Chapter 306: The Second Round of the Exam

According to the regulations, the second round of the exam was the day after the results were posted.

Compared to the madness of the first round, the second round was much more civilized; after all, there were only a hundred people qualified to participate, and adding the companions, there were no more than a thousand people in total.

Master Yan was experienced and knew there was no need to squeeze this time, so he let Jiang Zhan and the others sleep a little longer.

They only arrived half an hour early.

Once the hour of the Rabbit arrived, the gong for the start of the exam sounded. As usual, the *Linsheng* (government-supported student) sang the guarantee, verified identities, and then the bailiffs at the door checked inside and out to ensure there was no hidden material before letting them through.

Jiang Zhan was still wearing that same golden-threaded jade robe; his demeanor was elegant, his beauty unparalleled, and he was very eye-catching.

The bailiff leading the way couldn't help but look at him several times, his attitude very polite, "I ask Young Master Jiang to go to the front hall to get your number first, then find your seat yourself."

Jiang Zhan nodded to him, "Thank you."

With so many fewer people, it was impossible to follow the previous seat numbers; they had to get new ones.

After getting his seat number, Jiang Zhan walked toward the main hall, familiar with the path.

From afar, he saw someone standing by the door, looking at him with a smile.

It was Duan Xiu.

Jiang Zhan pretended not to know him, looking straight ahead, his footsteps not stopping as he walked straight inside.

"A-Zhan, I guessed we would be in the same exam hall again." Duan Xiu, however, had no sense of social cues and stuck to him like a plaster, "I am in the Grade A, *Chou* number. What about you?"

Jiang Zhan turned to face him, saying sternly, "Young Master Duan, we are not familiar."

The implication was: I have no need to tell you.

Duan Xiu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a laugh, looking at him with an indulgent expression as if to say, "I can't do anything with you," "Fine, fine, fine, not familiar then. We will slowly become familiar in the future."

Jiang Zhan frowned his beautiful brows.

What did that mean? It was as if they would definitely become good friends in the future; it was truly inexplicable.

Too lazy to pay attention to this madman, Jiang Zhan turned and walked into his own cell on his own.

He was in the Grade A, *Zi* number, exactly in the middle of the first row.

He was right next to Duan Xiu.

Needless to say, it must have been arranged according to the rankings of the first round. He was first in the first round, and Duan Xiu was second, so naturally, they were next to each other.

Looking at the graceful young man, Duan Xiu tried his best to hide the attraction in his eyes.

Thinking that before long, such a wonderful person would submit beneath him, letting him take whatever he wanted... a wave of heat couldn't help but surge in Duan Xiu's heart.

This exam was crucial; he must leave Jiang Zhan far behind and make a comeback to become the first place.

Beauty and fame, he wanted them all!

The corners of Duan Xiu's mouth curled up imperceptibly, and he lifted his feet and walked into the cell, full of ambition.

Before long, the candidates entered the exam hall one after another, and soon it was full.

Master Jiang was also in this exam hall.

He was the 16th place in the first round, and his seat happened to be at the very edge of the first row.

A quarter of an hour later, the gong for the start of the exam sounded *dang-dang*.

Immediately after, Su Qingyao walked in with several secretaries.

As usual, he first explained the rules, then distributed the test papers, and then sat in front of the platform like a mascot.

The first thing the candidates below did was to quickly browse through the test paper.

This look was not a small matter.

Everyone was stunned.

In previous years, there were always three exam poems and three arithmetic problems.

This year, there were only two exam poems, and the arithmetic problems were actually!

This proportion was truly surprising.

One must know that in recent years, the situation of the imperial examination had always been literature-heavy and arithmetic-light, so much so that students spent most of their time and energy on how to write poems and essays.

As for arithmetic, firstly, there was a lack of teachers in this area, especially in those remote small counties; there were very few talents who were good at arithmetic.

Secondly, the chief examiners would also consider these factors, and the arithmetic problems set were mostly relatively simple to ensure that most people could do them.

Therefore, for the candidates, arithmetic problems were their weakness, and an increase in proportion was not something to be happy about.

The candidates instantly turned into bitter-faced people.

Of course, there was one exception.

That was Duan Xiu.

Looking at the many arithmetic problems on the test paper, the smile on the corners of Duan Xiu's mouth grew wider.

It seems the Duan family's threat worked. Su Qingyao looked upright and righteous, but he was actually a coward who yielded after being slightly intimidated.

Look, he really added more arithmetic problems according to their wishes.

I just don't know how difficult they are; it would be best if they were a bit hard, otherwise, they would lose the meaning of their existence.

Duan Xiu lowered his head and carefully looked at those problems.

(The temperature was nearly 40 degrees the day before yesterday, and I had a whim to go swimming. Well, I got heatstroke, headache, eye pain, stomach pain, everything is uncomfortable. Especially my eyes, it's painful to see the screen. I barely managed to type this much, and I feel like I'm going to vomit if I type one more word. Sorry, I'll make up for it tomorrow. The outline is already done.) ===== CHAPTER 307 =====