Troubled times: Start practicing spiritual practice by taking care of your sister-in-law.

Chapter 654: July : Palace Examination
July 5, the third year of Yong'an.

In front of a huge house in the east of Xiangyang City.

It was not even the hour of Chen yet, but quite a few people were already standing in front of the gate. They were all candidates who had passed the last imperial examination.

Some of them looked excited, some were rubbing their hands nervously, some had stern faces with no expression, and some were very calm.

The mansion was almost completely surrounded by soldiers holding spears. They looked around with stern expressions. The alleys and streets around it were all blocked off, and no outsiders were allowed to enter. Only candidates who had passed identity verification were allowed to pass.

And this mansion is where the palace examination will be held.

The palace examination was different from the previous provincial examinations and metropolitan examinations. If it was still held in a simple examination room, it would seem somewhat shabby and would make people feel that the King of Wei did not attach enough importance to the candidates. So Chen Mo asked Wei Linchun to requisition the mansion of a wealthy businessman to hold the palace examination.

Although it was called requisition, the wealthy businessman did not show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he was very happy and excited when he heard that his mansion would be used to host the palace examination, and he even planned to give money to Chen Mo.

For this wealthy businessman, it is just like the consecration of a magic instrument. His mansion has been visited by so many "literary stars", so it must be full of talent. His children will live in this house full of talent and will surely be extremely intelligent.

Even if you don't live in the house yourself, you can still sell it for a high price.

The rich businessman is very smart.

Chen Mo didn't ask him for money, and of course didn't give him any money.

The palace examination was held at 3:30 am. As time approached, more and more people arrived at the mansion.

They did not whisper to each other or make any noise, but just muttered to themselves. If you listened carefully, you would find that they were reciting the words of saints in a low voice.

There was one exception.

He is Guo Ning.

Ever since he saw Dai Tu outside the Prince of Wei's Palace that day, he had been waiting outside the palace, wanting to catch up with Dai Tu and comfort him.

After all, he did not see Dai Tu's name among the more than 300 names on the list of tribute scholars, and thought that the other party must have failed.

After Dai Tu came out of the Prince of Wei's Palace, he got directly into a carriage, which put an end to his plan to reminisce about the past. So he asked the guards of the Prince of Wei's Palace and learned that the carriage belonged to General Zhang He, the Inspector of the Ministry of Works.

As for Zhang He, he was the first old man to follow the King of Wei and was highly respected in the army.

So Guo Ning asked the guard where General Zhang lived.

The guards knew that Guo Ning was the champion and had been received by the prince, so they did not hide it.

After learning about Zhang He's residence, Guo Ning decided to go find Dai Tu in person.

However, when they arrived at the place, they were told by Zhang He's servants that there was no such person as Dai Tu.

Guo Ning felt that he could not have been wrong, so he made some inquiries. When the servants of the Zhang Mansion saw that Guo Ning was the top scorer, they immediately told him that the person who went to the Prince of Wei's Palace with his master was their brother-in-law, named "Guo Xian".

"Mr. Guo, uncle?"

Although Guo Ning thought this matter was extremely strange, he was not a nerd who only knew how to read. He did not ask questions to the end, nor did he say that your son-in-law looks like a good friend of mine. Instead, he left with doubts.

Afterwards, almost all the candidates who made the list last time attended the cocktail party hosted by Qin Shi and the poetry meeting held at Yaoyue Tower, but Guo Ning did not see "Guo Xian" at either of them.

This is the important day of the palace examination, and Guo Ning doesn't believe that Guo Xian can be absent.

He wanted to see if this Guo Xian was the Dai Tu he knew, or if he had really seen it wrong that day or something.

……

Speaking of Dai Tu (Guo Xian).

In a house that Chen Mo gave to Zhang He.

Nowadays, housing prices in Xiangyang are extremely high. With Zhang He's salary, he certainly cannot afford to buy a house in Xiangyang. After learning the lesson last time, Zhang He dared not to be greedy again.

Zhang He originally planned to rent a yard.

But Chen Mo saw that he was an old man who followed him after all, and couldn't bear to see him being so "shabby", so he gave him a mansion as an advance wedding gift for his daughter.

In Dai Tu's room.

His fiancée Zhang Zhu was tidying up Dai Tu's clothes and said softly, "Mr. Guo needs to work hard in this palace examination. Although Dad said that even if Mr. Guo fails, the King of Wei will still witness our marriage, but that is after all what Dad has exchanged for his friendship.

If Guo Lang passes this exam, he will be a true disciple of the King of Wei, which will bring honor to your father. Then your father will be able to find a good job for you in front of the King of Wei."

Dai Tu looked at the beauty leaning in his arms, feeling her soft body and the fragrance of rouge that filled his nose. He couldn't help but hug her soft and boneless waist, and his thoughts flew far away.

He thought of the old woman at home.

The reason why he married her was that he had fallen into a difficult situation at that time. His family had no money to support his studies, while the other party's family was relatively well-off.

After the marriage, the other party took out her dowry to support his studies, supplement the household expenses, and redeem his ancestral land.

Although the other person was of average appearance, she treated him very well and did not require him to worry about the chores at home, and she kept the house in order.

He was not an ungrateful person, and at that time he decided to stay with the other person for the rest of his life.

People say that the emotion between husband and wife is like wine, which becomes more mellow with time. However, the longer he has been with his partner, the more unfamiliar they have become.

She paid less and less attention to her appearance, and was unkempt every day. Sometimes she would wipe her wet hands directly on her body.

When he was reading, she would no longer knock on his door, but would just push it open and barge in.

She quarrelled with her neighbor like a shrew over a very trivial matter.

He also started to speak casually.

Every time they hugged, the first thing he smelled was her sweat.

Even the name - Huang Zhaodi - is so rustic.

He no longer had any feelings for her.

To Dai Tu, the two of them just made do with each other’s lives.

Not like Zhang Zhu.

She is young and beautiful.

She speaks softly, is well-educated and well-mannered. She covers her mouth with a handkerchief when she laughs, and she doesn't speak carelessly.

I smell good every day.

She also has a good father.

And the yellow-faced woman's father was just a businessman with no status, and would only bring shame to him.

In the previous dynasty, if he had married a merchant's daughter, he would not even be qualified to take the imperial examination.

"Guo Lang, what's wrong with you? You're hugging me so tightly, I can hardly breathe." Zhang Zhu whispered when Dai Tu was lost in thought.

"Sorry." Dai Tu loosened his grip a little, but still held Zhang Zhu, and said, "I will work hard in this palace examination and will not let my father-in-law down."

"Guo Lang, I believe you." Zhang Zhu stood on tiptoe and kissed Dai Tu on the corner of his mouth. Then she blushed and buried her head in Dai Tu's chest, saying softly, "After we get married, I will give Guo Lang some big fat boys to expand your Guo family."

"Ah."

Dai Tu stroked the beautiful hair of the beauty in his arms, cherishing everything he had and absolutely not allowing others to destroy it.

"Guo Lang, it's itchy. Your beard is so long and it pricks me." Zhang Zhu said in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry." Dai Tu let her go.

"You and I will be a family soon. There's no need to keep apologizing. It makes you look distant. Besides, I don't hate you. I'm just being coquettish."

Dai Tu's heart skipped a beat.

Not long after he met Dai Ling last time, he found a way to remove the moles on his face and neck, and went to see a doctor to get some medicine that could promote beard growth, hoping to make a distinction between himself and his former self.

He even thought about injuring his face, but gave up.

He was worried that if he became ugly, Zhang Zhu would dislike him and it would affect his career as an official.

So he could only make minor changes.

His heart was moved, and he was planning to be affectionate with Zhang Zhu, but at this time Zhang He's voice rang out from outside the house: "Are you ready? The palace examination is about to begin."

When Zhang Zhu heard his father's name, his head buzzed and he let go of "Guo Xian" and his face turned red.

The two have not yet been married, and what they just did was the most intimate and bold act so far.

"All right."

Dai Tu replied, then held Zhang Zhu's hand and whispered, "I won't let you down either."

Riding in Zhang He's carriage, Dai Tu went to the location of the palace examination.

At this time, the candidates have already started to enter the examination room.

Seeing that he didn't see "Guo Xian", Guo Ning had to go in first.

It was a huge hall.

There were long tables in the hall, about half a meter apart from each other.

As the first place in the imperial examination, Guo Ning's seat was the first in the first row.

Dai Tu arrived at the examination room only after Guo Ning took his seat.

He was ranked 47th among the tribute scholars, which was quite far behind Guo Ning.

"I am Wei Linchun, the prefect of Linzhou. Before the exam begins, I would like to tell you some precautions. No whispering, no looking around, no... Once violated, you will be treated as a cheater and expelled from the examination room. In serious cases, you will be banned from taking the imperial examination for life. I hope all candidates will remember this to avoid wasting their time." Wei Linchun said at the top.

When the palace examination begins, a gong will be struck three times outside the hall.

When the first knock was heard, the examination papers and questions for the palace examination began to be distributed.

The second time.

"The King of Wei is here." A powerful voice was heard outside the hall.

In the hall, Wei Linchun heard the voice and said seriously: "All candidates stand up."

When Chen Mo, dressed in a python robe, walked into the hall, he heard a chorus of greetings: "Greetings, King Wei."

"Everyone, take a seat."

Chen Mo waved his hand, walked through the middle, and sat down at the top of the hall.

When Wei Linchun saw Chen Mo coming, he bowed respectfully and then left.

At the same time, the third gong sounded.

The candidates withdrew their gazes from Chen Mo and focused all their attention on the test paper in front of them.

The palace examination lasted a total of four hours.

Four hours may be short for the candidates, but for Chen Mo, it is very long and very boring.

On the table in front of Chen Mo, there was a book, the test questions for this palace examination, and the extra test papers.

Although Chen Mo had seen this test paper before, he didn't mind and picked it up to take another look.

The test paper was surprisingly long, with no words on the three or four meter long white paper.

Pens, ink, paper and inkstone are provided by the examination center and candidates are not allowed to bring their own.

There are not many questions, only a dozen or so, and almost all of them are policy essays.

For example, if someone asks about owning armor and crossbow, the first thing he said is just a spear, the weights vary, so how can he be punished?

Also, what are the crimes for those who should receive the restoration but don’t, those who should not receive the restoration but do, and those who perform minor corvée labor?

If a prisoner on death row has no relatives, he may ask for pardon and be allowed to serve as a servant. If he is pardoned, should he be spared from death?

(End of this chapter)