Chapter 149

Chapter 149

The examination hall was located in the southeastern part of the city. Along the way, numerous candidates could be seen heading in the same direction, and soon a long queue had formed.

Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai grew anxious. "Why isn’t the line moving? Will we be late?"

Li Bingchen, having participated in two previous exams and thus more experienced, reassured them, "We won’t be late. The first day is mainly for roll call, body searches, finding our cells, and checking for any leaks."

Though August typically saw little rain, unforeseen circumstances could arise. During the last two provincial exams, heavy downpours had caused half the cells to leak, ruining the answer sheets of many candidates. While the court eventually allowed retakes, it was always better to check beforehand to prevent such risks.

"Won’t the exam questions be distributed on the first day?" Chen Qingyan asked.

Li Bingwen shook his head. "With six to seven hundred candidates, the body search alone will take several hours. By the time everyone is settled, most of the day will be gone. There won’t be any time left to hand out papers or start the exam."

"Six to seven hundred people?" Chen Qinghuai exclaimed in surprise.

"That’s actually fewer than usual. The last session had over eight hundred." The recent floods had severely impacted many regions, leading to a reduced number of participants.

Liang Boqing did not accompany them. He first went to Mr. Lu’s house, and the two then proceeded together to the examination hall.

Near the examination hall was a teahouse owned by one of Mr. Lu’s disciples. They had reserved a window-side room in advance.

Standing by the window, watching the long queue outside, Lu Zhongqi stroked his beard and remarked, "Every time I see these candidates during the provincial exam, it feels like I’m transported back to my youth…"

Liang Boqing waved his hand dismissively. "I wouldn’t want to go back."

He had only taken the provincial exam once. During the body search, he was expelled from the exam hall, an experience that remained vividly etched in his memory even after more than thirty years.

Mr. Lu couldn’t help but chuckle. "Let’s not dwell on that. Still, the number of candidates participating in this year’s exam is significantly lower compared to previous sessions."

"Candidates from the north have always been fewer than those from the south. Last time, Yangzhou Prefecture had twenty-one hundred candidates. This year, the number is likely even higher." Such was the nature of prosperous times: talent multiplied, and competition grew fiercer. Out of tens of thousands of candidates, only the top two hundred would be selected.

By the end of the Yin hour, Wang Ying and the others finally made their way through the crowd. Madam Liu had reserved a private dining room in a restaurant in advance, so the group went directly to the second floor.

When they arrived, Qin Furong and her two daughters were already there, standing by the window and looking down.

The private room offered an excellent vantage point with a wide view. Everyone inside could clearly see the scholars lining up below.

From a distance, Wang Ying spotted Chen Qingyan, Chen Qinghuai, along with their cousin from the Li family and Liu Changyi.

The four stood close together, chatting about something. They appeared relaxed, showing no signs of pre-exam nervousness.

In contrast, the women upstairs were growing increasingly anxious. Li Shi, the most nervous of the three, was trembling slightly. She clutched Qing Yun’s hand and murmured, "Amitabha, may the God of Literature bless my son to pass with flying colors."

Qin Furong, however, was relatively calm. Her son was only eighteen. If he didn’t pass this time, he could try again in three years. After the exam, they would arrange his marriage—first establish a family, then build a career.

Fang Ling felt similarly. Regardless of whether Qing Huai passed this time, she would return to Shanzhou after the exam.

Since receiving the last letter, she had been losing sleep, worried about her daughter’s cough. She wondered if Chen Guang had found a prescription and sent it back.

Wang Ying was also nervous, though less so than the others. Her gaze remained fixed on Chen Qingyan, fearing something unexpected might happen.

Around Chen hour, the bell at the examination hall rang. The sound was deep and prolonged, startling birds from the nearby trees into flight.

The candidates waiting in line outside fell silent. They lined up according to their respective counties.

Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai were both from Longquan County. They found their county’s queue and saw many familiar faces, including several who also studied at the prefectural school. After exchanging brief greetings, they quietly waited for entry.

Li Bingwen returned to the queue for Tianyang County, where many of his classmates were. They whispered about this year’s provincial exam.

"I heard the prefectural school has several exceptional candidates this year. I wonder who will come out on top?"

"You must mean the one who achieved three firsts in a row. He’s also a disciple of Liang Liufang. He’ll likely take the top spot."

"Yes, that’s the one. I heard his brother is also highly talented."

Li Bingwen stayed quiet but felt a sense of pride, knowing both were his cousins.

Meanwhile, Liu Changyi stood with scholars from the prefectural city. Almost all the younger scholars were familiar to him, but he didn’t recognize the older scholars.

These were candidates who had failed multiple times. Since the prefectural school only allowed six years of study, those who failed twice could no longer attend.

One elderly candidate had taken the exam more than ten times without success. His hair had turned white, and he looked older than Liu Changyi’s father.

Liu Changyi sighed inwardly. At that age, he wondered if the man could even read the exam papers clearly. His own teacher, Mr. Lu, already struggled with small print.

It wasn’t until around a quarter past Chen hour that the gates of the examination hall finally opened.

Scholars from the prefectural city were called first. Over three hundred of them proceeded in an orderly queue toward the entrance.

Due to the large number, the search process was divided into three entry points, with three candidates being searched simultaneously to save time.

Liu Changyi was called before he felt fully prepared. Upstairs, Qin Furong nervously twisted her handkerchief, her eyes fixed on her son.

In the adjacent room, Lord Liu was equally tense. He had come with several colleagues. Though he maintained a calm exterior, his heart was in his throat, fearing something might go wrong during the search.

Only when his son entered without being expelled, and the clerk called the next candidate, did his heart finally settle back into place.

The search for prefectural school candidates alone took nearly two hours. Two individuals were found with cheat sheets hidden on their bodies and were expelled from the exam, barred from ever taking the imperial examinations again.

The other candidates, seeing the two kneeling and weeping in despair, their faces went white with fear. Those who had entertained thoughts of cheating quickly discarded or even swallowed their hidden notes to avoid being caught and disqualified.

Only after all prefectural scholars had entered did the county candidates begin their entry.

There were seventeen counties in Jizhou Prefecture. The largest county had over sixty candidates, while the smallest had only seven—a stark contrast to the prefectural city.

Ancient education was structured such that most resources were concentrated in the hands of the wealthy and powerful. It was difficult for a poor family to produce a noble son, as even the brightest minds needed guidance to break free from their circumstances.

This was why Chen Qingyan felt deep gratitude toward his teacher, akin to the respect he held for his parents. His parents gave him life, but Old Liang guided him onto the path of imperial examinations, expecting nothing in return, a kindness that would benefit him for a lifetime.

Around Si hour, it was finally the turn of Longquan County’s candidates to enter. As the examiner called, "Longquan County, Qingshui Town, Chen Qingyan!"

"Present!" Chen Qingyan’s clear voice rang out. He held his head high, carried his exam basket, and walked with determination into the examination hall.

Unlike the county and prefectural exams, the provincial exam was far stricter. A clerk led him into a makeshift room enclosed with coarse cloth and instructed him to remove his shoes, socks, and all his clothing.

Yes, even his undergarments had to be taken off. Behind every seemingly absurd rule lay an even more absurd reason.

During the Tianwu era, a candidate was found with cheat notes written on his inner thigh. He was only caught because a proctor noticed during a bathroom break. Since then, all provincial exam candidates had to strip completely to prevent such cheating.

After his body was inspected and his clothes thoroughly checked, Chen Qingyan was allowed to dress again. Then his exam basket was examined—every corner of his brushes, ink, and inkstone was scrutinized.

Even his food was not spared. Each of his ten large pancakes was torn apart to ensure no cheat sheets were hidden inside.

Once cleared, Chen Qingyan was given a number plate and directed to his exam cell.

He glanced at the number: 378. With thirty cells per row, he calculated that his would be in the thirteenth row. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he finally found his assigned cell.

Thank goodness the examination cell wasn't next to the toilet area, and it was quite far away—this was the luckiest thing!

Although the weather in August was no longer scorching hot, with six to seven hundred candidates taking the exam at the examination hall for nine days, all meals, hydration, and sanitation needs were handled onsite.

Urinating into a chamber pot was somewhat tolerable, but for defecation, one had to go to the outhouses. Over time, the accumulated waste piled up like a small mountain, and after fermenting, the smell was almost like a chemical weapon—not only pungent but also stinging to the eyes.

In the past, many candidates assigned to cells near the toilet area had been directly overwhelmed by the stench and fainted, ultimately forcing them to discontinue their exams. Even if they didn’t faint, it was difficult for them to perform at their normal level.

Chen Qingyan set down his exam basket and began inspecting his cell. Each cell was identical, roughly three to four square meters in size, with a plank about two feet wide and six feet long at the front.

This plank served multiple purposes: during the day, it served as a desk for answering exam questions, and at night, it could be moved to the back and laid down to serve as a simple single bed.

Beside it was a wooden stool. Chen Qingyan sat on it to test it and found it relatively stable.

There’s a bit of a story behind this stool. During the last provincial-level exam, his second cousin Li Bingwen ended up with a stool with uneven legs.

He hadn’t noticed it during the inspection, but during the exam, sitting on it was extremely uncomfortable. He had to use his waist and legs to forcefully stabilize himself, and by the sixth day, he could barely hold on, ultimately affecting his performance.

After testing the stool, Chen Qingyan stood up to check the roof. He’d heard that the examination hall had renovated the cells this year, with all the tiles replaced, and everything looked fine.

Chen Qinghuai entered after him and was assigned to cell 382, four cells away. Like his elder brother, he carefully inspected his cell as their cousin had previously taught them.

After completing the inspection and confirming everything was in order, he sat down quietly to wait for the remaining candidates to enter.

Longquan County was relatively early in the order, so the remaining candidates likely wouldn’t be assigned cells until the afternoon. Li Shi and Fang Ling only relaxed after seeing everyone had entered.

The group had lunch at a restaurant at noon and then went their separate ways to await results.

For these nine days, the candidates inside would endure hardship, while their relatives outside would also suffer. Wang Ying left Er Shun to keep watch near the examination hall so that if anything happened or if someone left the exam early, they could provide immediate support.