Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu and I swapped clothes

Chapter 80: utter rubbish! [Seeking first subscription]

There was an unwritten rule in the county examinations: it was an honor to hand in one's paper early.

The earlier you submit your exam paper, the sooner it reaches the magistrate's desk, the more likely it is to leave a lasting impression, and the higher your chances of passing.

Therefore, the person who leaves the examination hall first will be sought after by those around them.

At that time, it was just past noon, and there were even poor students eating in the back row. Jia Baoyu had already torn up his exam paper and suddenly stood up.

He strode confidently to the examiner and bowed as he presented the exam paper.

The noise in the front row drew everyone's attention, and Jia Baoyu, of course, enjoyed it, his steps becoming slightly unsteady.

Looking into the examination hall, Jia Baoyu spotted Li Chen in the third row. After exchanging a glance with him, Jia Baoyu gave a disdainful smile and left the examination hall without looking back.

"With your limited knowledge, what do you have to bet with me? Your evasive tactics are quite clever. Too bad, Xue the Fool isn't exactly clever! Even if you're wrong, you can't blame me!"

Although Lin Daiyu was unaware of Jia Baoyu's scheming, she could guess most of it from his arrogant demeanor.

'He submitted his paper in such a short time; can his examination poem even meet the required standards?'

Lin Daiyu shook her head inwardly, but her hands unconsciously quickened their copying.

She had no intention of comparing herself to Jia Baoyu; the real problem was that she kept drinking water to fill her stomach, and before she knew it, she had drunk a whole pot of water, and her crotch was about to burst.

Lin Daiyu submitted her paper in small regular script without a single correction, ranking around tenth in the entire exam.

Crossing the Dragon Gate, all that could be seen were the families of the examinees waiting there, but Jia Baoyu was nowhere to be seen.

Lin Daiyu thought that Jia Baoyu would still be waiting there, lingering and making a scene.

"This man looks like the second young master of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion."

Whispers suddenly arose from the crowd.

"The Zhenyuan Marquis's family has been guarding the border for generations, so why are they taking the imperial examinations? Do they think they're the Rongguo Mansion now? The Jia family has had members who passed the imperial examinations."

"Haha, who can disagree? It's still unknown whether the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion has a collection of classical texts."

Lin Daiyu's gaze sharpened as she looked toward the source of the sound.

Only then did I notice that they were two candidates who had come out earlier, and they both seemed to be top-tier candidates.

Noticing Lin Daiyu looking at them, they laughed and walked away, not paying much attention.

Lin Daiyu would not be as impulsive as Jia Baoyu; the day the results were announced would be the day she shattered all the slander.

Inside the carriage, Mrs. Zou had already prepared various kinds of snacks.

Upon seeing Li Chen, she hurriedly lifted the sedan curtain, waving her handkerchief and calling out, "My son, you answered so quickly! Come quickly!"

"They were among the first to come out. Mother thought we'd have to wait until dark. Xiangling, quickly bring those pastries for Chen'er to eat; he must not have eaten anything."

Xiangling approached with a delighted expression, diligently opening each food box one by one.

Lin Daiyu was indeed hungry, but she had something more urgent to attend to.

"Mother, may we drive back to the manor first?"

Madam Zou nodded, "Of course, I came here to pick you up."

"What about the cousins?"

"They have horse-drawn carriages waiting to take them back to their hometown."

The carriage moved slowly forward, and Lin Daiyu initially did not feel much discomfort.

As the speed increased and the wheels began to lurch, Lin Daiyu realized something was wrong.

'not good……'

Lin Daiyu clutched her lower abdomen tightly with both hands and squeezed her legs together, her face turning red from holding it in.

Xiangling stayed by Lin Daiyu's side, suppressing her desire to ask about the county examination. Her eyes blinked, and she picked up a piece of jujube cake and handed it to Lin Daiyu.

"Young master, are you feeling unwell from hunger? Have a piece of food to fill your stomach first, and then drink some warm tea."

Lin Daiyu was too busy to even lift a finger and shook her head repeatedly.

"No, no need. How much longer until we arrive at your residence?"

Mrs. Zou laughed and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I've never seen you so attached to home before. It won't even take a quarter of an hour."

"A quarter of an hour!"

Lin Daiyu was instantly petrified. This fifteen minutes was simply the most agonizing moment of her life.

As soon as the carriage came to a stop, she jumped down impatiently and headed straight for the outhouse.

He yanked his belt, pulled down his pants, and vomited.

"So comfortable..."

Lin Daiyu awkwardly twisted her waist, wiped herself clean, and walked out refreshed, only to see that Marquis Zhenyuan was also waiting under the eaves.

"Chen'er, how did the exam go?"

Zou pounded his shoulder and frowned, saying, "Didn't we agree not to ask?"

"I forgot, I forgot."

Lin Daiyu stepped forward and replied, "It's acceptable."

Marquis Zhenyuan nodded slightly. "Oh? So it seems there's a chance to win? I thought Mr. Xing was just flattering you."

Madam Zou hurriedly interjected, "Chen'er is only fifteen. He has a long way to go in the imperial examinations. Even if he doesn't pass this time, it doesn't matter. He can take the exam again next year."

Lin Daiyu smiled and nodded, "Yes, Mother, don't worry, I'm confident."

……

Rongguo Mansion
After Jia Baoyu returned to the mansion, he never lowered his head.

He went straight back to the inner chamber to report the good news to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang.

Upon hearing that Baoyu was the first to hand in his exam paper, the two were overjoyed and repeatedly uttered, "May the Bodhisattva bless us."

Then, Jia Baoyu hurriedly went to his sisters' rooms.

The sisters were sitting together in Tan Chun's room, waiting for news from Jia Baoyu.

Before Baoyu even entered the room, he couldn't help but shout, "Sisters, let's see who wins first place today!"

Tan Chun hurriedly asked, "How did Brother Bao do on the exam?"

"Naturally wonderful!"

Jia Baoyu stood with his hands behind his back and his head held high, saying, "I'm the first one to leave the examination hall!"

Li Chen couldn't help but chuckle.

Given Jia Baoyu's unreliable nature, his decision to be the first to step forward was likely just to show off, so how could his test paper be without flaws?

Sanchun breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. When will the results be posted?"

Jia Baoyu said smugly, "We'll see the results in two days!"

……

Examination hall, marking room

The first round had ended, and Magistrate Zhou Shuyan and the examiners stayed in the room all night to review the papers.

As a county magistrate and local official, passing the imperial examination was a significant achievement.

In particular, selecting talented individuals who excel in the subsequent prefectural and provincial examinations will increase the number of students from Wanping County in the capital region, thus further enhancing the literary atmosphere.

Therefore, the grading of papers cannot be taken lightly.

Full of anticipation, I opened the exam paper; the first one was number 30.

Those who dare to be the first to hand in their papers usually possess genuine talent and ability; they are unlikely to fall short of expectations and are at least far ahead of the county average.

Therefore, Magistrate Zhou took it even more seriously.

I examined the lampstand, reading it word by word. The first essay on the Four Books was passable in terms of fluency; the second essay on the Four Books was somewhat biased from the start. It wasn't until I patiently read the examination poem that I finally understood.

One line actually doesn't rhyme.

This was something that Magistrate Zhou could not tolerate.

"Out of rhyme! How dare you make such a basic mistake! This is Jingxian County, how can you be so mediocre?"

Magistrate Zhou felt immense pressure. If these candidates were to go to the prefectural examination in two months, wouldn't they be utterly crushed by Daxing County, which was already superior?

The magistrate threw the exam paper on the ground, unable to bear it any longer, and cursed, "Dismissed! What utter rubbish!"

(End of this chapter)