Chapter 109

After everyone had changed their clothes, Zhou Shi, who was guarding the house, fetched a ripe watermelon from the well.

This variety of watermelon used to be grown in Shuiyun Village, but it wasn’t of good quality—it had thick skin, little juice, and wasn’t particularly sweet. Moreover, it was quite expensive. Shen Cui had never bought one before.

However, being in the capital, the watermelon they bought here was quite similar to the ones Shen Cui had tasted in her future life, except for having slightly more seeds.

Outside, the wind and rain continued, but eating a bag of crunchy and sweet watermelon while listening to the sound of the rain and wind had its own charm.

After finishing the watermelon, Wei Shu, Wei Xi, and Mei Ruochu wrote down the contents of the exam and had Lao Buyu grade them.

Mu Erpang level was a bit lower, so Lao Buyu didn’t ask him to do the questions but had him listen along instead. It’s always beneficial to listen and learn more.

Later, when they saw Mei Ruochu’s paper from the reexamination, Wei Shu laughed even more and said, “Everyone says Brother Mei is modest, but with this level of poetry and prose, are you still talking about ‘sitting on the red chair’ with me?”

Mei Ruochu still smiled but didn’t say anything, keeping quiet about the small mishap he had encountered.

Lao Buyu was in a great mood. According to his experience, the three students were as good as guaranteed to become scholars!

He had been worried earlier about not being able to fulfill the ten-year agreement, but now, after only two years, he already had three scholars by his side.

Perhaps there was no need to wait for ten years; they might be able to fulfill the agreement early!

If it weren’t for the trouble caused by drinking earlier, he had secretly sworn to quit drinking.

Otherwise, he might not have been able to resist having a few drinks now.

When the class was over and it was late at night, everyone remembered that they hadn’t seen Shen Cui since they finished eating watermelon.

In this small courtyard, Shen Cui didn’t have to act as a time booster, waiting on them day after day.

However, she had developed the habit of being a study companion and wouldn’t slack off.

Everyone thought that perhaps she had been busy during the day and decided to go check on her before going to bed.

Mu Erpang knocked on the door and asked if she was sleeping and if it was convenient to come in.

Naturally, Shen Cui hadn’t slept yet. She put away her needle and thread and said, “Come in, I’m not asleep yet.”

Several young men entered one after another and confirmed that she was fine, feeling relieved.

“Why are you doing needlework again, Mother?” Although she had put away her things, there was still a loose thread on the table.

And the embroidery thread she used was different from what Zhou Shi usually used at home.

Sharp-eyed Mu Erpang noticed it and jokingly said, “Mother used to do needlework for Brother Mei. Now that they’ve all finished their exams, who are you doing it for?”

Shen Cui immediately surrendered to the little steward, “It’s just a habit to do it in my spare time. Alright, alright, I won’t do it anymore.”

Mu Erpang finally smiled, “Doing needlework at night strains your eyes. If you really like doing it, do it during the day.”

The next day, Shen Cui suggested, “After finally finishing the exams, you guys should go out and have fun these days. Just as we discussed earlier, go eat snacks, visit bookstores, and climb mountains to relax.”

By doing so, they wouldn’t constantly worry about their exam results and the release of the results.

The young lads all loved going out, especially Mu Erpang, who was going on a trip for the first time.

Add to that Mei Ruochu, who had been extremely unlucky and never dared to go out casually before, and Wei Shu and Wei Xi had been eager to take them out for some fun.

The young men started discussing their travel plans.

Since the summer heat hadn’t passed yet, the others were fine, being young and strong.

It was Wei Xi who definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it.

So they agreed to go out in the morning for half a day of fun and return for lunch when the sun got too hot. In the afternoon and evening, they would study as usual.

Lao Buyu wasn’t young anymore, and he had traveled outside earlier, seeing all kinds of scenery.

He said he would stay at home to rest.

Shen Cui also didn’t join them, saying the weather was too hot to bother moving and privately reminding Mu Erpang to take good care of Mei Ruochu.

Once they had finished breakfast and left, she returned to her room and took out her needle and thread basket.

Shen Cui was now so adept at sewing waistbands that she could do it with ease. In the past, she would rush through the process and take the whole night to make one. Now, even without the time booster, she could make two in the morning.

In two days, she made four waistbands and immediately had Mei Ruochu try them on, boosting his luck value back to 80.

Afraid that Mu’er would be unhappy, she quickly assured him that she would rest well afterward, sleeping when she should and eating when she should, treating herself like a pig!

Mu Erpang was actually worried about her being overworked, but seeing that she had secretly done the needlework and her complexion hadn’t been affected, he wasn’t unhappy.

It was only now that Mei Ruochu realized she wasn’t enduring the summer heat but doing something else entirely.

He felt both grateful and apologetic. He was grateful for Shen Cui’s care for him, her junior, and apologetic because although he knew the waistband could bring him good luck, he had already submitted his papers…

He was afraid that when the results came out, he wouldn’t be able to repay Shen Cui’s kindness.

But since she had already made them, he didn’t refuse and immediately put on the waistbands.

…

On the day before the release of the provincial examination results, the provincial examiners and a group of local headmasters and friends finished grading the papers and determined the rankings.

They only had to wait for the provincial examiner to review all the passed papers on the last day, make some adjustments or modifications to the rankings, and then have someone remove the name tags and post the results.

The next morning, which was also the day the headmasters and friends who helped with grading would leave.

They had come a long way from five hundred miles away, and the court didn’t provide them with any money; it was all arranged by the provincial education officials who invited them, essentially making them volunteers.

Now that the task was complete, the provincial education officials hosted a banquet for them, as a gesture of appreciation.

During the banquet, as they exchanged cups and talked, they naturally needed some topics to discuss.

Since they didn’t usually interact much, the most discussed topic was the events that had occurred during the grading of the papers in the past few days.

After a few rounds of drinking, one of the headmasters got drunk and, with a flushed face, began reciting poetry.

Gathering of literati and scholars, reciting poetry after drinking was considered a beautiful tradition.

The provincial education officials didn’t find it rude at all; instead, they felt that the headmaster displayed a bold and unrestrained demeanor, which they admired.

The headmaster first recited some famous verses that were commonly sung, then proceeded to recite some of the poems and essays he had seen during the grading of the papers.

As the provincial education official listened, he began to feel something was amiss. He turned to the scribe beside him and asked, “Who wrote the poem that Li Headmaster recited just now? It was so beautifully crafted, yet I have never heard of it before.”

The scribe was momentarily taken aback by the question and replied with a forced smile, “Sir, perhaps you’ve had a bit too much to drink and forgotten. That poem was written by one of the examinees in this year’s examination.”

Although the provincial education official had indeed consumed some alcohol, the drinks served to him were of low alcohol content, as he still had official duties to attend to the next day.

He wasn’t drunk.

Coming from a humble background, the provincial education official had worked hard for half his life to reach his current position.

Despite his age, his memory was still exceptional.

As the chief examiner, he needed to carefully review every exam paper, yet he had no recollection of the exceptionally well-written poem.

The scribe, who had been following him for many years, couldn’t possibly deceive him. There was only one explanation that came to his mind.

During the grading process, he remembered encountering a crumpled exam paper.

Without even looking at it, he had set it aside. As someone who had gone through the imperial examinations himself, he understood the hardships of the examinees.

He was always lenient towards them, even if their behavior seemed slightly unusual.

However, he had little tolerance for candidates who displayed a disrespectful attitude.

While it was understandable for candidates to make mistakes due to the stress of the exam, this attitude was unacceptable.

The provincial education official realized that he had overlooked this particular exam paper, which none of the other examiners had seen.

This meant that the exceptional poem must have been on that paper.

Feeling uneasy, the provincial education official found an excuse to leave the banquet halfway through.

He quickly instructed the scribe to retrieve the exam paper he had set aside.

Upon reviewing the paper, the provincial education official realized that he had rejected a remarkable talent.

The poem was not only suitable for the provincial examination but could have stood out in the capital examination or even the metropolitan examination!

However, the appearance of the paper…

The scribe had been following the provincial education official for many years, and he knew how to handle situations like this.

He explained, “Sir, I heard someone say that on the day of the exam, there was a sudden heavy rain, and somehow, there was a leak in the examination hall. This exam paper… must have been affected by the raindrops.”

“Such a coincidence?” The provincial education official frowned deeply. “Why wasn’t this reported earlier?”

The scribe remained silent under the scrutiny. Everyone has their flaws, and the provincial education official was known for being strict and inflexible.

He had already rejected the candidate and seemed displeased with them. Pushing further explanations would only lead to more trouble.

It was likely that the other examiners had similar thoughts, which was why they hadn’t brought it up earlier.

It was only now, under the influence of alcohol, that they dared to recite the contents of the exam paper and indirectly bring it to the provincial education official’s attention.

The grading of the exam papers was nearing its end, and the examiners would leave the next day.

The provincial education official’s term lasted three years, and they might not meet again for a long time.

Even if they displeased him now, it wouldn’t matter much.

The provincial education official didn’t wait for the scribe’s response. He gazed at the exam paper for a long time, recognizing its exceptional quality.

If this poem were to be circulated, it would surely gain widespread acclaim.

In the future, people would wonder how such a brilliant poem ended up being rejected.

Those who knew the truth would understand that it was due to the unfortunate incident with the rain.

But those who didn’t know might suspect foul play or favoritism.

As a scholar himself, the provincial education official understood the power of public opinion among intellectuals.

He also realized that the candidate who wrote this remarkable poem, if given another chance and spared from such accidents, would surely rise to prominence.

Thinking it over carefully, the provincial education official broke out in a cold sweat.

The slight intoxication from the alcohol disappeared instantly.

“Summon the examiners and reevaluate the rankings tonight,” the provincial education official finally declared.