Chapter 673 A Dream of Youth 205
The preliminary examination for children was not as rigorous as the imperial examination because there were not many people who took it, and it was basically a face-to-face examination in front of examiners, consisting of only one written test.
When he was asked to recite, Chen Yuncheng only managed to recite a short passage haltingly, and couldn't recall most of it.
As for poetry, well, he did manage to compose a poem, but the examiners were so annoyed they could have squeezed a fly between their brows, and then they wrote their evaluations on the roster.
Although Chen Yuncheng knew he was just a runner-up, he was still incredibly nervous and could only relieve his pressure by watching others.
Standing next to him was the young princess.
Despite being only thirteen years old, the young princess was not afraid to recite poems or compose poems on the spot. Chen Yuncheng secretly compared her to others and concluded that she should be ranked in the top five.
The boy in linen clothes standing in front of him was also very capable, but he felt that the boy's voice was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where the two of them had met before.
Chen Yuncheng compared everyone in the examination room one by one, and finally wiped the sweat from his forehead. He felt that he should not be at the bottom. There were several six or seven-year-olds among them. Some of them were good at writing poetry, but some were not.
With this comparison, Chen Yuncheng instantly stopped being nervous. Since he wasn't at the bottom, he happily looked towards Xie Ning, only to receive a slap on the forehead.
"Don't just stand around looking around aimlessly."
The instructor glared at Chen Yuncheng. This kid was always either secretly eating or looking around. Why was he so restless?
After the oral exam came the written exam. After glancing at the questions, Xie Ning found that they were some dictation and a simple policy essay. He did not do it perfunctorily and filled in the questions very carefully.
The characters in the exam had to be extremely neat. She often copied books, so she rarely made mistakes. She only made one mistake by accident, but she corrected it when she copied it.
Chen Yuncheng, sitting a few seats away, was already biting his pen. He couldn't write policy essays; he hadn't learned how yet!
Or rather, it seems there's no difference between him learning it and not learning it.
The supervisors on the field paid the most attention to Xie Ning, and therefore their examination of her was more in-depth than that of the other children.
And when Xie Ning was taking the written test, he couldn't help but wander over and stand next to her with his hands behind his back, watching her write.
Xie Ning was calm and composed, and she didn't get nervous even with two supervisors standing behind her.
Finally, Han Jianjiu also came over. He wasn't supposed to be there to supervise the exam, but he wanted to see Xie Ning's abilities.
"Tick-tock—tick-tock—"
Han Jijiu couldn't help but look at the clock in the examination hall. Such an exquisite object, he really didn't know how Xie Ning had designed it. Even if Xie Ning was not good at literature, he could still be called a child prodigy.
"Time's up, students, please stop answering!"
Xie Ning had already put down his exam paper and sat quietly to the side. Only after the examiner collected the exam papers did he leave the examination hall with the others. A cool breeze knocked down the paulownia leaves, and the falling leaves were a sign of autumn.
"The autumn air is crisp and clear, the leaves of the phoenix tree are scattered in the golden wind, and the fallen leaves are scattered. Why wait for the phoenix to roost?" The young princess walked to Xie Ning's side and admired the golden scenery together.
"Princess Jiayue is truly talented," Xie Ning praised.
"Unlike Miss Xie's 'Moonlit Pavilion,' it's not late yet, Miss Xie, do you have to keep your appointment?"
"nature."
The servants in Banmu Garden had already set up the racks in the pavilion and lit the charcoal fire. Since it was for roasting meat, they didn't burn incense. Instead, they lit two separate stoves: one for warming wine and the other for holding ice and various drinks.
"Today I specially asked my father for pear blossom wine, everyone should have a good taste."
Her father was injured and couldn't drink, which benefited her. She was forbidden from touching any of the strong liquors, whether it was her father or her mother.
"Then we must have a good taste!"
By the time the servants brought up the marinated meat, Jia Yue had already taken a small sip of wine. This wine had to be savored slowly; drinking too much at once would have a strong aftereffect.
The young woman standing nearby told the servants to leave so she could grill the meat herself, and everyone happily joined in.
Xie Ning didn't quite trust their skills, so she took a skewer of meat to grill herself. Although her skills were just so-so, at least she didn't burn it, but the taste wasn't great.
"Miss Xie, do you really think we can pass the preliminary test?"
A young woman dressed in a plain silk robe rested her chin on her hand, occasionally picking out a piece of fruit from the fruit plate to eat.
The other young ladies looked over when they heard this. Xie Ning flipped the barbecue over and looked up to meet everyone's gaze. "Since they didn't stop us from going in to take the exam, they naturally wouldn't deliberately leave us out, since the exams are all public."
What Xie Ning didn't mention was that these noble ladies all had impressive backgrounds, and no examiner would dare to deliberately miss their papers unless the emperor gave the order.
The young ladies were all very happy, thinking they had answered well, but they didn't know how they would rank tomorrow.
However... this time, everyone's eyes were on Xie Ning, probably because she was the best in the exam. After all, she answered the questions best in the exam room, and the examiners always wandered over to her to watch her write the paper during the written test.
Princess Jiayue didn't care much about the rankings; she only stared at the venison Xie Ning had placed on the hot plate. As Xie Ning skillfully flipped the meat over, the aroma instantly filled the air.
However, there was a slightly burnt smell mixed in with the aroma, apparently because some of the young ladies forgot to flip the food and burned it.
However, there were servants grilling food nearby, so there was no shortage of food.
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
Because it was a little hot, Xie Ning only took a small bite. Her eyes lit up slightly. "Not bad, the meat is firm and tender, and it doesn't have that gamey smell. It's delicious."
"Hahaha! I knew you'd like it! If my uncles go deer hunting again, I'll invite you all to eat here again."
Princess Jiayue took a sip of pear blossom wine with considerable satisfaction.
"That would be truly exceptional, especially when roasting venison around a fire in winter, when the snow is falling!"
"Hot pot is a great choice for winter!"
After a few laughs and jokes, someone suggested playing a game of "Flying Flowers" (a traditional Chinese word game), since just eating delicious food would be too monotonous.
Xie Ning also drank a small cup of pear blossom wine, which was sweet and not intoxicating.
The clear sky, like a bright mirror, reflects the autumn colors of the garden. Fireworks, accompanied by laughter, carry a touch of freedom on the wind.
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