Chapter 176

Before they entered the exam hall again, Shen Cui prepared a new mask for Mei Ruo Chu.

This mask was priced 10 points higher in the system store than the previous ordinary one, with better odor-blocking effects.

However, the downside was that wearing it would cause a more severe feeling of stuffiness.

When people are using their brains, they actually need more oxygen. If breathing is not smooth at this time, it is very likely to cause brain hypoxia.

Because of this “side effect,” when Shen Cui prepared their luggage earlier, he chose the previous type for them.

Although their seating arrangement for the second round was changed compared to before to prevent cheating, Shen Cui felt that since the system had used such dirty tricks, it was likely to continue doing so later.

So he let Mei Ruo Chu wear both masks and let him choose which one to wear later.

This time, they still didn’t let Shen Cui accompany them, but he insisted on seeing them off—although they were young and strong, after spending so much time in the exam hall and only having one sleep, except for Mu Er Pang and Wei Shu, who had recovered somewhat, the others appeared very tired.

Later, Shen Cui saw that at least half of the examinees in the provincial examination were not young, with beards and even many gray-haired individuals.

In comparison, there were fewer young people.

Their own students were teenagers in their teens and twenties, yet they were so exhausted.

These older examinees seemed even more spiritually exhausted, with faltering steps, and many were supported by family members or servants.

Shen Cui sighed, watching the young men enter the exam hall in batches before leaving the exam site without lingering, returning to Scholar Lane.

After returning, Shen Cui immediately opened the system to check Mei Ruo Chu’s attributes.

Although it was the second time entering the exam hall, just like the previous test and retest, it was still the same exam, so Mei Ruo Chu’s luck value only symbolically dropped by 5 points.

During the body search process, with a luck value of 35 points, he underwent another round of rigorous body searches that were enough to undermine the mentality of an ordinary person.

After nearly an hour of hassle, the soldiers finally let him put his clothes back on.

However, Mei Ruo Chu really didn’t feel any discomfort this time because compared to staying in the stinky seat, being searched outside was almost enjoyable.

Sure enough, after he entered the exam hall, the seating arrangement was adjusted compared to before, but it was only shifted from one side of the toilet to the other, and the smell was even stronger than before.

Shen Cui saw on the screen that Mei Ruo Chu put on the upgraded mask as soon as he sat down, confirming her assumptions.

Shen Cui truly felt helpless.

After all, the night they returned to sleep, she had already checked in the system and found that the store did not sell anything to block human olfaction—this function was not considered much of a bonus effect, so the system did not prepare it.

Later, Mu Er Pang and the others also took their seats one by one, and their images were connected into a complete picture.

Because of the previous turmoil, everyone hadn’t fully recovered yet, so their movements were all very uniform.

After quickly tidying up the room, they hastily put the wooden boards together and went to sleep to rest up.

After sleeping with legs crossed and arms folded all night, the next day was the official start of the provincial examination, and the exam papers were distributed.

This time, the exam included miscellaneous essays and policy essays.

There were three miscellaneous essay questions and two policy essay questions, totaling only five questions.

Compared to the first round, the number of questions was much less, and both types of essays were not weaknesses for the young examinees.

Shen Cui felt somewhat reassured.

However, what she didn’t know was that while the number of questions decreased, the difficulty increased significantly.

For example, the first policy essay question was about taxation, specifically about the system of exempting successful candidates from taxes.

In this dynasty, passing the provincial examination entitled one to a tax exemption on 200 mu of land.

For successful candidates from wealthy families, this system allowed them to acquire more land and accumulate wealth even faster.

If their family wasn’t well-off, they could collect fees from others and have others hang their land under their name.

That’s why there’s an old saying, “Poor scholars become rich candidates.” With just this system alone, it’s hard for successful candidates not to become wealthy!

This system has been passed down from previous dynasties to the present, unchanged for hundreds of years, so naturally, there’s a reason for its existence.

Firstly, it encourages scholars to strive for progress.

Although successful candidates can become candidate officials, if they come from an average family background and have no connections or wealth to facilitate their path, they may not know when they can actually take up the position.

However, with the exemption of land taxes, this system provides a direct solution, enough to transform a poor scholar into a wealthy landowner overnight.

And they are all aiming to become successful candidates. If they directly refute this system, it would be like lifting a stone only to drop it on their own feet.

Even the examiners are beneficiaries of this system. If they belittle this system in front of them, would it turn out well for them?

But the provincial examination asks these examinees, who are aspiring candidates, about this system for a reason.

If they only praise it, it would seem like they lack independence and only see the imminent benefits.

So they must speak from both sides, first affirming the merits of the founding emperor in continuing this regulation, which has benefited many students from humble backgrounds.

Then analyze the shortcomings and areas in need of reform.

No wonder Mu Er Pang found it difficult. After all, he was the youngest and least experienced among them.

This kind of question, which requires connecting with the actual livelihoods of the people, was really not easy for him.

After thinking for a long time, Mu Er Pang suddenly remembered something.

It was when he returned to his hometown to take the county exam earlier.

At that time, his eldest brother had already become a top scholar, renowned for his achievements.

At that time, his grandmother mentioned something to his mother, and he happened to overhear it.

At that time, Granny Zheng wasn’t talking about anything else but asking Shen Cui, “I heard that successful candidates can exempt a lot of land taxes. Mu Yunchuan didn’t even return to this village. He went straight to the capital. The capital is a place where every inch of land is precious. He shouldn’t have acquired any land there, right?”

Shen Cui helplessly said, “Indeed, there is such a system, but Mu Yunchuan didn’t acquire any land himself, probably because he didn’t want to get rich through this. Why would you bring this up out of the blue?”

Mrs. Zheng replied, “I wouldn’t have thought of it myself, but someone told me, didn’t they? That old lady from your sister-in-law’s family wanted to hang their Chen family’s land under his name and promised to give him thirty percent of the taxes. When I heard thirty percent of the taxes, if we did it ourselves, we would definitely earn more than that! We can scrape together enough money now to buy about ten mu of good land and hang it under his name first. Even if he wants to acquire land himself later, and move ours out, it’s still earning several years’ worth of taxes for nothing. In the meantime, renting out the land to others to farm, and then selling it to others later, we would make a lot of money!”

Shen Cui remembered from the original story that Mrs. Zheng and the original body did exactly that, which indeed upset Mu Yunchuan, and not long after, Mrs. Zheng’s health deteriorated.

Although the book didn’t explicitly indicate a clear relationship between the two incidents, Shen Cui insisted, “He doesn’t want to get rich through this. If we go against him, aren’t we clearly opposing him?”

Mrs. Zheng was about to retort that they shouldn’t miss out on an easy opportunity, but why bother with so much fuss? If Mu Yunchuan is unhappy, then he’s unhappy.

Would they dare to provoke their elders?

Before she could speak, Mu Er Pang smiled and intervened, “Grandma, can I say something? According to what you just said, if we hang the land under my eldest brother’s name, and if he later decides to acquire land himself, you’ll have to go through a lot of trouble, renaming and selling the land. That would be quite a hassle, wouldn’t it?”

If Shen Cui had said these words, Mrs. Zheng would have definitely snapped back, saying, “Have I done too little for you over the years?”

But coming from Mu Er Pang’s mouth, Mrs. Zheng listened with a smile, feeling that he was already very filial at such a young age.

Mu Er Pang continued, “So, Grandma, you don’t need to worry about these things. When I work hard and become a juren in the future, if you want land, you can have all of my share.”

At that time, he hadn’t even passed the county exam yet.

If someone else heard those words, they would definitely think he was daydreaming. Becoming a juren? In many places, it takes decades to produce just one or two.

But the way he said it made it sound as simple as eating and drinking.

Of course, Mrs. Zheng didn’t think that way.

She believed that if Mu Yunchuan could become a juren, her eldest grandson in Er Pang would surely succeed as well.

She smiled and said, “That’s great, then Grandma will wait for our Er Pang to honor us!”

With this thought in mind, Mu Er Pang began to write.

He discussed how the founding emperor’s continuation of this system undoubtedly stemmed from his concern for scholars.

However, if this system were exploited by malicious individuals, it could lead to trouble.

The malicious individuals here, of course, were not Mrs. Zheng, but relatives like the Chen family who had no connection to his eldest brother and were trying to profit from this system.

Seeing his clear train of thought and his steady writing, Shen Cui felt relieved.

In this second round of exams, Mei Ruochu, Shen Aoshuang, Mu Er Pang, and Wei Xi’s progress was similar.

They all finished their papers by the morning of the last day and began their final checks.

Mei Ruochu was still the first to hand in his paper, while Mu Er Pang and the others patiently waited until the afternoon.

By then, Wei Shu and Cui Fei had also completed all their tasks.

This time, Shen Cui didn’t let them go home by themselves.

Early in the morning, she prepared hot water and food at home, asked Luo Buyu to watch over the stove, and then went out to park the carriage at the gate of the examination hall.

After Mei Ruochu came out, he instructed the coachman to take him back first before coming back himself, waiting at the gate of the examination hall.

Her preparations were necessary because everyone seemed even more exhausted than before coming out of the examination hall.

Even Wei Shu, who had the strength to carry Wei Xi earlier, now walked slower than usual, lacking his usual vigor.

Putting aside washing up and resting for now, only the final round of the provincial exam remained.