Chapter 10: The Imperial Examination

During May and June, the fields were extremely busy. Li Xiaonan and Li Xuedong were buried in their books, equally too busy to even lift their heads.

In the blink of an eye, July arrived.

Old Master Kuan from the Li Jiawang branch of the family quietly made two trips to Gaojiaji to discuss the matter of the provincial examinations in Hangzhou City with Mr. Gao.

It was nothing complicated, and an agreement was quickly reached

For Li Xuedong, his eldest sister Li Jinzhu would still accompany him. Li Wenhua, the Old Master's nephew, would arrive in Hangzhou two days early to handle arrangements and social obligations.

On this trip, the Old Master entrusted Mr. Gao to deliver fifteen silver bits to Li Jinzhu.

Li Jinzhu kept six silver bits for Li Yuzhu and Li Yinzhu, to be used for renting oxen or laborers if things became too overwhelming.

The night before their departure, Li Jinzhu had Li Yuzhu tailor a set of clothes for Li Xuedong to work on during the journey.

It would take a full two days by boat to reach Hangzhou, so they couldn't afford to be idle.

The meeting point was set at the entrance of the Hangzhou Confucian Academy. When Li Wenhua saw Li Xuedong's group, his eyes immediately fell upon the timid Li Xiaonan hiding behind Li Jinzhu, and his brow furrowed instantly. "Why did you bring her?"

"Eldest Sister was afraid she wouldn't be able to manage everything. Besides, A-nan is literate. Eldest Sister said A-nan could help her read the public notices and such," Li Xuedong explained hurriedly.

Although Li Wenhua's brow remained knitted, he fell silent.

With him there to look after them, how could they fail to manage? This Xiaonan was already quite grown; she was half a laborer. If she wasn't sent to work in the fields, bringing her along just meant she would eat and drink for free!

*Sigh, what a waste!*

Fine, fine, since they were already here. Besides, his eldest uncle had instructed him to listen to Xuedong in all matters and not to act with the airs of an elder.

With a frown, Li Wenhua led the three of them to the inn he had booked.

Having arrived two days early, he had spent a day and a half picking and choosing. It wasn't until this afternoon that he finally settled on the most cost-effective inn and paid the deposit.

As for the first two nights, it wasn't cold in July, and as a grown man, he could make do anywhere without spending extra copper on lodging.

Early the next morning, a notice was posted at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall: All candidates for the *Tongsheng* level must arrive at the ceremonial gate of the examination hall between the hours of *Wei* and *You* on that day to receive their classical examination papers, and must submit them within two days.

It was Li Xiaonan who went this time. Among the choices of Classical Interpretation, Historical Discourse, Poetic Composition, and Natural Science, she chose Classical Interpretation.

She was most skilled in Natural Science; she was one hundred percent certain she could achieve a perfect score on a science paper of this level, but her brother was at most above average in that subject, so she did not dare to show off her talent.

As for Historical Discourse, she was very good at it, but discussing history required taking a stance and presenting viewpoints. Her stance and viewpoints were highly likely to conflict with the current orthodoxy and mainstream views. When seeking official titles, it was unwise to be unconventional. Furthermore, she was a "substitute" who had taken someone else's place; she had to remain low-profile, moderate, and follow the crowd.

Li Xiaonan wrote a Classical Interpretation essay that was standard and steady, submitting it two hours before the deadline. A day later, the results of the classical examination were posted. This particular round had eliminated one-third of the candidates.

This left the candidates in a state of extreme shock and surprise; an uproar broke a commotion erupted at the entrance of the examination hall.

*It's just one assignment, yet it eliminated so many people! This is too much!*

In the previous and the term before that, the regional education officials of Liangzhe Road had conducted classical exams purely on a voluntary basis; whether one took them or not was up to them, and no candidate had ever been failed based on the classical exam!

However, according to the rules of the Imperial Court, whether the classical exam resulted in failures was entirely at the discretion of the regional education official.

This official was going too far!

The eliminated candidates gathered in small groups, indignant, yet they did not even dare to complain loudly.

The newly appointed Official Wei, who had taken office after the New Year, was from the direct lineage of the Yu Zhang Wei family. He was a *Bangyan* (second highest scorer in the imperial exam) and had gained fame in his teens as one of the top talents in the land.

With an official whose family background and talent were so highly respected, this classical exam that resulted in such mass failures was extremely unexpected, yet no one dared to voice their dissatisfaction.

Among the students who passed, Li Xuedong's name was ranked in the middle. Li Xiaonan breathed a secret sigh of relief; she now had some confidence in her level of essay writing.

Li Xiaonan stood with her hands on her hips, full of confidence.

Even though she was once a top student, she could still be considered a top student now!

*Go, Student Li! Go and earn a title as a Scholar!*

As the classical exam results were posted, the official examination schedule was also released, with Pingjiang Prefecture scheduled for the final day.

The provincial examination was much more rigorous than the county or prefectural exams. A moment before the hour of *Yin*, the scholars taking the exam that day stood in neat rows at the entrance of the examination hall according to their ranking in the classical exam.

At the start of the *Yin* hour, the gates of the examination hall opened punctually. Official Wei, dressed in brand-new official robes, emerged from the gates. Standing on the steps, he took the register from a servant and began calling names.

The called scholars, carrying their examination baskets, walked toward the Dragon Gate.

A minor official standing beside Official Wei loudly and clearly announced each scholar's place of origin, age, and physical features. Once Official Wei had inspected them carefully and nodded, the official would loudly proclaim, "So-and-so is vouched for!" From the crowd of *Lingsheng* (scholarship recipients) standing below the steps, someone would step forward, loudly respond, "So-and-so is vouched for," and then step forward to press their thumbprint.

Li Xiaonan held her breath, watching and listening intently.

The order of calling was the same as their queuing order. After the person in front of Li Xiaonan was called, Official Wei called out the three characters of Li Xuedong's name. Li Xiaonan's heart leaped into her throat; she gripped her basket and stood before Official Wei.

Official Wei looked at the three generations of Li family history listed in the register. This was a poor orphan—then he looked at the Li Xuedong before him: dark, thin, and small, wearing homespun cloth clothes and a black cloth headwrap, carrying an extremely old examination basket. A pair of dark, spirited eyes were filled with trepidation, looking at him like a startled little beast.

"Don't be nervous. Do your best. Go on," Official Wei said with a smile, offering gentle reassurance.

Li Xiaonan subconsciously let out a breath.

Turning past the screen wall, two clerks performed searches: one checked the examination basket, while the other quickly swept over Li Xiaonan from head to toe. Then, another clerk handed Li Xiaonan a beautifully printed book of poetic rhymes, signaling that she could enter.

A thin layer of cold sweat covered Li Xiaonan's back. After walking a few steps, she slowly exhaled her tension.

*Good! The hardest hurdle is over!*

The examination cubicles inside the hall were also arranged according to their queuing order at the gate. Li Xiaonan stood before her pigeonhole-sized cubicle and carefully surveyed the surroundings.

Her position was in the middle of a large area of cubicles—neither in front nor in the back, neither good nor bad. It perfectly suited her way of being moderate and following the crowd.

The provincial exam questions were the same as the county and prefectural exams: two essays (one classical, one philosophical), one five-character poem with six rhymes, and one natural science paper.

The topics for the two essays were steady and conventional, nothing extraordinary.

Li Xiaonan breathed a sigh of relief once more. She would do the natural science paper first; she could get every single question right on that one.

After carefully completing the natural science paper, as she picked up the essay topics, the proctoring clerks walked past each cubicle, stamping a red seal in the middle of every piece of written paper.

The seal was the character *Chen*.

*Does this 'Chen' mean the hour of Chen? This is probably a method to prevent cheating, but what is the principle behind it?*

*Now is not the time to think about that!*

Li Xiaonan quickly gathered her focus and began writing the drafts for her essays.

At the hour of *Shen*, the Dragon Gate opened, releasing the first batch of candidates who had submitted their papers. A quarter of an hour later, the Dragon Gate opened again, releasing the second batch.

Li Xiaonan checked her work meticulously one last time. Half of the cubicles on her left and right were already empty; she could submit her papers.

Li Xiaonan submitted her exam, carried her basket, and walked with hunched shoulders and a lowered head, looking like a shivering, cold figure. After waiting a while, the Dragon Gate opened for the fourth time. Li Xiaonan followed the batch of candidates exiting at that time and passed through the Dragon Gate.

She was very confident in this exam.

(End of Chapter)