Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 3 Scientific Expedition Days
Although Song Shi'an was very good at exams and rarely underperformed, it was a completely different kind of ancient imperial examination, so he went through all the provincial examination papers from the past few decades.

And, the model essays of the top scholar in each year's imperial examination.

That is, the exam paper of the provincial top scorer.

Surprisingly, despite Song Shi'an of Dayu having prepared for the exam for so many years, the scrolls in his study were still almost wrinkle-free.

This guy isn't learning anything at all.

But there's good news too: the new body has a brand new brain.

The provincial examination consisted of two parts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Poetry and essays, policy discussions.

Poetry and prose are generally assigned topics; given a topic, one is asked to compose a poem or prose piece to test the candidate's writing skills.

Policy essays are similar to civil service essays. They present a real national issue and require students to write a solution or an analysis of the root causes of the problem, thus assessing their governance abilities.

Neither subject uses a grading system; they use a ranking system.

First, assess the articles based on their content, assigning them grades: A, B, C, and D. Then, rank the articles within each grade.

Being first in a single subject means being first in the top grade.

Moreover, it was quite tailored to the individual; if one of the two subjects was exceptionally good, reaching Grade A, then even if the other subject was poor, at Grade C or D, one could still pass the imperial examination.

In other words, writing good prose and poetry could lead to passing the imperial examination.

A well-written policy essay can lead to success in the imperial examinations.

After all, there is a great demand for materials science and practical talents in government.

However, if you can achieve a grade of A in one subject, you will generally do well in the other subject as well.

However, to become the top scholar in the provincial college entrance examination, it is not enough to simply achieve first place in one subject.

The Six Arts of a Gentleman: In ancient times, officials were required to be all-rounders.

Unsurprisingly, every year's top scholar is a top talent with excellent writing skills, calligraphy, and profound policy analysis.

Even Song Shi'an, who passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty and was known as a 'prodigy' in his hometown, did not achieve the top rank in the provincial examination; he only ranked second to tenth.

"call……"

Exhausted by evening, Song Shi'an felt confident about tomorrow's exam.

If one were to take the exam through conventional means, the chances of passing would be low.

The only way to challenge the successful candidates in the provincial examinations is through the depth of their policy essays.

After all, as a modern person, he was at a natural disadvantage when it came to poetry and prose.

But no problem.

Isn't the literary foundation I've accumulated over the years a testament to my knowledge?
"Sleep, sleep."

Without overworking himself before the exam to the point of disrupting his biological clock, Song Shi'an went to bed early.

He blew out the lamp beside him, lay on the bed, and looked at the outline of the hanging beams illuminated by the moonlight through the paper window. He gradually accepted the fact that he had traveled through time.

Since I've struck it lucky, I can only honestly accept my current life.

wrong.

I was even a little excited.

Letting a man from Shandong play a real-life version of a promotion simulator, that would be so awesome!
.........

At dawn, the sun rises, and a sliver of light appears in the sky.

The city gates opened, and the market commenced.

Song Shi'an maintained his original routine, waking up early, getting dressed, brushing his teeth and washing his face before going to Jiang's room.

"Why did you get up so early today, my son?" Jiang asked with a smile, as she was embroidering in her room.

“Isn’t there an exam coming up?” Song Shi’an said.

"It's still early," Jiang said, then turned to the maid in the room and said, "Bring breakfast here."

"Yes, madam." The maidservant did as instructed and left the room.

Generally speaking, aristocratic families would have breakfast in garden pavilions or halls.

But Song Shi'an, being an illegitimate son, certainly couldn't sit at the main table; he usually ate with Jiang Shi.

However, this is not always the case. If the mother's family is powerful, even if she is born out of wedlock, her status in the family will not be too low.

However, Jiang was born into a family of commoners, a servant girl whose social status was even lower than that of ordinary people. Her family were also ordinary people, so she could not have any unrealistic ideas.

After a while, the maid brought in breakfast.

"Then, Mother, I'm going to take the exam."

After a very simple meal, Song Shi'an took his exam admission pass and left Jiang's room. "Okay, do your best in the exam."

After Jiang finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something, quickly got up, picked up her packed bundle, and chased after him, calling out, "Hey, this child!"

Beyond the side room lies the courtyard of the Song residence.

The pavilion by the water is adorned with clusters of flowers, winding and turning.

Although the mansion of the magistrate of Sheng'an could not compare to the mansions of those top officials, it was still quite spacious and impressive.

The thought that Song Shi'an couldn't even get a single tile out of such a vast estate stirred within him an urge to steal something from the house.

After walking for a while, we finally arrived at the central courtyard between the main house and the main gate.

At this moment, Song Shi'an stopped in his tracks.

A large group of people stood in front of the main house, their faces beaming with joy. Even Song Jing, who was usually serious and rigid, had a faint smile on his face.

The woman next to Song Jing, who was considerably older than Jiang Shi but had fair and delicate skin, a round and lustrous figure, and an air of nobility, and who looked to be around forty years old, was the mistress of the house, Madam Cui.

The eldest daughter of the Cui family of Jingzhao.

The Cui family was one of the five prominent families in the capital, even more illustrious than the Song family of Huai County.

"My Ce'er is truly handsome and born into wealth."

Madam Cui stroked Song Ce's cheek with a smile.

At this moment, Song Gan, the head steward of the Song family, who was bowing beside him, exclaimed with admiration, "I have never seen such a young master before. He is truly radiant and like a god."

These words immediately pleased Madam Cui, who smiled and raised her hand, saying, "A reward."

Then, someone offered Song Gan a reward.

Song Gan bowed and scraped as he accepted the gift with both hands: "Thank you, Madam. Thank you, Young Master."

Despite being surrounded by so many admirers, the young man in white remained remarkably calm.

Calm and collected, almost pretentious.

"Ce'er, remember what I told you yesterday," Song Jing instructed.

“Father, I remember.”

Song Ce nodded.

Then, he took a few steps back, knelt down, and kowtowed to his parents.

"Shi'an, you forgot your rations."

Jiang chased after them and stuffed a bundle into their hands.

Seeing the harmonious scene over there, his expression darkened, and then he squeezed his son's hand tightly: "Son, do well on the exam."

"I know mother."

Carrying a bundle of dry rations, Song Shi'an nodded to Jiang Shi and walked towards the gate of the mansion.

"Father, Mother, I'm leaving."

After rising and solemnly bidding farewell to the two, Song Ce exited through the main gate, accompanied by the coachman of the Song family.

"If he passes the imperial examination at fifteen, he'll be even better than you were back then, right?" Madam Cui teased, watching her son's retreating figure.

“What’s wrong with a son being better than his father?” Song Jing couldn’t help but show his doting on Song Ce, but he quickly added seriously, “They haven’t even taken the exam yet, so don’t talk nonsense.”

"Everyone praises my son for his exceptional intelligence and talent, saying he has the potential to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). What difficulty could a mere Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial imperial examinations) possibly pose?"

"There are also distinctions among the successful candidates in the provincial examinations: the top scholar, the second-best scholar, and the general scholar."

As the two were chatting and opening champagne ahead of them, somewhat lost in their own world, Song Shi'an suddenly strolled past them.

And when they met, they bowed with their hands clasped in a symbolic gesture of respect.

Upon seeing him, Madam Cui's face immediately fell, revealing disdain.

However, as he walked away, her disdainful expression turned to surprise. Then anger, and she quickly reminded Song Jing, "Aji."

Seeing Song Shi'an getting closer and closer to the main gate, Song Jing, who was called 'Aji', angrily cursed, "You bastard! How dare you walk like that?!"

In ancient times, only the master, his wife, his eldest children, and royal guests could enter the gates of official households.

Apart from the gatekeepers, any servant who dared to leave was considered an insubordination and could be beaten to death.

"..."

Song Shi'an, who had been sternly reprimanded, stopped in his tracks.

Then, the next moment, carrying a bundle of dry rations, he suddenly rushed out of the main gate in front of everyone.

(End of this chapter)