Traveling through time and space to become a lady of a noble family, but she only wants to escape

Chapter 123 Imperial Examination

"No, Baizhi, you can't write anymore." The hand holding the pen was reluctant to let go, so Chu Yunchuan leaned his forehead against it, trying to seduce Baizhi to turn her attention to himself. He took the pen out when she was not prepared, and then said seriously, "Look at me, Baizhi, look at me."

Chu Yunchuan patiently called Bai Zhi's name over and over again. Bai Zhi was really brought back to life by his call, and she smiled as reassuringly as before: "What?"

"We have already left the mansion, Baizhi, you are safe by my side. I was able to protect you before, and I can still protect you now." Chu Yunchuan took Baizhi's hand and inserted his fingers into hers one by one, speaking in a very gentle tone, "Look, we have been engaged, we want to be married forever, we want to grow old together, a mere Ge Zhen can't do anything to us."

Chu Yunchuan's fingers were tough and dry, and his palms were burning, burning on Bai Zhi's cold hands. Bai Zhi looked at Chu Yunchuan, and finally turned her eyes away and stared at the intertwined hands, muttering: "Ge Zhen really killed me."

"There won't be a next time, Bai Zhi." Chu Yunchuan said, "I am the King of Jing, the King of Jing who is second only to the emperor and above all others. Even if Ge Zhen has powerful hands and eyes, she can't touch you at all. Before I leave office, I will definitely get rid of this big trouble, I promise you."

Bai Zhi clenched her hands, causing Chu Yunchuan to feel a dull pain. He did not move, but just looked at Bai Zhi.

After a long while, Bai Zhi said, "...You are right, he is just a Ge Zhen."

Chu Yunchuan: "Just a Ge Zhen."

Bai Zhi: "...She can't take my life, and she won't take me away from you."

Chu Yunchuan: "She can't take your life, nor will she take you away from me."

Bai Zhi muttered a few more sentences to herself, each sentence louder than the previous one. Chu Yunchuan repeated each sentence tirelessly, with each sentence sounding resounding.

For the last sentence, Bai Zhi took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "If one day you want to kill Ge Zhen by unorthodox means, let me do it."

Chu Yunchuan nodded heavily: "Okay."

Life goes on as usual.

In September, the imperial examination is finally about to begin.

This was the first year of imperial examinations since the reconstruction of the Thirteen States. As talented people were scarce, King Jing asked the emperor early on to set up an unprecedented three-examination system, namely the county examination, the provincial examination, and the metropolitan examination. If there were talented people, they could go straight to the position of tribute scholar and be promoted to the sixth rank.

A commoner could become an official in two or three months. This was a fantasy in the past, but now it can become a reality. Therefore, students from all thirteen states are eager to take advantage of this opportunity and rise to the top with their families.

The county exam would last for three consecutive days. Early in the morning of the first day, Bai Zhi and Chu Yunchuan sent the two children to the noisy entrance of the examination room.

Qiaoqiao was so nervous that she was actually very excited. She kept chattering nonsense, with a higher tone than usual. As for Lin Chuqi, he seemed to be confident and calm, but in fact he was walking with his hands and feet timid.

Chu Yunchuan pulled the two children over to him, patted their shoulders and said in a gentle voice, "Brother Yun will stew pig's trotters for you tonight."

Qiaoqiao said with a bitter face: "If my name is not on the list tomorrow, what's the point of eating pig's trotters, Brother Yun, just stew me."

During the three days of the county examination, the list of candidates from the previous day will be posted on the second day. If your name is not on the list, you do not need to take the examination on that day.

Lin Chuqi: "You have no ambition. How can you be an official if you can't even pass the exam to become a scholar?"

Qiaoqiao retorted: "You have a promising future. You are not nervous. If you are not nervous, why are you shaking? You are almost like a sieve."

Lin Chuqi stamped her feet hard to stop the trembling, and refused to admit it: "I'm not shaking."

Bai Zhi tapped the two children's heads and said, "What are you afraid of? Others have to study hard for ten years to pass the exam. You two have only studied for three years. It's normal that you can't pass. It would be strange if you pass. Write as much as you can. If you can't, just relax. At worst, you can take the exam next year."

Qiaoqiao: “…”

Lin Chuqi: “…”

Chu Yunchuan: "...Bai Zhi, you should encourage them."

"..." Bai Zhi thought, am I not encouraging them? She scratched her eyebrows, considered her words, and then looked at the two children seriously and said, "No matter what the result is, we will eat pig's trotters happily, so don't be afraid of anything, just go boldly."

It's still nonsense.

But this nonsense really calmed the two children down. After taking a deep breath, they finally stepped into the door that separated the inside and the outside.

Many people who came to see off their candidates remained outside waiting. When the time came, the gate was closed tightly and a team of city guards stood guard at the door.

At this moment, Zhou Shensi pulled a donkey cart to a prominent position, put up a wooden sign, and began to quietly sell chairs and food and drinks. Immediately, a group of people gathered around, lowering their voices to pay copper coins for things, as if they were doing some shameful deal.

Wenxianglou had been closed for two months without any success, and Zhou Shensi finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

The soldiers defending the city did not chase him away, but simply asked Zhou Shensi to move to a farther place so as not to affect the exam inside.

Bai Zhi went to get two stools and said teasingly, "You want meat that's bigger than a fly?"

"Any profit is good, boss. You didn't even tell me when the store will open. As the old saying goes, you should plan ahead for a rainy day and not dig a well when you're thirsty." Zhou Shensi chatted with Bai Zhi, but he was very clear about taking the money and getting the goods.

The arrest warrants have been posted all over Weizhou and the two neighboring states. Fang Zhiheng has also sent people to investigate secretly, but there is still no news about Ge Zhen. No one knows where such a determined and ruthless person is hiding. Even if Bai Zhi had ten times the courage, she would not dare to put the hundreds of diners of Wenxianglou in danger.

Bai Zhi thought for a moment and said, "I'll give you some money. Before Wenxianglou reopens, you can work as a shopkeeper in someone else's store. How about that? You, Zhou Shensi, have made Wenxianglou very popular. Once your name is known, won't others be vying for it?"

This is the best solution, but Zhou Shensi refused without hesitation: "No."

Bai Zhi was a little surprised: "Why?"

"Boss, there is no better boss than you in the Thirteen States." Zhou Shensi said, "Other bosses don't treat people as people, but as donkeys. They ask you to work harder and eat less. If you dare to say something unfair, they will tell you to 'get out if you can't'. My hometown raises donkeys and I feel sorry for their hard work and have to give them extra meals from time to time. As a human being, you can't even get a full meal if you are not careful."

"Oh, do you have such a good impression of me?"

"Of course, Boss. In my hometown, they say that only rich people have consciences. There are so many rich people, but not many with consciences. You are one of them."