The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 221: Admission to the Provincial Academy

Sang Luo was so exhausted, and Shen Lie had been staying up late studying for days, that the couple both woke up late the next day.

Shen Lie was fine, waking up only two or three quarters of an hour later than usual, and when the sky started to brighten, he woke up. However, Sang Luo was still deeply asleep. In winter, sleep was especially restful, and Shen Lie’s warmth made her snuggle closer in his embrace.

Hearing faint sounds outside, Shen Lie guessed that Ah Ning was up first. He looked down at Sang Luo, who was comfortably nestled in his arms, and couldn’t bring himself to wake up early. Instead, he held her close and kept his eyes closed, continuing to sleep with her. It was only when he estimated that it was almost time for the morning bell that he gently woke her.

Sang Luo, not yet fully awake, instinctively responded but didn’t open her eyes and continued to doze. Shen Lie chuckled softly and began to tease her near her ear and neck. How could she withstand such a wake-up call? Sang Luo, struggling between drowsiness and awareness, almost drifted back to sleep but managed to push Shen Lie away just in time and playfully bit his shoulder in annoyance.

Shen Lie laughed, “You promised to go with me to check the results this morning. Are you coming?”

Sang Luo was now fully awake, “I’m coming!”

Shen Lie smiled and handed her the clothes he had thrown to the corner of the bed the night before.

—

In Shezhou city, the exam papers were delivered to the Chief Official’s desk in the state office early in the morning. The Chief Official had spent the previous night reviewing and sorting the papers under the lamp, arranging and re-arranging them, deliberating until midnight before finally drafting the rankings. He didn’t dare to sleep in and got up early to rush to the state office. Upon arriving at the gate, he saw a group of people on horseback approaching from a distance. He sighed in relief and waited at the gate instead of rushing inside.

As the Governor dismounted and threw the reins to his attendant, the Chief Official approached him, “I was worried that you wouldn’t make it back today.”

The Governor, walking briskly, asked, “Have the rankings been prepared?”

“Yes, they have. The papers vary in content and difficulty, so the rankings are not easy to finalize. We need to wait for you to review them before making a final decision.”

As they neared the office, a night watchman quickly opened the door and all the long windows, brightening up the room. The stack of thick exam papers on the desk fluttered slightly with the breeze. The Chief Official took the topmost paper and handed it to the Governor, “This is the preliminary ranking for your review.”

The list was detailed, including candidates’ names, origins, ages, and the subjects they were examined on. It even had corrections, indicating it was not the final list but meant for the Governor’s review.

Looking over the list, he noted that the first few pages were dominated by the Lin family’s children. In the top twenty, nine were from the Lin family, three from the Wang family, and others from various other surnames. Among them, three were over thirty years old.

As he continued reading, what caught his attention was the place of origin listed after the names and rankings. Among the other names and places, the three characters “Daxing Village” stood out prominently due to the repetitive use of the same terms.

“Daxing Village?”

He recalled seeing the group of people in coarse, short brown garments through the window that day.

Nine people?

No, one of them is from the Wang family.

So that makes it eight.

The Governor scanned the list of accepted students and found that five of them were from Daxing Village!

The Wang family of Shezhou couldn’t compare; the only advantage they had was being ranked higher. The five from Daxing Village were in the last ten, with the lowest-ranked being the 40th.

The Chief Official, seeing that the Governor had indeed noticed Daxing Village, smiled and said, “You probably remember them? All wearing rough brown clothes. I didn’t expect that out of the nine who came, six passed. Besides the Wang family’s young gentleman and this Wei Qinghe who took the ‘Book of Rites’ and ‘Zuo Zhuan,’ the other seven all took ‘Zuo Zhuan’ and ‘Gongyang,’ which is quite consistent.”

He had included Wang Yunzheng, who came with them that day, in this count.

The consistency in their examination results suggested they were most likely taught by the same teacher.

“Bring me the exam papers to review.”

The Chief Official moved to a side to retrieve and sort through the papers, having spent most of the night familiarizing himself with them. He quickly brought several exam papers to the Governor, “Please take a look, Sir. The papers from Daxing Village have a distinct characteristic: the examination of the classics is generally accurate, but the interpretations are notably weaker. If there had been more candidates, they might have needed another two or three years of study to stand out.”

In fact, it might be even harder in two or three years. Once the Da Qi Dynasty was stabilized, the competition for provincial academy spots would not be limited to Shezhou city alone. Other counties under Shezhou would also have students competing.

The Governor glanced through the papers with a hint of amusement, “Being able to seize the opportunity is also a sign of intelligence.”

Among the forty students admitted, half were from the gentry, and the rest were small landowners or commoners. This distribution was likely to please the Emperor greatly. He placed the exam papers back on the desk and said to the Chief Official, “Let the rankings be finalized as is. No need to review further.”

The Chief Official smiled and agreed, “Then I’ll prepare the official announcement accordingly.”

—

At the start of the Chen hour, the crowd outside the provincial academy began to swell, numbering at least one hundred fifty to sixty people. After years of turmoil in Shezhou, such a lively scene was rare, drawing many local residents out to see the commotion, adding a lot of vitality to the usually quiet city.

Daxing Village had also sent many people today. Besides the families with candidates who had participated in the exam, even those whose children did not take the test—like Mrs. Chen, Qin Fangniang, Zhou Ge, Mrs. Gan, and Gan Erlang’s wife—had come to join the excitement.

Among those who took the exam, Wang Yunzheng, Xu Wenbo, and others gathered together, and Shen Ning, Xu Wenyin, and the Shen brothers also came to watch the results. They arrived early and, despite the crowd, managed to stand towards the front.

Shen Lie and Sang Luo stood together, waiting quietly.

Nearby were Elder Xu and Wei Lingzhen, along with Zhou Cunzheng and his wife with Zhou Changhe, and Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu with Ah Xu. Their expressions were a mix of excitement and nervousness, while Wei Qinghe seemed relatively calm. The one truly relaxed was probably Xu Wenqing.

As the Chen hour struck, the academy gates opened from the inside. The academy official, holding a roll of red cloth, came out, followed by two people with a tray and a gong.

With three gongs sounding, the official cleared his throat and made an announcement, stating that the Da Qi Dynasty required each province to set up provincial academies, and the results for Shezhou’s first year entrance exam were now available.

With seventy-three candidates, the top forty were to be announced. He would read out the names and places of the admitted students in order.

He then began reading the names and places from the top.

As he read through the list of Lin family and Wang family names, accompanied by sounds of congratulations and excitement, Sang Luo still did not hear any familiar names by the fifteenth position.

“Sixteenth place, Wang Yunzheng from Shezhou.”

The crowd erupted in cheers. The group of children, if they weren’t waiting to hear the remaining names, would have been ecstatic.

The Wang family members looked over, their expressions mixed—some with disapproval and others with complex feelings. One person stepped over and whispered something to Wang Yunzheng, who responded warmly, “Thank you, Uncle Liu.”

By the seventeenth, twenty-second, and thirtieth places, still no one from Daxing Village was mentioned. Sang Luo quietly held Shen Lie’s hand. Shen Lie glanced at her, their fingers intertwining.

Wei Qinghe’s face had turned somewhat pale. At that moment, the official announced, “Thirty-first place, Wei Qinghe from Daxing Village.”

There was another round of cheers from Daxing Village’s people. Though they dared not disrupt the announcement, the commotion drew many curious glances.

Daxing Village, located outside Shezhou, didn’t have as many candidates as the Lin or Wang families. Why did so many people come to the city to see the results? Did a single exam warrant such family-wide concern?

Soon after, the announcements continued:

“Thirty-third place, Xu Wenbo from Daxing Village.”

“Thirty-fourth place, Shen An from Daxing Village.”

“Thirty-seventh place, Shen Lie from Daxing Village.”

“Fortieth place, Xu Wenhong from Daxing Village.”

The excitement was so overwhelming that even the Shezhou residents and Lin and Wang family members were stunned.

Where did such a large group come from?

The Lin family members looked at the group of delighted children and elderly people with smiles, wondering if they were from peasant families.

The Wang family members felt even more complicated. Daxing Village had once been their property but was now donated to the court. Most importantly, this group seemed very familiar with Qi Lang, having been together in the mountains for years.

Were they not just mountain folk? How did they produce so many scholars?

Some members of the Wang family who did not pass the exam felt even worse, especially the two sons of the third wife.

They must have been inexplicably overshadowed by a group of mountain folk, including a bastard son and a servant.

The “bastard son,” “servant,” and “mountain folk” in their eyes had no time to think about others’ opinions at this moment. All they could see was their own future, and they were still unsure how to express their joy.

Wei Qinghe and his former master, Wang Liuye, were exchanging congratulations, while Wang Yunzheng was being pulled by his aunt, Wei Lingzhen. Wei Lingzhen was so delighted she was in tears, celebrating for her sister.

Sang Luo had just heard that Shen An had passed and had joyfully said a few words. Before she could express more congratulations, Shen Lie had already embraced her with a smile.

This was the first time Shen Lie had embraced her so publicly on the street, holding her tightly, showing both his previous anxiety and current joy.

But at this moment, who cared about others’ opinions? Sang Luo smiled and returned the hug. They only released each other after a few moments, taking a step back and exchanging smiles.

The Shen brothers watched from the side, smiling to themselves.

The academy official handed the list to someone behind him to be posted and signaled for the gong to be struck. After three gongs sounded, the crowd quieted down, and the official announced, “The students who have passed will enter the academy next year. The court has issued a decree: students admitted to the provincial academy are not required to pay tuition fees; they only need to provide their own books and the basic supplies for study. Additionally, there were seventy-three candidates this time, and the rankings of all are on the list. Candidates who did not pass can also check their rankings. By studying diligently, they might have a better chance next year.”

With his announcement complete, the list was already posted on the wall. The unsuccessful candidates and their families quickly crowded around the wall to see the results.

Zhou Cunzheng and his wife, along with Zhou Changhe, Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu with Ah Xu, and the Xu family siblings, all went to see where their eldest brother ranked. Shen An and Shen Ning naturally went together, and Shen Lie and Sang Luo headed in that direction as well.

After finally squeezing through, they started from the end of the list. Xu Wenqing was ranked sixty-third.

Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu, who couldn’t read, lifted Ah Xu and asked, “Ah Xu, find out what rank you are.”

Ah Xu, already searching, quickly found his place and said, “Grandmother, I’m fifty-seventh. Brother Changhe is fifty-fifth.”

Knowing their grandson was ranked fifty-seventh, Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu were very pleased. Their grandson’s name was on the official list. Although not in the top forty, Ah Xu was only eight years old.

The elderly couple felt quite hopeful.

Zhou Cunzheng and his wife felt the same. The village chief asked Shen Lie, who was walking beside them, “Ah Lie, the official mentioned that there will be another exam next year, right?”

Shen Lie smiled and nodded, “Yes, that’s what he said.”

Zhou Cunzheng then smiled and patted Zhou Changhe on the shoulder, “Listen, there’s still a year to prepare. We’ll try again next year.”

Zhou Changhe, only ten years old, looked up at the academy with bright eyes, full of anticipation.

Xu Wenqing, on the other hand, relaxed and cheerfully said to Wei Lingzhen, “Mother, did you hear? Father said he only wanted me to come this time.”

Wei Lingzhen laughed, “That’s for your father to decide.”

Xu Wenqing’s face fell immediately, “We’ll see about that.”

Wei Lingzhen lightly patted him on the back.

Having reviewed the results, the group began to leave. Wang Yunzheng naturally followed his uncle and aunt. The Wang family members looked over and continued to hear discussions about the unexpected emergence of so many scholars from Daxing Village. A side member of the Wang family, who had also failed to pass, whispered to a relative, “Look at their arrogant attitude.”

The voice was very low, but Wang Liuye had keen ears and glanced at the boy. The boy immediately shrank back like a quail, pulling in his neck.