In order not to disturb the two candidates' rest, Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi also left after finishing their meal.
On March 11th at Chenshi (7-9 AM), they entered the venue as before.
Waiting for the second exam on March 12th, after the exam I came out to rest for an afternoon and evening, and then went in again.
By noon on March 16th, all the candidates had left the examination hall.
"Finally, the exam is over." Qian Dayun breathed in the fresh air as he walked out of the exam hall, feeling light all over. "Now I can go back and get a good night's sleep."
Seeing Qian Dayun's positive attitude, Liu Yu couldn't help but feel a little envious. "Brother Qian, judging from your expression, are you perhaps confident?"
Qian Dayun shook his head. "No, I just think that now that the exams are over, I should relax a bit."
"If we don't pass, we'll all go home after the results are released."
"If you pass, the imperial examination will be held in a few days, which means you have to go to the palace to take the test..."
"So, before that, I need to get my mental energy back and keep myself in this state..."
Liu Yu smiled. "That sounds like it makes some sense."
Qian Dayun patted Liu Yu on the shoulder and said, "Let's go. I heard that the most famous restaurant in the capital is called Huibinlou. Let's go check it out today."
Seeing that Qian Dayun was so interested, Liu Yu went along with him.
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Qian Dayun knew that the distance from the examination hall to Huibinlou was quite long, so he hired a carriage and the two of them rode to Huibinlou.
By the time the carriage arrived at Huibinlou, it was already 11:45 PM.
"Please come in, gentlemen." As soon as the two reached the door, a waiter came to greet them.
"Judging from your attire, you must be candidates who have just come out of the examination hall..."
Qian Dayun laughed heartily and said, "I'd like to trouble you to order a table of your finest food and wine..."
"Alright, please wait a moment, gentlemen."
Upstairs, Jin Suo was holding a little boy's hand, and Liu Hong was holding a little girl. Liu Hong smiled and said, "I really didn't expect so many people to come over right after the exams..."
Jin Suo looked at the crowd below and said, "Our Huibinlou is backed by the royal family. They've just arrived, so they're bound to be curious..."
Liu Hong gazed at the doorway, "I wonder when Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei will have some free time..."
Jin Suo sighed, "They are all busy maintaining order in the capital, so they probably won't have time to come over."
By the time Liu Yu and Qian Dayun finished eating and drinking, half an hour had passed.
"Let us drink and sing, for life is short! Like morning dew, the days gone by are many. Let us be generous and magnanimous, for sorrow is hard to forget. What can dispel sorrow? Only wine!"
"This wine tastes really good, quite potent! Cheers, Brother Liu!"
Qian Dayun was already quite drunk; his square face had turned red.
"Brother Qian, you're drunk. You shouldn't drink anymore."
As Qian Dayun drank his wine, he said, "What's there to be afraid of? You're here, aren't you? You certainly wouldn't abandon me!"
"Jin Suo, look at those two people, aren't they the ones Xiao Yanzi was talking about?"
On stage, Liu Hong had her sights set on Liu Yu and Qian Dayun, whom Xiao Yanzi and Yongqi had their eyes on.
Jin Suo nodded. "That's right, it's them."
"Looks like we need to have someone prepare some hangover soup. If they keep drinking like this, it'll get really bad..."
Gao Ming and Liu Qing were both extremely busy.
Gao Ming shouted, "Brother, I think we need to hire more people, otherwise we'll be worked to death..."
Liu Qing nodded. "We should recruit more. Let's talk about it in a few days."
"There have been so many people these past few days, we're too busy to even keep up, where would we find the time to hire more people?"
Liu Qing is 29 years old and Gao Ming is 28 years old. The two men, who are almost 30, leaned against the stairs, panting and resting.
"Do you think those two can win?" Liu Qing asked Liu Yu and Qian Dayun curiously.
Gao Ming said, "Our two masters have discerning eyes; they are certainly capable."
“If they keep drinking like that, they’re bound to throw up. I’ll have someone prepare some hangover soup for them.”
"They are both so important, we can't let anything happen to them here."
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After the exam papers were submitted, the sealing officials would fold and cover the candidates' personal information, seal it with blank paper, and then affix a seal across the seam.
Afterwards, in order to prevent candidates from leaving special marks and examiners from recognizing the candidates' handwriting and cheating, special transcribers would be arranged to rewrite the sealed exam papers accurately. These were the transcribers in the imperial examination system.
The original examination paper of the candidates was written with black ink and was called the ink paper, while the copied paper was written with red ink and was called the vermilion paper.
After the transcription and proofreading are completed, the original and the transcribed papers must be handed over to the examiner for verification. After verification, the examiner will stamp the examination paper.
The above steps, called "anonymous grading," are steps included to ensure the fairness of the examination.
After the preparations for marking are completed, it's time to prepare for marking.
By the time the entire marking process was completed, it was already April.
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Little Swallow leaned against the window, continuing to look down at the examination hall below. "Judging by the time, it should be about time, right?"
After the exams, the students were relaxed and could stroll around the city.
However, the examiners and invigilators had to stay in the examination hall until the results were released and the list of successful candidates was published, at which point they could leave.
Yongqi comforted him, "The results will be released no later than April 15th, so don't worry..."
"Brother Yan is right," Liu Yu said with a slight smile.
As Qian Dayun drank his wine, he said, "Brother Yan, I've thought it through. Even if I don't pass, I'll still follow you..."
Listening to Qian Dayun's words, Liu Yu felt a little envious. "Brother Qian can make his own decisions, which is truly enviable."
"Brother Liu, if you want to be like me, you have to stick to your own ideas and not let your family hold you back!"
"Our parents raised us, but that doesn't mean they have to control our lives!"
"Brother Liu, you should be the master of your own life!"
Yongqi sat down next to Liu Yu and smiled, "I agree with that. If you don't value your own life, how can you expect others to?"
"Perhaps your parents' choice was made with your own good in mind, but if they used the wrong methods and hurt you under the guise of doing what's best for you, then there's no need to accept that kind of 'good'..."
While comforting Liu Yu, Yongqi couldn't help but think of himself and his mother from his past life.
He knew perfectly well that his mother's wishes stemmed from her desire for his well-being and for him to be safe.
However, he was unwilling to accept the good his mother wanted. Even without Xiao Yanzi, Xinrong might not be what he desired!
Upon hearing Qian Dayun and Yongqi's words, Liu Yu smiled slightly and said, "Thank you."
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After lunch, the four of them left the inn.
Little Swallow said, "I just saw some people coming out of the examination hall. They're probably going to post the results. Let's go to the Ministry of Rites and take a look."
The imperial examination was administered by the Ministry of Rites, so after the results were announced, the list of successful candidates was posted outside the Ministry of Rites' office.
After leaving the inn, the carriage first traveled nearly three kilometers west, then turned left and traveled nearly two kilometers, then turned right and traveled nearly five kilometers along the street before finally arriving at the Ministry of Rites.
Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall) - Ministry of Rites
After Yongqi, Xiaoyanzi, Liu Yu, and Qian Dayun got off the carriage, they were immediately discovered by the yamen runners from the Ministry of Rites.
"...It seems to be His Highness the Crown Prince..."
"What?"
"there……"
Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi were standing to the left front of the yamen. The yamen runners from the Ministry of Rites still trembled when they thought about how Yongqi had acted arrogantly when he came to the Ministry of Rites last time. Now that they saw him coming, their legs started to go weak again.
Should we go over and pay our respects?
"His Highness the Crown Prince didn't say anything, so let's not go..."
"If he does something wrong, he'll cause us trouble again!"
"That's right, let's wait and see."
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