The whole family travels through time and space, and the three of them struggle together

The old Hanlin was obsessed with research all his life and turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside. Although cannons and steam engines were popular in the court, he only paid attention to them. As for who the designers were, he never paid any attention to them.

Therefore, he did not understand why the son of the Shangshu Mansion would write a letter to Zhou Dajiang. He thought at the time that this was some relative of Cui Xiaoshang's wife.

However, no matter whose relative he was, the food at their house was really good! Especially the braised pork was very much to his liking, even better than the one at Lai Fu Restaurant in Beijing!

In addition to studying, Yuan Hanlin was also interested in food. He didn't expect that the food in this small mountain village tasted so good!

Zhou Dajiang opened the letter from Master Cui after dinner. It turned out that the letter was not from Master Cui, but from Master Cui.

Dajiang, I know you harbor lofty ambitions, and I'm heartened. They've already reached heaven. This autumn, the provincial examinations will be held, and the emperor and I both look forward to hearing from you. Yuan is a distinguished figure, and this opportunity is rare. I hope you cherish it.

Zhou Dajiang was stunned after reading the letter. What the hell? I have to take the exam this year? I haven't even prepared yet! I don't have any lofty ambitions! That was just an excuse! My biggest ambition is to have a wife and children, a warm bed, and freedom without worries. This doesn't mean you're forcing me to take the exam!

what! ! !

Zhou Dajiang just wanted to hear the sound of a groundhog.

Seeing him scratching his head, Chen Xiuying asked him, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Dajiang didn't say anything, just handed the letter to her.

Chen Xiuying took the letter and smiled. "Now my child and I don't have to urge you. It says 'Wish you good news', so go ahead and learn it!"

Zhou Dajiang: "Look at how Lord Yuan looks today, he seems completely unaware of this!"

"That's the cleverness of the above. Think about it, with Lord Yuan's temperament, how would he look at you if he knew?

Just study hard under him, and leave the rest to me."

So, the next day, Lord Yuan, who had originally wanted to leave early in the morning, stayed for another day after seeing the table full of delicious food.

Seeing this opportunity, Chen Xiuying immediately extended an invitation, "My family owns a farm near Yunlai Academy, and I'm going to accompany my husband to study there. If you don't mind, we can live together at the farm."

Of course, Lord Yuan didn't mind. The environment of the academy was not much better than that of the Zhou family. Moreover, there were no delicious foods there. Comparing the two, it was of course better to live in the Zhou family.

So, after Zhou Dajiang came back and wandered around for half a month, he was put under a tight ring again, and it was a quick one.

Because time was so tight, Zhou Dajiang sometimes couldn't concentrate on his studies and wanted to take a break, so his wife would urge him on. She didn't say much, just a word: "Looking forward to hearing from you."

Well, what else can I do? Just keep learning!

The Donghua Provincial Examination consisted of three sections: the Four Books and the Five Classics, policy questions, and poetry and prose. The Four Books and the Five Classics required familiarity and understanding of these classical texts, as well as the meaning and history of the classics. Policy questions involved writing policy essays to answer questions. Zhou Dajiang had no problem with either of these. After all, he had taken the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination) before, and while his grades weren't great, he had the ability to write essays.

But poetry and prose are different. There are clear rules in the exam and you can't write casually. The poem must have five words, six rhymes and twelve sentences. That is to say, you have to write a twelve-sentence regulated verse on the spot in the exam room. There are also restrictions on the topic and sometimes even restrictions on the rhyme. You can imagine how difficult it is.

Zhou Dajiang really didn't know what to do. Lord Yuan was living at his house and was providing him with delicious food every day. When he heard that Zhou Dajiang was going to take part in the imperial examination, he naturally gave him guidance in many aspects.

Seeing him like this, I gave him an idea. I will give you three questions every day. After you finish writing them, I will check them. Keep the good ones and correct the bad ones. After you have corrected them, memorize them. When it comes to the exam, you just need to rewrite what you have memorized.

So, until the day before the exam, Zhou Dajiang was scratching his head and thinking hard every day. However, hard work pays off, and Zhou Dajiang felt that he finally had some knowledge.

In the intense and busy study, time slipped away quietly and the time for the provincial examination arrived.

The provincial examination was held in three sessions over nine days, with one session every three days, and two changes of sessions in between. The first session tested the Four Books and Five Classics, the second examined policy questions, and the third tested poetry and prose. After each session, the examiners covered the papers with their names and numbered them before another group of examiners reviewed them to ensure fairness.

The exam lasted for three days, and the candidates had to cook their own meals. Chen Xiuying was worried that Zhou Dajiang would not eat well and that would affect his performance, so she prepared a lot of food for him.

Candidates were allowed to bring pots, so Chen Xiuying asked him to bring a small pot, charcoal and a fire starter.

For the first three days, I brought him three salted duck eggs, some rice, and some porridge with some meat floss. That was all he needed for breakfast. For lunch, he had dried noodles, potato flour, and instant noodles, one portion a day. He also had three finger-length sausages, one a day.

Dinner is still porridge, with pork jerky and dried tofu as side dishes. If you get tired of it, there are also dried fruits. I’ll bring you a small bag of each. After eating, you can soak it in compressed biscuits. You can stick to it for three days.

So, on the day of the provincial examination, Zhou Dajiang walked into the examination room with a basket full of food, feeling uneasy. The inspecting yamen runners were all stunned. Was this guy here for an autumn outing, or was he here to take the exam?

If Zhou Dajiang were to answer this question, he would naturally be here to take a test. Otherwise, who would come to this cell that is less than one meter wide and less than one and a half meters long to suffer for nine days?

But the candidates around him would not answer that way. This guy came to the exam room purely to show off his wealth! The first three days were normal. Everyone had porridge and noodles. Although he was a little special, everyone could still tolerate it.

During the second three days, he started to act differently. Look at what he brought with him: a three-layered lunch box! A curious student took a peek while he was eating and saw that his rice was wrapped in black seaweed, neatly arranged in rows. At least it didn't taste good, so they didn't say anything.

As a result, during the third three days, he simply started to behave like a monster!

Zhou Dajiang had no idea they were accusing him, because the third round was his weakest subject, poetry and prose. To save time, he had Chen Xiuying prepare a pre-cooked meal for him, which he could just heat up in the wok.

When the test papers were handed out, Zhou Dajiang glanced at the questions first, then secretly rejoiced. Master Yuan had given similar questions before, and the poem he had memorized would be just the right one to use. Now he didn't have to rack his brains to come up with the verses. He memorized it on a scrap of paper, made a few minor revisions, and then copied it onto the test paper.

So, he finished answering the questions quickly and put the paper away.

Then he opened the food box his wife had prepared for him. The first layer: braised chicken and rice. Zhou Dajiang knew this was for his first day. Nothing special, just warm it up and eat it.

The next day, Zhou Dajiang opened the lunch box again. This time it was a spicy hot pot. The dishes were already fried, so he just had to put them back into the wok.

On the third day, Zhou Dajiang opened the third layer of his lunch box again, and the other students couldn't help but stare at him with envy and resentment. This time, it was a braised pork rice dish, also pre-cooked and ready to go. Furthermore, Chen Xiuying had brought him a bamboo tube of broth. How could anyone resist? The entire dorm was filled with the aroma of meat; it was like a nuclear weapons display!