On the sixteenth day, Jiang Ning woke up earlier than usual.
She intended to get up and make breakfast, but as soon as she rose, Liu Ming'an reached out and pulled her back into a tight embrace.
"It's still early, let's sleep a bit more," Liu Ming'an mumbled with his eyes closed, not fully awake.
"Aren't you nervous at all? You're taking the Provincial Examination today," Jiang Ning asked, puzzled.
In her previous life, although Jiang Ning had never taken any exams herself, she remembered how most students were on edge during college entrance exam season. Even their parents couldn't eat or sleep well, and they'd speak softly to their children, fearing that the slightest thing might affect their state of mind.
So why was Liu Ming'an so calm, as if nothing was happening? Jiang Ning couldn't understand.
"Don't worry, Jiang Ning," Liu Ming'an nuzzled the top of her head with his chin, his voice husky from sleep as he whispered against her, "I've got this under control. Trust me."
Realizing she was more anxious than the candidate himself, Jiang Ning stopped fretting and complied with Liu Ming'an's wishes, accompanying him in bed until their usual wake-up time.
After breakfast, Liu Ming'an unhurriedly took Jiang Ning's hand and walked towards the government office.
A notice had been posted outside the office days ago, stating that the scholars taking the Provincial Examination should enter the office at 9:45 AM. They weren't allowed to bring anything; the government would provide all materials. Before entering, everyone had to undergo a body search.
When Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an arrived at the office, a dense crowd had already gathered outside. Men and women, young and old—it seemed most candidates had brought their entire families.
Many people had come from other parts of Baoji County, staying at inns in town for a night and arriving early in the morning. Fortunately, Liu Ming'an and Jiang Ning had already moved to town; otherwise, they would have had to wake up extremely early in Lotus Flower Village.
Jiang Ning noticed she could easily distinguish between the scholars and their accompanying family members.
Those with nervous expressions, muttering to themselves, and occasionally glancing towards the office were the scholars. Their family members kept their eyes fixed on their scholars, offering words of encouragement and comfort. A few women even clasped their hands together, bowing to the sky and praying, "Buddha bless us, God of Literature protect us."
The scene was a vivid tableau of human nature in all its diversity.
Liu Ming'an looked around as if enjoying a spectacle, showing no signs of anxiety. He leaned down and whispered teasingly in Jiang Ning's ear, "If I were to sell my paintings of the God of Literature and Guanyin Bodhisattva right now, they'd be snatched up in no time."
Jiang Ning was speechless.
"Dong!"
A sudden gong sound drew everyone's attention. Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an looked towards the source of the sound to see an official standing sternly on the steps of the government office.
Seeing that all eyes were on him, the official spoke in a booming voice: "All scholars, please line up here. You will be searched before entering the office."
Then, two more officials brought out cubicles. The cubicles were square, draped with black cloth, and could accommodate four or five people. Jiang Ning realized these were for the body searches.
More than twenty scholars had already lined up at the bottom of the steps. Jiang Ning, seeing Liu Ming'an still beside her, urged him, "Quick, go. I'll wait for you here."
Liu Ming'an turned to look at Jiang Ning, smiling brightly, but suddenly wrapped his arms around her in an embrace.
In full view of everyone, Jiang Ning's first instinct was to push him away, but Liu Ming'an spoke in a slightly muffled voice: "Jiang Ning, I won't see you for nine days..."
Jiang Ning's hands, which were about to push him away, paused. Instead, she hugged him back, her eyes flickering as she made a decision in her heart: "It's alright, I'll be with you. Go on now."
Liu Ming'an took her words as a jest. He finally let go of her and joined the queue, looking back at her repeatedly as he went.
Jiang Ning watched Liu Ming'an enter the office, then walked to a secluded spot. With a thought, she entered her special space.
Inside her space, Jiang Ning followed the scholars into the office. She found that they were led to a courtyard below the main hall. Tables were set up in the yard, with paper, brushes, and pre-ground ink on them. Officials stood in a circle around the courtyard, each wearing a stern expression.
The scene was indeed intimidating. Jiang Ning looked towards the group of scholars; most of them looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, barely daring to breathe. Liu Ming'an, however, had his eyes slightly lowered, lost in thought.
After a while, the officials directed them to their seats. Liu Ming'an was in the back corner of the last row. Jiang Ning followed him, sitting on the steps of her bamboo house within the space, watching him through the red barrier.
Liu Ming'an had previously told Jiang Ning that the Provincial Examination would last nine days, covering the Four Books and Five Classics, policy questions, and poetry and prose composition. Each section took three days.
During these nine days, every move of the scholars would be under the watchful eyes of the officials. They would eat together, not allowed to speak to each other. Even when using the restroom, an official would accompany them. At night, they would reportedly be taken to a charity hall to rest, with officials patrolling throughout the night.
The first section covered the Four Books and Five Classics. Jiang Ning accompanied Liu Ming'an, watching as he occasionally furrowed his brow in thought, then put brush to paper. She couldn't help but smile slightly.
Three days passed in a blink. Jiang Ning only returned home to eat and sleep, spending the rest of her time accompanying Liu Ming'an in her space. At noon on the third day, the officials collected their exam papers and distributed new ones for the second section on policy questions.
Jiang Ning looked at the thick stack of papers, her curiosity piqued.
In ancient times, these would certainly be graded by hand. But with sixteen days of exams, nine consecutive days of testing, finishing on the twenty-fifth, and results to be announced by the end of the month, would there be enough time to grade all the papers?
Or perhaps, unlike in her time, the papers weren't sent elsewhere for grading? Were they graded right here in the office?
Jiang Ning followed the official collecting the papers to a house behind the main hall. She saw him hand the stack of papers to Song Ming, who took them and walked into a room where two elderly men were seated.
"Old Qin, Old Chen, the papers from the first section on the Four Books and Five Classics have arrived. Thank you both for your hard work," Song Ming said respectfully to the two old men.
The old men took the papers, each taking half the stack. Jiang Ning watched as they picked up their writing brushes, dipped them in cinnabar ink, apparently ready to start grading right there.
"Don't mention it, Magistrate Song. Prime Minister Nangong's reforms to the examination system this year have actually made things much easier for us. We don't have to go all the way to the prefectural capital anymore. It's far more convenient than before, so it's hardly a hardship," one of the old men said with a smile, stroking his beard.
Song Ming nodded to the two elders and left the room.
"But it's hard to say whether these reforms are good or bad," the other old man said slowly. "In the past, when all papers were graded together at the prefectural level, all scholars were judged solely on their merits, regardless of their background. Now, with the requirement that each county must produce at least two successful candidates, how many true scholars can those remote areas produce? I fear the quality of successful candidates this year will be uneven, with the good mixed in with the mediocre!"
"Prime Minister Nangong must have his reasons. In the past, most successful candidates came from well-off, scholarly families. It was hard for those from humble backgrounds to rise up. This new measure is meant to encourage students from poorer areas to study hard. Prime Minister Nangong has put a lot of thought into this!"
"Sigh, I suppose so. Who knows if we can find two truly capable candidates among these twenty-nine scholars from Baoji County..."
"Who can say? Let's hope so. I'd hate to have to force myself to pick from a bunch of deadwood... Oh! I think we might have something here!"
Suddenly, one of the old men's eyes lit up, and he called out in excitement.
The other old man quickly leaned in to look, and Jiang Ning couldn't resist her curiosity either. She stood behind the two men, peering over their shoulders.
On the snow-white paper, neat and tiny characters caught her eye. Jiang Ning recognized Liu Ming'an's handwriting at a glance.
"My, my! This scholar is quite good! Clear thinking, elegant writing, profound insights, and excellent penmanship! Very good indeed!"
The other man nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it's excellent. Novel ideas, forward-thinking, with foresight. Judging by this first section alone, he's certainly outstanding. We'll have to see how he does in the next two sections..."
"Let's hope he doesn't start strong and end weak, haha..."
Jiang Ning left the room and returned to Liu Ming'an's side, her mood greatly improved. Seeing him still writing earnestly, his thin lips slightly pursed and his profile handsome, she felt her heart begin to race uncontrollably.
This was the scholar she had fallen for!