Dream of the Red Chamber: Madam, please have some self-respect!

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang quickly put on a flattering smile: "Old Madam's judgment of people is never wrong. After hearing your explanation, I understand now. It seems that the three of them are truly evenly matched this time."

Grandmother Jia gave her a half-smile, then glanced at her daughter-in-law's face before looking away.

Although the old lady's tone remained as calm as casual conversation, the unspoken meaning behind her words was truly alarming.

"Baoyu is naturally my darling, the future hope of our household. But Yun'er, he also has Jia family blood in his veins. From now on... you must be more cautious in your actions, and don't do those foolish things again. As the saying goes, 'Never underestimate a young man's potential.' What if he really becomes successful one day? How will you handle that? Don't you think so?"

These words struck Madam Wang like a thunderbolt.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the teacup.

Could it be... could it be that the old lady already knows about what happened six months ago? Was it she who sent Zhou Rui's wife to the yamen to smooth things over and suppress the matter of Jia Yun being beaten...?

Madam Wang suppressed her inner panic, maintaining her submissive demeanor as she nodded repeatedly, saying, "Grandma's teachings are correct, I've remembered them."

The sun shone brightly outside the window, and Rongqing Hall remained peaceful and serene. However, the rising tea smoke seemed to carry an undercurrent of unspoken tension.

Ironically, Jia Lan and Bao Yu were going to take the county examination with Jia Yun this time.

Especially Jia Lan, who is only six years old.

Originally, his family thought he was too young and didn't plan to let him go. But seeing how hard Yun-ge was working, the little boy was encouraged and, in his childish voice, he seriously decided to take the exam. Seeing his commendable ambition, everyone agreed.

This delighted Jia Zheng. Three promising scholars taking the exam together was a first for the Jia family. He immediately took charge of personally overseeing and checking their registration.

According to the rules of the county-level imperial examinations in the Han Dynasty, the county government would post a notice about the examination date a month before the exam.

The Jia family was well-prepared. Steward Lin Zhixiao personally accompanied Jia Yun, Baoyu, and Jia Lan to the county government's ceremonial office to register and fill out their "personal statements" (resumes).

Later, they found three more students from the county and signed a "mutual guarantee agreement among the five students," stipulating that if one of them cheated, all five would be guilty.

The "mutual agreement" is not difficult; the "signature agreement" is, which requires a person in the county with the title of "Linsheng" (student whose meals are provided by the government) to act as guarantor.

Needless to say, Jia Lan was a given, but how could Lin Shouzhong not help his own grandson?

Jia Yun didn't make many arrangements, but Lin Shouzhong quickly found a senior scholar to vouch for him.

As for Baoyu, because he had always disliked economics and literature and had a bad reputation, it took quite a bit of effort to persuade him to come. In the end, it was only through Jia Zheng's connections that they were able to barely manage to invite someone.

At dawn the day before the exam, the Rongguo Mansion was bustling with carriages and horses, a truly lively scene.

A large group of people followed behind Grandmother Jia to personally see him off at the second gate. She first took Baoyu's hand and repeatedly instructed him: "My son, don't panic when you get into the examination hall, be careful. All the food has been prepared for you. If you feel unwell, immediately inform the examiner and come out. Don't force yourself..."

His rambling was full of affection.

Jia Yun hadn't seen Bao Yu for a long time, and upon seeing him today, he indeed seemed to have gained more of his masculine charm.

Could it be that my butterfly effect has worked?

After saying this, the old lady bent down and lovingly patted Jia Lan's head, smiling, "Good child, it's amazing that you have such ambition at such a young age! Don't be afraid when you get to the venue, just think of it as a different place to practice your writing and reciting. Your grandmother is waiting for your good news!"

The old lady's concern for Baoyu's health far outweighed her concern for his studies, while her words to Jia Lan were pure encouragement and praise.

Seeing this, Lady Wang's eyes reddened even more, and she kept chanting Buddhist scriptures, as if Baoyu was not going to take an exam, but to fight in Liaodong.

Li Wan, moved by the scene, also held Jia Lan's little hand tightly. Looking at her son's innocent profile, her eyes were filled with joy and anticipation—but she was also reminded of her deceased husband.

However, when Li Wan's gaze inadvertently swept over Jia Yun, who was pretending to be serious, her excitement quickly turned into a complex and indescribable feeling.

While everyone's attention was focused on Baoyu and Grandmother Jia, she quickly glared at Jia Yun, thinking to herself, "What a lecherous scoundrel pretending to be!"

Jia Yun's mother, Madam Bu, was also allowed to come today.

But she only stood at a distance, her eyes filled with expectation and worry as she looked at her son. Perhaps because of her lowly status, she only had red eyes and did not dare to step forward and give him detailed instructions like Madam Wang did.

That timid look made Jia Yun's heart ache.

Jia Zheng didn't say much, but solemnly said to the three men, "Do your utmost, do not fail the Emperor's grace, and do not tarnish the family's reputation."

Jia She, standing to the side, chuckled and said, "Study hard! If you pass, your uncle will reward you handsomely!"

Amidst this atmosphere of anticipation and concern, Jia Yun, Bao Yu, and the young Jia Lan, carrying their examination baskets, boarded the carriage to the examination hall.

Shenjing was the capital of the Han Dynasty, and it governed two counties: Shuntian and Chang'an.

The examination hall for this county-level examination in Shuntian was set up next to the Shuntian County School, which faced south and had a solemn atmosphere.

At the southernmost end are the east and west gates, surrounded by wooden fences. Inside the fences is a large open space, now crowded with students waiting to enter and people seeing them off to the exam.

To the north of the open space lies the "Dragon Gate," a symbol of carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Lanterns and torches illuminated the Dragon Gate brightly, and the yamen runners shouted to maintain order.

Finally, after three drumbeats, the county magistrate, surrounded by his entourage, sat down in the west room of the main hall inside the Dragon Gate, facing east.

First, the instructors from the county's Confucian academy stepped forward, bowed to the county magistrate, and stood respectfully behind him. Then, the students who had acted as guarantors stepped forward one by one to pay their respects and stood on both sides to supervise. This was called "gongbao" to show impartiality.

Then came the tense roll call and entry process. The students, arranged in pre-assigned rows of fifty, were led by yamen runners carrying paper lanterns to the Dragon Gate.

The roll call officer's voice was loud and clear, and the sound of calling out names was particularly distinct in the cold morning wind.

"Jia Ji!"

Baoyu quickly replied, "Here!"

The official calling out names continued, "Li Guangdi, the student in charge of the imperial stipend!"

A student standing next to the examiner immediately responded, "Student Li Guangdi!"

This is called "singing the guarantor" to confirm that the guarantor is correct.

Baoyu took the exam paper and went to find his seat according to his number.

"Jia Yun!"

Jia Yun took a deep breath and calmly replied, "Here!"

"Zhang Chenglu, a student receiving government stipends!"

"Zhang Chenglu, a student receiving government stipends!" another student answered loudly.

Jia Yun walked slowly with the bustling crowd, passed through the heavily guarded ceremonial gate, and suddenly the view opened up before him—this was the examination hall for the county examination.

In the vast courtyard, hundreds of cells were neatly arranged, resembling a maze built of wooden planks when viewed from afar.

These cells were extremely rudimentary, with three sides enclosed by thin wooden planks, allowing only enough space for one person to turn around. At this time, it was still dark, and the yamen runners, holding rosters, called out names one by one, leading the candidates to their respective seats.

He was taken to a cell in the northwest corner.

This place is exceptionally secluded, situated in the shade behind the courtyard wall. While it lacks some sunlight, it also feels quite chilly.

Jia Yun didn't take it to heart; on the contrary, he thought it was a good place to concentrate on answering the questions.

He carefully examined the small space: a wooden plank about a foot wide served as a table, and below it was another slightly narrower plank that served as a stool; apart from that, there was nothing else.

Just as he was preparing to organize his exam basket, two men dressed in black search uniforms approached. One of them said expressionlessly, "Routine search."

After saying that, he took the exam basket from him, while the other person carefully searched his body.

The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were examined one by one. The Duan inkstone was picked up and tapped lightly to confirm that there were no hidden compartments. The stack of plain paper was examined sheet by sheet. Even the few pieces of layered cake were broken open and examined carefully to confirm that there were no hidden compartments.

The search was conducted with practiced skill and efficiency, and the examination was completed in a short time. The searcher nodded to him and said, "Take a seat."

Just as Jia Yun settled into his cell, he heard the three clanging of the gong, its clear sound echoing through the courtyard.

Instantly, the previously somewhat noisy examination room fell completely silent.

He knew that if anyone got up without permission at this moment, they would be treated as cheating.

Looking up, one could see that the candidates were either sitting upright or tidying up their stationery, each with a solemn expression.

At this moment, an official dressed in the robes of a seventh-rank official entered the main hall, surrounded by yamen runners.

Jia Yun recognized him as the chief examiner of the county examination—Magistrate Xu.

He then proclaimed in a loud voice, "Now that you have entered this gate, you must strictly abide by the examination rules. Anyone who harbors any侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality) and engages in activities such as moving seats, exchanging examination papers, dropping papers, talking, or looking around will be immediately put in cangues and displayed in public, and will be forever barred from taking the examination!"

After the instructions were finished, the exam officially began.

Three clerks, each carrying a wooden board with the exam questions affixed to it, walked slowly along the passageway.

Jia Yun examined the first wooden board closely. The inscription on it read: "The superior man understands righteousness; the inferior man understands profit."

A slight thought stirred within him.

This question may seem simple, but it actually contains hidden meanings and is the best test of a candidate's knowledge and breadth of mind.

The second wooden board displays questions from the Five Classics, namely the Book of Changes, the Book of Documents, the Book of Poetry, the Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. Candidates are required to choose one of these classics to answer.

Jia Yun, who majored in the Book of Songs, was secretly delighted when he saw the title "Guan Guan Jujiu, Zai He Zhi Zhou"—this was the very chapter he had studied diligently.

The third wooden board bears the title of a five-character, six-line poem for the imperial examination: "The spring breeze has turned the south bank of the Yangtze River green again."

The prompts must strictly adhere to the rules of prosody and must not violate temple taboos or imperial names.