After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The process of calling out the names of two or three hundred people took from dawn until the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) to complete. With the final shout of greeting, the "Dragon Gate" of the examination hall officially closed.

The first session of the county examination was called "Zhengchang".

This exam requires writing two essays on the Four Books in the eight-legged essay style.

The examiners read aloud phrases about the emperor's boundless grace and solemnly declared that cheating was forbidden, or else the punishment would be execution.

Even those students who hadn't cheated couldn't help but turn pale, fearing they might be wrongly accused of cheating.

After a warning, the examiner posted the questions for the first session of the county examination on a wooden board. A minor official then carried the board back and forth in the examination hall aisle to display the questions.

The hundreds of students sitting upright in their dormitories all gasped slightly upon seeing the question.

As Ning Nan wrote down the questions, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious...

The first question is "A person who is filial and respectful to his elders but is prone to defying his superiors," which comes from the Analects.

This title is a bit strange because it's missing two characters—"鲜矣" (xiān yǐ).

The full meaning is "People who are filial, respectful to their elders, and also prone to rebellion are extremely rare."

While grinding the ink, Ning Nan slowly conceived a solution in his mind.

I recalled what Mr. Lizhou had said.

"Don't be afraid of strange questions... Truncation questions, half-answer questions, these are not uncommon... No matter how strange they are, as long as you write them correctly, you can't go wrong."

The sound of grinding ink continued to ring out.

Ning Nan thought about it for a moment, and the most important thing in the question was naturally "filial piety and brotherly love", followed by "disrespecting superiors".

A person who is filial and respectful to elders would never commit treason... Following this line of thought, he formulated several preliminary questions, and after combining them in his mind for a while, he finally chose, "Filial piety and respect for elders arise from a benevolent heart; treason is contrary to the virtue of obedience."

He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began writing the essay in the official style, starting with the main points, then moving on to the next, and finally concluding. Master Ning, taking the imperial examination for the first time, wrote a well-structured, standard essay in the official style, not seeking brilliance, but simply avoiding mistakes.

The second question is "Everyone has a heart that cannot bear to see the suffering of others," which comes from Mencius...

……

The sun climbed to its zenith.

Then it gradually begins to set in the west.

It will be around 3 PM.

Ning Nan let out a long breath and rubbed his slightly sore right wrist with his left hand...

The two essays, written in the traditional eight-legged style, have been revised and rewritten several times and are now being copied again.

During this time, Lou Jizuo, the magistrate of Jiangning County, came to inspect the area and naturally visited his cell.

The two had crossed paths in the case of Li Baoxin's murder.

Ning Nan had expected this person to have some complaints about him, but to his surprise, the other party treated him like an ordinary scholar, simply looking around before walking away.

It was late afternoon.

Officials began collecting exam papers anonymously.

The first round of the county examination has now come to an end...

Uncle Ping was waiting outside in his horse-drawn carriage, eating fried beans. The old man still had good teeth, and he was chewing them with a loud crunch.

Ning Nan, carrying his exam basket, greeted him with a smile. Uncle Ping quickly tucked the beans into his arms, then kindly set down his low stool, waiting for Ning Nan to board the carriage.

"May you, sir, achieve a resounding victory... Toad, toad..."

"To reach the pinnacle of success," Ning Nan added with a smile, stepping onto the carriage.

Presumably, it was Cui Cui's wife who taught this old man to say it like that, to bring good luck, but the old man couldn't pronounce it properly.

After the first exam, the county government will post a list of the students who passed the exam at dusk the next day.

Those who pass the first round can participate in the second round the day after tomorrow.

Ning Nan placed the examination basket into the carriage and couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of relief.

As the autumn wind blew, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a man in a red striped mandarin jacket and a melon-shaped hat striding confidently onto a luxurious carriage...

After going home.

Cui Cui's wife hasn't returned yet... which doesn't surprise him.

Although he kept thinking to himself along the way whether his wife would come home early to wait for him like that day, cook him a meal, and wish him success in the imperial examination... well... no... Master Ning handed the examination basket to Chunyu and Qiumu who came to greet him, and he was not disappointed.

Manager Wang and his servants were somewhat at a loss. After all, it was only the first round, and they didn't know the results or what kind of expression to make. They could only be more cautious than usual.

His sister-in-law, Qinghuan, embroidered him a sachet with the design of a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

"A carp leaping over the dragon gate... what a good omen!" The sister-in-law said smugly, a smirk playing on her lips.

Master Ning accepted the "good omen" and smiled at his sister-in-law, "Aren't you tired of embroidering two carp?"

The sister-in-law looked puzzled for a moment... There was only one... After a while, realizing what her brother-in-law meant, the girl's face turned red to the roots of her ears.

"Brother-in-law!" the sister-in-law exclaimed, "...I...I only embroidered a carp!"

"Then it definitely wasn't a carp that was given to someone..." Ning Nan smiled and accepted the sachet, ceasing her teasing, and asked her sister-in-law, "What would you like to eat tonight?"

Steamed cured fish with honey!

"it is good."

Ning Nan responded, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked towards the kitchen.

His figure turned past the covered walkway.

That evening, Cui Cui's wife didn't return until midnight.

The room was pitch black.

He was lying on his side, not really asleep. Hearing footsteps, he was about to turn around and tell his wife, Cui Cui, about some interesting things he had seen that day... but then he heard the footsteps fading away... and his wife had gone out again.

Ning Nan sat up slightly, frowned, and looked towards the door. Seeing that his wife had already opened the door and left, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

He then put on a coat and went out.

After passing through two covered walkways, the woman arrived at their study.

Ning Nan walked to a pillar and saw the woman sitting at a desk, writing something... Hmm... He didn't know what she was writing. Her brows were furrowed, and after a while, she tore up what she had written and shredded it.

Ning Nan watched for a while, thinking that his wife was probably still busy with official business, so he didn't disturb her and went back to his room to sleep alone in the night.

Mr. Gongsun said that with his current level, passing the provincial examination should not be a problem, but passing the imperial examination would depend on fate... So Master Ning did not slack off and continued to maintain the same routine as before.

At dusk on September 16th, the county government posted a notice.

Manager Wang had arranged for someone to wait there early on, and as soon as the results were in, the servants immediately returned to report the good news.

While Ning Nan was reading in his study, he heard footsteps. Seeing the joy on Steward Wang's face, he knew that the first round of the county examination had been passed... He smiled and said generously, "I will reward each person in the manor with two taels of silver!" Everyone was immediately overjoyed.

The next day at 5:00 AM.

When I broke through the thick fog and arrived at the examination hall again, I couldn't help but feel a little sad when I saw the situation there.

Of the two or three hundred students the day before, only seventy or eighty remained this time.

This time there were fewer people, and they arrived early. I saw a few familiar figures... Fatty Chu and Li Yanting.

The group greeted each other.

Ning Nan glanced at the calm and composed fat man without showing any emotion, feeling a little strange... How come the young master of the family who owns a money exchange has a patch on the left side of his clothes?

The fat man's small eyes were fixed on the place where the names were called at the examination hall gate, but he moved with remarkable ease to switch the examination basket he was carrying in his right hand to his left hand, covering the patch.

Ning Nan's eyes flickered, a secret sense of shame rising within him. He knew the fat man must have sensed his gaze. He shifted his gaze and smiled, "Brother Chu, how about we grab a drink after the exam?"

Chu the Fat Man's face paled slightly, and he seemed embarrassed for a moment. Then he turned his head and smiled, "Brother Bai, I have important matters to attend to..."

Before the fat man could finish his refusal, Li Yanting's eyes lit up. He wasn't familiar with the fat man, but he said naturally, "Hmm... I think it's a good idea... How about we go to Brother Bai Xuan's house for a drink?"

Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone... Master Ning, who has a sister-in-law at home, rolled his eyes and bestowed upon the bookworm two words: "Get lost."

……

September 20th.

A light autumn rain fell this morning, making the weather gloomy, and the courtyard of Ning Mansion was filled with fallen flowers.

Ning Nan slept until the afternoon.

He had already passed the three county examinations, and with his abilities, he naturally passed the first two without any major incidents.

Yesterday was the third exam.

At dusk today, the county government will set up a long table to announce the rankings of the county examinations.

The top scorer is called the "county top scholar," who can directly obtain the title of "xiucai" (a scholar who passed the county-level examination) without having to go through the prefectural and provincial examinations, and can then participate in the provincial examination.

The top ten candidates in the county examination would enjoy the privilege of being seated closer to the chief examiner during the prefectural examination.

"My lord, I have already arranged for someone to wait at the county office. Rest assured, all it takes is one notice..."

Manager Wang watched Ning Nan about to board the carriage, a hint of worry in his eyes. It's always better to be safe than sorry; it would be best to send someone to check the notice.

Dressed impeccably, Master Ning waved his hand and laughed, "I'll go see for myself."