A moment later, Xu Fengnian entered with a middle-aged man in his forties.
"Your esteemed self?"
After escorting the man in, Xu Fengnian immediately closed the door and discreetly moved away.
"This humble one is the accountant of the Liang mansion. My lowly name is not worth mentioning!"
"And why have you come today?"
Han Mo's pupils constricted, and he asked with some confusion.
"Young master, my master sent me to deliver a gift to the young master, as a token of his gratitude for your previous assistance!"
As he spoke, the man took out a gold ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table before Han Mo with both hands. He then bowed to Han Mo and, without another word, turned and left.
Picking up the gold ingot and examining it, Han Mo's heart began to race again.
This small gold ingot was roughly one tael in weight.
Furthermore, a corner was missing, and there was a hidden mark of the inner treasury underneath.
Indeed!
It seemed this was the examination question for this year's imperial examinations!
The imperial inner treasury was already short of money, so what else could this year's exam question be?
Having confirmed this, Han Mo took out the essay he had prepared, reviewed it carefully one more time, and then returned to his courtyard to sleep.
Tomorrow was the public examination for the Tai Xue Shang She, which was equivalent to the previous Ministry of Rites examination.
The results of this examination were also very important. However, the Ministry of Rites examination did not set rankings; it only determined whether one could pass the imperial examinations.
But with an admission rate of nearly fifty percent, Han Mo was quite confident.
With an excited heart, Han Mo could barely fall asleep.
It was only when Chun Tao specially brought a hot towel and meticulously wiped his cheeks, hands, and feet that he reluctantly drifted off to dreamland.
"Mo Ge'er, wake up!"
Before dawn, Chun Tao had already come to wake him.
After all, the examination today was of no ordinary importance.
Although there was no longer the scene of thousands of scholars taking the exam together as during the actual imperial examinations, the various rules were still numerous.
Being late for this would truly be regrettable.
"To have to get up before dawn, can't you show some respect for human rights?"
Even though he knew how important today was, Han Mo couldn't help but grumble.
"Alright, let's hurry and wash up. Oh, by the way, the young lady from the Zhe family came earlier and specially sent this for you!"
"What is this?"
Looking at the rectangular box Chun Tao took out, Han Mo felt genuinely curious. He had never seen such a thing before.
"I've already looked. Everything inside is complete, with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones all prepared, and they are all of superior quality! The middle layer also has some pastries specifically packed for you!"
Chun Tao spoke while specifically opening it for Han Mo to see.
"Then I'll use this today!"
Even Han Mo couldn't help but smile knowingly. It seemed this young lady had put a lot of thought into it for him.
However, when he arrived outside the Gongyuan by carriage, he discovered that on almost all the streets around the Gongyuan, every scholar had one of these.
This item also had an evocative name: the examination box...
"Young master! Young master!"
Just as Han Mo was wondering what to do next, Xu San Bao suddenly came running.
"I'm here, is there something else?"
"Young master, this is your family registration. You forgot to bring it out!"
As Xu San Bao spoke, he quickly handed a document to Han Mo.
After taking the document, Han Mo breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn't had this, his efforts today would truly have been in vain.
Let alone becoming the top scholar, he likely wouldn't even have the qualification to participate in the examination.
The so-called family registration was actually equivalent to the admission ticket in later generations.
It not only recorded the scholar's name, place of origin, and family situation but also required the signatures of neighbors and local gentry as guarantors.
If anyone cheated, those who provided the guarantee would also bear joint responsibility.
"Brother Han, why are you only arriving now? The family registrations are almost all submitted!"
As they were speaking, Zhong Yan Chong's voice suddenly came from behind them.
"I slept a bit late last night, and my head is still muddled..."
Han Mo smiled somewhat awkwardly.
"There's no time to delay. Since it hasn't ended yet, we should hurry. I'll lead you!"
With Zhong Yan Chong's help, Han Mo finally felt relieved.
After hastily submitting the family registration, he then rejoined the queue on the other side.
"Brother Han, your examination box is truly unique. This is a new product from Yuan Bao Ji, and this one, along with its contents, is worth thirty guan!"
While waiting, Zhong Yan Chong smiled and joked with Han Mo.
"This broken thing is thirty guan?"
Now it was Han Mo's turn to be surprised.
Brand premium had already started to appear in this era?
"Of course. But with your current wealth, Brother Han, such an item is not much!"
"Dong—dong—dong—"
As they were talking, accompanied by the melodious sound of a bell, the gate of the Gongyuan slowly opened.
"All scholars, you are about to enter the Gongyuan. If anyone has brought anything they shouldn't have into their examination box, it's best to discard it now. It won't be good if it's discovered during the search!"
As the gate of the Gongyuan opened, an official in a green robe walked out with a swagger.
"Ten years of hard study is for this day. Even if you fail the imperial examinations this year, you can still try again next year. But if you are caught cheating, you will never have the chance to hold an official position!"
As he spoke, he carefully surveyed all the scholars.
Behind him, two rows of brightly dressed soldiers marched out from the Gongyuan in neat formation.
"Now, everyone close your eyes for thirty breaths. After thirty breaths, the examination boxes will be searched!"
Besides the robe he was wearing, all Han Mo had was the contents of this examination box. He had checked these items on the way.
Besides the essential reference books, the rest were ordinary brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and pastries.
All the pastries had also been cut open in the middle, divided into eight portions. This was partly for ease of inspection and partly for the convenience of scholars eating while answering questions.
After thirty breaths, the long street outside the Gongyuan was filled with various small cheat sheets.
Even Han Mo couldn't help but laugh. It seemed today's examination wouldn't be too difficult for him.
After all, anyone who had prepared cheat sheets in advance must have had very little confidence in themselves...
Combined with the extremely high admission rate, Han Mo suddenly felt that at least his eyesight was likely secure.
"Leave the examination boxes here. Everyone, follow me to bathe!"