FIMA Ch47.2: Imperial Examinations

Xie Qiu, observing from the side, snorted softly, though not out of sympathy for his brother.

Instead, he felt it was unfair. He had thought that Xie Changyue, who was unable to marry Gu Zhen, would be pitiful. However, Gu Yang seemed no less than Gu Zhen and was genuinely protective of Xie Changyue with all his heart.

How could Xie Changyue be so lucky…

After that, Gu Siyuan didn’t speak to anyone else in the Xie family.

After having lunch, the two of them returned directly to the Gu family.

Life after returning home was much the same as the previous day. Gu Siyuan stood by the window practicing calligraphy and reciting texts, while Xie Changyue flitted about, sometimes checking on the “flowers” he had planted in the backyard, sometimes staying by Gu Siyuan’s side, helping him grind ink and casually practicing some calligraphy himself.

It was indeed a picturesque scene, like a couple spending time together in idyllic harmony.

In the evening, after returning to their room, Xie Changyue saw his husband take off his shirt, hands, and feet on the ground, making strange postures.

“Husband, what are you doing?”

Gu Siyuan, breathing steadily, replied, “Exercising.”

Xie Changyue curiously propped his chin and watched.

As Gu Siyuan moved, the muscles on his shoulders and arms slightly bulged, making his waist look narrower and his shoulders broader.

Seeing the muscles bulge, Xie Changyue curiously reached out to poke them. The touch of the soft, fair fingers of his husband made Gu Siyuan almost lose his strength.

He glanced sideways at him and said in a cold voice, “Don’t mess around.”

Xie Changyue snorted and tried to mimic him, but ended up flat on the ground, unable to hold himself up, feeling a bit dejected.

Gu Siyuan, feeling helpless, tried to distract him: “I need to go to the academy the day after tomorrow.”

“Ah…” Xie Changyue widened his eyes, his expression changing instantly, muttering under his breath, “The academy… why do you have to go so early?”

Saying this, he completely ignored Gu Siyuan, sitting on the bed with a gloomy face, not knowing what he was thinking.

Seeing him so pitiful, Gu Siyuan stopped after a few more push-ups, wiped his hands, neck, and back with a damp towel.

Throwing the towel aside, he walked over and sat next to Xie Changyue, pinching his cheek: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Changyue’s emotions were straightforward: “I don’t want to be apart from my husband.”

Gu Siyuan’s heart softened a bit. This feeling was special: “Why is my spouse so clingy? I’m only going to the academy during the day. I’ll be back every evening, and I’ll have a day off at the end of each week.”

“Oh…” Xie Changyue hugged his arm and nodded but still looked like a wilting plant.

They had only been married a few days, and now they had to part.

Gu Siyuan continued to remind him: “You’ll be home alone during the day. Be good, and if you need anything, ask Pa for help.”

“Alright…” Xie Changyue responded lazily, dragging out his words.

Thinking it over, Gu Siyuan pulled him into his arms. Since he seemed so down, they might as well do something to lift his spirits!

No  how reluctant they were, Gu Siyuan had to start his routine of leaving early and coming back late for his studies.

The academy had strict rules; slacking off or skipping classes was absolutely not allowed. If he angered the teacher and got expelled, his reputation would be ruined, and no other academy would accept him.

Gu Zhen had left a day earlier. After passing the county exam, he didn’t continue his studies at the county academy but went to the state academy in Tongzhou.

Tongzhou City was about a hundred miles from Huangyang Village. As a rule, if there was no special occasion, Gu Zhen wouldn’t come back during his weekly breaks. The next time everyone might see him would likely be during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The county academy started classes at 8 AM daily. Huangyang Village was about fourteen or fifteen miles from Wuqing County, which took a little over an hour to walk. Gu Siyuan jogged for exercise, reaching the county gate in less than forty-five minutes.

Entering through the county gate, he walked straight through the wide Anding Street, turned right, and crossed the stone bridge over Qingxi, arriving at Shushi Street.

Shushi Street was the most prestigious area in Wuqing County, home to academies and private schools, as well as the county government and the county academy. The shops along the street mainly sold stationery and operated quiet teahouses, with only a few stalls selling snacks.

The academy where Gu Yang studied was called Anping Academy, mainly taught by four teachers: one juren and three xiucai. The name Anping came from Juren Qi’s given name.

Most of the students in the academy were preparing for the county exam. Some had already passed as tongsheng or xiucai, but because their rankings were not high enough to enter the county or provincial academies, they continued their studies here by paying tuition.

When Gu Siyuan entered his classroom, three people were already there. Two were from the county, while the other, like him, came early due to his diligence despite living in the countryside.

Seeing each other, they stood up and exchanged greetings before sitting down to quietly recite their lessons.

Gu Siyuan, not accustomed to nodding along, silently memorized while copying characters.

He had always had a good memory; reading something once was enough to roughly remember it, and copying it once allowed him to recite it fluently.

This was extremely advantageous in the imperial examinations, except for the final palace examination, where the emperor personally set the questions, which could be unpredictable.

In the previous exams, aside from the poetry section, most of the content came from the Four Books and Five Classics. Many students were hindered by obscure references in the essays, blocking their path to higher success.

For Gu Siyuan, these problems simply did not exist.

What he needed to consider more was how to write a brilliant essay without offending anyone, without appearing too showy, and still pleasing the examiners.

As he thought about this, the bell outside the classroom rang, and a tall, thin figure walked in.

The person teaching these students who had not yet achieved scholarly success was Teacher Chen.

Teacher Chen was forty-seven years old and was known for his strictness. In recent years, he had repeatedly failed to pass the provincial examination. Last year, he became a teacher at Anping Academy.

Although Teacher Chen’s exam-taking skills were not outstanding, his teaching abilities were decent. After explaining the classics for the day, he required everyone to silently memorize and understand the material.

Gu Siyuan memorized everything after hearing it once, saving him the effort of silent recitation.

He habitually wrote down Teacher Chen’s explanations, adding some of his own notes, treating them as class notes that he might sell later.

Seeing Gu Siyuan being unique, Teacher Chen stroked his beard and walked over with his hands behind his back.

Initially annoyed by his disobedience and intending to give him a stern lesson, Teacher Chen was surprised and delighted upon seeing the rich content and strong calligraphy on the paper. He couldn’t help but exclaim with joy, “Excellent!”

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained unchanged, and he merely stood up and bowed slightly.

Teacher Chen continued to ask, “When do you plan to take the exam?”

Teacher Chen had only been at the academy since last year, so he wasn’t fully aware of all the students’ situations. This was actually beneficial for Gu Siyuan.

Gu Siyuan replied, “Next February, I wish to try.”

According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the imperial examinations started with the county examination. If one was fortunate enough to pass successive levels, they could continue all the way up to the palace examination.

The county examination was held every spring in February.

Hearing this, Teacher Chen nodded with satisfaction. Then, he immediately began to test Gu Siyuan.

The county examination was the first level, so the content was relatively simple, usually involving memorization of passages from the Four Books and Five Classics, along with composing a poem in the exam style. There might also be memorization of texts like the Imperial Edicts and the Classic of Filial Piety.

Teacher Chen’s questions fell within this range. For Gu Siyuan, who was adept at memorization, it was incredibly easy, and he just needed to be careful about certain taboos.

Thus, he answered all the questions effortlessly.

Teacher Chen, never having seen someone who could memorize the classics so thoroughly, was pleasantly surprised and kept asking questions.

Eventually, in an attempt to stump him, Teacher Chen asked increasingly obscure questions, but Gu Siyuan still answered fluently.

Teacher Chen’s eyes lit up, “You have accumulated substantial knowledge and are very diligent.”

In this era, whether it was teachers or elders, the norm in educating the younger generation was to scold rather than praise, to avoid fostering arrogance and pride.

Therefore, Teacher Chen’s compliment was a very high evaluation.

Afterward, Teacher Chen asked Gu Siyuan to compose two poems in the exam format.

While Gu Siyuan’s talent in poetry was average, the saying goes, “Reading the Three Hundred Tang Poems, if you can’t write poetry, you can still recite them.”

With sufficient accumulation, even if the poems weren’t outstanding, they were passable.

Teacher Chen, after reading them, wasn’t as amazed as before but was still quite satisfied, feeling that as long as there were no accidents, such performance would easily pass the county examination and possibly achieve a very high rank.

Since Teacher Chen was the newest among the teachers at Anping Academy, he was keen to see his students pass the county and provincial examinations.

Previously, he hadn’t found any particularly promising students, but after returning from a month’s field break, he was pleasantly surprised.

Thinking it over, Teacher Chen wrote a few words on the paper.

After putting down the pen, he told Gu Siyuan, “This must be completed after class today. I will check it before the start of tomorrow’s class.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

The teacher indeed had high expectations for him.

These words clearly outlined the topic for an essay, indicating that Teacher Chen believed he would definitely pass the county examination and was preparing him for the provincial examination.

Like the county examination, the provincial examination included memorization of the Four Books and Five Classics and composing a poem in the exam style, but it also required analysis of short essays and, most importantly, writing a policy essay.

A policy essay truly tested a person’s knowledge and ability, being the most challenging part.

However, this was exactly what Gu Siyuan wanted.

He not only needed to pass the county and provincial examinations but also the academy examination, which was held every two years. If he didn’t pass next year, he would have to wait another three years, which he couldn’t afford.

So, Gu Siyuan calmly stood up, bowed, and accepted the task.

Teacher Chen, seeing his student’s composed demeanor, felt even more satisfied.

Immersing himself in his studies, time seemed to fly by.

At noon, Gu Siyuan spent three copper coins on a hot soup from a stall outside the academy, accompanied by a few water pancakes his father had made early in the morning, making do with his lunch.

In the afternoon, Teacher Chen lectured on the exam poems and related essays.

By the time the sun was setting in the west, the day’s lessons were over.

Not intending to stay at the academy any longer, Gu Siyuan packed his things as soon as the teacher left the classroom, putting them into his book basket, and left, feeling like he was back in high school.

Thinking about high school, for some reason, Gu Siyuan’s mind flashed to Xie Changyue, but in the image of him with short hair, wearing a suit and school uniform.

This look seemed not at all strange or out of place, as if he had really existed like this.

Gu Siyuan couldn’t help but laugh. Only a day had passed, and he was already missing his spouse.

Was it that Xie Changyue couldn’t do without him, or was it he who couldn’t do without Xie Changyue?

He walked fast with his long legs, and in just a short while of daydreaming, he had already crossed Qingxi Stone Bridge and reached Anding Street, where the crowd was bustling, and various fragrances wafted through the air.

With a slight lift of his eyes, he caught sight of a pastry shop to his left named “Baoxiang Zhai,” and Gu Siyuan stopped in his tracks.

According to the memories of his original self, this was supposedly the best pastry shop in Wuqing County.

He recalled Xie Changyue’s adorable appearance from the other day when he had crumbs all over his mouth from eating pastries, and he headed straight for the shop.

When he came out again, Gu Siyuan was carrying two bags of packed pastries.

After leaving the city, he threw the pastries into his backpack.

Maintaining the same speed as in the morning, he ran when there was no one on the road, knowing that scientifically, aerobic exercise in the evening is more efficient than in the morning.

Huangyang Village, the Gu family courtyard.

Gu Er returned from the mountain and saw Mu Xia in the yard bagging soybeans. He quickly put down the backpack and firewood from his shoulder to help, casually asking, “Why are you alone? Where is your son-in-law? Wasn’t he helping you before I left?”

Mu Xia straightened up and pointed outside the courtyard gate.

Gu Er raised his eyebrows, “Went out? Didn’t you tell him all day to go out for a walk, and he was unwilling?”

Mu Xia smiled and pointed at the sky.

Gu Er understood.

The sun had set, the hour of You had passed, and his good son should be coming back from school.

Gu Er couldn’t help but laugh, “You know, before, I used to worry about my son not talking and keeping his head down all the time, wondering how he would ever find a wife or husband. Who would’ve thought he’d now have his little partner so smitten that they can’t be apart for even a moment?”

Mu Xia raised his hand to give him a light slap and glared at him.

What kind of father talks about his son like this behind his back?

However, thinking about how many times Changyue had asked today when A-Yang would be done with school and how long it would take to walk home from the academy, Mu Xia couldn’t help but smile softly.

His son and his son’s husband were getting along really well; he hadn’t seen a couple so inseparable…

Xie Changyue stood on a large rock at the entrance of the village, craning his long neck to look at the official road leading to the county.

But after looking for a long time, he saw nothing.

However, he wasn’t discouraged. Just before coming, he had passed by the sundial at the entrance of the ancestral hall, and it was only three-quarters past the hour of You. If it were him walking from the county to the village, it would take nearly an hour; his husband would definitely be faster, but at least five or six quarters of an hour.

Since classes only finished at the hour of You, it would still be early for him to be back.

Xie Changyue stood for a while, then jumped down, rested his chin on his hand, and squatted by the large rock, staring blankly at the two gardenias by the village entrance that had already lost their flowers.

After daydreaming for a while, he bent down, picked up a thin stone, and started writing on the ground. Just writing this name made his heart bloom with joy.

The more he wrote, the happier he became, not even noticing someone approaching.

“Not bad, you’ve got about four-tenths of my skill!” A cold, low male voice sounded above his head.