Chapter 212: When the Grace Examination List is Released

Rongguo Prefecture, Qingzhi Studio.

Since the provincial examination ended, Jia Cong had also completely relaxed. He had exhausted his efforts and studied hard day and night for the past six months, and it had finally come to an end.

Except for practicing calligraphy and swordsmanship every morning, all usual books and homework were stopped, allowing himself to have a good rest.

And the Eastern Prefecture began to overflow with festive cheer, gradually seeping into the Western Prefecture. Wang Xifeng also received instructions from Jia Mu to go to the Eastern Prefecture often to help You Shi manage affairs.

Because on the 2nd of next month, it was the wedding of Jia Rong, the heir of the Eastern Prefecture.

Jia Cong looked as usual, sometimes going out to gather with fellow students, or talking to the sisters in the house to relieve boredom.

Wu'er, Qingwen, and Zhen Ying Lian knew the origin of the Anding Temple in Jin Ling and knew that this matter was unsolvable. Although Jia Cong didn't say it on the surface, his heart must be difficult to calm down, mostly pretending that nothing happened.

Wu'er and Qingwen were more gentle and considerate than usual, and their care for his food, clothing, and sleep was meticulous.

Zhen Ying Lian usually managed the study, and Jia Cong's homework was stopped, so she was also free. Jia Cong walked around the manor, and she followed him in and out, never leaving his side, not letting him be alone.

These days, whether it was the Donghua Building or the Zheng Prefecture, they had become places under the eyes of thousands of provincial examination students in the Love Shenjing.

In these last critical days, there were often carriages and horses parked in front of the Zheng Prefecture, and often people dressed in simple clothes visited with gifts, but no one could enter the prefecture, only leaving their names.

In fact, this kind of situation was common before the release of the provincial and metropolitan examination lists, and it was very rare for it to evolve into risks or even derive imperial examination malpractice.

Slowly, even Jia Cong felt that with the festive cheer of the Eastern Prefecture, his Qingzhi Studio became more and more warm, with soft whispers and intimacy.

He also knew that the person marrying into the Eastern Prefecture was a rootless fate for Jia Cong, only causing trouble, so he didn't point it out, just added careful companionship in his daily life.

Such a person, as long as he is not blinded by greed, naturally has enough means and strategies to avoid these risks of entrustment.

Her heart was full of Jia Cong, so naturally, she calculated everything for him.

The 13th Year of Emperor Jia Zhao, the 2nd of the sixth month.

After the provincial examination, Jia Cong gathered with fellow students such as Cai Xiaoyu, and heard Cai the Fatty, who was always fond of gossip, talk about this matter. Among them, the nephew of the Minister, the nephew of the Minister, the son of the Academy Director, etc., were all there.

Finally, even Zhi Shao noticed the anomaly. Because she didn't know about the things in Jin Ling at the beginning, Wu'er and Qingwen knew the risks of this matter in the great mansion and didn't dare to say it casually.

And as the day of the list release approached, Zheng Yan, as the chief examiner of the Yongzhou Grace Examination, became more and more popular because he held the power of the candidate list ranking.

There were also those who liked to gossip, who found out clearly who the people who stopped in front of the Zheng Prefecture were, and which family they belonged to.

Although the grading process was all pasted and copied, there were still some loopholes in the hidden dirt between the revelation and the release of the list. Where there are people, it is impossible to be completely clean.

Fortunately, he didn't have such things. Except for Jia Zheng, which elder in the Jia family would take his provincial examination to heart? They only knew that he had been busy with exams some time ago, and that was it.

After Zhi Shao asked, Wu'er told her the reason quietly, and she understood.

Ministry of Rites Donghua Building, the grading of the provincial examination was coming to an end, and thousands of provincial examination students in the Love Shenjing were waiting.

Those who had descendants participating in the exam in their families naturally knew about these official secrets.

Those who sent gifts to the door, no matter how low-key they were, or even just let the family steward and guests come to the door, were mostly found out by others.

Because the imperial examination was the country's grand ceremony for selecting talents, being able to serve as a provincial chief examiner was no less than a person with outstanding talent and extraordinary wisdom.

Before dawn, in the main room of the Qingzhi Studio, Zhi Shao, who was sleeping on the bed, was awakened by the movement at the end of the bed.

Dazed, she got up and saw that Jia Cong had already lifted the tent. She hurriedly walked over and helped him hang the tent curtain.

"It's not dawn yet, don't be careful to sleep more. You have been tired enough from studying for the past six months, so you should have a good rest."

Jia Cong laughed: "Today is the release of the provincial examination list, I can't sleep."

Zhi Shao saw that his expression still carried fatigue, knowing that he must not have slept well last night. The release of the provincial examination list was just an excuse. When did he ever worry about passing the exam?

Today is not only the release of the provincial examination list, but also the day of the Eastern Prefecture's wedding.

Zhi Shao felt a little sigh in her heart.

Jia Cong saw her in small clothes, her long hair scattered, and the gentle and caring expression in her eyes, and felt a warmth in his heart.

For the list release today, Jia Cong was still quite looking forward to it.

As long as he passed the provincial examination and obtained the fame of a successful candidate, he would truly enter the ranks of scholar-officials and have the qualifications to be selected as an official. Outside the strict family rules and clan laws, he would also be blessed by the national law.

He would also have greater ability to maintain the things he cared about and the people around him who had always cared for and protected him.

Love Shenjing, Examination Hall.

When Jia Cong arrived, a large number of students waiting for the list were already gathered under the west wall of the Examination Hall.

This time, in addition to Jiang Liu who drove the carriage, Jia Zheng sent two clever little servants to follow, letting them report back to the manor as soon as they got the news.

In the Jia manor, except for sisters like Daiyu and Seeing Tan Chun, people like Jia Mu and Lady Wang were indifferent to whether Jia Cong took the provincial examination or not.

For one thing, noble families didn't have to rely on reading to make a future.

Secondly, although they were born in wealthy families, they were illiterate, so naturally, they didn't value reading too much, otherwise, how could they allow Baoyu to be so wasteful?

Jia She and Lady Xing, ever since Jia Cong moved to the Western Prefecture, almost regarded this evil son as dead, and would not care about his bullshit reading problems.

In the Jia manor, only Jia Zheng valued reading and advancement highly. He lost his eldest son Jia Zhu, and Baoyu was a useless one. He pinned his expectations on his nephew Jia Cong, which was also a sigh.

In Jia Zheng's view, Jia Cong was the top candidate in the provincial examination, and his foundation in classics was solid, so the hope of passing was very great.

No matter what, the Jia family was about to produce a provincial successful candidate. This was the first time in more than twenty years, and he was also very looking forward to it in his heart.

Jia Cong met Cai Xiaoyu, Cui Anzhi, Liu Xiaoping, and others who came to see the list not long after arriving at the entrance of the Examination Hall.

Gathering the day before yesterday, Jia Cong knew that their performance was not bad, and the chance of passing the list was not small, and everyone was full of expectations.

Just after the Si hour, the drum in the Examination Hall sounded rumbling, the drum sound was continuous, urging the heart, and the hearts of all the students looking at the list were raised.

Children of officials, family style is strict, looking forward to it, failing to pass a successful candidate, I am afraid it is difficult to see the elders.

Children of humble families study bitterly by the kiln window, relying solely on passing the imperial examinations to change their own fate. Success or failure hinges on this one moment; once they fail the list, it is another three years of wasted time. How many three-year periods does a human life have?

With the echo of the drum sound, a stagnant atmosphere shrouded the entrance of the Examination Hall, pressing people to the point of being unable to breathe.

After the drum sound, hundreds of imperial guards in bright clothes entered the front of the Examination Hall to maintain order and prevent riots and trampling.

Finally, a Grade 6 Ministry of Rites official, with a team of yamen runners in red festive clothes, began to post the list on the west wall of the Examination Hall.

The list was posted according to the ranking of the provincial examination, from low to high.

And the first list posted was the tail list.

The most exciting moment of the 13th Year of Emperor Jia Zhao Grace Examination provincial examination began to unveil!

The familiar scene appeared in front of Jia Cong again.

After the tail list was posted, a few people in the crowd screamed. These were naturally the people on the tail list.

Among them, the young were overjoyed, the old had wasted many years, and finally succeeded, and they were even more happy to cry.

But more people were just silent, and there were envious eyes looking at those who passed the list.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 213 =====