The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Although the Xia Kingdom invested heavily in selecting talent, providing free basic examination books, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones to official schools of all levels, thus solving the predicament of most rural scholars not being able to afford books.

But the cost of the imperial examinations should not be so high.

For children from poor farming families, the costs of food, clothing, lodging, and transportation during the imperial examinations—from the lowest level (童生) to the highest level (秀才), the provincial examination (乡试), the metropolitan examination (会试), and finally the palace examination (殿试)—were staggering. Many impoverished families had to sell their property and borrow money from all over to support their outstanding children in pursuing the imperial examinations. However, the most common situation was that rural scholars had to give up the imperial examinations due to a lack of funds, a situation that was commonplace.

Although local governments, in pursuit of political achievements, even used their own money to establish a series of reward policies, such as awarding silver prizes to outstanding students in each annual examination, and rewarding those who ranked in the top three in official schools for travel expenses during the imperial examinations for a consecutive year, etc.

Originally intended to encourage students from impoverished families, the awards ended up being mostly given to students from families that valued scholarship and disdained money.

That's why it's said that it's difficult for children from poor families to achieve great things; it's not just a saying.

In ancient times, when studying was highly valued, how could you compare to the sons of officials, gentry, and wealthy families if you didn't have exceptional talent and opportunities?

"Do you understand all of this?" Zhuge Laigui patiently explained to his family.

"Good heavens! Why is going to school so expensive?" Grandma Chen exclaimed.

“Not only will it cost money, but you might also end up with nothing,” Uncle Zhuge Lairong added.

When he went to town, he happened to pass by a teahouse and heard a storyteller telling a tale about a landlord's son who sold all of his family's land in order to pass the imperial examination, but in the end, he still failed to achieve his goal.

"In other words, even if the family spends a lot of money, it may all go down the drain in the end." Aunt Zhang, the second aunt, opened her mouth wide in surprise.

"Shuanzi, let's be realistic and not try to do too much at once. Just find an easy job in town that will earn you money, like your uncle did," Zhang Shi advised, still feeling a bit scared.

"If that's the case, then why are so many people still vying to study for the imperial examinations?" Fourth cousin Zhuge Yunzhi asked, puzzled.

"Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—don't be fooled by the fact that farmers are ranked second. Everyone knows that scholars hold the most power, merchants are the wealthiest, and even artisans live more comfortably than farmers. Therefore, the fastest way for farmers to change their social class is to pursue education and take the imperial examinations. Studying can lead to official positions and wealth, improve the lives of one's family, and even allow one to live with dignity in this era of power. 'Of all professions, only studying is noble'—this saying is not just empty words. This is the main reason why so many people are so obsessed with studying and taking the imperial examinations," Zhuge Yunshu explained to his family.

Therefore, given the opportunity, many people would like to try it.

After all, who doesn't want to rise through the ranks and change their social class? Those who don't probably either don't have the means or are simply too lazy to be ambitious.

"Hehe~" the system suddenly uttered an unfinished sentence.

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

"Dahua is right. It's not easy to have a descendant who brings honor to the family. If it weren't for my grandfather's insistence back then, your second grandfather wouldn't have achieved what he has today." Old Master Zhuge recalled his cousin's success, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't envious.

"Alright, stop worrying about it. As long as the descendants in the family are capable, the Zhuge family will support them even if it means selling everything they own."

With that, Grandpa Zhuge sent his entire family to bed.

Knowing that her uncle Zhuge Laigui would be returning to town the next day, Zhuge Yunshu took the seven early childhood education books she had copied and asked her fourth uncle to take them to the bookstore in town to see if they would accept them.

Zhuge Laigui opened the handwritten book and was extremely surprised. It had only been a short time since he last saw Da Hua, but her handwriting had improved so much.

Zhuge Laigui watched his niece Dahua's retreating figure, lost in thought, and made a decision in his heart before returning to his room.

Many things happened that day, but every member of the Zhuge family fell asleep with sweet dreams.

Only Zhuge Yunshu is still working hard within the system for the benefit of the country and its people.

In this era, the easiest way to live a good life, protect your family, and complete the system's tasks is to take the imperial examination.

Her future goal was to pass the imperial examinations, enter officialdom, and make a fortune.

……

The next day, Zhuge Yunshu and Zhuge Yunli went to the clan school early.

There was nothing they could do; their request for leave had angered the teacher.

Unexpectedly, her two senior brothers, Ziqing and Ziyun, arrived even earlier than her.

The two men were seen balancing books on their heads, squatting in a horse stance outside Master Li's study, clearly being punished.

When the two senior brothers saw their junior sister, Zhuge Yunshu, they gave her a look that said, "May you have good luck."

Zhuge Yunshu showed no fear whatsoever, because she had the confidence to back it up.

As expected, upon seeing Zhuge Yunshu for the first time, Master Li inquired about her studies from the previous day.

“I have memorized the ‘Primer of Prosody’, but there are some sentences whose meaning I do not understand. I hope you can enlighten me,” Zhuge Yunshu said.

Although Zhuge Yunshu had already memorized everything thanks to the system's expert guidance, she didn't want to appear so extraordinary yet.

Upon hearing his disciple's words, Master Li believed him, but he still couldn't avoid a thorough examination.

After reciting the text fluently, Zhuge Yunshu quickly and correctly answered the questions posed by Master Li.

Looking at his confident and composed disciple, Master Li was filled with satisfaction.

His disciple had indeed not disappointed him. Master Li seemed to have forgotten yesterday's unpleasantness and looked at Zhuge Yunshu with affection:

"I am just an ordinary teacher in the village school, and what I teach is only superficial knowledge. If you want to learn more in-depth meanings of books, you need to go to the town school. The teachers there are all scholars, and their knowledge is far beyond what we students can compare to."

He then looked at his disciple and noticed that she was in low spirits, so he quickly comforted her:

“You are only eight years old now, and you have already finished reading children’s primers. Whether it is the clan school or the town’s official school, you can be called a genius. So don’t be sad because you don’t understand the deeper meaning of the books. Your main task now is to memorize each book word by word. This will make going to the town school much easier.”

"Thank you, Master. I will keep it in mind." Zhuge Yunshu was actually quite helpless. She really wanted to let her master know her true strength, but she was afraid of scaring this respectful old man who was so concerned about his disciple. After thinking about it, she decided to give up.

“Yun Shu, the clan school literary gathering is in five days. It can also be said to be a grand competition between clan schools. All clan schools in Yunshui Town will participate. You, Ziqing, and Ziyun should prepare well in the next few days and also tell the elders in your family.” Master Li suddenly said.

Upon hearing this news, Zhuge Yunshu was extremely excited. This was a huge amount of points! Knowing the system's usual pattern, it would definitely issue a task.

Zhuge Yunshu suppressed his restless heart and respectfully replied, "Understood, Master."