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

The provincial examination was a crucial part of the imperial examination process, and the marking of the examination papers was of paramount importance.

Before the results were announced, all the examiners had to eat, drink, and relieve themselves in the examination room arranged by the examination hall, with someone delivering water and meals to them every day.

All exam papers were categorized and sent to the examiners under supervision throughout the process to prevent damage or substitution of the papers.

Before the results are released and the rankings are determined, all the exam papers are sealed. Although some people can recognize a candidate by their handwriting, they may not necessarily be assigned a paper by that candidate, since the papers are all broken up and redistributed.

To gamble on this chance, you'd have to bribe all the examiners and make sure your handwriting is identical so they can recognize it, otherwise you'd waste your money and benefit someone else.

In short, it was quite difficult to cheat in the provincial examination. Of course, if one had immense power, it was not impossible. But then again, if one had immense power, why would one bother to take the imperial examination?

Why not just have your family get you a place at the Imperial Academy through hereditary privilege? Why go through all this trouble?

Those who would cause trouble during the provincial examinations are probably wealthy landowners with money to burn, since sons of officials rarely take such risks.

None of the examiners knew who the exam papers belonged to; they marked each paper with circles, dots, or crosses based on the answers provided.

Drawing circles indicates a very high evaluation of the exam paper; the more circles, the better the essay.

The "dots" indicate that this test paper is not bad, it's okay, it's not particularly outstanding, but it's already quite good.

This is also the origin of the phrase "可圈可点" (kě quān kě diǎn), which means that the article is well done.

Those marked with an "x" are not very satisfied with their answers; the writing is mediocre. Papers with too many "x"s are likely to be eliminated.

The list of the top five candidates in the provincial examination was decided by the chief examiner and key officials to ensure fairness.

The rankings from fifth place onwards are determined by the number of circles, dots, and crosses. After the rankings are finalized, a new person will review them again to prevent favoritism and cheating.

Once all of this is done, it's time to prepare for the release of the results.

The day before the results were announced, the chief examiner summoned all the officials in charge of the examination to prepare to unseal the exam papers and register the candidates' rankings and the list of those admitted.

The chief examiner personally transcribed the admission candidates' numbers and rankings, and under supervision, opened the exam papers to supplement the candidates' information, such as their names and places of origin, thus forming a draft list of admissions.

Starting with the sixth-ranked candidate, the exam papers will be unsealed and the list will be announced sequentially.

Each time a scroll is opened, the official in charge first checks the candidate's name on the scroll and marks it with a blue pen before handing it over to the chief examiner for review.

Afterwards, the provincial official handed the list to the clerk who would write the official list to be published.

From dawn till dusk, the list was completed, written backwards from fifth place to the top scholar. Each time a name was written, all the candles in the hall would be lit, symbolizing joy and anticipation.

At this moment, the entire venue was bustling with noise, and the atmosphere reached its peak of excitement.

On the day the results were announced, Li Haisheng was finally about to step out of the inn. After being a "homebody" for so long, he felt that he hadn't seen the sunshine outside for a long time. However, he didn't feel stifled. He could just endure it for a while. What his junior brother had said had all come true. He had already done the eighty-one prostrations. What difference would one last shiver make?

"Third brother, are you really going out? Or should I let your second brother go out to check the results, and your eldest brother will stay with you at the inn to wait for news?"

Although Li Chunsheng had gone through one challenge after another with his younger brother, he was still apprehensive and didn't want Li Haisheng to have any accidents when he checked the final results.

Li Haisheng thought his elder brother was right. He believed that listening to advice was the best policy, so he decided to wait at the inn for the messenger to bring good news. He didn't think he would never see the messenger; it was just a matter of rank.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you to make the trip, Second Brother."

“We’re brothers, why are you saying that!” Li Qiusheng quickly tidied himself up and went out, running as fast as he could.

Li Haisheng planned to set off for Xinghe Prefecture as soon as the messenger arrived with the good news.

No, he still had to attend the Deer Cry Banquet. All the new scholars had to attend, and he couldn't refuse. After the banquet, he would set off immediately, leaving the city before curfew and traveling through the night to avoid unnecessary social interactions.

The Deer Cry Banquet, also known as the Deer Cry Feast, was mainly attended by "newly graduated scholars."

During the imperial examination era, after the provincial examinations, the prefectural and county officials would host a banquet for the successful candidates. Alternatively, the day after the results were announced, a banquet would be held for the chief examiner, officials, and the new candidates, during which the poem "Deer Cry" from the Book of Songs (Xiaoya section) would be sung, and the Kui Xing dance would be performed.

According to the "New Book of Tang - Records of Elections, Part 1", "Every year in mid-winter... after the examination, the senior officials would hold a village drinking ceremony, with guests and hosts, offerings of food and wine, music and instruments, and a small sacrificial animal. They would sing the poem 'Deer Cry' and chat with the elders about their seniority."

In his poem "Sending Chu Jianzhong, Legal Officer of Yingzhou," Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty wrote: "I once attended the Deer Cry Banquet and got to know many scholars from Luoyang."

The History of Ming Dynasty, Biography of Yu Shenxing: "At the age of seventeen, he passed the provincial examination. The censor wanted to hold a banquet to officially recognize him, but he declined because he had not yet obeyed his father's orders."

Later, there was also Gong Zizhen's "Miscellaneous Poems of the Year Ji Hai" No. 285 from the Qing Dynasty: "The literary style of Jiaqing is still before my eyes, I remember the banquet with the deer in the capital."

This also indirectly illustrates the importance that various dynasties attached to the provincial examinations, the Deer Cry Banquet, and the newly appointed successful candidates.

When Li Qiusheng arrived outside the examination hall, it was already packed with people. Not all of them were candidates taking the provincial examination, but most were their family members, servants, and onlookers.

There's no way around it. The provincial examination is such a big event, it's the biggest event in the provincial government right now. It only happens once every three years, so if we don't watch it this time, we'll have to wait another three years!

Those who enjoy a good spectacle and those who are simply bored wouldn't want to miss such a lively scene; they're all eagerly awaiting to see who will be the new top scholar in the imperial examination!

Of course, some families were definitely planning to "find a son-in-law after the exam results are announced." It all depended on whether the top-ranking scholar was a young talent or over forty. They weren't just randomly choosing a son-in-law; they couldn't very well let their own daughters become someone else's concubine.

Of course, unmarried, young, and preferably handsome scholars are more popular; as for middle-aged men, forget it! No girl needs a father!

"Hey, Master Zhang, your rice shop is so busy, why are you joining in this fun?"

"Master Li? What? You can come but I can't? This examination hall isn't your private property, what right do you have to tell me what to do?!"

"Hmph, don't think we don't know what you're up to, Old Zhang. Pshaw~ We're all in the same boat, so stop pretending!"

How dare you talk to me like that!

Just as the two were about to start fighting, a gong sounded in the examination hall.

The crowd fell silent instantly, and all eyes turned to the gate of the examination hall.

"The announcement is about to be made! The announcement is about to be made!" A commotion arose in the crowd.

The two wealthy men, disregarding their argument, craned their necks to push forward, while their servants and attendants helped them fend off external pressure.

Many families in the surrounding area were eager to participate, and the wealthy men who came to find husbands for their daughters and granddaughters were especially keen, their eyes shining as they stared intently at the list.

The results released so far are from sixth to last place; the top five have not yet been announced.

Everyone here is a smart man. Those who want to take a gamble should remain still, while those who want to seize the initiative should keep an eye on the sixth place and send their trusted confidants with a large sum of money to propose marriage to whoever they like.

At this point, it comes down to financial resources, reaction speed, and judgment.

It's no wonder these big merchants are so eager to get started. There's no other way; merchants have a low social status, and they need someone in the officialdom to have connections. Otherwise, without a backer or background, no matter how big their business is, it's all in vain.

No matter how much money they make, they can go bankrupt overnight in the face of power. So, although these big merchants live a life of extravagance and debauchery, few of them can sleep soundly every night.

To ensure a worry-free life, one either needs to curry favor with a powerful figure or have one's own powerful backer. As a result, they all set their sights on the triennial provincial examinations and the newly appointed successful candidates.