Rebirth: From being expelled from the imperial court to becoming a high-ranking official

Although the weather was fine, it was still February after all, and we were huddled in a small cell with wind blowing in from one side, so it was much colder than the provincial examination.

Even if the stove was lit, the heat was minimal. Qin Yunhe didn't dare to light it for too long, for fear that the charcoal would run out prematurely and he wouldn't even be able to drink hot soup for the next few days.

Qin Yunhe cooked porridge and ate some dry food for breakfast early as planned, and finally felt a little warmer.

Taking advantage of this bit of warmth, Qin Yunhe quickly began to answer the questions.

With the experience of the previous provincial examination, Qin Yunhe planned according to the questions and did it step by step. It was not difficult for him. The questions were also easy for him, as he was used to doing them.

The real difficulty lies in eating, sleeping and going to the toilet.

He could still endure such an environment even if the food was not tasty, as long as he could fill his stomach.

But it was so cold that he couldn't sleep well at night. Even under the quilt, there was still a howling cold wind. He felt like he was going to catch a cold on the first day, so he quickly took some pills prescribed by Chen's daughter-in-law.

I couldn't help but worry about my brother Qin Si: he was not in good condition after the previous two provincial examinations. He had a fever once, and although he didn't have a fever the second time, he looked thinner.

I wonder if he can bear this temperature.

Then there is going to the toilet.

The teacher had specifically reminded us that although we could raise the plaque, it was best not to use it. This was because if we raised the plaque, we would be stamped, which some examiners disliked very much, and would place us down in the rankings or even expel us directly because of it.

Qin Yunhe could only try his best to endure it and only dared to urinate in the cell.

After three days of such torment, Qin Yunhe finally waited until the first exam was over and the papers were collected. He then hurried to deal with the important matter and also took the opportunity to stretch his body that had been in confinement for three days to relieve the discomfort.

I rested in the cell for another night. On February 12, the second round began, and it was another three days of torture.

This went on for three days after three days until the evening of February 17, when the nine-day exam finally ended.

On February 18, the chief examiner announced the reopening of the Imperial Examination Hall, and the candidates finally had their day.

Qin Yunhe packed up his things and walked out of the Imperial Examination Hall with unsteady steps. He actually felt as if he was in another world.

He followed the crowd out and stood aside when he reached a less crowded place, waiting for Lin Zhaotang and Qin Si.

After a while, Lin Zhaotang and Qin Si finally came out with the crowd of candidates. They saw Qin Yunhe from afar and walked over.

Lin Zhaotang and Qin Si were not in very good condition either, their faces were a little pale, and Qin Yunhe guessed that he should be the same.

"Fourth brother, Brother Zhaotang, how are you?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired." Qin Si said.

Lin Zhaotang also said it was okay.

After they confirmed that they were all fine, they carried their exam baskets and continued walking back together.

Not long after walking out, he saw Gu Zhi's follower Chen Qiu looking around on the side of the road. When he saw a few people, he waved his hand to signal them to come over.

"Brother Chen Xian, why are you here?" Several people squeezed over with great difficulty and hurriedly went over to greet and ask.

"My Lord is worried that you will be too tired to walk back to the inn after the exam, so he asked me to pick you up. I have brought a carriage and it is parked on the street not far away. Please follow me."

Several people originally thought that they would have to drag their exhausted bodies back to the inn, but now they were pleasantly surprised to hear that there was a carriage available for them to ride, and they were very grateful to Gu Zhi.

Chen Qiu led a few people out from the small path and soon arrived at another street.

There were also quite a few carriages and candidates coming to pick up people there, but there were far fewer than on the main road outside the Imperial Examination Hall.

"You three can take a rest in the car. We will be there soon. I will call you when we get there."

Once the three of them sat in the car, they no longer wanted to move and each found a corner to lean back and rest.

After getting off the car at the inn, Qin Yunhe thanked Chen Qiu and said, "Brother Chen, tell my senior brother that I will go and thank him after I rest for a while."

"Mr. Qin, please don't be polite. The master told you to take a good rest. He has a lot of things to do these days, and he will invite you to talk after he is done."

Qin Yunhe knew that Gu Zhi told Chen Qiu this in advance because he felt sorry for them because they were too tired. He thanked Chen Qiu again before returning to the inn to rest.

After that, they waited in the inn for the announcement of the results.

The three of them discussed their answers, but they were not very confident about making the list, so they could only comfort each other and wait for the results to be announced.

Before the announcement of the results, news had already spread that there were many candidates for the imperial examination, and the chief examiner had reported to the emperor that 384 people were planned to be admitted for the joint examination, and the palace examination would have 3 people in the first class, 181 people in the second class, and 200 people in the third class.

On the day when the results were announced, March 15th, the weather was clear, and several people made an appointment to go to the pavilion outside the Imperial Examination Hall to see the results.

The list is posted in separate sheets one by one.

When the first photo was posted, everyone gathered around to watch. Qin Yunhe and a few others were squeezed outside, feeling anxious and nervous.

Someone in the front called out the names one by one until the 23rd one came: "…Xuning Prefecture, Fuyu County, Lin Shu, Lin Zhaotang…"

"Brother Lin, you got it!"

Several people were waiting anxiously until they heard Lin Zhaotang's name. Qin Yunhe could not help but shout out excitedly. Other candidates who were looking at the list nearby congratulated Lin Zhaotang regardless of whether they knew him or not.

The roll call continued until the sixtieth or so were called, but neither he nor Qin Si was included.

Qin Yunhe listened to the names being called out one by one, and his heart sank slowly: I won’t fail the exam, right?

Until dozens more people came over: "…..Eighty-nine people from Xu Ning Prefecture, Fuyu County, Qin Wen, Qin Yunhe…"

Qin Yunhe's heart finally settled down when he heard this, and he couldn't help but excitedly said to his brother: "Brother, I won, I won..."

Qin Si patted his brother on the shoulder to show encouragement, and Lin Zhaotang also quickly congratulated him.

Qin Yunhe quickly suppressed his excitement, continued to listen to the voice of the name being called, and began to worry about his fourth brother.

The names were called out one by one, until the 384th person was called out, and Qin Si's name did not appear.

Qin Si failed the exam.

Qin Yunhe wanted to say something several times but hesitated, not knowing how to comfort his brother.

The three of them returned to the inn together. Qin Yunhe and Lin Zhaotang both felt sorry for Qin Si.

Qin Si quickly accepted the result: "Never mind, I feel that my answer was not as good as yours this time. Ah Wen, don't be so dejected, I wasn't sad even though I failed. It's a good thing that you two passed, but it seems like you failed."

After all, Qin Yunhe and Lin Zhaotang made the list, and Lin Zhaotang ranked high. At Qin Si's suggestion, several people ordered some wine and food to celebrate together.

After the celebration, the three of them inevitably discussed their next arrangements.

Qin Yunhe and Lin Zhaotang must wait for the palace examination. Since Qin Si failed, he decided to return immediately.

Speaking of the return journey, Qin Yunhe felt sorry for his brother.

Qin Si has always been hardworking. Even though he was busy with his livelihood before, he did not delay the exam. Unexpectedly, Qin Si was the only one who failed in the end.

"Brother, why don't you wait a little longer? I will go back with you after the palace examination. I don't feel comfortable if you go back alone."

Qin Yun was worried because he was worried that his brother would be disappointed after failing the exam, which would make him feel even worse when he returned.

Another thing was that in his previous life, his brother and his wife were attacked by gangsters when they were taking up posts in the next county. When he thought about his brother going back alone, he couldn't help but think of that incident.

Qin Si laughed: "I'm such an adult, why should you worry about me? But if Brother Lin hadn't been with you, I would have been worried. Now that I've failed the exam, what else would I do if I stayed here except wasting money? When I leave, you can live in the same room with Brother Lin, and Brother Lin can save the room fee."

Although Qin Yunhe was still worried, he knew that this was the best arrangement, so he had to agree to his brother.