novelaction Chapter 106: The Imperial Examination
Chapter 106: The Imperial Examination
Liu's father and Liu Shengyuan were quite familiar with Liu Sanlang and often bought his meat and noodles. Now that Zhang Ping'an had introduced him, they knew he was the right person.
Among the seven people, two or three families were obviously in a similar situation to Lin Junhui, with better conditions. They brought two or three servants and guards to take care of their daily life.
Among them was a middle-school student named Tan, dressed in dazzling attire, accompanied by guards on horseback carrying bows and arrows. It was clear he came from a wealthy family. In the April weather, he fanned himself with a fan, chanting, "The late sun makes the mountains and rivers beautiful, the spring breeze makes the flowers and grass fragrant. It's truly beautiful!"
Pretentious! Zhang Pingan complained in his heart, there are only ordinary people coming and going in and out of the city gate, where is the grass or fragrance coming from? It's so cold, and you still have to fan yourself!
"Who are you calling pretentious?" The student surnamed Tan folded his fan and pointed at Zhang Ping'an.
What? Did he accidentally say what was in his heart? Zhang Pingan was stunned. This might make him an enemy!
"What's the problem with me just saying it?" Lin Junhui still looked nonchalant and didn't care at all.
"Hmph, don't think that just because you are a member of the Lin family, I can't do anything to you. Master Yang, you have to be fair in this matter."
Master Yang was always afraid of trouble, and he was only a martial arts master. In the end, he could only give both sides fifty lashes and say symbolically, "Lin Junhui, we are all classmates. Don't be too presumptuous when you go out."
"I understand, Master," Lin Junhui bowed slightly.
"Okay, now that everyone is here, let's go. Lin Junhui, you bring four guards, I'll lead and you'll follow behind," Master Yang said finally.
The road from the county town to Ezhou Prefecture is relatively easy to travel. There is a wide official road and there are no big mountains around. There are some hills at most. There are farmers busy working in the fields on both sides of the road. According to Master Yang's estimation, if they walk faster, they can reach the destination in two days and stay in the prefecture tomorrow night.
Everyone brought their own dry food. At noon, as they passed a stream, Master Yang called out, "Let's rest here for a while. Give the animals some water and some fodder. We'll eat quickly and continue our journey in the afternoon."
Everyone agreed. Zhang Laoer led the mule to the stream to drink water before coming back to eat. Xu prepared a lot of rice balls, which was Zhang Ping'an's suggestion. They contained rice, bacon and vegetables, which was convenient and delicious. Zhang Laoer also brought a small pot, dug an earthen stove, and cooked a pot of egg drop soup, which tasted pretty good.
Liu's father and Liu Shengyuan brought steamed buns and pickles and sat together with the Zhang family to eat, which was very lively.
Originally, Zhang Ping'an invited Li Mingxuan to have dinner together, but Li Mingxuan shook his head and insisted on eating alone. Li's mother baked a lot of dry cakes for him, which were delicious with pickles.
Lin Junhui and Tan Yaoqi both come from wealthy families, and they carry all the necessary pots, pans, seasonings, and ingredients in their car, as well as snacks and fruits. Their guards cook for them, so even when they are in a hurry, their food is not too shabby.
The two of them had small appetites and didn't eat much of the dishes and snacks. After the guards finished their meal, they were about to throw away the remaining dishes. Liu Sanlang felt very sorry and glanced sideways.
Lin Junhui noticed it and said with a smile: "We have small appetites and can't use so much. There is still a lot left, what a pity. If you don't mind, you can share it."
After saying that, he asked the guards to carry the small dining table to Zhang's side. Liu Sanlang was embarrassed and his face turned red. He felt that his gaze was too obvious.
Zhang Pingan didn't think it mattered. He knew these people wouldn't care about it at all. Besides, they were on their way and the dishes hadn't been touched much. "Thank you very much, Brother Lin!"
Lin Junhui liked Zhang Ping'an's free and easy spirit. There were other poor students in the academy, but they were always hesitant in doing things, trying to hide their poverty, and were both inferior and aloof, which made people look down on them even more.
Zhang Ping'an was the first to pick up a fruit and eat it. The weather was dry now, so it was good to eat some fruit to supplement vitamin C. If you buy it, it would be very expensive.
Liu Sanlang only dared to eat the remaining food after seeing his brother-in-law eating it, because he felt it would be a shame to throw it away.
Li Mingxuan glanced sideways frequently. Although he didn't say anything, he was thinking a lot in his mind. After comparison, the dry biscuits in his mouth seemed even more tasteless.
Fortunately, we had a safe journey and arrived at the provincial capital in the evening of the second day. We entered the city at the last moment before the city gate closed, otherwise we would have had to sleep in the wild again.
Everyone was so relieved!
After entering the city, Lin Junhui, Tan Yaoqi and another student from a wealthy family went straight to the best inn in the city to stay. The rest of the people, including Master Yang, were ordinary people and found a relatively clean ordinary inn to stay in.
Zhang Laoer only asked for a room. Accommodation in the city was expensive and it was close to the provincial examination, so the price was higher than usual. Even an ordinary inn cost 150 coins a night. In the past, Zhang Laoer could not have imagined that sleeping could be so expensive. Now he has seen more of the world and is much calmer. He will give the bed to his son when the time comes. He and his eldest son-in-law brought bedding and can sleep on the floor, which is pretty good.
Li Mingxuan asked for the room next to Zhang Ping'an. He was now away from home alone, and the only person he could rely on was this relatively kind neighbor.
When they arrived at the city, there was no earthen stove to burn. The inn strictly prohibited guests from using fire without permission, so they could only buy food. Zhang Laoer and Zhang Pingan were very distressed, and even Liu Sanlang automatically reduced his appetite.
After everyone settled down, Lin Junhui came to Tongfu Inn to find everyone. It was a good opportunity to communicate before the exam. Zhang Pingan and Liu Shengyuan were overjoyed. Lin Junhui's level was much higher than theirs, so they gained more from the communication.
The inn is mainly occupied by students taking exams, and the learning atmosphere is strong. Whether you are eating downstairs or walking in the corridor upstairs, you can hear the students reciting their lessons.
Three days passed in a flash, and it was the day of the provincial examination. After Zhang Laoer confirmed that nothing was left in the examination basket, he took Li Mingxuan and Liu's father Liu Shengyuan to the examination room. There were much fewer people queuing than at the county examination, and they soon passed the search by the yamen runners and entered the examination room.
The provincial examination lasts for three days, with three consecutive sessions. It is similar to the county examination, with papers distributed at dawn and collected at 3 p.m.
The weather was not very good these days, so Zhang Ping'an brought a big umbrella with him just in case. Fortunately, God was particularly kind to him, and the examination room he was assigned this time was still good. It was not smelly and the tiles did not leak light.
After the bell rang, the papers were distributed. Zhang Ping'an glanced at the questions and started to do them.
Just after noon, the sky suddenly became cloudy. Zhang Pingan guessed that it was going to rain, and the rain would be heavy. He didn't even bother to eat lunch and quickened his pace in answering questions.
Sure enough, within an hour, big raindrops began to fall, and a strong wind blew. Suddenly, other students in the examination hall cried out in surprise, "It's raining! What should I do if my paper gets wet?"
Before the student could utter a second sentence, the yamen runners came forward and carried him out. It was obvious that he would have no chance of taking the next college entrance examination.