After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Zhu Yixuan looked at Master Zhu thoughtfully, "Father, you're still young, why don't you try taking the exam too?"

Master Zhu almost raised his hand to slap someone.

"Go, go, go! Go read the book. If we can't find a teacher in Zhaohua County, we'll look in the prefectural city. If that doesn't work, we can ask around in other places. In short, we must find a teacher."

Once Master Zhu has made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

The news spread within two days.

When Ma Xingteng returned from his business trip, he first went to Shen Yi to inquire about the situation. Upon learning that the matter was indeed true, he immediately returned to Moshi Town and even stopped doing business.

Su Tai thought of her own robust youngest son. Although the boy was mischievous and had strange ideas, he was still quite good at studying. Naturally, she had to give this opportunity a try.

For this reason, she made a special trip to the garrison in the old town.

Murong Jue knew that Su Tai had come to visit, so he immediately ordered the soldiers to let her in.

As Su Tai walked through the solemn mansion, her breathing unconsciously slowed down. After passing through the long corridor, she saw her twins practicing on plum blossom poles as soon as she arrived at the martial arts training ground, with several solemn-looking and burly men standing beside them.

The two children were unusually well-behaved; despite their trembling legs, they gritted their teeth and persevered.

Despite the weather, the two children were covered in sweat.

Even as a mother, she felt heartbroken watching this.

"Is Madam Shen feeling sorry for you?"

Murong Jue's voice rang out from behind Su Tai.

Su Tai turned around and gave a slight curtsy, "Greetings, young master."

"Madam Shen, you're too kind. You've come to see them today?" Murong Jue stood with his hands behind his back, speaking with a confident tone.

Su Tai nodded and respectfully explained, "Young Master must have heard about the imperial examination. Although my youngest son is mischievous, he is quite talented. I would like to send him back to study and then bring him to you after the examination. Is that alright?"

Murong Jue shook his head and refused, "The key to martial arts is perseverance. Shen Congyu's temperament is unpredictable. If we give him an excuse to run away now, it will be difficult for Madam Shen to get him to come back later."

“I understand what the young master is saying, but this is a rare opportunity, and I’m afraid it will jeopardize his future.” Su Tai frowned.

Murong Jue shrugged it off, "In my opinion, that damn imperial examination is nothing but a trivial matter. It takes at least three to five years for a policy to go from pilot to implementation. Shen Congyu is still so young. Even if he passes the exam, what then? Can you imagine him becoming an official?"

Su Tai: "."

She dared not think about it; not only did she dare not think about it, she even suspected that the emperor had lost his mind.

After thinking it through, Su Tai's furrowed brows relaxed. "Young Master is indeed insightful. In that case, let's pretend I was never here."

Murong Jue nodded in satisfaction, “I understand Madam Shen’s desire for her son to succeed. I do have capable people here. They can practice martial arts and study at the same time. They can go through the motions and test the waters. Madam Shen doesn’t need to worry about these things.”

Su Tai looked delighted and said, "Thank you so much, young master. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."

This was exactly the effect Murong Jue wanted. Su Tai was completely unaware of Murong Jue's thoughts. Without her youngest son to worry about, she returned to Shen Family Village as quickly as possible.

When Shen Ying learned that she had returned, she immediately went to her door and told her about the situation in the village.

"Xiaotai, you're finally back! These days everyone in the village is saying that if children study hard, they can become officials. The villagers have gone crazy. No one cares about spring plowing anymore. They're all busy following their children around all day long. Even Granny Zhang is thinking about making sure Xiaoxi studies hard so she can become an official in the future. Does this mean women can become officials too?" Shen Ying looked bewildered and anxious.

Su Tai was also stunned. "Who said women can become officials?"

"No?" Shen Ying slapped her thigh hard. "I knew those people were talking nonsense! They even made it sound so real. What's the actual situation? No, I have to gather all the villagers together and have you explain things to them properly, so they don't come up with a bunch of questions that I can't answer."

Shen Ying left Su Tai's house in a hurry.

Soon after, Su Tai heard the sound of gongs being struck in the village.

Chi Sanhua and the others had just set up the benches.

The villagers gradually came over, and they all acted as if they were watching a grand show, finding the best spot to sit down and sitting there as if their butts were welded to the stools.

Chi Zhaodi and the others poured a bowl of freshly boiled milk tea for each of them. Su Tai only appeared when the courtyard was crowded with villagers.

"I know that all of you grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, and elders have come here for the imperial examinations. You also know that my husband, Shen Yi, is a county magistrate. So what I'm going to talk about next is the details of the imperial examinations. If you have any questions, please wait until I finish speaking."

First of all, Zhaohua County is a pilot area for the imperial examinations designated by the Emperor. This year, only our area is included. Starting here, only men with household registration in Zhaohua County can take the exam. Listen carefully: first, you must be registered in Zhaohua County; second, you must be male! There is no age limit; any man who meets these two requirements can apply.

Some villagers were excited, while a small number were disappointed.

Granny Zhang spoke up weakly, "Then does that mean my Xiaoxi can't take the exam?"

Su Tai nodded and gently comforted her, "Women really can't do it, Grandma, don't be disappointed. We women have other options!"

Granny Zhang nodded; she was just a little disappointed, but she didn't dwell on it.

Shen Ying stroked her chin and asked, "Xiao Tai, if all men can take the exam, can all of us go too?"

Su Tai was speechless. "Uncle, that's theoretically correct, but where in the county are we going to find so many exam rooms to accommodate so many candidates? Those who can't even read all the characters shouldn't go."

Thinking of this, Su Tai felt it was necessary to remind Shen Yi to conduct a preliminary test first, at least to filter out those who were illiterate yet blindly confident, otherwise even the largest place wouldn't be enough.

Shen Ying frowned, "In that case, there really aren't many people from our Zhaohua County who can take the exam!"

A few years ago, the number of literate people in Zhaohua County could be counted on one hand. Those who were literate were mostly from wealthy families. It was only in the last two years, when they started village schools, that they barely caught up. Other villages didn't have their resources, so they could only watch helplessly as such a good thing came along.

Su Tai wholeheartedly agreed, "So this is an opportunity for us to let the children in the village work hard during this period, especially those who are over ten years old. With a little more effort, the chance to change their family's fortunes is right in front of them."

Everyone was moved by Su Tai's words and wished they could go home immediately to urge their children to study hard.

Some who had previously been reluctant to spend money and only sent one child to the village school secretly regretted it and immediately ran up to Shen Ying, shouting, "Village Chief, I want to send my second, third, fourth, and fifth children to school."

"And my family too, my kid wants to sign up!" (End of Chapter)