Chapter 25 Spring Examination

  It's the imperial examination, and the tense atmosphere once again hits the students' hearts. Decades of hard study in a cold window, who knows which family will produce a scholar-official? Many students have been looking forward to the road to officialdom, and another day has finally arrived for those who have struggled all their lives. In front of the gate of the government office in Songjiang Prefecture, Hu Xueyan and an attendant got off the carriage. In a spacious room, a stout man without official uniform or hat sat. "Report to the master, Hu Xueyan requests an audience!" A servant came in to report.

  "Hu Xueyan! What brings him here?" The fat guy stroked his beard, his eyes rolling around in a circle, and then a smile spread across his face. He quickly guessed the purpose of Hu Xueyan's visit. "Quickly! Please invite Mr. Hu in!" The fat guy hastily dressed and sat up straight in his chair. From the hat ornament and official uniform, it was clear that this fat guy was a 4th-rank civil official. "Lord Guan, humble subject Hu Xueyan pays a sudden visit, please forgive me!" "It's an honor to have Mr. Hu pay a visit! I've long admired you!" As the favored subordinate of Zuo Zongtang, the fat guy, as the chief examiner of Suzhou Prefecture, naturally understood the situation.

  "Fat fellow, please sit down and be polite," said Hu Xueyan. "Mr. Hu, Governor Zuo is currently building a horse-tail ship factory for the imperial court. How can you have the leisure to come here when you should be attending to him?"

  "I beg your pardon, sir," replied Hu Xueyan. "The Qing dynasty is currently in a state of decline and needs to be revitalized. You have traveled far and wide to recruit talented individuals for the imperial court's long-term plans. Your efforts are truly commendable, and as a humble local landowner, I should be the one visiting you."

  "We're all in this together! It's not about being noble or humble, it's just the way it should be. I heard that Empress Dowager is very fond of Mr. Hu and has given him the tax silver from the three provinces. We're both serving the imperial court to the best of our abilities." The fat official said with courtesy. They both understood each other without needing to say more, but still maintained a dignified tone. "Bring it in!" A servant came in and placed a small, heavy wooden box on the table before retreating.

  Hu Xueyan opened the small wooden box, revealing a golden bar inside, and suddenly the whole room was filled with light. The fat guy's eyes lit up and said: "Mr. Hu, this......" "Your Excellency, to be honest, I have a younger brother who is young and promising, talented and outstanding, please take care of him!" Hu Xueyan said, taking out his name card and placing it on the table. The fat guy casually picked up the name card without even looking at it and put it in his sleeve, saying: "At present, the court is in need of talents, and I will be responsible for selecting them strictly, especially for young and talented men, I won't let them go." **The naked transaction was completed with a straight face.

  Hu Xueyan secretly bribed the chief examiner, operating under the radar without Deng Zixuan's knowledge. The foreign manager of the Yihe Match Factory respectfully delivered matches to the market, which Hu Xueyan witnessed with his own eyes. Through this incident, he became even more convinced of Deng Zixuan's abilities and wondered whether he should establish himself as a strong competitor or pull him into his own camp. He knew better than anyone that before this young man's wings were fully grown, he had to tie him firmly to his own chariot. Moreover, the glass factory envisioned by Deng Zixuan had long been making Hu Xueyan itch with desire, driven by huge profits, forcing him to take action.

  That evening, Deng Zixuan received a sketch sent by Hu Xueyan, with only one magpie standing on the branch singing loudly. The painting was called "Bird of Good Omen", signed "Brother, Hu Xueyan's gift!" After seeing it, Deng Zixuan felt delighted in his heart, this was another double insurance, no need to doubt that he had not yet taken the imperial examination and already had a name on the list. On the day of the imperial examination, Deng Zixuan went out with confidence and a smile, with his whole family coming out to see him off.

  Seeing his mother's anxious expression, seeing Zi De's tense appearance, and seeing Xiao Hong's expectant gaze with her big belly. Deng Zixuan laughed: "Should I go to take the exam or should you all go to take the exam? Look at how tense you all are!" Xuan'er, Mom is worried that you'll faint again." Brother, seeing your carefree appearance, can't you see why we're worried?" Zi De said anxiously. "Young Master! You must do your best!" At this moment, the children of the Deng family's class all came out to see him off, and the scene suddenly became lively. "Don't worry! I'll make sure to succeed, just wait for my good news!" Deng Zixuan jumped onto his horse carriage and galloped away.

  The examination hall of Songjiang Prefecture was crowded with people, including white-haired old men who may have taken the exam for N years and still had a thief's heart. There were middle-aged people and also people around his age, it can be said that everyone's expression was nervous. Deng Zixuan curiously watched the examination hall, which was almost identical to what he saw in the movie, with a row of small compartments separated by boards, three sides closed and one side open, with a desk and chair inside. On the desk were an inkstone and brush.

  "Ah! Isn't this Zi Xuan?" "Zi Xuan! Zi Xuan!" Deng Zi Xuan was browsing curiously when he heard the shouts and saw two young men in plain clothes appear before him. The person in front of him didn't recognize Deng Zi Xuan, who was slightly surprised. "Zi Xuan, don't you recognize us? I'm Wang Jiuyang!" "I'm Peng Xuan!" "Oh! It's you two, but you aren't......" Deng Zi Xuan had to pretend not to know. "Zi Xuan, remember how you fainted in the exam hall two years ago and didn't make it? We two also didn't pass. We went home and studied hard for three years and came back again!" Peng Xuan said with a smile. "Anyway, we're young, if not this time then next time!" Wang Jiuyang also smiled.

  "Two gentlemen, to be honest, I'm not interested in being a Xiucai, but there's no way out since my family is forcing me! As for whether or not I can pass the exam, it doesn't matter!" Deng Zixuan could only laugh awkwardly. "No wonder you're so carefree! Last year you said that if you didn't pass the Xiucai exam, you would open a school, how's that going?" Wang Jiuyi asked. "To be honest, regardless of whether or not I pass this time, I will definitely build a school." Deng Zixuan quickly came up with an idea. "That's great! We'll go to your school to study when the time comes!" Peng Xuan exclaimed happily.

  The whistle suddenly sounded, and everyone stopped making noise. An official solemnly announced the examination rules and the time for the exam. Then the examinees began to enter the examination room one after another... The three of them looked at each other, clearly seeing that Wang Jiuming and Peng Xuan were getting nervous, looking at their somewhat anxious expressions, Deng Zixuan thought to himself: Maybe the exam won't be a problem, but the power to decide life or death is in the hands of the chief examiner. Deng Zixuan couldn't help but applaud Hu Xueyan's old ways, it seemed that he was absolutely inferior.

  As for the eight-part essay, Deng Zixuan's brain grew bigger as soon as he saw it. He didn't have any emotions at all. But when it came to exams, he should say that he was familiar with the road, carefully reviewed the questions for a while, and his brain sorted out the books he had read in the past two years. Then he ground the ink and wielded his brush. In no time, a long and eloquent article was written in one go. Deng Zixuan looked at it again and felt that there was no problem, then signed his name on it. The exam was supposed to take up the whole morning, but after Deng Zixuan came out, he found that he was the first to hand in his paper, using less than an hour.

  The examinees in the compartments were clearly visible, and seeing their various ear-pulling and cheek-scratching expressions, Deng Zixuan couldn't help but feel amused. The proctor saw him looking around and gestured for him to leave the examination hall. Deng Zixuan didn't hurry home, instead going to visit Hu Xueyan to express his gratitude in person. However, the steward of the Hu household informed him that Hu Xueyan was not at home, having already left for Fuzhou on official business. It seemed that the construction of the shipyard was proceeding with urgency, and Deng Zixuan had a thoughtful expression.

  Back home, the whole family saw him return safe and sound. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, no matter what, Deng Zixuan didn't have any accidents, and he walked out of the examination room smoothly. Deng Zixuan boasted in front of his family that his magnificent article was written with ease, and he would definitely be on the list, everyone believed it to be true.

  It is impossible for a Xiucai to beat the drum and send the good news home, only the top scorer has this honor. The exam results will be announced three days later, so Deng Zixuan did what he had to do as if nothing had happened. That Wang Jiuyi mentioned the book academy, which caught Deng Zixuan's attention. The book academy can gather many students and let these students...

  Let the students gather at the academy, what to do after the day is now too early to plan, or wait and see. Having made up his mind, Deng Zixuan couldn't help but feel pleased with his own clever move. Just in time for these two days of leisure, he took the opportunity to settle the affairs of the academy. The next day, Deng Zixuan personally went out and quickly purchased a mansion with a garden in Shanghai City, and then ordered a plaque and named it Tongren Academy.

  The sun had risen higher when Deng Zixuan finally arrived at the Songjiang Prefecture government office. Outside, a large crowd of students had gathered, some wailing and crying, others sighing and lamenting, while others were self-satisfied, clearly indicating that the results had been announced.

  "Zixuan! Zixuan! Why did you come so late? Congratulations on passing!" "Zixuan! You're third place!" Wang Jiuyi and Peng Xuan ran over to report the good news as soon as they saw him from afar. "How about you two?" "Don't mention it, we didn't pass again!" "Alas! We have to suffer for another three years!" The two men's faces showed a gloomy expression.

  "Alright! Let's go drink and console you two!" Deng Zixuan said, pulling the two along as he walked. "You're not going to look at the results?" "What's there to see when I already know the outcome?" Deng Zixuan didn't show any particularly excited expression, which surprised the two men.

  "Come, come! Don't be depressed, my two friends. As the saying goes, good fortune comes every year. Next year, come to my house and we'll have a hearty drink together, that's also a way to celebrate for me!" Deng Zixuan shouted loudly. Before long, everyone was in high spirits. Seeing the two men still looking downcast, Deng Zixuan said: "My two friends, I promised you I would set up an academy, and it's already been done!" The two men looked at each other with some disbelief, their eyes wide with surprise. "Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving," Deng Zixuan said mysteriously. "After dinner, I'll take you to see for yourselves." After dinner, the three men appeared in a small, elegant courtyard.

  "How is this courtyard, my two brothers?" Deng Zixuan led the two to visit and said with satisfaction. "Zixuan, you are really a man of your word! I will settle down in the academy tomorrow!" Wang Jiuming exclaimed with joy. "Great, tomorrow we can accompany each other and not feel lonely, has the name of the academy been decided?" Peng Xiang also became excited. "How about calling it Tongren Academy?" "Like-minded and united in heart and virtue! Good name!" "Tongren, it shows the voice of the students' hearts, I agree!" The two were overjoyed.

  "Gentlemen, you are the first batch of book friends from Tongren Academy. Why don't you move over from the inn and live here? Also, I'll spread the word that like-minded book friends are welcome to come and study together. I'll provide free food and lodging! And I'll give you two some silver to buy books. If it's an academy without a collection of books, isn't it just an empty name?" Three days later, Tongren Academy officially opened for business. On the day of its opening, there were already 8 poor but eager students gathered at the academy, plus Wang and Peng, making a total of 10 book friends in the first batch.

  Deng Zixuan did not expect that the Tongren Academy would play such a huge role in the future. From here, many book friends who stepped into officialdom under Deng Zixuan's planning, the Tongren Academy produced many low-ranking officials, of course, these Qing officials were all recommended by Deng Zixuan and can be said to be "meritorious officials". Deng Zixuan borrowed their hands to arrange the students of the Tongren Academy to the positions he needed, and played a huge role.