Chapter 44044 Preparing to Close the Net
After seeing off her four sisters, Du Qingtang went to Liu Tongsheng's house alone.
"Sir." Du Qingtang bowed.
Liu Tongsheng put down the book and handed her some rice paper.
The test questions on the rice paper are still classics, policy essays, examination poems, etc., but the style is slightly different from the past.
"I've studied the county exam questions from previous years and, combining them with County Magistrate Meng's style, have come up with dozens of questions. Take them home and do them."
Du Qingtang asked: "Have Liu Guang and Liu Yao done it?"
Liu Tongsheng shook his head: "It was newly released yesterday, they won't be released this year."
Du Qingtang stopped asking questions and bowed solemnly: "Thank you, sir."
Liu Tongsheng waved his hand and said, "Go ahead. I still have to continue reading. You came just when I was reading the exciting part..."
Du Qingtang walked out of the main room, and Liu Guang and Liu Yao came back from outside, talking and laughing.
Seeing the rice paper filled with test questions in her hand, their faces suddenly changed. They turned around on the spot and headed straight for the kitchen.
According to the original route, they were supposed to go to the main hall.
Du Qingtang: “…”
"Liu Guang! Liu Yao!"
At Liu Tongsheng's command, the two brothers moved towards the main room with sad faces and heavy steps.
Du Qingtang thought to himself that he didn't know how to appreciate the good things he had. He nodded to Sun and started to practice questions when he returned to the Du family. He went out for dinner during the period and didn't stop writing until the hour of Hai.
......
The next day, Du Qingtang got up at dawn, washed, ate, and walked into the city in the lingering night.
After half an hour's walk, the five sisters arrived at the courtyard sweating and breathing heavily.
At that time, the golden crow rose in the east, casting golden light on the earth. The county town, which had been silent for several hours, gradually became lively again.
Du Qingtang took a short break and started to build a temporary bed.
The academy has not yet started classes, and she will be living in the courtyard for the next ten days. She can't let the girls share a bed all the time, and she is a "person of the opposite sex", so it is not appropriate for her to sleep with anyone.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Du Qingtang brought back a few pieces of wood, borrowed a saw from the neighbor, and cut them into similar lengths.
At that time, he was in a hurry to set up the stall and had no time to do further processing. Today, Du Qingtang spent some time to smooth out the splinters on the wooden boards, and then placed them side by side on three benches to form a simple wooden bed.
Du Qingmei and Du Qinglan had already reached the age of marriage, while Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju were relatively younger, so Du Qingtang placed the wooden bed in the west room where they lived.
Du Qingmei brought a quilt and pillow. The pillowcase had just been washed and exuded a pleasant soapberry scent.
She pressed the wooden bed with her hand, feeling a little worried: "Are the boards strong? Will they collapse?"
Du Qingtang spread the quilt and took the time to reply: "It's very thick, there will be no problem."
Du Qingmei believed it and went to the kitchen to make some braised food. They still had to go to the stall in the evening. Before leaving, she reminded him, "Tang'er, you can go to the main room to study. Close the door and light an oil lamp. I will also close the door to the kitchen and try to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb your study."
Du Qingtang nodded in agreement, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Fifth sister, please ask Sixth sister and the others to come over. I have something to say."
Du Qingmei did as she was told and called three girls over. The five of them sat around the table in the main hall.
Du Qingzhu had just been washing vegetables. The cold water froze his hands, and his fingers were red and swollen like carrots. After sitting down, he kept rubbing his hands and breathing out, while asking, "Tang Ge'er, what do you want to say?"
Du Qingtang placed the banknote on the table: "Here is one thousand two hundred taels."
The girls' smiles froze, and they opened their mouths wide, their eyes wide open, staring at the silver note with a face value of one hundred taels, without even moving their eyeballs.
Du Qingmei was the first to react. She rushed out like a gust of wind, closed the door to the main room, and came back. Her voice was so low that it was filled with deep fear: "Tang Ge'er, where did you get so much money?"
The other three also had frightened expressions.
"One thousand two hundred taels, even if we sell all of us by the pound, it still wouldn't be enough!"
"Tang'er, you can't do anything that violates the law. You're still young and you still have to take the imperial examinations to earn fame. If someone finds out, your life will be over!"
Du Qingtang: "...No, I didn't."
The girls looked incredulous.
Du Qingtang sighed, "Do you remember that day on the second day of the Lunar New Year... when he came over and said that I took Yuanping's money and caused him to owe gambling debts?"
Du Qingzhu's eyes flickered between the youngest and the banknotes, and he suddenly slapped his head: "Is this Yuanping's money?"
Du Qingtang nodded in agreement.
"hiss--"
The girls gasped.
"Where does he get so much money?"
"He's so rich, why does he need our money?"
"This guy is such a bad guy. Next time I see him, I'm going to give him a good scolding!"
Du Qingtang glanced at her sixth sister who was clenching her fists in anger. The grass on Yuan Ping's grave was three feet high, and her wish was doomed to fail.
However, Du Qingtang didn't say anything to spoil the fun. He just said, "He won it from the gambling house. This is all his savings for the past twenty years."
"Great!" Du Qingzhu clapped his hands and said thoughtfully, "That's why you, Tang'er, didn't urge the Yuan family to pay back the money."
Because she had already received a larger sum of money than the amount on the IOU.
Du Qingtang admitted frankly and raised two fingers: "Now you have two choices. One is to save the money intact for a rainy day, and the other is to give it to me to invest..."
"invest?"
Du Qingtang: "It's just money making money."
The girls exchanged glances, and after a moment, they said in unison: "Invest!"
Du Qingtang agreed and emphasized, "Whether it's the principal or the money you earn in the future, all of it will go to the public. The night market is full of mixed people, and you can't set up a stall there forever. After a while, you can buy a shop so that you don't have to be exposed to the wind and sun, and you can operate as usual in rainy and snowy days. And you can buy your dowry, and I will study for the exam. All these expenses will be paid from the public, is that okay?"
At first, Du Qingtang concealed the existence of the banknotes and did not tell anyone.
Because she doesn't trust anyone.
Now she is willing to give it a try and establish a trusting relationship with Du Qingmei and the other three.
"Of course no problem." The girls answered in unison.
To be honest, they are the ones who have gained the most benefits, so how could they dare to have any opinions?
Du Qingtang put the money away and said, "You guys go and do your work. I'll read for a while."
The girls left the main room, lighting the oil lamp and closing the door.
Lamp oil was expensive, but that was in the past.
Now that the family has made money, they no longer care about the little lamp oil consumed in lighting the lamp during the day.
What's more, nothing is more important than Tang Ge'er's eyes.
If my eyes are damaged, I won’t be able to read.
Du Qingtang didn't want to be disturbed by the noise outside and didn't stop them. He took out the second set of test questions given by Liu Tongsheng, spread out the rice paper, picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, and sat under the lamp to write quickly.
......
On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Du Qingtang studied as usual until the hour of Hai, then washed up and went to bed.
I was sleeping soundly when I suddenly felt a pain in my lower abdomen.
Du Qingtang suddenly woke up, reached out and touched something, his fingertips were wet and sticky. He was stunned at first, but soon realized what it was and got out of bed.
Du Baya was a light sleeper. When she heard the noise, she raised her head and asked vaguely, "What's wrong?"
Du Qingtang pinched his eyebrows, and said in a normal voice: "Go to the toilet, you can continue to sleep."
"Remember to put on enough clothes. It's cold outside. Don't catch a cold." Du Baya said with difficulty while trying to hold back her sleepiness. Her head fell into the pillow and she fell asleep again in two breaths.
Du Qingtang checked and found that the sheets and quilt were clean, only the underwear was dirty, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
In ancient times, there were no quilt covers, so it was difficult to deal with dirty quilts, and she had to bother finding excuses. Now, all she needs to do is wash a pair of underwear.
Du Qingtang vaguely remembered that in her previous life, she didn't get her period until she was 15 years old, but in this life, it came two or three years earlier.
I guess it’s because the food is good, the nutrition is sufficient, and the body develops early.
Fortunately, Du Qingtang was well prepared. He took out a homemade sanitary belt from the compartment of the bookcase, quickly changed his underwear, put on the sanitary belt, put on his clothes, and tiptoed to the yard.
Get a basin of clean water, sprinkle in enough soapberry powder, soak for about a cup of tea, rub it a few times and it will be clean without leaving a trace on the snow-white underwear.
After doing all this, Du Qingtang mixed the underwear with other clothes, hung them on the clothesline, went back to the west room and lay down, put one hand into his collar, and tentatively grasped the jade pendant.
After a few breaths, the green light disappeared in a flash.
The heaviness and pain in my lower abdomen disappeared, and I felt as if I was soaking in warm water, feeling very comfortable.
Du Qingtang breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes and fell asleep peacefully.
Three days later, her period ended. During this period, no one noticed anything unusual about Du Qingtang, but she still became concerned and considered whether she should stop her period.
Her health has always been poor. In her previous life, her menstruation was irregular. Every time her period came, she always had unbearable abdominal pain. She almost fainted from the pain several times.
She has no plans to get married in this life, let alone have children of her own. Menstruation is of no use to her except as a burden.
Du Qingtang sat in the main room, looking at the birds chirping on the wall, and made a decision in his heart.
On the tenth day of the first lunar month, while the girls were setting up stalls at the night market, Du Qingtang changed into Du Baya's clothes and went to a distant clinic in disguise.
There was only one old doctor sitting in the clinic. When he saw Du Qingtang come in, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Du Qingtang sat down opposite him and said straight to the point, "Doctor, is there any way to stop my period?"
The old doctor was stunned for a moment, then twirled his beard and said, "You can take medicine. It will stop happening this month, but it might happen next month..."
Du Qingtang: "Not a month."
Old doctor: "Ah?"
Du Qingtang: "What I mean is, what medicine can I take to stop my period forever?"
The old doctor's face changed slightly. He looked at the young woman in front of him with a dark complexion, a round face and a flat nose. He ruled out the possibility that she came from a brothel and gave her earnest advice: "Menstruation has its own reasons. If you stop taking the medicine, it will cause damage to your body and you may become infertile for life. Please think twice."
Lifelong infertility?
That couldn't be better.
Du Qingtang asked: "Besides infertility, what other side effects are there?"
The old doctor paused and shook his head: "Those are minor problems that can be treated with medication, but you have to think carefully, young lady. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. You won't be able to have children in the future."
Du Qingtang's dark pupils shone faintly under the light, and in his eyes was an unprecedented determination: "I will never regret it."
Seeing her determination, the old doctor stopped trying to persuade her: "Today, I will give you acupuncture and moxibustion, and you will drink medicine for three days. Come back after five days, and I will then regulate your body."
Du Qingtang: "Thank you very much."
The old doctor sighed and led her to the back hall for acupuncture.
Half an hour later, Du Qingtang took the medicine package with a normal expression: "How much?"
The old doctor said, "They use only the best herbs, and they cost one or two ounces of silver."
Du Qingtang took out two silver grains.
The old doctor thought she hadn't heard clearly, so he repeated, "Miss, it only costs one or two ounces of silver."
"This is money for acupuncture and medicine." Du Qingtang tapped the silver coin on his left and pushed the one on his right toward the old doctor. "This one ounce of silver... You've never met me before, do you understand what I mean?"
The old doctor said nothing, but silently accepted the silver.
Du Qingtang was very satisfied with his understanding. He returned to the courtyard and started to boil the medicine. Half an hour later, he drank a bowl of the medicine and left one bowl for tomorrow morning. He destroyed the residue before the girls closed their stall and returned to the main room to continue doing his homework.
For the next three days, Du Qingtang drank a bowl of medicine each morning and evening.
She would prepare the medicine for the next morning the night before, drink it before the girls got up, open the windows for ventilation, and ensure that there was no trace of medicine smell in the room.
Since it was a decoction made from Chinese medicinal herbs, the taste was not very good, but compared to the troubles her menstruation brought her, a little bitterness was nothing.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival.
The girls did not go to the market to set up stalls that day. In the morning, they made sesame-filled dumplings. After the water boiled, they put them in the pot and they soon floated to the surface. They were white and plump and very cute.
Du Qingtang had no interest in glutinous rice products and stopped after eating six. "I've been feeling particularly tired lately. I'm planning to see a doctor."
When the girls heard that their youngest was not feeling well, they all looked nervous.
Du Qingmei said without hesitation: "I'll go to the clinic with you."
How could Du Qingtang let her go? "No need. There will be more people at the night market during the Lantern Festival tonight. You need to prepare more ingredients."
Du Qingmei couldn't persuade her, so she had to give up.
In the afternoon, Du Qingtang went out alone, found a secluded place, disguised himself, and went to see the old doctor for a follow-up consultation.
After taking his pulse, Du Qingtang asked him, "How is it?"
The old doctor whispered, "It's working. Let me prescribe some medicine to help the girl recover."
Du Qingtang: "Thank you very much."
The old doctor shook his head and said he dared not.
Du Qingtang paid the money and left with the medicine.
The old doctor watched her back as she walked away, blending into the crowd, and continued to take the pulse of the next person.
I just hope this girl doesn't regret her decision today.
Of course, it was useless to regret it. Even the Golden Immortal could not make her menstruate again.
Du Qingtang had no idea about the old doctor's worries. She had completely said goodbye to her menstruation. She felt relaxed all over and walked with ease.
When I got home, the girls who had been paying attention to the movement at the door came over and asked, "How's it going?"
Du Qingtang remained calm: "It's not a big problem. The doctor prescribed some medicine. I'll be fine after taking it for five days."
The girls breathed a sigh of relief. Du Qingju took the medicine bag and went to the kitchen to boil the medicine.
-
On the 16th day of the first lunar month, classes resumed at the academy, and students from all over Daxia gathered here again.
"Qingtang!"
Du Qingtang walked to the academy. Fu Wen half-revealed his body from behind the stone lions and waved at her with a smile.
Du Qingtang walked forward and stared at Fu Wen for a moment: "I haven't seen you for a long time, Awen seems to have grown taller."
"Really?" Fu Wen scratched his head. "Maybe the food in the cafeteria is good, so I eat more and grow faster."
Du Qingtang climbed the stairs and asked, "Are the exam results going to be announced this morning?"
Fu Wen nodded and said expectantly, "I hope I can be in the top five this time too."
During the half month she was at home, her parents scolded her every day.
I didn’t think it was a big deal before, but I was more tolerant because I felt guilty.
Now she is not going to endure it anymore. In order to teach her a lesson, her parents announced yesterday that they would no longer support her education.
Not only will she not be given tuition, she will also no longer be given money to buy writing materials.
Fu Wen felt a little disappointed.
They are children of the same parents, so why are they treated so differently?
Fu Wen couldn't figure it out, so he simply gave up and put more energy into studying, striving to get the top five scores five times as soon as possible and get the opportunity to be exempted from the tuition.
"We'll know soon." Du Qingtang said.
"Yeah, let's go."
The two of them arrived at the dormitory. Du Qingtang took out the braised food wrapped in oil paper, estimating it to be about one or two kilograms, and handed it to Fu Wen: "Here, these are all your favorites."
Fu Wen took it with a smile, a glint of tears in his eyes: "Thank you Qingtang, thank you to my sisters for me."
Du Qingtang put the clothes in the cupboard and the books on the table: "I will be back home for the next few days, do you want to come with me?"
Fu Wen shook his head: "It's inconvenient to stay here, so I won't go."
Du Qingtang did not force it. After packing up, he rushed to the classroom.
When we arrived, the red paper had already been posted on the notice wall, and there was a crowd of people in front of us, and the place was in a state of excitement.
"Great, I'm in the top five again this time!"
"I failed! This is impossible! I'm going to ask the Priest for clarification!"
"You always sleep in class and still want to pass the exam? That's just wishful thinking."
"Brother Huang, who are the top five students in Class B?"
"Du Qingtang, Cao Xingcan, Fu Wen, Zhang Xiaotian, and Wang Jingyuan."
"Du Qingtang? But the Du Qingtang whose poem 'Village Day' won the county magistrate's endless praise?"
"Yes, it's her!"
Du Qingtang and Fu Wen looked at each other.
Fu Wen's eyes showed the joy of being in the top five again, but also a bit of confusion: "What happened during the days I was away?"
On Fu Wen's other side was a student from Enlightenment Class B. Upon hearing this, he first congratulated her and Du Qingtang, then explained, "Because classmate Du's poem 'Village Day' is quite interesting and catchy, it has been widely circulated among scholars since the literary gathering."
Du Qingtang raised her eyebrows slightly. This was beyond her expectations.
The classmate continued, "Yesterday, Zhang attended the Lantern Festival literary gathering. Many scholars expressed their admiration for classmate Du's character and literary talent and expressed their eagerness to meet him."
Now that they knew the results, Du Qingtang and Fu Wen left the crowd and walked back.
Fu Wenwu speculated, "Besides the excellent writing of 'Village Days,' it's probably also because of Xie Guang. Everyone is impressed by your broad mind and noble character, and that's why they want to get to know you."
Du Qingtang said mischievously, "It seems Xie Guang has made wedding clothes for me again."
Fu Wen laughed heartily and tugged at his friend's sleeve as they headed towards Professor Zhu's duty room. "Today is a good day. Let's apply for a promotion first, then go out for a nice meal and celebrate a little, okay?"
Du Qingtang readily agreed: "That's exactly what I meant."
When I entered the duty room, I was surprised to see that Professor Zhu was very friendly.
Hard work pays off, and the efforts of these two children were rewarded.
I believe that it won’t be long before they can graduate from the introductory class and enter the child-development class.
Professor Zhu approved their applications for promotion on the spot and said with a smile, "Recently, all the major clubs in the academy are recruiting new members. There are many types of clubs. If you are interested, you can go and take a look."
Du Qingtang knew that there were many clubs in Qingyuan Academy, such as calligraphy clubs, poetry clubs, chess clubs, etc., but she was not interested in these clubs. She only heard classmates mention them in conversations and did not understand them in depth.
"Yes, the students will go."
As for when to go, it is unknown.
......
The next day, Du Qingtang returned to the academy from the courtyard and went to Enlightenment Class B with Fu Wen.
Outside the gate of Class B, Du Qingtang and Cao Xingcan met on a narrow road.
Obviously, Cao Xingcan was also successfully promoted to Class B.
"Du Qingtang." Cao Xingcan changed his usual arrogance and said calmly, "You won first place again."
Du Qingtang thought he was going to say something like "One day I will dig out your secret", but he actually said -
"I have a few questions about this exam that I still haven't answered. I wonder if I could discuss them with classmate Du later?"
Du Qingtang was stunned. What kind of filthy thing possessed this person?
Cao Xingcan didn't get a response for a long time, so he asked again. His attitude was so gentle that Fu Wen and other onlookers were dumbfounded.
"Is the sun rising from the west?"
"Perhaps classmate Cao has discovered the good qualities of classmate Du and wants to learn from him and make progress together?"
This person actually guessed it right, but he was only half right.
Yesterday, Cao Xingcan looked at the name in front of his on the red paper and felt that the three words "Du Qingtang" were particularly eye-catching.
But he had to admit that Du Qingtang was even better than he had imagined, so much so that no one could match him.
She ranked first in Class C in both interpretation of classics and examination poetry. Except for etiquette, she was inferior to him in calligraphy, arithmetic, and riding and archery.
Cao Xingcan knew that he won first place in etiquette because he had been influenced by it since childhood, and these etiquettes were as simple to him as eating and drinking.
As a result, Cao Xingcan became even more curious about what Du Qingtang had experienced to become so eye-catching and outstanding.
After careful consideration, Cao Xingcan decided to change his approach.
He wanted to become "friends" with Du Qingtang, to see how she learned, to learn from her learning experience, and then to learn from her strengths and make up for his own weaknesses through academic discussions.
I believe that one day he will be able to defeat Du Qingtang.
"What do you think, classmate Du?"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Du Qingtang smiled faintly: "Of course, I'm always at your service."
Cao Xingcan smiled back, and the three of them entered Class B one after another.
Everyone looked away as if they had been electrocuted, some looked up at the sky, some lowered their heads to read, pretending to be very busy.
Fu Wen couldn't help but laugh. After finding a seat and sitting down, he whispered to Du Qingtang, "They must be very curious about why classmate Cao seemed like a different person all of a sudden."
Du Qingtang could vaguely guess that the reason she agreed was because Cao Xingcan only had a desire to win against her and had no ill will towards her, and that he was a disciple of the former chief academic officer of the Imperial College, so perhaps he could squeeze out some useful value from her.
A poor creature destined to die can't make any waves.
The gong sounded to signal the start of class, and the teacher of Chinese studies walked into the classroom.
This time it was no longer Instructor Sun, but Instructor Wang who took his students outside to listen to the whole process of Du Qingtang reciting "Mencius" backwards on the first day of classes at the academy.
When he saw Du Qingtang, Teacher Wang's face lit up with joy, as if to predict it.
"Instructions for peace."
"Good morning everyone, today we continue our study..."
Du Qingtang opened his notebook and took notes while listening to the lecture.
Not far from her, Cao Xingcan calmly withdrew his gaze, lowered his head to look at the desk where there was nothing but books, with a thoughtful expression.
After the class ended, Teacher Wang left after giving the homework.
There was still a class in the afternoon. Du Qingtang and Fu Wen returned to the dormitory. When they passed by the next door Tongsheng class, they found that various major companies were advertising and recruiting new members.
"My dear classmate, I see that you have a beautiful handwriting. Why don't you join our calligraphy club?"
"My dear classmate, I see that you have a face that is particularly good at arithmetic. Why don't you join our arithmetic club?"
The students in the Tongsheng class were annoyed. One of them caught a glimpse of Du Qingtang and Fu Wen and said, "Those two over there are not only good at calligraphy, but are also proficient in painting, poetry, writing, riding and shooting. Go find them!"
Du Qingtang: “…”
Fu Wen: “…”
"Are they from the enlightenment class?"
"Don't underestimate them because they are in the enlightenment class. They have all won the praise of the county magistrate, and their beautiful writings are amazing..."
The compliments flew towards Du Qingtang and Fu Wen. They looked at each other, took a big step back, and slipped away in the opposite direction.
The students in the club were extremely disappointed, but suddenly they saw someone and their eyes lit up: "Isn't this Mr. Cao? Mr. Cao, I think you are handsome and talented, just right for our poetry club!"
Cao Xingcan was about to come to Du Qingtang to discuss academic matters, but the discussion failed. Instead, Du Qingtang pushed him to the front to face the heads of the major companies: "......"
Du Qingtang, just wait for me!
......
Du Qingtang drank five doses of medicine in a row, and then went to see the old doctor for a follow-up consultation to make sure that except for the sequelae of "lifelong infertility", all other symptoms had disappeared under the treatment of the decoction. Then he put the matter behind him and never mentioned it again.
After that day, all the major societies set their sights on Du Qingtang, Fu Wen and Cao Xingcan. Every day, people came to Class B of Enlightenment, trying to trick them into joining the society. In the end, it was only after Cao Xingcan got angry that the other party gave up.
Cao Xingcan sat back with a cold face: "Let's continue."
Du Qingtang agreed and continued the discussion.
Afterward, on the way back to the dormitory, Fu Wen sighed, "Classmate Cao is a bit arrogant and has a bad mouth, but I have to admit that he has real talent and knowledge. He is worthy of being the grandson of the Prime Minister and the last disciple of the former Imperial College Master."
Du Qingtang heard the envy in Fu Wen's tone and offered her a suggestion: "Since that's the case, why not take this opportunity to drain all his knowledge?"
Fu Wen clapped his hands: "Excellent! Qingtang, you are worthy of it!"
So, in the next few days——
Fu Wen: "Classmate Cao, this question..."
Du Qingtang: "Classmate Cao, this policy paper..."
Fu Wen: "Classmate Cao, this test poem..."
Cao Xingcan realized something was wrong and angrily threw his brush: "That's enough!"
Du Qingtang was calm and composed: "Why is classmate Cao angry? Aren't we discussing academic matters?"
Their eyes met. If Cao Xingcan still didn't understand that Du Qingtang had already seen through his plot and had been doing it on purpose these days, then he would have lived in a noble family for more than ten years in vain.
Cao Xingcan was a little discouraged. Every time he faced Du Qingtang, whether it was a verbal confrontation or the assessment of the academy and the instructors, he was always at a disadvantage.
Neither Cao Xingcan nor Du Qingtang spoke, and Fu Wen even followed Du Qingtang's example, speaking tighter than a river clam, which caused a bit of awkward silence between the three of them.
After a few breaths, Cao Xingcan was the first to speak: "Registration for the county exam will begin in a few days. Have you found someone to act as a guarantor?"
Four years ago, when Cao Xingcan was preparing to take the county examination, his mother passed away due to illness. He observed mourning for his mother for three years, which ended in August last year.
In Xiajing, most of his peers had already passed the imperial examinations and became students, or even scholars.
But Cao Xingcan did not regret it. The imperial examination could be postponed, but mourning could not.
Du Qingtang readily asked, "Why? Classmate Cao wants to join us?"
Cao Xingcan raised his chin, his arrogant nature exposed: "In view of your kind invitation, I agree."
Du Qingtang asked in return: "When did Du extend such a cordial invitation?"
Cao Xingcan was furious: "Du Qingtang!"
Du Qingtang chuckled: "Including classmate Cao, there are still two people missing, and there are also students from the government academy..."
Cao Xingcan: "Leave it to me."
Du Qingtang bowed and said, "Thank you very much, classmate Cao."
Cao Xingcan snorted and lowered his head to organize his notes.
In a corner that no one else could see, an inexplicable emotion flashed in his eyes.
-
On the 28th day of the first lunar month, Du Qingtang, Fu Wen, Cao Xingcan and two classmates from the Enlightenment Class B went to the ceremonial room of the county government office to register for the county examination.
The student that Cao Xingcan found was a member of the Cao family's side branch and had the title of Juren.
The clerk from the ritual room handed them a form for mutual marriage between the two families. Du Qingtang filled in his name, age, place of origin, family history and physical characteristics on it, showed the form to the gatekeeper, received the seal of approval from the Confucian school, and then paid a registration fee of 200 coins.
At this point, the application for the county examination is considered successful.
"Let's go back to the academy."
When leaving, the group got off the ox cart and walked into the ceremony room laughing.
Du Qingtang's gaze fixed on one of them for a moment, then he withdrew his gaze before the other person noticed and suddenly chuckled.
Fu Wenzheng and Cao Xingcan were debating a question from yesterday's exam. Their faces were red and their necks were thick. When they heard laughter, they ignored Cao Xingcan and turned to ask, "What's wrong?"
Du Qingtang placed his right hand on his left wrist, feeling the strong beating of his pulse with his fingertips: "Winter is gone and spring is here, the ice and snow are melting, it's a good time to go fishing."
When Fu Wen heard about fishing, he immediately started talking: "Every time at this time of year, many people in our village use nets to catch fish, and every time they pull in the nets, they always get a lot of fish..."
Du Qingtang looked up at the sky.
The county exam is here, it’s time to close the net.
......
Yuan Sheng limped into the ceremonial room. Seeing his posture, the clerk frowned and said, "People with disabilities cannot participate in the imperial examination."
Yuan Sheng hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, I accidentally broke my leg a while ago and it hasn't healed yet. But I can guarantee that I will be back to normal before the county exam begins."
His colleagues echoed his words and testified for him.
The clerk then believed it and gave him the certificate of marriage between the granary and the guarantor.
Yuan Sheng thanked him and went to fill in the form.
Du Qingtang tried his best to stop him from taking the imperial examination, and even went so far as to sow discord between him and the Xie family, causing him to have his limbs broken.
But she certainly could not have imagined that he would be able to walk so soon, and he also heard that she was also preparing to take the county exam.
In return, he would give a big gift on the eve of the county examination.
Yuan Sheng filled out the marriage certificate for the granary and revealed a cold yet excited smile.
After successfully applying for the exam, the group returned home.
Passing by a bookstore, someone suggested, "Why don't we go in and take a look?"
Everyone had no objection and went together.
Yuansheng didn't want to buy anything, so he walked around the bookstore aimlessly and unknowingly walked into a corner.
"Brother Wang, are these exam questions... the county exam... real?"
An indistinct male voice came from the other side of the bookshelf. Yuan Sheng subconsciously stopped, held his breath, and listened attentively.
"Of course it's true. The person who gave me the test paper works in that person's study. I spent this amount to get it."
"Fifty taels?!"
"Brother Zhang, since we know each other, if you want it, it only costs twenty-five taels."
"What if we get discovered?"
"The body search during the county exam wasn't that strict, you..."
Brother Zhang and Brother Wang spoke in very low voices, and Yuan Sheng had to exert a lot of effort to hear them clearly.
County examination, test questions, body search.
An answer is about to emerge!
Yuan Sheng was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He covered his mouth to prevent himself from making any sound, and stood against the wall, his heart slightly moved.
If he could... No! That's not right!
Perhaps it was because once bitten by a snake, one becomes afraid of ropes for ten years. Yuan Sheng's first reaction was that this must be a trap set by Du Qingtang, who wanted to kill him.
But on second thought, Du Qingtang didn't know he would come to this bookstore, let alone walk here.
As his thoughts raced, Brother Zhang and Brother Wang had already completed the transaction and were preparing to leave.
Yuan Sheng gritted his teeth and quickly walked around to the other side of the bookshelf.
"Brothers, please stay!"
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