My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 34

Chapter 34: The Examination

Xu Zhizhou said, “You like sour and spicy radish. I’ve prepared a jar in the cupboard. It’s not too hot in the spring, so it can be stored for a while.”

Song Changxu nodded.

It grew quiet around them. The two of them did nothing, just held each other quietly and closed their eyes. Song Changxu’s heart was unsettled. He could see Xu Zhizhou’s long eyelashes casting a shadow on his face as he slept soundly.

Song Changxu lowered his head, kissed his forehead, and also fell asleep.

At dawn, Song Changxu woke up before the sky was bright. Song Ye was driving the ox-cart to take him to Linglai Village to find Feng Xin’ou first. The two of them would then go to Shuibo Town to find a carriage to Jinhe County.

Liang Su had steamed a few white flour buns for them. Song Changxu was full after two, while Song Ye ate three. He went to harness the ox-cart first.

“Take good care of yourself when you get to Jinhe County.”

Song Changxu: “I will.”

When Xu Zhizhou woke up, he felt the lingering warmth on the side of the bed. He immediately got up and saw Song Changxu sitting on the ox-cart at the door, his bundle on the cart, ready to leave.

Song Changxu was a little surprised to see Xu Zhizhou. He smiled and said, “I’m leaving.”

Xu Zhizhou looked at Song Changxu and asked, “When will you be back?”

“Probably in about ten days. I don’t know,” Song Changxu said, his face clear and bright. “But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The two of them had not been separated since they got married. Or rather, they hadn’t been far apart since they got engaged and could see each other from time to time. This time, with one in the village and the other in the county town, they wouldn’t be able to see each other at all.

Song Ye said, “Alright, we should go.”

Song Changxu nodded. “I’m leaving. Take good care of yourself at home.”

Xu Zhizhou nodded. Yesterday, he had thought it was only right for Song Changxu to go and take the exam. Now, seeing him on the ox-cart, disappearing little by little from his sight, he felt very sad.

Soon, the ox-cart became a small black dot, until it was completely out of sight. Xu Zhizhou stood there for a long time, his heart feeling sour and full.

Song Mingyan patted Xu Zhizhou’s shoulder. “Zhizhou, go back first. Have some breakfast.”

Xu Zhizhou glanced at the village entrance again before following Song Mingyan back.

On the other side, Song Changxu sat on the ox-cart, his gaze on Xu Zhizhou, only withdrawing it when he was out of sight.

He didn’t have many things in his bundle. His clothes were all thin long robes. The heaviest things were his books. Song Ye drove the cart quickly and soon arrived at Linglai Village.

Song Changxu asked for directions and found Feng Xin’ou. After saying goodbye to his family, Feng Xin’ou carried his bundle and got on the ox-cart with Song Changxu.

Feng Xin’ou was silent for a moment and then said, “I didn’t expect time to pass so quickly. We’re going to Jinhe County for the county exam so soon.”

Song Changxu felt the same. “Yes, especially the days from winter to spring have passed particularly quickly.”

Feng Xin’ou was not very confident about this exam. To become a xiucai, one had to pass three exams: the county, prefectural, and college exams. If one failed any of them, one would not become a xiucai.

The two of them traveled all the way to Shuibo Town. Song Changxu said goodbye to Song Ye.

“Alright, then I’ll be going back. Changxu, it’s fine if you don’t pass. Just think of it as an experience,” Song Ye comforted him.

Song Changxu nodded. “I know, Father.”

They hired a carriage. There were many people hiring carriages at the horse station today. They were all wearing long robes and carrying bundles, on their way to Jinhe County for the exam.

Feng Xin’ou said, “I didn’t know there were so many scholars in town before. So many of them have come out for the exam.”

The Ningxing Dynasty treated scholars with courtesy. Those who excelled in their studies could become officials. The imperial examination was an important way to become an official. If one had a title and merits, one could become an official through family connections.

For ordinary people like them, the only way to become an official was through the imperial examination. Besides, the capable sons of aristocratic families disdained to obtain official positions through connections. Such positions were considered to be for the incompetent in the officialdom. Some people, due to their family’s power, would not say anything to their faces, but it was a different story behind their backs.

Moreover, the official positions obtained through connections were only minor ones. If one wanted to be a king or a prime minister in the future, it was best to go through the imperial examination and the path of the Hanlin Academy.

Thinking of this, Song Changxu got into the carriage with Feng Xin’ou. The journey was long, and they had to find an inn to rest for a night.

On the way, they found a random inn and slept in a daze. They got up early the next morning and continued on their way.

After a day’s journey, they arrived at Jinhe County. They paid the fare and found a cheaper inn to stay at.

Feng Xin’ou: “Brother Song, let’s rest for a while and then go out at night to familiarize ourselves with Jinhe County.”

Song Changxu cupped his hands. “What Brother Feng says is what I was thinking.”

Even though they had been sitting in the carriage and not exerting any energy, they still felt mentally exhausted. Song Changxu had a meal, washed up, and then lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

These few days, Jinhe County was very lively. The inns in the county town were all busy. Some people, seeing the opportunity, also rented out their houses to these candidates to earn some money for lodging.

When Song Changxu lay down to rest, it was still noisy outside. In such circumstances, he still fell asleep quickly.

The innkeeper personally delivered the meals to these scholars.

When he woke up, it was already dark. Song Changxu rubbed his head, tidied himself up, and went to knock on Feng Xin’ou’s door.

Feng Xin’ou opened the door.

“Brother Feng, let’s go down and have something to eat, and then go for a walk.”

Feng Xin’ou nodded. They found a noodle shop outside the inn and had a bowl of noodles, then started to walk along the street.

At night, the lanterns in the county town were lit. There were also many other scholars who had come here, wandering around. They mainly went to have a look at the county school. The exam this time was held there.

There were no special examination halls for the xiucai exam. It was usually held in the county or prefectural schools, with the provincial education commissioner as the chief examiner.

The county school was not open to outsiders now. They just looked around to see if there were any places to eat and to buy ink.

It was the first time Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou had seen the county school. Song Changxu was not very surprised, but Feng Xin’ou was shocked by the solemnity and sense of history that emanated from it.

He couldn’t help but say, “It would be so good to be able to study at the county school after becoming a xiucai.”

A few scholars heard Feng Xin’ou’s words and laughed. One of them, a fair-faced scholar, said, “We study at the county school. You think too highly of it, brother. We think it would be best to study at the prefectural school or the Imperial College.”

Another scholar, dressed in fine clothes, said with a smile, “There’s always a higher mountain. We scholars can only aim for the Imperial College.”

It was even more difficult to get into the Imperial College. A prefecture only had a quota of five people, and some of them were through connections. Ordinary scholars had no chance at all.

Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou walked along the street for a while. The prosperity of Jinhe County was completely incomparable to that of Shuibo Town. One was a county town, the other a town. The people on the street all walked with a brisk pace. It was Feng Xin’ou’s first time in Jinhe County, and he found everything novel.

Although he didn’t show it on his face, he was filled with longing. As someone who had come from a small village to the county town, he felt a mix of complexity, excitement, inferiority, vigilance, and embarrassment.

Song Changxu was still calm and composed. With him by Feng Xin’ou’s side, Feng Xin’ou’s slight nervousness dissipated.

“Brother Song, what do you think of Jinhe County?” Feng Xin’ou asked.

Song Changxu had seen many prosperous scenes, so his impression of Jinhe County was just alright. He smiled and said, “It looks more prosperous than Shuibo Town. We’re just passersby now. We just need to do well in the exam in three days.”

Feng Xin’ou was stunned for a moment, then he smiled and said, “Brother Song is right.”

They wandered around the night market for a while and then went back to their respective rooms to rest. They had slept for too long in the afternoon and were not sleepy at all at night.

Song Changxu listened to the noisy sounds outside the window, and he could even hear the voices of the drinkers in the inn below. He put his hands under his head and, for the first time, felt a sense of longing.

He was thinking about what Xu Zhizhou was doing now, whether he was already asleep. In the past, sleeping alone had become a habit. Now that he was used to being with Xu Zhizhou, he felt a bit unaccustomed to being separated.

Song Changxu sighed.

“This won’t do. I have to get used to it in the future.”

.

On the other side, after helping out in the fields, Xu Zhizhou returned home. During lunch and dinner, he always felt that someone was missing.

At night, after washing up, Xu Zhizhou could feel Song Changxu’s absence even more. There was no one to help him with his chores, and he was sleeping alone in a large bed.

Wait, sleeping alone in a large bed.

It was so nice.

He could toss and turn without fear of falling off.

Xu Zhizhou rolled around on the bed, from one end to the other.

He was making quite a bit of noise. Song Mingyan pulled the small quilt over Xu Cheng and then said hesitantly, “Zhizhou, don’t miss Changxu too much. He’ll be back after the exam.”

Xu Zhizhou nodded guiltily. “I know, Elder Brother.”

After a while, there was no more sound from Song Mingyan’s side. Xu Zhizhou breathed a sigh of relief. He blew out the candle and hugged Song Changxu’s pillow to sleep.

Three days passed in a flash. It was the day of the exam. Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou went to the county school early to wait.

The yamen runners first checked their identification tags, then opened their exam baskets, broke the buns to see if there were any cheat sheets inside, and then took five candidates to a room to be searched. They had to take off their clothes to see if there were any cheat sheets written on their thighs or clothes.

The imperial examination is really strict.

After the yamen runners had finished their inspection, they nodded. “You can go in.”

In the past, the inspections had not been strict, which had led to someone smuggling a cheat sheet into the exam hall and being discovered. Empress Dowager Xiao had been furious, and the county and prefectural governments had all been punished.

After that incident, even for the lowest level of the imperial examination, the county and prefectural governments did not dare to be lax and were all very careful.

What the superiors dislike, the subordinates will surely follow.

Song Changxu entered his examination cubicle and waited for the questions to be distributed. When the time came, a yamen runner beat a gong, and the county school was sealed.

Ren Xuezheng nodded.

The exam questions were distributed. There was no sound around. Yamen runners could be seen guarding the four corners. The provincial education commissioner was a man of about forty, wearing an official robe and sitting in the middle. And Song Changxu was unlucky; his cubicle was right in the middle.

Song Changxu: “…”

Anyway, just do it.

After getting the exam questions, Song Changxu first browsed through them, then did the easy and confident ones first.

It seemed that this was his first time taking an exam, but he was actually a person who had gone through a sea of exams: weekly tests, quizzes, monthly exams, mock exams, joint exams, the college entrance exam, the CET-4 and CET-6… what hadn’t he taken!

His first half of his life had been filled with exams. There was an exam at every stage.

Song Changxu felt a sense of sorrow. He took his brush and started to write.

He was fast, and his brush barely stopped. Ren Xuezheng drank his tea and watched the candidates below. He saw a few of them frowning at the exam questions, but only Song Changxu was writing quickly, and he looked confident.

Ren Xuezheng’s curiosity was piqued. He drank a few more mouthfuls of tea and then went down to have a look. He first went to other places, and finally stood in front of Song Changxu.

Song Changxu’s speed did not change. As someone who had been through great storms, he was not afraid of being watched by the provincial education commissioner.

Ren Xuezheng saw that he was writing very quickly, and occasionally saw that a few of the questions were correct. He nodded and returned to his seat.

He thought to himself that there were a few good seedlings this year.

After the county exam, the provincial education commissioner took his men to grade the papers first. The results of this exam would be announced in two days.

Some of the candidates stayed at home to continue reading, some were anxious, and some still went out to have fun. Song Changxu stayed in the inn and read quietly. The closer it got, the more restless he became. He was no exception.

“Don’t be anxious,” Song Changxu warned himself.

Two days later, at dawn, there were already scholars waiting at the entrance of the county yamen for the yamen runners to post the list. When Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou arrived, there were already three layers of people, and they could only linger on the outermost layer.

When the time came, a yamen runner beat a gong and posted the list. Everyone immediately rushed forward. The first exam determined whether they could take the second.

First place: Xie Feng

Second place: Luo Shuang

Third place: Cheng Maoxue

Fourth place: Song Changxu

…

Feng Xin’ou found his name at the back. He was a little surprised to see Song Changxu’s name.

“Changxu, you did quite well.”

Song Changxu was lost in thought. He had done something not good enough. But this ranking was within his expectations. He had expected to be in the top ten, and this time he was fourth.

The top three scholars were all from the county school. They accepted the praise from the crowd with high spirits.

“Brother Xie, you’re amazing.”

“Brother Luo and Brother Cheng are also very amazing.”

Xie Feng said modestly, “This is only the county exam. There are still the prefectural and college exams. This small exam is nothing.”

“By the way, I haven’t heard of this Brother Song?”

“I wonder where he’s from. He must be a talented man,” Cheng Maoxue said.

He still felt a sense of crisis. This time he was third, and this Song Changxu was right behind him. He might even surpass him. Although even the last place could participate in the prefectural exam, who would dislike a high ranking?

Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou returned to the inn to continue reading, and then took the second exam.

Three days later, the results of the second exam were out.

First place: Xie Feng

Second place: Luo Shuang

Third place: Song Changxu

Fourth place: Cheng Maoxue

…

Song Changxu looked at his ranking and was once again lost in thought. He had adjusted his writing style this time, but it seemed that it still hadn’t satisfied the grader, or rather, it wasn’t the most satisfactory.

He now understood a little why in the provincial and metropolitan exams, many candidates, after knowing who the chief examiner was, would send gifts to guess what kind of essays and what style the chief examiner liked.

Seeing this, Cheng Maoxue gave a bitter smile. “Who is this Brother Song? Why haven’t I seen him at all?”

Xie Feng also became curious. He laughed heartily. “What’s there to be afraid of? With his ranking, he’ll become a xiucai sooner or later. We’ll know who he is then.”

Luo Shuang was a reserved person. Hearing this, he also became curious.

Feng Xin’ou was on the verge of failing this time. Fortunately, he was still on the list. He clenched his fists, his heart still pounding. He looked at the name high on the list again and shook his head with a smile.

He thought to himself, “I knew Brother Song was extraordinary. I didn’t expect him to do so well, and he’s so composed.”

“This Song Changxu has become the third. He’s not going to overthrow Brother Xie in the college exam, is he?”

Xie Feng smiled. “I’m not as easy to overthrow as Brother Cheng. Besides, we still have Brother Luo in between.”

Before a list, some were happy, some were disappointed. But Song Changxu was reviewing in his mind.

“Where did I go wrong…” Song Changxu couldn’t figure it out.

He followed Feng Xin’ou back to the inn, which was also noisy. Everyone was talking about the imperial examination.

Feng Xin’ou said in a low voice, “I see that many people have started to make friends. Brother Song’s ranking is so high, and the college exam will be no problem. Why are you still unknown? Why don’t you reveal your name?”

Seeing that the candidates ranked seventh and eighth were all being praised, while Song Changxu was still a mysterious symbol in front of the other candidates, he had to ask.

Song Changxu: “There’s still the last exam. Only after that will we know if we can become a xiucai.”

He was as steady as an old dog.

Hearing this, Feng Xin’ou was filled with admiration. He also felt a sense of crisis. That’s right, there was still one more exam to know if he could become a xiucai.

“Brother Feng, I’ll go back to my room to read first.”

Feng Xin’ou nodded. He also didn’t relax when he returned to his room and continued to read.

There were three exams. After each one, they would be let out for a two-day break, and then come back for the next.

After three rounds, when the last exam was over, all the candidates were exhausted.

Some of them fainted as soon as they came out and had to be carried out by the yamen runners. They all looked listless and tired when they saw their families waiting outside.

Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou walked all the way back to the inn, said a word to each other, and went back to their rooms to sleep.

They slept until the evening. The two of them ordered three dishes and one soup in the inn’s main hall for dinner.

A stir-fried potato shreds with green peppers and meat, a cucumber salad, a dry-fried green beans, and a pumpkin soup.

After they had eaten a bowl of rice, they slowed down.

Feng Xin’ou asked, “Brother Song, do you think the questions were difficult?”

Song Changxu said, “I haven’t done any others, so I can’t compare. I just finished them.”

Feng Xin’ou nodded. They would be leaving Jinhe County tomorrow. Otherwise, staying here for another day would cost another day’s money. The results would probably be out in about half a month. If they passed, someone would come to their homes to inform them.

Feng Xin’ou said with self-deprecation, “Although I know the hope is slim, I still hope I can pass.”

Song Changxu understood very well. “Brother Feng, it’s human nature.”

The local scholars had gone home after the exam. The next day, Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou saw many people leaving in carriages. It seemed that they had all come from the towns to take the imperial examination.

Song Changxu was not very confident about this exam, so he didn’t dare to be arrogant. When they returned to Shuibo Town, Feng Xin’ou said, “Brother Song, I’m going to my in-laws’ first. I won’t be going with you.”

Song Changxu: “Alright.”

Although he had spent some money, he still had two taels of silver left. He went to buy some pastries and pork. He glanced at the familiar place. Today, his elder brother and Zhizhou had not set up their stall.

It was the spring planting season now. They had to take care of the fields first. The stall could be set up anytime.

Song Changxu carried the pastries and pork. He heard a burst of laughter and looked up to see a few ge’ers dressed in fine clothes, with silver hairpins, jade bracelets, and jade pendants on their waists.

He looked at their backs and then looked away.

For some reason, he suddenly wanted to see Xu Zhizhou quickly.

He also felt a sense of guilt.

Xu Zhizhou had always been talking about wanting to live a good life, to be the husband of an official, to not do any work, to wear beautiful clothes, and to wear beautiful bracelets. But after marrying him, he had gotten none of that.

Song Changxu let out a breath and got on the ox-cart back to Qishan Village.

.

During the days Song Changxu was away, Xu Zhizhou helped in the fields, then he would often cook, and sleep alone at night. At first, he felt that it was very comfortable to have a large bed to himself, but then he would inevitably think of Song Changxu.

The nights grew longer, and his longing for Song Changxu grew.

After all, it was different now.

When Xu Zhizhou missed him a lot, he would sniffle, go to the place where he had hidden his money, and count the copper coins with tears in his eyes.

“No money. I can’t go and find him.”

He counted once, twice. He wanted both of them to live a good life.

Xu Zhizhou tossed and turned in bed before he fell asleep.

He had just had lunch and was now feeding the chickens and ducks. His father had raised two pigs, so in the afternoon, he would also have to cut pig feed.

He heard the sound of footsteps at the door.

Xu Zhizhou looked up.

Song Changxu, wearing a long robe and carrying a bundle, with pork and pastries in his hands, his handsome face looking tired and dusty.

“I’m back.”

Xu Zhizhou quickly went forward and hugged his waist. “Did you arrive this morning?”

Song Changxu smiled and nodded. He put down his things and his bundle in the room.

Back in his own home, he finally relaxed completely. Song Changxu drank a mouthful of water and found that it was warm sugar water.

“I just made it,” Xu Zhizhou said.

Song Changxu’s brow relaxed. “It’s very good.”

“How was it in Jinhe County?” Xu Zhizhou asked curiously.

“It was alright. Jinhe County is very prosperous. I saw many things I had never seen before. I took three exams. After they were over, Feng Xiong and I came back the next morning. We didn’t stay in Jinhe County for long, so I didn’t go to see my uncle.”

Xu Zhizhou nodded with disappointment. “My uncle has been busy in Jinhe County. He didn’t even come when we got married.”

Song Changxu said, “If I can pass this time, I’ll be able to study at the county school for a while. Then I’ll be able to see my uncle often.”

Xu Zhizhou came over and said with a smile, “From the sound of it, you’re confident about passing the exam to become a xiucai.”

Song Changxu took a sip of sugar water. “I’m not completely confident.”

Xu Zhizhou glared at Song Changxu. “Can’t you just say something nice to coax me? I’m so angry.”

Seeing Xu Zhizhou’s pouting face, Song Changxu reached out and pinched his cheek. “I like to prepare for the worst.”

“Then you should go and wash up first and then come back for a nap. You look all dusty.”

Song Changxu: “…”

Song Changxu hastily took his clothes and went to take a bath.

When he came back, there was a small lump on the bed. Xu Zhizhou was already fast asleep, the corners of his lips still turned up.

Song Changxu looked at his sleeping face, pinched his nose, and then lay down with him, his arm around Xu Zhizhou’s waist. A wave of sleepiness from deep within swept over him. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

.

Jinhe County, Ren Xuezheng and the teachers of the county school were grading the exam papers. The questions for the last college exam were more difficult, so they had to be more careful.

Ren Xuezheng had read a few essays that were well-written and nodded with satisfaction. He remembered that in the first two exams, there had also been a well-written essay, but it was too sharp, so he had suppressed it.

It was a good thing for young people to be sharp, but being too sharp was a bad thing.

This time, he had looked at the papers several times but hadn’t seen that sharp essay. It seemed that there had been a change. Ren Xuezheng sighed in his heart. He had wanted the candidate to change his writing style, but a complete lack of sharpness would eventually lead to mediocrity.

A teacher from the county school exclaimed, “Sir Ren, I think this essay can be the first place in the college exam. The language is simple and unadorned, and the insights are sharp. I think it deserves to be the top.”

Another teacher took the paper and looked at it. “It is indeed not bad. It’s more mature than the essays I’ve seen, and it has a hint of sharpness.”

Ren Xuezheng’s heart stirred. “Let me have a look.”

***

Author’s Note:

Little Song: [Dog with a rose in its mouth]

Little Xu: The husband of an official. [Pats head]