Chapter 361 Yu Zhan is on the list
Three days have passed in the blink of an eye.
On the day the exam ended, Cheng Wanwan and Lu Yingxue arrived at the exam venue early.
The prefectural examination ended an hour early, and the two stood at the door waiting for Yu Zhan.
Lu Yingxue's palms were sweating with nervousness as she paced back and forth, extremely anxious.
As the candidates filed out, some were still full of energy, clearly having performed well, while others were dejected and forlorn, undoubtedly knowing that their chances of making the list were slim.
One by one, people came out, but Yu Zhan was nowhere to be seen.
“Xiao Zhan isn’t impatient; he’s probably just packing his things,” Cheng Wanwan reassured him. “Wait a little longer.”
Lu Yingxue could only suppress her eagerness and continue to look forward to it.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Yu Zhan finally emerged, supported by two people. His face was deathly pale, and he had difficulty walking.
"Xiao Zhan!" Lu Yingxue rushed over quickly. "What happened, Xiao Zhan? Don't scare your mother..."
Yu Zhan collapsed into Lu Yingxue's arms. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
The two people who helped him out were students staying at the Yuelai Inn. They had become familiar with Shen Zheng and Qian Hui, so they helped Yu Zhan out.
One of them said, "Brother Yu was unlucky and drew the toilet number. In previous years, people sitting in this position could not last more than half a day, but he actually stayed in there for three whole days. Brother Yu is truly admirable. However, he has not eaten or slept for three days and his body is not able to hold on. Let's quickly help him back to the inn to rest."
Lu Yingxue's eyes immediately turned red.
Is it really just bad luck? Maybe not. It's because Xiao Zhan is Yu Qingsheng's son, and because the Yu family has no power or influence, so this position fell to Xiao Zhan.
Her poor son...
Cheng Wanwan sighed: "Let's go, let's get in the carriage first."
She had read some ancient books, and there was indeed such a thing as a toilet number. The toilet was right next to the exam room, and everyone in the exam room would take care of their business there. People would come over and make noise from time to time, which not only affected the candidates' performance, but more importantly, as time went on, an unpleasant and nauseating smell would waft out of the toilet buckets next to them.
It is said that every year, the unlucky person sitting in this position will be carried out within half a day, and even if someone can hold on, they won't last more than a day.
Yu Zhan stayed inside for three days.
This child's perseverance is truly unmatched.
She helped Yu Zhan with his luggage, assisted him into the carriage, and after he lay down, Yu Zhan slowly opened his eyes. A weak smile appeared on his face: "Mother, I can make the list, I definitely can make the list..."
Lu Yingxue could no longer hold back her tears, her voice choked with sobs: "Xiao Zhan, what can I say? What should I do..."
"Let's not talk about the past," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "Yingxue, take Xiaozhan back to the inn to have something to eat and get some rest. I'll go pick up Zhao'er and Xiaozheng."
The carriage slowly drove to the entrance of the examination hall, and Cheng Wanwan jumped off the carriage.
With only a quarter of an hour left before the exam ended, the main entrance was packed with hundreds or even thousands of people, completely blocking the road.
With the ringing of a bell, the exam finally ended.
Cheng Wanwan immediately spotted a group of people surrounding a handsome young man as he walked out; the person being surrounded was Zheng Wangfeng.
Zheng Wangfeng stayed inside for three days, but he didn't look disheveled at all. He was still in high spirits, and it was clear that he had performed very well.
A group of people stood by, bowing and flattering him.
"The top spot in the first round will undoubtedly belong to Brother Zheng."
“Brother Zheng is the son of the magistrate of Fenghuang County. He has inherited his father’s talent and will surely be able to take the top spot in the provincial examination.”
"Brother Zheng, after you make a name for yourself, don't forget us, your classmates from Nanfu Academy."
Zheng Wangfeng humbly replied, "There are many capable people in Huzhou. How could I possibly be the top candidate? Everyone has a chance..."
Despite saying that, his face was still full of a determined smile.
He thought the exam would be difficult, but to his surprise, it was all types of questions he had encountered before, so he wrote them without any effort. Even if he wasn't first, he would be second or third. That's the kind of reputation that scholars strive for.
While a group of people were flattering him, Shen Zheng and Cheng Zhao walked out alone.
"Tsk tsk." Shen Zheng glanced in Zheng Wangfeng's direction. "He's afraid people won't know he's the county magistrate's son, so he's making a big fuss about it everywhere."
Qian Hui followed up and nodded, saying, "Even though Lady Sui is a seventh-rank lady personally appointed by the Emperor, she's not this ostentatious. What's there to be so proud of, being just the son of a mere county magistrate?"
Shen Zheng was speechless: "Aren't you and Zheng Wangfeng best buddies, sharing the same pants...?"
"No, no." Qian Hui immediately distanced himself from the relationship, "I have three good brothers now: Brother Shen, Brother Cheng, and Brother Yu."
He reached out and put his arm around Shen Zheng and Cheng Zhao's shoulders.
The two of them simply dodged it.
Seeing that the three of them looked relaxed, Cheng Wanwan didn't ask any more questions. Anyway, the results would be posted the next day, and she would know them naturally.
Back at the inn, Cheng Wanwan ordered the best dishes to reward the children, and also ordered a pot of Zhuangyuan wine. They had stayed there for three days, eating dried vegetable pancakes every day, and had indeed suffered.
With the influx of students, the Yue Lai Inn raised the prices of all its food, with a single table of dishes costing nearly twenty taels of silver.
However, Cheng Wanwan was not one to be stingy with money. When she went to the counter to pay, the innkeeper said with a smile, "A Mr. Qian just came in and prepaid one hundred taels of silver, saying that his wife's expenses at the inn during this period will be deducted from this one hundred taels of silver first."
Cheng Wanwan has a headache.
Old Master Qian's intention to curry favor with her is all too obvious; what kind of trouble is he trying to stir up?
Although she was a seventh-rank lady, she had no real power. All the unnecessary things that Old Master Qian did were actually meaningless.
However, since Mr. Qian has repeatedly shown his goodwill, if she keeps pushing him away, she might make things worse and end up turning him into an enemy instead of a friend.
Cheng Wanwan temporarily accepted Grandpa Qian's kindness. After the children finished eating, they went upstairs to wash up and went to bed early.
The results of the prefectural examination were posted the next day.
Lu Yingxue dragged Cheng Wanwan to wait for the results to be posted early on, but the area was already crowded with students' parents.
There were more people taking the prefectural examination than those taking the provincial examination, and they were also younger. Thousands of people were stuck on this road, which was quite a sight.
"Knock knock knock!"
The constables came out from inside, banging gongs and drums, and after making the crowd step back a few steps, they posted several notices on the bulletin board.
The crowd surged forward, searching for their names.
"I won! I won!"
"My name is ranked before Sun Shan's, so I can still participate in the next round, hahaha!"
"How come my name isn't on the list... I've taken the exam three times already, why am I still not on the list..."
"Heaven is unfair, why did I fail the exam again?"
"..."
The myriad aspects of life are vividly portrayed at this moment.
Lu Yingxue exerted tremendous effort and finally managed to squeeze in.
She turned around and hugged Cheng Wanwan tightly, shouting excitedly, "Xiao Zhan got it! He's ranked thirty-fifth! Oh my god, Xiao Zhan made the list! I'm so happy!"
"Keep it low-key." Cheng Wanwan covered her mouth. "Let's celebrate when we get back."
As soon as they left, several men dressed in fine silks and satins gathered around the list, all wearing cold smiles.
"He actually made the list! He's only ten years old and ranked thirty-fifth. Do you believe he has that ability?"
"I studied hard for ten years and only ranked seventy-eighth. He must have cheated."
"Unfortunately, we have no evidence to prove that he cheated."
"If there's no evidence, then create it. Otherwise, he'll definitely still be on the list in the next exam. Are you suggesting we make him a child prodigy?"
"Pshaw, if he becomes a student of the first level of the imperial examination, all the scholars in Huzhou will laugh their heads off."
"..."
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