TSWPF -Chapter 273 Schemes

To avoid disturbing Liu Zhimou while he was answering the exam questions, Lord Luo observed for a while and then approached.

With an excited expression, he said to Lord Song, “Liu Zhimou is impressive.”

At this, Lord Song’s eyes lit up. He lowered his voice and said, “With such a clever father, how could he possibly do poorly? Lord Liu Si’s brilliance is truly unparalleled in this world.”

After the spring imperial exam, he wanted to ask Liu Zhimou whether his father was currently in the capital.

Mr. Luo nodded in agreement, fully concurring with Lord Song’s remark, though he added that they still had to see how he would perform on the remaining tests.

Liu Zhimou had no idea what these two lords thought of him. He remained focused, answering his questions seriously. When he finished, he carefully checked his answers, found nothing wrong, and finally put down his brush.

This action did not escape the notice of the two lords who had been paying close attention to him.

“Ah, Liu Zhimou has already finished. He’s much faster than the other candidates. I wonder how well the others are doing?” Lord Luo raised his eyebrows.

Lord Song smiled and said, “Let’s just wait for the results.”

“That makes sense…”

After spending nine full days in the exam hall, attending to every need there—from eating to relieving himself—even someone like Liu Zhimou, who was physically robust, began to feel slightly restless.

He took some mint leaves, smelled them under his nose, and felt his mind clear. Then he continued answering the questions.

This exam was primarily essay-based and relatively harder than the previous two. He dared not be careless. He meticulously drafted his answers on scratch paper before transferring them carefully onto the exam sheet.

Halfway through his answers, a candidate in the neighboring exam hall began causing a loud commotion. Soon, the invigilator’s stern shouts followed.

This scene unsettled the other candidates, who lifted their heads to look over, curious about what had happened.

But Liu Zhimou remained completely unaffected, keeping his head down and focusing on his exam.

Lord Luo and Lord Song’s faces darkened. Seeing the other candidates being distracted, they loudly reminded them that time was running out.

Upon hearing this, the candidates immediately became tense, refocusing on their papers and refusing to let their thoughts wander further.

“What is Huang Zhong up to? Doesn’t he realize he’s disturbing the other candidates?” Lord Luo gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, wondering how Huang Zhong even qualified as an invigilator. Such a menace.

Lord Song also did not think highly of Huang Zhong. With a gloomy face, he said, “I suspect he has ill intentions,” and cast a glance toward Liu Zhimou.

Following Lord Song’s gaze, Lord Luo noticed Liu Zhimou and felt his heart skip a beat. He asked repeatedly, “What’s going on? Could he be trying to disrupt Liu Zhimou’s exam?”

“Huang Zhong has always had a rivalry with Lord Liu Si. His actions are very likely aimed at Lord Liu Si’s son, Liu Zhimou.”

“Damn it…” Lord Luo muttered in frustration. Huang Zhong’s actions had no effect on Liu Zhimou but had unsettled the other candidates. Who knows what this will do to their results?

Lord Song shook his head helplessly, hoping that the other candidates would not be too badly affected and could still achieve good scores.

Checking the time, he reminded the candidates once more.

The candidates who hadn’t finished grew even more anxious, and their notes became sloppy.

This, of course, did not include Liu Zhimou. He had already completed and double-checked his answers, found no issues, and was simply waiting for the invigilators to collect the exam sheets.

When the time was up, the invigilators instructed the candidates to stand and leave the hall in order.

Those who had not finished covered their faces and cried softly. The spring imperial exam only occurs once every three years. If they didn’t pass this time, how many more years would they have to wait? Younger candidates could try again, but for older candidates, this might be their last chance. How could anyone not feel sorrow at such an outcome?

…

“Brother-in-law, why hasn’t he come out yet? Could something have happened to him?” Li Qingning tugged at Li Qingling’s hand and tiptoed to peek at the exam hall’s entrance, eager to spot Liu Zhimou.

They had been waiting here since early morning. Seeing some candidates being carried out, her heart pounded with worry, afraid the same might happen to her brother-in-law.

Especially since recently, a candidate had been escorted out by the officials, behaving like a madman. It had frightened her.

She thought the spring imperial exam was terrifying.

Li Qingling was also worried, especially about the earlier commotion caused by that noisy candidate potentially disturbing Liu Zhimou.

“Your brother-in-law is physically strong. He’ll be fine.” This was as much to reassure Li Qingning as it was herself.

Nine consecutive days in the exam hall, eating and relieving oneself there, with less-than-ideal conditions, made one wonder how he was faring. She hoped he hadn’t suffered.

“Master, will the candidate who caused the commotion be punished?” Liu Zhiyan asked Mr. Luo quietly.

Mr. Luo’s eyes darkened slightly as he patted Liu Zhiyan’s head. “Disturbing the exam hall’s order will result in detention for several days.” If he wasn’t mistaken, the invigilator who brought that candidate out earlier was Huang Zhong—Liu Zhimou’s rival. He suspected it was all a deliberate act to affect Liu Zhimou’s exam.

He just hoped Liu Zhimou wasn’t affected and could finish his answers smoothly.

Liu Zhiyan frowned, pouting. “Such a ruckus… who knows how many candidates’ minds it unsettled? It’s infuriating to think about. I hope my eldest brother wasn’t impacted. If he was, that person would be cursed to no end.”

Mr. Luo nodded and offered a few comforting words to Liu Zhiyan, calming him. Then he fixed his gaze on the exam hall entrance, quietly waiting for Liu Zhimou.

After some time, Li Qingling and the others finally saw Liu Zhimou staggering out, carrying a basket.

“He’s out! Brother-in-law is out!” Li Qingning shouted anxiously.

Li Qingling rushed over, took the basket, and helped support him, looking at him with concern. “You’ve worked hard.”

After nine days inside, he had lost quite a bit of weight.

Liu Zhimou smiled faintly at Li Qingling. “I’m fine.”

Compared to other candidates, he was lucky not to have fainted. Many had fainted inside the exam hall.

“All right, let’s talk after we go back!” Mr. Luo came over, supporting the other side of Liu Zhimou.

Liu Zhimou called out, “Master.”

Mr. Luo acknowledged and helped him into the carriage, also making sure Li Qingling got in. He took the children in another carriage, allowing Liu Zhimou to lie down and rest properly.

Once seated, Liu Zhimou relaxed completely, feeling instantly fatigued.

Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Li Qingling tenderly touched him, telling him to close his eyes and sleep. She would wake him once they arrived home.

Unable to resist, Liu Zhimou nodded and leaned against her shoulder, falling asleep.

Feeling the weight on her shoulder, Li Qingling looked down and saw he had fallen asleep. She gently stroked his thin face, finally allowing her worry to ease.

Regardless of the results, seeing him come out safely reassured her.

Having accompanied him through so many exams, she deeply understood how grueling the imperial exams were. No wonder some people could take years before finally passing.

She hoped he could achieve good results this time, so he wouldn’t have to endure such hardship again.

Liu Zhimou slept all the way home and remained asleep upon arrival.

Seeing him sleep so soundly, Li Qingling didn’t want to wake him, so she carefully had him carried inside.

Hearing that Li Qingling and the others had returned, Old Master Liu and the elder walked out into the hall. The sight startled them both, freezing their hearts for a moment.

“What… happened to Mo’er?” Old Master Liu asked anxiously.

Li Qingling gently shushed him, whispering, “Liu Zhimou is just very tired. He’s asleep. Nothing’s wrong.”

Old Master Liu exhaled softly in relief. Thankfully, nothing serious had happened. How could he have borne it otherwise?

“Hurry… carry him back and let him sleep well,” Old Master Liu urged. Participating in an exam was sheer torment; it was incredibly grueling.

Once Liu Zhimou was settled in his room, Li Qingling and the others quietly left.

It wasn’t until dinner time that Liu Zhimou woke.

He sat up abruptly, realizing he was in his and Li Qingling’s room.

He sighed deeply and lay back down, thinking he was still in the exam hall. Unexpectedly, he was home.

After resting a bit, he got up and had water brought for a bath.

He hadn’t been able to properly bathe in the hall for so many days. He truly smelled unpleasant.

“Zhimou, you’re awake? Did you sleep well?” Li Qingling asked, initially intending only to check if he had woken, but instead heard him giving instructions to the servants.

Liu Zhimou smiled warmly and reached out his hand. When she took it, he pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly. “I missed you. Did you miss me?” Thankfully, she had prepared so much mint for him, keeping him alert enough to finish the exam.

Li Qingling hugged him back tightly. Hearing him speak so openly, she smiled, saying, “I… did.”

The past few days had been tough on her, anxiously waiting for him to finish and return home.

Hearing this, Liu Zhimou cupped the back of her head and kissed her, showing just how much he had missed her.

When the servants arrived with water, they witnessed this scene, blushing and averting their eyes, unwilling to interrupt.

After a while, Liu Zhimou released her, noticing the servants. He picked up Li Qingling, waved to them, and had them bring in the water.

Li Qingling blushed, burying her face in his shoulder, too embarrassed to look at anyone else.

Being seen in such an intimate moment… it was truly, deeply embarrassing.

Sometimes she wondered if Liu Zhimou was actually the person who had transmigrated here—he was thick-skinned enough to remain unfazed even when seen by others. She truly admired him.