Chapter 2139: Spring Emperial Examination Begins (Patreon)

Chapter 2139: Spring Emperial Examination Begins

Zhao Xi looked at the sky and wondered if he was running late. But seeing Shu Yu starting to pack up, he quickly picked up a bowl and hurriedly took a few bites of food.

Then, the group accompanied Meng Yunzheng to the Emperial examination hall. Little Huohuo was still asleep, so Shu You didn't bring him.

They initially thought they had left early, but when they arrived near the provincial examination hall, the streets were already crowded with people.

Shu You was a bit surprised and remarked, "Did they come here before it even got light outside?"

At this moment, Zhao Xi began to feel a bit guilty. He thought they had left early enough.

Their carriage was stopped outside, so they had to walk the rest of the way.

As they approached the entrance of the Emperial examination hall, Xun Sheng, who had arrived early, waved to Meng Yunzheng, saying, "Young Master Meng, over here."

When Shu Yu turned her head to look, she felt an unmistakable gaze from her left side. She instinctively turned to see a young woman who appeared to have a high status. Upon noticing Shu Yu's gaze, the woman immediately turned her head away, pretending as if she had casually glanced in their direction.

Shu Yu wanted to take another look at her, but Meng Yunzheng had been pulled aside by Xun Sheng, so she followed them.

The group walked to a relatively open corner, and Ying Xi let out a long breath. "There are so many people here."

After all, this was the Spring Emperial examination. Apart from the candidates themselves, there were also many family members, spectators, and officials maintaining order.

Fortunately, they had arrived relatively early. If they had come any later, they might not have been able to get in.

Shu Yu checked Meng Yunzheng's examination basket once more to ensure that everything was in order. Then she said, "The weather is quite cold right now. Make sure to stay warm. This examination lasts for three days, with three sessions totaling nine days. You'll be cooped up in such a small examination booth, so it won't be easy."

Meng Yunzheng chuckled at her concern. "Don't worry; I can handle this bit of discomfort."

Compared to other bookish scholars, Meng Yunzheng, who practiced martial arts daily, had a strong constitution and didn't mind the cold much.

However, due to his tall stature, he did find it a bit cramped inside the examination booth.

Xun Sheng had originally wanted to talk to Meng Yunzheng, but when he saw that Meng Yunzheng had no intention of acknowledging him and was instead affectionate with his fiancée, he felt a bit awkward. He had also been promised in marriage, and his age was a bit older than Meng Yunzheng's.

If he hadn't initially been without intentions and his family hadn't wanted to wait until he had some achievements, he might have had children by now.

When he had passed the county-level examination earlier, many people had come to propose marriage to him. Little did he know that after he stayed in Changjin Prefecture for a while, he would end up in Chen Qiu's clutches.

At that time, Xun Sheng had indeed considered marrying Chen Qiu. He wasn't particularly concerned about her family background.

Unexpectedly, Chen Qiu turned out to be quite cunning. After Xun Sheng returned home and his family learned about what he had encountered, they felt that this couldn't go on indefinitely. Before long, they arranged a marriage for him.

Last year, when he and Meng Yunzheng both participated in the Autumn examination and both became juren, Xun Sheng ranked around thirty-something.

Xun Sheng was quite satisfied with this result. After all, the Autumn emperial examination was difficult, especially with fierce competition from many other scholars who had previously failed. The pressure was intense.

This time, during the spring examination, Xun Sheng had originally thought about participating three years later. However, seeing that Meng Yunzheng had decided to take the exam, he also wanted to give it a try.