Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 1106 - 1103_1

Chapter 1106: Chapter 1103_1

The central examination was set to be held on the following day, a day graced by a pleasing wind and a radiant sun.

After a rigorous check, Jinghao, Zhiwen, and Zhiwu, holding the number plates they received, found their respective examination rooms according to the numbers and entered.

The room was a small two-square meter space, within which he had to eat, drink, excrete, and sleep for the next twelve days.

During these twelve days, the candidates were not allowed to step out of the room and there were guards everywhere to prevent cheating.

Three sides of the room were covered with walls. It was completely open at first glance, and the space was too small. Sitting inside would make one feel utterly devoid of privacy and security, presenting a challenge for some pampered young masters.

However, it has always been said that those who can endure hardships will stand above others. If one could not even bear this minor hardship, how could they serve the people and the Imperial Court in the future? A good official, one who cares for the people and bears the world in mind, cannot be made merely by sitting in a Government Office.

The examination consisted of three parts. The first part: five historical essays;

The second part: five questions on politics and arts of various countries;

The third part: interpreting the Four Books and Five Classics (3 to 5 questions).

When the topics for the first part were distributed, many people couldn’t help but wipe their sweat and curse.

Out of the five historical essays, two were from unofficial history. Many people hadn’t read those two pieces and didn’t know what era they pertained to. If they didn’t understand the cause and effect, how could they discuss it! They should know that a historical event, even if it was right at the time, could have a positive impact on later generations.

After reading the historical cases carefully, Jinghao was confident in his answers.

He carefully took out the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from aside, and started grinding the ink. While grinding, he repeated the answer to the first question in his mind. After the ink was ground finely, he considered his phrasing, then started to write.

Jinghao wrote with divine inspiration, seemingly without the need to think.

Senior Scholar Gu, the chief examiner this time, noticed the speed at which Jinghao answered the questions and tacitly approved, then turned to Master Yun, the Imperial College’s Dean of Studies, and said, "Indeed, the second son of Marquis Shengping is as reputed. Many people are still pondering, but he has already written half a page."

No wonder my father’s evaluation of him is so high! Senior Scholar Gu thought to himself.

Jinghao was a favored disciple of the Imperial Master.

The Imperial Master intended to marry his granddaughter, Gu Qiling, to him. Senior Scholar Gu observed Jinghao for some time and found that he didn’t have the pedantry of ordinary scholars. He had a good pedigree, was scholarly, didn’t indulge in any bad hobbies typical of nobles; in truth, he was a talent among talents!

Master Yun nodded, "Indeed, he is broad and erudite. The topics this time are quite biased. When he was reviewing the examination questions earlier, he didn’t even frown. It’s obvious he was confident in his answers."

Senior Scholar Gu nodded and did not say anything more. The two continued to observe the other scholars.

Upon hearing these words, another official from the Imperial College couldn’t help but look at Jinghao. He was calm and confident, without any pause in his penmanship!

The official frowned imperceptibly, then calmly looked away.

Jinghao answered questions rapidly and wrote with a steady hand. There wasn’t a single error in the paper after he finished, and his handwriting was neat and brisk, a joy to behold.

After completing the first question, he reviewed the paper carefully from beginning to end. Finding no issues, he proceeded to answer the next question.

By lunchtime, he had finished answering two questions.

At this time, many people hadn’t even finished the first question, and some were still pondering on how to get started.

Lunch was provided by the examination hall, the taste was home-style. Although Jinghao had developed a picky palate, he still finished the meal provided. After eating, he sat there and took a brief rest.

Feeling a little sleepy, he then laid on the kang bed, planning to take a nap. He usually took a nap in the afternoon.

In the afternoon, many scholars ate quickly and proceeded with answering the questions.

Master Gu led a team to inspect again and was even more appreciative of Jinghao’s calm and confident demeanor when he saw him napping.

"The second son of Marquis Shengping is truly calm! It’s not that there are no students who sleep in the examination room, but many of them dare to sleep only on the last day after they have finished answering all the questions." The Dean of Studies couldn’t help but praise when he saw this.

"A proper rest can clear the mind and clarify thoughts. It might even lead to twice the results with half the effort for all you know," replied Senior Scholar Gu. He had seen Jinghao answering two papers in the morning and knew how mentally exhausting it was to think. The two then walked away.

During the examination, Master Gu would inspect every hour. He had inspected three times in the afternoon, and found Jinghao sleeping each time. He couldn’t help but frown.

Was the second son of Marquis Shengping overly confident? How could he keep sleeping without waking up? How could he feel at ease and sleep so soundly?

He wanted to go over and remind him because to write a good article, one needed to ponder and revise repeatedly. But during the examination, unless they left the room or cheated, the examiners were not allowed to disturb the candidates.

Remembering that Jinghao had already tackled two questions in the morning and there were still two days left for the first part, Master Gu didn’t rush him.

Jinghao, in one stretch of sleep, had slept until sunset. He took a look at the sky outside and was shocked. He quickly sat up and glanced at the items on the table. Seeing that no one had tampered with them, he put down his worries.

It seemed that he had been reading too late into the night lately. Once he relaxed, he couldn’t help but oversleep. Such a situation had occurred before.

Jinghao didn’t take it to heart. Besides, which examiner in the examination hall didn’t know his identity? There probably wasn’t anyone who would dare to harm him.

When Jinghao woke up, it was already dinner time. After dinner, it was completely dark, and it was time to light the lamps.

Although the examination room was equipped with oil lamps, because the table was small and the wind from outside could blow in, there were instances where some students accidentally burned their papers. Hence, the examiners would remind everyone not to answer the test at night.

As the wind was strong tonight, Jinghao was aware that he had two days left, he was certain he could complete it on time, so he did not continue to answer questions.

He lay on the bed quietly thinking about how to answer the remaining three questions.

The scholars who had been thinking all day did not answer questions that night. Everyone chose to sleep early.

Having slept all afternoon, Jinghao had no sleepiness at all at night. This wasn’t like at his home where he could read a book if he couldn’t sleep. Lying on a small kang bed, turning over and over, he couldn’t fall asleep until the dawn, when he finally felt drowsy and fell asleep.

Needless to say, Jinghao, in one stretch of sleep, slept past noon to lunchtime!

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