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This year's special examination was held in early March. In addition to the usual imperial examinations, a women's examination was also added.

This is destined to be a magnificent exam that will go down in history.

Since the New Year, candidates from all over Daliang have been rushing to the capital. After the New Year, more and more candidates came to the capital. All the inns in the capital were full. The homes of civil and military officials were also filled with relatives and friends who came to stay.

Just as Jiang Shaohua expected, after the news of the female selection spread throughout Daliang, there were very few women who had the courage and support of their fathers and brothers to accompany them to the capital. Most of them were powerful and visionary ladies from aristocratic families, and the main force was the daughters, daughters-in-law, or granddaughters and granddaughters-in-law of officials in the capital.

Among them, there were many who were old-fashioned and strict, and did not allow the women in their families to take the women's examination. In the end, a total of 106 people registered at the Ministry of Rites.

The oldest of these 106 women was 28 years old, and the youngest was 14 years old. Thirty percent of them were unmarried girls, and another 30 percent were married women. The majority were widows whose husbands had died and who were either widowed or living in their parents' homes.

Cui Wenxiu was also among them.

Life is always harder for widows. They also have more desire and motivation to break free from the shackles. Cui Wenxiu was invited by her cousin to go to Ye County and became a female teacher. Not only did she earn money to support herself, but she also relied on the big tree of Nanyang Princess.

Now that the princess sat on the throne, several female officials in Nanyang County who had been treated as a joke also jumped up and attracted everyone's attention.

Even the Kong family of Lu County went to the Nanyang Royal Guard Camp, hoping to recognize Kong Qingwan.

Cui Wenxiu had the same problem. She had always kept in touch with her parents, but her husband's family had already cut off contact with her, but now they had the audacity to send her son to Ye County.

No matter how angry she was, she couldn't give up her son. Her husband's family wanted to send a girl from the clan to her and ask her to help her take the women's exam, but she flatly refused.

Li Ying also came to Beijing to participate in the female selection with Cui Wenxiu.

Both of them have official positions and jobs, so it doesn't really matter whether they take the female examination or not. The main reason is that they want to come to the capital to strengthen the momentum of the emperor's female examination. Think about it, the emperor specially set up a female examination, if few people participate, it would be too embarrassing.

Not only did the two of them come, they also brought the most outstanding students from the women's academy to the capital to take the women's examination together.

"Master, Principal, the capital is really bustling." The fourteen-year-old Lu Zhen was like a flower seedling, full of vitality, and his expression was full of vigor and vitality: "If I can pass the exam, can I stay in the capital in the future?"

Cui Wenxiu and Li Ying both liked her very much. They laughed together when they heard her words: "That's right."

"If you pass the exam, you can enter the palace and serve the emperor."

Lu Zhen's eyes suddenly lit up, like two flames: "Really? That's great! I want to be like Chen Sheren, serving the emperor and being a female official in Daliang."

Looking at the ambitious Lu Zhen, Li Ying's eyes were filled with smile and pride.

Ye County Women's Academy was opened six years ago. At that time, there were only five female students, and even a female teacher could not be found. So she, the wife of the county magistrate, had to be the teacher herself. Lu Zhen was called Lu Da Niu back then, and this name was given by the princess. Lu Zhen was smart and hardworking. In the past six years, she has always been the top student in the women's academy. Even the princess's sister Lu Ruohua came, but she couldn't take away her top spot.

Today, Ye County Women's Academy is well-known, with more than 500 students. Four more female teachers have been hired. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the best women's academy in Daliang.

If Lu Zhen can pass the women's subject selection exam this time, she will definitely become famous all over the world. It will also thoroughly make the name of Ye County Women's Academy famous. Li Ying and Cui Wenxiu both have high hopes for Lu Zhen. Lu Zhen is also full of confidence in himself.

"It's good to be ambitious." Cui Wenxiu laughed softly, "However, once you enter the examination room, you must not be careless and take the exam carefully. Get the best results."

Lu Zhen nodded vigorously.

The Qinghe Cui family had relatives living in the capital, so the three of them came to the capital together and lived in the Cui family's house. The Cui family also had a 15-year-old girl who signed up for the women's examination together.

On the sixth day of the third lunar month, two thousand candidates entered the examination room specially set up by the Ministry of Rites with solemn faces. Before entering the examination room, they had to undergo a strict search to prevent anyone from bringing in cheating papers.

The women were also checked. Minister Dong was very thorough and meticulous, and he borrowed four palace maids from the palace. The 104 women were searched one by one, and it only took about an hour to finish the search.

Why 104? Because two women were absent from the exam.

Coincidentally, both girls were surnamed Zheng. One was the concubine of Duke Anguo, and the other was the niece of Duke Anguo. Both were the best students and the most outstanding girls in the Zheng family.

When Minister Dong learned about this, he sneered.

Duke Anguo Zheng Lin racked his brains and exhausted all his energy for the survival of the Zheng family. At this time, the Zheng family should really keep their heads down and behave themselves. In the female selection, the daughter of the Zheng family was absent from the examination, which was Duke Anguo's way of showing that he no longer had any ambition to interfere in the court or the harem, and only wanted to survive.

Halfway through the examination, the emperor suddenly came to the Ministry of Rites.

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Minister Dong was surprised and delighted, and hurriedly led the inspecting officials to greet them.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "I stay in the palace every day. Today I am free, so I went out of the palace to visit the Ministry of Rites. Minister Dong just needs to be busy with his own work, so there is no need to accompany me."

The imperial examination was a major event for selecting officials for the imperial court. This was also the first imperial examination after Minister Dong took office. The Ministry of Rites had been busy preparing for this day for several months. Minister Dong had not slept a full night for several days.

Minister Dong knew the emperor's temper. If he said he didn't need to accompany him, then he really didn't need to accompany him. He had done his job well, and everything was fine. If something went wrong, he would not be able to explain it. There were a bunch of jealous people behind him staring at him, waiting for him to make a mistake and then submit a memorial to impeach him!
Minister Dong bowed in agreement and continued to lead the officials to inspect the examination room.

Jiang Shaohua walked into the examination room slowly.

I don't know which candidate it was, but he looked up and in his excitement, he lost his grip on the pen and it fell on the paper with a "bang", smearing most of the paper.

The scholar’s ​​face turned pale and he almost fainted.

Half of the exam time had passed, and even if he wanted another blank paper, there was not enough time. He had no chance of taking the special exam this time.

The rest of the candidates did not even dare to raise their heads. It would not be too late to look up at the emperor's face after they passed the exam and became his disciples.

Jiang Shaohua ignored this unlucky guy who didn't know the seriousness of the matter. After walking around the examination room, he went to the women's examination room. (End of this chapter)