After leaving his teacher's house, Song Gaoli went straight to the Song residence to find Song Qiming. Placing his recreated exam paper on the table, he did nothing but sigh, his face full of worry.
"The teacher said my chances of passing are slim and it will all depend on luck. What about you? What did the Dean say?"
Although he had never expected to pass the provincial exam and become a successful candidate this time, since he had taken it, he couldn't help but harbor a bit of hope. If a blind cat happened to catch a dead mouse and he passed, wouldn't that be a stroke of immense luck? Besides, his luck had always been good, scraping by the passing mark every time.
Song Qiming withdrew his gaze from the recreated exam paper. "The Dean said I performed well. Passing the exam won't be a problem, so the next step is to prepare for the spring metropolitan exam next year."
Song Gaoli slid forward, his body slumping weakly into the chair. In a deflated tone, he said, "Even if I'm lucky enough to make the list, I definitely have no hope for the spring exam. I'll just have to wait another three years."
The capital was so far away. If he couldn't go with Qiming, he would have to make the journey all alone in three years!
Song Qiming reached out and patted his shoulder. "If you pass this time, you must definitely go to the spring exam in February. Just treat it as getting used to it in advance, so you won't be at a loss next time."
Song Gaoli lay face down on the table, his arms dangling by his sides as he wailed, "Are you really not going back to the village after the results are posted? There's nothing to do in the capital if you go this early!"
If he didn't pass, he would definitely have to stay at the academy and continue studying. If he was lucky enough to pass, he still had to return to the village to reunite with his family and properly celebrate.
After all, there was nearly half a year before next year's spring exam. He could stay a few more months; there was plenty of time to head to the capital later.
Song Qiming shook his head. He didn't mention the matter of the potatoes, only saying, "My teacher is waiting for me in the capital. The spring exam gathers the finest elites, all rare talents from various provinces. I want to go and prepare early."
Song Gaoli buried his head between his arms in great frustration. He decided to wait until the results were out; if he didn't pass, overthinking it would be pointless anyway.
After everyone else had left, He Feixuan turned back and returned to the Mu residence. "Dean, you said I have a chance to aim for the top five, but what about the first place? Do I have a chance at that?"
He didn't believe for a second that Song Qiming had underperformed. In this provincial exam, Qiming was the only one who could possibly surpass him. Since the Dean had already reviewed both of their recreated papers, he surely knew who had done better.
He Feixuan was very confident in himself. In his eyes, no one in the entire Longbei Province could surpass him. The only rising star was Song Qiming, and the first place was bound to be one of them.
Mu Hongyue hadn't expected He Feixuan to specifically turn back to ask him this. Just as he had commented earlier, He Feixuan's performance in all three sessions of the exam was incredibly outstanding. But forcing a comparison between him and Song Qiming made it genuinely difficult to choose on the spot.
After pondering for a moment, Mu Hongyue replied in a gentle tone, "The scores of the top five are often neck and neck. Who takes first place depends entirely on the chief examiner's thoughts and preferences. It doesn't mean the runners-up are any worse than the winner. The exam is already over, and you should look forward. The spring metropolitan exam is the truly difficult challenge."
He Feixuan cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for your guidance, Dean. I will keep it in mind."
Mu Hongyue said nothing more, yet it seemed as if he had said everything.
He must have seen a paper better than his own. Otherwise, the Dean would have smilingly told him he had a chance at first place, rather than telling him not to mind the rankings.
While waiting for the results to be posted, Song Jinzhao began organizing the properties under her name.
The braised food shop, the vegetable shop that Song Jinzhao had bought and converted into an agricultural market after the season passed, the barbecue restaurant that had been open for four months, as well as the medical clinic, the farm estate outside the city, and the leased farmland—all needed designated managers. These had to be long-term arrangements.
The trip to the capital this time would not be short. Once these managers were confirmed, it was highly likely they would remain in Anyang forever. She had to think it over carefully.
Inside a highly sealed space within the examination hall, the inner-curtain grading officials had been staying up by candlelight for six whole days to mark the papers.
Out of more than five thousand exam papers, they had to select three hundred people. A passing paper required the joint review of at least four examiners before it could be placed in the approved pile to be presented to the chief examiner. Even those that were rejected had to be jointly reviewed by two officials before being completely eliminated.
Under the immense workload, they couldn't eat or sleep well. The dozens of officials all had bloodshot eyes.
After final deliberations, dozens of shortlisted papers were placed on the chief examiner's desk.
An inner-curtain official, rubbing his sleepy eyes, bowed his head and said, "My Lord, we are somewhat unsure about these. We ask that you review them and decide whether to pass them or not."
The chief examiner tilted his chin up and rolled his stiff neck; one could almost hear the bones cracking.
When he read the final paper, he let out a soft exclamation of surprise, his expression turning much more serious.
It wasn't until he finished the entire paper that he smiled faintly and shook his head. The two inner-curtain officials standing before the desk noticed this and exchanged a silent glance. Would he pass it or not?
In terms of overall performance across the three exam sessions, this student was indeed still a bit short of passing. However, his insights on classics, history, and current affairs were incredibly unique and unconventional, completely different from the others. He seemed to be a pragmatist.
Yet, the poem he wrote made them unsure of his true nature. Was he simply a smooth operator, or did he hold genuine admiration? It was truly hard to say.
The main issue was that his writing was too direct. Once one person wrote the word to pass, the others had no choice but to give face. Otherwise, if the chief examiner found out, it would be easy to offend people. In the end, they had to present it up and let the man in charge make the decision himself.
The day before the results were posted, all the luggage had been loaded onto the carriages. One hundred and fifty catties of potatoes, placed in wooden crates lined with straw, were heavier than the combined luggage of Song Jinzhao and the other three.
In order to reach the capital before the Emperor's birthday, Song Jinzhao opted to travel light. Two people rode in the carriage with Song Anhao, while everyone else rode horses.
On the day the results were posted, the entrance to the examination hall was a sea of people. Anyone even slightly plump wouldn't be able to squeeze their way in.
Besides the students who took the provincial exam and their families, many commoners came to join the excitement. Some were even clamoring to snatch a son-in-law right there and then, having brought their daughters along, eager to grab a newly minted successful candidate to take home for marriage immediately.
