After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

The next morning, before dawn, Lin Chu got up.

He packed a small bundle, containing a few changes of clothes, two books, dry rations, and a water bag, and carried it on his back in a neat square package.

He looked at the garment that Cang Yao had given him over and over again, but in the end, he still couldn't bear to wear it.

It was folded neatly and stuffed into the bottom of the bundle.

Mr. Chen stood under the veranda, leaning on a bamboo cane. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only sighed: "Are you sure you don't need me to come along?"

"No need." Lin Chu tightened the straps of her bundle. "It's a long journey, please rest at home."

"I'm not so old that I can't walk anymore." Mr. Chen glared at him, but didn't insist any further.

He reached out and straightened Lin Chu's collar, his rough fingertips stroking the fabric slowly.

"Do your best on the exam." His voice deepened, no longer the lazy tone he usually used. "With your talent, passing the provincial exam shouldn't be difficult. Don't put too much pressure on yourself; just treat it as a trip."

Lin Chu nodded.

Mr. Chen patted him on the shoulder, took a step back, and looked at him.

"Go."

Lin Chu turned around and pushed open the courtyard gate.

A bunch of people were standing at the entrance.

Aunt Wang led the way, carrying a huge blue cloth bundle, bulging and full of things.

Behind her were several elderly villagers and a few teenagers, all familiar faces she saw every day in the village.

"Lin boy!" Aunt Wang rushed over and shoved the large package into Lin Chu's arms. "This is for the road! It contains flatbread, pickled vegetables, cured meat, and some radish strips I pickled myself—your favorites!"

The package was heavy, and Lin Chu's arm slumped slightly when she took it.

"...Too many."

"What's the big deal! When you're traveling, make sure you bring enough food!" Aunt Wang patted the package, her eyes a little red. "You child, you've never traveled far before, and now you're going so far away, you'd better take good care of yourself."

Lin Chu looked at the bulging, misshapen package in her arms, remained silent for a moment, then bent down and bowed to Aunt Wang.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing!" Aunt Wang quickly helped him up, turned around and wiped her eyes. "Alright, alright, let's go, getting on the road is the priority."

Lin Chuzhi stood up and glanced at the crowd at the courtyard gate.

Some waved to him, some shouted "Do well on the exam!", and some stuffed two more eggs into his bag.

He wasn't good at handling such situations, so he simply nodded, turned around, climbed onto the donkey cart, and embarked on the road leading out of the village.

As we passed the fork in the road leading to the creek.

He paused for a moment.

Along the stream, the willow canopies were faintly visible in the morning mist.

He watched for a while, but didn't go over.

Then he turned and walked toward the official road leading out of the mountains.

The Great Zhou Dynasty covered a vast area; it would take almost twenty days to travel from Qinghe Village to Yushan County alone.

On both sides of the official road were continuous farmlands and occasional villages.

There weren't many pedestrians on the road; occasionally you could encounter one or two peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders or old farmers riding donkeys.

Lin Chu traveled during the day and rested at roadside inns at night.

The conditions at the post station were rudimentary, with a dozen or so people lying on a large communal bed, snoring all around, and various smells mixed together.

He didn't care much, found a corner to lie down and sleep, and got up to continue walking before dawn.

On the seventh day, I passed through a small town and saw a notice about the provincial examination on the bulletin board at the town gate.

The notice was stamped with the county government's vermilion seal and was densely filled with examination rules and date arrangements.

The imperial examination system of the Great Zhou Dynasty was quite unique.

As one of the most powerful nations in the Vast Domain, the Great Zhou Dynasty is based on scholars, cultivating Confucianism and Taoism, and nurturing a righteous spirit.

In order to attract more talented people, the imperial court designed the examination system to be quite flexible—within a month, candidates could take two exams in the same place.

Passing the first round makes you a student of the lowest rank; passing the second round makes you a scholar of the highest rank.

If you pass the first exam but fail the second, you can just take the second exam the following year; you don't need to start all over again.

It sounds simple, but it's a completely different story in practice.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, scholars already had the right not to kneel before officials, were exempt from corvée labor and torture, and could open private schools and write documents for others. They were already considered people of status in their villages.

Therefore, every year, the number of people who register is as large as a swarm of locusts crossing a river, from eight or nine-year-old children to fifty or sixty-year-old men, all crowding into the examination hall.

The college entrance examination, which was like a battle against a raging storm, was no less challenging than the one Lin Chu had experienced in her previous life.

He glanced at it twice and continued on his way.

On the evening of the nineteenth day, he finally saw the city wall of Yushan County in the distance.

The city wall wasn't very high, but it was well-organized, and the bluish-gray bricks gleamed warmly in the setting sun.

A plaque hangs on the city gate tower, bearing the three large characters "Yushan County" in vigorous calligraphy, clearly the work of a scholar.

There was a long queue at the city gate, with people carrying loads, driving horse-drawn carts, and leading oxen; it was very lively.

Lin Chu followed the group into the city.

Yushan County was much more prosperous than he had imagined.

The main street is lined with shops on both sides, with signs one after another.

I found a guesthouse that looked fairly clean and booked the cheapest room.

When the innkeeper heard that he was there to take the imperial examination, he gave him an extra pot of hot water and told the waiter not to disturb him.

……

three days later.

Lin Chu carried her exam basket and headed to the exam hall.

The examination venue in Yushan County was located next to the county school, in a specially built courtyard.

The area outside the examination hall was already packed with people, with examinees and their families crowding together, making a lot of noise, even more lively than a vegetable market.

After squeezing through the crowd, I had my identity documents checked at the entrance, received a number, and was then led into the examination room.

The examination room consisted of small cubicles separated by wooden boards, each barely large enough for one person to turn around in.

A narrow table, a hard chair, and an oil lamp were all that was needed.

Lin Chu sat down, arranged the brush and ink, closed her eyes, and adjusted her breathing.

The first exam was on the "Mingjing" (a classical Chinese examination).

The so-called "Mingjing" was also known as "Lianglun" in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which means "the rotation of the sun and moon, and being bright and upright".

The exam was conducted in two rounds.

The first round is the "Tiejing" test—the examiner randomly selects a page from a Confucian classic, covers the context, leaving only one line, and asks the candidate to write down the content before and after the text.

This test assesses familiarity with the scriptures and the ability to memorize them by rote.

The second round is "Interpretation of Classical Texts"—the examiners pose questions, asking candidates to interpret the passages in the classics and explain their understanding, testing the depth of their knowledge.

When the text was presented, Lin Chu answered very quickly.

Under Mr. Chen's supervision, he studied diligently, and the Four Books and Five Classics were already worn out from being read so many times.

Those sentences seemed to be engraved in my mind; I could recite them from memory even with my eyes closed.

When he was writing, his pen slowed down.

The question wasn't difficult, but he was used to thinking about it more.

He had read a wide variety of books, and Mr. Chen taught not only the classics, but also history, philosophy, literature, and other subjects that orthodox scholars considered miscellaneous.

He incorporated these elements into his calligraphy, writing in a style that wasn't flamboyant, but every stroke reflected his thoughts.

When I came out after the exam, it was already dark.

Three days later, the results were released, and he found his name on the honor roll.

First round, passed.

He obtained the title of a student in the imperial examination.

The second exam is in twenty days.

The test takers were given ample time to prepare and rest.

This exam tests "policy essays," also known as "policy inquiry."

The examiner gives a question, and the candidate writes an essay to discuss their views and opinions.

This test assesses not only academic knowledge, but also insight, perspective, and breadth of mind.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was founded on Confucianism, which cultivated a noble spirit. The essays of scholars often revealed a person's character and potential.

Lin Chu integrated the knowledge he had learned on Lan Xing with the miscellaneous books he had read in the village over the past few years, and answered the questions with clear thinking and composure.

He didn't deliberately show off his skills, but rather subtly wove seemingly unrelated things into his arguments, making them both natural and substantial.

As Lin Chu walked out of the examination room, she took a deep breath.

It should be a sure thing.

three days later.

On the day the results were announced, the area outside the county school in Yushan County was packed with people.

Lin Chu stood in the crowd, searching through the densely packed names one by one. Then he saw it.

Lin Chu, a scholar.

At fifteen, he passed the preliminary examinations for the imperial examinations and the higher-level examinations in one go.