Di Ming

Chapter 167 A Group of Women Sending Off the Exam

It's currently the height of the autumn heatwave, making Nanjing unbearably hot and humid, and the exams will last for nine consecutive days. This will be a real test of the candidates' physical health.

The examinations were held over nine days, with three sessions. Only on the nights following the first and second sessions could candidates leave the examination hall for a short rest to replenish their writing materials, food, candlesticks, and other supplies.

Apart from those nine days and six nights, I was in the examination hall.

Many people couldn't hold on and collapsed in the examination room, or became seriously ill after the exam, or even died from the illness and became "ghosts" of the examination room.

Legend has it that the examination hall was haunted by many ghosts who would come out at night to haunt and harm the candidates, making it a terrifying and frightening place.

The provincial examination was said to last nine days, but it was actually ten. This was because candidates needed to arrive a day in advance, mainly to queue and be searched.

There were as many as 5,000 candidates taking the exam in the entire Southern Zhili region, and it would take several hours to search them all. Of course, they could only enter the examination hall one day in advance.

Moreover, before entering the venue, a collective sacrifice is held to Confucius, the God of Literature, and the God of Literature.

Therefore, Zhu Yinchu set off from the Imperial College early in the morning, following the group of candidates from the Imperial College, to the Confucius Temple to worship Confucius.

Because the exam was held in Nanjing, the Imperial College even skipped the "guest etiquette" that was highly valued by candidates from other places.

The students taking the exam will gather and line up on Jixian Street outside the Imperial College.

Meanwhile, outside the gates of the Imperial College, many family members were waiting.

Zhu Yin, dressed in a scholar's robe and turban, exuded a refined and energetic air, making him stand out among the adults.

This is an eleven-year-old examinee! There's no examinee younger than him in the entire Southern Zhili region.

However, many people believe that Zhu Xiaoshentong is mostly going there for a trial, and the chances of him passing the exam are very small.

As soon as Zhu Yin stepped out of Jinxian Gate, he spotted Ning Caiwei.

Ning Caiwei stood next to Ning Qingchen, followed by Xiao Hei, with Hongying and Galuo on either side. Several women carried examination baskets, food boxes, and bundles, all looking expectant.

Zhao Chan'er also arrived; she came to pick up Gu Qiyuan.

Just as Zhu Yin was about to step forward and speak to Ning Caiwei, he suddenly spotted two familiar faces.

Zhuang Shu and Tang Rong!
The two girls, each carrying a food box and a bundle, were smiling at him.

Today, they were clearly dressed in exquisite makeup, looking radiant. One had eyebrows like spring mountains, the other eyes like autumn waters. The two fragrant, delicate, and rosy-cheeked young ladies stood out in the crowd like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, attracting considerable attention.

"Young Tiger!" Zhuang Shu stepped forward first, looking at Zhu Yin with eyes full of affection, "I wish you a great victory and success in the imperial examination! I prayed for you in front of the God of Zitong yesterday."

After saying that, he pointed to the food box in the maid's hand, "This is food I prepared especially for you, as well as some to refresh your mind and keep you alert. Zhihu, you must be careful when answering the questions, and don't make any mistakes or break any taboos... If you miss this opportunity, you'll have to wait another three years."

"These past few days have been tough, but no matter how tough or tiring it is, you have to persevere and you'll get through it."

Miss Zhuang was filled with both anticipation and worry, her heart pounding with uncertainty.

Zhu Yin could only nod and smile, "Then thank you, Fourth Sister." He then let Kangxi take the food box.

Tang Rong, carrying a food box, stepped forward with a smile, her eyes shining brightly, and said softly:

"Little tiger, true gold fears no fire. In this triennial autumn imperial examination, you really have to be like a little tiger, not a spineless shrimp. Even if you have to roll on a bed of nails, climb a mountain of knives, or plunge into a sea of ​​fire these next few days, you have to grit your teeth and get through it."

"Sister, I've already prayed for you."

The two women appeared to have come together, but in fact they came separately and just happened to bump into each other.

Zhuang Shu secretly rolled her eyes at her cousin, inwardly grumbling that she'd come to join in the fun today. How boring! What kind of cousin is she? Shouldn't there be some order of arrival?

Friends are gone!

"Ladies, please make way." A clear, childlike voice said from behind, its tone cold and distant.

The two women turned their heads together and saw Ning Caiwei standing behind them with a faint smile, like a beautifully crafted flower tree, with an extraordinary charm.

Ning Caiwei said to Zhu Yin, "Your health is the most important thing. Don't push yourself. If you don't do well on the test, you can try again next time. Little Tiger, you're only eleven years old after all, and your strength hasn't fully developed yet."

"If you feel that your body can no longer hold on, apply to withdraw from the exam. Do not try to tough it out, lest you develop health problems later."

The two women looked at each other and sneered.

"Thank you both for your kindness, I appreciate it," Ning Caiwei said to the two women, her smile carrying a hint of sarcasm. "The little tiger has enough to eat, it can't possibly eat too much."

Zhuang Shu glanced at Ning Caiwei's "big feet" in wooden clogs and smiled confidently and calmly.

"Let's bring it in," Zhuang Shuluo said generously. "Who would complain about having too much stuff?"

I thought to myself, "With your big feet, how dare you put on airs?"

Once Zhu Yin passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, will he still marry you as his principal wife? Dream on.

Seeing the three beautiful girls surrounding Zhu Yin, all the candidates couldn't help but feel envious.

This is a group of beauties seeing off the examinees.

Many students from poor families are short of money. It is already difficult enough for them to travel a long distance from other places to take the exam, let alone have extra money to buy fine food.
They could only bring dry food and pickled vegetables to stave off hunger.

Therefore, the Xuan Society allocated special funds to provide food subsidies worth one tael of silver to poor members who participated in the exam.

"Chikara." Suddenly a familiar voice came.

But it was Shen Yiguan who arrived.

"Sir!" Zhu Yin quickly bowed. "It's so hot today, why are you doing this..."

"I've come to see you off," Shen Yiguan said with a smile, stroking his beard. "Once you're in the exam hall, all you need to do is keep your mind calm."

"It is precisely because the examination room is like a battlefield that a general's demeanor is needed, remaining calm and composed before the battle even begins, and giving decisive command."

"Yes! Thank you for your guidance, sir."

Shen Yiguan gave a few instructions and then drifted away.

Zhu Yin and the other candidates from Nanyong Academy waited for only half an hour on Jixian Street before all the candidates gathered. Then, led by a doctor from the Imperial Academy, they headed towards the Confucius Temple.

Five thousand candidates who had arrived in Nanjing gathered in a grand procession from all directions toward the Confucius Temple gate, carrying various banners.

Zhu Yin and other students of the Imperial Academy were called "Students of the Imperial Academy," and there were also "Yingtian Prefectural School," "Songjiang Prefectural School," "Suzhou Prefectural School," and so on, totaling more than a dozen names. The officials leading the group were all instructors (academic officials).

Candidates from different backgrounds, dressed in identical Confucian scholar robes, stood solemnly before the Pan River in the Confucius Temple, glaring at each other and secretly competing.

Then, the carriages of the Minister of Rites of Nanjing, the Governor of Yingtian, the Imperial Inspector, and the Prefect arrived. After the officials alighted from their sedan chairs, they personally led all the examinees into the Confucius Temple to hold a pre-exam ceremony to worship Confucius.

After the ceremony to worship Confucius, more than 5,000 candidates, carrying flags and marching in a long procession along Gongyuan Street, arrived at Gongyuan Square amidst a sea of ​​onlookers.

The Nanjing Examination Hall was adjacent to the Yingtian Prefectural School, bordered by the Confucius Temple to the west, the Qinhuai River to the south, and Qiwang Street to the north, covering an area of ​​about one li (approximately 500 meters) and containing nearly 10,000 examination rooms.

From afar, the crowd could see that the walls of the examination hall were covered in lush greenery. Many of the visiting candidates found this quite novel.

Originally, the examination hall had two outer walls, which were deliberately planted with a lot of thorns as a "protective barrier," making it very difficult to climb over. Therefore, the examination hall was also known as the "thorny gate."

At this moment, Gongyuan Street, Dongpailou, and Xufu Street, which are close to the Gongyuan, as well as Chaoku Street across the river, are already packed with people, their sleeves billowing like clouds, creating a bustling and chaotic scene.

Tens of thousands of Nanjing residents came to watch the spectacle and soak up the literary atmosphere.

Because of the hot and humid weather and the crowded conditions, the air was filled with the smell of sweat.

A fortune teller in the city held up the sky and said to people, "Today in Nanjing, the literary energy in the sky has formed clouds that soar straight into the heavens, startling the twenty-eight constellations and all the gods and Buddhas in the sky."

In the huge square in front of the examination hall, soldiers from the Five Cities Military Command, Yingtian Prefecture, and Jiangning County had long been maintaining order with sentries every three steps and guards every five steps, making it difficult for outsiders to approach.

It was now the hour of Si (9-11 AM), and all five thousand examinees and a large group of officials had gathered in the square.

The Minister of Rites read out the official document regarding the provincial examinations, and hereby issues this decree.

Next, the imperial inspector read out the examination rules. Then, an incense table was set up in front of the gate to worship the examination gods: Guan Yu, Zitong, and Wenquxing.

The instructors from each prefecture took turns swearing an oath on behalf of their respective candidates before the incense table: to abide by discipline and never cheat.

After the oaths were taken in turn, two banners were erected on either side of the incense table to summon the ghosts of those who had passed the imperial examinations over the years, dispel their resentment, and ensure a smooth start to the examinations.

After all that's done, it's time to fire the cannons and open the dragon gate.

The master of ceremonies stood before the ceremonial gate and announced loudly: "The provincial examination of the year Wuzi in Yingtian—the dragon gate is open!"

Immediately afterwards, the three cannons in the square were fired in turn.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three cannon shots rang out, the gate was opened, and a search began.

At the same time, all family members and spectators were driven away by soldiers and were not allowed to stay in front of the examination hall.

Furthermore, the entire Gongyuan Street will be sealed off, and unauthorized personnel will not be allowed to approach.

For a time, many family members were calling out to their children with sorrowful voices, as if their loved ones were going to the battlefield instead of the examination hall.

The students turned around together to say goodbye to their families.

Tears streamed down the face of everyone in front of the examination hall.

Zhu Yin turned around and looked at Ning Caiwei, Ning Qingchen and others in the crowd, waving goodbye to each other.

"Little Tiger!" Ning Caiwei shouted in a clear voice, "Your health is important! Don't push yourself too hard!"

"Little tiger!" Ning Qingchen called out in her childish voice, "Health comes first!"

Zhu Yin's eyes welled up with tears, and he nodded with a smile through his eyes.

"Young Tiger!" Zhuang Shu shouted, "May the God of Exams protect you! May you achieve immediate success!"

Tang Rong clenched her fists: "The examination room is like a battlefield! Be fierce and powerful!"

Zhu Yin waved politely in return.

Soon, everyone was cleared out.

The search was very thorough; not only were all the luggage checked, but even the clothes, shoes, and hats were inspected.

Even though there is more than one inspection channel, the process is still very slow.

The crowd was dense, the sun was blazing, and everyone was sweating profusely. Even Zhu Yin was finding it hard to keep up.

An hour later, an elderly examinee with white hair finally collapsed and was carried out of the line.

Everyone felt that time was moving very slowly, and the autumn sun was too harsh.

Zhu Yin couldn't help but say, "Sigh, they're so stupid."

Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from ahead, "I was wrong! I was wrong! Please forgive me this once!"

Upon closer inspection, everyone noticed that one of the candidates had a miniature copy of "Expanded Four Books and Essential Instructions" found in his possession.

Although the book is extremely small, it is printed in tiny characters and includes a great deal of content from the Four Books and Zhu Xi's commentaries, making it a veritable cheating tool.

"Seize him!" At the invigilator's command, the soldiers, as fierce as wolves, pounced on him, seized the smuggled candidate, and quickly took him away.

The faces of the crowd immediately turned pale. Some were gloating, some felt sorry for their own kind, and some were uneasy.

It wasn't until more than an hour later that it was Zhu Yin's turn.

There's nothing wrong with his things, but he has too much stuff and he's young.

The proctor simply sent someone to help him carry his things so they could go inside together.

After passing through the search and entering the examination hall, Zhu Yin finally breathed a sigh of relief. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his face was flushed from the sun.

After entering the gate, the first thing you see is a tall archway, which is where the results of the announcements are posted.

Behind the archway is the Kui Tower, which enshrines Wenquxing (the God of Literature) and Wenchang Dijun (the God of Literature).

Turn past the Kui Tower, you'll find the main building of the Imperial Examination Hall, the Mingyuan Tower, built in the thirteenth year of the Jiajing reign.

The Mingyuan Tower, a three-story building, is tall and majestic. It echoes the watchtowers at the four corners of the examination hall and serves as the central hub for examiners to oversee the entire venue and issue commands.

The huge examination area is located on the east and west sides of Mingyuan Building.

The two examination areas, east and west, consist of rows of examination rooms that look like vegetable greenhouses, densely packed together. These are the examination rooms, a very fitting name.

Each examination booth is numbered, and the numbers are all taken from the odd numbers in the "Thousand Character Classic". For example, the "Heaven" and "Black" examination booths in "Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow" are called "Heaven Number" and "Black Number".

Each long examination hall has dozens or even hundreds of examination cells, divided into different categories.

North of the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall) was not the examination area, but rather a large number of government offices, government buildings, and pavilions. These were the offices of officials such as examiners, supervisors, copyists, and sealers.

Zhu Yin's cell was the ninth room in the Yun series.

The rooms were assigned randomly, with each room number assigned to a specific number. Upon finding his room using the floating ticket, Zhu Yin breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but celebrate.

Thankfully, it wasn't a "shitboard".

The so-called "feces sheds" were the cells next to the latrines. There were many latrines on both sides of the examination hall; those were dry latrines.

If you're assigned to a latrine, you're in for a world of hurt. Not only will the stench of excrement and urine kill you, but the flies and mosquitoes will also make your life miserable.

Although Zhu Yin's cell wasn't in the best location, it was still about seven or eight zhang (approximately 33-40 meters) away from the nearest latrine. The smell should be very faint. In reality, with so many latrines and such hot weather, only a very few cells were completely odorless.

Zhu Yin was already very satisfied with the location of this cell.

But upon seeing the scene in the cell, Zhu Yin frowned again.

The examination hall is only opened once every three years, and by then it's covered in cobwebs, overgrown with weeds, and dusty. After entering, the candidates have to clean it themselves.

Zhu Yin saw that the door to his examination room was sealed by a large spider web, and a spider web spirit sat calmly in the middle, waiting with its web spread.

"Spider Fairy, we all share the surname Zhu, please forgive me, I'm sorry."

After Zhu Yin finished speaking, he chased away the spider and brushed away the spider web.

Just as he was about to go in and clear the weeds, a stray cat meowed and darted out from under the table, bringing with it a choking cloud of dust, as it swept past Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin nimbly dodged, avoiding getting covered in the dust kicked up by the stray cat.

Before Zhu Yin could even take a look, a scream suddenly came from the cell next to him, "Ah! Snake! Snake!"

At the same time, a scholar in his early twenties rushed out of his cell in a panic, his headscarf falling off.

Clearly frightened.

"Silence! No noise allowed!" shouted the proctoring soldier.

The people cleaning the surrounding cells also poked their heads out, looking over with surprise.

Zhu Yin looked and saw a very beautiful snake coiled up in the examinee's cell. He recognized it as a famous non-venomous snake called the Jade-spotted Rat Snake, commonly known as the Beauty Snake.

The "beautiful snake" was not only beautiful, but also docile and non-venomous. In later generations, it was a very valuable pet snake, costing tens of thousands of yuan.

This jade-spotted serpent was less than two feet long and was only a half-grown snake, yet it terrified the scholar so much that he wet himself.

The poor, beautiful snake was also frightened by the human's screams and tried to run away.

"Don't be afraid! It's not poisonous!" Zhu Yin rushed in and, with quick eyes and hands, grabbed the beautiful jade-spotted serpent.

Zhu Yin had caught snakes more than once.

Startled, the beautiful snake coiled its slender body around Zhu Yin's wrist, the sensation being cool and refreshing.

Zhu Yin smiled and tucked the snake into his sleeve, comforting the scholar, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The scholar's face turned bright red. Instead of thanking Zhu Yin, he glared at him fiercely.

He was terrified and overreacted, already feeling ashamed, but Zhu Yin, a child, wasn't afraid, which made him even more embarrassed in front of everyone.

"Huh?" Zhu Yin didn't expect this person to be so narrow-minded, not only ungrateful but also offending him.

Zhu Yin ignored the man, put the snake into his bundle, and began cleaning the cell as if nothing had happened.

The people around Zhu Yin immediately cast strange looks at him.

This young boy has such courage; no wonder he dared to take the exam at such a young age.

Those who knew Zhu Yin nodded to him. The exam wasn't until tomorrow, so it wasn't wrong to greet him today.

The cell was extremely small, barely a square meter in Zhu Yin's opinion, and smaller than a bed.

Moreover, the walls were very low, making it difficult for tall people to stand upright. It was more like a prison than an examination room. As the saying goes, "It was so wide that it couldn't even hold a mat, and the eaves were level with the eyebrows."

Zhu Yin suddenly recalled Pu Songling's description of the examination rooms. The author of Liaozhai said that the examination rooms were like a beehive, "each room with its head sticking out and its feet sticking out, like cold bees in late autumn."

"That's really true." Thinking of the vivid metaphors used by the author of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, Zhu Yin couldn't help but chuckle.

This laugh immediately drew the attention of the proctor beside him. He couldn't understand why this young examinee was laughing for no reason when everyone else looked solemn and on high alert.

But the soldier immediately took a liking to this young candidate who was so cute and brave.

"Young master, let me help you clean up." The soldier drew his sword and actually helped Zhu Yin clean the cell.

He used his knife to cut through the grass in the cell, quickly pulled it out, and piled it outside the cell.

It turns out that, in order to monitor the candidates, there was a soldier outside each examination room, called the "examination room soldier".

There are 5,000 candidates this time, which means that 5,000 soldiers will need to be mobilized just for the military.

The sources of the troops were numerous. In addition to the military garrisons of the Five Cities, and the yamen runners of Yingtian Prefecture, Jiangning, and Shangyuan counties, there were also the Nanjing Capital Garrison, Xiaoling Guard, Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jiangshui Flood Control Army, and so on.

However, the troops were also randomly selected and assigned.

For each major examination, nearly 10,000 soldiers had to be mobilized to maintain order in the examination hall.

The guards in charge of Zhu Yin's cell were strongmen from the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard, ordinary soldiers within the guard.

Zhu Yin quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother, what is your honorable name, and where do you work?"

The soldier smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "I am Yuan Zhao, a rough soldier, and I dare not accept your courtesy, young sir. I am currently working at the Elephant Training Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Nanjing."

It is not surprising that he, in his mid-twenties, referred to himself as a "petty person" to Zhu Yin, who was only eleven years old.

Because he was a soldier, while Zhu Yin was a scholar. There was a significant difference in their social status.

Zhu Yin's politeness made him feel somewhat flattered.

Zhu Yin asked, "The Elephant Training Command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard... Are there still elephants in Nanjing now? I remember that the Elephant Training Command was located in Guangxi."

Seeing his interest, Yuan Zhao patiently explained, "Yes, there are still twenty-four elephants in the elephant stables, for use in the imperial procession if the Emperor goes on a southern tour. However…"

At this point, he seemed to have something difficult to say, and changed the subject:

“Young Master is not wrong. The Elephant Training Thousand-Household Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is indeed in Guangxi, which is dedicated to capturing wild elephants and training war elephants. However, there is also an Elephant Training Hundred-Household Office in Nanjing and Beijing to manage the ceremonial elephants in the elephant stables.”

Zhu Yin then understood. It turned out that the elephant training command was divided into three parts: three hundred-household units were located in Guangxi, and the other two were located in the two capitals.

The elephant house on the shore of Danyang Lake in Nanjing still houses more than 20 elephants.

"I was so pleased to learn that there are elephants in Nanjing. I'll definitely go and see them sometime." Zhu Yin seemed quite pleased.

Yuan Zhao said with a shameful expression, "There are hundreds of elephant handlers in the Nanjing elephant stables. I am just a strongman who looks after the elephant handlers. If you want to enter the elephant stables to see the elephants, young master, I am powerless to help you and have no authority to allow you in."

Zhu Yin suddenly remembered that the wives and daughters of Huang Guan, Guo Ren and other "traitors of Jianwen" were married off by Zhu Di to elephant slaves who were being sent as tribute from the South Seas.

Knowing what was going on, he changed the subject and said sincerely:
"Brother Yuan, you don't even have a seat, it must be really tough for you. I really can't bear to see you accompany me for nine days."

The soldiers in the other cells nearby, seeing how polite Zhu Yin was to his soldiers, couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill towards him.

After cleaning the cell, Zhu Yin finally sat down inside.

Just then, the sun began to set. Yuan Zhao and the other soldiers also left and returned to their barracks where they were resting.

After sitting down, Zhu Yin discovered another advantage: because of his small stature, the cell didn't feel too cramped. For an adult, it would have been even more oppressive.

For nine days and six nights, we ate, slept, and took exams in this cramped space. Not far away were rows of outhouses, reeking of foul odors, swarming with flies, and swarming with mosquitoes…

Zhu Yin had never imagined it before, but now he finally understood why the cell conditions were so poor.

Even if there were many candidates, the examination hall was so large that it could easily provide a few square meters of high-quality examination rooms and maintain them properly, so it shouldn't have been this bad.

Why do you do this?

This is also a test.

To be able to take exams for nine consecutive days in such a harsh environment and still submit a paper without making any mistakes is something that not everyone can do.

This in itself is a form of selection: the imperial court needs officials who are patient, physically fit, and resilient.

This explains why the average lifespan of Ming Dynasty scholars who passed the imperial examinations exceeded sixty years, while the average lifespan of Ming Dynasty emperors was only forty-two years.

The cells were so cramped, yet outside each one was placed a charcoal stove and a basket of charcoal. This was for cooking and boiling water.

That's right, you can also bring rice, noodles, and vegetables to cook for yourself.

Isn't it said that a wise man keeps away from the kitchen? Well, that's not true now.

The so-called table was actually just a very simple slate, and the so-called chair was just a wooden board, both of which were stuck in the brick grooves on both sides.

During the day, the exams consisted of just one set of desks and chairs. At night, two boards were removed and pieced together to form a "bed."

Pu Songling put it well: it's truly the cold of late autumn.

Zhu Yin opened the food box and began to eat.

The food prepared by Ning Caiwei was exquisite and delicious, including meat dishes, milk candy, and milk powder.

The food prepared by Zhuang Shu and Tang Rong was also exquisite and elaborate, showing that the two women had put a lot of thought into it.

The exam is tomorrow, so I need to eat well, drink well, and sleep well tonight.

Otherwise, even with his good physique, it would be difficult for him to endure nine days in such a dreadful place.

By the time Zhu Yin finished his meal, night had fallen, and candles were lit in many of the cells. They looked like lamp niches in a temple, arranged in a long, neat row.

But in Zhu Yin's view, it was like a street lamp in later generations.

However, some cells were completely dark, without any lights. This was because these scholars were poor and had few candles, so they dared not use them carelessly.

Just then, squads of buglers carrying buckets of water began to water the area.

Many people were also holding water guns and firing water cannons. The entire examination room was damp and misty.

A group of buglers shouted loudly: "The examination room is dry, fire is merciless, be careful with fire! Prevent fires!"

It turns out it was for fire prevention.

In fact, this wasn't the first time the examination hall had caught fire. The imperial court couldn't afford to be careless.

Therefore, fire prevention is essential for every major exam.

It was quite bizarre that during the reign of Emperor Yingzong in the Tianshun era, after Yu Qian was killed, two fires broke out at the examination hall in Beijing. The first fire killed more than a dozen candidates, and the second fire killed more than seventy candidates, causing great shock throughout the country.

Emperor Yingzong, in his shock and fear, personally wrote a eulogy and posthumously awarded the titles of Juren and Jinshi to the martyrs. He decreed that the Juren who perished in the fire be buried outside Chaoyang Gate, and personally wrote the epitaph: "Tomb of the Talented Men of the World."

In Zhu Yin's view, this might be a warning from heaven about his study abroad in the Oirat Mongols and his wrongful execution of Yu Qian.
As Zhu Yin was pondering, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

It turned out to be that vengeful Hao Yunlai.

Look at his cell; it's even better than mine.

"Zhu Zhihu?" Hao Yunlai also saw Zhu Yin. "How are you feeling?"

Today is not an exam, and there are no locked-down cells yet, so we can still communicate with each other.

He arrived at Zhu Yin's cell, looked at the few candles Zhu Yin had lit, and his face flickered in the candlelight. "The Propaganda Society doesn't want me, but I can still take the exam."

"That's your skill." Zhu Yin stroked the snake in his hand, a half-smile on his face. "It's very cool, do you want to touch it?"

Hao Yunlai looked at the snake in Zhu Yin's hand with a hint of surprise, but then his expression returned to normal.

"Be careful it doesn't bite you. This thing may be small, but it's still a snake or insect, right?" Hao Yunlai seemed to be kindly reminding him, "Can you hold out for nine days?"

Zhu Yin nodded, "It should be possible."

Hao Yunlai chuckled, "That's good. I hope you pass the exam. The exam starts tomorrow, so make sure you get a good night's sleep. I heard the examination hall is haunted and haunted at night. Are you scared?"

Zhu Yin nodded, "I'm scared."

Hao Yunlai blinked and noticed that Zhu Yin didn't seem scared at all.

Would a child who isn't afraid of snakes be afraid of ghosts?
Hard to say.

"It's good to be rich; you can even light several candles," Hao Yunlai chuckled. "Tomorrow is the exam. I hope Chief Zhu will do well. It doesn't matter if you don't pass; there will be plenty of opportunities later. You're young; your health is the most important thing."

"Also, watch out, someone might steal your things tonight. For example... the exam ghost."

After saying that, he slowly left.

Zhu Yin watched Hao Yunlai's retreating figure and smiled faintly.

This guy is interesting.

Zhu Yin wanted to rest early and recharge his energy. He extinguished the candle, took down the two boards, and pieced them together to make a "bed".

Then take out the curtain and hang it up, and lay the mattress on top.

To prevent his belongings from being stolen and affecting tomorrow's exam, Zhu Yin put his luggage inside, which made the room even more cramped.

Before he knew it, Zhu Yin had fallen asleep.

But he was a former intelligence agent, so he was very vigilant. Even when he was asleep, he habitually maintained a state of alertness to the outside world.

In the middle of the night, he was suddenly awakened and saw a dark figure slip into his cell...

P.S.: This is a long chapter of over 7,000 words, please give me your support! I've revised the synopsis, please leave your comments and feedback. Thank you, goodnight.

(End of this chapter)