"Brother Zhong, everything's packed and put in the exam basket," Zhang Jinxin repeatedly reminded him, still worried.
"Father, these are aromatherapy pills I specially bought because I was worried I'd be unlucky and get assigned to a bad number." Mo Qian handed the aromatherapy pills, along with the purse, to Mo Zhong.
"My daughter is so thoughtful, haha." Mo Zhong hadn't taken an exam in many years. Although he looked the same as usual, he was still a little nervous inside. After this incident, holding the aromatherapy pills, he felt inexplicably more at ease and less nervous.
Subsequently, Mo Zhong, along with the other students who had come to take the imperial examination, stepped forward to be searched by the yamen runners. After their examination baskets were checked, they were taken to a specially built small room for a strip search to prevent any cheat sheets from being smuggled into the examination hall.
Only after passing all the checks could one enter the examination hall with their examination basket. Looking at the strict checks for the imperial examinations, Mo Qian thought of the imperial examination novels she had read before, where the female protagonist disguised herself as a man to take the exams and gradually rose to the highest ranks of officialdom. It seemed they were all lies.
The imperial examinations were so rigorous that even undressing was required; how could a woman possibly slip through? Sigh, novels mislead people. Mo Qian couldn't help but smile.
After finishing his inspection, Mo Zhong glanced back at Mo Qian and her daughter before entering the examination room, then straightened up and entered.
"Mother, don't worry, Father will definitely pass the exam." After all, Mo Qian was supervising Mo Zhong's studies at home, and she used a "sea of questions" approach, having him do past exam papers no less than five times.
In addition, Mo Zhong was intelligent and his grades quickly improved. To deal with unexpected situations, a simple examination shed was specially set up at home, and everything was arranged according to the examination room layout. A two-week simulation was conducted to prevent unexpected events such as cold weather, rain, nervousness, or being assigned a bad number.
Hearing Mo Qian's words of comfort, Zhang Jinxin, though still somewhat worried, gradually relaxed. It would be best if she passed the exam, but if she didn't, it wouldn't matter; she could always try again next time, and her family wasn't short of money.
Afterwards, Mo Qian and her daughter explored the city, and Zhang Jinxin's interest grew as well. They strolled through the night market, watched street performances, solved riddles, and made sugar figurines...
In the blink of an eye, the exam was about to end, and Mo Qian and her companion were already waiting outside the exam hall.
After a while, a stream of people poured out of the examination hall. Some looked dejected, some were beaming with joy, some were filled with regret and remorse, and others were exhausted and pale, being dragged out by others.
Interspersed among the characters were elderly men in their sixties and seventies with full heads of white hair, depicting the diverse lives of people: from peasants in the morning to officials in the capital in the evening. The poor could only change their social standing through the imperial examinations.
But how many people, riding high on the spring breeze, can see all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day? The imperial examinations were like a thousand soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge; how could they be easy? That's why so many people failed!
"Father, how are you feeling?"
"Brother Zhong, are you tired?" The two of them reached out to help Mo Zhong.
Seeing so many students outside the examination hall looking listless and pale, as if they had just recovered from a serious illness, Mo Qian couldn't help but worry. Although she urged Mo Zhong to run and exercise at home in addition to studying, she was still not entirely at ease.
"It's alright, I'm fine. It's just that I didn't eat or sleep well inside, so I don't have much energy." Mo Zhong waved his hand, not wanting them to help, and skipped a few steps to tell the mother and daughter that he was perfectly fine.
"Let's go back to the inn so that Brother Zhong can wash up and rest."
After returning to the inn, Mo Zhong slept soundly for two days. Although he was not as physically weak as the other students, he had not rested well in the examination room and it took him two days to recover.
While Mo Zhong was taking his exams, Mo Qian and Mo Qian took the opportunity to explore the city and discovered which restaurants served the best food. For the next two weeks, the three of them traveled around while waiting for their results.
"Make way, everyone! The results are out!" Knowing the exam results would be released today, the students had been waiting here early. Once the officials had posted the list, the crowd surged forward, jostling to see it.
"I passed! I passed! I ranked twenty-third! Hahaha!" A student exclaimed excitedly, not caring where his hat had been pushed around by the crowd, and burst into laughter.
"I don't believe it, I'm not even in it!" Some people broke down in tears.
...
Mo Qian watched as Mo Zhong appeared calm on the surface, but his hands trembled involuntarily. Just then, the person sent to check the list rushed back from outside, his face flushed with excitement.
Seeing the joy on the newcomer's face, Mo Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, and his brows relaxed.
"Master, you passed the exam! You passed the exam! You're seventh on the first-class list!" A man ran over with a big smile.
"That's great, Dad is the best."
"Zhong-ge, you passed the exam!"
"A reward! I'm in a good mood today, haha!" Mo Zhong was also overjoyed and casually handed over the ten taels of silver he had on him as a reward.
"The messengers should be arriving soon. Let's go back to the inn." With that, Mo Zhong smiled and led Mo Qian and the other two out of the teahouse.
A short while later, just as Mo Qian and her two companions returned to the inn, the messenger arrived with good news.
"Great news! Congratulations, Master Mo Zhong! No, congratulations on becoming Scholar Mo!"
"Scholar, you are truly learned and handsome!"
"He looks like a very knowledgeable person."
As the person announcing the good news finished speaking, the surrounding crowd offered their congratulations.
Zhang Jinxin took out the silver he had prepared and gave it to the person who brought the good news. He also scattered the dou of coins he had exchanged, and everyone picked them up, hoping to share in the scholar's good fortune.
After seeing the results, Mo Qian and the other two got into the carriage and headed home. They weren't in a hurry and strolled leisurely along the way.
When they arrived at Wutong Village, the villagers had already learned from the notices posted in Liangzhou City that Mo Zhong had become a scholar, and they were overjoyed. They were waiting for Mo Zhong to return so they could hold a banquet.
Having someone with academic honors in the village brings many advantages, such as the ability to secure irrigation water and the respect shown to officials by the yamen runners because of the scholar's reputation.
The banquet lasted for three days. Villagers from the surrounding area also came, and wealthy merchants from Liangzhou City also came to give gifts. However, Mo Zhong was not short of money, so he simply welcomed everyone who came and did not need to give gifts. He was not short of money himself and it was not worth taking the money from the wealthy merchants.
"Third son, this unfilial son! He passed the imperial examination and didn't even come to tell us the good news. What an ingrate!" the old lady shouted angrily in the main room.
"Third brother, how can someone who is ignorant and good-for-nothing, who just plays with cats and dogs, pass the imperial examination and become a scholar?" Second Master looked incredulous.
"Third brother, you're quite capable." The eldest brother's face was also full of complicated emotions. He used to be just a mere illegitimate son in the mansion, but now he's living better than them and has even passed the imperial examination to become a scholar.
“Mother, we’re all family after all. Now that my brother-in-law has passed the exam, let’s go and congratulate him!” the wives of the first and second wives exclaimed from the side.
They thought the exile journey had been miserable enough, and that they could finally settle down in Qingshui Village. However, after the previous expenses, they hadn't saved much money. Plus, their family members had all grown up in luxury and didn't know how to farm, so they struggled to make ends meet.
Household chores were not easy either. Washing clothes and cooking, her once delicate and smooth hands became increasingly rough after being exiled and doing housework. Now that she knew that Mo Zhong had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, she wanted to take advantage of his success and escape her current predicament.
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