Seeing the shocked and twisted faces of his parents, Gao Zhang smiled shyly.
"They were worried that their children wouldn't believe it, so they made a special note to prove that what they said was true."
In the carriage, the only sounds left were the rapid breathing of Mr. Huang and Mr. and Mrs. Gao Qiu.
After Gao Qiu couldn't wait to spread out the written document, he looked at the contents of the written document and was speechless for a long time.
Huang's eyes were widened to the extreme. He glanced at the documents and then at his own son Gao Zhang with a shy smile.
Suddenly, my brain became exhausted, and I kept tugging at my husband's sleeves.
"Husband, this handwriting is not fake, is it?"
"My husband recognizes Wu Zhizhong's handwriting. This document is indeed from his hand..."
Having said this, Gao Qiu wiped his face vigorously and his eyes fell on Gao Zhang.
"Zhang'er, Wu Shangshu and Chen Shilang are very satisfied with the policy questions you wrote, right?"
Seeing Gao Zhang nodded obediently, Gao Qiu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Zhang'er, you didn't lie to your mother, did you?"
Seeing his parents' sharp gazes like searchlights, Gao Zhang, whose scalp was numb from the sight, quickly explained.
"Mother, my child is not that kind of person. However, before the results are released, no one can tell whether my child has really passed the exam."
#####
Even though almost an hour had passed since they had returned to the mansion, the couple was still in an inexplicable state of excitement.
After all, it is because since the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty, the idea that everything is inferior has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people for so many years, and only the concept of high education has been instilled.
In addition, there were countless scholars in the Song Dynasty, and only a few scholars could win the exam every three years.
The important thing is that his son Gao Zhang took the exam for the most noble and prestigious imperial examination: the Jinshi Examination.
Originally, the couple didn't even have 100% confidence that Gao Zhang would be able to pass the exam, and it was just a contingency at most.
But now, after listening to his own son's story, he has the written evidence written by Wu Zhizhong, the famous Minister of Rites.
All of a sudden, the possibility that Gao Zhang could pass the Jinshi examination was raised to at least 80% to 90%.
But the more this happens, the more uneasy it becomes, even for Gao Zhang, who was pickled for three days and three nights in the Guanzhong Gongyuan.
After returning home, he was still questioned by his parents in every possible way. Finally, when he saw Gao Zhang starting to doze off, he reluctantly let his son go.
But the couple is still excitedly discussing the possibility of their son becoming the benchmark for Lao Gao's family's academic future.
As for how many books Gao Zhang's child had read, this was not within the scope of the couple's discussion.
It is more of an analysis from the category of gods, ghosts, demons and immortals... Just like now, after Huang had been thinking hard for a long time, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Husband, tell me, could it be that our ancestors are here to bless our Zhang'er?"
"Otherwise, how could he be a child who is just starting out and doesn't have the guidance of a famous teacher?"
As soon as these words came out, Gao Qiu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he felt that what his wife Huang said really made sense.
Could it be that the ancestors had a spirit and used magical powers to turn that little baby Gaozhang into a child prodigy?
"Husband, do you think you will..." Mrs. Huang rolled her eyes for a long time and hesitated to speak.
Gao Qiu looked at Huang with confusion. "Could it be anything?"
Huang gritted her teeth and whispered into her husband Gao Qiu's ear.
"Husband, I don't see any good omen at home. Could it be with the ancestors..."
Listening to his wife Huang's analysis in an increasingly quiet voice, Gao Qiu's eyes suddenly bulged.
He glanced at his wife, Huang, and rolled his eyes several times, as if, maybe...
"Without further delay, my husband is going to pay homage to our ancestors today."
"Okay, I'll go with my husband. Maybe we can actually see smoke rising from our ancestors' graves, which is a good omen."
Hearing his wife's uncontrollable words of expectation, Gao Qiu nodded in agreement.
The couple happily ordered the housekeeper Fu'an to prepare the offerings and then left the house.
As for Gao Zhang, after taking a comfortable shower, he lay down on the bed early and decided to have a good sleep.
#####
After Gao Zhang woke up after making up for his drowsiness, he inquired and learned that his parents had actually rushed to offer incense to their ancestors.
Faced with such feudal superstition, Gao Zhang expressed his helplessness and helplessness.
After all, this is a trend. Before science and technology were not cutting-edge enough, deep-rooted feudal superstition could not be eliminated with one or two clear minds.
When it was time to have dinner in the evening, I finally saw my parents covered in dust, returning to the house with joy on their faces.
"Zhang'er, do you know that someone burned a piece of grass on your great-grandfather's grave?"
"???" Gao Zhang looked at his excited mother in confusion.
"Mom, your expression is wrong, isn't it?"
"You child, what my mother means is that the smoke coming out of the ancestral graves is a good sign. It seems that my son is really likely to pass the provincial examination for Jinshi."
The biological father Gao Qiu on the side also seemed to be happy that the grass on his grandfather's grave was burnt. Instead of being angry, he was pleased with it.
"...Yes, thanks to the blessings of our ancestors, our Gao family actually has a literary star."
Gao Zhang looked at his parents who were excited and looking forward to it. He was really embarrassed to bury them in such a feudal and superstitious way, so he should draw a line at least.
Besides, there is no detailed or official statement on the auspicious sign of smoke coming out of ancestral graves.
It is also not clear how the smoke on the ancestral grave should be emitted, whether it is man-made, whether it is struck by lightning, whether it is the cigarette butt dropped by a bird and burned on the grave.
Forget it, as long as they are happy, waiting for the star battleship's ion cannon to blast out green smoke is considered a good sign.
#####
Inside the Gongyuan, a group of examiners who used to just stroll around leisurely every day have entered their busiest working hours.
The imperial examination system of the Song Dynasty was already very strict, and the system of anonymity and transcription was implemented.
Each answer sheet will be copied into a copy by a special clerk with a red pen, and then the copy will be sent to the examiner, who will grade it.
The second step is re-evaluation. The initial evaluation comments on the examination paper are also sealed and sent back to the examiner for further ranking.
As for the third step, the scheduler will review the similarities and differences between the initial and re-examination opinions. If the opinions are the same, the grade will be determined accordingly.
If there are different opinions, the examination paper will be sealed and then sent to another examiner for evaluation. Then adopt the order of coincidence of opinions...
At this moment, Chen Shilang was standing behind an examiner, stroking his long beard and saying nothing.
The test paper in the hands of this preliminary examiner was written after Gao Zhang.
The first-time examiner was a little flustered because his immediate boss was standing behind him. He looked at it hastily, then put down his pen and waited for the verdict.
As soon as he raised his hand, Chen Shilang's big hand gently pressed the shoulder of the preliminary examiner.
"Li Langzhong, how do you want to grade this answer sheet?"
