Chapter 96: County Exam 3/3

“You are so confident. Even if County Magistrate Guo can help you pass the county exam, he can’t intervene in the subsequent exams.” Yao Zhenfu said.

Li Qingzhi sighed, “Brother Yao, you should worry more about yourself. Don’t end up unable to even pass the county exam.”

The imperial examination system in Daqi was similar to that of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but with some differences.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, passing the county exam’s first round granted qualification for the provincial exam. In Daqi, however, candidates had to complete all five rounds of the county exam to be selected for the provincial exam.

Moreover, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, even if a candidate didn’t participate in the provincial exam, they could still obtain the title of scholar with a good performance in the county exam. However, in Daqi, passing the provincial exam was necessary to obtain the title of scholar.

Yao Zhenfu had participated in the county exam before and had even made it to the top fifty twice, but unfortunately, the county magistrate usually only allowed twenty people to pass the county exam, so he had never passed.

As Yao Zhenfu heard Li Qingzhi’s words, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Unfortunately, at this moment, there was another burst of noise, reminding the candidates to enter the exam room.

County exams were not as strict as provincial exams. When it was Li Qingzhi’s turn to be searched, the searcher recognized him and just went through the motions.

This world really isn’t fair.

Upon entering the exam room, Li Qingzhi saw County Magistrate Guo, accompanied by several other scholars, including Li Xiucai. They left after all the candidates had entered the room. County Magistrate Guo personally locked the door of the exam room and began to set the questions.

On the first day of the exam, candidates were tested on the Four Books and Two Classics and had to write a poem. The former was quite easy for Li Qingzhi, and the latter was not difficult either. After all, this was only the county exam, and there was no need for him to write poetry that would astonish everyone.

Li Qingzhi quickly finished his exam paper.

In the county exam, candidates could submit their papers early, but doing so could affect the morale of those around them. Li Qingzhi didn’t rush to submit his paper, knowing that even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to leave immediately. The door would only be opened once all fifty candidates had submitted their papers.

After resting for a while, Li Qingzhi saw Fang Zijian stand up from his seat and submit his paper. Seeing others submitting theirs, Li Qingzhi picked up his own paper and walked towards County Magistrate Guo.

County Magistrate Guo had been reviewing Fang Zijian’s paper when he noticed Li Qingzhi approaching. He smiled at Li Qingzhi and took his paper. Then, his gaze couldn’t help but linger!

Li Qingzhi’s handwriting was truly pleasing to the eye!

He had initially thought of giving Li Qingzhi special treatment, but now…

With an answer paper like Li Qingzhi’s, not giving him special treatment would be unfair.

The first round of the county exam ended like this.

A few days later, the results of the first round were announced, and Li Qingzhi was unsurprisingly given a court ranking.

In addition to him, Zhu Xunmiao, Xu Qifei, Fang Zijian, and Yao Zhenfu were also given court rankings, ranking in the top twenty.

Following that, the second round of exams began.

Those with court rankings would be tested in front of the county magistrate, causing some to feel nervous. However, Li Qingzhi remained calm.

Having experienced the horrors of the apocalypse, taking a county exam was nothing to him.

Moreover, being someone who was accustomed to being prepared, he had already done all the necessary preparations before the exam!

After looking at the exam paper, Li Qingzhi knew how to answer it and began writing immediately, finishing first.

However, while he maintained a good mindset, others didn’t feel the same.

Yao Zhenfu was excited to be given a court ranking for the first time, but seeing Li Qingzhi made him angry. He kept glancing at Li Qingzhi during the exam, which was already unsettling. Furthermore, he wasn’t confident about this exam.

As Li Qingzhi put down his pen, Yao Zhenfu became increasingly flustered…

In the third round, Li Qingzhi was once again given a court ranking, along with Zhu Xunmiao, Xu Qifei, and Fang Zijian. However, Yao Zhenfu didn’t receive this honor.

And then… he became even more anxious.

When Yao Zhenfu was studying under Li Xiucai, he picked up some knowledge because everyone around him was studying. However, during the past few months, when he was reviewing alone at home, it was a different story.

In fact, he barely managed to read any books!

He was able to get a court ranking after the first round of exams because it was based on fundamentals, and his fundamentals were decent. But afterward… his performance in each exam got worse!

What’s more, Li Qingzhi was always given a court ranking each time!

Additionally, Zhu Xunmiao, Xu Qifei, and Fang Zijian, who used to be inferior to Yao Zhenfu, were also consistently given court rankings!

Actually, Zhu Xunmiao and the others used to be inferior to Yao Zhenfu because they were seven or eight years younger and started school later.

But Yao Zhenfu didn’t care about that. He believed Zhu Xunmiao got the court ranking because of his father, Zhu Qian, and Xu Qifei got it because he pleased Zhu Xunmiao.

Even Fang Zijian, Yao Zhenfu thought, got the court ranking because his deceased father was a scholar.

It was all his father’s fault!

Of course, what Yao Zhenfu was most jealous of was Li Qingzhi.

Just by writing a few stories praising County Magistrate Guo, Li Qingzhi managed to get a court ranking every time!

In fact, Li Qingzhi didn’t deliberately hide his knowledge. At the end of last year, he was studying at home every day. Yao Zhenfu could have known this with just a glance, but he never bothered to look, firmly believing that Li Qingzhi was ignorant.

While Yao Zhenfu was bitter and resentful all day long, all five rounds of the county exam were completed.