Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 49: The Imperial Examination Begins, and Those on the List Are Listed
(This is the last week of the new book charts. Although I don't have a chance to make it onto the list, I still want to ask everyone to support me!)

As a seasoned student, Chen Jin was already very familiar with the examination process:
Registration, insurance settlement, site visit...

All pre-exam preparations were carried out smoothly and were quite thorough.

Since Maoxian is a large county, examination venues are set up locally, so there is no need to go to the prefectural city, saving a lot of time, money and effort.

The day before the exam, Wang Fu visited the martial arts school and was not surprised to see that it had been transformed into a blacksmith shop.

It's clear that his recent period of seclusion and intensive study has made him much more composed and less impulsive: "Brother Chen, just as you said, people change, grow, and mature."

Chen Jin smiled and said, "That's good."

Nothing happened that night. The next day, the group of students got up early and went to the examination hall to line up and prepare to enter.

Besides the candidates taking the imperial examination, many relatives and friends also came to see them off. Some carried sugarcane, some led horses, and some held incense sticks...

All of these are considered unconventional tactics, providing support to test takers in form.

Beside Wang Fu was his entire family who had come to see him off to the exam; his parents, wife, and children were all present.

When Chen Jin first met Wang Fu's wife, she was not as out of shape as he had described; instead, she was a beautiful and graceful woman.

The two children are quite adorable and very polite.

In contrast, Chen Jin was all alone and traveled light.

None of the eldest uncle's family came. They felt that coming would be pointless and would only cause trouble and annoyance for Chen Jin.

After all, there are huge geographical differences between rural and urban residents, making things inconvenient for them.

Moreover, in their minds, Chen Jin was already capable of handling things on his own.

However, the Zhou family did arrive, surrounding Zhou Ming on the other side.

Although we were from the same hometown, we had different surnames and didn't usually get along, so we didn't greet each other.

Soon the time came, and the candidates lined up, underwent inspection, and filed into the examination hall.

Returning to this place several times brings new feelings.

Once inside, as Chen Jin passed through the front yard, he tried to sense the standing statue of a sage, but he did not perceive any spiritual or divine aura.

That makes sense. This statue is placed here and can only receive incense offerings on the day of the exam. At other times, it is deserted and has no spiritual energy.

It's just a formality.

The provincial examination consisted of two parts: the preliminary examination and the final examination. Each part lasted one day and was overseen by the provincial education commissioner. This was a high-ranking official of the third rank who had graduated from the Hanlin Academy, whose status was equivalent to that of a governor or imperial envoy, and who held a high position and great power.

However, these things are not relevant to the test takers and they have no access to them. What the test takers need to do is to do well in the exam and write their essays.

Two days later, after the exams ended, everyone reacted in different ways. Some sighed, some felt relieved, and some even burst into tears.

Wang Fulai invited Chen Jin to Maolin Pavilion for drinks, but he didn't ask about the exam questions or essays at all, showing remarkable composure.

Then he went to the Green Mountain Sword Shop and stared at the swords and utensils hanging on the wall in a daze.

When Shi Qifeng saw him, he joked, "Young Master Wang, you've passed the exam. Shouldn't you order a new sword to play with? My sword-making skills have improved a lot. The finished product is even better than your Qingyun Sword."

Wang Fu was somewhat tempted, then sighed, "For the past six months, I've been holding books and a pen all the time. My Qingyun sword has been hanging on the wall for a long time and hasn't been drawn."

Shi Qifeng blinked: "Oh, so you don't want to be a great hero anymore?"

Wang Fu coughed lightly: "Even a great hero needs to eat, and besides, I know my own limitations; I don't have that kind of skill."

Upon hearing this, Shi Qifeng burst into laughter: "You've finally figured it out."

Wang Fu smiled, but his smile held an indescribable bitterness. He changed the subject: "Have you heard? Our county magistrate, Lord Yang, is going to be promoted and transferred. The new county magistrate will be taking office soon." Chen Jin raised an eyebrow: "So?"

Wang Fu looked at him and slowly said, "It is said that the new county magistrate's surname is Zhao, and he comes from the Zhao family of Xinzhou."

Chen Jin remained unmoved: "So, you're related to that Chief Clerk Zhao?"

"Yes, but Zhao Zhubu is from a collateral branch of the family, while this Zhao County Magistrate is a true legitimate son, a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination)."

Wang Fu tried to glean some clues from Chen Jin's expression.

He always harbored doubts about the unsolved case involving Zhao Zhubu, but wisely refrained from asking him directly.

Chen Jin smiled and said, "That sounds impressive. I hope he will be a good official."

Wang Fu nodded: "I hope so too."

During Magistrate Yang's tenure, Maoxian County was prosperous and stable, and people were doing well.

After dinner, Shi Qifeng came to Chen Jin and asked, "Sir, do you think the new county magistrate might be targeting us?"

Chen Jin said calmly, "There's no need to be suspicious. So much time has passed, it's long since become an unsolved case. Even if he wanted to investigate, he wouldn't find any clues. I reckon it's just a normal personnel change in officialdom."

As a large county, the position of magistrate of Maoxian County has always been highly sought after. When Magistrate Yang was to be promoted and leave, the vacancy he left behind naturally attracted a lot of competition.

The fact that the Zhao family was able to stand out and that a member of the clan was able to rise to a high position is, by all accounts, the result of power struggles and political maneuvering within the bureaucracy. It's impossible that they specifically came here to take up this official post just to investigate Zhao Zhubu's case.

That would be putting the cart before the horse.

Shi Qifeng came from a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) background and had a rough, unrefined air about him. He was a complete novice when it came to the intricacies of officialdom.

Chen Jin added, "But the county has a new head official, and we don't know what kind of temperament the new official has or what kind of methods he will use. We should be careful in everything we do."

Shi Qifeng said in a deep voice, "Understood."

……

The grading of the provincial examinations was a self-contained system, with the heads of academies from other regions serving as grading heads. They were quite efficient at grading, since the content of the examinations was much simpler than that of the provincial and metropolitan examinations, and the workload was not as heavy.

Another point is that the level of the students varied greatly, and many of their essays were of such high or low quality that it was easy to tell the difference between them at a glance, resulting in less controversy.

Therefore, the day for the results to be released arrived in just a few days.

When the results of the provincial examination were released, I could not compare them to the list of successful candidates in the provincial examination or the list of successful candidates in the metropolitan and palace examinations.

The common saying "passing the imperial examination with flying colors" originally mainly referred to the list of successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations. However, as the saying went on, people stopped paying attention to it and started using the phrase "passing the imperial examination with flying colors" for any kind of exam. It sounds good, is auspicious, and has prestige.

Early in the morning, Wang Fu came by car to find Chen Jin to go and check the list together.

In reality, once the list is released, the result is already determined and cannot be changed. Whether you look at it or not, it will be the same.

However, viewing the list in person is a ritualistic practice that cannot be omitted. There are even mystical claims that viewing the list with utmost sincerity will increase the chances of being listed.

When the two arrived outside the examination hall, they were able to secure a good spot because they had arrived early.

Before long, more and more people gathered, forming a dense, dark mass. At this point, squeezing in wasn't so easy anymore.

Time passed slowly amidst anxiety and anticipation. Finally, the examination hall opened its doors, and several minor officials came out and posted the long list of candidates on the courtyard wall.

Chen Jin had exceptional eyesight and was good at spotting things; with a quick glance, he spotted his own name.

bingo!

(End of this chapter)