Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 4 A Last Stand

He's really gone!

This scene shocked the elegant and wealthy Madam Cui, who angrily pointed at the door, her face trembling.

In ancient times, this was no ordinary matter.

The way nobles maintained their rule was specifically manifested in 'rites'.

Cao Cao's own son, Cao Zhi, was essentially disqualified from vying for the throne simply by dismounting at the Sima Gate, and dozens of people were killed in the process.

The gates of aristocratic families were equally imposing and unapproachable.

As a son born out of wedlock, Song Shi'an, though not a very good person, was merely lazy and mediocre. For the past twenty years, he had basically lived a life of quiet defiance in the Song family and had never used the main gate even once.

Even during a torrential downpour when no one was on duty at the side gate, he waited patiently, not daring to break the rules.

But now, he barged right in front of them!

They still sneak away!
"This beast...how dare he!"

Completely, Song Jing's sore spot was touched, and he was furious.

"master!"

At this moment, Jiang, her face filled with fear, ran over and pleaded, "Shi'an was just traumatized by the drowning and lost his mind, that's why he did such a ridiculous thing. Please don't blame him, I will punish him severely when we get back..."

"You wretched woman, it's all your fault for not disciplining her properly that she raised this beast!" Madam Cui pointed at Jiang and cursed, her voice filled with disgust.

"Stop talking! My Song family doesn't have such a scoundrel. If he dares to come back, I'll beat him to death!"

Song Jing was a man of his word; he was absolutely not lying. Jiang Shi knew he wasn't joking, so she immediately knelt down, hugged his legs, and cried out, "Master, Shi An..."

"Open it, then close it back inside."

But Song Jing showed no mercy, pointing at Jiang Shi and saying sternly, "If you dare to plead for him again, you and he can both get out of here!"

"Master, today is an important day for the young master's imperial examination. Please don't be angry, please don't be angry..."

Song Gan quickly used this reason to comfort Song Jing, which indeed calmed Song Jing down a bit.

Just because your cousin is a jerk doesn't mean you should forget it's your own son's big day.

But if this cousin dares to come back, he's really doomed.

The eldest daughter of the Song family trembled as she looked toward the gate of the mansion, seeing her father so angry for the first time.

.........

Life is truly lived for tens of thousands of days.

Or did it repeat tens of thousands of times in just one day?
Song Shi'an knew that his mother would have a hard time after he impulsively barged through the main gate.

But Jiang has been living such a difficult life for more than a decade.

At first, things were fine. Cui gave birth to several daughters in a row, while Song Jing only had one son, him.

At that time, Song Shi'an still felt the warmth of his father's arms.

The name 'Shi'an,' which signifies health and stability, was carefully chosen by Song Jing.

But after Lady Cui gave birth to Song Ce, the situation changed completely.

That's the legitimate son.

So, am I going to keep repeating this kind of life?

Who would want to be a turtle after time-traveling?

Trying to regain lost status and respect after achieving fame and fortune will only earn you accusations of being frivolous and opportunistic, making you seem petty, vindictive, and lacking in magnanimity.

But even when he's still a pile of stinking dog shit, he dares to rebel. If he becomes successful in the future, the evaluation will be: "He was extremely reckless in his youth, different from ordinary people, and had great ambitions."

Everything depends on this imperial examination.

If I really finish the exam, pass it, and even get a decent ranking, my father won't keep me away from home for the rest of my life.

Of course, I definitely can't go back today.

He couldn't confirm whether he could still travel through time a second time.

After leaving the mansion, he saw the carriage ahead preparing to leave, so he immediately chased after it.

"Stop."

He called out to the driver after they reached the side.

The coachman glanced at him and froze.

The next moment, Song Shi'an climbed up from the back of the carriage and sat directly next to Song Ce.

"..." Song Ce was even more wooden than the coachman, turning his head to look at him with utter confusion.

How's your brother's exam preparation going?

Song Shi'an seemed completely unfazed by this strange treatment. After adjusting himself, he settled comfortably into the carriage.

Song Ce, who was sitting next to him, ignored him and continued to look down at the book of poetry he was holding in one hand.

Since the young master inside the carriage had no requests, the coachman set off.

Thinking of Song Shi'an's earlier shout of "Stop!", he snorted with considerable disdain.

This illegitimate son must be out of his mind, what does he think he is? Song Ce ignored him, so Song Shi'an didn't bother him anymore. As the carriage moved forward, he pulled back the side curtain and peeked out, observing with great interest.

Although it was called the provincial examination, it did not mean that the examination was held in the countryside. Rather, it was held in the capital of each prefecture, which was equivalent to the provincial capital.

Sheng'an is the capital, not a municipality directly under the central government; administratively, it belongs to Sizhou.

Candidates from all over Sili Prefecture traveled to the capital to take the provincial examination.

Incidentally, the exam questions were the same throughout the country, and the exam papers were escorted to the capitals of each prefecture by the Imperial Guards; there were no separately prepared exam papers.

The Song family mansion, where Song Shi'an lived, was located within the imperial city.

The imperial guards, major institutions, the Imperial Household Department, the Court of Justice, high-level prisons, and so on, were all located within the Imperial City. The residences of high-ranking officials of the fourth rank and above were also generally built within the Imperial City.

First, it distinguishes them from ordinary citizens; second, the imperial city has better security; and third, high-ranking officials need to attend court meetings regularly, while Sheng'an City is too large and the outer city has cramped transportation, requiring more than an hour to commute, which is too far.

Living in the capital also had its inconveniences; there was little entertainment, and not even a stall selling sesame cakes on the street.

The Sizhou provincial examination was held in the examination hall outside the city of Sheng'an.

Once you leave the capital, everything changes.

Even if it wasn't a dedicated East Market or West Market, the main streets were bustling with people from all walks of life, vendors and laborers, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere.

Song Shi'an believes that the level of production and economic prosperity during this period was similar to that of the early Tang Dynasty.

In some ways, it even has a bit of the feel of the Song Dynasty.

On the streets, you can already see quite a few test takers.

Among the candidates for the provincial examination, sons of powerful and wealthy families like Song Shi'an and Song Ce were actually a minority.

The majority were still the small landowners.

There are many children from poor families, but very few from completely impoverished backgrounds can actually pass the exams.

The top ten candidates among the Juren (successful candidates in the imperial examinations) were very popular, and almost all of them had an official father.

After more than half an hour, the carriage finally arrived at the posting area outside the examination hall.

Just like the examination hall for the National College Entrance Examination, the streets outside the examination hall were already packed with people.

It is said that there are nearly two thousand candidates in Sizhou this year, but less than one hundred will be admitted.

In other words, the acceptance rate is less than five percent.

The score seems high because these candidates were already scholars (xiucai).

The imperial examination for the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) also screened out 90%

Of course, the difficulty of passing the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai was not very high. Most of those who failed the exam many times were only literate and could recite a poem. Compared to studying, they spent most of their time helping their families with labor, such as farming.

If you study properly, there's no way you won't pass the imperial examination to become a scholar.

If a scholar fails the imperial examination, it's not a matter of feudal oppression or the court setting a trap.

"Tell my mother that I won't be coming home for the next few days after the exam. I have an appointment with the son of the Northern Commandant."

After getting off the carriage, Song Shi'an threw the last string of cash he had on him to the driver.

"Thank you, sir."

The driver accepted it with both hands, nodding with a smile.

But after the other party turned around, he immediately changed his expression with disdain and put the money away.

Song Ce was walking down the road with his book in his hand when, without him noticing, Song Shi'an was already walking alongside him, walking very naturally.

Song Ce ignored it.

"Jingming!"

Just then, the three people saw Song Ce. One of them called out his courtesy name, and then they all gathered around him.

At the same time, they ignored Song Shi'an as if they hadn't seen him at all.

Zhu Song, the eldest son of Guo Xin, the Deputy Envoy of the State, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Dayu.

The two sons of the Director of the Sizhou Water Conservancy Bureau, Lu Qingyan and Lu Mingbo, are responsible for the waterways of Sizhou.

Although the three of them also came from distinguished families, they were still inferior to Song Ce. In addition, among the four, he was the most knowledgeable and the best-looking, so the walking formation naturally became him being surrounded in the middle.

Song Shi'an was directly squeezed out by Nima.

"Hey, what do you think will be on the policy essay exam this time?" Zhu Song asked.

“I have a feeling they’ll be testing redundant officials,” Lu Qingyan said.

His younger brother, Lu Mingbo, retorted, "This question has been on the test before."

"What if they fabricate a false case and make us answer it?"

"That's possible too."

"Indeed, it seems that this has been the practice for several consecutive sessions."

"After all, some things are too sensitive."

As everyone expressed their opinions, Song Ce, who was usually quiet and didn't speak up much, said, "This year's war with Qi in the north is something we should pay attention to."

(End of this chapter)