The day before the examination, the Wang Family and Mr. Xie followed the traditions of Xinghuai Prefecture and sent a special delivery to their rented home: brushes, "victory cakes," and rice dumplings. The gifts were a pun, as their names together sounded like the phrase "certain to pass with high honors."

The group had a few quick bites, checked their personal belongings one last time, and then returned to their rooms to rest.

Well before dawn the next day, they rose one after another, washed up, and ate a hot, delicious breakfast before heading out together.

It was the sixth day of the fourth lunar month, the heart of late spring. Outside, the grass was long, orioles were in flight, and flowers bloomed in vibrant clusters. Unfortunately, with the sky still dark, none of this scenery was visible yet.

As they walked out of their rented courtyard, they could faintly hear the sound of other courtyard gates opening and closing.

Further on, once they left the alley and reached the main street, they saw a line of lanterns stretching down the road like a fiery dragon.

The roads were filled with candidates heading for the examination and the family members seeing them off. People simply nodded to each other as they passed, in no mood for idle chatter.

The closer they got to the examination hall, the brighter the lights became. A few hundred meters out, the area ahead was illuminated as if by daylight. Constables brandishing an array of weapons patrolled back and forth, maintaining order.

Rope barriers had been set up to block the road, keeping the candidates’ families outside the restricted area.

The air was thick with the sounds of reluctant goodbyes and worried whispers, interspersed with shouts of encouragement, wishing the candidates great success and soaring ambition. The well-wishes echoed in the sky, a collective prayer for every student to have a brilliant future.

Promptly at the appointed hour, the great gates of the examination hall swung wide open. Thousands of candidates underwent a preliminary inspection before filing inside in an orderly stream.

One thing worth mentioning was the examination basket.

In Qingshui County, an examination basket was just that—a literal basket. Candidates would place the items they needed for the exam inside, pick it up by the handle, and be on their way.

But here in the Prefecture, things were different.

There were many wealthy people here, including many whose ancestors had served as court officials. Looking around, Zhao Jing saw very few candidates carrying a simple basket like his. Instead, many of those waiting in line for inspection held what could only be described as a "Hundred Treasures Box."

These boxes could hold brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and also had special drawers for food and compartments for medicine. A closer look revealed that the boxes were even crafted from expensive materials like huanghuali pearwood and zitan sandalwood.

The boxes were engraved not only with the names of their ancestors and the honors they had achieved, but also with the posts they had held and their final rank upon retirement.

Though clearly meant to show off, the sight of these boxes was incredibly intimidating.

After passing through the inspection, four attendants holding lanterns, who were already waiting quietly to the side, led the candidates into the examination grounds from four different directions.

Once everyone was gathered in the open space at the center of the grounds, a constable gave a loud cry, announcing the arrival of the Lord Prefect, accompanied by the various County Magistrates and the sponsoring scholars.

When Zhao Jing and his friends saw the old man they had shared tea with, their suspicions were confirmed. Even though they had guessed his identity, the reality was still breathtaking. He wore the dark bluish-green surcoat of a fourth-rank official, emblazoned with a tiger rank badge, and an official’s hat adorned with a lapis lazuli finial and a peacock feather. He carried himself with immense authority, passing by the crowd with a powerful, commanding gait. The sheer awe of the moment was so intense it stole their breath away.

De’an gently nudged Zhao Jing with his elbow. "So we really did meet a big shot."

Without moving his lips, Huang Chen whispered, "What’s a ’big shot’?"

"You wouldn’t get it..."

De’an was about to explain to Huang Chen when Chu Xun stomped hard on his foot.

He was about to curse back, but when he turned his head, he saw that the Lord Prefect, who had been walking forward, had stopped and was now looking in their direction.

The County Magistrates following behind the Lord Prefect, along with the professors and instructors from the prefectural school who were there to help proctor, all turned to look as well.

They stared for a moment but couldn’t see anything unusual.

A professor from the prefectural school asked curiously, "My Lord, is something amiss?"

Mr. Sheng turned back, a slight smile on his lips. "Not at all. I was just thinking how formidable the younger generation is. It seems this year’s prefectural examination is full of hidden talents."

The professor said fawningly, "Still, it can’t compare to your own performance back in the day, My Lord. I recall when you took the prefectural examination in Jiangnan, you swept through the competition, overcoming every obstacle..."

His voice trailed off, eventually becoming inaudible.

A moment later, Mr. Sheng took his seat at the head of the hall, and everyone else bowed to him in salute. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Following that were the familiar roll call of the sponsors and the procession to the individual examination cells.

Two other things are worth mentioning.

First, since Wang Jun was taking the examination, his father, Mr. Wang, had recused himself from proctoring to avoid any appearance of impropriety. He was at home, anxiously worrying about his son.

Second, as the top-ranked candidate from Qingshui County, Zhao Jing had the ’honor’ of being assigned a ’hall-facing seat.’

And what was a ’hall-facing seat’?

It was the row of examination cells located directly in front of the proctors.

This row was closest to the Prefect—right under the Lord Prefect’s nose, so to speak. The seats were reserved for the top-ranked candidate from each county.

While sitting there was an honor, it was also common for candidates who lacked the mental fortitude to crack under the pressure of the Lord Prefect’s intimidating presence and perform poorly.