The Comeback of the Charming Farmer's Wife

Chapter 2067 - 2069

A person came forward, and with just a few flips, discovered that his belly was covered with writing.

"Get lost, get lost!" The inspecting soldier waved dismissively, "What nonsense, claiming to be scholars with noble character? Cheating so much that it’s surprising they haven’t written on their eggs yet. If such characters can pass the exam, it would be absurd."

His words made the students blush from ear to ear, but harsh or not, there was truth in his words. This kind of exam was meant to test real knowledge and skills. If everyone cheats, what fairness is left? Moreover, these actions indeed tarnish the character of a scholar.

Soon it was Yang Qingrui and his brother’s turn. At the sight of their basket, the soldier twitched his eyes; besides writing materials, it was full of food, drinks, and medicine.

"Are you here to eat or to take the exam?" the soldier couldn’t help but ask.

"Can’t we bring these?" Yang Qingrui raised an eyebrow.

"You can, you can!"

Yang Qingrui said no more and repacked the broken peach pastries back into the basket. Though they were crushed, they weren’t dirty and were still edible.

After Yang Qingtong was ready, the two brothers entered the exam hall respectively.

When the gong rang, the invigilators entered the hall one by one, followed by the distribution of the exam papers.

Once the exam began, the invigilators checked roughly every quarter of an hour, coming to each person to observe.

Yang Qingtong couldn’t help but wonder, weren’t these people checking too frequently? Didn’t it make people nervous?

Didn’t brother-in-law say they only check every three-quarters of an hour?

Fortunately, Yang Qingrui and his brother knew about this process in advance and pretended the invigilators were not there.

The first day passed smoothly, but on the second day, Yang Qingrui felt something was off.

Why was he so sleepy?

Logically, it shouldn’t be. He had made sure to rest according to his regular schedule last night, fearing it would affect the exam.

But for some reason, he was unbearably sleepy. So he rummaged through his basket and found a pack of tea leaves. Thankfully, when his sister and brother-in-law prepared things, they prepared two portions just in case. Thanks to Qingtong, he also had a pack of tea.

He boiled a pot of water and brewed a strong cup of tea, feeling immediately revitalized.

Yang Qingtong was in a similar situation, also brewing tea.

However, the unusual activity in the exam hall caught the attention of one of the invigilators. Why did everyone seem so wilted on the second day?

Moreover, they were yawning constantly, and several were directly slumped over their desks, snoring.

This invigilator was a very reputable teacher in the Imperial Academy, known as Master Si.

Master Si felt something was amiss and reported it to the chief invigilator, Lord Zhang, the Imperial Academy’s warden. Lord Zhang was newly appointed by Baili Yan and knew the emperor valued these first-batch candidates, so he promptly investigated.

Indeed, when he saw Yang Qingrui with a cup of strong tea on his desk, he understood.

After discussing the matter with Master Si, they immediately brewed a large pot of tea and delivered a cup to each cubicle.

Those who were asleep were also awakened.

Some even cried upon realizing they had fallen asleep, only to be scolded by Lord Zhang, "Why are you crying? You had just fallen asleep when we woke you up. You haven’t wasted much time. It’s still possible to catch up. Drink the tea and focus on the exam. Don’t affect others. If you cry again, I’ll have you expelled."