Chapter 459 College Examination
In order to give the students enough time to adapt to the environment of Juzhou and adjust their state, Gu Jiayue deliberately chose to set off two days in advance.
It was just dawn, and Taohua Village was still shrouded in a light mist. Beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance, children, their exam baskets bulging, chattered about their exams, their faces filled with nervous anticipation.
The parents stood by, constantly reminding them, "When you go out, listen to your teacher and don't run around, okay?"
"I've put some money in this for you. If you need to spend money, you have to pay for it yourself, okay? You can't take advantage of others."
"Do well on the test, and I'll ask your mother to kill a chicken for you when you come back!"
With his parents reluctant to let him go, Hu Zi came with a carriage.
Because there were so many people going out, Gu Jiayue even went to the carriage shop in the county town to borrow a dozen carriages.
The original plan was to have two teachers from the academy help look after the child, but Gu Jiayue was still worried, so she ended up going with him.
We cannot be careless about the food, accommodation, and pre-exam status of so many people.
Fortunately, she had asked Kangzi to book an inn in Juzhou half a month ago. It was right next to the examination hall. The owner had many years of experience in receiving examinees, and he was very familiar with how to take care of the examinees' lives, so she could worry less.
Arriving in Juzhou City, Gu Jiayue took the students straight to the inn.
As soon as I pushed open the door of the inn, the shopkeeper behind the counter raised his head.
The girl who came in was wearing a light green coarse cloth shirt with her sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing her strong wrists. Her hair was tied up with a plain wooden hairpin, and she was holding a small flag embroidered with "Qiushi Academy" in her hand.
She must be a maid running errands for some school.
But when the shopkeeper's eyes fell on her face, he suddenly stopped.
The girl has an oval face, gentle eyebrows and eyes, and there are faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes when she smiles. She is not wearing any makeup but exudes a clean and neat energy, which makes people feel more comfortable the more they look at her.
He had studied for several years and had met many scholars during his long time running the inn, but after racking his brains for a long time, he could only think of the word "good-looking".
I was still muttering in my heart: Qiushi Academy is so heartless that it is willing to let such a pretty girl run errands.
Seeing the shopkeeper staring at her in a daze, Gu Jiayue thought he hadn't heard clearly, so she raised her voice and called out twice, "Shopkeeper! We are candidates for Qiushi Academy and booked a room half a month ago."
The shopkeeper snapped back to his senses, frantically closing the ledger and forcing a friendly smile. "Hey, hey! Here I am! Miss, are you from Qiushi Academy? Shopkeeper Gu booked fifty rooms two weeks ago, right?"
"Yes." Gu Jiayue nodded, her eyes sweeping over the students who were coming in one after another behind her. "There are many of us. The shopkeeper will give us the key to one room after the other. Let the children go back to their rooms and rest first. They must be tired after traveling all the way."
The shopkeeper responded with "OK".
Fifty rooms can accommodate more than fifty people at most, which is not a lot.
But when he saw the students receiving the keys in groups of three or four, they occupied all fifty rooms in a blink of an eye.
There were even a few students whose eyes widened instantly while waiting for the last room.
Pointing at the crowd, he moved his lips several times before speaking: "These...are all these candidates from Qiushi Academy?"
"Yes, we have more candidates this year." Gu Jiayue explained with a smile.
The shopkeeper's heart was in turmoil.
How is this "more"?
There are only three or four hundred candidates for the Juzhou Academy examination this year, and the Qiushi Academy accounts for almost one-third of them!
As he handed the keys to the last few students, he wondered: What on earth is this Qiushi Academy? Why haven't I heard of it before?
After I'm done with my work, I'll have to ask other shopkeepers.
After settling the students, Gu Jiayue went straight to the kitchen.
She has to check whether the ingredients for dinner are fresh, whether the portions are sufficient, and whether there are any dishes that are too greasy.
When the chef saw her coming, he pointed at the dishes on the chopping board. "Don't worry, young lady. These are all fresh meat and vegetables bought this morning. The porridge is also soft and sticky, perfect for candidates."
Gu Jiayue stirred the porridge that was being cooked, then checked to make sure it was top-quality rice, then glanced at the shredded meat to make sure it was indeed very good lean meat, before leaving with peace of mind.
"Go and rest after dinner. No reading tonight. The most important thing right now is to stay alert, okay?"
"I know." The children answered simply.
But at night, Gu Jiayue was still worried and checked room by room.
She actually managed to catch a few disobedient children.
"I told you not to read tonight. Put the books down and go to bed." Gu Jiayue took the books from the children's hands.
Li Chao frowned. "Teacher, please let me take another look. I think this question will definitely be on the test! I have a strong feeling!"
"Okay, stop talking nonsense and go to sleep."
Gu Jiayue ruthlessly took the book out of the room.
Li Chao curled his lips. He really had a feeling that he could pass the exam!
"Li Chao!"
His roommates winked at him.
"What?" I'm unhappy because my book was taken away!
"Look what this is!" The classmate took out a book from under the mattress.
Just now, when he went out to relieve himself, he saw the teacher checking the dormitory, so he quickly ran back to hide his books, and then lay down on the bed to sleep. This is how he escaped the disaster.
"You are such a genius!" Li Chao rushed over happily.
After two busy days, the day of the college entrance examination finally arrived.
On the morning of April 18, the examination hall was crowded with candidates and people sending them off.
Gu Jiayue stood outside the crowd, watching the students carrying their exam baskets into the examination room one by one, her fingers unconsciously clenching the corners of her clothes. She was more nervous than the children.
The college entrance examination is divided into two sessions, the main examination and the re-examination, each lasting one day.
The main test is the first round, focusing on basic knowledge; the re-examination is the second round, focusing on comprehensive ability assessment.
Candidates are required to complete all subjects within two days.
The examination room is closed and candidates are not allowed to leave during the examination.
The college examination mainly focuses on Confucian classics, while also taking practical ability into consideration.
The examination process is rigorous but not complicated.
The first exam began with a cannon blast on the morning of April 18th. Test papers with red lines were distributed. Candidates were required to write in regular script and submit their draft papers along with the final papers to prevent cheating. A re-examination took place the following day. The question format was more flexible, with the possibility of adding essays and fu (fu-style prose) to suit the specific circumstances of each region.
After the exam, the examiners will conceal the candidates' information through procedures such as "sealing" and "transcription" to ensure fairness in marking.
The completed examination papers will first be reviewed by the same examiners and then submitted to the academic official for final review.
The grades are divided into six levels: first level is designated as government stipend students (who enjoy government subsidies), second level is designated as additional students, and third level and below are designated as attached students.
The admitted students held a flower-pinning ceremony in the academy and wore a silver sparrow crown that symbolized their status. The list of names was posted in front of the government office.
Those who fail the exam can take the next exam, but they need to pass the county and prefectural exams again.
Scholars enjoyed privileges such as exemption from corvée labor and the ability to meet county officials without kneeling, but they were required to regularly participate in annual and imperial examinations. Those with outstanding performance could be promoted to the rank of Linsheng (a student of government service) or Gongsheng (a student of tribute), and then participate in the provincial examinations.
Yes, becoming a scholar does not mean that you can take part in the provincial examination and obtain the title of Juren, nor does it mean that everything will be fine after passing the academy examination and you can just rest on your past achievements and live a life of drunken dreams.
If you want to continue to move up in the exam, you have to keep learning, learning, and learning again.
But that's all in the future.
Now taking part in the college entrance examination is the most urgent matter.
The admission rate for the college entrance examination was shockingly low, with only a few people admitted from each county. It was much more difficult than the modern college entrance examination.
I used to read novels where people would become the top scholar after studying for two years. That was such a cool story, but how could it be so easy in real life?
Only Gu Yuchuan is an exception.
She didn't expect all her children to pass the exam, she just hoped that they wouldn't be too sad if they failed and could continue to work hard in the future.
The children entered the examination room. Gu Jiayue couldn't sit still in the inn, always wondering if something unexpected would happen to the children in the examination room.
It’s better to go for a walk on the street and buy some small gifts for the children as rewards after the exam.
She remembered that Song Yao was in Juzhou, so she wrote a note and had someone send it to her.
When Song Yao received the post, she was struggling with the embroidery frame and needle and thread.
As soon as she heard that Gu Jiayue was looking for her, she immediately threw away her embroidery needle, called the maid and ran to the inn. She didn't even hear the nanny shouting "slow down" behind her.
The two met at the door of the inn and went to "Min Renju" first.
Song Yao took Gu Jiayue to choose several snacks, and before leaving, she asked the shopkeeper to pack two bamboo tubes of milk tea.
It is wrapped in cotton to keep it warm. When you open the lid, you can smell the aroma of milk mixed with tea, and there are round Bobos inside.
"This is the latest model of delicious fresh milk Bobo tea, it's so delicious that it makes you want to drink it. It's super tasty!" Song Yao handed a tube to Gu Jiayue with sparkling eyes.
In the southwest, etiquette is not so strict, and women can walk freely on the streets. However, occasionally, some families with strict rules will let their daughters wear a thin scarf.
Song Yao was very familiar with Juzhou City and took Gu Jiayue to visit all the streets and alleys.
Seeing a shop selling pens, Gu Jiayue picked out a solid wolf-hair brush for Sun Hai, thinking that he wrote with great force and the pen would be durable.
Seeing someone selling sugar paintings, Song Yao pulled her to buy one in the shape of a rabbit.
The two of them stood on the street, chewing on sugar paintings and smiling like children.
When she came across a jewelry stall, Gu Jiayue picked out a few silver hairpins for her younger sisters.
The two of them were so engrossed in shopping that they bought a lot of things without realizing it.
Fortunately, there was a carriage following behind them. After putting their things on the carriage, the two of them felt more comfortable walking around empty-handed.
In the evening, Song Yao took Gu Jiayue to the hot pot restaurant opened by Kangzi.
Because of the imperial examination, many people have come to Juzhou City recently. Although the candidates have gone in to take the exam, many of their accompanying family members have come out to stroll around like Gu Jiayue.
There have always been many customers in the restaurant, and now with so many people suddenly coming, there are even more people. The waiter said that the food is full, and these people would rather wait outside than go to other places to eat.
There was no other way, so Kangzi gave number plates to those waiting so that they would not get the order wrong.
When Gu Jiayue arrived, there were at least dozens of tables waiting outside.
Song Yao was very surprised when she saw this scene. "Why are there so many people?"
"How about we go to another store?" Although she was happy to see so many people eating in her store, she really didn't want to queue for hours just for a bite of food!
"Okay!" Song Yao was a little unwilling.
It’s a rare opportunity for Sister Gu to come to Juzhou City, so as the host, she naturally has to take good care of her.
This hot pot is one of her favorite foods, so she also wants Gu Jiayue to try it.
Business had been good in the past, but never this good. As the daughter of a prefect, she still had some privileges. Normally, as long as she revealed her identity, no one would refuse her face.
But the waiter at the hot pot restaurant said: "Miss, it's not that we don't give you face, you see? We've added ten tables under the eaves and it's not enough."
The two were about to turn around and leave when Kangzi, who happened to be going out, saw them.
"Miss?"
Now that the real boss is here, you have to find a way even if there is no position.
Finally, the two were invited into Kangzi's office.
In order to make it convenient for him to come and check the account books, he reserved a room on the third floor of the hot pot restaurant.
It wasn't decorated in any particular way, just a table and chairs. It might not fit too many people, but it was more than enough for two little girls.
Song Yao was very happy that she could eat without having to queue.
The steaming pot was bubbling, and Song Yao secretly glanced at the nanny behind her.
Seeing Mammy being pulled aside by the maid to talk, she quickly picked up a piece of tripe, scalded it in the pot, and stuffed it into her mouth. It was so hot that she couldn't breathe or make a sound. Her cheeks turned red, but she still didn't want to spit it out.
"Try this pig throat! It's very crispy!" She pointed to another dish and whispered to Gu Jiayue.
Gu Jiayue couldn't help but laugh and handed her a cup of cold tea: "Slow down, no one is going to snatch it from you."
She looked at the food boiling in the pot and suddenly thought of modern hot pot. She felt a little emotional. It had been a long time since she sat down and enjoyed a delicious meal like this.
She hasn't had a good rest since she started working.
At the beginning, I was worried about my survival and tried every possible way to earn education points every day.
Later, when he was running a school, he was afraid of misleading the students, so he prepared lessons until midnight every day. He also had to help Taohua Village with planting and running workshops, so he didn't even have time to breathe.
Now, eating hotpot with Song Yao, I feel relaxed for a rare time.
"Sister Gu, this restaurant is yours, how come you have never been here to eat?" Song Yao asked vaguely while chewing her garlic.
"I was busy before and didn't have time to take care of it." Gu Jiayue picked up a piece of vegetable and put it into the pot.
The two of them ate and chatted, which was quite pleasant.
After eating and drinking, the two of them were reluctant to leave the door of the hot pot restaurant. "Sister Gu, I'll come to play with you tomorrow!" Song Yao held her hand, reluctant to let go.
"Okay, I'll wait for you at the inn." Gu Jiayue nodded with a smile.
After seeing Song Yao off, Gu Jiayue turned around and prepared to return to the inn, but saw a familiar figure standing next to her carriage.
The man was wearing a dark blue gown and had a tall figure. He turned around when he heard the footsteps, with a smile on his face.
"Long time no see, Mr. Gu."
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