Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1172 Official, This is a proper place

The hour of You (5-7 PM) marks the boundary between day and night, and is also the time when all candidates in the examination hall "stop writing."

"When-when-when-"

Three gong sounds rang out from the Zhigong Hall, and within moments they echoed throughout the entire Examination Yuan.

In the Zhigong Hall, Jiang Zhiming rubbed his stiff neck and gave the order: "Seal the exam papers at dusk. Have all candidates stop writing and neatly place their exam papers, pens, ink, manuscript paper, and other items into the desks in their cells. After the examiners have checked and confirmed that everything is in order, affix the seals. Reseal them at dawn tomorrow!"

"Yes!" The two assistant examiners immediately walked towards the examination booths to supervise the candidates and make sure they stopped writing.

But anyone who has taken an exam knows that the closer you get to the end of the test, the more thoughts you have in your head. Those poems you couldn't remember before and the answers you couldn't figure out all suddenly pop into your head when the test is over.

As the bugle call troops began to reorganize, a subtle commotion arose in the cells.

Some people clenched their fists and banged their heads hard, some people's fingers holding the brush turned white, and some people were sweating profusely as they wrote quickly while praying in their hearts that the bugle call would slow down.

The deputy examiner walked along the narrow path in front of each examination cell, and said meaningfully, "Dear candidates, the time for sealing the papers has arrived. Do not harbor any illusions. Anyone found to have secretly written or hidden draft paper will be immediately disqualified!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the crowd, and the commotion gradually subsided.

The candidates put down their pens one after another, carefully folded up their exam papers and draft papers, and pushed them, along with their pens and ink, into the drawer of their desks.

The soldiers were divided into several groups of two. One person checked the exam papers and the ink, and after checking, the other person immediately sealed the desk holes.

In less than half an hour, all the examination cells were inspected. The seals with red stamps were particularly eye-catching in the twilight, completely sealing away the tension and slight regrets of the candidates for the day.

A moment later, some candidates raised their "toilet sign" to use the restroom, some took out their dry food to fill their stomachs, and some lay on their number boards, starting to ponder the questions on the exam paper again.

As darkness fell, the wind howled through the narrow passage.

The re-examination lasted two days and one night, and all candidates had to sleep in their assigned cells for one night.

Since it was early autumn and the nights weren't too cold, most candidates only brought a thin blanket. Some, like Xin Ji who considered himself "young and strong," didn't even bring a blanket, just an extra undergarment, thinking they could just make do with sleeping there for the night.

Just as people experience joy and sorrow, separation and reunion, and the moon waxes and wanes, so too does the heavens sometimes turn against us.

"Boom——"

Streaks of lightning tore through the night, followed by muffled thunder.

Many candidates were startled and quickly looked towards the eaves of the examination room.

Fortunately.

There is thunder but no rain.

"Boom——"

Another rumble of thunder startled Jiang Zhiming, who was having dinner in the Zhigong Hall. While stuffing meat into his mouth, he asked the other two deputy examiners, "Gentlemen... this thunder doesn't sound right. It's not going to rain tonight, is it?"

Just as the two deputy examiners were about to say "no," the sound of raindrops tapping on the roof of the Zhigong Hall began.

"..." Jiang Zhiming put down the piece of meat he had just picked up, got up and left Zhigong Hall.

Anyone who has been an examiner knows that the worst thing about exams is rainy days, whether it's a sick candidate or a leaky exam room, there's always something to worry about.

Jiang Zhiming lost his appetite and immediately summoned the guards, ordering them: "Inspect each candidate's cell. If any leaks or other problems are found, immediately move the candidate to a different cell!"

After saying that, he took out a small booklet from his pocket and read aloud: "Prioritize changing to numbers 20 to 50 of the C-class. During the changeover, protect the candidates' exam papers and do not make any mistakes!"

"Yes!" The buglers, who had just rested for a while, started moving again.

After the examiners left, the two deputy examiners came to Jiang Zhiming's side. Looking at the increasingly obvious rain, they said worriedly, "Lord Jiang, if this rain doesn't stop anytime soon... the cells might leak."

Jiang Zhiming frowned slightly, as if speaking to them, yet also reassuring himself: "No, it won't happen. Lord Shen specifically sent people to repair the cells. I even inspected them with her a couple of days ago, but they were leaking..."

Despite saying that, his brows furrowed even deeper.

Just as he took out his umbrella, preparing to personally check the condition of the cells, Liu Yumin came through the rain.

As thunderclaps fell one after another, the cold rain pelted the cells, and amidst the pattering rain, faint coughs could be heard.

In number 19 of the Bing series, a man huddled on the board with his knees drawn up to his chest. As a drop of rain fell, he cursed.

"Rain? Are you trying to go against me?"

"Haha, what a coincidence, this young master is not afraid of the cold at all."

"If you know what's good for you, stop right now."

"Do you even know where this rain is heading? Do you even know who's lying in this examination hall? They're all the future pillars and key ministers of our Great Zhou Dynasty. Are you going to take responsibility if they get soaked?"

"Stop! Stop! Stop right now!"

"Ah che-"

"Damn it, heavens! Stop raining! I didn't bring any blankets! I'm freezing!"

As the shouts and curses subsided, the rain poured down harder and the wind blew more fiercely.

Xin Ji: "......"

"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"

The candidate next door knocked on the wall of the examination room.

"..." Xin Ji leaned against the wall and asked irritably, "Fatty, what's up?"

"My name isn't Fatty." A muffled voice from next door said, "My name is Fang Ziyan. You're so rude."

"I don't care what you're called!" Xin Ji looked at the rain and lowered his voice, "Why are you knocking on the wall?"

Fang Ziyan next door remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Stop cursing. The more you curse, the heavier the rain gets. It's obvious that God is unhappy with your cursing."

"......Pah!"

Xin Ji kicked the wall and was about to speak when Hao Jun suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shouted, "What are you doing!"

Xin Ji hadn't even pulled his foot back yet, but his mind was already racing: "Sir, the rain is getting heavier and heavier. I didn't bring any blankets, and I'm cold!"

Hao Jun held up the wind-blown lantern, stared at his face for a while, and asked suspiciously, "Did you just speak?"

Fang Ziyan, who was next door, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

Xin Ji's reply remained calm: "I'm addressing you, sir. I just wanted to ask, with the rain getting heavier, is there any way to keep warm? Otherwise, I'm afraid to sleep tonight, worried I'll catch a cold and won't be able to answer the questions tomorrow..."

The soldier remained skeptical, even bringing the lantern closer to his face.

Smelling the fumes emanating from the lamp wick, Xin Ji shrank back: "Sir, why are you standing so close... This is the Examination Yuan, a proper place."

"Nonsense!" A voice came from behind the guard: "This is the Examination Yuan, a place of great importance. Do not speak nonsense!"

Xin Ji craned his neck to look and saw that Liu Yumin had walked over at some point.