Volume One: A Country Gentleman in the Morning Chapter 44: The Prefecture Examination

The days spent in diligent study were tedious, yet filled with motivation. Su Biao’s goal was to pass the exam for child scholars, while Chuliu aimed to master more knowledge in preparation for the future imperial examinations.

The prefectural exam would take place in April, requiring a journey to Qingzhou City. The registration process was much the same as the county exam, with guarantees and other formalities required. Applicants registered in their home county, and the county authorities would gather the information and send it to the prefectural city. Candidates then traveled to Qingzhou to confirm their registration.

Xuan Yi County was over three hundred li from Qingzhou City; examinees needed to arrive in advance and stay until the exams concluded. Chuliu and Su Biao planned to set out on the first day of the fourth month.

However, finding someone to accompany them became a problem. If Doumiao continued to chaperone them, the journey was long and arduous, and all the farm work would fall to Xie Gensheng. Su Laibao offered to look after everything himself, saying the Xie family needn’t send anyone, but with Chuliu only nine years old, the Xie family was uneasy.

In the end, the clan leader and the village head provided great help. The clan leader promised to assign clan members to assist with the farm work, so Doumiao could accompany the boys without worry. The village head also assured them that during this period, the Xie family would not be assigned any corvée labor.

A poor family spends generously on travel; who could know what might happen in the city? Wang Cuicui handed Doumiao thirty taels of silver and several strings of copper coins. Though her heart ached, she was proud of her grandson’s prospects, and felt any amount was worth it.

The Xie family’s finances had finally improved, easily covering the cost of the exams. Livestock breeding was clearly profitable, and some villagers were now copying their method of planting alfalfa and raising animals. The tofu business was thriving as well. After their cow gave birth, the household now had three cows, making farm work far less grueling. Dingguang the donkey had also foaled, and the young donkey, both stubborn and adorable, was named “Little Stubborn” by Chuliu.

A mother’s heart is always anxious when her child travels far. Wang Cuicui fussed over every detail, to the point that Doumiao thought she must have been to the prefectural city herself, though the truth was she’d never even gone to the county seat.

The original group from the county exam rode a rented carriage straight to Qingzhou. At the city gate, soldiers checked their travel permits and exam documents, allowed them entry, and instructed them to report to the prefecture office for verification.

They booked two guest rooms at an inn near the examination hall. Each room cost a hundred and twenty wen per day, making Doumiao click his tongue in dismay. The prefectural city was grand and imposing, every aspect impressive, but money vanished quickly there.

Outside the examination hall, the crowd was immense—there were even more candidates than at the county exam, but far fewer escorts. The prefectural exam was held in the city, and families of modest means simply couldn’t afford to accompany their children.

Ten yamen officers held placards bearing the names of various counties. Chuliu and his group found the placard for Xuan Yi County and stood behind the officer. The candidates from the nine counties and the prefectural city were grouped together by county, making it easier to verify their sponsorships.

The examinees lined up in three rows, waiting for inspection.

Clutching his exam basket tightly, Chuliu was alert for any attempts to frame him. As his turn approached, suddenly a candidate from another line was dragged out, shackled, and forced to kneel to one side. The inside of his opened robe was covered with slips of crib notes.

Chuliu could hardly believe it—was this fellow foolish or simply arrogant? Smuggling notes in such a way would never withstand inspection. He began to seriously suspect that this was a staged performance by the examiners to intimidate the candidates.

Passing through the inspection smoothly, Chuliu completed the sponsorship verification, received his identification token, and entered the exam booth.

Inside, there were no desks or chairs, only two wooden boards of differing heights. The walls had slots at different heights so examinees could adjust the boards according to their stature, using the lower as a seat and the higher as a table. Since the third session of the exam lasted two days, with all eating, drinking, and relieving oneself done in the booth, the boards also served as a makeshift bed at night.

Chuliu placed the chamber pot by the door, adjusted the boards, and, being shorter than most, raised the seat board by one notch to fit his height. Not long after he sat down, the proctors began checking admission slips and distributing exam paper and rough-draft sheets.

Glancing at the test questions, Chuliu saw they were just as his master had predicted: the first session was a hundred questions on the classics. This was no challenge for him. Other candidates might first write their answers on the rough paper, check them for errors, and then copy them neatly onto the exam sheet, but Chuliu skipped this step and wrote directly onto the test paper.

After an indeterminate period, he put down his brush, checked over his answers, and, seeing that his name and exam number were also correct, rang the bell to submit his work.

Two clerks entered, one collecting the rough drafts into a bamboo basket, the other pasting a cover slip over the finished exam paper to conceal the candidate’s name. They sealed the exam in a bag, affixed a seal, signed their names, and placed the bag in a wooden chest before signaling Chuliu to leave.

Every procedure was rigorously followed, showing the utmost seriousness of the prefectural exam.

Exiting the booth and walking to the main gate, Chuliu found a registration desk manned by an official who was reading a book. Seeing a candidate submit so soon, the official was surprised. In the prefectural exam, those who handed in their papers first had a ranking advantage: if two candidates both scored full marks, the one who submitted earlier would rank higher.

The official couldn’t help but ask, “At this hour, few have even finished their rough drafts—how did you finish so quickly?”

Chuliu replied with a faint smile, “I didn’t use the rough draft.”

The official immediately understood: this child was merely seeking to stand out by submitting first. The advantage only came if all answers were correct; by submitting early, he was giving up that advantage. The boy was being too presumptuous.

“Name? Age? Place of origin?”

“Xie Shuxian, nine years old, from Qingshi Village, Liuxi Town, Xuan Yi County.”

The official returned to his reading after registering him. They needed fifty people before the main gate could be opened, so Chuliu waited half an hour before the second examinee arrived. Gradually, more and more candidates finished and handed in their papers. Some familiar faces began quietly discussing their answers, but the official hushed them, and there was no more whispering.

Su Biao soon finished as well. Chuliu beckoned him over, and without speaking, they exchanged a glance and understood each other's performance.

When fifty had gathered, they lined up in order of submission and filed out. Chuliu led the line and spotted Doumiao, Su Laibao, and Wen Lan Cang waiting to receive them.

After each session of the prefectural exam, there was a two-day break before the results were posted. Those eliminated after the first session could pack up and leave, trying again at the county level the following year.

On the day the results were announced, the mood outside the hall was dismal. Of nearly four hundred candidates, only two hundred eighty-nine made the list. Chuliu ranked first, Su Biao fifth, Zhao Shao seventh, Jin Ruizhe sixty-fourth; Xuan Yi County had only twelve names on the list.

With two-thirds eliminated in the first round, the shortcomings of Xuan Yi County’s educational system were painfully clear.

“Young Master Xie, Young Master Su, I wish you success in the prefectural exams…” Qin Shiqi had been eliminated. He was downcast as he cupped his hands in farewell.

Chuliu returned the gesture. “Don’t be discouraged, Brother Qin. Learn from this, study hard, and strive to pass in one attempt next year…”

“Thank you for your kind words. Farewell!”

“Take care, Brother Qin!”

Jin Ruizhe had intended to come over and mock them, but seeing Chuliu’s stern glare, he thought better of it and slunk away.

With the next session scheduled for the following day, Chuliu and his companions did not linger under the list but hurried back to the inn.