The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 646 Examination Room
Dachang has flexible working hours. Each department operates on a two-shift system: one shift is from Chenshi (7-9 AM) to Wushi (11 AM-1 PM), and the other shift is from Wushi (11 AM-3 PM) to Shenshi (3-5 PM).

It spans three hours, but only two and a half hours in total. This is for a relatively busy department. If it's not so busy, there are only two hours in a day.

For example, the Ministry of Rites is usually the most leisurely, followed by the Ministry of War, while the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue are the busiest, and the Ministry of Works is always on the road on assignments.

The most mysterious department is the Ministry of Justice. The people in this department are cold and aloof, and they don't like to hang out with the other five departments, let alone other departments.

People in the Ministry of Justice have the hardest time finding wives. It's said that they all have blood on their hands and are no cleaner than the executioners at the execution grounds.

Upon hearing such words, how could the young women dare to marry into the family?
After their shifts ended, the people from different departments went to different places. Some went home, while others wandered around the imperial city, which was very large and also had many music and dance halls.

It is said that there used to be a brothel there, but after many indecent things happened, it was abolished by the Empress Dowager.

The music and dance halls in the imperial city nowadays are all legitimate businesses. People listen to folk songs, play musical instruments, or find someone to play chess with, or showcase their calligraphy or painting. They are extremely refined.

Some people take advantage of this time to do some small business that is permitted by law.

Of course, there are also diligent people like Emperor Minghua who insist on doing everything personally. Even if the people below have already consulted the documents, he will still read them again. He is so busy every day that he has no time to rest.

Therefore, Emperor Minghua and his cabinet ministers spent most of their time in the main hall where they held meetings.

"So, what does all this have to do with our Astrology Department?" In the small imperial garden, there was a relatively spacious pavilion with two wooden tables. Ayu sat in front of the wooden table, eating the pastries that Tangyuan had prepared for her.

Unexpectedly, in just a few hours, while he was engrossed in reading in the Astrology Department, Tangyuan had already figured out the situation of several nearby halls.

Not only did she get to know more than 10 people, but she also heard a lot of news. All of the above was told to Ayu by Tangyuan.

As Ayu ate her pastries, she listened intently with her eyes wide open, feeling a deep admiration for Tangyuan.

Ayu's shift is from Chen Shi (7-9 AM) to Wu Shi (11 AM-1 PM), which makes it convenient for her to go home before it gets dark.

But she didn't leave work on time when she arrived; instead, she stayed until 1-3 PM.

Because the library was so rich in books, Ayu found some interesting ones, some of which were actually related to divination. However, most of them had many obvious errors and omissions, so Ayu treated them as miscellaneous writings.

Tangyuan handed Ayu a pot of water and lowered her voice, saying, "My lady, there's a lot to learn here! Take that small kitchen I went to, for example. The highest-ranking official there is the Food and Beverage Department, which is under the Empress's jurisdiction, and the Ministry of Rites assists in managing it. The relationships are quite complicated."

Even the pastries that Ayu is currently eating have their own set of rules. There are certain rules about which ones are edible, which varieties are off-limits, and which foods and drinks should be avoided.

Fortunately, Tangyuan is very good at dealing with different kinds of people, especially those from all walks of life and those who work under him. As long as he can figure out their intentions, it is easy to get them to tell the truth.

"I've heard that the relationship between the Astronomical Bureau and the Small Kitchen isn't good, and the meals they provide here are terrible every day," Tangyuan said with lingering fear. "From now on, we should pick our own vegetables from the garden. I'll go back and learn more from the cooks in our household, so that the Lady won't have to suffer."

Ayu smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Sister Tangyuan, I wouldn't know any of this if it weren't for you. We've been in the capital for quite a while now, you must be hungry, right? Come on, let's finish eating and go back for dinner soon."

As she spoke, Ayu brushed the crumbs off her hands, picked up a pastry with her handkerchief, and stuffed it into Tangyuan's mouth. Tangyuan took a bite and grinned foolishly.

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from not far away, as if many people were talking.

"What's over there?" Ayu asked, glancing at herself.

"That's the direction of the Imperial College, but they usually don't take this route when leaving the Imperial College. It must be because during the imperial examinations, the other route was temporarily closed, so they had to go this way first."

Upon hearing the name of the Imperial Academy, Ayu thought of her brothers who were taking the imperial examinations.

I wonder how everyone did on the exam.

Second Uncle Wang Chuangui was already a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) and this was his first time, so they weren't too worried about him.

Qin Huai himself was knowledgeable and intelligent, and not rigid. He was never pedantic when solving problems, so many teachers thought highly of him.

As for the rest, Wang Erlang and Wang Sanlang passed the imperial examination and became Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), while Silang and Qilang failed. Wang Wulang and Wang Liulang are still only Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination).

I wonder how Erlang and Sanlang did on their exams.

"I hope everyone does well on the exam."

"Honey, do you want me to go check on them for you?"

Ayu was a little tempted.

Now that Ayu is in the capital, Tuanzi doesn't need to go to much trouble to find out any information.

"Let's just see if they did well on the exam."

Since we have the ability, it'll put our minds at ease if we take a look.

【Uh-huh. 】

Tuanzi had only glanced at it casually, but she witnessed an extraordinary scene.

[Hey, someone's cheating! And they're trying to frame your fiancé!]

"What?!" Ayu stood up, so shocked that she dropped her pastries.

In Dachang, cheating in the examination hall was a serious crime, especially in the examination hall for the Jinshi degree, which could result in the confiscation of one's family property and execution!
Tangyuan, puzzled, asked, "Lord, what's wrong?"

(End of this chapter)