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

February is when the willow trees are just starting to sprout green buds.

February is the time to shed the burdens of life, stretch, and refresh our spirits.

February is the time for the annual county-level examinations.

The family prepared all the necessary materials for the county exam well in advance, just like Jiang Changshou, the landlord, and Jiang Wenqing did before preparing for the exam.

Having gone through this several times, the Jiang family is quite experienced in dealing with the county and prefectural examinations.

Of course, there is no shortage of experience in preparing for the provincial examinations, but no one has actually taken the provincial examinations yet.

Otherwise, there would be a scholar in the family by now, and we wouldn't have to spend money to pay off corvée labor every year.

Although the family is not short of money, this privilege, which can only be enjoyed by those with the rank of Xiucai or above, is an honor!

Heaven knows how much Landlord Jiang longed for a scholar to emerge from his family. He himself had no chance, and his son... was even more doomed!

All his hopes were pinned on his beloved grandson; he was convinced his eldest grandson could do it! He was certain he could!

For the preliminary examination, five guarantors are required, and an additional student from a subsidized gentry family must also act as guarantor.

Finding a government-subsidized student is easy; there are government-subsidized students in Changshou County. However, one needs to be cautious about the few people who form alliances with each other.

Before the New Year, Landlord Jiang had asked around and found scholars from several nearby villages, as they lived close by and knew each other well.

These four people have all been living here for at least several decades; none of them are outsiders.

While Landlord Jiang was inquiring about others, others naturally inquired about Jiang Mingfei of the Jiang family.

After all, if even one of the five people cheats, they will all be punished. No one who registers for the county exam dares to be careless.

This can't be said to be unfair, after all, you chose the people you paired up with, didn't you? It's not like the government forced them on you.

Therefore, the county examination is not the first hurdle; the crucial first step is to select reliable candidates for mutual assistance.

At that time, taking the imperial examination was not just a matter of having a family that could afford to support you and having some family wealth.

You also need connections, to know the scholarly families in the surrounding area, and for those families to be willing to form alliances with you. You also need to have channels to contact the students who received government stipends and those who passed the imperial examinations.

If you can't even do this, you don't even qualify to take the exam, so how can you expect to pass the preliminary exam or even become a scholar?

Before the county examination officially began, the group of friends who had sworn brotherhood with Jiang Xiaoqi met up. After all, they would be entering the examination hall together, so it was good to get to know each other beforehand.

None of them were very old, the oldest being only thirteen or fourteen, and they all came with their parents.

It's quite normal for someone in their teens to take the county-level exam; that's considered quite good.

After all, many elderly people spend their entire lives trying to pass the imperial examinations but never succeed in becoming a child prodigy.

Regardless of one's age when passing the county government examination, even if one is sixty years old, one is still called a "student" (童生), which is a term for "degree" and has nothing to do with age.

Five families gathered in a quiet and elegant private room of a teahouse, where the waiter served tea and a few simple snacks.

Before the others arrived, Landlord Jiang had already given the manager two taels of silver, and the entire bill was to be paid by Landlord Jiang.

After all, when he inquired about their character and education, he also learned that none of them came from particularly wealthy families.

It is extremely difficult to send one's son to the county examination, so naturally one would not expect others to share the cost of a few cups of tea.

After everyone arrived and exchanged pleasantries, they took their seats and, without saying anything else, got straight to the point.

"We all know each other well, so let's not waste any more words."

I am the oldest among those present, and I was fortunate enough to have taken the county and prefectural examinations. Now I am considered an old-fashioned student.

Then I'll take the liberty of starting with a brief overview. I'm sure you're all familiar with the general rules of the county-level examination, but I'll take this opportunity to explain them in more detail.

“Brother Jiang, you are a veteran who has participated before, while this is the first time for the children. We are all very willing to listen. Please speak!”

Zhao Da from the neighboring village wished that Landlord Jiang could explain in as much detail as possible, since they didn't know everything and were afraid of making a mistake that would ruin their child's future.

"Yes, first of all, no prohibited items are allowed. Anyone who violates this rule will be disqualified from the exam on the spot, and all those who are paired with him/her will be punished together!"

The others nodded in agreement. Zhao Da raised his hand above his head, indicating that he had a question. Landlord Jiang looked up and gestured for Zhao Da to ask if he had any questions.

"Brother Jiang, what is meant by 'joint liability'? Does it mean that if one person makes a mistake, five people are punished? This is just too unreasonable!"

Landlord Jiang nodded solemnly, "That's right, so everyone must be extremely cautious."

Before entering, carefully check all your belongings. Don't let a momentary lapse in judgment implicate everyone.

Zhao Da looked troubled. "Oh, how can we guarantee that no one will bring in contraband...?"

At this moment, Li Er, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Oh, Brother Zhao, there's no need to worry too much."

As long as we ourselves act uprightly and honestly, are careful before entering, and double-check each other to put each other at ease, we have nothing to fear from these regulations.

The other two families nodded slightly in agreement with Li Er's statement and added a few points that might lead to problems.

Seeing that everyone had finished their discussion, Landlord Jiang coughed lightly and continued, "In addition, you must not whisper or look around in the examination room."

Of course, the magistrate will explain these things after we enter the venue. I'm just giving you a heads-up beforehand so you can be mentally prepared.

Then there are less important things like placing the top scorer. The exam hall door can only be opened when a group of people have submitted their papers. Usually, it's twenty people, but in counties with fewer candidates, it can be opened when ten people have submitted their papers.

Don't rush during the exam; there will definitely be enough time. Make sure to write your name and seat number clearly. Don't let small things affect your score.

Finally, he emphasized the most important point again: Don't smuggle anything! Don't smuggle anything!

If this is violated, not only will the person in question lose all hope of achieving fame and success, but it will also affect the other members of the group.

"Sigh, after saying so much, has everyone remembered it all?" Landlord Jiang's throat was dry from talking. Sigh, he had to go all out to ensure his grandson's success in the county exam!

Everyone nodded and replied in unison, "Understood! Understood!"

"Yes, yes, it's really kind of you, Brother Jiang, to explain things in such detail!"

After everyone quieted down, Landlord Jiang emphasized some precautions, such as bringing tarpaulins to prevent the papers from getting wet in the rain.

They gave detailed instructions, such as not eating anything too greasy before entering the exam room to avoid getting diarrhea under the stress of the exam.

It wasn't until evening that everyone left the teahouse and dispersed, their faces all displaying a uniform air of caution.

"Grandpa, you've worked so hard. Have another cup of warm tea!"

Jiang Xiaoqi didn't get a chance to speak all afternoon; it was all thanks to Jiang the landlord who did the talking.

"Sigh, we have to be careful. Who knows if those people are still watching us? We have to be on guard!"

Just before the teahouse closed, everyone agreed to queue up early and be among the first to enter.

Landlord Jiang also explained that arriving early to adapt to the environment is more conducive to performing well during the exam.

As the only student present, everyone naturally believed what he said.

However, aside from this point, what Landlord Jiang really wanted to do was avoid people who would definitely appear in the county examination in Changshou County.

Since the young master over there is a powerful and influential man, he certainly wouldn't get up in the middle of the night to go to the examination hall, so they should come out early to avoid the possibility of running into him.

Since the magistrate has not been bribed, as long as the exam papers are successfully submitted, it is considered half a success.

The outcome will depend entirely on strength!