The first time in history

That night, Qian Mingduo and Feng Yixuan stayed in an inn. Feng Yixuan specially ordered a few dishes and sent them to his upper room, inviting Qian Mingduo to drink with him.

"Miss, do you still recognize Lu Jieyuan?" Feng Yixuan filled Qian Mingduo's glass with wine and said to the girl who was serving him.

"How could I not remember it!" the girl said softly, "That day in Kuiyuan Tower, I received the hundred taels of silver awarded as the top prize in the imperial examination!"

"Why don't you give a toast to Jie Yuan?"

The girl smiled slightly and raised her wine glass, "I offer a glass of wine to Mr. Jie Yuan, and wish him success in the imperial examination, and... success in the top three places."

"Ha, ha, ha..." Qian Mingduo laughed, clinked glasses with the girl, drank them all, and nodded. "May I ask for your good wishes? Actually, I don't even dare to think about winning the top three prizes. I just hope to be nominated for the imperial examination this time."

Feng Yixuan smiled and said, "I have read your article. It is magnificent and original. The words are also very gorgeous. How can you not be good at it?"

"That's just nonsense." Qian Mingduo filled the glasses for the three people. "It's fate that I met Brother Feng and Miss on the way to Beijing! Come, let's raise our glasses and drink to this fate."

Soon, the jar of old wine was finished. Feng Yixuan was already drunk, "Brother Lu, you can rest here today and ask her to accompany you."

"You've drunk too much again." The girl glared at him.

"Miss," Qian Mingduo whispered to the girl, "Help Brother Feng go to bed and have a rest. I should go back too."

Feng Yixuan stood up shakily, "Brother Lu, you can't leave. Ask her to sleep with you tonight. I'm really tired these days. You don't know how lovely this girl is. You will know after tonight."

Qian Mingduo stood up, supported Feng Yixuan, and pulled him to the bed. "Miss, help him sleep quickly. I will leave early tomorrow morning. When Brother Feng wakes up, you can tell him."

Back next door, Qian Mingduo asked the waiter for a basin of hot water. He washed his feet and was about to lie down when he heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Qian Mingduo walked to the door. "It's Miss. Why don't you go serve Master Feng? Why are you in my room?"

"That bastard wouldn't let me sleep and kicked me out." The girl wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, "and insisted on making me serve Jie Yuan...to sleep."

Qian Mingduo smiled crookedly, "This Feng Yixuan, it seems that he wants me and the girl to do something shameful?"

"Come in." Qian Mingduo put on his clothes. "You can rest in my room. I will go get another room."

"Jie Yuan." The girl lowered her head and said slowly, "Does Jie Yuan look down on me? Let me... let me sleep with Jie Yuan!"

Qian Mingduo pulled the girl into the house and said, "You are naturally beautiful. There is no reason for me to look down on you. It's just that..."

"Just what?"

"The imperial examination is just around the corner, and I need to fast. I hope the young lady can understand." Qian Mingduo said this and left sideways.

The girl looked at Qian Mingduo's back, then walked back to Feng Yixuan's upper room sadly.

Qian Mingduo left the inn alone early the next morning and settled Feng Yixuan's rent and meal expenses.

It was his first time to visit the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, Shangqiu, Henan Province, which was then called Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture. Qian Mingduo rode his horse slowly around the city, which was as prosperous and bustling as Lin'an, which was about to become the new capital.

The examination hall was set up in the Imperial Academy, and only a few hundred people in the country could take the examination. These were the best among the scholars, all of whom were talented and well-educated.

So Qian Mingduo did not dare to be negligent at all. He asked for a quiet room in an inn very close to the Imperial College and prepared himself well.

Although he already knew the content of the exam, he was afraid that his essay was not good enough, so he lay down on the bed as soon as he entered the guest room and went over the answers carefully in his mind.

Three days later, at 2:15 pm on the yin hour, as the gate of the Imperial College slowly opened, all the candidates entered the examination room in order.

The soldiers of Yingtian Prefecture were responsible for checking the candidates, and the level of detail was hard to imagine. Every candidate was almost stripped naked, and checked inside and out. Some candidates had long beards, and the soldiers would actually comb their beards with a comb, fearing that there were small stir-fries in their beards.

After Qian Mingduo sat down, his heart was beating very fast. It was not until the invigilator announced the test questions that he finally felt relieved.

Sure enough, the test questions were exactly the same as he remembered.

While other candidates were still thinking hard, Qian Mingduo had already packed up his exam materials. He stood in front of the small grid with the test paper in his hand, and said, "Lü Zhengyi, a candidate from Lin'an Prefecture, has finished answering the questions and would like to hand in the paper."

The chief examiner this time was He Wenkai, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He came over when he heard Qian Mingduo's voice. He took the test paper from the clerk's hand and said, "Lü Zhengyi?" He Wenkai glanced at Qian Mingduo and said slowly, "Are you Lü Zhengyi, the champion of the Lin'an Prefecture's provincial examination?"

"Your Excellency," Qian Mingduo bowed, "I am your student."

"There's a rumor going around that during the provincial examination, the papers were handed in in less than three hours." He Wenkai looked at the papers. "This time it was less than three hours again, so it seems the rumor is true!"

Qian Mingduo smiled slightly, "Sir, I don't dare. I just write a little faster than others."

"You can go out now."

When Qian Mingduo left the Imperial College, all the examinees and invigilators looked at him in surprise, because no one believed that he could finish answering the test questions in less than three hours.

Almost all candidates, in addition to preparing writing materials, would also prepare some food such as pancakes and steamed buns. Many candidates took two or three days to finish the test.

Qian Mingduo slowly left the Imperial College amid the astonished gazes of the crowd. Walking on the busy streets, Qian Mingduo could not describe his feelings at the moment.

Anyone who participated in the imperial examination was already a rare talent. Even if he failed, he could still become an official. Qian Mingduo had carefully prepared this article for a long time, and he believed that he would be able to pass the exam.

As long as one is able to pass the joint examination, one will be able to participate in the palace examination. Regardless of the ranking, at least one is a Jinshi.

Qian Mingduo couldn't help but smile. If he could pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi in the Southern Song Dynasty, he would be an official in the Southern Song Dynasty.

He looked up and saw an inn called "Yuelongmen". What a good name! If he could pass the imperial examination, it would be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

"Boss, please give me a room upstairs." Qian Mingduo decided to stay in this inn.

"Are you alone, sir?" The shopkeeper looked at Qian Mingduo, who was holding a small basket, and knew that he was a candidate for the imperial examination. "Could it be that you have passed the examination so soon?"