The Chu Dynasty's provincial examination was divided into three sessions, held every other day, and completed in three days. Each county could only admit a maximum of five scholars.
Just listening to Gu Nanjiao's words felt cruel, somewhat similar to the modern postgraduate entrance examination. With such fierce competition, Lu Yanzhao actually said that passing the imperial examination to become a scholar was no difficult task.
It's too Versailles!
Lin Ji's father had prepared everything for his son, while Lu Yanzhao's mother took care of everything. Gu Nanjiao didn't interfere at all; she was only responsible for watching the two of them go in.
Naturally, they ran into Wang Sang and his family again. Master Wang, his wife, Wang Fu, and their servants formed a large group waiting at the entrance of the examination hall. Although it was quite a spectacle, in a place like Yuzhou City, it was still a small fry compared to the big fish.
After seeing the two of them inside, Gu Nanjiao didn't linger and returned to the inn.
To save money, they chose a guesthouse that was rather remote, requiring them to walk through several alleys to get there.
Suddenly, a thin boy darted out of the alley and nearly knocked her over. The boy quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"It's alright, just be more careful when you walk next time." Gu Nanjiao didn't think much of it. Seeing the boy run away so quickly, she couldn't help but feel suspicious. She quickly touched her pocket—oh no, her purse had been stolen! She had brought ten taels of silver with her this time!
Gu Nanjiao was heartbroken that her silver had been stolen and shouted angrily, "Stop the thief! He stole my silver!"
Seeing this, the surrounding villagers rushed to help chase after the thief. The thief was small in stature but very agile, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared into an alley.
The group searched for a long time but couldn't find where the thief had disappeared to.
Gu Nanjiao was heartbroken. The money she had worked so hard to earn had been stolen by a thief. For the next three days, she had nothing to eat or drink.
Today was absolutely the worst day ever, the most unlucky day ever.
A kind-hearted man, seeing Gu Nanjiao's pitiful state as a weak woman, pointed to a spot not far away and said, "There are police officers over there; go and report a crime."
Gu Nanjiao turned her head and saw that, sure enough, several policemen carrying knives were patrolling in this direction.
Gu Nanjiao quickly went to the police station to report the case.
Therefore, when she came out of the government office after reporting the case, it was already getting dark.
The examinations at the Imperial Examination Hall have ended.
As soon as they arrived at the inn, they saw Lin Ji pacing anxiously at the entrance. Gu Nanjiao went up to greet her: "How did the exam go? Where's Lu Yanzhao?"
When Lin Ji saw Gu Nanjiao, she was excited: "Where have you been? Yan Zhao has been looking for you for ages."
"He's looking for me?"
“Yes, he’s unfamiliar with Yuzhou City, he’s worried about you.” Lin Ji was saying this when Lu Yanzhao returned.
Gu Nanjiao turned around and saw Lu Yanzhao standing straight at the door, his hair on his forehead slightly messy, looking at her with a cold gaze.
"Lu Yanzhao." Gu Nanjiao ran over.
Lu Yanzhao asked coldly, "Didn't I tell you to go back to the inn and stay there obediently? Where did you run off to?"
She didn't run around. She came back as soon as they entered the examination hall. Who knew that a thief would suddenly jump out? Thinking that ten taels of silver were gone, Gu Nanjiao felt a little wronged and told him about the encounter with the thief.
Lu Yanzhao looked her over, his tone somewhat worried: "Are you injured?"
"No, were you looking for me just now?"
Lu Yanzhao gave a soft "hmm," looking somewhat uneasy. He admitted that he was a little flustered when he didn't see Gu Nanjiao when he returned to the inn.
Gu Nanjiao felt a warmth in her heart; this man was finally showing some manners: "How did the exam go today?"
"nonsense."
Damn, I just thought he was getting a little bit into it, and then that mouth completely ruined it.
"You're being tested on the eight-legged essay style of the Four Books, so tomorrow you'll be composing a rhapsody or a classical poem?"
"You understand?" Lu Yanzhao narrowed his eyes and looked at Gu Nanjiao.
Gu Nanjiao felt a little guilty, afraid that he would see through her, so she waved her hand and said, "I don't know anything, I just heard my father mention it a couple of times before."
Lin Ji walked over from the side and stepped between the two: "How long are you two going to chat at the door? Are you hungry and want to have dinner?"
Lu Yanzhao yanked Lin Ji aside and moved him aside, interrupting his questioning.
Speaking of food, Gu Nanjiao felt a pang of heartache when she thought of the stolen silver.
Lu Yanzhao took out five taels of silver from his sleeve and handed it to Gu Nanjiao: "Take it!"
Before leaving, Lu's mother generously gave Gu Nanjiao five taels of silver, and she took five taels with her own as travel expenses for the trip.
Didn't Lu Yanzhao hand over his money to his mother? Where did he get it? Is he hiding some money for himself?
Seeing that Gu Nanjiao's gaze was becoming increasingly strange, Lu Yanzhao said impatiently, "The money we earned from going into the mountains and copying books, Mother said we should keep it ourselves, so take it now!"
Gu Nanjiao hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and took it.
The three of us ordered five bowls of noodles for dinner, each with two braised eggs. The two men each had two bowls, not because they could eat a lot, but because the portion size was too small.
It has to be said that prices in Yuzhou City are really expensive. A bowl of noodles costs 25 coins, a braised egg costs 5 coins, and a meal cost 175 coins. No wonder Gu Nanjiao is so frugal; she's really worried about not having enough money. Lin Ji paid for yesterday's room and meals, but today it was their turn, and their money was stolen. They only had the five taels of silver that Lu Yanzhao had given them.
Gu Nanjiao didn't go to see the students off for the rest of the exams, instead staying obediently in the inn, lying around like a corpse. Lu Yanzhao had told her that Yuzhou City was a bustling metropolis, a melting pot of all sorts of people, especially the lower classes, where trafficking in witches, theft, burglary, and prostitution were rampant and rampant.
Gu Nanjiao was a little scared. In ancient times, there were no security cameras, and even if she reported the theft, she wouldn't be able to get the stolen silver back. What if she was kidnapped? Wouldn't that be even worse?
In the blink of an eye, the college entrance examination was over.
Lin Ji and Lu Yanzhao were in good spirits, indicating they had performed very well.
They had originally planned to take Gu Nanjiao to stroll around the bustling city of Yuzhou after the exam, but it started raining the next day. They waited all day and it was still drizzling. Considering their limited budget, they decided to take a car back home.
The rain continued intermittently for half a month before it finally stopped.
In mid-March, Gu Nanjiao was busy planting kudzu, and she hired many people to help her. She had to personally teach them how to fertilize the soil and how to plant the kudzu. She also had to provide lunch and pay them after work, keeping her extremely busy.
Around April, the results of the college entrance examination were released.
Lu Yanzhao and Lin Ji both made the list, truly deserving the title of "scholars".
The village chief organized a celebration with gongs and drums, as the only scholar in Toad Village had brought honor to the village.
Gu Nanjiao was also very happy, feeling that the guilt in her heart had disappeared.
Passing the imperial examination at the county level not only exempted one from taxes and corvée labor, and exempted one from bowing to officials, but also provided annual subsidies of silver and grain from the imperial court. This is why the ancients said, "Of all professions, only studying is noble." Knowledge has always been of paramount importance.
Mother Lu was overjoyed and knelt down to the heavens, bowing repeatedly: "Thank you, God, for your blessings, and may our ancestors protect us!"
Gu Nanjiao prepared a large table of delicious dishes, and Lu Xiaomei also busied herself with serving them.
During dinner, Gu Nanjiao asked, "Mom, look how hot it is, should we repair or build a new house?"
Lu's mother paused for a moment, then said, "Let's build it again in a while. My business is doing well right now, so I'm a bit busy."
It's hot, and the thought of the two of them sharing a room and a bed makes Gu Nanjiao feel very awkward.
"Mother, why don't we find someone to fix my half first?"
Lu Yanzhao's face darkened upon hearing this. She was still thinking about breaking up, did she really not want to sleep with him?
"Well... let's wait a while, Mother will find someone to help fix it."
Mrs. Lu felt a little guilty and didn't want to continue the topic. She wished someone would change the subject.
Just then, Lu Xiaomei interjected from the table, "Mother, I also want to study, I also want to take the imperial examination to become a scholar."
Mother Lu breathed a sigh of relief and happily tapped her nose: "What girl would take the imperial examination to become a scholar?"
The topic was changed, and Gu Nanjiao did not dwell on the issue.
She thought it was a good thing that Lu Xiaomei wanted to study. In ancient times, it was believed that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent, and women had no say in the imperial examinations.
“Mother, I think it’s a good thing that my little sister wants to study. She’s already nine years old, and it will be too late if she doesn’t start her education soon. How about we send her to a girls’ school?” Gu Nanjiao asked.
Mother Lu hesitated for a moment: "I've never heard of any girls' academy. Daughters from wealthy families might have private tutors, but we're just an ordinary family, how could we afford that?"
After a long silence, Lu Yanzhao spoke up: "The Nanxiang Academy in the county town has invited me to study there. I will get to know many people later, and I will inquire about it. There should be a girls' school in the county town."
Hearing her brother say this, Lu Xiaomei was overjoyed and almost jumped up: "Brother, on such a happy day, why don't we have some drinks to celebrate?"
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