Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

The Yu family residence!

Since Zhou Ning stopped attending classes at the Sheng family's house, Yu Yanran has also made excuses not to go.

Later, she heard that Zhou Ning had gone back, but she was too embarrassed to go again, so she stayed in her room all day.

"Grandfather said the examination environment is very challenging and must be extremely harsh. It rained all night last night, will he catch a cold in the examination hall? Counting today, it's been sixteen days. Bookworm, I'll be of marriageable age after spring, do you understand? And who am I going to the Sheng family for every day, do you know?" Yu Yanran said, resting her chin on her hand in a daze.

Grandma Yu entered the room and called out, "Yanran, accompany Grandma to Yuqing Temple. Grandma is going to pray for your grandfather."

Yu Yanran knew that Zhou Ning was working hard in the exam hall, but there was nothing she could do. When she heard about the prayer, her eyes lit up, and she helped the old lady Yu set off!

Guangyuntai!

"Master, this Master Lu is very generous today. He asked me to come and ask if it's possible to write simpler couplets and poems?" The maid placed the silver notes she had received on the table.

Three thousand taels!

Wei, the head of the business, didn't even glance at it and shook his head: "Rules are rules. Return the money. If no one can match it, don't bother me anymore."

Seeing the maid leave, Wei Xingshou hurriedly took out the hidden Yuanshi Tianzun and replaced it with the God of Wealth, enjoying the abundant incense offerings.

The girl knelt down and prayed devoutly.

God of Wealth: "..."

......

The Imperial Examination Hall!

It's time to sleep again. The bedding isn't completely dry, but it's still usable.

Zhou Ning lay on the floor tiles, looking at the starry sky, and thought of the unlucky guys who had been carried away in front of him that afternoon.

"He must have eaten moldy food, hence the persistent diarrhea. He can only wait another three years. Tomorrow is the last day; even if we have to forgo eating, we absolutely cannot afford to make a mistake."

Noticing that his eyelids were getting heavier, he soon stopped opening them.

Day three!

Third Session: Discussion! (Current Affairs Policy Discussion)

The content includes government administration, border defense, agriculture, rites and music, calendar system, and the selection of talented individuals, etc.

In short, you need to submit five policy proposals!

"Today is the real test. Writing five articles in one day is not an easy task."

Without giving it much thought, Zhou Ning began grinding ink, preparing to write his border defense strategy.

Currently, the border defense of the Great Zhou Dynasty has always adopted the policy of "defending the interior while neglecting the exterior, strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches".

They adopted a military defensive posture towards the north, only seeking to maintain border stability through cultural identity.

They adopted a distant attitude towards places like Dali in the southwest, maintaining a strong sense of barbarian identity.

"By seizing Hengshan, the left flank of Western Xia, severing its right arm on which it depends for survival, and taking the Xihe, Huangshan, and Shanhe regions to cut off Western Xia's connection with Tibet, we can pressure Western Xia from its right flank and completely resolve the threat from Western Xia, eliminating the troubles on the western border..."

An hour passed, and Zhou Ning put down his pen.

After resting and thinking for half an hour, I ground the ink again!

I'm getting ready to write about agriculture and sericulture!

The Great Zhou Dynasty still follows the economic policies implemented during the reign of Emperor Taizu, including tax reductions and encouragement of agriculture and sericulture.

Tax reduction measures included issuing an edict in the second year of the Jianlong reign to urge people to plant trees, and providing tax incentives to those who could plant mulberry and jujube trees extensively and reclaim wasteland, thereby reducing the burden on farmers.

In terms of encouraging agriculture and sericulture, officials were dispatched to various regions to distribute land equally, encourage agriculture and sericulture, and a special edict was issued regarding the planting of trees along river embankments.

These policies have effectively promoted the recovery and development of agricultural production and improved the living standards of farmers.

Zhou Ning suggested that the imperial court could provide subsidies for the protection of arable land fertility!

"For arable land already used as livestock farms, orchards and seedling nurseries, and artificial forage, a subsidy of one tael per mu will be provided for arable land that has been abandoned for more than one year... The benefits are..."

Half an hour passed, and the pen stopped!

It's noon, and I still have three articles to write!

Seeing that time was running out, Zhou Ning gave up resting and wrote down three more policies: seeking talent, rites and music, and governance of officials!

These three strategies were all mentioned by Grand Tutor Yu, and they are considered to be predictions for exam questions.

The old Grand Tutor had praised my answer back then, so I didn't need to think; I could just copy it!

By the time Zhou Ning finished writing about officialdom, it was already dark. He lit a candle and began to check for any typos.

"Writing calligraphy is tiring, and it's hard to achieve perfection. Changbai's calligraphy is better than mine; he has his father's style, which I can't help but admire."

Looking at his increasingly poor handwriting, Zhou Ning felt a pang of regret, thinking: "I've probably lost all my favor with this paper. After all, my handwriting is only mediocre."

Not far away, Sheng Changbai was also checking papers, nodding in satisfaction. This paper was even more beautiful than usual and still had a strong character. Excellent!

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night!

Even after finishing their essays, many test takers were still pondering whether to add more words of praise and eulogy.

Of course, there are exceptions. For example, Sheng Changfeng fell fast asleep after finishing his writing.

Gu Tingye went even further, not sleeping, but immediately starting to exercise his body, doing a plank on the ground!

Qi Heng then began to miss Minglan and recited "The Ballad of White Hair" all night.

The next day at Chen Shi (7-9 AM)!

The area within a hundred paces of the examination hall was once again crowded with the families of the examinees. Even Princess Pingning came in person, sitting quietly on a pear blossom chair waiting for her beloved son.

Wang Ruofu asked worriedly, "Aren't you coming out yet?"

Rulan hugged her arm and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry, Second Brother will definitely be fine."

Minglan waited quietly, and no one could tell what she was thinking.

Pear Head arrived with his childhood sweetheart, but only he could squeeze into the front row, so the four girls had to stay and watch the carriage.

Yu Yanran was also in the carriage going in the same direction as Li Tou, but she didn't get off the carriage and only looked through the curtain.

"Pear Head, have you seen Brother Ning? Remember the cloak!" Xiao Qing shouted.

"It's not open yet! I know!" Pear Head replied, clutching her cloak tightly.

After waiting a few more moments, there was a buzzing sound.

The gates of the examination hall were slowly opened by two constables!

The candidates walked out one after another, each with a happy expression on their face!

I don't know if he genuinely felt he performed well, or if he was simply satisfied that he no longer had to sleep on the floor and eat dry rations and pickled vegetables.

Qi Heng was the first of the five members of the Sheng family to step out. His handsome appearance made him stand out from the crowd.

The Duke and Duchess of Qi spotted their son immediately, and Qi Heng also saw his family in the crowd, quickly stepping forward to pay his respects.

Then Gu Tingye and Sheng Changbai walked out chatting together, with Sheng Changfeng following closely behind, all smiling as they headed towards their respective families.

Sheng Hong wanted to explain Mo'er's rudeness, so he didn't urge everyone and let Wang Ruofu pull Sheng Changbai aside to ask about his well-being.

"My lord, let's go quickly! Bai'er needs to return to the manor early and get some rest," Wang Ruofu urged.

Sheng Hong said, "Mo'er stays here, you all go back first!"

Although Wang Ruofu found it strange, she was worried about her son's health, so she left with her entourage first.

Minglan was in the same carriage as Rulan. When Rulan came to pull her along, she had no choice but to follow her, turning back every three steps.

Just as she was about to board the carriage, she saw Zhou Ning walking out of the examination hall.

Zhou Ning spotted Minglan in the crowd at a glance. There was no way around it; the girl was too beautiful and stood out just like Qi Heng.

He smiled and nodded at her.

Minglan nodded in agreement, then smiled and slipped into the carriage.

Qi Heng, who had been secretly watching Minglan from the carriage, also caught a glimpse of her from behind Zhou Ning and was completely captivated.

Minglan's smile is absolutely captivating!

"Young Master!" Pear Head kept shouting.

Hearing the sound, Zhou Ning looked over and saw Li Tou, as well as Yu Yanran in the carriage behind. He waved to her.

Long time no see, I've missed you terribly!

Yu Yanran blushed, lowered the carriage curtain, and urged the driver to hurry up.

"Why are you running? So cute!"

Seeing that Yu Yanran had run away, Zhou Ning quickly walked towards Li Tou.

"Put this on quickly. I brought clean clothes, go to the carriage to change, don't catch a cold." Pear Head tied the cloak on Zhou Ning and led him to their carriage.

"Pengqi! Wait!"

......