Chapter 197

Given the harsh conditions, if Mei Ruochu had finished his exam early and confirmed that his performance was normal, he could have handed in his paper early if it were the provincial exam.

However, there was a rule for the imperial exam: candidates weren’t released based on when they finished their papers; instead, the exam ended before the third nightfall, after all candidates had handed in their papers.

So, they endured the strong winds indoors for two days and nights before they could leave.

The candidates were well aware of this rule.

When they arrived near the Imperial College to familiarize themselves with the environment beforehand, they had agreed on a meeting place.

They also told Shen Cui not to pick them up; the Imperial College wasn’t far from the Left and Right Academies, and the six of them could accompany Wei Xi, who had difficulty walking, back in turns if needed.

But knowing that they had suffered so much inside, Shen Cui disregarded their agreement and arranged for a carriage in advance, going to pick them up with Lao Buyu.

As soon as the gate opened, a large number of candidates rushed out.

Those at the front were the youngest and healthiest, with the best physical condition after the exam.

Although they looked a bit disheveled, their overall complexion was still good, and their steps were brisk.

Following them were the older and less physically fit candidates.

Mu Er Pang and Mei Ruochu were among this second group.

Upon closer observation, there were also some younger candidates among them.

While they didn’t walk as slowly as the older candidates, they all had a blank expression on their faces.

After a short while, the six of them met at the agreed-upon location.

At first, they all thought they were just unlucky.

Now that they had met, there was no need for explanations.

Seeing each other’s appearance, they could guess that everyone’s situation was similar, so they could only smile bitterly.

With the six of them gathered together, their destination became quite obvious, so Shen Cui and Lao Buyu quickly found them.

Usually, when Shen Cui came to pick them up after the exam, even if they were feeling unwell, they would smile and pretend to be relaxed, chatting with her to ease her worries.

But today, none of them could muster a smile.

After being blasted by the wind for three days, their faces were already frozen stiff. They were on the verge of developing facial paralysis.

Mu Er Pang awkwardly rubbed his face, intending to explain.

Seeing their condition, Shen Cui quickly waved her hand, signaling him not to speak.

Then she instructed the coachman to take everyone back to the academy.

Back at the academy, Zhou Shi had already divided the boiling ginger soup into bowls and brought them out for everyone to drink.

The servants had brought several charcoal braziers and placed them in various corners of the hall.

The ginger soup was even more concentrated than what Shen Cui had previously made, but even those who didn’t particularly like ginger didn’t refuse.

Each person drank their soup to the last drop.

After drinking the piping hot ginger soup and warming up by the fire, the chill finally dissipated.

Mu Er Pang was the first to speak up, “We’re finally back.”

After speaking, he realized how hoarse his voice was.

Not only was his throat hoarse, but Mu Er Pang’s voice sounded louder than usual.

Because of the constant wind in their ears over the past few days, their ears were buzzing now.

They hadn’t noticed it themselves, and Shen Cui, Lao Bu Yu, and Zhou Shi didn’t point it out either.

Wei Xi had developed a fever.

He was usually very tough in such situations, and knowing that everyone had suffered a lot, he didn’t want to complain.

But Shen Cui noticed his symptoms on the monitor and immediately brought warm water for him to take his fever-reducing medicine.

The fever-reducing medicine from the system was more effective than those in later times, but it also contained some sedative components.

Wei Xi was already exhausted, so after taking the medicine and drinking some rice soup, he immediately went to sleep.

The others ate dinner before sleeping.

Wei Shu had a good constitution, so after eating and drinking his fill, he had the energy to tell Lao Bu Yu about the situation in the exam venue.

He then rasped, “It’s strange. Something collapsed in the Imperial Examination, but our exam booth wasn’t damaged. Yet the wind inside was so strong, it felt like we were sitting right in front of a fan.

Fortunately, Headmaster Shen brought us each two paperweights. I used both of mine to keep my papers from flying away. Every time I dipped my brush in ink, I had to be extremely careful, afraid that the gusts would blow away the ink on my brush and stain the papers.”

After the loud noise occurred in the Imperial Exam that day, the nearby residents also heard it.

Especially those with candidates taking the exams were terrified, fearing their loved ones might be harmed — the cost of nurturing a successful candidate was incredibly high.

Even families of modest means couldn’t afford such a loss, let alone those who were well-off.

Lao Buyu heard the wind outside and went with them to the Imperial College to demand answers.

Eventually, they were reassured when the authorities said it was just a watchtower that collapsed, causing no damage to any exam booths or injuries to any candidates.

Since Mei Ruochu’s throat was also uncomfortable, he didn’t speak but instead fetched paper and pen to draw a simple diagram.

Like the others, it was his first time inside the Imperial College, but he knew that such grand buildings emphasized symmetry.

Although he hadn’t walked through the entire area, he could roughly sketch the layout based on the section he had seen. After finishing his drawing, he marked a collapsed building with an X, indicating where it had happened.

Then he circled the area where the exam booths were located, showing where they were seated.

Finally, he made a few strokes to indicate the direction of the wind and pointed out the front and back doors of the academy.

Shen Aoshuang, her voice hoarse, helped explain concisely, “Crosswinds.”

After speaking, he coughed and added, “But it’s still strange.”

Crosswinds couldn’t possibly be strong enough to nearly blow people away like this.

Shen Cui understood that this was all the doing of the system.

The so-called principles were just a smokescreen, and the strange wind couldn’t be explained by conventional reasoning.

There was only one night of rest between the first and second rounds of the exam. Shen Cui didn’t want them to dwell on this matter, so she urged them to wash up and go to bed.

Their throats were all dry and tight, almost rendering them mute, so they didn’t feel like talking.

They all went to wash up without saying a word.

Although they hadn’t fallen ill like Wei Xi, Shen Cui still had them take some medicine from the system before bed as a precaution.

A few hours later, just after midnight, it was time for Mei Ruochu to enter the exam venue for the second day.

Shen Cui hadn’t slept a wink that night either.

As she had anticipated, she spent the entire night preparing ginger soup.

Each person’s luggage now contained three thermoses, all filled by her.

They also needed to replenish the items that had been blown away by the wind from their bags.

Additionally, the medications she had prepared for them had all been consumed and needed to be replenished.

Over the past few days, she hadn’t been idle. She had also made windproof face masks for each of them, similar to the style of balaclavas in later generations.

However, the material she used was a windproof material from the system, somewhat similar to the fabric used for military gear.

It wasn’t the most fashionable, but it was much more effective at blocking the wind than a regular cloth mask.

If she had had enough time, she would have liked to make each person a windbreaker using this material.

Unfortunately, time was running short — who could have anticipated that the examinees entering the imperial examination hall would face two days of strong winds?

The tricks of the system were so insidious that they were difficult to guard against.

When Shen Cui handed the face mask to Muo Ruochu, she explained its purpose but also said, “Whether to wear it or not, it’s up to you.”

This item did seem somewhat suspicious. Who would bring such an oddly designed face mask to an imperial examination? It seemed clandestine, like hiding something illicit.

Ordinary people might face stricter scrutiny because of it, and Muo Ruochu, in particular, would likely face some trouble because of it.

Muo Ruochu understood this but thought for a moment before saying, “I’ll still take it.”

Regardless of whether he brought it or not, his entry wouldn’t be smooth.

But if he did bring it, at least it might alleviate some of the trouble if his assigned seat was still in the same area as before the adjustment.

With his decision made, Shen Cui didn’t say anything more. She helped him secure his package tightly and prepared to send him off.

The massive package, stuffed with three thermoses, was too heavy for her to lift with just one hand.

Muo Ruochu reached out and took the package, slinging it over his shoulder, causing it to tilt slightly.

If it hadn’t been for the large pot of ginger soup that Shen Cui insisted they bring, more than just Wei Xi would have fallen ill yesterday.

So Mei Ruochu didn’t mind the weight of the package at all; he was only grateful for Shen Cui’s thoughtful preparation.

As they walked to the door, Mei Ruochu stopped in his tracks and asked his first and only question since returning to the academy, “Is it because of me?”

The question seemed abrupt, but Shen Cui quickly understood what he meant.

He wanted to know if the uncomfortable seating arrangements during the exam were a result of his presence, causing others to suffer.

Shen Cui immediately assured him that it wasn’t the case.

Mei Ruochu, despite his misfortune, rarely affected others. Furthermore, if the anomalies in this exam were intentionally targeting someone, it would likely be Mu Er Pang, as he was the primary subject of the system’s mission.

To alleviate his self-blame, she added, “I’m not lying to you or trying to make you feel better. It really isn’t because of you. Don’t always blame yourself for everything.”

Mei Ruochu naturally believed her, feeling relieved at her confident response.

He insisted that Shen Cui didn’t need to accompany him any further and made his way to the imperial examination hall.

After another round of trouble, Muo Er Pang finally got up, allowing Muo Ruochu to enter the exam hall.

Shortly after Mu Er Pang left the academy, Wei Shu and the others also woke up.

Fortunately, Wei Xi’s fever had subsided, and no one else showed signs of illness.

Shen Cui still felt somewhat anxious until she saw the small squares appear on the screen again, indicating that they had entered their assigned booths.

However, her tension remained because, despite some changes in the second round of seating arrangements, most of the students from Cui Wei were still concentrated in the bottom right corner, indicating that they were still in the same precarious position.

As for why she said “most”?

Because there was one exception — Mu Er Pang.

His seat had been moved to another corner of the screen, far away from the others.

That area might not be directly affected by the wind, but it was likely not an ideal location either.