The opening of the current imperial examination is usually held at the end of February, inheriting the habits of the previous dynasty, also known as the Spring Cui.
The examination is divided into three sessions, each lasting three days, totaling nine days and seven nights.
The time for posting the results is not very fixed. It may come out at the end of March, or it may be delayed until early April, but it will not exceed April 15.
Many students have expressed complaints about this, because when it comes to the approximate date, they will be mentally strained, looking forward to the release of the results, but also fearing the release of the results.
By comparison, Jiang Sheng was much more confident. She would just check on her business every day when she passed by the Tribute Academy to see if there was a crowd gathering.
If there was, then the results had been posted.
If not, she could rest assured passing by.
Early April.
Jiang Sheng had just woken up when she received the news that the pastry shop that had been eyeing her Candied Chestnut business finally sent someone to Hebei Commandery to transport back two carts of small chestnuts and started selling candied chestnuts.
And only for twenty-five coins.
Don't underestimate the mere five coins. It was enough for those who wanted to eat candied chestnuts but didn't bear to eat them to bite the bullet and make the purchase.
Quite a few of Jiu Zhen Fang's customers were taken away. Zhang Xianglian was a little anxious and asked the maid to come over and ask Jiang Sheng for a countermeasure.
Unknowingly, the little girl had also become the backbone.
Jiang Sheng was still relatively calm. She changed her clothes and followed the maid to Jiu Zhen Fang. On the way, when she passed the Tribute Academy entrance, she couldn't help jumping down to sneak a peek at the results and give her elder brother a surprise.
However, from the beginning to the end of the list, there was no Xu Mo.
There wasn't even a student with the Xu surname.
Jiang Sheng couldn't believe it. She randomly grabbed a student and asked, "Brother, is this really the imperial examination result?"
"Of course, what else could it be if not the examination list." The student left impatiently. It was evident that he did not pass the exam.
But Xu Mo shouldn't have failed.
He was the top scholar in the provincial examination. He was the student that the former prefectural governor of Anshui Prefecture had been thinking about all the time even after leaving office. He was the eternally upright and elegant elder brother. He was the young scholar who could attract friends like Zhao, Zhi and Zhu solely based on his talent.
He should not have been unknown, let alone failed the exam.
Jiang Sheng staggered back in a daze. She didn't go to Jiu Zhen Fang anymore or care about the candied chestnut business. Like an anxious little lion, she rushed from the Tribute Academy back to the second courtyard and then into Xu Mo’s room.
"Elder brother." Jiang Sheng gritted her teeth and spoke with difficulty, "The results have been posted, but your name is not on it."
Xu Mo was taken aback, probably a little surprised, but still as calm as water.
"Elder brother." Jiang Sheng became anxious, "This is not Anshui Prefecture. This is Fengjing. Your name is not on the list. You really failed the exam."
Anshui Prefecture had previously implemented a "top three do not appear on the list" rule. It was established by the then prefectural governor Dou Wei to protect excellent students. It was later repealed by the new prefectural governor He Chengzhang.
But this was Fengjing. Appearing on the list means passing, not appearing means failing.
"How could elder brother possibly fail?" Jiang Sheng was like an ant on a hot pan. "There must be some mistake. Did the list poster omit your name by accident? Should we go to the Tribute Academy to ask..."
"Jiang Sheng."
Xu Mo spoke up and suppressed some regrets. "Exams are like this. Some pass, some don't. Elder brother has never felt that he was excellent enough to pass all exams."
"Failing this time, I’ll take it again three years later."
The imperial examination was often 80% effort and 20% luck. Failing the exam does not necessarily mean inferior ability. It may also be that the essay did not suit the chief examiner’s taste, or that the performance was not stable enough, leading to a missed opportunity.
The teachers had also cautioned them when they first entered the school not to be overconfident. Failing is for passing the next time. There have been many cases of people finally passing the exam with white hair. Child prodigies that pass the exam at a young age are rare to see in a hundred years.
As one of the millions of ordinary people, one should accept one's ordinariness and then make up for it with effort.
Xu Mo was deeply convinced of this logic.
From being the chief case reviewer of the county to the chief case reviewer in the prefecture, to the top scholar in the provincial examination, even if he swept all the top places, he never became arrogant or conceited in the slightest. He only regarded it as his own good luck or coincidence.
He was calm and composed. He was humble and self-restrained. He had a kind of charm not knowing his own excellence, and an extraordinary sense of ordinariness beyond the common.
It was impossible not to feel regret about failing the exam. But after regret, one should work harder, reflect on oneself, and calmly prepare for the battle again.
The young man stood up with one hand behind his back and looked eastward through the wide open door, into the distance where sunlight was shining on the earth, dispelling all the darkness and dust in the world.
It was at this moment that Jiang Sheng stared blankly at the elder brother bathed in the sea of light. The irritation was unknowingly taken away and she calmed down. "I was too impatient."
The elder brother was still young. Failing an imperial examination at fifteen was nothing. Retaking it at eighteen would still make him among the youngest batch of students.
"It's not that you're impatient, it's just that everything has been so smooth for you all the way that you mistakenly believed everything would go that smoothly," Xu Mo said with a wry smile as he pulled his sister's hand. "How could everything possibly go smoothly in one’s life?"
The smooth journey ahead became an advantage that ruined the shockingly talented people.
In this way, those who accumulate steadily and have a stable mentality are better off in the end.
"Let's go, we'll also let little four and five know," Xu Mo said increasingly nonchalant.
Chang Yan and Wen Zhiyun had gone to the medical hall early on. Tianjie Point had always been prosperous, with information spreading quickly among the large number of people. I'm afraid they already knew the results had been released.
Xu Mo counted on this in his mind. As the carriage passed the entrance of the Tribute Academy, he saw two stunned teenagers as expected.
He stopped the carriage and walked over with a sigh, "You both already know?"
"Elder brother." Wen Zhiyun's eyes were as red as a rabbit's. "How could you possibly fail?"
Chang Yan frowned without saying a word.
"Elder brother is also human. Of course I can fail the exam too," Xu Mo patted his fourth brother on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much. There will still be opportunities in the future."
"But..." Wen Zhiyun wanted to say something more but couldn't get it out.
The one most upset about failing was the elder brother. They should be comforting the elder brother instead of wanting the elder brother to comfort them.
If he couldn't comfort the elder brother, then he chose to shut up.
Xu Mo smiled amiably and turned to look at the smartest and most thoughtful younger brother in the family, "Little five doesn't need me to explain, right?"
"No need," Chang Yan turned his head. "I'm just very surprised. Why is he the top scholar?"
Which ‘he’?
Xu Mo was not interested in who was the top scholar, but there weren’t many people in Fengjing who could surprise little five brother.
He turned around and before he could see the name at the top of the list through the bustling crowd, he heard Zhao Yuan's familiar clamor.
"How can it be him?"
"How can it possibly be him?"
