Wenyuan Academy was merely two streets away from the Examination Hall, so its students didn’t need to seek accommodation before the Imperial Examination like those from other academies.
As Shao Yanzhe stepped out of the academy gate, he spotted three people waiting across the street. He went over to greet them, and soon the fourth arrived.
The five of them carried their examination baskets and headed toward the Examination Hall, surrounded by small groups of fellow candidates walking in the same direction.
After fifteen minutes, they reached the exterior of the Examination Hall and naturally joined the end of the already-formed queue of examinees.
There was still some time before the Examination Hall would open, and all candidates stood quietly waiting.
Liu Mingyuan stood in front of Shao Yanzhe. When he turned around and saw Shao Yanzhe casually holding his examination basket, his expression immediately showed disapproval.
He leaned closer to Shao Yanzhe and whispered, “Brother Shao, you must protect your examination basket carefully. If prohibited items are secretly placed inside, not only would you be barred from the examination, but all four of us would also face consequences.”
Shao Yanzhe was taken aback. He glanced at the basket in his hand and said, “Don’t worry, I haven’t concealed anything.”
“We certainly trust Brother Shao’s character,” Su Yuheng, standing behind him, chimed in quietly, “but we can’t guard against those who might try to plant evidence on us.”
Shao Yanzhe looked both confused and shocked. “Such things actually happen?”
Liu Mingyuan nodded seriously. “Yes! I heard about one candidate whose basket was found to contain small slips of paper with essays written on them. He was expelled from the Examination Hall and permanently barred from future exams. It was later discovered that another candidate had slipped those papers into his basket to reduce competition.”
“Also,” he added, “don’t let anyone get too close to you. Someone could slip notes into your clothing without you noticing.”
This was the first time Shao Yanzhe had heard such things. He stared in astonishment, instinctively clutching his examination basket to his chest and regarding everyone around him with newfound wariness.
Seeing his reaction, Liu Mingyuan showed approval. “Good. Until you enter your examination cell, don’t let your basket leave your sight, and stay alert to anyone approaching you.”
Shao Yanzhe nodded gravely. “Understood!”
Soon enough, the time arrived. The main gate of the Examination Hall opened, and candidates began entering.
Before admission, each candidate had to undergo a search by guards. One soldier inspected their clothing for hidden items, while others examined the contents of their examination baskets.
The process was lengthy. During this time, Shao Yanzhe and his four companions remained extremely vigilant, not daring to relax for fear of falling victim to sabotage.
Suddenly, commotion broke out ahead.
“Hmph! How dare you bring in evil artifacts! Seize him!”
Then, a flash of white light.
“Ah!”
A scream followed, accompanied by terrified shouts from candidates.
“What’s happening?” Shao Yanzhe grew curious, wanting to see what was occurring up front. He instinctively moved forward to get a better look.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed!” Liu Mingyuan grabbed him firmly and pulled him back.
Shao Yanzhe looked at Liu Mingyuan and saw his face was cold with a hint of fear. “Brother Liu, do you know what’s going on?” he asked.
Liu Mingyuan furrowed his brow and glanced at Shao Yanzhe. Only when he noticed the faded, washed-out gown Shao wore did it dawn on him that this was no scion of a scholarly or official family—just a commoner who wouldn’t naturally know such things.
His expression softened as he whispered, “I suppose Brother Shao must have some understanding of ghosts and spirits. The commotion earlier was likely someone attempting to smuggle a ghost into the examination hall to cheat. But what place is the Examination Hall? Common evil spirits cannot enter—they’d be exposed the moment they drew near.”
“From the sound of it, an official must have intervened. That evil spirit is surely dead by now.”
Shao Yanzhe raised an eyebrow, surprised that ancient cheating methods could be so… practical. To think someone would collaborate with ghosts just to cheat.
The disturbance ahead soon settled, and the soldiers resumed inspecting the candidates.
Soon, it was the turn of Shao Yanzhe and his four companions. Disdaining cheating themselves, they had carefully guarded their Examination Baskets and ensured nothing suspicious had been slipped onto their persons. They passed the inspection without incident and entered the Examination Hall.
The five were assigned Examination Cells that weren’t adjacent, so they parted ways along the path.
When Shao Yanzhe found his own cell, his face fell.
He was terribly unlucky—assigned near the Latrine Cell. Though separated by two cells, once the latrine came into use, the stench would inevitably reach him.
What wretched luck!
At least the Imperial Examination required only one day in the cell. A single day, he thought, shouldn’t be too unbearable.
Resigned, he ducked into the cell, first dusting off the accumulated grime before unpacking his Examination Basket.
He arranged his brush, inkstone, paper, and ink on the desk, fetched water, and began grinding ink while waiting for the exam papers to be distributed.
Time passed quickly. Soon, soldiers began handing out the papers.
Upon receiving his, Shao Yanzhe unrolled it and read through from start to finish. The questions weren’t particularly difficult for him; after one reading, the rough outline of his essays had already taken shape in his mind.
When the signal to begin was given, he didn’t write his answers directly on the exam paper. Instead, he took out his Draft Paper and composed his responses there.
He deliberately worked slowly, taking a full two hours to complete all his answers.
Shao Yanzhe glanced over his finished draft and sighed in relief—finally done.
Setting down his brush, he looked up and saw the candidate across from him hunched over, nervously scribbling away.
He rested his eyes briefly, then began checking his draft for errors or omissions, refining any parts of the essays that needed improvement.
After reviewing everything, he picked up his brush and started transcribing the final version onto the exam paper.
This time, he worked with even greater care, ensuring every character was neatly written. By the time he finished copying, it was already past noon.
Once the ink on the exam paper had fully dried, Shao Yanzhe carefully rolled it up and stored it securely.
Fortunately, most candidates were still immersed in their papers. A few had stepped out briefly, but no foul odors had yet arisen.
His stomach had long been growling with hunger. He pulled a charcoal brazier closer, placed an earthenware pot on it, added water, and lit the fire to boil it.
When the water reached a rolling boil, he added rice that had been pre-rinsed. In just fifteen minutes, the grains had burst open into a soft, edible consistency.
At this moment, he tore the dried meat into pieces and tossed them into the clay pot. When the congee was nearly ready, he finally added the pickled vegetables, gave it a stir, and brought it to one last boil before carrying the pot out to the tableboard.
The aroma of rice and meat wafting through the air made Shao Yanzhe even hungrier. He found a spoon and began eating.
As he ate, he sensed someone watching him. After taking a mouthful of congee, he looked up and saw three candidates across from him staring resentfully. They held dry, hard flatbread in their hands, taking bites while glaring at him as if they were biting into him instead.
Shao Yanzhe felt no embarrassment at this. He had prepared this food through his own efforts—why shouldn’t he enjoy it?
After satisfying his hunger, drowsiness set in. Since he had already completed his exam paper, he simply lay down on the wooden plank bed, covering his head with a black cloth as a makeshift blanket, and fell asleep.
The candidates opposite him happened to glance over and, seeing him sleeping soundly instead of answering questions, couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh.
They wondered whether this candidate had come for the Imperial Examination or just to sleep.
After this brief distraction, they refocused their attention on their own exam papers, pondering how to refine their answers.
Just then, they heard movement and instinctively looked over. A middle-aged man in crimson official robes was approaching, accompanied by two officials from the Examination Hall. They immediately guessed this man must be the chief examiner for this Imperial Examination.
As candidates, they knew a thing or two about examiners.
The chief examiner presiding over the Imperial Examination was usually the provincial education commissioner, though occasionally officials were directly dispatched by the imperial court to supervise.
Judging by the middle-aged man’s official robes, he likely held a fourth or fifth-rank position.
Realizing this, the candidates who saw him instinctively straightened their postures, their brush strokes becoming more elegant as they tried to make a favorable impression.
As the middle-aged man walked along, he quickly matched the candidates he observed with the records in his register.
He deliberately approached certain candidates to review their papers. When he found their content substantial and well-reasoned, he nodded in satisfaction.
Candidates who noticed his reaction couldn’t help feeling envious of those he approved. But when they saw one such candidate was actually the County Top Scholar, they had to admit they couldn’t compare.
The middle-aged man inspected each candidate in turn, hoping to find hidden gems among them. However, apart from the ten candidates he had already noted, the essays written by the remaining examinees were rather mediocre.
He felt somewhat disappointed. Then he stopped before one Examination Cell, looking inside with amused interest.
A minor official following him, noticing the examiner’s unusual behavior, stepped forward to investigate.
When he saw the situation inside the cell, he couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.
He didn’t know what to make of today’s candidates—the examination was only halfway through, yet this candidate was already fast asleep.
Had he simply given up on the exam?
The middle-aged man shared the same thought. When he glanced at the examination cell, he couldn’t help but show a look of disdain. How could such a good-for-nothing have passed the Tongsheng exam!
With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked back.
The minor official followed closely behind.
Just as they turned away, the candidate they believed had given up on the exam slightly lifted the quilt covering his head and stared at their retreating figures.
Sensing the gaze, the middle-aged man glanced back but noticed nothing unusual. As he was about to take a closer look, a candidate entered the latrine cell, and instantly, an indescribable odor filled the air.
His face immediately turned green, and with an unpleasant expression, he flicked his sleeve and hurriedly left the place.
Shao Yanzhe, who was covering his head, frowned at that moment. He felt that the middle-aged man looked somewhat familiar but couldn’t recall where he had seen him before.
With his memory, he shouldn’t be unable to remember!
Author’s note: