Traveling through time and space to become a child, supporting the family by catching fish and shrim

Chen Lang hugged Guoguo and said, "My dear girl, call me Master and Grandma."

Guoguo called out twice in a crisp and soft voice, and Mrs. Sheng was so happy that her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Good boy, come here and let grandma hug you."

Guoguo glanced at Chen Lang, and when she saw her father nodded, she opened her arms and threw herself into Madam Sheng's arms.

When Sheng Chuliang saw this scene, his heart, as deep as an ancient well, began to ripple.

If his son hadn't died, his granddaughter would probably be the same age as Guoguo.

"Let's go inside and talk."

"Butler, move the oxcart to the backyard."

Chen Lang handed the reins to the housekeeper and took Li Xiuzhi into the yard.

Sheng Chuliang put his hands behind his back and said, "Come with me to the study. Let the women talk here."

"Good teacher."

Li Xiuzhi was a little flustered, but in order not to cause trouble for her husband, she forced herself to suppress her panic and even smiled at Chen Lang.

Chen Lang whispered, "Master's wife is very kind, don't be afraid."

"Yeah." Li Xiuzhi nodded: "You go ahead, I'm fine."

Chen Lang reminded Guoguo again, telling her not to act naughty, and then followed Sheng Chuliang to the study.

Sheng Chuliang asked calmly: "I already know your results, and I've seen the test paper."

"I can only say that your level is not worthy of this result."

Chen Lang didn't think this was a mockery. Instead, he agreed with Sheng Chuliang's words and sighed, "I didn't expect to be on the list."

"After all, it was the poem at the poetry gathering that worked." Sheng Chuliang said, "Now you understand why poetry gatherings are held in various places every year during the imperial examinations. A well-written piece of work can significantly improve your scores."

Chen Lang said, "Teacher, there is something I don't understand."

"When it comes to the college entrance examination, your name will be covered. If you can't see your name, no matter how famous you were before the exam, what good will it do?"

Sheng Chuliang said calmly: "The obscurity of names is also a human manipulation."

"As long as it's something that's operated by humans, there will be variables."

"The simplest method is to shorten the name-covered slip a little. That way, the examiner will know this person needs special attention."

"Furthermore, the examination papers of successful candidates above the provincial examination will undergo three or more reviews. Starting from the second stage, the names will no longer be covered, but will be publicly reviewed."

Chen Lang suddenly realized, and said, "So there are so many tricks here. I am grateful to be taught."

Sheng Chuliang said: "But don't pin all your hopes on this."

"If you don't answer the test well and are eliminated in the first round, then even if you have great literary talent, you won't be admitted."

"Laying a solid foundation is the most powerful weapon on the road to the imperial examination."

Chen Lang bowed and said, "I will remember your teachings."

Sheng Chuliang said: "I have bad news to tell you."

Chen Lang asked, "What?"

Sheng Chuliang said: "This year's provincial and academy examinations are not only shorter in time, but also take place a month earlier."

"That is to say, the provincial examination will begin in less than a month."

Chen Lang was a little confused, "Why, teacher?"

Sheng Chuliang's expression turned somewhat grim, and he said coldly, "Because this year is the Empress Dowager's seventieth birthday, His Majesty wants to add an additional special examination after the Spring Festival, and the education officials need to prepare for the provincial examinations, so the prefectural and academy examinations must be completed as soon as possible."

After hearing this, Chen Lang almost swore.

This mother and son pair in the palace are really interesting. The son is obsessed with making money, while the old witch celebrates her birthday by tormenting all the candidates in the world.

Is their brain full of shit?

Sheng Chuliang continued, "This year's Spring Festival is at the end of January, and the college entrance examination should be in early February next year."

"As long as you can pass the provincial exam, you still have more than two months left for the imperial examination."

Chen Lang scratched his head: "But the time for the provincial exam is too tight, and the students are a little worried."

"But complaining won't solve the problem. Students will do their best to prepare for the exam."

Sheng Chuliang rubbed his temples, pondered for a long time, and said, "Actually, it's not that difficult for you to pass the prefectural examination."

Chen Lang: “Ah?”

"Teacher, you wouldn't..."

Sheng Chuliang glared at him and said, "Am I that kind of person?"

Chen Lang smiled awkwardly: "Definitely not."

"So what does the teacher mean by this?"

Sheng Chuliang said: "The prefect is ill."

Chen Lang scratched his head, not quite understanding what this meant.

Sheng Chuliang didn't mind. In his opinion, Chen Lang was just a country boy. How could he understand the twists and turns in the officialdom?

"The prefect is the chief examiner for the academy exam. In previous years, he would have had enough time to recuperate. But now that the exam is moved up, the prefect's illness won't heal so quickly. He must give up his position as chief examiner."

"Among the officials of Guangling Prefecture, there are not many who are qualified for this position. Either their rank is not high enough, or their status is not appropriate."

"For example, a Tongpan (President) has a high enough rank, but he is a judicial officer and is not suitable to be the chief examiner."

Chen Lang smacked his lips and said, "Doesn't Guangling Prefecture have a Tongzhi? With his rank and status, he should have no problem being the chief examiner."

Sheng Chuliang said in an enigmatic tone, "Let me ask you, if the county magistrate of this county falls ill and is unable to preside over the county examination, do you think he would hand over the position of chief examiner to the county magistrate?"

Chen Lang suddenly realized and said, "That's definitely not the case. The top two officials have always been checks and balances with each other, and they are suspicious of each other. If the Tongzhi is the chief examiner this time, then all the candidates who make the list this year will be considered his disciples, and he can take this opportunity to expand his authority."

"If I were the prefect, I would never give the co-prefect such an opportunity."

Sheng Chuliang nodded: "At least it's not too stupid."

Chen Lang said, "But Tongpan is not suitable, Tongzhi is not suitable, and the prefectural governor won't be able to recover in a short time. Then who will be the chief examiner of this prefectural examination?"

Sheng Chuliang said, "According to my guess, this job will eventually fall on the head of Nie Ziru, the head of the prefectural school."

"Nie Ziru has an extremely high reputation in Guangling Prefecture, and there's no competition between him and the prefect. There's no power struggle involved, so Nie Ziru is the most suitable person for this job."

"Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that the Tongzhi would interfere, but in my opinion, the position of chief examiner is not enough to cause a falling out between the Tongzhi and the prefect."

After saying this, Sheng Chuliang pulled out a book from a pile and handed it to Chen Lang, saying, "This contains some articles and poems written by Nie Ziru in the past two years."

"Take it back and study it carefully."

In fact, exams also require catering to the examiner's preferences. If you can reach a consensus with the examiner on the point of view of the article, the final evaluation of the article will be much higher.

In order to avoid suspicion, Nie Ziru would never show his articles and poems to others, and at most he would show them to his students.

If it weren't for Sheng Chuliang, Chen Lang would definitely not have been able to see these articles and poems.

Chen Lang was so moved that he didn't know what to say, and at the same time, he felt a little guilty.

I even regretted taking Sheng Chuliang as my teacher. I really feel sorry for my teacher.