The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

"The above is the overall ranking of all the town schools in this competition."

"At that time, the county association will post the specific results of each town association on the bulletin board according to the rankings. The outstanding sample essays from the first competition will also be posted here."

As soon as the host finished speaking, the crowd gathered around the county school cheered enthusiastically.

"it is good!"

"It's over already? Time flies."

"If you ask me, the one that impressed me the most in this competition was the Yunshui Town School."

"Yes, yes, that eight-year-old Zhuge Yunshu is truly a child prodigy."

"..."

"If you ask me, Yuntu Town School has also made a comeback. In previous years, they were always fourth place."

"Yes! That was fantastic!"

"By the way, the competition has lasted so long, I'm already starving."

"Haha, now that you mention it, it's true. Let's go eat."

"..."

The competition ended, and there was nothing exciting to watch anymore. In less than half an incense stick's time, the crowd gathered outside the county school gate quickly dispersed.

"Although this year's county-level inter-school competition was the first of its kind, it was much more exciting than previous years. This is all thanks to the cultivation of the various town schools and their teachers, which allowed us to see so many promising talents..."

At this point, Headmaster Song looked up at the sky and continued, "After such a long competition, everyone must be hungry. The county school inn has prepared food and wine for all of you from the town schools. You've all worked hard for most of the day, so go back and rest!"

The students from all the towns were very excited when they heard the news. After all, the competition had started in the morning and didn't end until 1 p.m. (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.). Apart from drinking some tea, they really hadn't eaten anything.

Although the county school thoughtfully provided tea and snacks at each town school during this period, they restrained their appetites in public for the sake of their image as scholars.

"Hiccup...hiccup~"

Two loud and clear burps sounded unusually abrupt in the relatively quiet atmosphere.

Faced with so many scrutinizing eyes, Zhuge Yunshu said awkwardly, "Hehe! It's delicious." He was about to say something more, but before he could finish speaking, another loud burp rang out.

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

It's all because of her damn big appetite; she's really going to lose face today. ┭┮﹏┭┮.

Seeing her junior sister's embarrassed state, Wang Yi smiled helplessly and quickly brought her another cup of tea. There was no other way; Junior Sister Yun Shu had eaten too many snacks and would probably need to drink several cups of tea to suppress the burp.

"Haha, he's still a child, it's inevitable that he'll be a bit greedy." Master Wang also spoke up at the right time, explaining for this troublesome disciple.

He watched as his disciples finished the pastries on their table and then went to devour the pastries on the two tables next to them. No wonder they were stuffed after eating so much.

Of course, at this time he had not yet heard of his disciple's title of "Big Eater".

"Haha, being able to eat is a blessing, Brother Wang is very fortunate," joked the town school teacher of Yuntian Town.

Master Wang: "..."

Does he know how to speak properly? If you didn't know better, you'd think he was talking about someone else.

"Everyone, please stop joking around, or this kid will want to crawl into a hole and disappear, haha!" The town schoolteacher of Yunmu Town quickly added insult to injury.

Zhuge Yunshu: "..."

"Alright, the top three students stay here. The rest of you, go back to the inn and rest!" After saying that, Headmaster Song whispered something to the boy beside him.

And so, amidst the envious, jealous, and resentful glances of the other town schools, the headmaster of the county school kept the schools behind.

It's no wonder they act this way, since the top three students each year receive preferential treatment from the county school, especially in terms of educational resources.

After all the other students from the town had left, Headmaster Song led them to a place that resembled a reception hall and had them sit down.

"Gentlemen, the reason we've kept you here is because the county school received an important notice from above. The prefectural school will select twenty students aged nine to fifteen with exceptional academic talent from the various counties below for special training. Because it will be conducted in secret, the final selection will be held next September, along with the prefectural school's competition."

"Therefore, I think that if your three town schools can get the top three places in the county school competition for six consecutive months, I will give this spot directly to you."

"If you are fortunate enough to be selected, then congratulations on having access to even better learning and teaching resources than the Imperial Academy..."

"This period of study lasts six years. Upon graduation, one will directly obtain the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) and be eligible to take the metropolitan-level examination. If one fails to graduate within six years, although one will have the title of Juren, one will not be eligible to participate in the metropolitan-level examination..."

Everyone present was shocked by the news. Such an opportunity was truly once in a lifetime, and they all marveled at their good luck.

"Don't be too happy yet. Pingchuan County has twenty counties, and each county school will send nine people, which means one hundred and eighty people are vying for these twenty spots. Moreover, their abilities are all comparable to yours, so the competition is extremely fierce." Seeing the joy on the faces of the students from each town school upon hearing this news, Headmaster Song had to mention the worst-case scenario in advance.

"Headmaster, I have a question?" Zhuge Yunshu hesitated for a long time before finally raising his hand and asking.

"explain."

"Can someone who already holds an official title, such as a scholar who has passed the county-level imperial examination, still participate in this selection?"

Zhuge Yunshu suddenly remembered her system task: to pass the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai next year. Therefore, she was very nervous about her next answer.

"Yes, even students aged nine to fifteen who rank in the top five in the academy examination can be directly admitted to the county school without being counted among the twenty spots."

"That's good." Zhuge Yunshu let out a long sigh and murmured softly.

Seeing her behavior, Master Wang and Xie Yu exchanged a smile, as if to say, "See, isn't your junior sister quite good? She's always thinking of you."

Xie Yu replied, "It is indeed good; it is thanks to your excellent teaching, Master."

If Zhuge Yunshu knew what they were thinking, he would probably just complain that these two were having too much internal drama.

"Headmaster, if a student consistently ranks first in the Xiucai examinations, how can he become the Jieyuan after graduating from the prefectural school and obtaining the Juren rank? After all, some people aspire to achieve the highest rank in all six examinations."

She then thought of a long-term system task she had been working on: "to become famous overnight." She guessed it might be achieving the highest rank in the imperial examinations.

As soon as Zhuge Yunshu finished speaking, Wang Fuzi, Wang Yi, and Zhang Hao all turned their gazes toward Xie Yu.

They never expected that their own disciple/senior brother would have such ambitions.

Xie Yu: "......"

Please don't wrong him. Although he had thought about it, he really didn't say it to Junior Sister Yun Shu!