Chapter 292: Nothing but Heart and Copper Stench

The bailiff glanced at him without explaining, only looking at Jiang Zhan.

Jiang Zhan was completely calm. "In that case, please lead the way."

Although he was a bit surprised, he wasn't worried.

The imperial examination hall was so strict; if someone really wanted to harm him, they wouldn't be stupid enough to make a move here. Once the matter was exposed, the consequences were not something anyone could bear.

Jiang Zhan cast a reassuring look at Bian Dou Dou, then followed the bailiff into the Prefectural School.

Since it was a Prefectural School, the conditions were naturally much better than the County School.

There were four courtyards, spacious and well-arranged, with rows of exam stalls along the way, many of which were already occupied.

These were the lucky ones. There were others who were unlucky and drew exam sheds that were temporarily set up, so they had to sit outside. Although they were covered on three sides, with a roof and walls, if it rained heavily, the papers might get wet, affecting the exam results.

When Jiang Zhan passed the exam sheds, he happened to hear a few unlucky guys sighing, looking like they had lost their parents.

"Don't worry, Top Scholar Jiang, your seat will definitely be the very best." The bailiff comforted him with a smile.

After walking for about half a quarter of an hour, they reached the main hall of the third courtyard, and the bailiff stopped and pointed to one of the exam stalls. "It's here."

Jiang Zhan looked up.

There were about seventy or eighty exam stalls in the main hall, and his stall happened to be in the first row, slightly to the left. At this time, people were already sitting in the two stalls to his right.

Jiang Zhan happened to know one of them.

"A-Zhan, you're here?" Duan Xiu's eyebrows bloomed, his smile warm.

The tone was so familiar, as if the two weren't strangers who had only met once, but good friends who had known each other for many years.

Jiang Zhan nodded to him, his attitude polite and distant. "Young Master Duan."

Duan Xiu's gaze fell on him, and he praised, "Your... clothes today are very beautiful."

Jiang Zhan felt a chill for no reason.

He didn't speak anymore and lifted his feet to walk straight into his exam stall.

First, he checked it once to ensure the partition and stool were solid, without missing arms or legs, and then took out a handkerchief from his bosom to wipe the table clean, so as not to dirty the exam paper later.

Just as he was busy, a head poked out from the next stall. The man was in his thirties, with a shrewd look on his face.

"Brother." He looked at Jiang Zhan, his eyes bright. "I am Shi Duoduo, the County Top Scholar of Jianfeng County. May I ask if you are Jiang Zhan, the County Top Scholar of Wutou Xian?"

Jiang Zhan was a bit puzzled.

Why would this Top Scholar Shi know his name?

But he still nodded obediently. "That's right."

Shi Duoduo looked him up and down twice and tutted. "Sure enough, a young talent, extraordinary. No wonder you dare to challenge the grandson of the old Lord Duan. You have guts."

Then, his tone changed. "However, people should always have some self-knowledge. Being too arrogant will lead to big losses."

Jiang Zhan frowned.

He lowered his eyes, not bothering to pay attention to him anymore.

Shi Duoduo was also observant; seeing that Jiang Zhan didn't want to listen to him, he retracted his head and poked it out from the other side, his tone adding a few bits of flattery.

"Young Master Duan, I am Shi Duoduo from Jianfeng County. Everyone has heard about the wager between you and Top Scholar Jiang. I think you will definitely win!"

Duan Xiu smiled. "Thanks for the kind words."

Shi Duoduo leaned closer to that side and lowered his voice. "To tell you the truth, I have already bet all my family fortune on Young Master Duan, just waiting to win money and go home..."

As a County Top Scholar, Shi Duoduo naturally also had ambition, looking forward to winning the Prefectural Top Scholar title in one go.

However, this ambition, after hearing about Duan Xiu's background, was like a bubble.

Bang, it shattered instantly.

Not to mention that Duan Xiu himself possessed extraordinary talent, just the fact that he was the grandson of the old Lord Duan, the Libationer of the Imperial Academy—would the chief examiner, Lord Su, not give him this face and appoint Duan Xiu as the Prefectural Top Scholar?

Who would believe that?

Officialdom, isn't it always like this? You help me, I help you.

So Shi Duoduo didn't have much hope for the Prefectural Top Scholar title either. Anyway, as long as he passed, it would be fine, and he could earn some pocket money along the way. Why not?

If he could build a relationship with Duan Xiu, that would be even better.

Duan Xiu, however, had no interest in this old man.

Old age, ugly appearance, and nothing on his whole body but heart and copper stench—not likable.

"Brother Shi, you talk too much." He said lightly.

Shi Duoduo's smile stiffened, and he sheepishly shrank back into his exam stall, his face turning blue and white, as if he had been slapped hard in the face.

Pah, what's so great about you? Aren't you just a second-generation official?

If it weren't for your old man, just based on you, you might not really be able to beat that little friend surnamed Jiang!

Of course, scolding was scolding, but Shi Duoduo still hoped Duan Xiu would win.

Otherwise, his one hundred taels of silver would go down the drain.

Soon, a batch of candidates arrived one after another, all led in personally by bailiffs. They were all County Top Scholars, looking at each other with eyes full of vigilance.

Once they entered the exam hall, everyone was an opponent.

After about two quarters of an hour, the sound of gongs finally rang out.

The Prefectural Examination began.

Seven or eight bailiffs stood around the exam hall, their eyes wide like owls, scanning back and forth over the candidates.

Immediately after, a middle-aged man wearing a scarlet official uniform and a big belly walked in with his hands behind his back, surrounded by several people who looked like secretaries.

It was the chief examiner of this Prefectural Examination—the Prefect of Fengyang, Su Qingyao.

Su Qingyao first gave a lecture on the rules of the exam hall as usual, and then sat on the invigilator's seat. The official hat chair under his butt couldn't bear the weight and immediately let out a painful groan with a creak.

Cough, cough.

Su Qingyao hurriedly coughed twice, on one hand to cover up this shameful noise, and on the other hand to remind the bailiffs that it was time to distribute the Four Treasures of the Study.

Don't think these things were free; there was no such cheap thing.

Two taels of silver per set, no bargaining.

It was said that the money collected was used for exam hall infrastructure, such as building exam sheds, maintaining the Prefectural School, etc.

As for whether it really fell into place, that was unknown. Anyway, no one dared to say, and no one dared to ask.

After distributing... oh no, selling the Four Treasures of the Study, they began to distribute the exam papers.

After getting the exam paper, Jiang Zhan first looked at it roughly.

Two very common classic meaning questions, requiring at least three hundred words for each question.

However, the more common they were, the harder it was to write well and stand out from thousands of exam papers.

Jiang Zhan wasn't in a hurry to write, but took advantage of the time to grind ink to think carefully in his mind.

He sat in the first row, just facing the chief examiner.

Su Qingyao saw Jiang Zhan at a glance. ===== CHAPTER 293 =====