Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Besides ancestral worship, Yuanbao's participation in the county-level imperial examination was another major reason for this return.

As the first among the younger generation to take the imperial exams, the elders were deeply invested. Throughout the journey, Chen Jing, Chen Qingyan, Chen Qinghuai, and Chen Qingsong took turns coaching Yuanbao.

To be tutored by four *Juren* (provincial graduates) was a privilege others could only dream of, let alone having one of them be his father, a *Zhuangyuan* (top scholar).

Yuanbao, however, was a diligent child, inheriting his father’s academic prowess. Over the years in Shanzhou, with minimal supervision, he had thoroughly memorized the *Four Books and Five Classics*.

Not only that, but he had also completed reading all the texts required for the imperial exams, such as *Rumen Zhengjing*, *Hanlin Shidu*, *Records of the Grand Historian*, and *Book of Han*.

Before they left, his teacher had said that with his current knowledge, passing the *Tongsheng* (child student) exam was guaranteed, and with a bit more effort, he might even achieve the *Xiucai* (cultivated talent) rank.

As for the *Juren* level, it was still beyond his reach, but given his young age, he could study for another eight to ten years before attempting it.

That said, although the county exam was relatively simple, it differed significantly from regular school tests—nerves were a major hurdle. Many scholars had failed due to them.

Chen Jing recounted his own experience from the exams: "Back then, six candidates from our town went together for the county exam. One of them had knowledge similar to mine, and sometimes even outperformed me in our teacher’s assessments.

"We both expected to pass, but in the end, only I succeeded. His name wasn’t even on the list. I found it strange and went to ask him why. He said he'd been so nervous he forgot to write his name on the examination booklet."

Chen Qingyan and the other two sighed, "What a pity. What happened after that? Did he try again?"

Chen Jing nodded, "Of course he did. He waited a year and took the county exam again, but still didn’t pass."

Yuanbao asked curiously, "Why not this time?"

"For the second county exam, he was still too nervous. His hands wouldn’t obey him, and he couldn’t write properly. The paper got blotted, and his results were disqualified."

Chen Qingsong added, "I knew someone like that. In my year, there was a candidate who dripped ink on his paper during copying. He was so distraught he left before finishing."

They all turned to Yuanbao, "You won’t be that nervous, will you, Yuanbao?"

Yuanbao shook his head. Being young had its advantages—he hadn't even experienced nervousness yet.

Chen Qingyan said, "If only Old Liang were here. Before Qing Huai and I took the county exam, the old man tested us several times and even predicted some exam questions. He trained us so well we hardly felt nervous during the actual exam."

Qing Huai agreed, "Yes, yes. Why don’t we give Yuanbao a practice examination once we reach Longquan County?"

They began discussing what questions to include.

*

In the carriage behind them were Wang Ying, Lin Qiu, Lin Sui, and Bai Shi. The children were with their nursemaids in a separate carriage.

Compared to the lively atmosphere in the front carriage, the mood in this one was slightly awkward.

Lin Qiu and Lin Sui had only met Bai Shi once and weren’t familiar with her. Bai Shi had this quirk—she was quite cold toward people she didn’t know and couldn't feign warmth.

Wang Ying, however, was more familiar with her, as they had spent a long time together in the capital. So, Bai Shi only spoke to him, ignoring the two cousins beside them.

Wang Ying understood her temperament. Bai Shi wasn’t a bad person—she was just spoiled and didn't understand social niceties, or in modern terms, had low emotional intelligence. But since they were family, she'd come around eventually.

They hurried along the journey and finally arrived in Longquan County on February 6th.

Chen Jing took his nephews and grandnephew to the county *yamen* (magistrate's office). Their sudden visit threw the County Magistrate into a panic, as each of them outranked him considerably, especially Chen Jing, who held a fourth-rank official position.

"This humble official, Zhao Changming, pays respects to all my lords. I was unaware of your visit and failed to welcome you properly. I beg for your forgiveness!"

"Magistrate Zhao, please rise. We have returned to our hometown for ancestral worship, and secondly, my grandnephew has reached the age to take the county exam."

"So that’s how it is. The Chen family is full of talent—it seems another *Jinshi* (metropolitan graduate) will soon be added!"

Chen Jing waved his hand with a smile, "It’s not that easy. The child is still young; let’s focus on passing the county exam first."

"Please, my lords, come inside for some hot tea and rest. I'll have him registered for you immediately!"

The group went to the side hall to sit down, where servants brought freshly brewed tea. Chen Qingyan looked around; after so many years, the county *yamen* hadn’t changed much.

Back when he had topped the county exam, the magistrate of Longquan County had specially invited him for a meal. So many years had passed since then, and he heard the old magistrate had passed away. The current Magistrate Zhao had been transferred here a few years ago.

Soon, the magistrate arranged Yuanbao’s exam registration. Since the exam was scheduled for the twelfth day of the second month, finding five local guarantors on short notice was challenging. But with the magistrate’s help, it wasn’t an issue—he immediately sent people to contact five *Xiucai* (first-degree scholars).

It took less than two hours total. For anyone else, it would have taken three to five days, possibly even delaying the exam.

After leaving the county *yamen*, the magistrate saw them to their carriage and didn’t turn back until they were out of sight.

The County Deputy following behind whispered, "Who are these people?" He had only recently taken office in the last couple of years and wasn’t very familiar with the Chen family.

Magistrate Zhao shook his head, sighing as he clasped his hands behind his back, "Four *Juren* in one family, surnamed Chen from Qingshui town—don’t you know who they are?"

The County Deputy’s eyes widened, "Th-this… is this the family that produced the *Zhuangyuan* a few years back?"

"Exactly. It’s the *Zhuangyuan’s* son who’s taking the county exam now."

"Oh my, how remarkable!"

Zhao Changming sighed, "How are they so clever? Such a young child already taking the county exam."

He had four sons of his own. The eldest was seventeen and had just taken the *Tongsheng* exam the year before last. This year, he would go to Jizhou for the prefectural-level examination, but it was likely he wouldn’t pass. The others were even further behind—the second son had been studying for four years but hadn’t finished the *Four Books and Five Classics*, and the third had only just begun learning characters.

As the old saying goes, "It's true: comparison steals joy."

*

The Chen family settled in an inn, planning to return to Qingshui County together after Yuanbao finished the county exam.

Originally, Cao Kun had intended to tidy up the house so everyone could stay there. But when he went back to check, he found the place covered in a thick layer of snow from disuse, and part of the roof had collapsed under the weight.

By the time repairs were done, it would almost be time to depart. The run-down house wasn't worth repairing, so he entrusted it to a former associate from the brokerage firm, not charging rent but simply having someone live there to prevent further collapse.

They waited until the twelfth day of the second month, the day of the county exam.

Coincidentally, it was also Yuanbao’s birthday. After this birthday, he would be exactly twelve years old.

Early in the morning, the elders all rose early. Wang Ying specially boiled a few eggs for Yuanbao, woke him up, and rolled the eggs over his body. This was called "rolling away bad luck"—his grandmother had done the same for him when he was young.

After rolling, the eggs weren’t wasted. They were cracked open and eaten.

Yuanbao ate his eggs while getting dressed, and Wang Ying helped him tie his hair. Once ready, he stepped out of the bedroom to find his grandmother, paternal aunts, and maternal aunts waiting for him.

They crowded around Yuanbao, examining him from head to toe, smoothing his hair, adjusting his collar and belt, worried something might be amiss.

"Are you wearing enough? I heard the exam lasts all day outdoors. We wouldn’t want you catching a cold."

Wang Ying said, "He’s wearing enough. He has a lambswool undershirt on underneath. He’ll be warm."

Li Shi still wasn’t reassured. She bent down and pressed on Yuanbao’s boots.

"The boots are lined with sheepskin. His feet won’t get cold."

Soon, Chen Jing also arrived. He patted Yuanbao’s shoulder and said, "Good boy, don’t be nervous. Just do as you've practiced."

"Yeah!"

Chen Qingsong said, "Do your best in the exam. If you pass, Uncle will take you to Zhenghe Street to watch the monkey show."

Chen Qingyan gave his brother a light tap. "You're a grown man, yet still so playful."

Wang Ying laughed. "Alright, everyone, stop crowding around. Let's check the exam basket to see if anything's missing: brushes, ink sticks, inkstone, a heating hand warmer, and a bag of dried meat."

The county exam was brief, lasting only three days with one session per day. After each session, candidates could leave the examination hall.

However, the cold weather made these three sessions particularly tough. This year’s weather was not nearly as cold as in previous years, but if it had been a snowy, freezing day, many would have struggled to endure.

Once everything was ready, the whole family saw Yuanbao off to the examination site. The inn they were staying at was not far from the venue—about a fifteen-minute walk.

By the time they arrived, there was already a long line. Chen Qingyan patted his son on the shoulder, signaling him to join the line.

Yuanbao carried his exam basket and looked back at the large group of elders watching him. His heart felt full of warmth, and he silently vowed to do his best and not let anyone down.

*

The three-day county exam was tough in such cold weather, and many gave up midway.

Yuanbao also had a hard time. At the coldest moments, his hands felt numb and frozen. But remembering how his father and uncles had endured the same hardships, he grew more determined. As a son of the Chen family, giving up was never an option.

Finally, he made it through the third session. The moment he stepped out of the examination hall, he saw his entire family waiting outside. Overjoyed, Yuanbao ran toward them.

Chen Qingyan took his exam basket and asked, "How did it go?"

"Pretty good. I answered all the questions."

"What was the last essay topic?"

Li Shi, seeing her grandson’s lips chapped and pale from the cold, felt a pang of heartache and quickly interrupted her son. "Stop asking so many questions. Let’s hurry back and have some hot soup and flatbreads."

Everyone agreed, "Yes, yes, let’s talk after we get back!"

The large family returned to the inn together. Yuanbao wrote down from memory all the exam questions from the past few days, while the adults pondered over them.

Yuanbao then discussed the Prefectural Exam with his uncle Qing Lan.

Qing Lan had taken the county exam two years earlier and was now a *Tongsheng*. After the county exam, the two could go together to Jizhou for the Prefectural Exam. Although Qing Lan was his uncle, he was only two years older than Yuanbao, so their relationship felt more like brothers than uncle and nephew.

Watching yet another generation of the Chen family embark on the imperial examination path, it was clear they had truly become a family of scholars.

The county exam results would take over half a month to be announced. In the meantime, they planned to return to their hometown in Qingshui Town to pay respects to their ancestors and add the newly born children to the family registry.

On their way back, Wang Ying noticed that the once desolate and abandoned villages now had new houses. The traces left by the flood seemed to have been completely erased.

After inquiring at a courier station, they learned that in recent years, the border regions had been unstable, and many refugees from the northwest had settled in the area.

Refugees are like wild grass seeds—no fire can burn it all away, and with the spring breeze, they grow again.