Chapter 1: Fighting in My Brother's Place

Li Xiaonan (pronounced like "Nan") wore her brother Li Xuedong's off-white coarse cloth short jacket and coarse cotton trousers. Her hair was tied into a small, tight bun at the top of her head. With her head slightly bowed, exposing her slender neck, she appeared exceptionally delicate and frail.

Carrying her examination basket, she walked up to Mr. Gao. Holding her breath, Li Xiaonan raised her head just enough to see the collar of Mr. Gao's indigo thin cotton long robe, not daring to look any higher.

Mr. Gao was around forty years old with an elegant temperament. Looking at the timid-looking Li Xuedong, he gave him a sympathetic pat. "Don't be nervous. Alright, you three, enter the hall. Remember, don't panic. Just act as you do in the academy—stay calm and focused. Go on."

After giving these instructions, Mr. Gao stood with his hands behind his back, watching the three of them enter.

This was the first round of the Child Examination for this subject, and the first session of the County Examination.

Li Xiaonan was taking this Child Examination on behalf of her brother, Li Xuedong.

This exam concerned the very survival of the five siblings.

Walking at the end of the line of five interconnected candidates, Li Xiaonan followed the lead of those in front of her. She placed her basket before the clerk and spun around with her arms outstretched. Without even looking up, the clerk waved her through.

Li Xiaonan breathed a secret sigh of relief, pursing her lips to suppress a smile.

The first hurdle was passed!

The large courtyard of the County School served as the examination hall, containing about a hundred examination desks.

By the time the candidates had found their seats, the sky had brightened significantly. The clerks, wearing solemn expressions, placed the exam papers on the desks one by one.

Li Xiaonan unwrapped the lacquer seal and first looked at the *Gezhi* (Natural Science) question.

One calculation problem—the simplest kind involving heads and legs—one question on *Yishu* (Divination/Mathematics), and one on physics. They were all extremely simple.

However, the *Gezhi* paper made Li Xiaonan clench her fists in heartache.

She could not answer this paper!

Her brother, Li Xuedong, had never studied *Gezhi*, and furthermore, she did not know what method this world used to solve such "heads and legs" problems, let alone how to explain the physics question.

Science was her greatest advantage, but now, she had to abandon it with a heavy heart.

Li Xiaonan then moved on to the poetry section. It used common rhymes, which allowed her to breathe a secret sigh of relief.

Among the subjects in the Child Examination, the one she was least confident in was this five-character, six-rhyme poem; writing poetry was simply too difficult.

Finally, she looked at the two essays on *Shiyi* (Contemporary Arts/Literature). One question was drawn from the *Great Learning* and one from the *Doctrine of the Mean*. The prompts were not obscure and consisted of relatively easy-to-interpret passages.

Everything was going more smoothly than she had anticipated. Feeling slightly more at ease, Li Xiaonan lowered her eyes and offered a devout prayer of thanks to the God of Examinations.

The two *Shiyi* essay questions were the easiest to write, and Li Xiaonan had already formed a general outline. She set aside the poetry prompt and began to rack her brains, trying to force rhymes to fit the required meter.

When time was ample, she preferred to tackle the difficult problems first.

The examination lasted an entire day. For her, this amount of content was far too little, making the time feel far too long.

She had to manage her time carefully; she couldn't finish too early, nor could she finish too late. She needed to submit her paper during the middle period, ideally achieving a score that was slightly above average.

Staying in the middle was the safest way to blend in.

The newly appointed County Magistrate, Huang, was about fifty years old and somewhat thin. His official robes had been washed until they were slightly faded. He paced down the steps of the main hall, walking slowly among the hundred-plus desks to observe.

As Li Xiaonan racked her brain for rhymes, she listened to the surrounding movements. Hearing footsteps, she poured some water into her inkstone and began to grind the ink slowly.

She had to stay focused, keeping her head down to avoid drawing attention.

The hem of Magistrate Huang's old official robe brushed past Li Xiaonan; a moment later, it passed by from the other side, then passed by again.

Li Xiaonan picked up her brush and began writing her *Shiyi* essay on draft paper.

Once the ink was ground, it had to be used immediately, otherwise, it would dry.

Li Xiaonan wrote slowly and neatly, stroke by stroke.

The time was so abundant that she had enough room to make her drafts meticulous as well.

As she finished one *Shiyi* essay, a scent of mutton drifted in from her side and rear.

Li Xiaonan instinctively glanced at the shadow of the sun. *What time is it? Are they eating already?*

A scent of fermented fish drifted from the front, followed by the smell of braised pork. *Mmm, braised pork should be eaten while it's hot.*

The candidate to her left leaned down and took a small lunch box out of their basket; to her right, there was the clatter of bowls and chopsticks, and the sound of chewing filled the air.

She had to follow the crowd to avoid standing out.

*Then I might as well eat.*

The rice and chicken leg wrapped in a cotton sleeve were still warm and very fragrant.

Li Xiaonan felt full after only half a bowl; her appetite was small, and her eldest sister always doted on her, serving her portions that were far too large.

After wrapping it back up and placing it in her basket, Li Xiaonan ground some more ink and continued writing the second *Shiyi* essay.

By the time she had slowly and painstakingly finished both essays, some people had already submitted their papers.

Li Xiaonan began to transcribe the two essays. By the time she finished the first, six or seven people had already turned theirs in.

She then began transcribing the second *Shiyi* essay.

Magistrate Huang paced over to Li Xiaonan's side and tilted his head to look at the essay she had just transcribed. After reading it for a moment, he stroked his grizzled beard, nodded slightly, and moved on.

By the time Li Xiaonan finished transcribing that poem she had squeezed out with great effort, half of the desks were already empty.

Li Xiaonan tidied her basket, took her exam paper and drafts, and with a submissive and timid expression, submitted her paper. She followed behind a group of four or five candidates and exited the gates of the County School.

Her eldest sister, Li Jinzhu, rushed forward to meet her.

Mr. Gao approached with his hands tucked into his sleeves, leaning in to ask with concern, "How did the exam go?"