Phi-Fic Chapter 458: First Place
Chapter 458: First Place
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it is time for the second year of the imperial examination.
It was a sunny morning with a clear sky. Lin Cheng, dressed in a blue shirt and carrying a bag, stepped into the majestic gate of the Imperial Examination Hall with firm and confident steps under the expectant gazes of his three sisters, officially opening the prelude to the imperial examination.
The imperial examination lasted for three days. During this period, all candidates were not allowed to leave the examination hall without permission.
Not only that, their daily eating, sleeping, and excretion matters also all need to be taken care of within the Imperial Examination Hall.
After the examinees have been thoroughly searched, they will be led to their own private rooms in the Imperial College. It is worth mentioning that they can only go to the toilet accompanied by the invigilator when going to the toilet, but at other times they are strictly prohibited from stepping out of the cubicle, let alone whispering to each other.
In addition, candidates need to prepare their own dry food to fill their stomachs. After all, during the exam period, three meals a day have to be prepared by the candidates themselves.
In every imperial examination in the past, there were always some candidates who got food poisoning due to accidentally eating unclean food, or who were too exhausted to persevere to the end, and finally left with regret and missed the chance to be admitted.
However, such troubles did not exist for Lin Cheng at all. Under the influence of Lin Chuyi, he paid attention to physical fitness since he was young, practiced diligently every day, and had a deep and solid foundation, so he rarely got sick.
As for the dietary issues during the exam, Lin Chuyi had asked him and Lin Wuyou to learn cooking skills together a long time ago.
Lin Chuyi explained this request as follows: cooking is a very practical life skill. You can do without it, but you cannot fail to learn it. Once you have mastered this skill, no matter what kind of difficulties you find yourself in in the future, at least you don't have to worry about starving to death.
Facts have proved that Lin Chuyi is indeed far-sighted. During the four years of traveling, due to various reasons, Lin Wuyou and Lin Cheng, the brother and sister, often camped in desolate and remote places, and cooked meals by themselves countless times.
Over time, their cooking skills, which had not improved much despite their hard work and practice, have improved significantly. They used to just cook the food and barely eat it, but now they can make meals that are both colorful, fragrant and delicious.
In addition, Lin Chuyi had prepared sufficient ingredients in advance, so Lin Cheng was able to enjoy steaming hot fresh meals every day during the three days he took the imperial examination in Gongyuan.
During the exam, Lin Cheng had no worries about food and sleep, so he was naturally energetic. When answering questions, his mind was quick, his ideas flowed, and he wrote quickly, as if he was inspired by God.
As the exam came to an end, the door to the examination room slowly opened and candidates filed out.
Lin Cheng had good eyesight and quickly found his three sisters in the bustling crowd.
He walked quickly forward and met up with Lin Chuyi and the others. After the four siblings met, they tacitly avoided all topics related to the exam.
In fact, everyone knew clearly that with Lin Cheng's ability, it would not be a big problem for him to pass the imperial examination and become a tribute scholar. However, they only needed to know this matter among themselves, and there was no need to publicize it in public to avoid making enemies and arousing jealousy.
As expected, on the day when the imperial examination results were announced, Lin Cheng's name appeared at the top of the list, making him the number one in this imperial examination.
Even though Lin Cheng was confident in the article he wrote, he did not expect that he could win the first place in this imperial examination with so many talented people.
After confirming that the list was correct, Lin Chuyi and her two siblings couldn't wait to go home and celebrate.
After arriving home, they heard a commotion outside before they even sat down on their chairs.
It turned out that the runners from the yamen had arrived to announce the good news. They were seen beating gongs and drums along the way, attracting the attention of the neighbors.
When they saw the tightly closed door of the Lin residence slowly open and Lin Cheng walked out, the officers all greeted him with smiles on their faces, bowed to Lin Cheng, and said in unison: "Congratulations to Mr. Lin for winning the first place in the imperial examination!"
The officers spoke in loud voices, and their congratulations spread so widely that probably most people in the street could hear them.
Even though he had witnessed his test results with his own eyes, Lin Cheng still couldn't hide his excitement when he heard the officers' congratulations. The curled corners of his mouth showed his good mood at the moment.
Lin Chuyi, who was standing nearby, was also filled with joy when he heard the officers' unanimous congratulations.
While she was happy, she did not forget her business. She quickly took out the money bag she had prepared earlier and gave one to each of the officers who came to congratulate her, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, officers."
The officers took the purse, shook it gently, and estimated that there were at least three taels of silver in the purse. The smile on everyone's face became more and more genuine, and they felt that the trip to report the good news was worthwhile.
After putting away the money bag, they congratulated Lin Cheng again. After saying congratulations repeatedly, they turned around and left, continuing to the next house to inform them of the good news.
When the runners disappeared at the end of the street, the neighbors who heard the good news came like a tide and surrounded Lin Cheng tightly. With sincere smiles on their faces, they congratulated Lin Cheng in a flurry, and their words were full of praise and blessings for him.
At the same time, Lin Jinxiu also started to get busy. She methodically directed the servants at home to distribute the wedding candies that had been carefully prepared in advance to everyone.
The neighbors happily took the wedding candies, peeled off the candy wrappers, and while savoring the rich sweet fragrance of the candies, they kept praising Lin Cheng's talent and ability and congratulated him on his good results.
The scene at this moment was like a grand celebration, with noise and laughter intertwined to form a beautiful symphony.
A festive atmosphere permeated the air, and even the sun seemed to be particularly bright and warm. For Lin Cheng, this moment was undoubtedly the highlight of his life journey and the best proof of his years of hard work.
It is worth mentioning that since Kyoto implemented the new sugar production method, the production of sugar has increased significantly and the price has dropped sharply. Now, even ordinary people in Kyoto can buy various sugar products at low prices and enjoy the sweet taste.
But whether before or after the price adjustment, sugar is not something that the neighbors living around the Lin family cannot afford, so they don't have to worry about not being able to pay it back.
Therefore, everyone happily accepted the handfuls of wedding candies distributed by the Lin family. Not only did they eat them themselves, they also thought about taking the remaining candies back home to give to their children who were still in school, so that they could also share in the joy of the new members and get a good omen.