Xu Huaiqian went to the examination room with the other four people.

During this period, Pei Wangshu once blocked Xu Huaiqian’s door, wanting to see him when Xu Huaiqian’s husband came out to see him off.

However, Xu Huaiqian had already seen him hanging outside the door, and when he went out, he closed the door as fast as lightning. He told Chen Liejiu in the room to lock the door, so as not to let him see it.

“You are too stingy!” Pei Wangshu complained about Xu Huaiqian all the way to the examination room.

Two days.

They stayed in the same inn, and in two days, he didn’t even see the figure of Xu Huaiqian’s husband, which was too suspenseful.

It doesn’t matter if he is ugly, he is not his husband, so what if he is curious to see him!

Their Jin Dynasty is not like the previous dynasty where women and men are not allowed to see outsiders.

 Xu Huaiqian was unmoved: “I’m doing this for your own good, otherwise I’m afraid you’ll lose interest in the imperial examination after seeing him.”

Pei Wangshu looked unconvinced, is it really that weird?

“I’m not afraid, senior brother.” Zhang Bingwen, who was also curious after Pei Wangshu’s joke, chimed in, “He won’t pass the exam even if he sees it!”

“Maybe I’ll pass the exam by sheer luck?” Pei Wangshu was not convinced by his words. He could fail, but he couldn’t let others say he failed.

 “You said you were blind.” Zhang Bingwen looked up at him, “How can you pass the exam if you are blind?”

Pei Wangshu looked down at Zhang Bingwen, who was only as tall as his chest: “That’s better than a little dwarf like you who jumps up and down!”

“At least I can get into Class C, what can you do——” Zhang Bingwen hated it the most when people talked about his height. He was about to jump up to argue, but was interrupted by Duan Youyan who was so nervous that he was reciting books all the way: “You should use this time to recite more books so you can pass everything!”

In fact, the few people were talking to relieve their nervousness. They were all taking the examination for the first time and didn’t know anything. They said they were just going to give it a try, but they all hoped that they could pass the exam in one try.

Especially Xu Huaiqian, he came to take the examination with the mentality that he must pass this year. In order to let his body adapt to the harsh environment of the dormitory in advance, he did not choose to come to the capital city early to prepare like others, but bumped all the way from Xinghua Village to here, in order to avoid his weak body relaxing too comfortably and getting unaccustomed to entering the examination room.

Duan Youyan is no exception. In fact, he doesn’t like the imperial examination at all, but he has such a husband, so he has to take the imperial examination whether he wants to or not! Since he has to take the exam, he hopes that he can pass it as soon as possible, and after giving an explanation to his family, he wants to do what he likes.

Thinking of this, Duan Youyan looked at his hands. He wondered if he can still take pulses and give acupuncture when he picks up medical skills again?

Zhang Bingwen looks young, but he actually has a heavy burden on his shoulders. His grandfather placed all the regrets of not taking the imperial examination when he was young on him, hoping that he can help him fulfill his regrets. He doesn’t want to disappoint his grandfather.

 Pei Wangshu seemed cynical. Whether he took the imperial examination or not, whether he passed the examination or not, had nothing to do with him. However, as an uneducated person, he was naturally not compatible with the atmosphere of the examination room. The closer he got to the examination room, the more nervous he felt.

Among them, only Meng Fangxun was the calmest. Yesterday, he was still holding a book with a nervous look that could not be caused by anything else. Today, he seemed to be a different person. He walked to the examination room calmly, as if he was not going to take the imperial examination, but just going out to buy vegetables and coming back after buying them.

Xu Huaiqian was impressed by this. Sure enough, a top student is a top student, always different from ordinary people.

 Meng Fangxun walked for a while and didn’t hear the noise of the others. It was too quiet. He turned around and saw that they were all looking at him with admiration. He shrugged and said, “Why are you looking at me? If I didn’t work hard, then I would naturally be nervous when I’m here.”

“I’ve learned everything I should learn. My knowledge is in my head and no one can steal it. Now it’s time for me to use it. Shouldn’t I be happy?” Meng Fangxun was a little poor, but he was confident in himself.

He didn’t think he couldn’t pass the exam, it was just a matter of ranking.

Yong’an Prefecture has a total of twelve counties. Among the students in five counties, his grades are already top-notch. If even he can’t pass the exam, there may be few people in the entire academy who can pass the exam. However, students from other counties should not be ignored.

Especially the Qixian Academy composed of the other seven counties in the north of Yong’an Prefecture. It is said that there is a candidate named Zhong Yichen in their academy who is also outstanding.

It seems that his position in the top three is likely to be lost? Well, he has to be nervous. 

Fortunately, Xu Huaiqian and his friends didn’t know what he was thinking, otherwise they would have looked down on him. It was good enough to pass the exam, so what was the point of ranking!

In order to prevent candidates from cheating, the examination hall only allowed candidates to bring their own pens, ink, paper and inkstone into the examination hall, and the rest would be handled by the examination hall.

So Xu Huaiqian brought nothing except his small shoulder bag, which contained nothing but his pens, ink, paper and inkstone and a few strings of copper coins.

When entering the examination hall, the inspector at the door checked his bag inside and out, including the seams on the side, and let them in after confirming that there were no cheating items such as cheat sheets.

After passing the first round of inspection, the five of them lined up in the examination hall, waiting for the second examiner to check their native places, mutual agreements and pledges one more time. They would be let in only after confirming that they were all correct.

Looking at the inspections one after another, Xu Huaiqian thought, it’s so strict, there won’t be another strip inspection later, right?

 His wife hasn’t even seen his body yet but he has to show it to others first?

Xu Huaiqian thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and hurriedly covered his chest with clothes. No, no, he can’t take it off.

Fortunately, the above behavior was just Xu Huaiqian’s personal imagination. In fact, the strip inspection was too insulting and had been cancelled long ago. Now the routine inspections in the examination hall are much more normal, but of course not easy.

Not only must the candidates who have signed the bond and the students who helped them sign the bond be present, but students from the academy like Xu Huaiqian must also be confirmed by their teachers that they are students of the academy before they can be let go.

The student who helped them sign the bond was a student named Wu Guiyuan from Class B who was found by the teacher for them, and the teacher who helped them confirm was Li Jinren, Master Li, who had been angered by Xu Huaiqian.

 When it was their turn, the examiner first confirmed their confessions and native places, and then confirmed with Wu Guiyuan and Master Li that everything was correct. Then he struck the gong in his hand and shouted, “Qinglian Academy, Xu Huaiqian, Meng Fangxun, Pei Wangshu, Zhang Bingwen, and Duan Youyan enter the venue for routine inspection.”

His shout attracted the attention of everyone around him, not for any reason, but because there was a Meng Fangxun in their team.

 Then the crowd was in an uproar: “What?! Meng Fangxun from Qinglian Academy is also going to compete this year?”

“Doesn’t this mean he is competing with Zhong Yichen from Qixian Academy?”

“Zhong Yichen has already said that he will take the top spot this year. With Meng Fangxun here, isn’t it a sure thing?”

“Not necessarily. The teachers of Qinglian Academy’s Tongsheng class are all free learning, while Qixian Academy’s Tongsheng class has special training every year. Isn’t it true that when the list is announced every year, the most scholars on the list are from Qixian Academy?”

“But Meng Fangxun is not bad either. Didn’t you see that when his Tongsheng exam essay came out, the people from Qinglian Academy and Qixian Academy almost fought to the death over him?  “

“That Zhong Yichen is the last disciple specially accepted by the headmaster of the Qixian Academy. It is said that he could write poems at the age of seven and passed the examination for Tongsheng at the age of ten. He is only sixteen this year, and Meng Fangxun is already nineteen!”

“Maybe he is just bragging. We have all read Meng Fangxun’s articles, but we have never even heard of Zhong Yichen’s poems–“

He was talking about something when someone pulled him back: “Stop talking, the people from the Qixian Academy are coming in, and Zhong Yichen is here.”

Many people from the Qixian Academy are wearing their academy’s Qixian uniforms today, which are tie-dyed with seven colors: indigo, dark blue, purple blue, deep blue, light blue, and pale blue, which are very eye-catching.

Actually, it is just a green ball from a distance, but when you look closer, it turns out to be colorful green!

When Xu Huaiqian first entered the examination hall, he noticed such a group of people. He was wondering where the group of little green people came from, but now he understood after listening to everyone’s discussion. Oh, it turned out to be the little green people from Qixian Academy.

However, why hasn’t he heard anyone say that Meng Fangxun is so famous?

How long has Xu Huaiqian been in this world? It has only been more than four months in total. He has been studying hard in Xinghua Village and the academy. He has not been exposed to any news from outside. If he could come to the city a few days earlier, he might be able to get the gossip of other candidates in the inn. Unfortunately, when he arrived in the city, all the candidates who had indulged themselves had stopped and tightened their skin to prepare for today’s imperial examination, and no longer stretched out their will.

At this moment, he was just surprised to hear Meng Fangxun’s name.

 Zhong Yichen, who followed Qixian Academy into the venue, also heard everyone’s discussion. After knowing that Meng Fangxun would also compete this year, he was stunned for a moment. He looked up at Xu Huaiqian and his group, wanting to see who among the five of them was Meng Fangxun.

He first ruled out Zhang Bingwen and Xu Huaiqian.

One was too short, and the other was too thin, and they didn’t have the demeanor of a scholar at all.

He ruled out Pei Wangshu because he was too frivolous and didn’t fit Meng Fangxun’s personality.

Finally, he only focused on Duan Youyan and Meng Fangxun. Meng Fangxun was poor and tough, like an immovable stone in the mountains, not attracting attention. Instead, Duan Youyan’s tough, handsome, and elegant appearance attracted Zhong Yichen more.

He thought Duan Youyan was Meng Fangxun, and he felt uncomfortable when he saw that this “Meng Fangxun” was not inferior to him in appearance.

 When Xu Huaiqian was beaten by the inspector with a ruler and no paper scraps fell off, he shouted, “Xu Huaiqian, pass, Duan Youyan, come in.” He saw “Meng Fangxun” enter the fence for checking clothes, and realized that he had recognized the wrong person, so he locked his eyes on the real Meng Fangxun.

He saw Meng Fangxun’s clothes were washed white and his appearance was ordinary, so he immediately relaxed. He was nothing special, and he was sure to be the first in this year’s case.

When Meng Fangxun entered the fence for body search, he turned around and saw a student from Qixian Academy who looked disdainful at him. He looked wooden and thought, where did this idiot come from?

After this inspection, there was no other inspection. The examination hall gave the scholars dignity and did not take off their clothes for inspection. If the scholars did not cherish it, they would be caught cheating in the imperial examination. At the least, they would be stripped of their titles and never be recruited. At worst, they would be imprisoned and exiled, which was the same as breaking the law.

 It’s not like they can’t take the exam again. Who would be so smart as to ruin their future? Therefore, not many people cheat.

Xu Huaiqian, who felt that he had preserved his innocence, passed the last round of inspection and stood aside in a good mood waiting for Duan Youyan and others to finish the inspection. They went to the material officer in front to buy bedding and order food for the next three days. Then they saw a tall little green man outside the fence looking down on Meng Fangxun.

Xu Huaiqian: “???” Why does he look down on our academic bully?

Xu Huaiqian, who had just listened to a lot of gossip while queuing, knew that a student named Zhong Yichen from Qixian Academy boasted that he would take the top spot this year.

Could this little green man be Zhong Yichen?

 When they met up with Meng Fangxun, Xu Huaiqian pulled Meng Fangxun to look at Zhong Yichen, “He despises you.”

Meng Fangxun nodded calmly, “I know.”

Xu Huaiqian gave him a suggestion, “Why don’t you take the exam seriously, snatch his first place, and make him die in society?” Who told him to brag and despise others?

Pei Wangshu, who followed them, asked curiously, “What is social death?”

“It means to lose face in front of everyone,” Xu Huaiqian explained, and asked Meng Fangxun expectantly, “Do you want to do it?” The top students fighting is what the scumbags like to watch the most.

After Xu Huaiqian finished speaking, Duan Youyan and Zhang Bingwen also looked at him expectantly.

 Zhong Yichen’s undisguised contempt was not only seen by Xu Huaiqian and Meng Fangxun, but also by Duan Youyan and Zhang Bingwen. It is conceivable that there are many people who saw it. If Meng Fangxun did not show any reaction, others would think that they were afraid of Zhong Yichen.

Being looked at expectantly by the four of them at the same time, Meng Fangxun’s heart sank: “I can’t take the first place just because I want to. Except for Zhong Yichen, other students are also knowledgeable.”

“Don’t be afraid.” Xu Huaiqian looked like he believed him, “You have all the knowledge in your head. Now is the time for you to use it. Anyway, you have to use it, so why not use your best knowledge.”

Zhang Bingwen, Pei Wangshu, and Duan Youyan, who had been tutored by him, nodded together.

 “Yes, Brother Meng, you’re going to take it anyway, so just compare your best to him!”

“Besides, others always compare our Qinglian Academy with Qixian Academy. If you take the top spot, the teacher and the headmaster will be so proud!”

“Most importantly, if you take the top spot, the headmaster and his team will definitely increase resources to you during the next exam, which will also be beneficial to you.”

Seeing them persuading him to take the top spot, Meng Fangxun looked at Xu Huaiqian’s sickly face that did not hide his beauty at all, and always felt that he was a bad guy. If the top spot was so easy to take, would he not fight for it? It was because it was not easy to take the exam that he looked down on it, and they knew to put him on the fire!

 Xu Huaiqian seemed to be unaware of his thoughts and asked him, “Brother Meng, are you going to take first place in the exam?”

As if he would be spineless if he didn’t agree, Meng Fangxun nodded helplessly, “I’ll try my best.”

“Then we’ll wait for your good news.” Hearing that he agreed, everyone’s faces lit up, and everyone congratulated him with honey on their lips. It was as if as long as he agreed, he would definitely pass the exam.

Meng Fangxun looked up at the sky: “…” He regretted again, why did he make friends with these people!

The food and bedding provided by the examination hall are of course not free, and the candidates have to buy them from the material officer themselves.

There are good and bad ones, you can choose for yourself.

It has come to this point, and the five people don’t want to delay the imperial examination because of using the wrong things, so they ordered the best utensils.

Xu Huaiqian saw that there were ginseng slices for sale in the food column, and immediately waved his hand to buy three days of ginseng slices.

It cost him five taels of silver, and it hurt a lot. Ten taels can buy a ten-year-old ginseng, but five taels only buy a few ginseng slices of unknown age.

Fortunately, because he was afraid that the people in the examination hall would deduct the silver in their bags, he gave his purse to Chen Liejiu before coming to the examination hall. He only brought a few strings of inconspicuous copper coins with him. He didn’t bring enough money, so he borrowed from Pei Wangshu. This feeling of pain can be postponed for a few days.

When Xu Huaiqian was carrying the bedding to the room, he was still thinking that his room number was sixty-six, six sixes were very smooth, and this imperial examination must be smooth.

 As a result, when the first test paper was handed out, he saw stars in his eyes after taking a look at the questions.

——It was so difficult.

Many of them were questions he had never learned before, and there were even quite a few questions that were made up of the Four Books and Five Classics.

However, this was not the most difficult part. The most difficult part was:

He couldn’t eat well! He couldn’t sleep well!

The things he bought were obviously of the highest standard in the examination hall, but when he got them, it was not the same at all.

The quilt was not warm, and he ate cold steamed buns. Fortunately, he didn’t deduct the ginseng slices, but the years were messed up, and some of them were just ginseng whiskers.

Before entering the examination hall, Xu Huaiqian had already anticipated that life in the examination hall would probably not be easy, but he didn’t expect it to be so difficult!

 At night, Xu Huaiqian, curled up in the dormitory, shivering and coughing. He couldn’t sleep. He was afraid that his cough would alarm other students around him, so he could only bite a cold steamed bun to block his mouth and cough in his throat. He got up shivering in the quilt, and reviewed the questions he had done during the day under the moonlight. He cursed all the officials in the examination hall in his heart.

A vagrant job! A vagrant job!

Don’t wait until he becomes an official!

If he becomes an official, the first thing he will punish is these corrupt officials!

While Xu Huaiqian was reviewing and cursing, Meng Fangxun next to him couldn’t sleep either.

Originally, he thought that he had done a good job on the test paper today. But when he was sleeping against the wall of the dormitory, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have promised Xu Huaiqian that he would take the first place in the exam to suppress Zhong Yichen.

Meng Fangxun: “…” Suddenly he became energetic!  ! !

He got up, spread out the paper and pen, and reviewed the papers he had written during the day. He found that his answers were not good enough and could be better!

While they were studying late into the night, many people also couldn’t sleep, such as the headmaster and the teacher of the academy.

They had a residence not far from the examination hall. It was originally the headmaster’s private residence, but because it was close to the examination hall, he used it as a place for the teacher of the academy to stay.

It was late at night, and Zuo Zhengjian and Li Jinren had not rested yet. They were playing chess on a chessboard in the pavilion, but their minds were not on the chessboard.

“I heard that this year’s academician came from Suzhou Prefecture. The questions are difficult.” Zuo Zhengjian dropped a black piece and sighed.

Suzhou has many literati and scholars, and many scholars are well-educated. Many great Confucian scholars and tutors in the court came from Suzhou Prefecture. Yong’an Prefecture is a remote prefecture under the jurisdiction of Changnancheng, where educational resources are scarce. With such a school administrator, it is easy to guess that the candidates in the examination hall must be tortured to death by the questions and can’t sleep.

Besides, this is only the first day, and there are still the second and third days.

The first day alone has worn away their confidence. What should they do on the second and third days?

Li Jinren may have fainted from anger once, so he has become more open-minded. He only cares about what he should care about and doesn’t care about what he shouldn’t care about. When he hears Zuo Zhengjian complaining, he doesn’t feel anything: “It’s okay, there’s still the next term.”

Anyway, the Tongsheng takes the exam once a year. If he fails this year, he can take it again next year. It’s not like he can’t take it anymore.

 Zuo Zhengjian saw that his serious and earnest teacher had become so indifferent to fame and fortune. He was not very happy with student Xu Huaiqian: “I am afraid that the chief examiner of the provincial examination is also from Suzhou.”

You should know that their academy not only has Tongsheng who want to be Xiucai, but also Xiucai who want to be Juren. When their prefectures are taking the academy examinations, Changnan Prefecture, which is a little further away, is also taking the provincial examinations.

After the provincial examinations, the new juren in the academy and the previous juren who failed the spring examinations will set off to the capital to continue to participate in the spring examinations.

It is shameful to say that their Qinglian Academy has been in operation for more than ten years, and only two jinshi have been born. Both jinshi went to other places to serve as county magistrates.

They can’t give any resources to the academy, nor could they help their junior brothers in the academy, let alone benefit their hometown.

 Zuo Zhengjian originally wanted to take advantage of the Jin Dynasty’s founding to teach more students all over the country. If one of these students could move up, he would be rich in the future and issue more laws that benefit his hometown, considering the poverty of the countryside.

It can also slowly make Yong’an Prefecture and counties below rich.

However, a small place is a small place, and there are not many talents. The students he taught are getting more and more dull. There are a few smart ones, but they just don’t learn well.

When Zuo Zhengjian talked about the provincial examination, Li Jinren also put away his relaxed attitude, pondered for a moment, and said helplessly: “There is no way. Even if you don’t run into the chief examiner of Suzhou Prefecture in the provincial examination, you will run into him in the capital.”

The capital has had the chief examiner of the Hanlin Academy of Suzhou, Jiangnan and other places for several consecutive sessions, and the questions are also very difficult. Their academy has not produced a Jinshi for two sessions.

If there is no Jinshi this year, it will be three consecutive sessions without a Jinshi. One session is every three years, and three sessions in nine years. 

Nine years, nine years. How many nine years can there be in a lifetime? Not to mention the students, even he, the headmaster, is devastated.

Zuo Zhengjian blamed himself: “It’s all my responsibility as the headmaster. If I had gone to the Qixian Academy earlier to find a teacher from Suzhou to teach the students, would it have been better?”

It’s hard to say.

Li Jinren was a little silent. He had the honor to go to Qixian Academy to observe the teaching of the master who was born in Suzhou Prefecture. He found that their teaching principle was to take the imperial examination for the sake of the imperial examination. They asked students to do a lot of questions every day so that students could write when they saw the questions.

But those articles were all craftsmanship, without any inspiration, and the answers were all the same. After learning, students would talk about Zhihu and know nothing else.

Reading is to make people understand the truth and facts, not to make people become tools for taking the imperial examination without any thoughts of their own.

But it must be said that learning in this way is useful. Qixian Academy produced a Jinshi three years ago!

Although it was only the last place in the second class, it was much better than Qinglian Academy, which had never produced a second-class Jinshi and even had no Jinshi for three years.

 Now many students who are seeking fame and fortune have gone to Qixian Academy to study. Only some students who like the environment of Qinglian Academy because of the long journey are staying in Qinglian Academy.

If they don’t find a way to improve the rate of Jinshi in the academy, it is very likely that in a few years, their Qinglian Academy will become an ordinary academy.

“Let’s wait and see after the results of this spring exam are announced.” Li Jinren still disagrees with this way of learning in private. What’s the point of teaching lively students to be dull?

But if this is the only way to recruit talents nowadays, he has to compromise. He can’t let the students in the academy fail to pass the exam for their whole life.

 At this point, he didn’t want to continue talking about these unhappy things, so he mentioned something that made both of them feel relieved: “I wonder if Meng Fangxun can get first place in the exam this year?”

The headmaster thought that this year’s academic commissioner was from Suzhou Prefecture, and his heart sank: “It’s very difficult.”

“Zhong Yichen from Qixian Academy is very likely to be in first place.”

It’s not that Zuo Zhengjian doesn’t trust his students, but he knows that his students’ writing style really doesn’t suit the preferences of the academic commissioner of Suzhou Prefecture.

This imperial examination is not only based on knowledge, sometimes luck is also important. If you happen to catch the eye of the academic commissioner, the papers that were not marked may be marked.

Zhong Yichen is taught by the teacher of Suzhou Prefecture, and the articles he writes must please the academic commissioner.

Fortunately, Meng Fangxun is not a person who fights for fame and fortune. He is a person who is satisfied as long as he can stay in the top three.

Zuo Zhengjian doesn’t expect to get the first place, but Meng Fangxun can get him a second or third place.

 Li Jinren thought so too, so he skipped the first case: “What about other students?”

“I see Zhang Bingwen from Class C and Xu Huaiqian from our Class B have been studying with Meng Fangxun for the last two months. Do they have any hope?”

Li Jinren didn’t like Xu Huaiqian and the others. They were so naughty that they made him faint twice, but he had to say that they were still very hardworking.

The hard work of the last two in the academy shocked him. They were a little naughty, but they were still hardworking.

Especially Pei Wangshu, who was originally so unlearned, actually persisted for two months, which really made him look at them with new eyes.

 “Zhang Bingwen may get last place,” Zuo Zhengjian shook his head, “the others are far behind. They only studied for two months and want to pass the imperial examination. If the imperial examination is so easy, why are us two still worrying here?”

Zuo Zhengjian saw Xu Huaiqian and others studying hard in the academy, but he still felt that they were not good enough.

Zhang Bingwen’s grandfather is a teacher, and he had a good foundation since he was a child, but because he was too conventional and had no spiritual energy, he said that he could be the last one because he thought that he was young and had such solid knowledge.

As for the remaining three.

It’s not that Zuo Zhengjian wants to scold them, but they were just too bad!

He didn’t say anything about Pei Wangshu, it was impossible.

 He was worried that the academician would not even look at Duan Youyan’s test paper and would directly fail him. Xu Huaiqian’s handwriting was beautiful, but his answers were too empty and unrealistic. It was difficult.

Li Jinren sighed after hearing this: “What a pity, Xu Huaiqian’s handwriting is so good.”

Zuo Zhengjian also sighed. People in Suzhou Prefecture love calligraphy very much. Many students practice calligraphy in the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter since they were born, just to practice good handwriting so that the examiner can notice them during the imperial examination.

They are all poor students in Yong’an Prefecture. Studying has already stretched their families’ budgets, so how can they have extra paper and ink to practice calligraphy? Even if there are a few who write well, their families have money to eat and drink, and they learn to show their treasures, which has little to do with the imperial examination.

But Xu Huaiqian’s handwriting is different. The handwriting is elegant and vigorous. The pen tip is soft but not soft, and the tip is not sharp. The more you look at it, the more comfortable you feel.

 Privately, Zuo Zhengjian also collected several articles written by Xu Huaiqian. Ignoring the content of the articles, it would be nice to let the little grandson at home copy them.

If Xu Huaiqian had a more solid knowledge, he would be the last one in the exam with his good handwriting. What a pity, what a pity, he is still a little short of the mark.

Just a little short of the mark.

Zuo Zhengjian was also very frustrated. If Xu Huaiqian came to the academy a year earlier, he could have helped Xu Huaiqian pass the exam this time with his spirit of hard work even when he was weak. Unfortunately, two months was too rushed.

But it doesn’t matter. Let him gain experience this time. When he takes the exam next year, he won’t be so anxious.

Three days passed in a flash. Xu Huaiqian was tortured to the point of being skinny in the dormitory. He was not a fat man to begin with, and when he came out, he was even thinner.

It was no different from when he first time traveled.

 When Duan Youyan and his team found Xu Huaiqian in the dormitory, they saw that his eye sockets were sunken and his shiny skin had become dull, thin and bloodless. He looked like a consumptive patient, totally different from the Xu Huaiqian with outstanding appearance and temperament in their memory.

Everyone was surprised: “How did you become like this?”

“————Cough cough cough cough.” Xu Huaiqian, who was almost unable to speak due to coughing, shook his head and said hoarsely, “Stop talking, let’s get out quickly.”

He didn’t want to stay in this damn place for a moment.

“Okay.” Duan Youyan lifted the table in front of him and helped him out of the dormitory. Before he took two steps, Xu Huaiqian’s feet became weak. He stumbled and almost fell.

He frowned and felt Xu Huaiqian’s pulse: “Have you caught a cold?”

Xu Huaiqian nodded. It was so unlucky. He thought that the best quilt he bought would definitely keep him warm, but when he tore it open, he found that there was only a small amount of cotton inside and the rest was grass.

It was early autumn and the night was not very cold. Others could make do with it, but he was weak and a gust of wind blew in, making him shiver all over.

There was nothing he could do about shivering. The people in the examination hall would not care about his life or death, let alone seek medical treatment for him. 

He could only grit his teeth and hold on until the next day, but the next day was even worse. His cell was facing the sun. At noon, the sun shone on him warmly, but it lasted only for an hour or two. The alternation of cold and heat made Xu Huaiqian’s mind more and more confused. He didn’t know when he fell on the table and fainted. When he woke up, he knew that he must have caught a cold.

“Oh my God! What should I do?!” Zhang Bingwen was so anxious that he almost cried. Xu Huaiqian was in poor health. He had a fever again. Could he survive?

“What else can we do?” Duan Youyan had been a doctor for many years. He helped Xu Huaiqian up and said, “Hurry up and send him to the clinic for treatment.”

He had a fever for two days and was almost stupid. If he didn’t get treated, he would be completely incurable.

“Oh, oh.” The few people who were almost confused by the exam carried Xu Huaiqian on their backs out of the examination hall.

 “——Cough, cough, cough,” Xu Huaiqian, who was so feverish that he didn’t know who was pulling him, coughed uncontrollably a few times after leaving the examination room, but his mind still remembered something, “Remember to send a message to my husband when you return to the inn.”

He was afraid that Chen Liejiu would worry if he didn’t go back.

“I know, don’t worry about it.” Pei Wangshu saw blood oozing from the corners of his mouth when he spoke, and hurriedly wiped him with a handkerchief, “Stop talking, we know better than you.”

“Mm.” Xu Huaiqian knew they all had a better brain than him now, so he stopped talking.

They dragged Xu Huaiqian out of the examination hall, and other students saw Xu Huaiqian so sick that they thought he had tuberculosis and avoided them one by one.

They directly made way for this group of people, which made it much more convenient for them.

Chen Liejiu pulled the carriage with Wang Wanwan and Chen Xiaomei in front of the examination hall early in the morning to wait for Xu Huaiqian. He thought that he must have suffered a lot in the imperial examination, and must be taken to make up for it after the exam.

As a result, a group of people dragged Xu Huaiqian, who was so sick that he could hardly walk, out.

Chen Liejiu: “!!!”

He was angry and anxious. He stepped forward: “What’s going on?”

Pei Wangshu saw an overly beautiful ger in red rushing in front of them, and was shocked. How could this ger be so handsome? But he quickly came to his senses and drove him away impatiently: “Make way, don’t you see that we are dragging the patient to the clinic?”

“No need,” Chen Liejiu saw the little husband who was so dizzy that he didn’t know he was coming, and was so anxious that he directly grabbed Xu Huaiqian, and held him horizontally, “I am his husband, I can take him to see the doctor myself.”

“You are Xu Huaiqian’s husband?!” Pei Wangshu was stunned when he heard him say this, and then he was surprised. Xu Huaiqian’s husband is so handsome?  !

“Yes.” Chen Liejiu didn’t dare to delay and hugged Xu Huaiqian. He rushed to the carriage and put him in. He took Wang Wanwan and Chen Xiaomei, who also looked anxious, on the carriage. Before driving away, he thanked Duan Youyan and others, “Thank you. When my husband is well, I will host a banquet for you.”

Chen Liejiu took Xu Huaiqian away in a swift and decisive manner. Pei Wangshu and others were still stunned and didn’t react.

What did they see? !

A ger hugged a big man – picked him up? !

You know, Xu Huaiqian is thin, but he is tall. Even if he is just a skeleton, he is not a light.

Among them, even Duan Youyan, who seemed to be the strongest, had some difficulty carrying Xu Huaiqian. But he carried him away easily? !

 Besides, this guy is not a tall and strong guy, with a thin waist and long legs. At most, he is not weak. Who would have thought that he has such great strength?

The most important thing is that he looks so good!

This sentence flashed through the minds of the four people in the group. He has fair skin, thin eyebrows, big eyes, a beautiful nose and red lips. He is not as pretentious as the gers they know. He is generous and resolute. Not only do they not feel strange or abrupt, but they feel that a ger should be like this.

“…was that really Xu Huaiqian’s husband?” Pei Wangshu was stunned for a long time, and then looked at Duan Youyan. He couldn’t believe it at all. Xu Huaiqian, a sickly guy, could find such a husband?

“…It should be.” Duan Youyan, who was also a little shocked, came back to his senses and nodded. On the day of the entrance examination, he had a fleeting impression of Chen Liejiu at the gate of the academy. He only remembered that he was a bright red-dressed ger, but he didn’t expect that his personality was so bold that it made people’s eyes light up.

 Pei Wangshu was heartbroken: “…Such a good ger, why didn’t he choose a healthy husband to marry in?” He suddenly understood why Xu Huaiqian agreed to marry into Chen Liejiu’s family after Chen Liejiu offered him money.

If it were him, he wouldn’t be able to resist.

“Because my senior brother is handsome.” Only Zhang Bingwen, a little guy who hadn’t yet begun to fall in love, didn’t think there was anything wrong with Xu Huaiqian marrying into Chen Liejiu’s family. “You don’t understand, sick beauties. Sick beauties, the sicker they are, the more beautiful they are.”

“Indeed.” Meng Fangxun nodded. Xu Huaiqian was weak, but he was really good-looking. He had a sense of brokenness that made people love him. Especially when he was vomiting blood, the feeling was even stronger.

No one allowed Huaiqian’s husband to like this!

Pei Wangshu was furious: “If I get sick now and go to his house to apply to be a husband, is there any chance?”

“——Huh.” Several people imagined the sick look of a strong man and were disgusted!

 “Put away your dirty thoughts.” Zhang Bingwen was so disgusted that he had goose bumps. “You can’t bully a friend’s wife. Besides, my senior brother is so sick now. If you do this, what kind of friend are you? If you really do this, don’t blame us for breaking up with you.”

“I’m just too surprised!” Pei Wangshu didn’t really think so. He was not a good-for-nothing, so he wouldn’t really do that. He just talked nonsense out of habit, but he really made a decision, “If I’m looking for a husband in the future, I’ll look for one with this kind of personality!”

“Forget it,” several people hurriedly stopped him, “Let’s not talk about whether you can find one, just say, whether the other person will like you or not.”

Even if they didn’t know the ger, they knew that there were few gers like Chen Liejiu in the world. It was a pipe dream for him to find another one like him.

But they didn’t expect that many years later, Pei Wangshu really found a personality similar to Chen Liejiu. He was not a ger, but he was just as cool.

 Here, Xu Huaiqian, who was carried to the carriage by Chen Liejiu, opened his eyes in a daze due to fever. He saw that it was Chen Liejiu who came to pick him up. His heart, which had been weighing on his heart, finally felt settled.

He fainted with relief holding his hand.

He felt safe with his wife.