In the bustling twilight, with people gathering and lights gradually coming on, Qin Zhaoyue was not the only one keeping an eye on this quiet corner.
As an official of the Ceremonial Affairs Department, Pei Xueqiao naturally participated in the entire process.
Previously an invigilator, now he's busy assisting the examiners on the periphery.
Given his qualifications, even if he were the top scholar in the imperial examination, there would be no way he could directly participate in the evaluation.
However, being able to observe and learn up close at such a grand event is a rare privilege.
Pei Xueqiao would occasionally stop what she was doing and slightly twist her stiff neck.
But his gaze "inadvertently" swept across the crowd and precisely caught the figure huddled in the corner.
Seeing her slumped in the armchair with the three princes, looking utterly hopeless, I could only manage a very subtle upward twitch at the corner of my mouth.
He quickly looked away and refocused on the task at hand.
Meng Jian, as the bodyguard of Princess Shuofeng, was naturally present as well.
The candidates were all gathered at the entrance waiting for the results, while he stood like an iron tower behind Xiao Yunshuo, at a distance.
His resolute face was expressionless, but his gaze would occasionally drift towards a dimly lit corner.
As for Yan Zhibai...
From the moment Qin Zhaoyue stepped out of the academy, his gaze was fixed on her like a shadow, never leaving her for a moment.
Looking at her through the lamplight, she was slumped over without any regard for her image, a stark contrast to the dignified demeanor she had displayed in front of him this morning. A faint smile flickered across her eyes.
This languidness and authenticity, for some reason, stirred his heartstrings more than any other demeanor.
As the daylight completely sank behind the western mountains, dusk descended.
The palace lanterns that had been hung at the entrance of the academy were lit one after another, and in the distance, yamen runners lit rows of torches, illuminating the area in front of the academy as bright as day.
Qin Zhaoyue, with her three children, fully embodied the "since we're here, let's make the best of it" mentality.
Street food and other snacks were being served to them in a continuous stream.
This scene is unique on the entire street in front of the academy.
The three children eat both meat and vegetables without any restrictions, and Kuku stuffs food into his mouth.
Qin Zhaoyue, on the other hand, was much more restrained. She ate a little bit and held a candied hawthorn, chewing it listlessly.
She was getting sleepy when, bang! bang! bang! Three gong sounds rang out.
Immediately afterwards, the officials of the Ceremonial Affairs Department issued a resounding announcement that echoed through the night:
"The preliminary examination for the supplementary provincial examination has been completed and the review process is finished."
A long-suppressed shout erupted from the crowd, like cold water being poured into a boiling oil pan, instantly causing it to explode.
Others: The results are finally in!
Qin Zhaoyue: Finally finished!
She felt weak and listless, and didn't want to move a single finger.
This is the first time since I traveled through time that I've felt such a heavy atmosphere in the classroom.
It wasn't an order from the Queen Mother, but rather taking care of three energetic and mischievous children.
Thinking about it carefully, the three of them didn't seem to have done anything naughty; on the contrary, they were quite obedient.
She had a lot of questions, chattering on and on, asking all sorts of questions.
Nothing much, I just feel tired.
Tsk, I'll have to talk to Suimo about this later. Next time those three want to enter her residence, they'll have to pay a fee.
A thousand or eight hundred taels of silver per person, is that too much to ask?
Apart from the area around Qin Zhaoyue, the rest of the place was filled with the smell of burning.
After a brief uproar, everyone held their breath, waiting for the final result.
Princess Qin Zhaowan stood in the middle of the street, holding a list in her hands, her inner energy flowing into her throat.
A clear and authoritative voice rang out, resounding throughout the entire street.
"quiet!"
"By imperial decree and in accordance with the will of Heaven."
The preliminary examination for the supplementary admission of girls to the provincial examination has been conducted through rigorous screening and impartial review. The results are now announced as follows:
"The three in the top three: Wu Jingshu, Xiao Yunshuo, and Liu Hanyan."
"Thirty people in the second tier: Xie Cibi, Wei Xianying, Helian Chaolu... Wen Tingwan..."
"The above thirty-three people, whose talents are beginning to show, are permitted to participate in the formal provincial examination alongside the current generation of scholars."
If one passes the imperial examination and becomes a Juren (举人), one will be granted the title of Juren.
If one fails the imperial examination, one must retake both the preliminary and provincial examinations from the beginning; this is mandatory!
The game ended, and the audience erupted in commotion.
After such a long period of public review, the copied exam papers have long been exposed to the public, and even the booklets containing the exam questions and answers have begun to circulate in small circles.
Everyone has their own judgment on whose article has lofty ideals, whose problem-solving is ingenious, and whose poetry is exquisite, and the discussion is heated.
Although the final rankings may differ from everyone's expectations, the entire process was extremely open and transparent.
Almost all potentially controversial aspects were nipped in the bud, and dissent was minimized.
Some are happy, some are sad; selecting thirty-three people is actually a very high proportion.
Many who failed the exams had problems precisely with the most basic interpretations of the scriptures.
They may come from families with a strong academic background, be skilled in policy essays, or be adept at composing poetry, but few of them have devoted themselves to studying classical texts.
Compared to those scholars who studied diligently for years, the gap was generally quite large.
Even though I've been cramming like crazy lately, and even though the questions weren't particularly difficult, I still managed to get quite a few right.
Secondly, the most important hurdle is the problem-solving section, which carries the heaviest weight in the score. If the problem-solving approach is off-topic or superficial, no matter how eloquent the subsequent writing is, it will all be in vain.
Among the candidates, Xiao Yunshuo's face remained calm and composed.
During the long wait, I also looked through some of the candidates' answer sheets when I had nothing else to do.
Wu Jingshu, who was ahead of her in the rankings, was actually slightly inferior to her in policy essays, but her poetry was perhaps on par with hers.
Even if the other person's poetry was better, according to the conventions of the imperial examinations, the essay was more important, so she should have won.
However, the evaluation of policy essays is inherently subjective, and the examiners' preferences also play a role.
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