincial examinations to follow, the title of top scholar was extremely prestigious.
Throughout history, not everyone who became a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) had ever achieved the highest honors, but those who had almost always been Xiucai officials were practically guaranteed to become Xiucai.
If one has enough opportunity, it is not impossible to become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and enter officialdom.
Just look at the fact that several teachers came to the school where Xu Mo enrolled on the very night he won the top prize.
"Good lad, I always thought you were excellent, but I never imagined you were this excellent." The young teacher who was collecting money at the door and was also responsible for teaching Xu Mo said happily, "With this top honor, our school will be honored."
Xu Mo bowed slightly, "Thanks to Master Qian's meticulous teaching."
Students with good grades are not uncommon, but students who are not only academically excellent but also humble and intelligent are rare.
Master Qian's gaze toward Xu Mo grew even more admiring, but he said, "Although you have achieved the top score, do not be arrogant. This is only the county examination after all. You still have to overcome many obstacles to overcome."
"I came here to talk to you about the prefectural examination in April. With your level of being the top candidate in the county, you should be able to pass. But if you can study for another two years and take the top spot in the prefectural examination, it will be more beneficial to you."
It's clear that the school cares about him and has made very reasonable arrangements.
But Xu Mo pondered for a moment and then shook his head.
He wanted the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations), regardless of whether he was a top scholar or not.
He must be able to stand in court without kneeling, so that the magistrate of Xiyang County cannot punish him, and he must protect his younger siblings.
He will not only participate in the prefectural examination in April, but also the provincial examination in August.
This is Xu Mo's desire to become stronger.
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