Chapter 30: He… Wanted to See Su Jinshi’s Appearance

 

“Mother, don’t worry,” Wei Jianming said confidently.

 

In Shen Shilang’s carriage, Su Jinshi felt particularly nervous. It was like she was sending her boyfriend to the exam hall!

 

Thinking about the next two days, although she could see Shen Shilang, Su Jinshi decided not to use the communication box to talk to him to avoid affecting his exam.

 

Therefore, she seized the opportunity to chat with Shen Shilang as much as possible before he entered the exam hall.

 

From the moment Shen Shilang started eating breakfast, Su Jinshi had been chattering away beside him. 

 

Shen Shilang didn’t mind at all.

 

Su Jinshi had developed a habit of eating with Shen Shilang. Every morning, she’d prepare herself a cup of coffee, two slices of toast, and a fried egg. By the time she finished, Shen Shilang’s breakfast would be delivered by the servants.

 

She’d sit down, prop up her phone in front, and chat with Shen Shilang while eating.

 

Now in the carriage, Su Jinshi asked, “Should I go and make sure Wei Jianming can’t enter the exam hall?”

 

Shen Shilang shook his head with a helpless smile, “No need. Even if he uses all his skills, he can’t outperform me. Don’t worry.”

 

“Alright then.”

 

The carriage couldn’t go any further as it neared the examination hall.

 

The coachman called through the curtain: “Young Master, the road ahead is blocked. There are carriages from various families sending students to the exam hall. It might take a while to get through.”

 

Shen Shilang lifted the curtain and saw a long line of carriages jammed together, unable to advance. There were also throngs of people milling about.

 

Seeing that the exam hall entrance wasn’t far, Shen Shilang said, “Let’s stop here. I’ll walk the rest of the way.”

 

“Yes, sir.” The coachman got down first and set up a small stool.

 

Shen Shilang was about to step down when he saw the coachman extend his hand to help.

 

Shen Shilang laughed, “I’m not that weak.”

 

He then jumped directly off the carriage.

 

Wei Jianming, irritated by the delay, peeked out and saw Shen Shilang walking by with his bundle.

 

“Shen Shilang got down and walked,” he told Madam Wei and Wei Ruyan. “It seems the carriage won’t move for a while; I might as well walk too.”

 

“That’s a good idea. Go early to get checked in and enter the exam hall to avoid any mishaps,” Madam Wei said. “We’ll follow slowly in the carriage.”

 

Wei Jianming nodded and got off.

 

He and Shen Shilang queued at the exam hall entrance one after another, with a few people between them.

 

By the time they were almost at the front of the queue, Madam Wei’s carriage had slowly made its way over.

 

Madam Wei and Wei Ruyan didn’t bother to get off. They watched from the carriage as Wei Jianming passed the inspection and successfully entered the exam hall, then had the carriage turn around and leave.

 

Unable to chat with Shen Shilang for these three days, Su Jinshi didn’t feel bored at all.

 

She snacked while watching Shen Shilang answer questions. When it was time to eat after submitting the papers, she ate while watching him eat.

 

She didn’t dare to chat with Shen Shilang. The exam takers were sitting in open-style small cubicles with no soundproofing. Whispering could be heard by those in front, behind, and to the sides.

 

Su Jinshi didn’t want Shen Shilang to be seen as crazy and kicked out of the exam hall.

 

However, when she got bored watching, Su Jinshi would check on Wei Jianming’s situation.

 

Su Jinshi wasn’t very familiar with these ancient studies, but she had always been good at Chinese language and literature in school, including classical Chinese. She could understand what she saw.

 

Looking at Wei Jianming’s essays, both in writing style and insight, they were far inferior to Shen Shilang’s.

 

No wonder Shen Shilang said there was no need to sabotage Wei Jianming; he simply couldn’t outperform him.

 

Su Jinshi didn’t just look at Wei Jianming’s work. Having nothing else to do, she also checked on other exam takers.

 

She found that after seeing Shen Shilang’s essays, everyone else’s work seemed unimpressive.

 

The exam cubicles also served as resting places at night.

 

When it was time to rest after the exam, they would remove the daytime desk boards and place them in front of the seats. The side walls had grooves to hold the boards, creating a short bed when combined with the seat.

 

Shen Shilang assembled the bed, laid out the soft mat and cool mat prepared by Manager Yue, and placed mosquito-repellent oil by the pillow. He opened the porcelain bottle’s lid before finally lying down to sleep.

 

Su Jinshi observed that Shen Shilang’s conditions were relatively good.

 

Most exam takers didn’t have Shen Shilang’s cooling headband, and their mats were hard bamboo, unlike the soft fabric mat Manager Yue had prepared for Shen Shilang, which was as soft as cloth.

 

Wei Jianming’s situation was also not bad, given Madam Wei’s personal arrangements.

 

However, due to his injuries, he couldn’t use a cool mat. Lying on the thick cushion Madam Wei had prepared, he soon became unbearably hot and sat up irritably.

 

Adding to the limited conditions in the examination hall, the small space where they ate, slept, and relieved themselves reeked.

 

Wei Jianming couldn’t tolerate these conditions and didn’t rest well at all.

 

Early the next morning, the exam takers took out their dry rations to eat.

 

Due to the hot weather, they feared food spoilage causing stomach issues and affecting the exam.

 

So they all brought extremely dry, baked foods like flatbread and jerky^[1]dried meat.

 

Although these wouldn’t spoil easily, they were dry and hard, making for an uncomfortable early morning meal.

 

Everyone frowned, forcing the food down with water.

 

Regarding food, Manager Yue had no better solution.

 

Thus, Shen Shilang also brought dry flat bread and beef jerky.

 

Seeing this, Su Jinshi spoke in an extremely low voice, bringing her phone close: “Eating these dry foods in the morning is uncomfortable. I’ll buy you some food, without letting others see.”

 

Shen Shilang suddenly heard Su Jinshi’s soft whisper in his ear, as if the young woman was speaking right next to him.

 

It didn’t seem like an illusion; he could almost feel Su Jinshi’s breath on his ear.

 

It even felt warm.

 

Shen Shilang shuddered, hurriedly covering that ear, but the uncovered ear had already turned bright red.

 

Shen Shilang’s heart raced, his cheeks flushing.

 

Though he couldn’t see her, it felt as if Su Jinshi was right beside him, extremely close.

 

He could imagine the young woman leaning in, whispering in his ear.

 

Shen Shilang was somewhat dazed. He… wanted to see what Su Jinshi looked like.

 

 As Shen Shilang’s mind wandered, a bowl of hot, thick, soft white porridge suddenly appeared before him, along with a large meat bun, a boiled egg, a fried dough stick, and two small dishes of pickles.

 

“Eat quickly, I just checked, no one can see you here,” Su Jinshi whispered. “Hurry and eat while no one’s paying attention.”

 

“Alright,” Shen Shilang said softly, quickly eating in a low-key manner.

_ _ _

T/N: The Imperial examination cubicles: