Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen have returned to the capital from the Wanlinyuan hunting ground. As Shen Qianchen's coming-of-age ceremony is getting closer, the Qianqing Palace is becoming increasingly busy, especially Gu Jue, who is basically in charge of all matters related to the coming-of-age ceremony himself.

So, when several sets of dresses for the coming-of-age ceremony were completed, Gu Jue immediately stared at Shen Qianchen trying on the clothes.

In fact, Shen Qianchen was too lazy to try on. The procedures for the coming-of-age ceremony were complicated. There were several dresses to be worn on that day, and it would take half a day to try them on. In her opinion, there was nothing else to do during this half day. Even taking a nap on the couch would be better than wasting half a day trying to put on and take off clothes.

But under Gu Jue's supervision, she could only obediently try them out for him one by one. As long as he was happy!

Gu Jue personally discussed with the old nanny in the Clothing Bureau how to alter the clothes. The old nanny was extremely nervous. She had been in charge of the Clothing Bureau since Emperor Renzong and served three emperors. She had never seen a king personally inquire about such a small matter. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart that the Queen was indeed favored!

By the time the old nanny and several palace maids from the Shangyi Bureau left the Qianqing Palace, it was already dusk and another day was coming to an end.

"I'm so tired!" Shen Qianchen said coquettishly, yawning lazily. He felt that trying on clothes was even more tiring than riding horses and shooting arrows.

"If you are tired, just sleep a little longer tomorrow." Gu Jue touched her hair with a smile.

"That won't do!" Shen Qianchen raised his chin and suddenly became energetic, "I'm going to send you to the Imperial Examination Hall tomorrow!"

Tomorrow is the much-anticipated imperial examination. Shen Qianchen has been looking forward to this day for a whole month, and no one can stop her from going to take the exam.

At this time, Amber came in lightly, holding a three-layer rattan basket in her hand, and said, "My lady, I just added realgar to the basket."

Shen Qianchen quickly took the exam basket from Amber, looked at it again with the items on the list, and then said: "It seems that there is still a little less dry food. The first test lasts for three days. I'd better prepare some rice crust for you. Rice crust doesn't spoil easily."

This small exam basket was very heavy. In addition to the four treasures of the study necessary for the exam, there were also many other sundries, such as rice and flour cakes, dried meat and other dry food, medicinal herbs and incense, bowls and teacups, spoons, chopsticks, benches, bedding, curtains, etc. It had everything, as if Gu Jue was going on a long journey.

It was the first time for Shen Qianchen to pack up examination baskets for others. When he thought about tomorrow's examination, he was in a strange state of excitement.

She had checked the examination basket many times, but at this moment she couldn't help but want to check it again to see if there was anything she had missed. However, as soon as her hand touched the lid of the examination basket, she was grabbed by Gu Jue.

"You seem to be more nervous than me." Gu Jue took the exam basket, put it aside, and gently put his arm around her slender shoulders.

"Of course." Shen Qianchen nodded seriously, smiling playfully, "I was counting on you to come back as the top scholar, so that I can be honored by you!"

Of course, what she said was a joke. Even if Gu Jue really got the first place in the imperial examination under the name of "Yin Jiuxia", he could not have been the top scholar. After all, the top scholar had to be selected by the emperor himself in the palace examination. Gu Jue could not select himself as the top scholar.

Imagining that scene, Shen Qianchen burst into laughter in Gu Jue's arms, extremely happy.

With this smile, she actually forgot about the exam.

The next morning, Shen Qianchen got up before dawn and personally sent Gu Jue to the Imperial Examination Hall.

There were huge crowds of people outside the Imperial Examination Hall. Most of the other candidates were accompanied to the Imperial Examination Hall by their relatives and friends. Along the way, there were some tea stalls set up on the streets to provide shelter from the wind and rain for people to rest.

Compared to those candidates who were tense both physically and mentally, Gu Jue was quite comfortable, with a leisurely smile always on the corner of his lips.

He raised his hand and stroked Shen Qianchen's cheek, coaxing the little girl, "Go back early, and come pick me up the day after tomorrow."

Shen Qianchen smiled obediently: "I'll leave after you go in."

Shen Qianchen's pupils sparkled, and he couldn't help but wonder if Gu Jue looked like this when he came to take part in the provincial examination when he was young... No, when he was young, he should have been more arrogant and more flamboyant than he is now.

Gu Jue was not the type to be fussy, so he immediately went to queue up for the examination.

The examination baskets, clothes, shoes, etc. carried by the candidates must be checked one by one to make sure that they have no private belongings before they are allowed to enter the examination room.

While queuing, Gu Jue looked back at Shen Qianchen from time to time. When he looked back again, his gaze met a pair of shocked eyes behind him. The owner of the eyes was a thin young man in blue clothes, about 27 or 28 years old, who was standing at the end of the line.

It's him. Gu Jue twitched his eyebrows. He still remembered that the man's last name was Xuan.

"..." Mr. Xuan swallowed his saliva and looked at Gu Jue in surprise and suspicion, almost thinking that he was seeing things.

Of course he also remembered Gu Jue. It should be said that he would probably never forget what he saw and heard on the Chinese Valentine's Day in his entire life.

Gu Jue nodded slightly to Xuan Juren as a greeting, and then guided the other party's eyes to look at the examination basket in his hand, implying that he was here to take part in the imperial examination today.

Xuan Juren didn't know how to react except to nod his head in understanding, and he felt a little inexplicably uneasy.

Gu Jue didn't pay much attention to Xuan Juren. He looked in the direction of Shen Qianchen again and made a gesture to her, indicating that she should go back quickly.

Shen Qianchen also returned a gesture, meaning that as a candidate, you just need to line up for inspection.

Xuan Juren followed Gu Jue's gaze and saw Shen Qianchen, and his mood became even more complicated.

Although he already knew that the emperor and the empress had a deep affection for each other, he was still shocked again when he saw this scene with his own eyes.

This couple are the most noble people in the world, sitting high on the top of the clouds and enjoying all honors, but they do the most ordinary things like an ordinary couple and are deeply in love with each other.

Xuan Juren absentmindedly followed the team forward, and by the time he finally entered the venue, it was already half an hour later.

The candidates searched for their own dormitories according to their seat numbers. The dormitories were narrow and cramped, only three feet wide and eight feet high, and the furnishings were very simple. The dormitories used as desks also served as beds at night.

Three days after the first exam, there are two more exams, totaling six days. The scholars eat, sleep and get up in this small room for nine days.

The atmosphere in the examination room naturally became solemn and tense.

After Xuan Juren found his own room, he could not help but look outside, feeling a little panicked. He really could not understand why the new emperor wanted to come to take part in the imperial examination.

Gu Jue noticed that Xuan Juren had a strange look on his face, and when he passed by his room, he said three words to him: "Do well in the exam."

Gu Jue also didn't want Xuan Juren to think too much, lest it affect his performance. After all, the imperial examination was related to the future and destiny of a scholar's life.

However, he only mentioned these three words.

The imperial examination is only the first step to enter officialdom. If this candidate can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, he will inevitably face some uncontrollable ups and downs when he serves as an official in the future. If he cannot even see through these things, it means that he is not worthy of great use.

Just imagine, which scholar could get a blessing from the emperor before the imperial examination, and which scholar could take part in the imperial examination in the same examination room with the emperor!

Just thinking about it made Xuan Juren feel his blood boiling. Since arriving in the capital in July, his luck seemed to be very good. He had met the emperor three times in just one month.

After learning both literary and martial arts, he became a tradesman for the imperial family.

Now that the emperor is here, he must of course seize this opportunity to take the exam well. In the future, when future generations talk about the first imperial examination after the new emperor ascended the throne, this will also be a good story.

Xuan Juren calmed down from his initial panic and began to get busy, eager to try.

The candidates who participated in the joint examination had all participated in the provincial examination before, so they were all very experienced. The first thing they did after finding the room was to install the curtains and drapes for the room without a door, and then put all the four treasures of the study in place...

When the exam time came, the examiners in the venue began to distribute the exam papers one by one.

All the candidates in the examination room had solemn expressions on their faces. They carefully unfolded their examination papers and read through the questions in detail.

Gu Jue also got the test paper with a calm expression.

This test paper was different from the one Gu Jue had bought before, because he had asked the Ministry of Rites to revise the test paper for the imperial examination the day before yesterday.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

In order to reduce the ways of leaking exam questions, this time Gu Jue let the Minister of Rites be fully responsible for the matter, and even he himself did not review it. In other words, this was the first time that Gu Jue saw the first exam paper.

The questions were not difficult. The first test consisted of three questions on the meaning of the "Four Books" and four questions on the meaning of the "Five Classics".

Gu Jue stared at the question for a while, pondered for a moment, and then picked up the pen and dipped it in ink with confidence.

It was quiet all around. Most of the candidates were still thinking about how to solve the problem. The first eight-part essay was crucial and had to be carefully considered. Anyway, the exam lasted for three days and there was no rush. Even if they finished the paper early, they could not hand it in and still had to stay here for three days.

There are strict regulations on the start and end times of the imperial examination. During the Great Qi Dynasty, there was even a year when there was an accidental fire in the Imperial Examination Hall. The examiners did not dare to open the door, resulting in five candidates being burned to death. This shows how strict the rules were.

In fact, Gu Jue finished answering the questions on the first day. He spent the rest of the time observing the environment of the examination room and observing the candidates.

The environment of the examination hall was very simple. Not only was there no ventilation, but there were also few toilets, only one at the end of each examination lane. In August, although the weather was cooler than the scorching summer, it was still very hot. The few rooms near the toilets were all stinking, making the candidates there miserable.

Gu Jue was a warrior. To him, the environment and food in the examination hall were simple, but no matter how simple it was, it would not be worse than the battlefield. In the past, in order to set up an ambush for the enemy, he had stayed in places several times worse than this, so this time, Gu Jue was always at ease.

But those weak scholars were not so lucky. On the third day, some candidates could not bear it anymore because they had not eaten or slept well, and the dormitories were stuffy and hot.

Just then, on the afternoon of the third day, Gu Jue saw a gray-haired, unconscious old man being carried out by two yamen runners. One of the runners sighed, "Let me carry him out. He probably has heatstroke."

"I think so too. Let the doctor outside take a look at it quickly." Another yamen runner echoed.

The yamen runners were no longer surprised by such things. Every year during the provincial and metropolitan examinations, many candidates fainted in the examination rooms for various reasons. Anyway, as long as a candidate was carried out, it meant that he had lost the qualification to take the exam.

"then!"

Gu Jue suddenly shouted.

The two yamen runners who were carrying the person were stunned for a moment, and then they saw a small green porcelain bottle thrown into the cell. One of the yamen runners subconsciously raised his hand to catch the small porcelain bottle.

Gu Jue said calmly: "Feed him one."

The porcelain bottle that Gu Jue threw away contained the Zixue Pill improved by Shen Qianchen. This Zixue Pill can not only treat infantile convulsions, but also treat heatstroke. It is one of the common medicines that Shen Qianchen specially prepared for him.

The two yamen runners worked together. One of them stuffed a purple snow pill into the mouth of the unconscious candidate, while the other one got a glass of cold water and forced some of it into his mouth.

To be honest, the two yamen runners were just trying it out as a last-ditch effort, so they wouldn't wait too long. They planned to carry him out if the man didn't wake up after counting to ten.

When they counted to "eight", the gray-haired candidate actually let out a low groan, and then slowly opened his eyes, but his eyes were still a little dazed.

The runners shouted excitedly: "He's awake! He's awake!"

The dizzy candidate quickly came to his senses and realized where he was. He quickly got up and almost rolled back, shouting excitedly: "I'm fine, I want to take the test again!"

The yamen runners found this scene funny, and when they looked at Gu Jue again, their eyes became a little unusual, thinking that this man had a kind heart. There were usually fixed quotas for the imperial examinations, and he saved one person, which actually meant that he had added a competitor.

Xuan Juren's cell was only two rooms away from Gu Jue's. He also saw this scene and couldn't help but look towards Gu Jue.

At this moment, the curtain of Gu Jue's room fell down again, blocking the curious eyes of outsiders outside.

Recalling his first two meetings with Gu Jue, Xuan Juren couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips, and sighed sincerely in his heart: With such a wise emperor, if he is lucky enough to serve as an official in the court in the future, he will be able to realize his ambitions.

Even if he fails this year's exam, he can still take the special exam next spring.

After a while, the sound of runners outside came, reminding everyone to hand in their papers. The first exam was about to end.

When the hour of You arrives, the Dragon Gate of the Imperial Examination Hall will open wide.

Outside the Imperial Examination Hall there was another bustling crowd of people.

The candidates walked out of the examination room one after another. From time to time, men, women, old and young, who had been waiting for a long time, swarmed towards a candidate and enthusiastically surrounded the candidate and asked him or her all kinds of questions. Most of them were asking how the exam went.

Shen Qianchen was also waiting outside the Imperial Examination Hall in advance, looking intently in the direction of Longmen.

Most of the candidates who took the exam for three days had untidy beards, their clothes looked like dried pickles, and they looked dishevelled and haggard. Some of them had sallow faces and staggered as if they were about to fall down at any moment.

"Jiu Xia!"

Finally, Shen Qianchen saw Gu Jue coming out, and he walked towards him in two steps with a smile as beautiful as a flower.

Today is the college entrance examination. I hope all the students taking the exam can get good grades like Yin Jiuxia! ! ! 　　 　 (End of this chapter)