The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Chapter 444: Palace Examination (Part 2)

The hall became so quiet again that you could hear a pin drop.

All that could be heard were the sounds of the examinees grinding ink and writing, and the gentle sounds of the ministers sipping tea.

Zhang Pingan didn't look up again, concentrating on answering the questions.

It was not until almost noon that a young eunuch came in to serve the meal.

Each person had a cup of tea and a plate of pastries, just enough to fill their stomachs.

For such a long time, he didn't even hear anyone going to the toilet.

We are all gods!

Zhang Ping'an was not going to be the first to take action, but luckily he was well prepared and had already put on his underwear filled with thick cotton and wood ash.

As long as it is not frequent urination, it is enough to cope with it.

I didn't even dare drink the tea and only ate two pieces of cake.

Zhang Ping'an persisted in this way until the afternoon when the sun was setting and he finally finished answering the questions.

He carefully checked the paper again, and after checking there were no typos or inappropriate remarks, he put down his pen and secretly flexed his wrists.

About another quarter of an hour later, I finally heard the sound of rolling up the scroll.

Zhang Ping'an sat upright in his seat, and a young eunuch came over to collect the papers.

He really admired these people. Except for the little emperor who went back to his bedroom for a nap at noon, the other officials who accompanied him in the exam and the eunuchs who served him worked hard all day long.

And it was silent, with basically no movement.

After collecting the papers, the candidates could leave the venue one after another under the guidance of the eunuchs.

The results of the palace examination are usually announced the next day.

On the evening of the exam, the examiners and ministers will review the papers, and the results will be announced and the list will be published the next day.

The results are not announced on the spot!

However, the ranking is generally not much different from that of the imperial examination.

On the way out of the palace, everyone was in a much more relaxed mood than when they came in the morning, and most of them had smiles on their faces.

After all, after the results are released, most people will be directly appointed as officials, whether they join the six ministries or go to the local areas, and they will hold real power.

To put it in today's terms, after studying for so many years, I can finally put all the knowledge I have into practice!

Lin Junhui ranked higher and walked ahead of Zhang Pingan. When he was about to leave the palace, he deliberately slowed down his pace, fell a few steps behind, and signaled Zhang Pingan with his eyes to walk together later.

Zhang Ping'an also gave an affirmative response with his eyes.

The palace is huge, but it lacks popularity.

Zhang Pingan always felt that people who stayed here would feel depressed.

After leaving the palace, you will be able to speak again.

Many of the candidates knew each other and made plans to have dinner together in groups of three or four.

Lin Junhui is popular and is no exception.

Invite Zhang Pingan to go together.

"Let's wait until tomorrow. I promised my mother today that I would go back for dinner in the evening. My family is still waiting for me. Anyway, the exams are over now, so there will be plenty of time to make appointments later," said Zhang Ping'an.

At this time, my third uncle Qian Wei came over and said somewhat disapprovingly, "Today is our class's champion, Brother Lu, hosting the party. It would be great if we could go along and have some fun. I want to go too. What's the point of going home?"

"Thank you for your kindness, uncle. I just finished the exam today and I am indeed a little tired. Besides, there will definitely be such a gathering after the palace examination results are announced. I will not refuse then," Zhang Ping'an bowed and apologized.

There are always a lot of gatherings after the results are announced. He has been very tense all day and hasn't even gone to the toilet once. It would be better for him to go back and rest first.

There will be plenty of opportunities to get together in the future!

Seeing this, Lin Junhui smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll let you go today. We'll meet again in two days. Brother Li is organizing the Qushui Liushang Ceremony in two days."

"Okay!" Zhang Pingan replied with a smile.

After Lin Junhui and the others left, Pan Shibei came over and invited, "Ping An, let's go back together!"

"Okay, take my carriage and I'll take you back to the inn first," said Zhang Ping'an.

None of the candidates who were able to pass the imperial examination were particularly poor. Regardless of whether they rented a house or owned their own, everyone came by horse-drawn carriage.

Zhang Ping'an finally found his own carriage among the many carriages.

After saying hello to his uncle, Pan Shibei got on Zhang Pingan's carriage.

Zhang Pingan saw that his eldest brother always had a trace of worry on his face, and he couldn't help but ask with concern: "Elder Brother, are you worried about something? After reminiscing about the past with you last time, I could feel that you have a heavy burden on your shoulders, carrying the hopes of the tribe. If there is anything I can help with, just tell me. You are still so young, don't push yourself too hard!"

Pan Shibei did not hide it: "It's not anything else, it's mainly about the appointment of officials!"

When it comes to appointing officials, Zhang Pingan understands it particularly well.

He is upset too!

According to his original intention, he did not want to go to the Hanlin Academy, but now it is not a question of whether he wants to go or not, but where the Qian family needs him to go.

He planned to work his way up slowly after arriving at the Hanlin Academy, and then be transferred to one of the six ministries or to a local government, without offending the Yue family.

Although his ranking was not bad and his eldest brother's ranking was not bad either, it should not be difficult to become a county magistrate. However, the times have changed. Many times, it is not just about ranking, but also about connections.

"Oh!" Zhang Ping'an really couldn't help with this matter and could only sigh.

He patted the eldest brother on the shoulder to comfort him.

Pan Shibei smiled and said gently, "Don't worry about me too much. I know what I'm doing. I did well in the palace examination this time, so I should be able to find a job. It's definitely better than being a steward in Changzhou."

There was one more thing he didn't say. This time he brought with him nearly half of the family's assets, which were converted into gold and silver notes.

This is so that if I pass the examination, I can use it to make arrangements.

It took a lot of connections to get the gift delivered.

As long as he doesn't make any big mistakes and ranks well, I can help him find a decent job.

The main reason why he couldn't sleep or eat was that he was worried that his efforts would be in vain. It was not a big deal that he himself was living a poor life, but the increasingly difficult life of his tribe members was also making it hard for him to breathe.

A bit overwhelmed!

And he knew very well that once he took office, he would have to find a way to make back all the money he had spent.

Although he has great ambitions, he is not ignorant of common affairs.

The tribesmen are both a help and sometimes a burden, a double-edged sword.

These are things that he finds difficult to open up to others.

So sometimes he really envied this junior fellow student!

After Zhang Pingan had comforted him for a while, he saw that his eldest brother's face had improved a lot, and he felt relieved. He invited him, "I heard that our classmate Li Chong is going to hold a poetry gathering in the suburbs in a couple of days. Let's go together and relax!"

"Okay," Pan Shibei replied with a smile.

After a while, they arrived at the inn. After dropping off the people, Zhang Pingan went home.

Xu had already prepared dinner and was waiting eagerly at the door of the main hall.

Zhang Laoer was also a little anxious.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an coming back, the old couple were overjoyed and hurriedly ordered the servants to serve the meal without asking how he did in the exam.

Zhang Ping'an went to the toilet first and washed his hands before coming out to eat.

He looked relaxed.

After looking at it, Qian Youyi smiled and said, "Looking at my husband, he must have done well in the exam. The results of the palace examination will be out tomorrow. Someone will come over to announce the good news then. Dad, please don't faint from joy. I think it's best to call a doctor to the house to be on standby."

Zhang Laoer waved his hand, a little embarrassed: "No, I won't do that this time!"

Mrs. Xu also agreed: "It's better to call a doctor!"

Zhang Pingan shook his head and smiled.

Everyone had dinner happily and then went to bed.

In a blink of an eye, it was the next day and the results of the palace examination were announced.