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

"Mingfei, are you serious?"

"It really couldn't be truer."

"The provincial examination is just around the corner. Should we start preparing to head to the provincial capital?"

"There's still time. I've calculated it. There's still more than a month after the mock exam. Even if I had to crawl, I could get to the provincial government."

"But, but locking the three of us in such a small examination shed for nine days, isn't that a bit too cruel?"

"The provincial examination simulation, as the name suggests, simulates all the details of the provincial examination. If you get used to it in advance, you won't panic when you actually arrive at the examination hall."

Having more experience than other test takers and less of the stress of last-minute adaptation, it's a win-win situation.

The three generations of Jiang landlord, Jiang Wenqing, and Dong Jin all wore the same look of utter despair. This was not the kind of assessment test they had imagined!

In the courtyard, the bricklayers had already begun building the walls. The examination shed, less than two square meters in size, was a one-to-one replica of the provincial examination hall in terms of area and height.

Even the wooden planks were made of the same material, and there were several holes deliberately left in the walls. One of the examination sheds was even intentionally designed to leak.

Dong Jin, Jiang Wenqing, and Landlord Jiang: How could my brother-in-law/son/grandson come up with this!

"Fine, fine, I'll do as you say." Landlord Jiang waved his hand helplessly. Although Jiang Wenqing and Dong Jin were unwilling, they had no choice but to obey.

The examination shed was set up in less than half a day, but it needed to dry for a day or two before it could be put into use. Fortunately, the summer sun was strong, so it dried completely after being dried in the sun.

The next day, after being thoroughly searched by the "runners," the three reluctantly entered their respective examination booths.

Ah Niu and Li Mo took turns guarding the examination room, and the students were not allowed to leave until the first exam was over.

The first day was full of mishaps. Jiang Wenqing's legs went numb after a short while because the examination room was cramped. The wind leaking through the hole in the wall at night kept the three of them awake and asleep. The next day, which was supposed to be sunny, suddenly started to rain.

Luckily, the exam paper was saved in time with an oilcloth. There was no other way; you can't be careless. Mingfei said that if the exam paper gets dirty, the exam is invalid, and you have to start all over again!

Even towards his own grandfather, Jiang Xiaoqi showed no mercy, delivering meals and water on time every day. However, the chamber pot in the examination shed could not be emptied daily; it had to be emptied every three days.

On the third day, the three rushed out of the smelly examination shed to bathe and change clothes, and then another three days followed by another three days.

Thanks to their careful and cautious approach, none of the three had their exam eligibility revoked, and all of them managed to successfully complete the exam.

After the three students handed in their papers, the examiner was naturally Jiang Xiaoqi. He wasn't being arrogant; if Mr. Ouyang hadn't considered his young age, he would have already allowed him to take the provincial examination, especially since he had set the questions himself.

He didn't have that much influence to actually find several scholars who had passed the imperial examinations to set questions and grade the papers for his own students.

My great-uncle is a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, but I'll handle what I can on my own.

After two and a half hours, Jiang Xiaoqi finally put down his pen and looked up.

She first looked at her brother-in-law: "Brother-in-law, your article is ornate, but the arguments are a bit hollow. I will give you some intensive practice on your weak points in the next two days."

Dong Jin humbly accepted the lesson. He had anticipated this when answering the question, but because he couldn't think of anything, he put some effort into the wording of his essay. He didn't expect his brother-in-law to see through his weakness so clearly.

Jiang Xiaoqi then turned to her father: "Your policy essay is very insightful, much better than before. However, your handwriting is too messy. If you encounter a strict examiner, he may not like it. There is plenty of time to answer the questions. It would be better to use the official script I mentioned before."

Jiang Wenqing nodded vigorously. He had originally intended to use the official script, but he started by writing in cursive script. He couldn't just use half of it, otherwise it would look even worse. He had no choice but to stick to the original style.

Finally, his gaze fell on Landlord Jiang. "Although my grandfather is old, his writing is steady and his insights are unique. He will most likely be on the list of successful candidates in this provincial examination!"

Immediately, everyone's eyes were focused on Landlord Jiang, whose face flushed red, and he seemed somewhat flustered.

Jiang Xiaoqi was not surprised. Her grandfather had done very well in the previous provincial examination, and in recent years her grandfather had studied the materials he left behind very thoroughly.

He studied even harder than his father, who was studying at the prefectural school. If any of the three of them were to pass the imperial examination, it would definitely be his grandfather.

However, if they are lucky, their father and brother-in-law might perform exceptionally well, and they might even have some unexpected gains, since passing the provincial examination is still very difficult.

Only the top 100 candidates from the entire province who took the imperial examination were accepted, making the acceptance rate even lower than that of the provincial examination and the competition even more intense.

Landlord Jiang coughed lightly and said, "Little Seven, don't flatter your grandfather. The provincial examination is highly unpredictable. Don't speak so soon and make yourself a laughing stock."

Jiang Xiaoqi said earnestly, "Grandfather, I am not speaking without reason. As long as you perform normally in the provincial examination, you will go from being a scholar to a successful candidate in the imperial examination."

Grandfather, you might consider whether you should participate in the metropolitan examination after passing the provincial examination.

"Alas, it is already difficult to pass the provincial examination. Moreover, I am already quite old. Even if I pass the imperial examination, how many more years can I serve as an official at this age?"

Moreover, with only three hundred successful candidates, only a tiny fraction could remain in the capital as officials; most were sent to local areas, starting as county magistrates.

"Wouldn't our family have to go our separate ways then? I've come this far; the rest of the journey will depend on you young people."

Young man Jiang Wenqing: Alexander

"Alright, then I will focus my energy on my father and brother-in-law, and try my best to help them pass the provincial examination. However, if they want to participate in the metropolitan examination, they will need to spend another three years preparing."

Next spring, my senior brother will be going to the capital to take the imperial examination. We can go together then. After he finishes, he can share his experience with everyone, which will increase your chances of passing the exam three years from now.

“That’s a good idea. Your father and brother-in-law can barely manage to take the provincial examination, and they really don’t have enough time for the metropolitan examination. It’s best to wait.”

Dong Jin: Uh, really? The provincial examination isn't even over yet, how come they're already discussing the metropolitan examination?

Listening to the conversation between the grandfather and grandson in front of him, Dong Jin felt the same pressure as his father-in-law. He had been forced into the provincial examination, something he had never dared to dream of before.

How did my brother-in-law manage to get himself into the list of candidates for the imperial examination so easily? Does he really trust him that much?

Looking at the confident expressions on the faces of my brother-in-law and grandfather, it seemed as if they weren't discussing when to take the imperial examination, but rather what to have for dinner. They were too relaxed.

"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone must be exhausted these past few days. Take a few days to rest and recuperate. We'll head to the provincial capital in seven days."

As soon as Jiang Xiaoqi finished speaking, everyone finally slumped their shoulders, and the accumulated fatigue came over them like a tidal wave. Doctors had already been invited to the mansion to take pulses and examine each person's body.

The doctor will accompany us throughout the trip to the prefectural city. The mock provincial examination at home is still controllable, but the real provincial examination has many more uncontrollable factors, so bringing the doctor along is a wise move.

Otherwise, they would have to wait in long lines to get medicine and see a doctor, and they might not even be able to get one. So, families with a little financial means would bring their own doctor along, which saved them a lot of time and trouble.

Jiang Xiaoqi couldn't help but think of Doctor Wang again, the man who said he was going to the northern border to be a military doctor, who seemed to have vanished into thin air.

He searched every military medical camp in the North for a long time, but no one knew about this master and apprentice pair.

How strange!