Chapter 146

In the evening, the boys returned from the Prefectural Academy.

Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather had become increasingly hot.

Nowadays, they didn’t walk much but instead traveled by carriage.

However, they still sweated profusely when they returned to the academy.

Especially the chubby ones who feared the heat. In previous years, Cui Fei would have already started staying indoors at this time.

Now, having lost more than a hundred catties from over three hundred to just over two hundred, he had transformed from a clumsy fat man into a chubby guy with broad shoulders and a round waist, and his situation had improved considerably.

After returning to the academy, the boys first went back to their rooms to freshen up before gathering in the classroom.

The classroom had an ice mirror purchased by Shen Cui from the system, which lowered the temperature by several degrees compared to outside.

Finally feeling relieved, the boys relaxed.

In the hot weather, appetites were low, so recently the academy had pushed dinner time back a bit.

Shen Cui brought out the fruits and snacks that Cui Wuniang had sent for everyone to enjoy.

These snacks were made by the Cui family’s own chef and were different from those sold outside.

Whenever Cui Fei occasionally went home, he would bring some back from his family, which everyone enjoyed.

Today, upon tasting them, everyone knew that someone from the Cui family had visited.

“I was just thinking I couldn’t eat dinner. Thanks to Fei, we can enjoy some good snacks.” Wei Shu joked while nibbling on a date cake, teasing Cui Fei.

Usually, Cui Fei would also banter back and forth with him, but this time, he just blushed and quietly ate his snack.

After everyone finished eating, Mei Ruochu went to help Mu Erpang review poems and essays, while the others began to do their homework.

Cui Fei then slowly moved to Shen Cui’s side and asked softly, “Has my sister spoken to the Headmaster?”

He looked more shy than a maiden preparing to get into the bridal sedan.

Shen Cui immediately understood that he was asking whether Cui Wuniang had told her about the marriage proposal.

“She told me,” she nodded with a smile, then looked at Cui Fei’s hesitant expression and asked tentatively, “Are you unwilling?”

Cui Fei’s chubby face turned bright red. “I’m not young anymore, and because of my health problems before… I’ve caused a lot of worry for Grandfather and Sister. Now, with your help in recuperating, my health has improved a lot, and there’s someone willing to marry into our family. Of course, I’m not unwilling. It’s just… I’m a bit worried. I’m still a bit chubby compared to others, and I wasted several years before. It’s also very difficult to make progress in my career. I’m afraid that a good girl from a good family, because of her parents’ orders and the matchmaker’s words, will have to marry me reluctantly.”

Listening to his words, Shen Cui’s expression softened even more.

She hadn’t expected that, in this era, Cui Fei would be able to consider things from the perspective of the prospective bride, which was definitely admirable.

“How does the process of getting to know each other work here?” Shen Cui asked.

After all, marriage customs and traditions varied from place to place. In rural areas like Shuiyun Village, for example, the customs were quite open.

If two families were interested in arranging a marriage, they would allow the young people to interact more. Through frequent contact, feelings would naturally develop between the young men and women, and marriage would follow suit.

There was also the option of love marriages—girls in the village still had to help with household chores, and they were seen everywhere.

In such cases, they would directly inform their families. Since most families in the village were similar in economic status, when the elders negotiated, things would usually work out.

The Cui family was a wealthy family, and the families they considered for marriage would also be well-off.

It wouldn’t be as straightforward as in the countryside.

Cui Fei explained, “Cousins of similar age in the family have already gotten married, so the process should be similar. First, a matchmaker is invited to inquire about families with suitable girls of marriageable age. Then, the matchmaker conveys the message. If there’s interest, both parties exchange basic information, such as specific ages and preferences. Next, the two families meet. Usually, the man visits the woman’s home, and the woman gets to see the man through a screen. If this step goes smoothly, the families arrange to meet somewhere for incense burning or a stroll in the garden, creating an opportunity for a ‘chance encounter’ where we can talk. Finally, there are the formalities like the Three Letters and Six Etiquettes…”

Hearing this, Shen Cui felt somewhat relieved.

In this process, the prospective couple could still participate, which was much better than the situation where they only met for the first time on the day of the wedding, blindly marrying each other.

“Your sister just told me that she will be open about everything and won’t deceive the other party. And since you still have the chance for a ‘chance encounter,’ you can observe the attitude of the girl and see if she’s being forced or unwilling because of her family,”

Shen Cui paused for a moment, then continued, “But there’s something I feel isn’t quite right. From what you said just now, it seems like you’re underestimating yourself?”

Cui Fei stammered, not saying a word.

He did feel that it would be good enough for a girl from a family with a comparable background to marry him, and he didn’t feel he had the right to choose.

“You’re able to consider not making the other party unhappy, which is good. But marriage is a lifelong matter, and you shouldn’t make yourself unhappy either. The future is long, and both parties need to be satisfied for it to be a good match, right? I won’t say more, after all, it’s your family matter, and I shouldn’t meddle.”

Cui Fei immediately shook his head, “No, I know you’re looking out for me. What you said makes sense, and I’ll remember it.”

At this point, Cui Fei’s face flushed again, “Can you keep this matter from everyone for now? Of course, I’m not trying to hide it from everyone, but brother Hanshan is about to take the exam soon, and I don’t want him to be distracted by my affairs.”

They were usually close like one person.

Cui Fei was the first one in the academy to get married, and if he told them about this, although they wouldn’t make a fuss, they might still want to offer him advice.

Shen Cui naturally agreed, “After all, it’s your own business. When you feel the timing is right, you can tell them yourself.”

After their conversation, they would undoubtedly be curious about what to talk about next, so Cui Fei immediately returned to his desk and began to do his homework.

As bedtime approached, everyone went to wash up.

Because they all had to get up early for school, and Mu Er Pang stayed in the academy, he always let others go wash up first and stayed in the classroom to study.

Only mother and son were left in the room. Shen Cui sat beside Mu Er Pang, looking at his increasingly robust profile.

Suddenly, she realized that it was fortunate that her chubby son was taking the imperial examination path.

Otherwise, at his age in the village, he would already be considering marriage.

At this age, when neither boys nor girls were mature in matters of love, choosing a lifelong companion seemed unreliable.

For now, she could just focus on his exams. Once he passed and completed the main task, they could think about other things.

She wondered what kind of girl would become her daughter-in-law.

She knew she wouldn’t be worrying any less than Cui Wu Niang.

…

This year, the preliminary exams in Qingzhou Prefecture were scheduled earlier, in June.

The weather was unbearably hot at this time, making people dizzy and disoriented. Even Shen Cui, who had been feeling unwell lately, couldn’t eat well or sleep soundly and lacked energy for anything.

One positive aspect was that both the preliminary and final exams were held on the same day.

Otherwise, being cooped up for four days in this weather, like during the prefectural exams, would have been unbearable.

Shen Cui took out the red bracelet she bought for Mu Er Pang last year, which he had hesitated to wear, and put it on him.

At least it would make him feel cooler and protect him from mosquitoes.

Before dawn, Mu Er Pang, along with Ren Shun and Zhao Xiuwen, as well as two other young men he had only met once, met outside the examination hall.

The candidates who made it to this round were considered experienced, so they all remained relatively calm.

Once they entered the examination room and took their seats, Mu Er Pang’s first action was to look up and confirm that there were no leaks in the roof.

He still remembered how Mei Ruochu almost had his exam paper ruined by rain last year.

Fortunately, after that incident, the examination hall roofs had been repaired. Combined with Mu Er Pang’s own good luck, he didn’t have to worry about such things anymore.

After the candidates settled in their seats, not long after, the sound of ceremonial cannons echoed outside, signaling the closing of the examination hall.

They watched as Liu Xuezheng, who appeared to be in his forties, took his seat in the main hall and began writing the exam questions.

Once the exam questions were written, the examiners posted them on wooden boards and circulated them around the examination hall, allowing the candidates to transcribe the questions onto their papers.

When the document reached him, Mu Er Pang immediately focused his attention and began reading the questions.

The Eight-Legged Essay topic was “Having virtue leads to having people.”

Upon seeing the topic, Mu Er Pang already knew its origin.

This phrase comes from the “Book of Rites – The Great Learning,” where it says, “A gentleman is cautious in matters of virtue. With virtue, there are people; with people, there is territory; with territory, there is wealth; with wealth, there is use.”

It means that a gentleman should prioritize virtue. With virtue, one gains the support of the people, which leads to the acquisition of territory, wealth, and ultimately, utility. Though a bit convoluted, the meaning is not difficult to understand: virtue is fundamental, and wealth is of the least importance; one should not confuse priorities.

Feeling somewhat settled, Mu Er Pang then turned his attention to the poetry question.

The poetry question was “Travelers need not ask, poetry is on the imperial screen.”

This was a poem that everyone recognized each character, but when combined together, it left people puzzled!

Almost as soon as he read the poetry question, Mu Er Pang heard the intake of breath from other candidates at nearby desks.

This was one of the challenges of the preliminary exam.

Mu Er Pang’s habit had always been to review the exam papers before starting, going through all of them once to get an idea of what was required before answering.

However, some candidates, lacking strong psychological resilience, wouldn’t do this. They would typically start writing in the order the questions appeared, as the papers were usually arranged from easy to difficult.

They would write smoothly at first, completing what they knew, and then slow down to think when they encountered the harder questions.

In the preliminary exam, both questions were released at once, requiring candidates to transcribe them themselves. This forced every candidate to review the entire paper beforehand.

For those with poor psychological resilience, seeing a puzzling poetry question suddenly could affect their performance on the preceding question.

Mu Er Pang closed his eyes, calming himself down, and focused his attention on answering the relatively straightforward Eight-Legged Essay question first, deliberately putting aside the challenging poetry question for now.