“Brother Gu! Are you okay?” Zhang Cheng was startled and hurriedly helped him up.

Gu Qingyan forced a smile, “I’m fine, really, nothing at all.”

Things had escalated.

“Brother Zhang, I just suddenly remembered I have something to do today. I need to head back first.”

Gu Qingyan turned and got into the carriage, signaling Zhang Nian to drive away quickly.

“Hey?” Zhang Cheng wanted to call out, but couldn’t stop him.

“That’s strange. Suddenly having something to do? I was hoping we could have a meal together,” Zhang Cheng said.

On the ox cart, Gu Qingyan pinched the bridge of his nose, his head pounding.

“Brother Gu, what’s wrong? You don’t look well. Should we go to the clinic?” Zhang Nian asked with concern.

Gu Qingyan shook his head weakly. “No, I’m fine. It’s just… after registering, I realized the county exam is coming up soon, and I’m a bit nervous.”

Hearing that, Zhang Nian smiled and said, “Clan brother always praises Brother Gu’s extraordinary talent. You’re the top scorer of the county school. If even you can’t pass, then no one in Lingchuan County can.”

Heh. Gu Qingyan’s smile was very dry.

On the way home, he kept looking at the system.

[This year’s Lingchuan County Exam Questions]

Inside the system’s package lay a set of exam questions.

Not last year’s, not from previous years — but the actual questions for this year’s county exam, which would be held in just over half a month.

The county exam was hosted by the county magistrate, and the county prefect was responsible for setting the questions. To avoid conflicts of interest, after the exam date was confirmed, Magistrate Hong had already stopped meeting with any candidates participating in this exam.

Because of this, Gu Qingyan hadn’t even visited the magistrate during the New Year — all to avoid suspicion.

Yet now, the county exam questions were just sitting in his system as a reward for checking in at the Gongyuan.

Gu Qingyan felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, like there was a fishbone stuck in his throat.

“System, are you trying to force me to make a mistake?”

Gu Qingyan smiled bitterly. The imperial exam depended on luck; no one had a hundred percent guarantee.

But if he could know the exam questions in advance and prepare ahead, how was this different from an open-book exam?

He could even deduce the examiner’s tastes from the questions and tailor his answers to please them. Then he’d be sure to pass.

This was only the county exam. What about the prefectural exam, the academy exam, even the provincial, metropolitan, and palace exams?

If he could know the questions beforehand every time, wouldn’t that be like heaven giving him a backdoor? Others would be closed-book, but he would have open-book advantage.

“Heaven, are you treating me like an illegitimate child? Or are you just joking with me?”

Gu Qingyan struggled inside. The shortcut was right in front of him. Should he take it or not?

If he took it, he’d be betraying his own conscience — it was cheating.

If he didn’t, the shortcut was still being offered right at his doorstep.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but think of that book “The True Young Master Wins Six Imperial Exams in a Row” — in it, Li Jingtian was like he was divinely aided, passing three stages and six generals, ultimately becoming the top scholar.

That was because of Gu family’s heirloom treasure that let him always predict the exam questions, giving him a clear edge over others.

Why could the True Young Master cheat, but he couldn’t?

With this on his mind, Gu Qingyan became gloomy and silent, even eating one less bowl that night.

Back at home, he had no mood to study or review and paced back and forth.

Suddenly, he stopped and hurried out, going straight to his father’s grave.

“Father, should I look at these exam questions or not?”

Gu Qingyan asked aloud: “If I look at the county exam questions, will I look at the prefectural ones too? If I look at the prefectural exam, will I look at the academy’s? It feels like Heaven is testing my moral limits with this six-exam winning streak.”

“I admit I’m not a good person, but stealing a look at the questions is still a bit despicable.”

He took out a copper coin: “If it lands heads, I won’t look; tails, I will. Father, please decide for me.”

He flipped the coin high. It clattered — tails.

Gu Qingyan frowned at the grave: “Gu Tongsheng, Gu Tongsheng, why are you so indecisive? No wonder you were blind enough to adopt a traitor as your son and give the family treasure to a black sheep. Shameless!”

“Again.”

This time it landed heads.

Gu Qingyan was still unsatisfied: “Why are you so unsteady? A person can’t be so fickle.”

“Best of three,” Gu Qingyan decided to flip one more time.

“Big brother, what are you doing?” a voice interrupted him.

Gu Shuyan climbed up the hill, looking at him curiously. “It’s almost dark — why are you here?”

“I have the county exam soon, so I came to worship Father, hoping he’ll bless me to do well,” Gu Qingyan said with an awkward smile.

Gu Shuyan tilted her head. “Big brother, something’s wrong with you.”

“Ever since you came back from the county town, you’ve been distracted,” she asked, “Brother, did something difficult happen to you?”

It sure had.

Meeting his sister’s gaze, Gu Qingyan cleared his throat and asked, “Yanyan, if you found a gold ingot on the road, would you pick it up?”

Gu Shuyan thought carefully and answered, “I wouldn’t pick it up. If there’s a gold ingot in the wilderness, it’s definitely fake.”

“What if it’s real?”

“Then it’s a trap.”

Gu Shuyan explained, “Maybe as soon as I bend down, someone will tie me up and sell me off.”

Gu Qingyan pressed on, “But if it’s real and there’s no danger, would you pick it up?”

“Of course I would! Who doesn’t like gold ingots? Not picking it up would make me a big fool,” Gu Shuyan said.

Gu Qingyan thought to himself, I am exactly that big fool, hesitating like this. The system dares to give it to me—what could I be afraid to look at?

Unexpectedly, Gu Shuyan added, “But I think, big brother, you definitely wouldn’t pick it up.”

Gu Qingyan widened his eyes. “Why?”

Could it be that in his sister’s eyes, he is someone with noble character, upright and pure?

Gu Shuyan didn’t say anything but covered her mouth, giggling quietly.

After a while, she replied, “Because if you were going to pick it up, you would have done it right away. Why would you come home asking me this and that? It means you don’t want to pick it up.”

“Brother, where did you see a gold ingot? Why don’t we just go back and pick it up?” the little girl suggested.

Gu Qingyan helplessly tugged her hair. “I was just joking. Didn’t expect you to take it seriously.”

“Oh, it’s fake! Just now you were acting so weird. I thought you really saw a gold ingot,” Gu Shuyan said, looking disappointed.

Gu Qingyan took his sister’s hand and slowly walked home, but inside he had already made up his mind.

Knowing the exam questions in advance would be good, but he didn’t need such a shortcut.

If he really looked at the exam questions, how could he face those students who studied hard in the cold window? How could he face his friends around him?

If he looked this time, next time he wouldn’t be able to resist. Over time, relying on that crutch, would he still study seriously?

The system already gave him great convenience, providing one-on-one lessons. He couldn’t be greedy for more.

Gu Qingyan simply ignored the system and focused on studying hard.

He studied diligently at the county school during the day and worked hard through tutorials at night. Using both methods, he was confident he could pass the county exam.

A month later, the county exam came as scheduled.

Aunt Liu had already urged Gu Qingyan to stay in town several days early for convenience, so he wouldn’t have to ride a long distance by ox cart on exam day.

She personally took care of the two younger sisters, making sure all the food and drinks were clean and safe—no chance of upset stomachs before the exam.

That morning, Gu Qingyan woke up at dawn.

When he went out to look, Aunt Liu and his two sisters were already up and had prepared breakfast.

“Top scholar cake, success porridge, pork knuckle, and these dumplings—they mean you’ll pass,” Aunt Liu said.

The whole table was filled with food, all carrying very auspicious meanings.

Gu Qingyan’s nose tingled with emotion. He didn’t know how long they had been preparing it all, and the food was steaming hot.

“Mother, second sister, third sister, I will definitely do well on the exam.”

Aunt Liu smiled, “Just do your best. Your health is most important.”

“Brother, eat more. A few days ago, I had Big Shan ask around. They said the county exam food is usually cold and causes stomach upset. Eat more in the morning, so if the lunch is bad, you don’t have to eat it. We’ll cook good food for you at night,” Gu Shuyan said.

Gu Wangqing disagreed, “But you can’t eat too much either. Don’t get too full. Just a sip of porridge is enough; eat the dry stuff.”

“Yan’er, eat what you like,” Aunt Liu said.

The three were even more nervous than Gu Qingyan himself.

Knowing the county exam rules, Gu Qingyan dared not eat much, just dry, easy-to-digest food to fill his stomach.

Aunt Liu and the girls insisted on escorting him to the examination hall gate. Gu Qingyan couldn’t stop them.

When they arrived, Aunt Liu grew more nervous. “Why are there so many people already? Are we here too early?”

“The examination hall isn’t open yet; it’s not time,” Gu Qingyan explained.

Only then did Aunt Liu feel at ease. “Then hurry up and line up. Be careful.”

Gu Qingyan nodded and reminded Zhang Nian to send them back later, then joined the queue.

“Brother Gu,” Zhang Cheng, who had arrived earlier, greeted him.

Gu Qingyan returned the greeting but didn’t speak much because the atmosphere was tense.

After waiting a while, the examination hall gate opened. Candidates queued to enter, and each had to go through two rounds of body searches before entering.

Gu Qingyan stood at the back and noticed how strict the searches were— even shoe insoles were taken out.

The pens, ink, paper, and inkstones used for the county exam were provided by the county government; candidates didn’t need to bring their own. So Gu Qingyan had empty hands, holding only his admission ticket.

The line moved slowly. It wasn’t until dawn that it was Gu Qingyan’s turn.

The search officers obviously recognized him, handling him more gently than others and didn’t make him remove his clothes for inspection like the unlucky guy ahead.

“No problems. You may enter.”

Gu Qingyan thought to himself, this is also a perk of being a hero.

But it wasn’t over yet. After entering the examination hall, it didn’t start right away—they still had to go through the guarantee process.

Rows of candidates stood in place as the county magistrate entered. Hong, the county magistrate, scanned the candidates, his gaze lingering briefly on Gu Qingyan.

Only then did he order the start, where the enrolled students who vouched for the candidates would identify them to confirm their identities.

This process alone took half an hour before Gu Qingyan finally received his number tag and found his seat.

The county examination hall didn’t have separate numbered rooms; instead, the spacious courtyard was set up with desks, each already arranged with the four essential writing tools. The candidates would take the exam right under the watchful eyes of Magistrate Hong.

It was only February, and the large courtyard was drafty—just sitting there made one feel chilly.

Gu Qingyan, however, was too preoccupied to care about the cold; his face was stiff with tension.

[Found Lingchuan County Examination Hall test site. Consume 10 points to sign in?]

Ten points?

Checking in at the entrance gave out exam questions, so signing in at the test seat—could it be that it would just hand him the correct answers?

Gu Qingyan ignored the prompt outright.

Ten points—if he really got the answers, he feared he wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation.

To distract himself, Gu Qingyan looked around and thought the county exam was really basic.

For example, the desks they used to write on were all different shapes; some looked like they had been temporarily borrowed from someone’s home, paint peeling off.

Underneath each desk was a black basin.

No doubt, that was the candidate’s chamber pot; if they needed to relieve themselves, they had to do it right there on the spot.

In the Great Zhou dynasty, there was probably no female “prince consort”—this search and chamber pot system was so inhumane it cut things off at the root.

If there ever was a female candidate, starting from the county exam, there would be examiners who deserved to be beheaded.

Gu Qingyan’s mind wandered, ignoring the glaring check-in point.

All candidates took their seats. Magistrate Hong nodded slightly.

“Distribute the papers—”

The clerks began handing out exam papers.

Gu Qingyan took a deep breath. The first step in the imperial examination was finally starting.

Before the exam, Gu Qingyan quickly glanced at the paper.

Looking down, he relaxed a little—the test paper was standard, with many questions, but the content was not difficult.

After scanning it from start to finish, Gu Qingyan began answering, first writing on scratch paper, then copying everything neatly once he finished.

The county exam usually had three sessions; the first session focused on the Four Books.

Before entering the county school, Gu Qingyan thought the Four Books test was just about reciting certain passages from memory.

Only after entering the county school did he learn the test could take many forms: fill-in-the-blanks, dictation, explanation of meanings.

Altogether, there were nearly a hundred questions.

No wonder the whole day was dedicated to this test with no breaks; at the speed of writing with a brush, it would be impossible to finish if he went too slow.

Gu Qingyan’s pen flowed steadily and continuously.

After finishing the last question, his wrist ached and his neck was stiff.

Looking up, he saw the lunch the county exam provided.

A bowl of water, already cold.

A wheat cake that looked white but felt rock-hard when pinched.

Gu Qingyan had no appetite, but his stomach was growling; he could only soak the wheat cake in water to soften it before eating.

The cold wind made the cake feel like a lump of ice in his stomach.

It tasted even worse than he imagined.

After two bites, he dared not eat more. He had thought that the stories about getting diarrhea were exaggerations, but now he realized it was realistic.

At times like this, he wished he could summon food from the system—but he couldn’t. The magistrate was still seated above.

In the second half of the exam, Gu Qingyan endured his growling stomach, checked his answers carefully, and then copied them out.

When he finished, he raised his hand without hesitation.

The clerks immediately came to collect the papers. Of course, the papers could be handed in early, but candidates couldn’t leave—they had to wait by the corridor.

Only after all candidates finished would the examination hall gates be opened.

Still, Gu Qingyan felt satisfied. At least he could move around a bit—cold and hungry, he really didn’t want to sit in the courtyard freezing.

Thinking about how he still had to go through three more sessions, Gu Qingyan sighed and felt he had seriously underestimated how tough the imperial exams were.

No wonder his father spent his life as just a scholar candidate—these exams tested not only talent but also body and spirit.

Magistrate Hong frowned at this scene.

Ma, the local instructor and also the exam proctor, seized the opportunity to comment:

“This Gu Qingyan is good at everything, but he’s young and impatient.”

“Your Honor, look—while others are carefully checking their work, he finishes and submits early. He’s not even afraid of missing questions or making mistakes, and then he just flails around in the corridor like he’s no scholar at all.”

Magistrate Hong glanced at him but said nothing.

When it was time to submit, Zhang Cheng handed in his paper and came to Gu Qingyan’s side, unable to help but ask:

“Why did you submit so early?”

“Finished, so I submitted,” Gu Qingyan replied.

Zhang lowered his voice to advise him, “Don’t do that in the next round. I know you’re talented, but if you leave people with an impression of arrogance and recklessness, that won’t be good.”

Gu Qingyan cleared his throat, “The wind in the courtyard is too strong, it’s making my bones ache.”

“If you don’t want to suffer this every year, you’d better pass the prefectural exam in one go and get the title of scholar candidate, or else you’ll have to come take this exam every year.”

This warning made Gu Qingyan feel a chill in his heart.

He thought to himself, those who take the exam year after year but keep failing must have such strong willpower that they could succeed at anything.

Gu Qingyan looked around. This was only the first session, yet several candidates already looked unwell, their lips trembling, as if about to fall seriously ill.

One candidate had been coughing throughout the exam, and now his coughing was tearing through his chest.

Gu Qingyan quickly moved away from them, not wanting to catch a cold and suffer even more next year.

Finally, the gates of the Gongyuan (examination hall) opened.

Gu Qingyan greeted Zhang Cheng, then immediately got on his own ox-cart.

“Brother Gu, drink this ginger soup first.” Zhang Nian had come prepared; there was a small stove in the cart keeping the ginger soup warm.

Gu Qingyan took a sip, the spicy heat making him wince, but at least it was hot.

“This year is really too cold. We can’t even wear padded coats during the exam. It’s such torture,” Zhang Nian muttered.

Gu Qingyan drank several more sips before finally warming up. “Let’s head home quickly.”

He checked his pulse — all was well, just cold.

When the second session began, Gu Qingyan felt prepared, but once he entered the exam hall, he realized he hadn’t prepared enough.

Apparently, some candidates had caught colds during the first session, and right at the start of this second session, people were already unable to hold it and rushing to the latrine.

In principle, the county exam only allowed “small relief” — urination — but not “big relief.”

For urination, candidates could use the black earthenware basins placed under the desks. Though awkward in public, it didn’t affect the exam.

Gu Qingyan had deliberately avoided drinking porridge before leaving, just to prevent such embarrassment.

But for defecation, if a candidate left their seat to go to the latrine, their exam paper would be stamped with a black mark — what people called the “poop stamp.”

Once the black stamp was on, the exam paper was voided, and the candidate’s effort was wasted.

Gu Qingyan once again experienced the harshness of the ancient imperial exam system.

What was worse, because of the cold weather, many candidates had stomach issues.

The county latrine was just behind and to the right of the candidates, very close, and the wind carried the stench throughout the courtyard.

There was nowhere to avoid it.

Holding his breath, Gu Qingyan felt like he was reeking himself.

The only relief was that the cold wind quickly dispersed the stench if no one followed immediately after.

Gu Qingyan seized the chance during these gaps to answer questions, fearing the bad smell would affect his mood.

He quickly finished writing and once again handed in his paper early.

He really couldn’t hold it anymore — every breath made him nauseous. Afraid of dirtying his exam paper, he thought it safer to just submit it right away.

This time, County Magistrate Hong’s face showed no change.

But Ma Jiaoyu, the local education officer and exam supervisor, seemed to have found fault and deliberately said, “Look at him — time after time, he never learns. He behaves the same way in the county school — simply obstinate.”

Magistrate Hong calmly replied, “How come I heard Instructor Sun say that Gu Qingyan is very respectful to teachers and holds you in high regard?”

Ma Jiaoyu’s face twisted, wanting to curse that there was no respect at all, clearly just trying to annoy people.

But seeing Magistrate Hong’s half-smiling expression, he didn’t completely lose his composure and instead forced a laugh, “Well, I suppose that’s one good point.”

Magistrate Hong said no more.

Outside, Gu Qingyan quickly asked, “Quick, smell me, do I stink?”

Zhang Nian sniffed hard, “You don’t stink at all, Brother Gu. What’s wrong? Get in the cart and drink some ginger soup.”

“I wouldn’t even want ginseng soup right now, yuck…” Gu Qingyan felt like he himself carried a weird smell.

He couldn’t help but worry: if just this courtyard was unbearable, what would happen if at the next stages — the provincial and metropolitan exams — he was assigned to a “stinky seat”?

“Ugh, don’t be superstitious,” Gu Qingyan quickly shook off the thought.

Back home, Gu Qingyan really wanted a good, hot bath.

But Liu Mama stopped him, “It’s too cold to bathe now. What if you catch a cold? Endure it a bit longer. Wait until the exams are over.”

Gu Wangqing saw his miserable face and hurriedly brought a few scented sachets — better than nothing.

Gu Shuyan leaned over and sniffed her brother, “You don’t stink, really, not at all.”

Gu Qingyan could only bear it.

Fortunately, only one session remained. After that, it would be over.

For the third session, Gu Qingyan feared the stench from the second session would return.

But once he entered, he noticed fewer candidates than before.

“The second session just ended. Many people felt hopeless and didn’t even bother coming back,” Zhang Cheng quietly explained.

Gu Qingyan understood — those who got sick after the first session, or had their papers voided after the second, obviously had no chance, so they skipped the third.

He felt both relieved and moved by this.

After all, taking the county exam cost quite a bit. Hiring a licensed student as a guarantor and the exam fees alone—excluding lodging and food—added up to at least five taels of silver.

Five taels of silver was roughly the annual income of an ordinary commoner in the Great Zhou dynasty.

For those born poor, studying for the imperial exams was truly difficult.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but think: If he didn’t have his system sign-in, being penniless and kicked out of the Li family, returning to Lingchuan County would be the first hardship; wanting to study there would be the second; and passing the imperial exam would be the third.

Difficulty upon difficulty.

Now that he had a golden finger and the ability to take the exams, of course he had to give it his all.

Gu Qingyan took a deep breath, lowered his head, and answered the questions carefully, determined to do his best.

County Magistrate Hong was supervising the exam and, by the time of the last session, he got up to patrol.

Originally over a hundred candidates had registered for the county exam, but now there were only around eighty left in the exam hall—nearly twenty had given up.

Magistrate Hong wished to accept more candidates, but as he walked around, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

The scholarly atmosphere in Lingchuan County was weak; most candidates merely recited from the book, without a solid grasp of even the basics.

Feeling disappointed, he walked over beside Gu Qingyan.

Looking down, a flicker of satisfaction appeared in Magistrate Hong’s eyes.

But he did not linger and soon moved on, careful not to show any favoritism.

Gu Qingyan hadn’t even noticed Magistrate Hong’s presence. His brush flew over the paper as if guided by a divine hand, rapidly completing his answers.

By the halfway point of the third session, Gu Qingyan had finished all the exam questions. He put down his brush and carefully blew on the paper to dry the ink.

He hesitated.

【Discovered Lingchuan County Gongyuan County Exam Test Site. Use 10 points to sign in?】

That was 10 points.

The last time he needed 10 points to sign in was at the Prince Huai’s Tomb.

Back then, it directly triggered the super-A skill “Prince Huai Possession.”

Thinking of the power of that skill, Gu Qingyan felt tempted — it was a life-saving skill.

If he missed this chance, he might not get another chance to come to the Gongyuan.

Soon, Gu Qingyan made his decision.

【Sign in!】

If it really triggered some unknown skill, he wouldn’t even care; he’d just treat the 10 points as sunk cost.

But if it triggered another life-saving skill, he’d hit the jackpot!