Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 208

In the end, the Ministry of Rites did not raise any objections, and directly stamped the approval seal on the admission list, resealed it and sent it to the palace. After the emperor approved it, a special person would notify the contact inns tomorrow morning.

As for the official list, it will be announced in front of the entrance of the examination institute the day after tomorrow. At that time, except for candidates who need to be confirmed, most candidates will not look at the list.

The time of the palace examination was also arranged immediately. This year, the time of the palace examination was relatively early. Ten days later, candidates who were admitted by the provincial examination took the palace examination.

Shen Kuan returned to the Examination Court worriedly. At this time, more than half of the Examination Court had been disbanded. There were only 590 examination papers for the palace examination. There was no need for so many officials. Twenty Examination Officers were enough.

"What's going on?" Ouyang Xiu saw that Shen Kuan's expression was a little off, so he asked why.

Shen Kuan sighed, and told Ouyang Xiu what happened today.

Ouyang Xiu was stunned for a moment, the Ministry of Rites raised doubts about Fan Ning!
For decades, the Ministry of Etiquette has never raised any doubts about the list of the Judgment Court, and it was just a formality. Today, for the first time, a doubt was raised, which was actually aimed at Fan Ning.

This immediately made Ouyang Xiu vigilant, and he suddenly realized that someone was going to use Fan Ning to beat Fan Zhongyan. Today is just the beginning, and there must be follow-up actions.

He had to spread the news before locking the courtyard again.

At this time, the examiners were packing their luggage and preparing to go home, and Ouyang Xiu only left twenty examiners to participate in the palace examination.

However, we can't leave now. The gate of the Examination Court will only be opened for one day after the results are released tomorrow, and some of the examiners will evacuate.

Ouyang Xiu wrote a note, and his wife will send someone to deliver things tomorrow, and this note can just take the opportunity to take it back.

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Just after dawn, Fan Ning was awakened by a hasty knock on the door.

"Fan Ning, get up quickly, the list will be released today!" Su Liang shouted outside the door.

"understood!"

Fan Ning muttered, and had to struggle to get up. He opened the door, and saw that the sky was still half-dark, and a crescent moon was still in the sky.

He was a little annoyed and said, "Why are you in a hurry? It's not dawn yet!"

He yawned and walked slowly into the house, "I'll sleep for another half an hour!"

"You can still sleep?"

Su Liang grabbed Fan Ning's arm and yanked it into the yard, "I've already bought breakfast, you wash it up, and we'll leave after breakfast, we won't be able to squeeze into the inn if we go late!"

Fan Ning was staggered by him, his feet were unstable, and he almost fell down. It seemed that he had no chance to sleep. Fan Ning had no choice but to stare at Su Liang, and went to the well to wash his face and brush his teeth helplessly.

. . . . . . . . .

After breakfast, the sky was already bright. Under Su Liang's repeated urging, Fan Ning and Su Liang came to the old Caomen Inn not far from their residence.

As the saying goes, "Mo Daojun travels early, and there are more early travelers", thousands of people have gathered in front of the old Caomen Inn at this time, and the crowds are like a sea, and countless candidates come from all directions.

"I said it would be too late if I didn't come!"

Su Liang complained in a low voice: "You see, you can't squeeze into the inn at all now, you can only stand outside."

Fanning snorted, "Could it be that the messenger came out of the inn?"

Su Liang was speechless, and said for a while: "Don't be so desperate, we are late anyway."

Fan Ning and Su Liang found a corner with a little less people. Relatively speaking, there were still dozens of people crowded here. As the number of people increased, Fan Ning and Su Liang were quickly pushed to the nearest corner. In the corner, there is an indescribable feeling of oppression.

Vendors are constantly hawking outside, "Fresh biscuits, freshly baked biscuits!"

"Candied haws, fragrant and sweet candied haws!"

"Looking at the fortune teller, the future will be determined by iron mouth, and only ten cents!"

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They waited for half an hour, and even Su Liang realized that he had really come too early, and the guilt on his face was almost unbearable.

"I'm going to buy candied haws!" The heart of redemption made Su Liang squeeze out bravely. "

He bought two bunches of candied haws and was about to go back when he found Fan Ning right behind him.

"Why did you come out?"

"Nonsense, isn't it because you can't squeeze it out so you're nestled in it. Since you squeezed it out, what am I still doing in it?"

Su Liang scratched his head, he found himself getting more and more stupid.

Fan Ning took a bunch of candied haws and pointed to the opposite side of the street, "Let's wait on the opposite side!"

People have a fixed mindset, saying that the old Caomen Inn was the contact point for the imperial examination, and almost everyone crowded at the entrance of the inn for fear of missing the announcement procession, while the opposite side of the street was empty with almost no one there.

In fact, the messenger came from the north, and there was no head blocking him on the other side of the street, but he could see it more clearly, and the distance was only twenty or thirty steps away.

"It's still empty here!"

Su Liang gnawed on the candied haws and said with a smile: "It's spacious and comfortable, why do you have to squeeze them together?"

"The two petty officials, do you want some change?"

People who do business are everywhere, a middle-aged man with a burden stepped forward and said with a smile: "I will be on the list later, but I need some money to treat guests."

The middle-aged man's words immediately reminded Su Liang that he only brought a few taels of silver, and he really didn't expect to bring some copper coins.

"How to change money?"

"One tael of silver for eight hundred Wen!"

Su Liang jumped up, "You are simply too dark, you want to earn us two hundred coins!"

Fan Ning pulled Su Liang over and waved to the middle-aged man, "We haven't even finished the test papers, how could we get in the list, you think too highly of us, we don't need to exchange money!"

Su Liang also came to his senses, and quickly expressed that he would not change the money. Seeing that they refused to be fooled, the middle-aged man had to curse and leave.

After the middle-aged man walked away, Su Liang asked, "What's wrong?"

Fan Ning sneered, "Even if one tael of silver is exchanged for one thousand, he will make a lot of money!"

Su Liang was stunned, "Why?"

One tael of silver is exchanged for one thousand renminbi, so what's the problem?

Fan Ning shook his head, "Didn't you see that the basket he picked was full of iron money?"

Su Liang suddenly realized that one copper coin can be exchanged for two iron coins. This bastard only said that one tael of silver could be exchanged for eight hundred Wen, but he didn't say whether it was copper coins or iron coins.

Su Liang cursed angrily, "Liar, your conscience has been eaten by a dog! Doing this kind of thing will kill you!"

Fan Ning stopped his yelling and said to him with a smile: "There are so many people, can you send the money? At most, give the Announcer a little bit of silver. If you really want to, you can give me ten taels of silver."

"Go! You have much more money than me, why should I give it to you?"

"You have passed the Jinshi exam, why don't you give it to me?"

Su Liang gritted his teeth with hatred, "You bastard, you are taunting me again. When did I get admitted to Jinshi? Whether I pass the exam or not, I won't give you a penny."

The two chatted and laughed, and waited for about a quarter of an hour. At this time, the sound of rumbling drums came from the direction of the imperial city. All the scholars were refreshed, and the team of announcing the good news finally came out.

After a while, there was a sound of firecrackers from the north, which came from the direction of the inn on Neibei Street, which meant that someone had won the list.

Although there is no ranking in the provincial examination, as long as they pass the examination, it means that at the worst, they are also from a Jinshi background, and they will be directly awarded an official. Without any backstage background, they can also be a county magistrate.

How can you make your heart beat?
At this time, a team of good news officials came rushing from the north, four or five good news officials beat gongs and drums, wore red and black-edged auspicious clothes, with hairpin flowers on their hats, and announced the good news cards. The head official held a big red good news.

It is not that a group of officials who announce the good news go to one family, but come out in batches, and each group of officials who announce the good news has to go to more than a dozen inns.

"Good news!"

The official who announced the good news shouted, and was immediately surrounded by more than [-] scholars.

"Everyone be quiet!"

There was a sudden silence around, and the officials had to announce the good news loudly: "The gold list of Zhangqu High School in Nanyang County, Dengzhou!"

Cheers erupted from a certain corner, and a scholar was lifted high.

The announcer shouted again: "Yu Xiaowen High School Gold List, Yuyao County, Yuezhou!"

There was another round of cheers and applause.

"There are two in Pingjiang Mansion below!"

Fan Ning and Su Liang immediately pricked up their ears, only to hear the announcer shout: "Meng Tong, Kunshan County, Pingjiang Prefecture, Zhang Chao, Wujiang County, Pingjiang Prefecture!"

Cheers erupted from the surrounding area, the announcer put away the list and smiled at everyone: "On my side there are only four scholars from the old Caomen inn, and there will be many more in the future. Please come up to the four scholars who are on the list."

The four candidates came up surrounded by crowds, and the announcing officer took out four admission notices and handed them to the four, saying, "Everyone, please check the examination numbers, so as not to confuse the same name with the same surname!"

The four of them checked the examination numbers and handed money to the announcing officer one after another. The announcing officer accepted them one by one with a smile.

(End of this chapter)