Chapter 113: The Capital City 1/2

The process of the provincial examination was similar to that of the county examination.

This year’s provincial examination began in late April. Li Qingzhi and Zhu Xunmiao had agreed to go to the capital city by the end of March. They would first register with the prefectural government and then stay in the capital city to review their studies while waiting for the provincial examination.

The day before departure, Jin Xiaoye took the time to help Li Qingzhi pack his luggage.

During this time, she had asked Fang Jinniang to make several new clothes for Li Qingzhi. Now, Li Qingzhi didn’t have to rely on just one good outfit.

“Ah Qing, do you want Xiaoshu to accompany you?” Jin Xiaoye asked.

She had actually wanted to go to the capital city to take a look, but she couldn’t leave now. She had to fulfill the orders requested by Mr. Wu and Mrs. Zhu.

Li Qingzhi said, “No need. I’ll be taking the Zhu family’s boat this time, and when I arrive in the capital city, I’ll be staying at the Zhu family’s mansion. I can go alone. Didn’t Xu Qifei also go alone?”

“That’s fine, but it’s still troubling Mr. Zhu,” Jin Xiaoye said.

Li Qingzhi chuckled. “Mr. Zhu is more than happy to help.”

He was sincere in saying this.

As a businessman, Zhu Qian was very keen on investing in scholars and was happy to make friends with them. People like Li Qingzhi and Xu Qifei were exactly the type of people he wanted to befriend.

Jin Xiaoye thought for a moment and said, “He thinks further ahead than I do.” She only wanted to do well in her current business, while Zhu Qian was thinking about the future and actively trying to make friends with scholars.

“You’re how old, and he’s how old? You don’t need to compare yourself to him,” Li Qingzhi said, stealing a kiss on Jin Xiaoye’s cheek while she wasn’t paying attention.

Jin Xiaoye rolled her eyes at Li Qingzhi and then coughed lightly. “Since Cui Cui doesn’t cry at night anymore, can we let her sleep in the same room as Li Damao and Li Ermao tonight?”

Recently, Cui Cui, Li Damao, and Li Ermao had been living in their room.

During the first few days, Cui Cui cried every night.

During the day, the child played with Jin Mao’er, Li Damao, and Li Ermao. She had stopped crying much during the day, but at bedtime, she would still choke up because she missed her mother, grandmother, and uncle.

But these past few days, she hasn’t cried at all at night. Every night, she listened attentively to Li Qingzhi’s stories… Of course, if someone mentioned her family, she would inevitably cry again.

Jin Xiaoye felt sorry for the child. Since Li Damao and Li Ermao were her sons, she didn’t mind them sleeping in her room.

But because of these three children, she and Li Qingzhi hadn’t had a chance to be close these past few days!

Li Qingzhi held Jin Xiaoye’s hand and whispered, “After they fall asleep tonight, let’s move them to Damao and Ermao’s room.”

Cui Cui was still in a state of anxiety, and she was very dependent on Jin Xiaoye… It was better not to move her out for the time being.

But could they move her in the middle of the night?

Children were like little pigs when they slept; it was impossible to wake up. If they were carried to a different bed after they fell asleep, they wouldn’t know a thing.

He also wanted to be close to Jin Xiaoye.

Although they had physical contact every day these past few days, he had already tasted the meat and didn’t care much for a little soup.

So, that night, the three children were quietly moved to another room.

The next morning, after the couple woke up feeling refreshed, they went to Li Damao and Li Ermao’s room and called them to get up.

Chang Cui was taken by Jin Xiaoye to the toilet, leaving Li Damao and Li Ermao looking puzzled.

“Dad, why are we here?” Li Ermao asked.

“Yeah, I distinctly remember not sleeping here last night,” Li Damao chimed in.

Li Qingzhi quickly came up with an explanation: “Last night, there was a mouse in Mom and Dad’s room, so we brought you guys here to sleep.”

“Oh,” Li Ermao nodded, not seeing anything wrong with that, but Li Damao was a bit puzzled—why didn’t they just chase away the mouse instead of moving them?

But before he could ask, Li Qingzhi continued, “Damao and Ermao, Dad is going to the capital city for an exam today. Will you two be good at home?”

Li Damao immediately shifted his attention. “Got it, Dad. Come back soon.”

Li Ermao also chimed in, “Dad, I’ll miss you!”

Previously, when Li Qingzhi had to go to Linhu County, Li Damao and Li Ermao had cried, but since Li Qingzhi had already been out once, this was the second time, and they didn’t cry this time.

They knew their dad would come back.

“Dad will miss you too,” Li Qingzhi said, kissing their little cheeks.

The county town wasn’t far from the capital city, and technically, after registering, he could come back.

But he needed to focus on studying and attend literary meetings. Going back and forth would waste two days, so he decided not to come back.

For scholars in this era, reputation was also important. Someone who had been unknown suddenly achieving good results in the imperial examination would inevitably be questioned.

Moreover, the more famous one was, the more others would respect them, and examiners would be less likely to give a low ranking for personal reasons.

On the morning the results of the county examination were announced, Li Qingzhi had already made a name for himself in Chongcheng County. Now, he needed to go to the capital city to make some friends and increase his reputation.

Actually, many people from Chongcheng County who planned to take the provincial examination had already gone to the capital city. He was going relatively late.

That morning, Li Qingzhi specifically bought some buns for breakfast. After eating with the children, he went to the Zhu family’s boat to pick him up.

Xu Qifei and Zhu Xunmiao were already on the boat. After picking up another classmate, they set off for the capital city.

“Brother Li, have you seen the son of Magistrate Guo?” Zhu Xunmiao asked Li Qingzhi.

“I haven’t,” Li Qingzhi replied. “Have you?”

He shouldn’t have, as Zhu Xunmiao had been with him at Li Xiucai’s place, studying early and returning late for the past few days.

Li Qingzhi knew that Magistrate Guo’s wife had already brought their children to Chongcheng County, but he had been too busy to visit.

Magistrate Guo had previously mentioned inviting him and Jin Xiaoye for dinner, but considering Li Qingzhi’s need to prepare for the county examination, they had postponed it until after the provincial examination.

For scholars at this time, the imperial examination was definitely a major event, especially for someone like him who was taking it for the first time.

“I haven’t seen him, but I’ve heard some things. It’s said that this young master has a bad temper, and Magistrate Guo can’t control him,” Zhu Xunmiao said, recalling what his father had told him with a look of regret.

Zhu Xunmiao didn’t say much more, but Li Qingzhi thought about the age of Magistrate Guo’s son…

Hmm, thirteen years old, adolescence?

They set off early, but because the boat’s speed wasn’t fast, they didn’t arrive in the capital city until the afternoon.

This was Li Qingzhi’s first time in the capital city.

The capital city was different from Chongcheng County. The streets in Chongcheng County were narrow, but the capital city had many spacious roads.

Additionally, while stone arch bridges were common in Chongcheng County, carriages couldn’t pass through the county, and there were no carriages in the county either, but it was different in the capital city. Here, carriages could be seen in many places.

However, Li Qingzhi didn’t see any carriages. In the capital city, the most common mode of transportation was still boats.

“Let’s go to the prefectural yamen to register early,” Zhu Xunmiao suggested.

Tomorrow was the last day of registration, and they were already a bit late.

“Okay,” Li Qingzhi agreed.

The few of them went to the prefectural yamen’s registration hall. The whole process was similar to registering for the county examination.

The clerk in the registration hall looked at Li Qingzhi curiously and asked, “Are you Li Qingzhi, the one with an eidetic memory?”

“Yes, that’s me!” Zhu Xunmiao immediately confirmed.

“I heard your knowledge is even better than Peng Jingliang?” the clerk asked.

“Who said that?” Li Qingzhi was a bit surprised. Peng Jingliang was a scholar, and he didn’t dare claim that his knowledge was better than Peng Jingliang’s.

“It’s been circulating outside,” the clerk said.

Li Qingzhi: … He had wanted to make a name for himself in the capital city, but it seemed that his reputation had already preceded him.

Li Qingzhi and Zhu Xunmiao registered smoothly.

In the northern regions, some places rigorously checked the identities of candidates, but in the south, they didn’t.

It was worth noting that Hexing Prefecture was flourishing in literature, and taking the imperial examination here was several times harder than in the northern regions… If someone wanted to fake their identity to take the exam, they wouldn’t come to Hexing Prefecture.