Chapter 692 The Triennial Provincial Examination
News came back from Huzhou very quickly.
On the fourth night after Liu Kui was arrested, a group of assassins broke into the prefect's dungeon and nearly killed Liu Kui.
Fortunately, the prefect was prepared and sent a large number of people to lie in ambush around the dungeon, capturing all four assassins in one fell swoop and then keeping them in separate custody.
After the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review arrived in Yangzhou, Prefect Zhu personally escorted the prisoners to Yangzhou City and fully cooperated with the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in investigating the case.
Before the case has even been solved, Cheng Wanwan has to get busy with other things.
In autumn, potatoes ripen in large quantities. More than 20 villages under the jurisdiction of Dahe Town planted potatoes. This stuff has an extremely high yield, ranging from 3,000 jin per mu to 5,000 jin per mu. After finishing the rice and cotton harvest, these villages devoted themselves to digging potatoes, and everyone's face was filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
Besides the four types of potato dishes auctioned by Cheng Wanwan, the common people have also developed a variety of other delicious snacks using potatoes. In addition to selling potatoes, these people also keep some for their own consumption, since potatoes are durable and can last until next year if stored properly. They can be lifesavers when food is scarce.
Because it is a potato crop produced annually, the price is relatively high, at five coins per pound, and the income from one acre of land can reach about twenty taels of silver.
Of course, the potato sales were controlled by Cheng Wanwan's side. She was responsible for preventing vicious competition in the market, ensuring that the potatoes would not be overstocked, and most importantly, she needed to conduct random checks to ensure that the potatoes were up to standard and that the crayfish poisoning incident would not be repeated.
It can be said that ratooning rice has kept the local people from going hungry, cotton has kept them from suffering from the cold, and crayfish farming, tomato and potato cultivation have truly made the people of Dahe Town rich.
Originally, most of these villages consisted of thatched houses, followed by mud-brick houses; it was impossible for anyone to build houses with blue bricks and tiles.
But as the villagers became wealthier, one or two small brick and tile houses were gradually built. Although they were not large, they reflected that the lives of the people were indeed getting better and better.
Amidst this flurry of activity, the triennial provincial examination arrived as scheduled.
Eighteen students who passed the county-level examination and became scholars were organized by Dahe Academy and led by Mr. Zhou to go to Yunnan Province to participate in the provincial-level examination.
Although Zhao Sidan is already fourteen years old this year and taller than Cheng Wanwan, to an old mother, no matter how old her child is, he is still her youngest child. When her child travels far away, she naturally has to accompany him... Of course, the most important thing is that she is afraid that Sidan will get into trouble in Yunnan Province. Whether he passes the exam or not is not important. What she fears most is that the He family will send people to cause trouble. If Sidan is framed, he will probably have a hard time getting away with it.
At the beginning of the year, Cheng Wanwan asked Zhao Ergou to buy a house in Yunnan Province. It was a large, exquisite four-courtyard house with artificial hills and streams everywhere, making it a quiet and comfortable place to live.
She arranged for the students to stay temporarily in the wing rooms at the back of the courtyard to prepare for the exams. She provided accommodation, and the students shared the meals, which were arranged by Mr. Zhou. Lu Yingxue naturally came along as well, not only to accompany her son but also to take care of the students' daily lives.
Qian Hui doesn't live here. He has a residence prepared by Old Master Qian, servants from the Qian family to serve him, and a beautiful woman by his side.
When Qian Hui came over during the day to review his lessons with Mr. Zhou, Leng Rushuang would also come along. At first, she was a little embarrassed and would come, sit for a while, and then leave.
With Lu Yingxue, a social butterfly, around, Leng Rushuang quickly became acquainted with Cheng Wanwan.
“Since taking the medicine given by Sui Shuren, my cough has improved a lot.” Leng Rushuang’s eyes were full of gratitude. “In the past, I couldn’t go out once autumn came, and I would cough whenever I was exposed to the wind. But now, sitting in the courtyard, with the cool breeze on my face, I don’t feel uncomfortable at all. I don’t know how to repay Sui Shuren’s great kindness.”
“Grandpa Qian and I are old acquaintances. You are his granddaughter-in-law, so why should you repay me?” Cheng Wanwan said with a gentle smile. “Grandpa Qian has two biggest wishes. One is that his grandson will pass the imperial examination, and the other is that he will hold his great-grandson soon. After you recover, you can start making preparations.”
Leng Rushuang blushed and softly hummed in agreement.
She has been married for half a year and is not young anymore. If she doesn't get pregnant soon, there will be bad rumors going around.
“My son Xiaozhan is fourteen years old now. I wonder what kind of daughter-in-law he’ll bring home for me,” Lu Yingxue said, resting her chin on her hand. “This kid is young, but mature beyond his years, much like his father. I hope he meets a capable girl who can teach him a lesson. I need to start looking for one while he’s still young and independent. Does Sui Shuren have any good girls she can introduce me to…”
"Mother!" Yu Zhan had just come out of the back study when he heard his mother saying some nonsense, and his face darkened. "Have you prepared the bedding, clothes and food needed for tomorrow's exam?"
Lu Yingxue waved her hand: "You don't need to tell me this, it's already prepared."
Yu Zhan pursed his lips: "Then let's go get checked again. Let's go, I'll go with Mother."
He was really afraid that his mother would get carried away with talking to Sui Shuren and then find him some random woman to marry...
"Hahaha!" Qian Hui laughed loudly. "Brother Yu, why are you shy? You're fourteen this year, it's perfectly normal for you to get married. Once you have a wife, you'll know how happy you can be."
Yu Zhan glared at him fiercely.
Qian Hui walked over and stopped in front of Cheng Wanwan: "Auntie, the provincial examination requires staying at the examination hall for nine days and nine nights. I'm worried about Shuang'er staying alone in that house. Could she come and stay with you for a few days?"
This was a small matter, so Cheng Wanwan naturally didn't refuse and readily agreed.
The next day was the provincial examination. I had just finished getting ready and left the courtyard when I saw many students heading to the examination hall accompanied by their families.
Mr. Zhou, along with all his students, Cheng Wanwan, and Lu Yingxue, formed a large and impressive group that attracted a lot of attention.
Someone nearby recognized them.
"Look, this is a scholar from the Great River Academy."
"Dahe Academy, that sounds familiar. Where have I heard of it before?"
"Now you know the school in Dahe Town, Huzhou, where Sui Shuren is located. It is said that eighteen people passed the county-level examination last year."
"Is Dahe Academy really that amazing?"
“My father wanted to send me there, but the Great River Academy only accepted locals, and many people with money couldn’t get in.”
"I wonder how many of them will pass the imperial examination this time..."
When the eighteen students of Dahe Academy are mentioned, they feel inexplicably proud; this is the sense of honor that Dahe Academy brings them.
They hope that one day they too can bring glory to the Great River Academy.
Soon we arrived at the entrance of the examination hall, which was packed with people. Some parents, after dropping their children off, lingered at the entrance, reluctant to leave.
Cheng Wanwan also reminded her son, "Jingsi, you're still young, don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's great if you pass the exam, but it's okay if you don't. Your cousin was almost twenty when he passed the imperial examination..."
Zhao Sidan nodded: "Don't worry, Mother. I'm just going to test the waters. I can accept it whether it works out or not. It's getting late, so I'll go in first."
He picked up his bedding, luggage, dry food, water bottle, and writing materials, then turned around and followed the other students from Dahe Academy into the examination hall.
Lu Yingxue took Cheng Wanwan's arm and sighed, "I've been so uneasy. I'm really afraid something will happen to Xiao Zhan..."
“The children are all inside, so let’s not worry about them.” Cheng Wanwan was actually a little uneasy, but she couldn’t do anything outside the examination hall, so she could only relax. “Zhao’er’s daughter will be one year old soon, and I need to prepare some birthday gifts. Come on, come on, come with me to pick some out.”
Lu Yingxue had no choice but to suppress her anxiety and go with them.
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