Chapter 102

When Wei Xi reported the results, the system immediately settled the reward for Shen Cui.

Last year, Wei Shu ranked twelfth and received 500 points.

This time, Mei Ruochu and Wei Xi ranked first and second, respectively, which was a very generous reward. They were awarded a total of 1800 points.

Shen Cui had been truly “poor” lately, so this finally made her a little more financially comfortable.

But in reality, she was not that comfortable, as there was still the provincial exam in June or July.

She still had to make up for Wei Xi’s lost constitution. As for Mei Ruochu, he had lost several tens of points during the prefectural exam, and all the “inventory” had already been used up. Later, just participating in the exam, without any special circumstances, would cause him to lose 40 luck points. She had to replenish his “inventory” during this period.

After a simple celebration, Wei Xi and Mei Ruochu successively wrote down the questions and their answers from the prefectural exam and submitted them to Lao Buyu for evaluation.

Wei Xi’s paper was very well written, and Lao Buyu could still give some pointers.

When he saw Mei Ruochu’s paper, Lao Buyu was at a loss for words again, except to praise it, not knowing what else to say.

Afterwards, when Wei Shu, Wei Xi, and Mu Er Pang also looked at the paper, their admiration for Mei Ruochu was even more evident!

So it’s no wonder Wei Xi didn’t mind losing to him at all. Firstly, they were all family, so it didn’t matter who came first.

Secondly, just in terms of the content of the answers, whether it was the literary embellishments or the content itself, Mei Ruochu far surpassed him.

He truly acknowledged his defeat.

Mei Ruochu was not at all proud, saying only, “I am much older than Xiao Xi and have been doing test papers for many years. This time, it was just luck.”

They didn’t listen to his modest words and just encouraged him to perform his true level in the provincial exam and even aim for a Top spot.

After the lively atmosphere subsided, the young men began to busy themselves with their own affairs.

Shen Cui was sitting at a table in the corridor, writing a letter to the old headmaster.

With Mei Ruochu achieving such results, they were already so happy. If the old headmaster knew, he would be even happier than them!

When she finished writing, Shen Cui put down her pen and saw Mei Ruochu coming out. She smiled and said, “You must have also written a letter to our headmaster? If you haven’t sent it yet, send it together with my letter.”

“I wrote it before I came back, but I thought you would also write to our headmaster, so I haven’t sent it yet.”

As he spoke, Mei Ruochu handed over the letter he had written.

Shen Cui waved the letter in the wind to dry the ink, and then folded it several times before putting it into an envelope with the emblem of Hongle Academy, along with Mei Ruochu’s letter.

After finishing everything, she turned around and found that Mei Ruochu had not left yet, so she asked if he had something to say.

Mei Ruochu nodded and made a “please” gesture.

The two of them left the hall and went to a corner of the courtyard.

Shen Cui really didn’t know what he was going to say. Although she could see his mood value, Mei Ruochu had developed a strong heart through the hardships he had experienced before.

Even when he almost lost his life under the horse’s hooves, his mood value didn’t drop.

So Shen Cui didn’t make any guesses and just waited for him to speak.

“Do you think I should wait another year to take the provincial exam?” he asked, his fair face flushed.

Actually, when he returned to the village, he was a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, Wei Xi had joked around and livened up the atmosphere.

After spending so much time together, Mei Ruochu knew that Wei Xi was not the type to talk nonsense. He probably really noticed his embarrassment and deliberately made light of it.

But the more he did this, the more guilty Mei Ruochu felt—He had indeed studied hard for many years and had some talent, but relying solely on himself, how could he have participated in the prefectural exam so smoothly and then performed so well?

He knew in his heart that it was thanks to the things Shen Cui had made for him that helped turn his luck around.

He had relied on Cui Wei to turn his luck, but in the end, he had pushed the earnest students into second place… Later, when the three of them had to take the provincial exam together, it wasn’t that he was arrogant, but if it went as smoothly as the prefectural exam, it was very likely that he would again surpass Wei Shu and Wei Xi.

He had already delayed taking the exam for many years, so a little later wouldn’t matter.

During the time in between, he could truly take up the duties of an assistant teacher and help Lao Buyu teach Mu Er Pang wholeheartedly, which could be considered his way of repaying a favor.

He didn’t need to explain all of this in detail, as Shen Cui could probably understand with a little thought.

Of course, Shen Cui would definitely not agree to this, so Mei Ruochu changed his explanation and continued, “I was thinking, if I pass the provincial exam and perform well like this time, then according to the rules, I can enter the prefectural school to study. By then, without Cui Wei, without you… I’m afraid I’ll become the unlucky guy I used to be again. So I can’t go then. And the qualification for entering the prefectural school is so precious, but I would be taking up a spot for nothing, blocking others from entering.”

As he spoke, he observed Shen Cui’s expression. “I didn’t participate in the county exam this year either. By the next county exam, I’ll be able to participate. I’ll just take the prefectural exam first and then participate in the county exam. That way, I won’t be taking up a spot in the prefectural school.”

Shen Cui didn’t know as much about the details of the imperial examinations as he did. After all, this imperial examination system was set in a fictional dynasty.

Although the system was well-developed, it did not belong to any specific dynasty known in history.

It was more like a mix of different elements compiled by the author of the original book.

After he twisted things around like this, Shen Cui was really confused. She said, “You just prepare first, and I’ll think about it.”

After he left, Shen Cui found an opportunity to call Wei Shu over and ask him about the quota for the prefectural school.

Wei Shu explained to her in detail. The provincial exam is divided into the examination for youths (Sui Shi) and the examination for talents (Ke Shi). The examination for youths is commonly known as the examination for talented scholars. Passing it means entering the school, becoming a student of the imperial court, and being able to enter the county school or the prefectural school.

Among them, according to the hierarchy, there are Lin Sheng, Zeng Sheng, and Fu Sheng. The number of Lin Sheng and Zeng Sheng is fixed.

Wei Shu thought that Mei Ruochu’s level, as long as he didn’t have the bad luck like before, there shouldn’t be a problem for him to become a Lin Sheng.

But if he doesn’t go to the prefectural school, it would indeed be a pity. The court only provides money and grain subsidies to students entering the prefectural and county schools, and generally, no one would miss such a good opportunity as entering the prefectural school—The prefectural school has one professor and four mentors, all of whom are well-versed in ancient and modern studies.

Not to mention the opportunity to meet figures like the Supervisor of Education and make friends with outstanding classmates, which is extremely valuable.

Moreover, as mentioned earlier, after the examination for youths, there is still the examination for talents. Only by passing both exams can one truly have the qualification to take the county exam.

Both of these exams are presided over by the Supervisor of Education. If he doesn’t go to the prefectural school to study, how can he get first-hand information?

He explained a lot, and Shen Cui’s mind became even more confused. After a while, she said, “So, if what Ruochu said is correct, if he becomes a Lin Sheng and doesn’t enter the prefectural school, and there is a fixed quota there, it means he is taking up a precious quota that could receive subsidies, right?”

Wei Shu nodded, and then Shen Cui continued to herself, “So, the solution is for him to take the exam, and if he passes, he should also enter the prefectural school. But he doesn’t have to separate from Cui Wei… um, it doesn’t seem to be a big problem.”

When the academy was upgraded earlier, the system had already opened the function to change the location of the academy.

If they really didn’t want to separate, she could just move Cui Wei to the prefectural city.

But it was not the time to bring up this matter now. First, it was all speculation now, and Mei Ruochu, Wei Shu, and Wei Xi had not yet really taken the provincial exam.

Second, Mu Er Pang still had half a year before participating in the first county exam.

The best result would be for all three of them to take the provincial exam and enter the prefectural school, and for Mu Er Pang to pass the county exam next year, without the need to return to the county town, before deciding when to move the academy.

If they really decided to move, they would also need to select a location in the prefectural city and inform the Shen family to obtain the consent of their family.

In addition, when Lao Buyu had promised three years of free teaching, only half a year remained. After half a year, Lao Buyu would either go with them or have other plans, so they would have to ask for his opinion.

There were too many things to be busy with in the short term, and no conclusion could be reached for the time being.

In any case, it was best to wait for the results of the provincial exam.

As for Mei Ruochu’s statement that he couldn’t participate in the provincial exam, of course, Shen Cui refuted it.

She didn’t explain anything, just turned to Wei Shu and Wei Xi and said, “Ruochu doesn’t want to participate.”

Shen Cui could guess Mei Ruochu’s true intentions, and Wei Shu and Wei Xi could naturally guess them too.

Would they, the brothers, sit still after hearing this? Both of them said no.

“I admit defeat to Brother Mei, but to others, I refuse.”

“Yeah, if Brother Mei doesn’t participate, won’t the pressure of being the top scorer in the provincial exam fall on us?”

The two brothers squeezed Mei Ruochu in the middle, not letting him speak a word, and refused to let go.

Lao Buyu added softly on the side, feeling a little embarrassed, “My senior brother taught a genius who bested every exam before, and I still envy it now. Although Ruochu is a student of Hongle, he achieved good results during his study at our academy. If he can even achieve a good result too, that would really shine on my old face!”

Mu Er Pang exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Oh my, sir, you have high standards now. Only being the top scorer can add glory. What should I do? In the next exam, there will only be me, and the pressure is on me!”

Amidst the laughter and teasing, Mei Ruochu had to surrender and no longer mention not participating in the next exam.