The next day, February 6th, was the first day of the county examination.
The examination hall used for the county exam was right next to the county government office. At two o'clock in the morning, Jing Li accompanied Qin Zhao to the main gate.
The main gate was not open, and a few simple sheds were set up on both sides of the gate for the physical examination before the exam. The roll call physical examination would not start until the morning hour, which was still some time away, but a long queue had already formed on the main street in front of the gate.
Jing Li's fingers were shaking slightly, Qin Zhao felt it and held his cold hand in his palm.
"Is it cold?" Qin Zhao asked.
"It's not cold." Jing Li was wrapped in a pomegranate red jacket with a soft white fur edge sewn on the collar, which made her skin look white.
It is only the beginning of February now, and the streets are extremely cold in the winter morning. Many people around are shaking their shoulders and stamping their feet to keep out the cold.
It's still okay now, but it will get even colder once we enter the examination room.
There was no charcoal fire in the examination room, and you were not allowed to move around or make any noise. It would be freezing cold for the entire day, and if you were not in good physical condition, you might even freeze to death in the examination room.
Therefore, Qin Zhao had started taking soup medicine to keep out the cold a few days ago. Before he left this morning, Jing Li personally made him a bowl of wontons, each with a thin skin and large fillings, and watched him finish the wontons and the hot soup.
Qin Zhao's palm was still warm, he held Jing Li's hand tightly, and whispered: "That means you are nervous."
Jing Li pursed his lips: "Aren't you nervous?"
Only after he asked did he realize that this was nonsense. Even though the exam was approaching, Qin Zhao still ate and drank well these days, and only flipped through a few pages of books in his spare time, without any sign of nervousness.
Jing Li also knew that he should trust him. With Qin Zhao's talent, he would not be afraid of such an exam at all.
But he was...still nervous.
"Actually, I'm a little nervous too." Qin Zhao suddenly said.
Jing Li blinked and looked up at him.
Qin Zhao glanced around casually, and when he saw that no one noticed them, he lowered his head and whispered in Jing Li's ear, "If I don't get the first place in the case, my 'reward' will be gone."
Jing Li: “…”
Jing Li's exposed ears turned slightly red, and he whispered, "Stop talking nonsense."
“Ahem!”
Chen Yanan was standing behind them. He finally couldn't stand it anymore and said through gritted teeth: "You should at least consider our feelings!"
Qin Zhao glanced back. The other three people who were protecting each other looked around and didn't dare to look at him. Only Chen Yan'an glared at them angrily. Qin Zhao retracted his gaze, raised his hand and hugged Jing Li into his arms, ignoring them.
Jing Li chuckled and whispered, "Don't be angry with him. Ayi didn't come to see him off today, and he's feeling bad."
Qin Zhao said calmly: "It's your own fault."
Ayi had proposed to see them off last night, but Chen Yanan insisted on being polite with him, so he quickly said no need. The young boy was gentle and took his words seriously, and he really didn't go out this morning.
Isn't it just what you deserve
Jing Li found it so funny when he thought of Chen Yanan's expression when he left the house that he didn't even care about being nervous.
At this moment, the door of the examination room slowly opened, and the county magistrate walked out escorted by several officials.
The county magistrate cleared his throat and spoke a few polite words in a drawn-out voice.
He looked lazy and spoke in a low voice, but based on Jing Li's understanding of him, he might be too lazy to speak louder. Qin Zhao and the others were not standing close, so they could hardly hear what he was saying.
But I don’t think it’s anything important.
After the county magistrate finished speaking, an official came forward from behind him and unfolded a business card.
"I will now start calling out names. Those whose names are called please come forward to verify their identities."
"Ji Yuanjie!"
"Lou Xu!"
"Jiang Ziheng!"
…
"Chen Yan'an!"
When his name was called, Chen Yanan's body suddenly shook, and then he walked forward with a pale face. When he passed by Jing Li, Jing Li could clearly see that his legs were shaking.
The people who guarantee each other are also next to each other in the roster, and their order will only be disrupted when they enter the examination room.
After Chen Yan'an, there was another fellow villager who protected Qin Zhao.
The atmosphere around them became increasingly tense, but Qin Zhao was the only one who still embraced her husband contentedly, and even whispered in his ear, "I'm going in."
"Yeah." Jing Li responded softly, but Qin Zhao still didn't let him go.
He raised his eyes to meet Qin Zhao's, and immediately understood what he meant. He raised his head and kissed him on the lips: "Come on."
There were too many people around, and Jing Li's kiss was as quick as a dragonfly touching the water, fleeting. Qin Zhao was still not satisfied, and wanted to ask for it back, but he heard the official in front of him calling out loudly: "Qin Zhao!"
Qin Zhao: “…”
The roll call and physical examination could not be delayed, so Qin Zhao had to give up the young man at his lips. He just whispered, "Be good and wait for me at home," and let him go and walked forward.
Qin Zhao first made great contributions to flood control in the county, and later developed a cold-removing pill. Most of the county officials knew him, so they saved the step of proving his identity. When Qin Zhao walked to the front gate, he was immediately invited by an official to go to a temporary hut next to it.
There were two officers waiting in each small room. When they saw Qin Zhao coming in, they hurriedly stood up to greet him.
"Mr. Qin, please take off your coat and put the things in your hands here."
Like other candidates, Qin Zhao brought a small bamboo basket with him, which contained writing brushes, ink, and some dry food. The county exam lasted a whole day, and candidates were not allowed to leave the exam room, so they had to bring their own lunch.
Qin Zhao did as he was told, and two officers came forward to check his clothes and bamboo basket.
This inspection is naturally to check whether the candidates have any cheating materials. Not only will the clothes they carry be carefully searched, but even the food they carry will be broken into pieces and inspected.
The food Jing Li prepared for Qin Zhao was a few cold dishes and finely ground millet and cornmeal.
He disliked the unsanitary search method in the examination room, so he didn't let Qin Zhao bring steamed buns or flatbreads like others did. Anyway, you can buy hot water in the examination room, and as long as you use hot water to soak the rice and flour, it will become a thick and sweet rice paste.
It tastes good, is filling, and can warm your body.
The items Qin Zhao carried were very simple, so the search was completed quickly. The officer handed him a badge and led him into the gate.
The number on the license plate is 086. In the following exam rankings and the announcement of the results, this number will replace the name.
Behind the gate was a small courtyard where the examinees who had finished the search were waiting. They had to wait until everyone's name was called and the physical examination was completed before they could be allowed into the examination room.
However, once they were in the yard, they could no longer communicate freely.
Of course, by this time, no one was in the mood to talk anymore.
Across the wall, there was a dull knocking sound and a cry. It was a candidate who was found to have cheated. Not only would all the students who were guaranteed to be together be disqualified, but they would also be beaten with a stick as a warning to others.
The wailing made people feel upset. The yard was silent and tension spread in the yard.
Only Qin Zhao stood quietly at the back of the crowd, his mind full of the kiss he had just missed.
What a pity.
His young husband's lips were very soft, and his lips were always slightly cold. They were usually light in color, but they turned red when kissed. His young husband was thin-skinned, and no matter how many times he was kissed, he would still be easily shy. But even so, he never rejected Qin Zhao's intimacy.
He is so well behaved that people can't help but want to bully him.
Qin Zhao's lips curled up slightly. Just at this moment, the county magistrate led his men into the yard and saw his expression.
County Magistrate: “…”
Even though he had presided over countless county examinations and believed he had seen all kinds of candidates, he couldn't help but look at the young man in front of him a few more times.
It's not like he hasn't seen candidates who were relaxed in the examination room, but he has never seen one who was so relaxed.
How can you still laugh
The roll call and body check lasted for more than half an hour. At the end of the hour of Chen, everyone entered the examination room in the order of the number plates they received.
The county exam was not so standardized, and the exam room naturally did not use formal number rooms like the prefectural exam. The exam room was filled with simple tables and chairs, divided by wooden boards on both sides to ensure that the candidates could not whisper to each other.
The county magistrate personally went to each table, distributed the test papers, and wrote the candidates' names and number plates on the test papers.
When he walked in front of Qin Zhao, he smiled at him cheerfully and whispered, "I wish Mr. Qin good luck in high school."
Qin Zhao nodded slightly at him as a reply.
The county magistrate was not surprised by his attitude. As far as he knew, several medical clinics in the county had recently started selling the same cold-relieving pills as Yi'an's pharmacy, and the sales were very good. The county magistrate should have made a lot of money this time.
Qin Zhao sneered in his heart and lowered his head to look at the test paper.
The examination papers were written on vertically-lined rice paper, totaling ten sheets, in addition to a few blank sheets of paper for drafting. After the county magistrate had distributed all the examination papers, a man walked in from outside the examination room and wrote the examination questions on the board in front of him.
Qin Zhao also knew that man. He was Pei An, a legal advisor in the county government.
The examination questions for this county examination were set by Pei An. In order to avoid suspicion, Pei An did not meet with Qin Zhao when he came to the county town.
The questions in the county examination were similar, including one question on the meaning of scriptures, three questions on pasting scriptures, and one question on writing a five-character eight-rhyme poem.
After finishing the questions, Pei An bowed to the county magistrate and took his leave. The county magistrate then gave the order to start the exam.
The sounds of flipping test papers and grinding ink could be heard all around him, but Qin Zhao did not rush to write. Instead, he raised his hand to ask for a bowl of hot water.
The price of hot water in the examination room was relatively high, ten coins for a small bowl, but fortunately it was boiling hot. Qin Zhao slowly took out tea leaves from the bottom of the bamboo basket and sprinkled them into the bowl, then picked up the earthen bowl to relieve his hands that had become a little stiff from the cold while waiting.
By the time my hands warmed up, the tea was ready.
The county magistrate sat right in front, watching Qin Zhao make tea, warm his hands, and then sip the tea leisurely, with an expression of some embarrassment on his face.
There aren't many questions in the county exam, but it takes a lot of time to complete them.
Take the sutra text for example. It is less than 400 words long, but it has extremely high requirements in terms of format, style, writing method and content. It would take an ordinary person an hour just to write the first draft, not to mention checking and transcribing it.
Not to mention the topic of poetry at the end.
At this time, others have already finished half of their first draft. What on earth is this person doing here
The county magistrate thought about this and couldn't help but pay more attention to Qin Zhao's position. Finally, after drinking the tea, Qin Zhao took out the pen and ink.
He didn't even touch the manuscript paper he was given, but started writing on the test paper.
County Magistrate: “…”
County Magistrate: “???”
If the imperial court had not stipulated that examiners were not allowed to watch candidates' answers closely during the imperial examinations, the county magistrate would have been eager to go and see what Qin Zhao had written.
Even Pei An, who was in charge of setting the questions, probably couldn't be so confident.
Qin Zhao finished writing an article on the meaning of the scriptures in one go, which took less than an incense stick of time, and then he put down his pen.
He rubbed his cold fingers and sighed silently.
No wonder we always heard about people freezing to death in the examination room. This kind of examination is really too torturous.
Qin Zhao asked for another bowl of hot water, but this time he didn't drink it, but only used it to warm his hands. Because of his slow pace, it took him more than half an hour to finish the scripture, and another half an hour to post the scripture and write the poem.
At noon, as the bell rang in the examination room, Qin Zhao finished writing the last word, put down his pen and raised his hand.
During this hour and a half, Qin Zhao asked for hot water three or four times. The county magistrate thought he wanted hot water to warm his hands again, so he ordered someone to bring a kettle over.
But Qin Zhao just shook his head and handed over the test paper.
County Magistrate: “…”
He remembered that according to the regulations, the county examination started at 9:00 p.m. and papers could be handed in at noon.
This person just dawdled for so long, it was obvious that he was waiting for noon to arrive!
The county magistrate knew that this person was talented, but he never expected that he would not take the county exam seriously at all. He became more interested in this person. However, at this moment, he could only order someone to cover Qin Zhao's test paper, issue a token, and take him out of the examination room.
Even if you hand in the paper, you still can't leave.
According to the county examination regulations, each candidate who submits his/her paper will be issued a token. From the 3:00 p.m. onwards, candidates must go to the main gate with the token before the tokens can be released in batches.
The cards are placed once every hour, from the hour of Shen to the hour of Xu. At the beginning of the hour of Xu, the cards are collected and the field is cleared.
Qin Zhao was taken to a small room next to the examination room to rest. The windproof performance of this room was much better than that of the examination room, and he could also buy a brazier and hot water with money.
So Qin Zhao stayed in the little house, drinking the rice porridge made by his husband, roasting the brazier, and slowly waiting for the arrival of the Shen time.
At the beginning of the afternoon, Qin Zhao came to the courtyard to wait for the cards to be released. There were already a small number of candidates in the courtyard. Qin Zhao took a quick look and found that most of them were strangers.
There is only one acquaintance.
Strict practice.
This person has a weird and awkward personality, but as the former top scorer in the county examination, his talent is beyond doubt.
Ever since the last gathering of literati in the county, Qin Zhao had been somewhat interested in this man, but as soon as he cast his eyes over him, the latter looked away awkwardly.
Qin Zhao smiled silently and didn't pay much attention.
At 1:00 pm, the cards were placed in the examination room on time.
As soon as Qin Zhao walked out of the door, he saw a bright red shadow standing at the street corner.
Jing Li didn't know how long he had been standing there. His cheeks were a little red from the cold. When he saw Qin Zhao, his eyes lit up with joy.
He ran towards Qin Zhao quickly and bumped into Qin Zhao's arms.
"Run slower." Qin Zhao caught him and whispered, "You are still so reckless. Didn't I tell you to wait for me at home? How long have you been waiting here?"
"I can't sit still." Jing Li said, "It hasn't been long, I just arrived."
His body felt even colder than Qin Zhao's, which was not at all what it would be like when he just arrived.
Qin Zhao saw it, but didn't expose it.
His little fish had deliberately come here early and was waiting where he could see her. Whenever he thought of her, his heart softened. How could he bear to blame her
Jing Li looked up at Qin Zhao and asked, "How did you do on the test? You came out so early, did you do well?"
Qin Zhao unfolded his outer robe and wrapped Jing Li in it, and covered his cold cheek with his palm, and said calmly: "Well, a certain little fish just needs to prepare the 'reward'."
"..." Jing Li looked away, "There are still... three more games to go, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Okay, no hurry." Qin Zhao looked at him with a smile and said slowly, "But there is one thing that is urgent."
Jing Li blinked, not remembering what he said for a moment: "What did you say—"
Before she could finish her words, Qin Zhao kissed her on the lips.
People were coming and going on the main street. Qin Zhao raised his arms, used his wide sleeves to cover the thin and soft body in his arms, and then he held it in his arms and kissed it wildly.
After a moment, he stepped back slightly, stared at those red lips, and whispered, "That's it. I've been thinking about it all day."