Chapter 517 - 195: Rivals
Chapter 517: Chapter 195: Rivals
In every dynasty, before the announcement of the Provincial Examination results, candidates were always desperate to learn their fate. They often tried to pry information from the examination hall’s gatekeepers, a practice nicknamed "peeking at the dovecote."
...But it was a pointless endeavor. Inside the heavily guarded examination hall, even the examiners grading the papers didn’t know the final rankings until the very last minute. What could anyone possibly find out by questioning a mere gatekeeper?
This brings us to the examination system of the day.
For the Provincial Examination and any higher-level exams, after the papers were collected, not only were the candidates’ names covered, but the exams also had to be transcribed by official scribes. These transcriptions, written in vermilion ink, were called the "red copies," while the originals, in the candidates’ own handwriting, were kept as the "ink copies."
The red copies were then checked by proofreaders to ensure they were transcribed from the ink copies without error. Afterward, they were distributed to the chief, deputy, and associate examiners for grading.
The day before the Provincial Examination results were to be announced, to ensure there were no mistakes, the examiners first had to fill out a draft list.
The chief examiner would write down the "red numbers" of the passing papers in order of rank. After the draft list was completed, all the examination officials—including the supervisors, directors, and proctors—would gather in the inner hall to break the seals on the papers and reveal the candidates’ names.
They would match each paper to its red number one by one, and finally, write the candidate’s name and place of origin onto the draft list according to their rank.
The draft list would then be handed to a clerk, who would read the names of the candidates aloud to all the officials in attendance. Once these procedures were completed, they would begin to write the official list.
When writing the official list, they would start with the sixth-place candidate and continue down to the last. Only then would they return to the top five, writing them in reverse order from fifth place up to first.
After the list for the Provincial Examination was filled out, it had to be stamped with the seal of the provincial governor over the date and the seams of the paper. If there was no provincial governor, the viceroy’s official seal would be used instead...
Of course, it was only the fifth day after the Provincial Examination. The examiners were still grading papers around the clock, so it was far too early to be talking about the announcement of the results.
Suffice it to say, for the candidates, each day felt like a year.
But because the number of candidates increased every year, the original schedule of announcing results at the end of the month was no longer feasible. Now, the court had issued a new decree: large provinces were to announce results before the fifteenth of the ninth month, medium provinces before the tenth, and small provinces before the fifth.
Heyuan Province, where Xinghuai Prefecture was located, was in the heartland of the Wei Dynasty, and its number of candidates was moderate. For the past few Provincial Examinations, the results had usually been announced on the tenth of the ninth month. By a generous estimate, that was still nearly twenty days away.
Twenty days was an agonizingly long time for candidates to whom each day already felt like a year.
Fortunately, having like-minded friends for company made the days seem less unbearable.
These past few days, Wang Jun had kept everyone busy. One day, he would invite them all to go boating on the lake; the next, to admire chrysanthemums. The day after, they would climb a scenic height, and on another, they would hold a literary salon.
On yet another day, Wang Jun sent a special invitation to Chen Wanqing and Xiang’er, inviting the two of them to see a play.
The invitation also mentioned Wang Zhen, saying she was complaining of being bored at home and wanted to get together with them.
Chen Wanqing asked Xiang’er for her opinion before agreeing. On the day of the outing, she left the house with Zhao Jing.
The play was at Shengyue Music Hall. By the time their group arrived, the ground-floor seats were already packed with people.
Hawkers carrying baskets moved through the crowd, cheerfully calling out their wares.
"Seeds! Get your freshly roasted melon seeds! Fragrant, crispy, and delicious!"
"Chestnuts! Just in season! Sugar-roasted chestnuts, fragrant or your money back!"
"Fruit tea! Sweet, hot fruit tea! Only two coppers a bowl..."
The group made their way through the crowd and, following an attendant’s directions, headed for the second floor.
When they reached the private box Wang Jun had reserved on the second floor, they found it was already full of people.
Not only were the three Wang siblings present, but Wang Jun had also specially invited Chu Xun, Huang Chen, and Ding Shutian. Meanwhile, Wang Zhen had invited Sheng Saya and Zhang Lingxin. With the addition of Chen Wanqing, Xiang’er, Zhao Jing, and De’an, it was quite a large gathering.
As soon as they arrived, Wang Jun waved to Zhao Jing and De’an. "Quick, we were just waiting for you!"
Wang Zhen and Sheng Saya also called out warmly to Chen Wanqing and Xiang’er, "Miss Chen, Xiang’er, hurry over!"
As Chen Wanqing walked over, she discovered a small child sitting between Sheng Saya and Wang Zhen—it was none other than Sheng Kaolin.
He was just so small that he was easily overlooked sitting among the group.
Furthermore, the fruit platters, pastries, teapots, and cups on the table completely blocked her view of his little head, so Chen Wanqing didn’t see him until she was standing right in front of them.
Chen Wanqing laughed in pleasant surprise and quickly fished a lotus leaf candy out of her sachet.
Sheng Kaolin wasn’t shy at all. He reached out with a grin to take it and said, "Thank you, Miss Chen."
On account of Jinbao, Sheng Kaolin had been visiting the Chen family quite often these days.
But he never arrived empty-handed.
He would either bring fresh fruit or buy fresh meat from the market for Jinbao. The two little ones were as close as could be, which both delighted and vexed Mrs. Zhao. She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous, thinking that with Sheng Kaolin around, she and Jinbao weren’t the best of friends anymore.