Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 872: Renown of the Palace Examination (2)

Chapter 872: Chapter 872: Renown of the Palace Examination (2)

Neither of them had undergone body refining with Spirit Spring Water, and to recklessly let them drink undiluted Spirit Spring Water was something their bodies simply couldn’t bear.

Although he had not attained the rank of Tribute Scholar, during the days of waiting for the results of the metropolitan examinations, Shen Ji harvested a love that was all his own. With his efforts, Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu finally abandoned their plans to seek a son-in-law through their daughter’s marriage, holding Shen Ji in high regard for his exceptional qualities from all aspects, and hinted that he could report his intentions to his parents. As long as Shen Ji’s parents had no objections, they could find a matchmaker to pick an auspicious day for a marriage proposal.

After the metropolitan examination results were released, Shen Ji did not rush home, but instead sent a letter home to his parents informing them of everything, and then continued to live in the rented courtyard, devoting himself to intensive study. He awaited only the union of the Mo and Liu families before returning home with his parents.

The Liu Family and the Shen Family were of comparable backgrounds, but upon closer comparison, the Shen Family had originally started out in commerce and only changed their social standing after Shen Ji’s father achieved the rank of Scholar. The Liu family, on the other hand, had passed down a tradition of literature and poetry and were truly a family of scholarly repute, naturally positioning them a notch above the Shen Family. However, with Shen Ji being so accomplished, this slight gap between the two families meant nothing at all.

The elders of the Shen Family, back home anxious about their son’s matrimonial affairs, were so delighted upon receiving Shen Ji’s letter and learning that their son had set his heart on such a fine match, that they did not sleep at all, hastily opening the storeroom in the dead of night to personally choose gifts for visiting the Liu Family in Jing City.

Within two days, the seniors, bearing a carriage full of gifts, arrived in Jing City. Having thoroughly understood the Liu Family’s circumstances, the elders approved of the Liu Family to the fullest, arising from just one night’s rest. The next day, they eagerly sought a dependable matchmaker and made their way to the Liu Family.

Both elders of the Shen Family were kind and easy to get along with, feeling that the Liu Family was a decent household worthy of an alliance. After visiting the Mo Family and seeing the gracious and well-mannered Liu Tinglan, they were even more satisfied than ever.

Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu, who valued Shen Ji, naturally also cared about Shen Ji’s family, and finding the elders to be just as easy to get along with and sensible as Shen Ji had described, they were extremely pleased, seeing little possibility for future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts.

Both families mutually satisfied, they reached an agreement on the marriage settlement right then and there, exchanged marriage documents, and only needed to choose an auspicious day to formalize the betrothal. Afterward, they would pick a good day towards the end of the year to hold the wedding.

Liu Tinglan got what she had wished for, and even though rumors still swirled outside, since Shen Ji’s parents did not mind, these rumors ceased to affect her completely.

Mo Yan was genuinely delighted for his good friend but did not have time to personally visit the Liu Family, as the palace examination was upon him.

This year’s palace examination was delayed by a few days compared to previous years—the specific date wasn’t settled until the fifth day after the posting of the results—scheduled for the sixth day of the fifth month, right after the Dragon Boat Festival.

The palace examination in Great Chu consisted of two rounds. The first round was a re-examination held in Baohe Hall. The results would be published on the second day, deciding the top thirty who would advance to the second round. The second round was the actual palace examination, where the ruler of the nation would pose the questions in person, and the thirty Tribute Scholars would answer on the spot.

Both rounds of the examination involved policy essays, with no word count limitations, although they were usually around two thousand words and the time was limited to one and a half hours. For the thirty Tribute Scholars who had fought through earlier rounds, writing an essay within one and a half hours was not difficult, but shining above others was another challenge, requiring not only a solid foundation but also the ability to discern the intentions of the questioner, a much more challenging task.

Policy essays often combined with current political affairs. If one was unaware of the politics of the time, it would be impossible to produce an outstanding work. Hence, those who had made it into the top thirty and moved on to the next round were far from mere bookworms who only knew theoretical discussions.

The final palace examination was crucial, as it would affect their future careers. That made the competition in the first round of the examination especially fierce.

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