Chapter 172

The young boys were full of energy after a whole day of rest, and the next day they were all lively and spirited.

Shen Cui and Lao Buyu were considered middle-aged in this era. Moreover, compared to the transportation of the future, the comfort of the carriage was slow and exhausting.

By the second day, the two of them still looked a bit weary.

The house they entered wasn’t spacious after accommodating them.

Every movement could be heard by each other. So, after discussing it, the young boys decided to spend the morning at the tea house near the alley, leaving the two of them to rest in the house for half a day.

As Cui Fei said, the ‘Zhuangyuan Tea House’ at the entrance of Scholar’s Alley was particularly lively.

Although the provincial exam was still three months away, many scholars had already gathered.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather had become hot.

People like Mu Er Pang, who lived in Scholar’s Alley, were better off.

They could just walk over.

But for many others who rented places far away, just getting here took a lot of effort, leaving them sweaty.

Inside the tea house, there were different sections: regular seating, elegant seating, and private rooms.

The prices were reasonable too.

The most common large bowl of tea cost five wen, while the covered bowl of tea cost ten wen.

You could order any bowl and sit for half a day without being rushed.

Since Mu Er Pang and his friends were here to hear news, they chose regular seating.

The six of them sat at one table.

As for what tea to drink, Wei Shu, who loved tea, took on the responsibility of ordering, sparing others the trouble.

Though it was a tea house, perhaps because it was frequented by scholars, even as more people came, there was no loud chatter or noise.

Each of Mu Er Pang and his friends brought out a book to read.

Since they were all familiar with the material, they read quickly.

After finishing, they passed the books to each other clockwise.

After two rounds of this, a scholar rushed into the main hall and saw his acquaintances. “Zhang, Li, there’s news from the internal and external examiners!”

The whispers in the tea house immediately ceased, leaving a silence where you could hear a pin drop.

Obviously, everyone gathered here early in the morning had the same intention as Mu Er Pang and his friends.

The so-called internal and external examiners referred to officials on both sides—the internal examiners managed affairs inside the examination hall, mainly overseeing the exam and grading papers, including the chief examiners, deputy examiners, co-examiners, room officials, internal supervisors, and internal examiners.

The external examiners, on the other hand, managed affairs outside the examination hall, mainly overseeing the management of the examination hall, including supervision, external supervisors, external examiners, recipients of papers, sealing, copying, and reading aloud.

What most concerned everyone were the selections for chief and deputy examiners.

Such matters were typically announced directly by the court, and in another half month, everyone in the provincial capital would know.

So, although this scholar knew everyone was listening, he didn’t hold back and simply shared what he knew.

This time, the chief examiner was Minister Wang from the Ministry of Rites, while the three deputy examiners were all Hanlin scholars surnamed Qian, Pan, and Zhou.

The reason he was willing to share this information directly was partly because he only knew this much, and there wasn’t much more to it.

However concise it may be, for the scholars preparing for the exam, this piece of news was crucial.

Many immediately left the tea house upon hearing it, presumably to inform their friends who hadn’t come today.

Mu Er Pang and his friends stayed until before lunchtime but didn’t hear any more relevant news.

Then, they headed back.

Shen Cui and Lao Buyu each rested for half a day and were up by now.

Shen Cui wasn’t in the mood to cook, especially considering it was hotter here in Linnan Prefecture compared to Qingzhou Prefecture.

So, she used some money to buy meat and vegetables from outside and made a vegetable soup.

When they returned, it was time for dinner.

At the dinner table, Mu Er Pang and his friends shared the news they had heard outside.

Lao Buyu said, “From now on, focus on studying at home. Leave the task of gathering information to me. It’s just a matter of sitting outside, having a cup of tea, not too difficult, so you won’t be distracted.”

Mu Er Pang and his friends carefully observed Lao Buyu’s expression and saw that he was indeed fine, so they all agreed.

After dinner, they cleaned up the living room and then resumed studying.

As Lao Buyu had said, he took on the task of gathering information and went to the tea house.

Being older and having experienced more, he had his ways compared to the young ones—he wasn’t like them, waiting passively in the tea house for news; he sought ways to interact with people.

Ever since the incident with Wei Shu transferring schools earlier, Lao Buyu’s social shortcomings had been compensated.

Over the years, he had also started to resemble a distinguished teacher, exuding a natural charisma. With little effort, he managed to find out Minister Wang’s name and background.

The chief examiner, Minister Wang, was the top scholar of the first Enke examination of the New Dynasty.

At that time, when the court was in a state of flux and talent was scarce, many famous scholars chose to wait and see rather than participate in the examination.

Consequently, the number of people admitted through the Enke examination was much higher than usual, which somewhat diminished its prestige.

However, Minister Wang, at the age of sixteen, was the top scholar, undoubtedly demonstrating his exceptional talent.

Mu Er Pang calculated Minister Wang’s age in his mind, “Minister Wang is already so old, yet he still travels this far to invigilate the exam. It’s truly hard work.”

Lao Buyu took the opportunity to explain further.

Indeed, being an examiner for the township exam was tough.

Not only did they have to travel, but upon arrival, on the sixth day of the eighth month, they had to attend the ‘Entry into the Pavilion and Mounting the Horse Banquet’ with other local officials.

After the banquet, all officials had to enter the designated places inside the examination hall, where the examiners sealed the doors.

After that, they couldn’t go out anymore, not even the internal and external examiners could interact.

If there was anything to discuss, they could only do so at the curtain separating them.

Despite the hardship, the court provided a hefty travel allowance, and the local officials also showed respect, essentially providing an opportunity for the imperial officials to make extra income legitimately.

It was a lucrative job!

“I also found out that Minister Wang requested to retire and return to his hometown before the new year, but the current court refused and rejected his request. Minister Wang’s hometown is not here but in a prefectural city in the neighboring province. After overseeing the township exam here, he only needs to travel for five or six days to return home. It’s also a consolation for him to satisfy his homesickness.”

With that, the discussion about Minister Wang’s background was nearly complete. It was time to talk about his life’s works, poems, or writings.

Unfortunately, Minister Wang’s examination years were too distant, and he didn’t spend much time in the Hanlin Academy before moving to the Ministry of Rites to work on practical matters.

He had been there for several decades, and now there were no poems or writings of his to be found outside.

Lao Buyu gave them a look encouraging them not to give up. “We still have time. I’ll continue to find ways to gather information. If we can’t find anything, it means ordinary people won’t either. We’re all in the same boat.”

After they finished speaking, Shen Cui found Lao Buyu and asked for the exact name of Minister Wang.

After the inquiry, Shen Cui searched the 【Library】system and, based on the dynasty and name, indeed found a collection of poems and writings by Minister Wang.

However, it was just a collection, with Minister Wang’s works occupying only a portion.

Nonetheless, it was better than nothing.

Shen Cui then pondered how to bring out this book. After all, Lao Buyu had spent three or four days outside without finding any leads, while she easily found Minister Wang’s early works.

It was somewhat baffling.

After thinking for half a day, Lao Buyu returned hurriedly in the evening.

Upon returning, he immediately asked Cui Fei for familiar servants and a carriage from Linnan Prefecture. “Just heard the news that Shengshi Bookstore has newly stocked a collection of poems and writings by scholars who passed the Enke examination in previous years. People who heard the news in the tea house are rushing there. Quickly, send someone to take me there.”

Cui Fei was about to agree when Shen Cui said, “Let me go. The children can continue studying, and you’ve been traveling all day. I’ll take someone and go.”

She was always in charge of logistical matters, so Lao Buyu and the others trusted her.

The only one who wasn’t reassured was Mu Er Pang, who also wanted to accompany them.

Before Mu Er Pang could speak, Shen Cui quickly prepared some money, hired someone, and got into the carriage.

While in the carriage, Shen Cui felt the name ‘Shengshi Bookstore’ oddly familiar.

Upon careful recollection, she remembered that in the original story, it was this bookstore where Gao Zhiyuan and Mu Yunchuan had collaborated.

No wonder they had such extraordinary capabilities.

The coachman knew the urgency of the situation, so the carriage was faster than usual.

Unfortunately, when they arrived at the bookstore’s entrance, it was already crowded.

The shop assistants at the door smiled apologetically, “Everyone, please don’t push. We’ve sold out. There will be another batch in a few days!”

Shen Cui didn’t let the coachman approach. She observed as some early arrivals eagerly bought the book and realized it was the same one as in the 【Library】system.

This made it much easier. After waiting for a while unnoticed, Shen Cui discreetly retrieved the book from the system.

When she returned, she simply said she had paid a bit extra to buy it from someone else.

At the moment, Lao Buyu and the others were more concerned about the content of the book than its source.

Once they got their hands on it, they immediately started reading.

After a while, they realized it was ‘not good’ news. Minister Wang’s poems were far better than his essays, and he wrote them when he was quite young.

If he was already so accomplished back then, he must have become even more proficient now.

It turned out they had another chief examiner who excelled in poetry and literature.

After realizing this, they couldn’t help but glance at Mu Er Pang.

He didn’t mind and chuckled, “If one loves poetry, then let them. As long as they don’t favor poetry in essay questions… then it’s fine. Not everyone can be like Liu Xuezeng, right?”