Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Three days later, Lu Hui arranged all the students from Yunzhou to the Confucian Temple Bridge. The bridge had been decorated as the Champion Bridge, with red cloth flowers hanging on both sides and a red carpet covering the bridge. Lu Hui stood on the bridge holding a red envelope in his hand.

This reminded Zhang Jingwei of the year he took the college entrance examination. The principal also built a top-scoring bridge and gave each candidate a red envelope of 6.7 yuan.

In addition to the dozen or so students in Yunzhou City, there were more than thirty students from the subordinate counties. The students all wore long gowns and square hats, and most of them were dressed quite plainly, except for Ma Tianmao and a few young masters who were dressed rather exquisitely. Ma Tianmao, in particular, was dressed in brocade, gold embroidery, and a jewel-studded collar. The only thing missing was the word "rich" tattooed on his face.

Teacher Guo of the official school stood in front of the Confucian Temple and shouted, "All students in Yunzhou should pay homage to the Confucian Temple! I pray that Emperor Wen will bless our Yunzhou students, so that their literary inspiration will flow freely and their writings will flourish!"

After the eulogy, the students crossed the bridge and entered the Confucian Temple in an orderly manner. Every time Lu Hui handed a red envelope to the students on the bridge, each student politely saluted Lu Hui. On the other side of the bridge, Teacher Guo chanted to the students entering the temple: "Red paper seals the golden name, the red bridge welcomes the top scholar!"

After paying respects at the Confucian Temple, Liu Yanzhi led a group of students onto the bustling streets. Their purpose was to bid farewell to the candidates about to embark on the imperial examinations, and Zhang Jingwei was naturally among them. According to local custom, the students offered farewell blessings to these departing candidates.

Zhang Jingwei stood in the crowd, looking around but unable to find a familiar face. Just as he was feeling a little lost, he suddenly saw Ma Tianmao standing not far away. So, Zhang Jingwei quickly stepped forward and grabbed Ma Tianmao's sleeve.

Zhang Jingwei smiled, bowed deeply to Ma Tianmao, and said in a loud voice: "Brother Tianmao, I wish you a safe journey and success in the imperial examination!"

Upon seeing this, Ma Tianmao quickly returned the greeting to Zhang Jingwei and said, "Thank you, Brother Jingwei, for your kind words! To be honest, I drank a few too many glasses last night and was completely drunk. If it weren't for the fragrant flower tea that Brother Jingwei sent me in time to sober me up, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to get up early today."

Zhang Jingwei laughed heartily upon hearing this, patted Ma Tianmao on the shoulder, and said, "Since Brother Miao thought the scented tea was effective the other day, why not bring some more? Perhaps a few sips of it will spark your creative juices and allow you to write some brilliant essays!"

Ma Tianmao nodded, a flicker of joy in his eyes. But then he sighed softly, shook his head, and said with regret, "Alas... What a pity! That courtesan wouldn't even come to see me off. Thinking back to last night, I spent a fortune on her!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned slightly upon hearing this, his face showing displeasure. He retorted, "She's just a prostitute. Why are you so obsessed with her, Brother Tian Miao? A man should prioritize his achievements and not let his future be ruined by romantic matters!"

Ma Tianmao said with a wicked smile, "Didn't you say before that you would stuff your @*x＃ into her x＃?"

Zhang Jingwei widened his eyes, looked at the other person in disbelief, and stammered, "This...with so many people around, how can you say such words so openly? Don't you feel embarrassed?" His voice unconsciously rose a few degrees, attracting the attention of many people around him.

Ma Tianmao, however, looked nonchalant and responded with a smile: "Hey, when we were in that brothel before, there were a lot of people there. You were not as shy as you are now. Why are you shy now?" After saying that, he deliberately winked at Zhang Jingwei.

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei's handsome face flushed crimson. He waved his hands in annoyance, muttering, "Oh my... go away, stop teasing me about the past!" As he spoke, he turned and was about to leave.

Seeing this, Ma Tianmao quickly pulled him back and apologized with a smile, "Alright, alright, I was just joking with you, brother Jingwei, please don't be angry. In that case, I'll take my leave now!"

Zhang Jingwei calmed himself down, nodded, and said, "Okay, let's say goodbye now. You must study hard for the exam and strive to pass the exam! When you come back, we'll have a drink together!"

Outside the city, there was an endless stream of horse-drawn carriages taking the candidates away. It took three or four days to travel from Yunzhou to Taiyuan. The provincial examination was held at the end of August and would take two or three days. The results would be announced half a month after the end of the examination. After this separation, they would not be able to see each other again until mid-September.

……

After returning home, Zhang Jingwei walked briskly through the gates of the Marquis's residence. The moment he entered, he was stunned by the scene before him—the mansion was bustling with people, and among them were many officers busily working. They were dressed in neat military uniforms, walking hurriedly, their expressions serious and focused.

At this moment, a figure suddenly caught Zhang Jingwei's eye. It was a figure he was very familiar with. Although he hadn't seen him for some time, he recognized him immediately. Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but blurt out, "Le Qian?"

Hearing the shout, the figure turned around abruptly, a look of surprise on his face. "Master Zhang, it's been a long time!" Le Qian quickly walked up to Zhang Jingwei and looked him up and down, his eyes filled with surprise and joy. "Oh my, look at your body! You're much stronger than before!"

Zhang Jingwei smiled and touched his arm, then said sheepishly, "Haha, growing up naturally makes you stronger, it's all normal. By the way, why are you here at the Marquis' Mansion today?"

Upon hearing this, Le Qian's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of pride. "The imperial court is currently carrying out a reform to eliminate bureaucratic divisions, and the Ministry of War has also issued a new official system. Look, I'm now a full-fledged eighth-rank general! But…" Le Qian paused briefly, then lowered his voice, "I'd actually rather be transferred to the city's garrison camp, so I came to the Marquis' Mansion today to look around, hoping to find some opportunities."

Zhang Jingwei nodded in sudden enlightenment. "So that's how it is. So, most of these officers coming and going are probably like you, trying to use their connections to secure better positions, right?"

Le Qian shrugged and said with a wry smile, "It's pretty much the same. After all, who doesn't want to advance in their official career? Everyone is showing off their talents just to secure a better future for themselves."