My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 55p1

Chapter 55 p1: Provincial Examination

In the winter, Xu Zhizhou and Jiang Zhuo would dress warmly when they set up their stall. They would earn about four or five hundred copper coins a day.

Although they earned less, it was much more relaxed. They would close their stall in the afternoon and could stay at home to warm themselves by the fire and embroider purses.

Xu Zhizhou could only embroider purses and handkerchiefs. He couldn’t embroider clothes. He and Jiang Zhuo would huddle by the fire and embroider.

Jiang Zhuo was making a shoe sole. His husband already had several pairs of cotton-padded shoes, so he was not in a hurry. He was making a pair of boots. He wanted to make a new pair for his husband to wear when he went to the provincial examination.

He was very skilled. Xu Zhizhou was embroidering a purse with a huff. Now, he was only embroidering for himself and Song Changxu, and rarely sold them. He didn’t have the time to embroider, and sometimes he would just use them himself.

“It’s about time. My husband is coming back. I’ll go back and cook first,” Jiang Zhuo said, taking his basket and going back.

Xu Zhizhou simply made three dishes and one soup. He made just enough for the two of them. They could make new ones the next day.

When Song Changxu returned home, the snow on the street had melted a little, and the weather was gradually getting warmer.

After dinner, Song Changxu continued to review his books. While the sky was still bright, Xu Zhizhou took a few more stitches.

The hustle and bustle of the New Year had faded, and Jinhe County had returned to its usual days. Fewer people were on the street in the winter, and the food business was not very good.

When spring came, the ice on the river melted, and fish leaped out of the water, which rippled.

More and more people were going out for spring outings. They also came out of their houses, took off their cotton-padded coats, and put on their spring clothes to go to the outskirts.

Xie Cang had invited Xu Zhizhou to go to the outskirts to offer incense.

Xie Cang: “I’m not disturbing your business, am I?”

Xu Zhizhou sat in the Xie family’s carriage. He shook his head. “I have to come out and play occasionally. I haven’t seen so many people in a long time.”

“This time, it’s not just about the spring outing. The students of the county school are going to pay respects to Confucius today. After that, they’ll go to pray to Manjushri Bodhisattva and have a vegetarian meal at the temple before they go back,” Xie Cang said with a smile.

Most of the other ge’ers in the city wanted to go with him to become his sister-in-law, but his elder brother’s marriage was not up to him. It was all decided by their parents. It was useless to try to get close to him.

The Xie family’s carriage was very comfortable. Xu Zhizhou ate a lot of the pastries and tea on the small table.

Xie Cang actually liked Xu Zhizhou’s personality. Besides, he was already married and would not ask about his elder brother. It was a rare moment of peace.

Their family had been in Jinhe County for many years. On the way, Xie Cang told him about the development of the county, as well as some local customs and strange stories.

He had a hobby of reading ghost stories. His elders did not like him to read these, so he would ask Xie Feng to secretly bring them. Fortunately, his elder brother did not mind these things and had always helped him.

They talked all the way to the temple. Xie Cang had not been so happy in a long time. He looked at Xu Zhizhou and said with embarrassment, “Am I talking too much?”

Xu Zhizhou was listening with great interest. “No, I think you’re even better than a storyteller.”

Xie Cang’s eyes lit up, and he grew closer to Xu Zhizhou.

“You’re very good. I’ve also heard a few strange stories in the village. I’ll tell you.”

Most of the strange stories in the village were their own, passed down by word of mouth.

Xu Zhizhou told them to Xie Cang, who listened with great pleasure. When they reached the temple, there was still a long flight of stairs to climb. The two of them got off the carriage.

Just as they had climbed the stairs and reached the temple gate, they saw the students of the county school praying to Manjushri Bodhisattva.

Some of the ge’ers and girls who had come to the temple ran into this scene, their eyes flickering. Why had they insisted on coming to the temple today? It was to see the elegance of the county school students. Many of them were still unmarried. Those who could enter the county school were either from powerful families or were very learned.

One had a good family background, and the other was a potential stock. They were very clear in their hearts. The best young men in Jinhe County were all to be found in the county school.

After the students had finished praying to Manjushri Bodhisattva, the teacher let them move around freely. After a vegetarian meal, they would go back to the county school together.

Xie Feng and the others were not yet married and had always been the golden turtles in the hearts of the ge’ers and girls in Jinhe County. When the students of the county school had left, they were surrounded and talked to.

Song Changxu came out and saw that Xu Zhizhou was actually here. He smiled and quickly went over. “Young Master Xie is also here. Why have you come?”

Xu Zhizhou: “Young Master Xie invited me to offer incense.”

The county school would always come to pay respects to Confucius and Manjushri Bodhisattva in the spring. What’s more, they were going to take the provincial examination this August, so the students of the county school were even more devout.

Someone came to find Song Changxu. Xu Zhizhou said, “You can go with them. Young Master Xie and I will just have a look.”

After Song Changxu had left, Xie Cang smiled. “Zhizhou, you can just call me by my name in the future.”

“Alright,” Xu Zhizhou said, watching as Song Changxu was pulled away by the shoulder. He smiled. It seemed that his husband was doing well at the county school.

That way, he was also much more at ease.

After all, he had heard that the students in the county school were powerful, and he was afraid that they would bully others with their power.

Song Changxu was pulled to the side to admire the flowers. Someone asked teasingly, “Who was that ge’er just now? He’s not bad-looking.”

“That’s my husband,” Song Changxu said.

The two of them were a good match and did indeed look like a pair of jade pendants. They had a vegetarian meal, and Song Changxu prayed for a peace talisman to find Xu Zhizhou.

He saw him under the red marriage tree, looking at the small wooden plaques on it.

“Zhizhou,” Song Changxu said, quickly going over.

Xu Zhizhou looked up and saw it was him. A trace of pleasant surprise flashed in his eyes. “Husband, I see that many people are hanging small wooden plaques here. Let’s hang one too.”

Song Changxu hung the peace talisman on Xu Zhizhou. He agreed readily.

Xu Zhizhou seriously wrote his name, and Song Changxu also wrote his.

Song Changxu threw it up and hung it on a branch.

The wind blew through the treetops, and the branches rustled.

Xu Zhizhou’s eyes sparkled. “Husband, will we always be together?”

“We will,” Song Changxu said, holding Xu Zhizhou’s hand.

After offering incense, many things returned to their usual state, until the spring leaves were blown yellow.

The county school was on holiday at the end of the seventh month, so that those who were going to Yunzhou Prefecture for the provincial examination could go. Song Changxu went home, packed two sets of clothes, two pairs of shoes, toiletries, and brought some extra silver.

Tomorrow, he would go to Yunzhou Prefecture with Feng Xin’ou to stay at an inn first and familiarize himself with the examination hall and the place.

Ten years to sharpen a sword. Song Changxu had not yet had ten years, but in the modern era, everyone had ten years to sharpen a sword.

When Xu Zhizhou came back, he brought over a bowl of ice jelly. “Husband, hurry and eat. I had a bowl of rose ice jelly. It was so delicious.”

He went to the room and saw the bundle packed on the bed. He asked with confusion, “Where are you going?”

Song Changxu sat over and said, “I’m packing my things to go to Yunzhou Prefecture to have a look first and familiarize myself with the place. The exam is at the beginning of August.”

After he had finished, he took a spoon and ate a mouthful of the ice jelly. It was cool and refreshing, and there was also fermented rice in it.

“So soon. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, husband. Just take it slow. If you don’t succeed this time, we can still try again next time,” Xu Zhizhou said, patting his shoulder. He slipped away to get his private money and handed him five taels of silver.

“I haven’t been to the prefectural city yet. I imagine things there must be very expensive. You should take more silver with you. Eat and drink well before the exam. Don’t wrong yourself, or it will affect your performance.”

Song Changxu: “…”

He would have been more touched if it weren’t for the last sentence.

Song Changxu: “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of myself.”

At night, Xu Zhizhou went to buy some braised meat, also braised a chicken, and cut a winter melon to see Song Changxu off.

The feeling of being cared for and worried about made Song Changxu’s heart warm.

After dinner, the two of them did not go out for a walk. They washed up and went to bed. Xu Zhizhou poked his head out and said, “You should go to bed early. You have to get up early tomorrow to travel. I won’t disturb you.”

Song Changxu smiled and agreed.

Song Changxu soon fell asleep, but Xu Zhizhou was a little too excited to sleep. He had heard that some scholars were so nervous before the provincial examination that they couldn’t sleep. His husband, on the other hand, always slept very soundly.

Xu Zhizhou stayed awake until the second half of the night, and only fell into a hazy sleep when drowsiness washed over him.

In the morning, the rooster in the lane crowed. Song Changxu carried his bundle and took a carriage with Feng Xin’ou to Yunzhou Prefecture.

The two of them bought some meat buns and soy milk on the road. Besides them, the other carriages also set off one after another.

For example, Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou’s carriage was hired from a horse station, while Xie Feng and the others’ were their own.

If he really became an official, he would have to have a carriage and a coachman, which would be another big expense, Song Changxu couldn’t help but think.

Finally, he laughed. He was already thinking about the future before he had even become an official. As expected, he had been nagged by Zhizhou too much and thought that he was already an official.

Yunzhou Prefecture was indeed very large. They found a boy at the city gate and gave him six copper coins to take them to an inn.

They had arrived early, so the price of the inn was not too high yet. They booked a room for ten days. Song Changxu bargained again and saved nearly fifty copper coins.

Feng Xin’ou said, “Brother Song’s tongue is so flexible. I can’t do it.”

Song Changxu said, “We’re staying for ten days, so there should be a discount. Brother Feng, let’s put down our bundles and have a meal first.”

It had taken them four days to get from Jinhe County to Yunzhou Prefecture. They had not rested much on the way and had been eating dry rations.

They hadn’t had white rice for four days. After putting down their bundles, the two of them ordered three dishes and one soup at the inn and started to eat.

They agreed to go out for a walk at night to familiarize themselves with the place. They would take a nap in the afternoon first. Song Changxu fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

There were several other counties under Yunzhou Prefecture. The Xie family had property in Yunzhou Prefecture, so Xie Feng stayed directly in a residence. The other residences were bought by people from other county towns.

The rich and powerful in the county all liked to buy houses in the prefectural city. Even if they didn’t stay for a few days, when they came occasionally, they still liked to stay at home rather than at an inn.

The Luo family also had property. Cheng Maoxue’s family background was a bit worse, so he could only stay in the upper rooms of an inn.

The three of them were not together. Before the exam, they did not disturb each other.

The courtyard was quiet. After Xie Feng had arrived and had a meal, he began to review his books. This was the provincial examination, and there were more competitors. Even a calm person like Xie Feng couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“I wonder who will be the top scorer this time,” Xie Feng said, pushing aside his miscellaneous thoughts and holding a book.

At night, Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou wandered around Yunzhou Prefecture. Seeing the examination hall, their hearts were filled with awe.

Nine out of ten people on the street were scholars in long robes. It was indeed a prefectural city, and there were more and more people.

After they returned to the inn, besides eating, they reviewed their books in their rooms. Song Changxu opened the window and saw an endless stream of carriages, and the sound of hawking and shouting never stopped.

A scholar, drenched in sweat, came to the inn to stay.

The innkeeper said, “We’re already full. You can go and look for another place.”

Jinhe County was close to Yunzhou Prefecture. For example, it would take half a month to get to Yunzhou Prefecture from the furthest county.

So they would inevitably arrive a little late.

Song Changxu closed the window and drank a mouthful of tea. When he was tired of reading, he would go out for a walk.

On the last day, basically no one went out to wander around. They were preparing their exam baskets.

The exam baskets only had brushes, ink, and steamed buns to eat.

At dawn, before the sky was bright, the inn’s assistant was wiping the tables with a yawn. There was a noise from upstairs, and the scholars all came down with their exam baskets.

They went to the examination hall and entered one after another. Song Changxu found his examination room and sat down.

There was no sound in the examination hall. Hearing the sound of a gong, the examination hall was closed.

This time, the chief examiner in Yunzhou Prefecture was the Vice Minister of Rites, Sir Jian. He was from the Hanlin Academy, a third-place graduate, and had married the son of a duke. He was now a new noble in the court.

Sir Jian was not bad-looking. He sat at the top, took a sip of tea, his back straight.

The yamen runners around him did not dare to be presumptuous. The prefect of Yunzhou held his breath in front of him.

He was wearing a crimson official robe, his figure slender, and the corners of his lips were always curved into a soft smile, looking harmless.

Sir Jian paced around the examination hall for a few steps. He had taken on this matter to avoid the conflict between His Majesty and the Xiao clan. Now that he was at the examination hall, he felt a sense of novelty.

He walked and stopped, still with a smile, and returned to his seat.

Song Changxu took his brush and answered the questions, his mind free of distractions. They would be in the examination hall for a long time. Fortunately, it was autumn, and the weather was neither hot nor cold. Song Changxu lay on the hard pillow and slept.

Sir Jian and the others did not have to watch them at night and went back to their residences to rest.

The next day, Jian Xi went to the examination hall again. After he had finished supervising the provincial examination, not to mention that some of the candidates could not take it, he himself was a bit exhausted.

He was used to a comfortable life in the capital and could not take this hardship.

After the candidates had finished, the yamen runners led them out of the examination hall. Some of them fainted as soon as they came out, and their parents cried and rushed over to support them.

Song Changxu waited for Feng Xin’ou. Neither of them spoke. They both had dark circles under their eyes.

“Brother Feng, let’s have a meal first and then rest.”

Hearing this, Feng Xin’ou’s mouth watered. He had been numb from eating steamed buns in the examination hall. Now, smelling the fragrance of all sorts of snacks on the street, and the hawking of the vendors, his spirits lifted.

“Alright.”

Song Changxu did not want to eat rice. He went to a wonton shop and ordered two liang of wontons.

Feng Xin’ou ordered a bowl of duck noodle soup, with two extra poached eggs, and also bought a pancake from the street.

Feng Xin’ou divided the pancake and gave it to Song Changxu. “Brother Song, have some to fill your stomach first.”

Song Changxu ate a little. After the wontons were in his stomach, he felt much better.

As expected, one had to eat their fill to have the strength to do other things. Now he was much more energetic.

They returned to the inn and slept for a whole day. When they woke up, they had the assistant send a meal to their room. After eating, they planned to go back to Jinhe County.

Otherwise, staying here for another day would cost another day’s money.

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