Wang Yu was very hungry at this time, so he lit the stove and baked two steamed buns. The steamed buns he had eaten yesterday were not bad. After eating, he knocked on the door and went to wash his hands. It was already dark. The guard gave him a lamp. Wang Yu walked to the toilet with the lamp and saw that most of the cells were lit with candles.
After returning, Wang Yu returned the lamp to the guard and laid the board flat on it. He had finished answering all the test questions and all he had to do was copy them tomorrow. So far, the first exam had gone smoothly.
After sleeping on a hard bed for three nights, Wang Yu felt a little sore in the waist. He stood up in the morning, stretched his body and began to copy the answer sheet. It didn't matter what font the answer sheet was in, as long as it was regular script, but it had to be neat and clean, so Wang Yu had to concentrate on writing, otherwise he would have to re-copy it if he made a mistake or had ink spots.
It was already afternoon when all the copies were completed. Wang Yu checked it again and found no problem, so he put it aside and waited for the door to open and collect the papers. He was a little hungry at the moment, so Wang Yu didn't eat the steamed buns. He took out some dried meat and ate it with water to fill his stomach. He didn't eat anything else.
Wait until the hour of You when you hear a voice outside the door telling you to stop writing. At this time, you must stop regardless of whether you have finished writing or not, otherwise you will be treated as cheating.
After Wang Yu handed in his answer sheet, he walked out of the Imperial Examination Hall. Cheng Chen was waiting outside with Dabao in his arms. Qin Wan and Chen Yanwen's servants were also beside him. Wang Yu was the first to come out of his room at the front.
He hadn't taken care of himself in the past three days, so his appearance probably wasn't very good. Dabao looked at the somewhat slovenly man in front of him and was confused. Is this his father? He didn't reach out to hug him. Wang Yu really wasn't suitable to hug him at this moment. He just scratched his nose and said, "Don't you recognize your father?"
Cheng Chen had never seen her husband like this before, and felt a little sad. "My husband, you have worked hard. Go back and wash up and rest."
While they were talking, Chen Yanwen and the others also came out. The three of them did not exchange pleasantries. At this moment, they just wanted to go home to take a shower and sleep. They nodded and went back. After Wang Yu took a shower and had dinner, he fell asleep. Cheng Chen knew that he was tired, so he did not let Dabao disturb him.
The second exam was on the second day. Some candidates stayed in their rooms for nine days without going out. One reason was that they could save money on staying in an inn, and the other was that it would take a long time to queue up early, and it would be bad if something happened to delay them.
Wang Yu and the other three also arrived early and lined up. After a strict inspection, Wang Yu walked to his room, put down his things and waited for the test papers to be distributed.
The second round of the provincial examination consisted of one passage each from the "Book of Rites" and the "Spring and Autumn Annals" of the Five Classics, one essay on the "Book of Filial Piety," one table, and two math questions. As with the first exam, Wang Yu first scanned the questions, pondered them for a moment, and then began writing. Mathematics was Wang Yu's forte, so he knew the answer right after reading the questions. He spent most of his time on the classics and the table.
After the third day's exam, the sky was a little gray, and it was probably going to rain. No one knew how long it would rain. After leaving the exam room, the three of them went home, took a shower, and went to bed to prepare for the third exam.
It was still drizzling when he went to the Imperial Examination Hall on the 15th, and the weather was still cool. Cheng Chen gave him a thicker coat today. After Wang Yu checked his things, he went to his cell and found that his cell was leaking. Fortunately, it was in the corner and did not wet the table. Fortunately, the rain stopped not long after. Wang Yu used his clothes to wipe the wet areas dry because he had to sleep at night.
The third round tested four current affairs policies, which were to express opinions or views on current affairs and government affairs at the time by combining the theories of Confucian classics. There were also two arithmetic problems. The arithmetic problems were more difficult than those in the second round. Fortunately, both policy essays and arithmetic were Wang Yu's strengths, so he wrote them easily.
He finished writing all the articles on the second day. After copying them on the third day, Wang Yu checked the test papers and breathed a sigh of relief to find that there were no problems. He put the test papers on the table and waited for them to be collected. This provincial examination was considered to be completed.
After leaving the Imperial Examination Hall, some were happy and some were sad, but Wang Yu didn't care about it. After saying hello to Chen Yanwen and the others, he made an appointment to meet the next day and then went back. Cheng Chen called for water for Wang Yu to take a bath first, and then have a good meal later. Knowing that her husband had finished the exam today, she asked the kitchen to prepare her husband's favorite food early.
In the evening, Wang Yu hugged Cheng Chen, rested his chin on his head and said, "The exam is finally over. What has Ah Chen been doing these days? Is Dabao being well behaved?"
Cheng Chen leaned her face on her husband's chest, her arms around his waist. She noticed that her husband had lost some weight, and was thinking about what she could do to replenish his body tomorrow when she heard what her husband asked her.
"Dabao is very well behaved. He loves playing with the toys you made for him these days. He even plays with them with his brother Shitou occasionally. I haven't done much except embroidering and visiting the shop. Yesterday, the shop manager said that the Jiang family in the west of the city had ordered a screen to celebrate their old lady's birthday."
Wang Yu thought that little Dabao really liked Xiao Shitou. Since their two families lived not far away, he would always go to play with him.
Cheng Chen was talking about screens again. After Master Su made the first double-sided embroidered screen, Wang Yu had it placed in the shop. It attracted a lot of people at the time. Although double-sided embroidery was not unique in this era, there were not many people who knew how to do it, not to mention such a large screen. The ladies embroidered on it were also different from those now, with four completely different sets of clothes, some dignified, some gorgeous, some graceful, and some elegant.
Wang Yu also put a lot of thought into customizing the frame, using precious wood and meticulously carving it. Later, someone offered to buy it, but Wang Yu refused to sell it. He kept it in the shop as a treasure and could customize it later. Although embroidering the screen is time-consuming, the shop has four master craftsmen and later hired some more embroiderers, which is more than enough.
The results of the provincial examination were announced one month after the exam, which was on September 15th. On the second day after the exam, Wang Yu and his classmates went to the provincial school. Almost all the students who had participated in the provincial examination were there, and the teacher needed to know about their exam results. The classroom was full of discussions. When they saw Wang Yu and his classmates coming, they all came forward and surrounded them. After all, the two of them were also academic masters in their old class, and listening to how they answered the questions would help them know how they did.
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