This was Zhou Shuren’s first time taking an ancient exam, and he made some mistakes. “Second place.”
Zhulan was surprised, "Who is the first?"
Zhou Shuren said as he took off his clothes: "People from other villages have taken the exam three times at the age of 22."
Zhulan laughed, this means that the other person has more experience than him, and took the clothes, "Where will the provincial examination be held in April?"
Zhou Shuren said a little unnaturally: "Pingzhou will hold the examination. The prefectural examination will be held in early April, and the academy examination will be held at the end of the month. The academy examination will also be held in Pingzhou and will be presided over by the academician."
Zhulan calculated the days and said, "It would be best to go to Pingzhou in advance. Wouldn't it be in late March?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Well, will you come with me to Pingzhou then?"
Zhulan calculated the time and thought that she would be able to train Li a little bit in a month and a half. Besides, it would be OK if Zhao was not around. "Okay, by the way, Jiang Sheng came to deliver the copied books the day before yesterday. I gave him the remaining silver and told him to wait for you to come back."
Zhou Shuren remembered his son-in-law. "I found him a new job when I took the exam this time. He will sort out old documents for the county government and re-record the tax information for more than ten years. He will be paid 500 wen a month. He can help in the afternoon so that he won't be late for his studies in the morning."
Zhulan was curious, "How did you manage to go to the exam and meet friends in the county government?"
If the county government needs someone to help, it will not look for a tongsheng. This opportunity to meet the county magistrate is rare. Even though the county magistrate does not have much power, he is responsible for paperwork, management, taxation, and regulating the relationship between the government and various ethnic groups. But he is at least a juren and an official. If he really catches your eye, it would be very helpful to get some guidance from him.
The rarer the opportunity, the more Zhulan was surprised at how Zhou Shuren did it!
Zhou Shuren pulled a pillow over and lay on the kang, leaning sideways, saying, "On the first day of the exam, I went out to eat and met the head of the yamen runners, who happened to be the county magistrate's brother-in-law. During the chat, I learned that the county magistrate valued an antique and was unsure whether it was real or fake. I wanted to make friends with him, so after the exam, I helped him. The antique turned out to be fake. Then, to thank me, he found out that I was a candidate of this year's exam. During the conversation, he thought I had good abilities, so naturally he treated me better. Then I took the opportunity to tell him about the recruitment I learned from the head of the yamen runners and introduced Jiang Sheng. The county magistrate agreed, and that's what happened."
Zhulan's mind worked quickly. "Antiques must be expensive. If I remember correctly, you once said that the county magistrate has been here for many years. The county magistrate was rated excellent last year, so he must have been promoted. He saw the opportunity to use his connections and wanted to be promoted. Are the antiques a gift?"
Zhou Shuren smiled and nodded, "He's smart, so he's very grateful. If he bought it and gave it to me, not only would he offend people, but he would also ruin his hard-earned future. He wanted to thank me, and I wanted to make a request, so he naturally agreed. But he didn't say when he would finish it. He was waiting to see if I could pass the exam to become a scholar. If I do, I can prepare it for a few more months. If I don't, it can be prepared until May at most."
Zhu Lan curled her lips, "The county magistrate is a juren, he didn't continue to take the exam, the position of county magistrate is sought, it is rare for someone who is not born in a proper family to be promoted to the fifth rank or above, am I remembering it correctly?"
Zhou Shuren, "I remember correctly."
Zhu Lan touched her chin and said, "It seems that the county magistrate is really optimistic about you and has invested in you in advance. Moreover, the old fox has left a way out for himself!"
Zhou Shuren looked at Zhulan without blinking. Even without him saying it clearly, Zhulan understood everything. This kind of resonance was particularly good. "Madam, you are so smart. I admire you!"
Zhulan couldn't help but blush. Anyone who was stared at in such an aggressive way would feel a little uncomfortable. She managed to bear it and only blushed. "Okay, you should get some rest early too. I'll give you some tonic tonight."