Chapter 220 The Autumn Examination Begins
The next day.
Before dawn, the candidates participating in this year's autumn imperial examinations had already arrived at the Shuntian Prefecture Examination Hall, waiting at the entrance for the examiners to call their names, then conduct body searches before entering the examination hall.
It was pitch black, and many candidates were waiting, some holding torches and others carrying lanterns. As far as the eye could see, there was a dense, dark mass of people. The candidates varied in age, from teenagers to elderly people in their fifties. They were old scholars who, even in their old age, were not willing to give up and wanted to try one more time.
The autumn examination was an important test, and many candidates were accompanied by their families. The whole family would take the candidates to the examination hall. Some family members would put pressure on the candidates, while others would comfort them and tell them not to be too nervous.
Among the candidates were the three brothers, Gu Xiuyuan, Gu Xiuhong, and Gu Xiuming.
Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong had family members accompanying them to the exam. Although neither of their fathers came, their mothers and younger sisters did.
Zhang, an elder who also put pressure on her child, repeatedly urged, "Xiuyuan, you must work hard and strive to pass the imperial examination this year, so that you can participate in the spring examination next year and set a good example for your unborn child."
Gu Xiuyuan was already nervous, but hearing this made him even more nervous, and his palms were sweating.
Unlike Zhang, Chen only told Gu Xiuhong, "Don't put pressure on yourself. You're only seventeen. You can try again in three years. Don't worry, even if you don't pass the imperial examination, your mother won't force you to get married. If you want to study hard, then you can study hard first. Your mother can hold her grandson a few years later."
Gu Xiuhong smiled and said, "Mother, holding a grandson is the same. My second sister is getting married this year, and maybe you'll be able to hold a grandson next year."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanling blushed deeply and lowered her head shyly to minimize her presence.
Madam Chen glanced at her illegitimate daughter and gave a soft "hmm". This illegitimate daughter had been raised by her side for more than ten years and was extremely filial to her, calling her "mother" for more than ten years. Even though she was not her biological daughter, there was still a mother-daughter bond between them.
Gu Xiuhong added, "Speaking of my second sister, I suddenly remembered my future brother-in-law, Young Master Liu, who is also participating in this year's autumn examination, as is my future brother-in-law, the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an."
Upon hearing this, Chen's damned competitive spirit flared up. If her son-in-law failed the exam while Zhang's son-in-law passed, wouldn't Zhang's ego flare up again? She looked around, but there were too many people. She couldn't see her future son-in-law or the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an, so she had no choice but to look away and give up.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiuming watched as his two elder brothers were seen off by their families, getting along happily, while he only had a page to see him off. His father hadn't come to see him off for the exam, and he felt a little bitter. Once again, he felt the huge difference between biological and non-biological children.
Noticing Gu Xiuming standing silently to the side, Zhang said earnestly, "Xiuming, you must work hard. Your father has high hopes for you."
High hopes?
Gu Xiuming was unconvinced. He couldn't see where his father placed high hopes on him. His father probably wanted to spoil him and then adopt his fourth brother to be the heir. Otherwise, why would his father have helped his fourth brother get into Lingshan Academy? Of the four brothers, only the fourth brother went to Lingshan Academy.
On the surface, he nodded in response: "I will, Aunt."
After the candidates entered the examination hall one after another, Zhang and her daughter, along with Chen and her daughter, returned home only after seeing that all three brothers had entered the examination hall.
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The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
Meng Jinyao woke up just as dawn broke. She had gone to bed early the night before and wasn't feeling sleepy. When she opened her eyes, she saw the man standing in front of her bed, already dressed in his official robes. She said, "Good morning, my husband."
Hearing the voice, Gu Jingxi looked at her and nodded in response, "Good morning, Madam."
Seeing that he was still at home, Meng Jinyao asked in surprise, "It's the autumn examination today, didn't you go to see our son off? Yesterday, I heard from my second sister-in-law that many people saw off the candidates. My eldest sister-in-law saw Xiu Yuan off today, and my second sister-in-law saw Xiu Hong off."
Hearing this, Gu Jingxi smiled dismissively: "He's sixteen years old, not a child anymore. Does he need me to take him? If he were six, I would definitely take him to the examination hall myself. When I took the imperial examination at the examination hall, my parents didn't come to see me off either."
Meng Jinyao nodded gently: "That's true. He's so old, he won't get lost. Besides, he went with Xiu Yuan and Xiu Hong."
Gu Jingxi asked, "Would you like to get up now, Madam, or sleep a little longer?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "Get up now, I'm not sleepy anymore."
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Jingxi rang the bell to summon a maid to serve him. He then went to wash up and have breakfast, as he had to rush to the Dali Temple for his shift and couldn't wait for her to finish washing up before having breakfast together.
In the following days, both Zhang and Chen were in a state of tension. Although their son was not very old, what parent would not want their child to be on the list and bring honor to the family?
The examination cells were in poor condition, exposed to wind and sun. If it rained, it was even worse. So, almost every time there was an imperial examination, some candidates would have an accident, either fainting or getting an upset stomach. After all, many of these pampered young masters were used to fine clothes and food and couldn't get used to the dry rations. It was common for their stomachs to upset their stomachs after eating them.
However, these are minor matters. The most serious thing is that some people die inside. This kind of thing happens almost every time the imperial examination is held, but those who die are usually the ones who are in poor health or old.
Meng Jinyao wasn't worried about this at all. Her son wasn't her biological child, so whether he lived or died was none of her business. She didn't care whether he did well on the exam or not. Seeing how anxious her two sisters-in-law were, she, as an outsider, decided not to get involved.
Before we knew it, it was the fifteenth of August.
In our country, officials are allowed a day off on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.
On this day, the people are also very lively, with activities such as climbing mountains to admire the moon, worshipping the moon, guessing riddles, eating mooncakes, appreciating osmanthus flowers, drinking osmanthus wine, and releasing river lanterns. Wine sales are excellent on this day.
As usual, the Marquis's mansion would be bustling with activity, but this year the young masters were taking the imperial examinations at the Imperial Academy, and the masters were all busy with their studies. They had no time for such things. They simply celebrated the festival casually. The Marquis's mansion also gave the servants half a day off, with some taking turns to rest in the morning and others in the afternoon, to ensure that there was someone working at every time period.
Old Madam Gu thought that her son would usually come to accompany her to admire the moon, but this year was different. So she said to Granny Feng, "Go and tell Yaoling that he doesn't need to worry about this old woman today. I don't care if he keeps me company. Tell him to take my daughter-in-law out for a stroll when he has time. There is no curfew tonight, and the streets will definitely be lively. Young girls love excitement the most."
Granny Feng said, "With the old lady being so open-minded, the Marquis and his wife are truly blessed to have an elder like you."
Madam Gu sighed softly, "As long as they are doing well, I can leave this world in peace, even if I pass away someday. Seeing their relationship getting better and better makes me feel at ease."
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