Chapter 311: Tricky Questions

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Herlyee Translations

The night was as thick as a black velvet cloth, embellished with stars that were as brilliant as diamonds.

Shen Yao stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back. He looked up at the starlight in the night sky, his heart as calm as water.

Until Ji Zhao deliberately lightened her footsteps and wrapped her arms around his waist.

‘What are you thinking about?” Ji Zhao asked softly.

“I’m thinking about today’s questions.” Shen Yao turned around and pulled her into his arms with a smile. He explained gently, ‘This year’s questions are a little different from the previous years.”

Although his grades had been replaced four years ago, Shen Yao had been paying attention to the questions over the years.

“Actually, the examination questions in the provincial imperial exams have been similar all these years. The questions in the past years are also very empty and not difficult to answer. Moreover, most of the essays written by the majority of the people who got ranked in the past years were mostly fanciful and gorgeous. However, this year’s questions have fallen into reality.”

“If a state suffers from drought every year and locusts happen to pass through, what should those in power do?” Shen Yao chuckled. ‘This is today’s test question.”

“This question?” Ji Zhao was also extremely surprised.

Wasn’t this what they had experienced in Dingyuan County?

“Could this test be tailor-made for you?’ A bold guess suddenly surfaced in Ji Zhao’s heart.

Shen Yao did not know either, but this question was indeed a coincidence for him.

“By the way, Brother Qin came to look for me today. He invited us to his birthday banquet! Ji Zhao smiled and changed the topic. “Why don’t we go together? After you finish your last exam, let’s go pick a gift for him?”

“Okay,” Shen Yao agreed with a smile. He could not help but pinch her face again. “I’ll listen to you.”

Hearing this, Ji Zhao shyly buried her head in his arms.

Seeing this, the crescent moon also quietly hid in the dark clouds.

August 15th, Mid-Autumn Festival.

At the same time, it was also the last round of the provincial imperial examination.

The time for the exam was set at 9:15 am. The moment the bell rang, the examinees could start writing.

When Shen Yao opened the questions again, a trace of surprise flashed across his eyes.

The last question was really interesting.

The test question was actually a short story. A cow was sick. The cowman sent it to the vet. The vet examined it and found that the cow was already terminally ill and could not be eaten.

The cowman was heartbroken and sold the cow at a low price. However, the butcher who bought the cow was the vet’s younger brother. In fact, this cow was not sick at all.

After the cowman found out the truth, he went to the vet to reason with him. In the end, the vet bit back and said that the cow had an infectious disease. Instead, he asked the cowman for money to treat it. The younger brother of the vet, the butcher, also twisted his words and accused the cowman of having ill intentions and deliberately selling the sick cow to him. The cowman was a simple and honest person. He had never seen such a scene before. In the end, he begged the county magistrate, but the county magistrate could not differentiate right from wrong. The cowman did not expect that he, the victim, would become the vicious party. In the end, he bit his tongue in the hall and committed suicide.

Later on, the cowman’s wife, filled with hatred, sold all her belongings and brought her family to the magistrate’s office to sound the drum of injustice.

The examinees had to answer the question: If they were the magistrate, how should they deal with the matter when faced with two parties who had different testimonies?

This question was really tricky.

After all, no one knew if that cow was a sick cow.

Many examinees scratched their ears and cheeks with blank expressions.

Only Shen Yao immediately started writing after reading the questions. Soon, he finished writing.

When Qin Chen, the invigilator, saw the paper Shen Yao had written, his eyes lit up. It was a refreshing sight!

The last question of this year’s provincial imperial examination was written by the current emperor. It was said that Prince XianO was also involved.

His Majesty and Prince Xian were both sons of the current Empress Dowager. Prince Xian was also trusted by His Majesty.

Although Prince Xian had just come of age, his military achievements were incomparably illustrious.

Seven years ago, the thirteen-year-old Prince Xian became famous in a single battle. After his division returned to the imperial court, he handed over military power, but His Majesty was unwilling to take over. Later, Prince Xian stayed in the imperial court, but he rarely expressed his opinion on the imperial court.

It was only at the beginning of this year that Prince Xian suddenly took action, resulting in such a tricky question in the provincial imperial examination.

Qin Chen thought that he had studied for many years, but when faced with such a tricky question, even he was at his wits’ end.

He was even a little worried that very few people would be able to make it onto the rankings.

It was not until he saw Shen Yao’s answer sheet that he understood the true meaning of Prince Xian’s question.

Yinchuan Inn.

Ji Zhao also made some snow skin mooncakes and prepared some exquisite food boxes, placing the mooncakes inside.

“Madam, your hands are clever.” After tasting a piece of snow skin mooncake with bean paste filling, Innkeeper Qian gave Ji Zhao a thumbs up from the bottom of his heart. “I’ve tried many mooncakes, but the taste of those mooncakes is not as good as Madam’s snow skin mooncakes!”

“If Innkeeper Qian likes it, eat two more pieces.” Ji Zhao handed Innkeeper Qian a few more mooncakes. “In addition to the bean paste filling, I also made some lotus filling and winter melon filling. But if you ask me, the most delicious thing is still the egg yolk filling.”

“How can I accept that?” Innkeeper Qian waved his hand repeatedly. “How about this, Madam? Can you sell this mooncake to me?’

“Innkeeper Qian, we’ve troubled you a lot during this period of time. Moreover, you’ve arranged our three meals well. I even borrowed the inn’s kitchen from time to time,” Ji Zhao said very honestly. “Take these mooncakes as a token of our appreciation. If you don’t accept them, I won’t agree!”

Seeing that he really could not refuse, Innkeeper Qian could only accept the mooncakes. However, he secretly made up his mind. If the Shen couple had any instructions in the future, he would definitely not refuse!

“By the way, I heard that Madam is preparing to open a restaurant in the prefecture capital?” Innkeeper Qian suddenly thought of something and asked with concern, “1 wonder if Madam has chosen a location for this shop?” “Brother Qin helped me choose three shops. It’s just that my husband has to take an exam during this period of time, so we haven’t had the time to take a look yet.” Ji Zhao explained as she boxed the mooncakes. “However, we definitely have to stay in the prefecture city for a long time. In a few days, we’ll find a suitable residence first. After we settle down, we’ll slowly look at the shops. ‘

“Madam, there are at least a dozen taverns of all sizes in our Yunchuan Prefecture. If you want to open a restaurant, you still have to spend some effort,” Innkeeper Qian hurriedly said. “For example, the largest restaurant in the prefecture capital, Tianxiang Restaurant. Their roast duck is superb. The scholarly and elegant guests love to go to Gaosheng Restaurant. Actually, the taste of the food in Gaosheng Restaurant is average, but it can’t compare to the rich and imposing owner behind the scenes. He invites people to perform on stage every ten days. The other restaurants also have their own merits.”

“Actually, when I first thought of opening a restaurant in the prefecture capital, Brother Qin already said that there are many restaurants in the prefecture capital. It’s not easy to let Spring Breeze Pavilion have a place in the prefecture capital.” Ji Zhao smiled faintly. “However, I think with my culinary skills, I can definitely do this!”