Chapter 659 Zhao Sidan Becomes the Chief of the Case
The imperial examination would take three days and three nights, and Cheng Wanwan did not go out again.
However, when the prefect's wife learned that she was in Huzhou, she specially brought gifts to visit her. Cheng Wanwan took the opportunity to inquire about the Prince of Qin.
"The reason Prince Qin came to Huzhou this time is because the Emperor appointed him to the position of Grand Minister of Works, specifically responsible for inspecting water conservancy projects throughout the country, mainly overseeing the construction of the Grand Canal in Huzhou and Yangzhou," the Prefect's wife said in a low voice. "Seven or eight years ago, the Emperor enfeoffed him as Prince Qin and granted him the land in the Northwest, but it was too desolate there. After a few years, Prince Qin was unwilling to go back. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager keeping him in check, he probably would have already caused a scene. This time, the Empress Dowager also wanted Prince Qin to improve himself, so she assigned him a less strenuous substantive post. It is said that if he does well, he can stay in the capital."
Cheng Wanwan's lips twitched slightly.
All the preliminary preparations for the Grand Canal between Huzhou and Yangzhou have been completed; all that's left is for its implementation. The King of Qin is simply here to pick up the scraps.
However, she could understand the Empress Dowager's elaborate efforts to pave the way for her youngest son, and let her take advantage of any opportunities she wanted.
She began, "With the King of Qin overseeing things, everyone will be more dedicated to their work, and the canal can be completed as soon as possible."
The prefect's wife shook her head: "The Prince of Qin has been in Huzhou for some time now, but he has never been to the canal project. He is either indulging in pleasure or causing trouble every day. My husband has cleaned up so many messes for the Prince of Qin... It's okay if he causes some minor troubles, but I hope he doesn't cause any major chaos, otherwise my husband won't be able to handle it."
Cheng Wanwan was completely at a loss for words.
They were royalty, so these people really couldn't do anything to the King of Qin; they couldn't even file a complaint.
"The canal will be completed by the end of this year, so please ask the prefect to be patient." That was all she could say. "Try not to confront the Prince of Qin directly. Once the canal is completed, the Prince of Qin will naturally return to the capital."
The prefect's wife was just complaining; she knew exactly what to do.
On the morning of the fourth day, Cheng Wanwan, Lu Yingxue, and Mr. Zhou went to the entrance of the examination hall to welcome the students.
After three days and three nights of torture, most of the people who came out of the examination hall looked pale and sickly. Some were even walking unsteadily, some were extremely pale, and some fainted as soon as they came out. Of course, some people may have performed well. Although they were in a sorry state, they were still in good spirits.
Zhao Sidan and Yu Zhan seemed to be in good spirits.
Lu Yingxue rushed over and hugged her son: "How is it? Is there any hope?"
Yu Zhan smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry, it's not a big problem."
Zhao Sidan raised his head and said, "Mother, I'm fine too. I'll be a scholar soon."
Cheng Wanwan couldn't resist pinching his cheek: "How can you be so cute, kid?"
"Mom, I'm thirteen years old already. How can the word 'cute' be used to describe me?" Zhao Sidan took a step back, feigning displeasure. "I'm so hungry, so hungry. Let's go back and eat. I want to eat so much."
The other twenty-odd students all seemed to have performed well, and one by one they talked to Mr. Zhou about the questions on the exam paper. Mr. Zhou smiled and said, "Don't worry about it anymore now that the exam is over. Let's go back to Lady Sui's courtyard to take a bath, then have a meal, and then get a good night's sleep."
Mr. Zhou had the exam assistance funds given by Dahe Town. He used the money to order many local specialties at Dahe Banquet in Huzhou and had them delivered to the courtyard. More than 20 people sat around the table, eating and drinking, talking about their future plans. Their scholarly spirit was on full display at that moment.
The results of the provincial examination were released in three days. On the morning of the third day, a large crowd gathered at the city wall of Huzhou.
Lu Yingxue was an impatient person, so she dragged Cheng Wanwan to see the list early in the morning. The two of them were dressed in ordinary clothes and did not stand out in the crowd. Naturally, no one would recognize that the person who was squeezing in the crowd was the fourth-rank official, Sui Gongren.
When the auspicious time arrived, the yamen runners came out with the notice, quickly brushed some paste on the wall, and then carefully pasted the notice up.
The surrounding crowd was already in an uproar.
"My God, I'm number twenty-six! I made the list! I've become a scholar! I've brought honor to the Liu family!"
"How could my name not be on the list? I must have missed it. Yes, I'll check again. There's no way I could have failed! Absolutely not!"
"This is my third time taking the academy entrance exam, why can't I pass it again, why, why..."
There were sounds of laughter and cries of pain in the crowd, a diverse array of human experiences.
Lu Yingxue held her breath and started looking from the last name. It wasn't that she lacked confidence in her son, but rather that he had been assigned to the toilet number, the worst position. Even if he made it onto the list, he should be at the very end...
"No... how could Xiao Zhan's name not be there?" She looked back and forth, but couldn't see Yu Zhan's son. She was sweating profusely with anxiety. "Impossible, impossible, Xiao Zhan is so outstanding, he couldn't possibly have failed the exam..."
Cheng Wanwan looked at her with a smile: "How about we start with the first name?"
Lu Yingxue shook her head: "Xiao Zhan has the ability to become number one, but he's just unlucky... Wait a minute!"
She shook her head violently, moved to the first list, and her eyes suddenly shone with a strange light. She turned around and hugged Cheng Wanwan tightly. "Xiao Zhan passed the exam! My son passed the exam! He's second! Hahahaha! My son has become a scholar! Old Yu has hope of turning his life around! Hahahaha!"
“Teacher’s wife, you’re too flustered.” Qian Hui walked over, fanning himself with a paper fan. “Si Dan is the top scorer this time. Gongren, as the mother of the top scorer in the provincial examination, is so calm. Teacher’s wife should learn from her.”
"You brat!" Lu Yingxue calmed down and glared at him. "Judging from your expression, you actually passed the exam?"
Qian Hui chuckled, "Yes, I passed the exam! I ranked seventy-eighth! Hehehe, I passed! Hahaha, I'm going to bring honor to the Qian family! Hahaha, my grandpa is almost dying of joy..."
Lu Yingxue: "..."
I was just saying she wasn't calm, but look at this kid, he's even more unsettled than her.
She looked into the distance and saw that there were many people who were even more agitated than her, such as Grandpa Qian and Mr. Zhou from Dahe Academy.
Mr. Zhou looked at the list and burst into laughter, surrounded by a group of students who were also laughing.
A total of 23 students from Dahe Academy came to Huzhou to take the exam. Of them, 18 passed and the other 5 came to try their luck. They didn't necessarily have to pass, so they weren't discouraged when they failed. Instead, they were inexplicably filled with confidence for the future because so many students from Dahe Academy had passed the exam.
"The Great River Academy is about to become famous!" Mr. Zhou said with a hearty laugh. "Those past years' examination practice questions personally compiled by Master Yu are indeed useful. Those of you who pass the exam, when you go back, be sure to toast Master Yu properly and forever remember his kindness..."
There was no reason for those students not to respond.
Many of the questions in this academy exam were similar to those in Master Yu's exercise books, so they could answer them with ease. The arithmetic questions at the end were also not too difficult for them because they had systematically learned how to solve them.
It can be said that they were able to pass the exam not because of their hard work, but because they studied at Dahe Academy and enjoyed its resources.
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