White-robed Minister

At dawn, the scholars had already gathered at the dock.

A total of twenty people passed the county exam.

Based on past experience, no more than three students are ultimately admitted to state schools, and most of the time only two.

Liu Jing, who had been trying to curry favor with Chen Yanhong, was also there at this moment. His situation seemed somewhat awkward, after all, he had been publicly humiliated by Chen Yanhong, yet today he had come to ride the free merchant ship.

Although Liu Jing's family belonged to the third class of households, they had too many people and could not divide the family property, so their economic situation was only slightly better than that of the fourth class of households.

The free boat fare and free meals were very important to him.

"Haha, Xu Sanlang has arrived. My name is Wang Zongdao, courtesy name Xingjian."

"Greetings, Brother Xingjian."

"My name is Zhang Lan, courtesy name Guanshui."

"Greetings, Brother Guanshui."

"Zai Xia Yuan, courtesy name Jingfu."

"I've met him..."

The scholars came over to chat, but Liu Jing stood to the side without moving.

Seeing that no one else had any problems, Liu Jing stepped forward and bowed in greeting: "I am Liu Jing, courtesy name Bozhang."

This guy learned his lesson and dared not act rashly again, for fear of being embarrassed again.

Xu Lai smiled and bowed, "Greetings, Brother Bozhang."

Upon receiving Xu Lai's response, Liu Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he had been left with a bit of a psychological scar.

The crowd gathered together to discuss the essays taken in the county examination that day, praising each other's literary talent.

Xu Lai's poem and essay were praised the most.

Perhaps because the county examination had revealed his true abilities, the scholars automatically overlooked Xu Lai's attire and luggage.

Everyone else was wearing a long robe, but Xu Lai was wearing a short brown robe.

While the others only brought a change of clothes, Xu Lai brought a straw mat, quilt, and a bucket—he was certain he could pass the entrance exam for the state school and wanted to bring his boarding supplies along with him.

After a brief conversation, the ship was about to set sail.

The scholars quickly dispersed to say goodbye to their families.

Xu Lai secretly observed and discovered that only three people were accompanied by page boys, while the rest went to Guangzhou to take the exams alone.

Hmm, the fourth one with a page has arrived.

Chen Yanhong didn't take a horse-drawn carriage today; his whole family walked him to the dock.

Before even crossing the moat, Chen Han stopped and said to his grandson, "I know you're extremely reluctant, which is why you've been dragging your feet. No matter what you think, you must greet those scholars politely and not be arrogant towards them again!"

"Mmm," Chen Yanhong replied weakly.

Chen Han continued, "Although I couldn't even pass the imperial examination, I studied the *Book of Rites* very well. Do you still remember the *Book of Rites*?"

"I can recite it backwards and forwards." Chen Yanhong said with great confidence.

Chen Han cautioned, "Books can be memorized backwards, but etiquette must not be reversed!"

Chen Yanhong bowed his head and said, "Yes."

The family then continued walking towards the dock.

Under his grandfather's stern gaze, Chen Yanhong bowed respectfully to the other scholars, comforting himself that this was a sign of humble conduct.

Out of respect for Master Chen, the scholars returned the greetings.

Chen Han beckoned, and two strong servants stepped forward carrying wooden boxes, giving each scholar five taels of silver.

No wonder his ancestors mined silver and now run a gold and silver shop; he gave away 95 taels of silver in one go. With such a valuable gift, even if his grandson was rude, no one could say anything more.

Even Liu Jing, who had always harbored resentment towards Chen Yanhong, was now thinking as he held the silver: "Forget it, just consider it a dog bite."

After clearing the way with silver, Chen Han went up to each of them and asked about their names and courtesy names, wishing them all success in entering the state school.

After all this, all the conflicts disappeared.

Old ginger is spicier!

Chen Yanhong disliked his grandfather's behavior, considering it vulgar and mercenary. He believed that true friendships were based on sincerity, and he would rather have none of the false friends made with money.

So, while his grandfather was still chatting with the scholars, Chen Yanhong stepped onto the boat directly using the footboard.

"Come back here and stand still!"

Chen Han finally lost his temper.

Chen Yanhong sighed inwardly and returned to the dock without saying a word.

Xu Lai was amused and suppressed a laugh. This kid was really interesting; his brain seemed to work differently from ordinary people.

"Master Chen, the ship is about to set sail!" someone shouted on the deck.

Chen Han then cupped his hands and said, "I wish you all a safe journey and a bright future."

The scholars returned the greetings.

Chen Yanhong boarded the ship as if fleeing, disappearing into the cabin and never showing himself again. His pageboy, carrying books, and his servant, carrying luggage, hurried after their master.

Like Xu Lai, he was convinced that he could get into the state school, so he set off with a lot of luggage.

This merchant ship is quite large, divided into four areas from bow to stern: the fore deck, the middle deck, the aft deck, and the bottom deck.

Most of the ship's cabins are used for cargo, with only three passenger cabins.

Above the deck in the middle cabin area were standard passenger rooms, where the scholars were also accommodated.

The stern hold area was used for both people and cargo. It was a large dormitory where poor travelers and small vendors lived, and the vendors' goods were also crammed in.

Young master Chen Yanhong, accompanied by a page and a strong servant, went directly to the most expensive rear cabin.

The three people sharing a cabin with Xu Lai were named Fang Yuan, Sun Zhixue, and Wang Zongdao, all of whom were teenagers aged between 15 and 20.

Sun Zhixue, being an outgoing person, took the initiative to start a conversation, saying, "Guess what the provincial examination will cover this year?"

Wang Zongdao said, "It could be poetry or essays. In any case, there has only been one exam every year."

"What you said is as good as nothing," Fang Yuan complained.

Sun Zhixue laughed and said, "Anyway, no matter what the test is about, Master Yu always sets serious questions. Unlike our Magistrate Shen... hehe, he's unique and unpredictable."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Shen Zhi thought he was very awesome, but in reality, he had become the laughing stock of all the scholars in the county.

Wang Zongdao couldn't help but inquire, "Xu Sanlang, I heard you were summoned by Minister Yu for a private audience?"

Xu Lai retorted, "Who told you that?"

"I have a distant relative who works in the household registration office of the county government," Wang Zongdao replied.

Xu Lai gave an ambiguous answer: "Minister Yu has tested my knowledge."

The news was confirmed, and the other passengers in the cabin were filled with envy.

Fang Yuan pressed further, "What subjects were tested?"

"The Analects," Xu Lai replied.

The crowd looked at each other, wondering what was so interesting about the Analects.

This thing used to be used only for dictation tests, which were basically fill-in-the-blank questions. Now, dictation is no longer valued, and even if it's used in exams, it's just a formality. Many students treat the Analects with indifference.

Sun Zhixue then asked, "What does Master Yu look like?"

Xu Lai said, "He's not tall, and he doesn't speak fast. Hmm... he has an imposing presence even without anger."

Fang Yuan lay on the bed and sighed, "The prefectural school admits thirty or forty students every spring, but each county can only get two or three spots. The vast majority of the spots are given to Nanhai and Panyu counties. Xu Sanlang is quite talented and has the appreciation of Master Yu, so he will definitely be able to get into the prefectural school. The rest of us can only compete for the remaining one or two spots."

Wang Zongdao comforted him, saying, "It's alright, there will be a make-up exam in the autumn, and it won't count as an opportunity."

The number of places available for supplementary enrollment in the fall semester for state-run schools is limited, but those who passed the county-level exam in the spring can directly participate in the fall semester. Furthermore, students can only take the state-run school exam a maximum of three times; the supplementary enrollment exam does not count towards the limit.

After chatting for a while, the group stopped communicating.

Fang Yuan closed his eyes to catch up on sleep; he hadn't slept well last night.

Sun Zhixue went to visit other cabins; he got along well with all the students.

Wang Zongdao then took out a book of model essays for the imperial examinations, randomly selected one, and began to memorize it, dreaming that he could predict the questions and pass the exam by simply modifying the model essay.

Xu Lai was also quite bored, so he picked up "A Brief Account of Rhymes from the Ministry of Rites" and started reading.

With the wind and current at our backs, the boat is going quite fast.

In less than two days, we arrived at the West Wharf of Guangzhou.

The group disembarked together, and a scholar named Gao Lian said, "I have come to Guangzhou to take the exams for two consecutive years, so I know this place very well. The inns in the south of the city are the most expensive, the inns in the west of the city are the next most expensive, and the inns in the east of the city are the cheapest. As for the north of the city, there are no inns."

The inns he mentioned were all located in the outlying districts outside the city.

After some discussion, everyone decided to stay overnight in the east of the city. Since there were quite a few of them, they might be able to get a discount from the innkeeper.

The nineteen scholars from Qingyuan chatted and laughed as they made their way forward.

Only Chen Yanhong remained.

He's been ostracized by everyone!

Chen Yanhong didn't care about this at all, and was happy to be at ease. He took his page and servants and headed straight for his uncle's house.

His uncle was also a merchant who lived in the western part of Guangzhou.

The group walked along the riverbank, passing through the Fanfang area, where docks and warehouses stretched out before them. They then turned east, arriving at the Dashi Street area, the most bustling district in Guangzhou.

After walking eastward for a while, we arrived at the south gate of Guangzhou—Zhen'anmen.

The main road leading in and out of Zhen'anmen was later known as Beijing Road in Guangzhou. However, at this time, the southernmost section of Beijing Road was still submerged in the Pearl River and had not yet formed land.

A scholar gazed at the tall building by the river: "That must be Haishan Tower, right? I've heard that every June, the Grand Coordinator hosts a banquet for maritime merchants here. The Deer Cry Banquet for the newly appointed scholars is also held here."

Xu Lai thought to himself: It seems that Yang Shisanlang beat up his classmate right here.

"Indeed, it is majestic and magnificent."

"If we were to enter the state school, we might also have a chance to meet at Haishan Building."

"May I inscribe a poem on this building?"

"Haha, do you want to emulate Li Bai?"

"..."

Most of the scholars in the group were visiting Guangzhou for the first time, and everything seemed very novel to them.

The group enjoyed the local customs and gradually arrived at the eastern suburbs of the city, where they bargained with several inns.

One family, seeing that there were many of them and that they were all educated, was willing to give them a 15% discount.

Xu Lai carried a load on his shoulder pole and a bamboo basket on his back as he went inside. On the second floor, he encountered another group of scholars.

Both parties introduced themselves and bowed to each other.

Xu Lai was mistaken for a servant, and the scholars didn't even give him a second glance.

It wasn't until a fellow scholar introduced them that the other person gave Xu Lai a strange look.

A scholar who doesn't even have a robe?

How could they pass the county exam and come here to take the state college entrance exam?

-

(Guangzhou administers eight counties; the previous chapter stated six. This has been corrected.)

(The eight counties of Guangzhou are: Nanhai, Panyu, Dongguan, Xinhui, Xin'an, Zengcheng, Qingyuan, and Huaiji.)

(Thanks to MJiangSuGA for the generous donation.)