After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Sun Xuezheng became interested in Jiang Xiaoqi, the youngest chief investigator in the prefecture.

They even considered taking him on as a disciple, but they would have to see how he performed in the academy exam. As long as his exam results weren't too bad, they could consider it.

However, one must be cautious when accepting apprentices. It is necessary to have someone investigate the child's family background, not just the basic information at the time of application.

It is also necessary to investigate which family or official they have connections with or relatives. If they are the children of the opposing family, no matter how outstanding they are, they cannot be accepted.

Sun Xuezheng summoned his trusted confidant and gave him detailed instructions. The confidant then obeyed and headed towards Changshou County.

Of the seven people who were chosen to sit in the examination hall, Wu Youcai was the oldest, and he happened to be sitting next to Jiang Xiaoqi.

Feeling the frequent glances from the academic official, he became somewhat uneasy.

Although he was also the top candidate in the prefectural examination, he was the oldest among the seven, so he certainly wouldn't be favored by the provincial education commissioner.

Alas, different people have different fates. The kid next door is two or three years younger than his youngest son, yet he's on equal footing with him, sharing the same ancestral hall.

It's true that comparisons are odious. His son can barely recite the 1300 characters, and if he wants to pass the imperial examination, he'll probably have to wait until he's that old.

He might not even be as good as that old fellow. He's already the top scholar in the prefecture, practically a guaranteed scholar, while his son has only recently started school and is very playful.

Sigh~ another sigh.

Jiang Xiaoqi thought he had misheard. Was the guy next door stumped? Why was he sighing and groaning like that?

Is this really that difficult? Especially for those who were promoted to the rank of head of the household in their row, it shouldn't be difficult, right?

Jiang Xiaoqi shook her head, focused on answering the questions, and stopped using her "super hearing" ability.

After concentrating, my speed increased significantly, and I quickly finished the test, copying the answers from the draft paper onto the test paper.

After the ink has completely dried, roll up the test paper and put it into the prepared bamboo tube, then plug it with a wooden stopper.

Then, the bamboo tubes were put into a rainproof and waterproof oilcloth bag, the drawstring at the top of the bag was pulled out, tied tightly, and hung on the wall.

Sun Xuezheng, sitting at the head of the table, watched this series of actions and couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

This cautious nature seems rather out of place for a young child, but it's exactly how it should be for him.

It seems that not only in exams, but also in daily life, she has a delicate and meticulous nature like a young lady. Well, not only in her nature, but her appearance is also excessively delicate and pretty.

If I could take on such a disciple, it would be nice to have someone to admire in my daily life.

After Jiang Xiaoqi finished tidying up, he sat obediently in his seat. At this time, it got dark, and he lit the first candle.

The water in the kettle was still warm. After lighting the candle, I poured myself another glass of water, added some more charcoal, and boiled the water again.

Not long after, the water boiled. Two spoonfuls of black sesame paste were scooped into the porcelain bowl, and water was poured in while stirring with a small spoon.

The resulting black sesame paste will be smooth and delicious, without any lumps.

Before long, the aroma of black sesame paste filled the air around Jiang Xiaoqi's cell, which was extremely tempting. Even the examinees who didn't feel hungry before started to feel hungry after smelling it.

There was no other way but to put down their pens for the time being and deal with their rumbling stomachs.

Jiang Xiaoqi was small, but she was full after drinking a big bowl of black sesame paste.

After quickly rinsing his mouth, he rolled up a few pieces of clothing to use as a pillow, and before lying down fully clothed, he blew out the candle, which was less than a third of the way burned.

The other candidates ate something, lit their precious candles, and continued to answer questions by the dim candlelight.

In the two cells at the back, Landlord Jiang and Jiang Wenqing followed the same procedure. Although they finished writing a little later than Jiang Xiaoqi, they both tried their best to finish before it got completely dark.

Same bamboo tubes, same oilcloth bags, same hanging on the wall. First drink warm water, then add charcoal-fired water to make black sesame paste, lotus root starch, or oil tea noodles.

After rinsing your mouth and wiping your face, let your hair down, roll up one or two pieces of clothing to use as a pillow, and cover yourself with another piece to avoid catching a cold.

It must be said that the two of them did it even more carefully and methodically than Jiang Xiaoqi had taught them.

A gong sounded at dawn, and two lines of yamen runners cleared the way.

The academic official was already seated at dawn, which shows his great dedication.

Just like the first day, students could go to the toilet before the exam papers were handed out, which was also the time of day when the students with bad grades were most likely to curse.

Everyone who came out of the latrine was glared at by the stinking examinee with a vicious, predatory look, who tried to scare away those who came to "relieve themselves" but caused him inconvenience.

Jiang Xiaoqi hesitated for a moment, torn between going to the outhouse and using the chamber pot.

In the end, we chose the chamber pot. We could use charcoal ash to remove the odor ourselves, and besides, he was just a child and wouldn't expel much.

But those public toilets, you can't imagine how clean they'd be, even though they were okay when I went yesterday.

But that was before the main group, so I was the first one there and of course it wasn't too dirty. Today, I'm afraid it will be difficult to even stand up.

After all, only one outhouse can be shared among a hundred people. Oh dear, I can't think about it anymore, or I won't be able to eat breakfast.

Covered by an oilcloth, Jiang Xiaoqi awkwardly relieved himself before dawn.

Sun Xuezheng naturally had no interest in spying on others using the toilet, but he was once again amused by Jiang Xiaoqi's actions.

Sun Xuezheng was really enjoying Jiang Xiaoqi's live stream, but he couldn't send her any gifts, so Jiang Xiaoqi was at a loss!

The two adults, Landlord Jiang and Jiang Wenqing, went to the outhouse early to relieve themselves, and calmly returned to their examination rooms despite the murderous glares from the other examinees.

Heh heh, as long as he doesn't look to the side, he won't sense any malice, that's what Landlord Jiang thought.

Jiang Wenqing wasn't thinking about any of that; he was only focused on what to do next. Should he boil water? Have breakfast? Or grind ink?

No, it's not about grinding ink. Mingfei said that after the exam papers are handed out, we should put them away first, then grind the ink, write the answers on the draft paper, and after finishing, take out the official exam paper and copy the answers.

Yes, that's it, I remember it very well!

Could you please help me rate this? I'm about to take a book test and try to climb the rankings! Thank you all in advance! (The main text has reached the word limit, so this part does not count towards the main text word limit.)

(づ ●─● )づ(′e｀ )?