Chapter 172 Chapter 172 The Provincial Examination Begins
At three o'clock in the morning, Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao got up.
Today is the eighth day of the eighth month, which is the entrance time for the first provincial examination. Each examination requires admission one day in advance.
Lights were on in the Wang family's house, the servants had prepared water, and breakfast was ready in the kitchen.
While Fu Wenxiao was having breakfast, Yu Li helped him check his luggage and exam basket. The luggage contained mattresses, pots and pans, etc. After all, he had to stay in the Imperial Examination Hall for three days for each examination and could not go home overnight, so these things must be prepared. The pens, ink, paper, inkstone and other things in the exam basket also had to be prepared.
He watched her busying herself quietly, with a smile on his face.
After making sure that nothing was left out, Yu Li also sat down to eat breakfast, saying, "Xiao brother, eat more."
Thinking that he would be staying in the Imperial Examination Hall for nine days, not to mention the living environment, the food would definitely not be very good either, so she couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Although this man has recovered, he is a very particular person and it is unknown whether he can survive these nine days.
After breakfast, it was almost time, so Yu Li personally sent him to the Imperial Examination Hall.
Mr. Wang also got up early and saw them off at the door, saying many auspicious words to wish for good luck.
Fu Wenxiao smiled and bowed to him in thanks.
The carriage drove out of the Wang family's house and headed towards the Tribute Court.
When they arrived near the Imperial Examination Hall, they got off the carriage because there were too many cars around and they couldn't squeeze in. If they insisted on squeezing in, it would be a waste of time, so it would be better to walk.
Yu Li accompanied him to the Imperial Examination Hall. At four o'clock in the morning, the Dragon Gate was opened, and the scholars who had come to the Imperial Examination Hall spontaneously lined up to prepare for entry.
After watching the candidates enter the examination room, Yu Li turned and left.
It was still early, before dawn, so she went back to the Wang family's house and took a nap.
After dawn, Yu Li sat up and hugged the quilt for a while. Suddenly, he found that there seemed to be nothing to do today. He really didn't want to make any effort, so he found the post from the Mo family and decided to visit the Mo family today and see Mo Yuchan by the way.
After arriving in the provincial capital, the Mo family sent her an invitation.
However, because Fu Wenxiao was about to take part in the provincial examination, it was not good for her to get too close to the officials in the provincial capital, so she did not go to the Mo family and planned to go there after the provincial examination.
Now that Fu Wenxiao has entered the tribute court, there is nothing wrong with him going to the Mo family.
When the steward of the mansion learned that she was going to the Mo Mansion, he prepared a carriage for her and also prepared a small gift.
When Yu Li arrived at the Mo family, as soon as she got off the carriage, she saw Mo Yuchan rushing over with her skirt lifted up and threw herself on her.
The girl had a slim, lively and healthy figure. When she rushed over, her momentum seemed to knock people away. Fortunately, Yu Li's lower body was stable, so he was able to catch her steadily and let her hang on him.
Seeing this, Mrs. Mo behind finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing her daughter rushing towards Yu Li like a crazy girl, she was worried that her daughter might not be careful enough and knock him to the ground, which would be bad if she got hurt.
Mo Yuchan didn't notice her mother's worry at all. She hugged Yu Li and laughed and shouted, very surprised, "Mother Li, you are finally here, I have been waiting for you for a long time!"
With the arrival of this year's provincial examination, she has been waiting for Yu Li to come to the provincial capital.
Unfortunately, her parents seemed to be worried about something and told her not to disturb him. They also said that Mr. Fu needed to study or something. Mo Yuchan could only endure it temporarily.
Mo Yuchan held Yu Li intimately, had a lot to say to her, and couldn't wait to take her to her boudoir.
Yu Li patted her on the shoulder and told her not to be anxious and to go over and greet Mrs. Mo.
Although she didn't have much dealings with wealthy families, she now knew some etiquette, which was taught to her by Mrs. Wang.
When Yu Li saluted, although his posture was not standard, it was as smooth as flowing clouds and water, with a casual and unrestrained demeanor.
Mo Yuchan was a little stunned, and after she reacted, she blushed.
Li Niang is so pretty!
Although Li Niang does not meet the world's expectations of a lady from a wealthy family, she has a kind of vitality and freedom that is very desirable.
Mrs. Mo's eyes lit up with surprise. She greeted Yu Li with a smile, then led her to the flower hall for tea and chat.
"I haven't seen Miss Yu for a long time. How are you doing recently?" Madam Mo said with a smile, "Yuchan has been thinking about you and said she wanted to go to Shanping County to see you."
Mo Yuchan said with a smile: "It's a pity that the county town is too far away, otherwise I really want to go find Li Niang."
Then she said that Li Niang was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, and if she wasn't already married, she would actually want her unmarried cousin to marry her.
If she had such a powerful sister-in-law, she would definitely feel very at ease.
Mrs. Mo smiled and scolded her, telling her not to be disrespectful.
Mo Yuchan made a face at her mother, then smiled and pushed a plate of dim sum in front of Yu Li. She enthusiastically invited her to eat, saying that this was a popular dim sum in the capital and was delicious.
Yu Li was not polite either. She always had a good appetite no matter what time it was.
Mrs. Mo saw her daughter and Yu Li sitting next to each other, the two girls eating snacks and making comments at the same time, their relationship was as close as if they were one person, and her heart started to become a little irregular.
She suppressed her worries and said with a smile, "I heard that Mr. Fu is also participating in this provincial examination. Has he entered the examination hall this morning?"
Yu Li nodded, "Yes, we will enter at four o'clock in the morning."
Then she told them what she had seen and heard at the Imperial Examination Hall that morning.
Mrs. Mo listened with a smile on her face, but she had a lot of thoughts in her mind.
Unlike the academy examination, the examiners for the provincial examination were officials arranged by the imperial court.
Madam Mo had already learned from Mo Xuezheng who the examiners would be this time. She didn't know how she would react when she thought about meeting Master Fu in the Imperial Examination Hall.
No matter who those examiners are, I'm afraid they wouldn't dare to let Prince Fu fail the exam easily.
After all, this person is praised by His Majesty as a talented and beautiful person, who was taught by a great scholar of the time. He has outstanding literary talent and learning, and has a very good reputation among the scholars in the provincial capital. Even if the examiner wants to suppress him, he dare not do it openly.
If those scholars start making trouble, it will be no joke.
Mrs. Mo sighed slightly when she thought of this. Even though Master Fu had changed his name and surname and looked like a powerless scholar, no one dared to suppress him openly. This showed that no matter what situation this man was in, he would not be someone who would allow himself to be bullied.
Those who recognized him probably wished they hadn't recognized him, and couldn't help feeling conflicted, right?
Just like a husband.
Last night, Academician Mo was still nagging his wife, "This time, the court sent officials to preside over the provincial examination. There are people from the Third Prince and students of Emperor Yao. It seems that they are paying close attention to Nanjun Province. I wonder if they are here for Prince Fu..."
"So what if they came for him?" Madam Mo didn't care. "Do they dare to tamper with the provincial examination and make Master Fu fail?"
Mo Xuezheng immediately shook his head, "Who would dare? With Master Fu's talent, if we really dare to make him fail the exam, I'm afraid those scholars in the provincial capital would be the first to refuse to accept it."
Everyone is watching. They all know who will definitely make the list of this provincial examination.
If Fu Wenxiao failed the exam, who would believe him if he said there was no foul play?
Mrs. Mo thought that if that was the case, then there would be no problem.
"That's fine, but those people may feel bad." Mo Xuezheng and his wife whispered, "A man who was thought to have been dead for a few years suddenly showed up, and returned to the capital as a scholar... When the news of Master Fu's death came, I don't know how many people took advantage of the Fu family's misfortune. Now that they see him, they clearly want to suppress him, but they dare not do anything. I don't know how uncomfortable they feel..."
It was just like how he felt when he suddenly saw Master Fu in the Imperial Examination Hall during last year's college entrance examination.
I would rather not recognize him.
Suppression? That doesn't exist. On the contrary, we have to worry that if we take action against him, he will backfire and knock us down, and we will lose our official hat.
**
After chatting with Mrs. Mo for a while, Mo Yuchan took Yu away to her boudoir.
She took out a stack of storybooks that she treasured and said solemnly, "Mother Li, these are the storybooks I treasure. There are popular ones from all over the country, and some sent from the capital. I think they are all good. You can take them back and read them later."
Yu Li said thank you and said, "I'll give it back to you after I finish reading it."
"No need." Mo Yuchan waved her hand. "I guess I won't be here by the time you finish reading it."
Yu Li was puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Mo Yuchan sat down, drank a sip of honey water, and said with some disappointment: "I will return to Beijing at the end of the year to prepare for my marriage..."
Mo Yuchan was engaged when she was thirteen years old.
After getting engaged, she followed her father to Nanjun Province when he took office.
Mo Xuezheng's term of office has expired this year, and he will return to Beijing at the end of the year. It is a good opportunity for him to go back and discuss his daughter's marriage, as Mo Yuchan will get married next year.
Yu Li was stunned for a moment, looked at Mo Yuchan, and then realized that men and women in ancient times got married quite early.
The original owner got married at the age of seventeen, which was already late. Unless they had to observe mourning or something, many girls got married at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and boys also got married at around seventeen or eighteen.
Mo Yuchan pulled her with a disappointed look on her face, "I don't know when we will see each other again in the future."
"It's okay." Yu Li was very calm, "You should be able to see him when you return to the capital."
"ah?"
When Mo Yuchan learned that after the provincial examination, Yu Lihui and Fu Wenxiao would go to Beijing to take the exam, she was extremely surprised.
"Really? Then won't you be able to marry me off?" She clung to Yu Li, looking at her with sparkling eyes, "Mother Li, I hope you can marry me off."
Yu Li said: "It depends on the situation, if the time is right."
The two talked in the room for a while, and then Mo Yuchan took Yu Li to walk around the yard to look at the chrysanthemums there.
The chrysanthemums were in full bloom, so they went to pick them and had them sent to the kitchen to make some chrysanthemum dishes.
After staying at the Mo family for most of the day, when Yu Li said goodbye and left, he happened to meet Mo Xuezheng who was returning from the government office.
Mo Xuezheng was stunned for just a moment, but quickly suppressed the expression on his face, greeted her, and then saw her off with his wife and daughter.
After sending the person away, Mo Xuezheng asked his wife in a low voice, "Why is Miss Yu here today?"
"Of course it was your daughter who invited her here." Madam Mo said, "Your daughter has been sending her invitations for a while, but because Master Fu had to take part in the provincial examination, Miss Yu never came."
Mo Xuezheng suddenly said, "After the provincial examination, I guess he will also go to Beijing to take the exam, right?"
"That's right." Madam Mo said, "Sister Chan told me that Miss Yu will also go to the capital with Master Fu, and she also wants Miss Yu to send her off to get married in the future."
After hearing this, Mo Xuezheng couldn't help but sigh, "I hope Sister Chan can get what she wants..."
When Prince Fu returns to the capital, who knows what the situation will be like?
He suddenly became very worried and just hoped that his daughter's marriage would go smoothly without any unexpected problems.
**
After leaving the Mo family, Yu Li went to the shop in the south of the city.
Yu Jin was looking at the account books in the shop. When he saw her, he hurriedly asked if everything was going well with his brother-in-law.
Today is the day for the provincial examination. She has been thinking about this matter since early morning and has been absent-minded in everything she does, fearing that things will not go well for her brother-in-law.
Yu Li smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's going smoothly, don't think too much."
"Brother-in-law's health..." Yu Jin was a little confused.
The provincial examination lasts for nine days, and students can only go home and rest for one night after each exam before continuing to the next one. Even the strongest man cannot bear it, not to mention that Fu Wenxiao is notoriously weak and sickly.
Yu Li said: "His body is already well."
"Really?" Yu Jin didn't quite believe it and muttered, "But my brother-in-law looks quite thin now..."
Not to mention the first impression, I thought he was a dying man, but I didn't expect that he could survive and pass the imperial examinations all the way to the provincial examination.
In Yu Jin's mind, her brother-in-law Fu Wenxiao was just a sickly scholar. How could he survive in such an environment as the provincial examination?
Yu Li discovered that the people around him seemed to be more anxious about Fu Wenxiao's provincial examination than he was.
As for her, although she was also worried, she was only worried that the environment in the Imperial Examination Hall was not good and that he, a picky person, would not be able to endure it.
Yu Li comforted his sister and had dinner in the store before returning to the Wang family's house.
-
Three days passed in a blink of an eye, and Yu Li took the Wang family's carriage to the Imperial Examination Hall to pick someone up.
There were a lot of people outside the Imperial Examination Hall, all of them were there to pick up the candidates. When the door of the Imperial Examination Hall opened, they saw the candidates with unsteady steps, as if they had been up for three days and three nights, and they understood why so many people were there to pick them up.
To be honest, these candidates were in very bad condition. They looked like drug addicts, their bodies were messy and they had a strong odor.
This is understandable. After all, the weather in August in Nanjun Province is still very hot and humid. With so many people crowded in the Imperial Examination Hall, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating in the same place, it is inevitable that there will be a smell.
Among this group of drug-addicted candidates, Fu Wenxiao stood out.
His steps were powerful, his clothes were only slightly messy, and his face was still handsome. Although he did not look radiant, he was not as bad as those candidates.
Overall, he looked too normal, especially because he was tall and had an upright posture. Standing there, he was different from the other candidates around him.
Yu Li came over, took his hand immediately, and transferred some supernatural powers to him.
"Ali..." He smiled at her and held her hand tightly.
Yu Li took him to the carriage and handed him a glass of water. Although his face looked normal, he could still see the fatigue in his eyes. He asked, "How are you? Can you still hold on?"
"It's okay." Fu Wenxiao leaned against the wall of the car, holding her tightly with one hand, not letting go.
It seemed as if this could help him hold on.
Yu Li was about to approach him, and he subconsciously moved to the side. Seeing her looking at him in surprise, he was a little embarrassed, "Niang Li, don't get too close to me, I smell bad."
He hadn't washed his face for three days and only wiped his body briefly with clean water. In his opinion, he was smelly all over and he didn't want her to smell it.
Yu Li wrinkled his nose and said, "It's okay."
When he came out of the Imperial Examination Hall earlier, the smell of the candidates around him was so bad that she didn't notice anything bad about him.
Now sitting in the carriage, I didn't smell any strange smell on him, but I could smell a hint of citrus.
Yu Li reached out and took out a small sachet from his sleeve.
This sachet contains some citrus peels and bay leaves, which can be used to refresh the mind and remove odors. Most candidates will prepare one, and the Wang family also prepared a citrus sachet for him.
The citrus scent in the sachet has almost dissipated, so I can replace it with a new one tomorrow.
Before returning to the Wang family's house, Fu Wenxiao kept a distance from her and just held her hand tightly.
After getting off the bus, he hurried to the bathroom to wash up, and washed himself three times before coming out.
Yu Li knew about his mysophobia and let him do what he wanted. After he finished washing, she was considerate enough to wipe his hair with a towel. Unfortunately, her movements were not smooth and she broke a few of his hairs.
Guilty-heartedly, she flicked those few strands of shiny black hair out of the window to destroy the evidence, then handed the towel to him to wipe himself, and turned around to ask someone to bring her food.
Fu Wenxiao had no appetite, so he simply ate something and went to bed.
After Yu Li had taken care of herself and returned to her room to rest, as soon as she lay down, he turned over, stretched out his arms and held her in his arms, and soon fell into a deep sleep without waking up halfway.
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