Just like before, Lao Buyu first gave Mu Erpang the provincial examination papers saved from last year to use as a mock exam.
Mu Erpang went to the simulation room, and Shen Cui sat in the classroom, looking at the other teenagers in the academy.
After the system distributed physical rewards, she realized that even Mu Erpang, who was the first person to be trained by the system, was still affected by the laws of the plane, and the same should be true for others.
It's a pity that the system only looks favorably upon Mu Erpang, No. 1. Others who complete the system tasks will not be given good things like [Marrow Cleansing Pill].
She even opened the system mall but couldn't find any channel to purchase it.
The system was in tune with her thoughts, and said at this time: [The Marrow Cleansing Pill is very special and is not available for purchase at the moment. However, the host does not need to worry, because the academy can shield the power of laws. After staying here for a long time, the influence of the laws will gradually weaken. 】
Shen Cui said that she knew, "But Erpang has been in the academy for three years, and it is hard to say how long this 'long time' will last." 】
Now that they are on the road to study, they can naturally stay in the academy.
But in two years it would be the provincial and metropolitan examinations, and by then she could move the academy again, to the capital.
But by the time they become officials, they are already quite old and it is time for them to get married and start a family.
After getting married, they should live with their family. There is a possibility that they will move out later, and then everyone will not be in the same place.
[After completing the main task, the system will undergo the final upgrade and all permissions will be opened. 】
Shen Cui was cheered up. The system had revealed long ago that the main task was for Mu Erpang, the No. 1 training target, to pass all the imperial examinations.
This 'open all permissions' should include the permission to purchase the marrow cleansing pill!
Mu Erpang has now completed his marrow cleansing, which has made up for his slightly lacking qualifications. As long as he works as hard as he did in the past few years, it will no longer be a fantasy for him to pass the scientific examinations.
Shen Cui felt relieved for a moment, and when she turned around, she heard the other teenagers muttering.
Mainly, Wei Shu, Wei Xi and Mei Ruochu were discussing something. Cui Fei was listening beside them, scratching his ears and cheeks, with a look of regret on his face.
Noticing Chen Cui's gaze, Mei Ruochu explained, "It's not a big deal. We were just discussing guaranteeing Han Shan."
Mu Erpang had suggested to He Qing and Zhang Zian that they ask someone from their own academy to act as a guarantor. He mentioned this to everyone before going to the simulation room.
He Qing and Zhang Zian were the first friends Mu Erpang made outside, so everyone was naturally happy to help.
But then a problem arose: the county examination required a guarantor from a government stipend, while the prefectural examination required two.
There are two places available, but there are three first-class students in the academy. Who should be chosen?
None of the three wanted to give in. Cui Fei was scratching his head for no other reason. Who made him only get second place? You don’t even have the qualifications to compete!
Shen Cui inexplicably wanted to laugh and wanted to ask them what they were arguing about. Isn’t it the same no matter who comes?
But seeing that they all looked extremely serious, as if they were treating a very important matter, I didn't say much and just let them make their own arrangements.
In the end, the three of them discussed and came up with the result. They didn't care about anything fancy, such as who had known Mu Erpang the longest or had the deepest feelings for him. They just used the test scores to speak for themselves!
The natural result was that Mei Ruochu and Wei Xi were responsible for being guarantors, while Wei Shu and Cui Fei were not idle either, and they also shouldered important responsibilities - when someone came to the prefectural school to ask for someone to be a guarantor, they would be responsible for selecting two reliable ones from among them and become guarantors together with Mu Erpang and the others.
Especially since the Cui family has roots in the provincial capital, they will have to use their connections to conduct a careful screening.
In the following days, Mu Erpang was still taking mock exams.
After he finished the exam, the test papers were put together again like before, so that he could compare his strengths and weaknesses, and then do a final intensive review based on his weaknesses.
Lao Buyu, who was in charge of marking the papers, looked at them with a complicated expression.
Mei Ruochu was naturally going to grade the papers later than the serious Mr. Lao Buyu. Seeing his expression, he asked nervously, "But Hanshan's paper is not well written. Are there any shortcomings in other areas?"
I just realized that Mu Erpang had some shortcomings in his poetry and prose. If he hadn't had a flash of inspiration on the spot, he would have missed the chance to win the first prize.
The provincial examination tests calligraphy, essays and policy papers. Calligraphy has always been Mu Erpang's strong point, so it is impossible for him to have a weakness in it. The essay tests the ability to write, while the policy essay tests the understanding and views on laws, current affairs and administration of officials. If there are shortcomings in the latter two, it will take more than one or two months, or a little inspiration, to make up for them. It will be very detrimental to his ranking in the provincial examination!
So it’s no wonder that Mei Ruochu was nervous.
Fortunately, Lao Buyu shook his head and said no, and then let him see for himself.
After reading it, Mei Ruochu was also very surprised.
Although Mu Erpang had not systematically done the real test questions before, there were monthly exams every month in the academy. Moreover, they are classmates who see each other day and night, and actually know some basics about each other.
Mu Erpang’s performance on the provincial examination was not bad; it was too good, far exceeding his previous standards!
Although the overall writing style and word choice still show that he was the author, the depth of his thoughts and intentions are completely different from before.
"Here are some poems he wrote after he left the academy. Take a look at them."
Lao Buyu took out the notes presented by Mu Erpang. After reading them, Mei Ruchu was also surprised.
You can still tell that the poem was written by Mu Erpang, but it has just a little more spirit, making it completely different!
How do I describe this feeling?
It's like a student who has good grades. As a teacher, you can feel that he has such good grades through his hard work, and that diligence can make up for his shortcomings, but his own qualifications are actually only above average.
And now, he had only been away from school for ten or twenty days, but he had suddenly made great progress. Whether it was articles or poems, what he wrote suddenly became full of spirit.
This incredible change will seem normal after several years of settling down.
But in just a few days...
Mei Ruochu and Lao Buyu looked at each other, and both guessed that something must have happened to Mu Erpang.
After a while, Mei Ruochu said, "This is a good thing after all. Besides, there have been so many incredible things in our academy."
Lao Buyu thought about it and agreed, so he didn't bother to find out the reason. He smiled and said, "That's right. Anyway, Hanshan hasn't made a name for himself elsewhere before. We are the only ones who know about this. Why think about it?"
After saying that, he smiled and waved to Mu Erpang, "Hanshan, come forward, let's start the review."
…………
In March, many students who were preparing to take the provincial examination came to the school to ask for guarantors.
Mei Ruochu, who won both first place in the provincial examination and first place in the annual examination, naturally became the most popular candidate.
Not to mention that scholars are not superstitious, they all want to get some good luck when it comes to the imperial examinations.
Mei Ruochu himself finds it funny to talk about this. Before coming to Cuiwei, he was a disaster star that everyone avoided. Now, only two years have passed, and he has become the object that many people are chasing after to get some good luck.
Wei Shu and Cui Fei were responsible for screening people inside.
Earlier, when Chen Cui saw Zheng's inquiries, didn't she think that she had been thorough enough? After all, she had the same idea as Mu Erpang. They were choosing a guarantor, not making friends. It was enough to make sure that the other party would not cheat in the imperial examination.
A few teenagers were more meticulous in their work, especially after hearing Mu Erpang mention Huang Junping, they also took the character of the person to be sponsored into consideration.
To avoid any trouble when the results of the provincial examination are announced tomorrow, so that Mu Erpang’s mood will be affected even if he passed the exam.
So they later compiled a booklet that included these people's date of birth, family situation, personality, educational experience, etc.
Mu Erpang saw it with Shen Cui. Both mother and son were a little surprised. Since there was no one around, he said hesitantly, "This is probably the treatment that the emperor gets when he chooses his concubines."
Everyone laughed, and after laughing, Shen Cui asked hesitantly: "Is it not a good idea to find out so much about someone?"
After all, if the emperor really wants to choose a concubine, it won't be a problem to find out any information about other people. Now he is just choosing a guarantor, but he has made it so grand. Scholars are proud and arrogant, so they should not feel resentful.
Mei Ruochu said no, "I informed them in advance and explained the situation. I made a questionnaire for them to fill out first, and then we asked people to check the information ourselves. Only when the two sides match will it be included in the register."
Wei Shu also nodded, "They want to take advantage of Brother Mei's good fortune, and they heard that we already have three people, among whom Hanshan is the first in Yongning County, so they are willing to cooperate. And if they are not selected, it doesn't matter. We will help them contact other students in the prefectural school."
Wei Xi added: "There are a few students who have become close to us after the annual exam. We have also made arrangements in advance, and they don't mind us choosing people first. After all, Brother Mei never hides anything when he helps them with their studies."
They had done all the talking, and Cui Fei nodded in agreement, urging Mu Erpang to choose quickly, "After screening, there are a total of ten people left in the booklet. You can choose any two at random."
Mu Erpang really didn't know how to choose, so he just listened to them.
Finally, two people were chosen. One was called Ren Shun, and he was the younger brother of a classmate of theirs in the provincial school. That classmate's family was a scholarly family, and several generations had been scholars. However, his brother did not do well in the exam last year and did not get first place.
The other one was called Zhao Xiuwen, who was born in a farming and scholar family in Liushu Village outside the city. His family supported his studies and, in addition to farming, they would also bring some things to the city to sell, and then exchange the money for silver to buy books for Zhao Xiuwen. Cui Wuniang met the Zhao family by chance, so she simply omitted the money part and let them barter. The two families have been interacting for several years. The fruits and vegetables brought by the Zhao family are always better quality and more substantial than those sold in the market, and they have never been cheating or cheating.
A few days after the guarantors were selected, at the end of March, the families of He Qing and Zhang Zian followed the caravan to the provincial capital.
The person who followed He Qing's family was the burly uncle who had come to greet them.
Zhang Zian came with his biological father.
After the two families settled down, they came here according to the address given by Mu Erpang.
Chen Cui had already informed the Wei family's servants that someone would be coming over in the next few days, so the servant responsible for opening the door welcomed them in, and someone else went inside to inform them.
Shen Cui and Mu Erpang came out to greet them personally.
The three young men had just become friends, and they did not become strangers after the short separation.
When He Qing came in, he praised, "Brother Mu, your academy is so magnificent. If we hadn't seen the plaque at the door just now, we wouldn't have dared to go in. It's much better than the academy in our village!"
Before Mu Erpang could answer, Uncle He had already pulled He Qing hard.
After pulling him, Uncle He smiled and said, "I'm really sorry. Although He Qing is not young anymore, he should be a father in the village. He has been studying at home and doesn't know much about the ways of the world."
He Qing then realized that he had said something wrong. Cuiwei was an academy located in the city and had produced so many outstanding talents, but he came up and compared it to a private school, which could easily make people feel unhappy. He was very upset.
However, Shen Cui and Mu Erpang were not so petty. The mother and son looked at each other, and Mu Erpang spoke up, "Brother He, you are in luck. When my academy was still in the village, it was not as good as the village school."
With just one sentence, he rescued He Qing from the predicament.
Later, Mu Erpang took them on a tour. After they sat down, he said that he had found two other suitable people for guaranty and asked them when it would be convenient for them. Just like before, everyone got to know each other before signing up.
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