The “Year-End Examination” was an annual test that all scholars had to take before the end of the year.

The exam was personally overseen by the Academician, who would set the questions and review the papers.

However, the Academician didn’t need to be present everywhere; instead, they would collaborate with professors and instructors from various prefectural cities to grade the exams.

Grading the papers was also labor-intensive, so the exams were typically conducted in batches, with different prefectural cities holding exams at different times.

There was no specific timetable, only a general range, and it all depended on the instructions from above.

In the past, the Year-End Examination in Qingzhou Prefecture usually took place around the time of the Laba Festival, in early January.

This year, perhaps due to the significance of the first round of examinations presided over by Liu Xuezheng starting from Qingzhou Prefecture, he broke from tradition and scheduled the Year-End Examination much earlier than usual, set to take place in November.

This news came as a shock to the new students at the prefectural school, who were just getting used to their new lives.

However, compared to scholars outside the prefectural school, they were relatively better off, as they didn’t have to travel far for the exams.

For those scholars who weren’t part of the prefectural school, the news didn’t reach them as quickly.

Many assumed they still had plenty of time to prepare. When they finally heard about the early exam dates, whether they were studying quietly at home or rushing to the examination site, they found themselves already a step behin

The atmosphere in the classroom was somber when Mu Er Pang and his friends arrived.

Everyone seemed troubled, their expressions grim.

Upon inquiry, they learned that the exam syllabus had been released.

Together, they went to the bulletin board to examine the syllabus.

Most of the content was still centered around the Confucian classics, with some additional historical texts that weren’t particularly obscure.

Mu Er Pang couldn’t quite discern anything special from the syllabus alone.

It seemed fairly conventional to him.

Before they could fully grasp the situation, it was time for class.

They hurried back to their seats.

After half an hour, the class ended, and there was a fifteen-minute break.

Anytime the room was quiet, they could hear Ren Shun and Zhao Xiuwen sighing behind them.

Mu Er Pang turned to them and asked, “What’s wrong, Ren and Zhao? I just checked the exam syllabus, and although the exam is earlier than usual, the content seems pretty standard, doesn’t it?”

As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Aoshuang, who also nodded in agreement, equally puzzled.

Shen Aoshuang had been at Cuiwei Academy for two months now, and as promised by the system to Shen Cui, the system had introduced specially crafted medication to rebuild his body, priced at 50 points per dose.

However, given Shen Ao Shuang’s “heavenly disability,” the medication wasn’t as effective for him as it was for others like Wei Xi or Cui Fei.

It could only restore some of his senses, and overall, he still couldn’t compare to an ordinary person.

His only option was to remain at the academy, slowly overcoming the influence of the rules on him.

Perhaps in a few years, after Mu Er Pang ascended through the ranks and Shen Cui successfully cleared the hurdles, gaining the privilege to purchase “bone-cleansing pills,” only then could Shen Ao Shuang be completely transformed into a normal person.

But even this prospect was enough to fill Shen Ao Shuang with gratitude, making him much more cheerful than before.

With his improved eyesight, which was now comparable to that of ordinary people who had strained their eyes from excessive reading, he no longer needed to feign arrogance.

He simply stated that his vision was impaired and that he couldn’t see clearly, preferring to maintain a good appearance rather than disclose his condition to others, which had led to misunderstandings in the past.

Apart from the reasons behind it, everything else he said wasn’t a lie. Moreover, considering that Ren Shun and Zhao Xiuwen had entered the academy alongside Shen Aoshuang from the county-level exam, their bond was deeper than Mu Er Pang’s with him.

Additionally, they weren’t petty individuals, and with Mu Er Pang mediating, their relationship with Shen Ao Shuang had improved significantly.

“Mu and Shen wouldn’t understand. We’re scared precisely because the exam syllabus is too conventional,” Ren Shun said with a bitter face.

“Who knows how Liu Xuezhang will set the questions?”

Zhao Xiuwen nodded in agreement, sharing the sentiment.

Mu Er Pang and Shen Ao Shuang understood now.

The shadow left by Liu Xuezhang’s exam had lingered too heavily among the freshmen, instilling a lingering fear.

Though they had also faced hardships under Liu Xuezhang’s leadership, their good results had lessened the psychological impact.

They hadn’t thought much about it until now.

Ren Shun and Zhao Xiuwen didn’t have time for further conversation; they began revising earnestly.

Meanwhile, among the senior students at the academy, though they hadn’t experienced Liu Xuezhang’s exam firsthand, they were aware of the previous year’s test.

Like Cui Fei, they knew that Liu Xuezhang had been lenient last year, so they couldn’t afford to be complacent this year.

Moreover, they had their pride to uphold. If they performed worse overall than the freshmen, it would be quite embarrassing.

So, both freshmen and seniors began to study diligently.

As for Cuiwei Academy, Shen Cui knew that they were gearing up for the annual exam, and the logistical preparations needed to be made.

The cabbage and egg dish that enhanced short-term memory became a regular feature on the dining table again.

Although Wei Shu and the others had had enough of it before, this time, each of them managed to eat a few bites, mainly out of respect for Shen Cui.

However, nothing went to waste, especially with Shen Aoshuang now appreciating Shen Cui’s culinary skills.

As long as Shen Cui cooked, he enjoyed the food tremendously, often finishing two bowls of rice without much fuss.

As the exams approached, Shen Ao Shuang seemed to be in better spirits, even gaining a bit of weight and height.

Previously, he hadn’t been much taller than Mu Er Pang, but now he was about a finger’s width taller.

However, Mu Er Pang was too preoccupied with his studies to notice the change in their heights.

Like Mei Ruo Chu the previous year, Mu Er Pang was worried about potentially losing his first-class result from the preliminary exam.

Losing face was one thing, but losing the additional subsidies and stipends would also be a significant loss of income for his family.

Therefore, Mu Er Pang hadn’t noticed the disparity in their heights widening. Otherwise, he might have been “gloomily heartbroken” again.

In early November, winter arrived abruptly, bringing several heavy snowfalls to the capital.

It was even colder than the previous year.

Many of the less affluent scholars in the academy developed frostbite, their hands swollen and red, making writing particularly challenging.

Upon hearing about this from Mu Er Pang, Shen Cui quickly purchased several ointments to prevent frostbite through the system, instructing the students to apply them morning and night to prevent any problems.

Later, when Cui Fei returned home, he also mentioned the matter to her sister.

Knowing that Shen Cui had already procured ointments for the young scholars, Cui Wuniang decided not to send the same thing. Instead, she had several hand warmers sent over.

These hand warmers were copper boxes containing charcoal, held in the hands or tucked into sleeves to provide warmth. They were the modern-day equivalent of hand warmers.

Such delicate items weren’t cheap, costing a few taels of silver each.

Cui Wuniang, mindful of the value of the gift, sent ones that the Cui family had used and cleaned after they had planned to reward their servants with them.

Shen Cui appreciated the gesture and accepted the hand warmers without hesitation.

On the day of the exams, the young scholars set off from the academy early in the morning.

Since the exams took place during the cold winter months, and the rules were not as strict as those for regular exams, there was a security check, but they didn’t have to strip down completely.

Not much suffering was endured, and everyone took their seats for the examination.

The examination hall was still the enclosed type, and in the summer, it was as hot as a steamer; however, during winter exams, it felt much warmer compared to the outside.

But even with this mild warmth, there were limits.

Take Mu Er Pang, for example, holding a hand warmer, his hands were warm, but his feet in the cotton shoes started to feel cold.

Even those with stronger physical constitutions felt cold, and for those with weaker constitutions or poorer families who couldn’t afford thick coats, the situation was even more difficult.

During the time spent waiting for the exam papers to be distributed, Mu Er Pang even heard the chattering of teeth from others who were shivering from the cold.

Once the exam papers were distributed, Mu Er Pang naturally forgot about any noise and began to carefully read the questions.

The provincial examination paper tested the overall level of scholars, so it covered all types of questions such as ink interpretation, copying classics, interpreting classics, miscellaneous essays, policy discussions, and test poems, making it a comprehensive paper.

Ink interpretation and copying classics were the simplest, and as Mu Er Pang read them, the answers already came to mind.

Later, the questions on interpreting classics, miscellaneous essays, and policy discussions were his strong points, though he couldn’t immediately think of all the answers, he had a clear direction.

As he reached the second-to-last question, Mu Er Pang hadn’t seen the poetry question yet, and he couldn’t help but feel a thud in his heart—these days, the order of exam questions followed the rule of starting from the easiest to the hardest.

Liu Xuezheng was using the poetry question again as the last “killer move” to make things difficult for them!

To maintain his composure, Mu Er Pang forcefully suppressed the urge to look at the last question and instead began writing the previous questions.

After just an hour or two, not even half of the exam time had passed, and he had finished writing all the previous questions and checked them thoroughly for any mistakes or omissions.

Finally, he could focus entirely on tackling the most difficult poetry question without any burden.

Before looking at the question, Mu Er Pang had also mentally prepared himself, fearing that the poetry question would be too difficult and he wouldn’t know where to start.

He also feared that the poetry question would be too simple, like the “Pingzhong Jun Qian” question before, where it seemed easy at first glance but actually had hidden traps.

After taking a few deep breaths, Mu Er Pang finally saw the last poetry question.

The title consisted of only four characters—”Si Hai Tong Yu” (All the Seas Desiring the Same). The restriction on rhymes was still the common type.