Chapter 17: The Prefectural Examination

“Zixuan, you really break my heart.”

Wu Jingcheng felt as if a knife had pierced his chest. He gulped down the tea in his hand as if it were wine and then let out a satisfied belch.

“Come on, let’s go relieve ourselves… no, change clothes first.”

Having drunk so much tea, he figured he could study for a couple more hours that night.

Li Yu, unaware of the tricks employed by wealthy families, simply returned home and diligently reviewed his lessons, preparing wholeheartedly for the prefectural exam three days later.

Unexpectedly, on the day of the exam, Ning Yuan took the initiative to greet them.

“Zixuan, Mengzhen, let’s enter together.”

Ning Yuan, also known by the courtesy name Shu Ben, had a round, adorable face that looked particularly charming when he smiled.

Since someone of his status was willing to make friends, naturally there was no reason to refuse.

So the three of them chatted and laughed as they lined up together. While the examinees ahead greeted Ning Yuan, Wu Jingcheng quietly leaned in and whispered just to Li Yu.

“Zixuan, tell me, do you think the Ning family really has their eye on me?”

Otherwise, why would they single out them among so many candidates?

Li Yu was puzzled too, but he still thought it unlikely to be Wu Jingcheng. “Why you? Am I that bad?”

He had heard that the sons-in-law of the Ning family were always very proper and serious.

Wu Jingcheng… was a bit too unruly, wasn’t he?

“Well, it’s not impossible, but I think the chances are slim.”

Wu Jingcheng sized up his good friend carefully and made a tiny gesture with his fingers.

“My poetry is a bit better than yours. To be honest, don’t get mad, but you also don’t seem to attract women.”

Otherwise, why had Sister Ying, who shared no blood relation with him, lived under the same roof for eight years without any romantic feelings developing?

Nor had any of the daughters from the county’s uncles and elders’ families taken a liking to him.

So he summed it up in four words: his good friend just had no luck with women.

Li Yu leisurely replied, “So if someone really did fancy you, would you still insist on Sister Ying?”

He fixed his eyes on his friend, warning that any hesitation would earn him a kick.

“Of course, Sister Ying. She’s the best woman in the world.”

Wu Jingcheng answered without hesitation; after all, Sister Ying was the beautiful elder sister he had known since childhood. He didn’t even know if the Ning family was good-looking or not.

Li Yu quietly lowered his gaze, feeling this was more like it.

---

At the first quarter of the Mao hour, the examination hall’s gates opened wide, and a hundred candidates filed in.

After entering the inspection room and changing out of their outer garments, Li Yu noticed something odd in Ning Yuan’s gaze. It seemed as if he was secretly watching him…

But whenever Li Yu looked back, Ning Yuan appeared to have noticed nothing.

Could it be that he really fancied him?

That shouldn’t be.

Wu Jingcheng was right; his charisma with the opposite sex was, in any era, quite poor.

The scenes described in novels where male protagonists are adored by many women and get into fierce fights over them had never happened to him.

Feeling that faint, elusive gaze, Li Yu quietly turned his back to Ning Yuan.

He had heard that many sons from wealthy families had certain peculiar tastes, often indulging in all sorts of pleasures regardless of gender.

Could Ning Yuan be one of those…?

“Zixuan.” Just as he was pondering this, Ning Yuan tapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t rush home right after the exam. Come to my house for a game of polo first?”

As he spoke, Ning Yuan quickly glanced again, silently noting down his size and stature.

He thought that although this boy was young, his physique looked quite good. The rest he would observe during the polo match.

“Ah?” Li Yu felt a bit flustered and hurriedly said, “My parents told me to return home immediately after the exam. In August, I have to participate in the provincial exam in Rongcheng Prefecture…”

Help! Why was this person so strange?

“Zixuan is quite confident.” Seeing him so assured about attending the provincial exam, Ning Yuan’s tone was admiring. “Then we’ll play polo after the results come out next month.”

With that, he put on his clothes, picked up his exam seat, and left with his book box.

Li Yu exchanged a bewildered glance with the equally confused Wu Jingcheng.

What was the meaning of this?

Wu Jingcheng patted his friend’s shoulder. “I really feel your luck with the ladies is coming. His elder sister probably fancies you.”

Then he grabbed his book box and went to his seat. Li Yu shook his head and found his own seat, still uncertain whether this was a blessing or a curse.

Only… ancient romances did tend to begin quite early.

---

The prefectural exam was similar in content to the county exam but more difficult. The chief examiner was no longer the county magistrate but the prefectural magistrate.

This time, no rough draft paper was allowed. The pens, ink, special paper, and even the quilts were all provided by the exam hall.

Candidates could bring nothing except their provisions and water. It was said that for the provincial and metropolitan exams, even food and water would be supplied by the authorities.

According to Li Gang’s recollections, the daily fare was three steamed buns and pickled vegetables, with an egg for breakfast. One had to admit that the treatment of scholars was still quite decent.

At least the buns were made from white flour, and pickled vegetables were considered a delicacy in ancient times.

---

The prefectural exam consisted of three tests over four days.

Out of the hundred candidates, only the top ten would be admitted, and these ten would be divided into two ranks: the top three as the first rank, and the remaining seven as the second rank.

In other words, only the top ten out of a hundred could advance to the next round.

There were twelve prefectures in Shu Province, and in the end, only two hundred candidates from the entire province could enter the provincial exam.

Yes, Rongcheng Prefecture alone had eighty spots.

It was inevitable—conditions were better there and more people studied. It was said that a thousand candidates competed for the provincial exam, so their acceptance rate was actually lower than that of smaller places like theirs.

Thinking this way, Li Yu felt that small places were better—at least the competition wasn’t so fierce.

Still, he lacked confidence. Only fifty would become students in the provincial exam, the so-called “cultivated talents.”

Could he really surpass so many people to become one of the lucky fifty?

Without draft paper, Li Yu practiced with his left hand on the desk before putting pen to paper. After finishing, he checked his work several times before ringing the small bell beside him.

Upon hearing the bell, two proctors would come over, erase his name in front of him, and carefully place his exam paper into a special box before leaving.

After the entire prefectural exam, Li Yu felt it was much stricter than the county exam.

---

“Is it difficult?”

The prefectural magistrate was a kindly-looking, portly old man.

He looked at the exhausted faces of the candidates and stroked his beard, speaking with the tone of a seasoned veteran: “This is just the beginning.”

“At the end of the previous dynasty, tens of thousands of students from our province took the provincial exam, yet only fifty passed the metropolitan exam. You are living in better times.”

“Nowadays, thousands take the provincial exam, and hundreds are admitted to the metropolitan exam. You must be grateful to His Majesty’s benevolence...”

Hearing the magistrate’s distant flattery, Li Yu’s lip twitched involuntarily, though he maintained a face of agreement.

In the late new dynasty, frequent natural disasters and an inept emperor caused many deaths. The founding emperor’s rebellion and wars also claimed countless lives.

With fewer people around, the acceptance rates naturally rose. Officials’ flattery was understandable, but if gratitude were due, it should be to the founding emperor.

The current emperor had never set foot on a battlefield. Did His Majesty hear such resounding flattery?