The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 998 Examination of Literature
Xue Shao handed the bundle to Pan Yun and entered the venue with only the wedding gift money.

Feng Hongde made a big fuss about organizing the written exam; the exam hall was open to the public, with only ropes separating the participants.

Many people wanted to become Feng Hongde's son-in-law, and many applied, but not everyone who applied could pass the preliminary selection.

The initial selection is based on appearance and height.

This filters out a lot of people.

Feng Hongde also used the first step of screening to eliminate many people he didn't like, including those who met the requirements in terms of appearance and height.

Xue Shao learned from Huang Quan that most of those people were sons of local gentry.

In Huang Quan's words, "Those gentry would send their second son or even a son of a concubine to marry into the family, just to return to the clan after Feng Hongde's death, reaping both fame and fortune. How many more years can Feng Hongde live at his age? By then, the Feng family will only have an orphan girl left, and won't they be the ones to call the shots?"

Huang Quan was also a local. Although his family wasn't very wealthy, they were still a landlord of moderate size.

So he knew he would be rejected, and even though he had been attracted to her, he never took the initiative.

Because he was sensible, he introduced several outstanding men from other places to Feng Hongde. Feng Hongde liked him very much and not only let him eat at the villa, but also gave him a reward.

Because Xue Shao was of the highest quality, Feng Hongde was very pleased. He not only gave him a reward of ten taels of silver, but also took him around to show off in front of the county magistrate and the instructor.

This made Huang Quan feel even closer to Xue Shao, and she felt that he was her benefactor.

So today, he took a day off to come and cheer for Xue Shao during the written exam.

Many other students from the county school, like him, had taken leave to come here. They all gathered around the line, peering curiously at the person scratching his head in confusion.

Some people simply found it funny, while others hid in the crowd, secretly exchanging glances and winks with the people in the exam hall.

Feng Hongde sat at the head of the table, looking down at him. What could possibly go unnoticed?

He sneered inwardly, noting down those who had cheated in secret. How could such morally corrupt people be his son-in-law?
When he glanced again and saw Xue Shao, who was already seated, elegant, calm and confident, he couldn't help but stroke his beard. He was indeed the person he had chosen.

He turned his head and asked the butler, "Has Miss arrived yet?"

"They've arrived and are waiting behind the screen."

Behind Feng Hongde was a huge screen, on which the questions for the written test were displayed. The screen would be opened as soon as the candidates sat down, and all candidates would simply write down their answers on paper.

Feng Hongde had already decided on Xue Shao in his heart, but this was, after all, his daughter's marriage, so he had to let her take a look.

Miss Feng was sitting behind the screen when her head maid peeked out and came back excitedly, saying, "Miss, Scholar Xue is here! Come and see!"

Miss Feng looked listless, clutching her handkerchief, and said, "Father has already seen it, why do you insist that I see it?"

"Miss, Scholar Xue is handsome."

"So what if he's handsome? He's just a weak scholar. In the future, will he be the one protecting me, or will I be the one protecting him?" Miss Feng bit her lip and said, "Why can't Father choose one for me in the army?"

The head maid knew that her mistress preferred warriors like her husband and disliked scholars, but she felt that her husband's concerns were valid: "Miss, it's easier to control a scholar. If your son-in-law is also in the army, you'll suffer in fights later."

"Then why hold a martial arts contest to choose a husband, instead of a literary contest?"

The head maidservant said awkwardly, "It's just a way of addressing people, and besides, aren't there both civil and military officials now?"

Urged by her head maid, Miss Feng reluctantly got up and peeked over the screen: "Which one is it?"

The maid pointed excitedly at him, "That one, that one, he's the best looking, dressed in simple clothes, with a very straight back, the best temperament, the most composed one." Without the maid pointing again, Miss Feng had already spotted him at a glance.

Xue Shao stood out conspicuously among the group of people who were frowning and scratching their heads.

Because Feng Hongde said it was a martial arts contest to choose a husband, the people who came didn't have much formal education, but they were all quite skilled in martial arts.

This group includes not only military officers but also江湖人 (jianghu people, people from the martial arts world). Although there are a few scholars and the foolish sons of landlords, they are all mediocre in both literary talent and martial arts skills.

Therefore, Xue Shaowen's composure was quite evident.

A young man sitting next to Xue Shao couldn't help but turn his head to look at him, look at him, and look at him again.

The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

Pan Yun mingled in the crowd, listening to various discussions and observing the numerous flawed cheating methods, and couldn't help but laugh.

As soon as the drum sounded, the questions on the screen unfolded and fell down. The questions were very comprehensive, including not only multiple choice questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, and short answer questions, but also a policy essay.

This is entirely based on the standards of the county examination, only the questions are more straightforward and tricky.

Besides some cultural questions, such as the chicken and rabbit problem, there are also questions like: Miss Feng has her eye on a set of pearl jewelry, but she doesn't have enough money, so she has to sell 100 acres of land in the south of the city to buy the pearl jewelry. As Miss Feng's husband, what would you do?
Pan Yun couldn't help but stroke his chin and ponder. He wondered what kind of answer Feng Hongde wanted for this question.

If the priority is the development of the family, then naturally the answer is no;
If we prioritize Miss Feng, then naturally Miss Feng's feelings are the most important.

Pan Jun was deep in thought when he noticed the young man beside Xue Shao glancing at him repeatedly, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Is this an attempt to cheat?
As Pan Jun looked around, her expression turned serious. She vaguely realized that they seemed to have gone too far. Why did this person look so familiar?

Pan Yun stared at the young man as he tried to recall. Since breaking through to the first rank, she could be described as having a photographic memory, and she quickly found a face that matched her in the depths of her memory.

His face flashed by on the ship swaying in the wind.

Pan Yun's teeth ached. This man had fought alongside them to suppress pirates, but thankfully he wasn't one of the people who went to Japan with them.

What was Xue Shao's status on the ship back then?

Oh, so he's also a down-on-his-luck scholar wandering the world, but...

After they returned from Japan, Xue Shao's identity was no longer a secret. In the past two years, anyone who hadn't been living in seclusion in the deep mountains and forests must have heard of Xue Shao.

Pan Yun rubbed her forehead, grabbed Pan Xiaohei on her shoulder, and whispered, "Let him fall asleep before he speaks."

Pan Xiaohei: "...Why don't you do anything?"

Pan Yun: "Don't hurt anyone. You go forward and borrow your body while I do the work."

Pan Xiaohei reluctantly agreed, jumped out of her arms, and slipped into the examination room in a few quick movements.

The young man finally remembered where he had seen Xue Shao before. He looked surprised and stood up abruptly. Wasn't this the scholar who always followed Master Pan?

His name is Xue Shao, but I heard that his identity is also fake. He is a court official and a friend of Master Pan.

The young man was extremely jealous. Master Pan had become the national advisor, so he should have been promoted to a high position. Why was he still competing with them to become their son-in-law?
Oh right, what was their identity again?

Just as the young man was about to remember, a gentle breeze seemed to brush against the back of his neck, and his vision went black as he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

(End of this chapter)