There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 326 Sudden Downpour

Li Shuchen opened the food box and introduced, "Your older sister prepared extra white rice and a tinderbox for you."

If you don't want to eat cold food, you can steam rice or make porridge for yourself. Everything we agreed on before is here. I've also prepared a lot of dried sweet potatoes and eggs. Eat one every day.

In addition, there's ginseng, which greatly replenishes vital energy, restores the pulse and prevents collapse, strengthens the spleen and lungs, promotes body fluid production and calms the mind. If you accidentally bite into it one day... just hold it in your mouth, understand?

Li Lingxiao's voice was slightly hoarse: "Sister, ginseng is too precious and requires a lot of money. I'm healthy and don't need it. Sister, please return it."

Li Shuchen said calmly, "Our family has the means; we won't eat you out of house and home, sister. The weather is unpredictable; who knows what might happen in the next nine days? Besides, money is nothing compared to life. Take this; if anything goes wrong, you must eat it."

Upon hearing this, Li Lingxiao said, word by word, "Thank you, elder sister."

Li Shuchen said gently, "As long as you're okay, that's more important than anything else."

"I understand. What is this, sister?"

He picked up the bamboo curtain and asked...

Li Shuchen: "This is a prison cell curtain. Your older sister also prepared a stone hammer and nails for you. You can set it in your cell to keep out the wind and rain and prevent you from getting cold at night."

Li Lingxiao grinned from ear to ear: "Sister, you've thought of everything so thoughtfully; it's a blessing for Xiao'er."

Li Shuchen smiled and said, "This is nothing. My elder sister has also prepared candlesticks, candles, candle trimmers, and wax wrapping paper. Even if it's dark, Xiao'er can answer the questions by candlelight. And these clothes, Xiao'er, remember to change."

"Sister..."

Looking at the items, Li Lingxiao was speechless with gratitude. She could only reach out and help Li Shuchen place the items one by one into the exam basket.

Li Shuchen reached out and patted Li Lingxiao's head: "Alright, sister will stay at home tonight and accompany Xiao'er to the examination hall tomorrow."

"it is good"

Li Lingxiao nodded obediently, just like a puppy.

August 9th, weather: unknown

After getting up, Li Shuchen opened the window and looked at the sky, only to find it gloomy and unclear.

Grape: "Miss is awake."

Li Shuchen turned around: "Is the young master awake?"

Grape: "Young Master has already had breakfast."

It seems she overslept.

After a quick breakfast, Grape brought the carriage.

Li Lingxiao stood by the carriage, beaming, and said, "Sister, let me help you into the carriage."

Just a second before getting into the carriage, Li Shuchen turned back and walked into the house.

Li Lingxiao: "Sister, where are you going?"

All Li Shuchen left him with was her back; she walked too fast for him to hear her.

A short while later, Li Shuchen reappeared, this time carrying an oil-paper umbrella with a landscape painting of Jiangnan.

Li Lingxiao: "Sister, how can it rain when the sun is so strong?"

Li Shuchen: "My sister's intuition tells me, let's go."

The two boarded the carriage and headed to the examination hall.

Many candidates had already lined up in front of the examination hall, discussing what questions would be asked in this year's exam.

"Miss, there's a shady spot here. Let's queue up here."

Grape pointed to a spot and said happily

Li Shuchen: Okay

The three of them had just finished queuing when another group arrived, and they hurriedly looked for a shady spot to queue.

Looking at the endless stream of test-takers, Grape remarked, "There are so many people!"

Li Shuchen: "Indeed, quite a lot."

Li Lingxiao: "The dean said there are as many as eight thousand people taking the provincial examination this year."

"I heard that only about four hundred people were admitted in the last provincial examination. I wonder how many will be admitted this year. The imperial examination is so difficult!"

Grape's brows drooped, worried for her young master.

Li Shuchen patted the grapes and said, "The imperial examination process is the most difficult. To become a scholar, one must meet seven criteria."

Grape asked curiously, "Which seven are similar?"

Li Shuchen: "The first resemblance is that when he first entered, he was barefoot and carrying a basket, resembling a beggar."

Grape looked at the rows and rows of examinees, all dressed simply and carrying exam baskets, their appearance not much different from that of beggars.

"Miss is absolutely right. What about the second one?"

Li Lingxiao also looked at Li Shuchen and asked, "Yes, what about the second one, Sister?"

Li Shuchen grinned: "The second one seems to be coming soon; Xiao'er will be able to experience it in a little while."

"Brother Li, Miss Li"

Xiao Xiuyuan bowed with his hands clasped.

Li Shuchen and Li Lingxiao returned the gifts.

"Young Master Xiao"

"Brother Xiao, you've arrived too! Oh, and Sister Gu is here as well."

Gu Ziying smiled and said, "Shu Chen."

Li Shuchen pulled Gu Ziying to his side: "Ziying, stand here, it's cool here."

He casually pushed Li Lingxiao out.

Gu Ziying: "Shu Chen's essential oils are very popular among noble ladies; Shu Chen must have made a lot of money."

Li Shuchen raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Did Ziying secretly promote me?"

Gu Ziying: "There's no need to hide it. After bathing, just stand among the noble ladies, and someone will ask me what perfume I used. I'll just mention it casually."

Li Shuchen looked incredulous: "You must have embellished it, right?"

Gu Ziying smiled and said, "Just telling the truth, some noble ladies couldn't buy the essential oil from Shu Chen, so they asked me to come and buy it for them. I told them that it would be available in a few months."

"Haha, Ziying's reply is great!"

Li Shuchen couldn't stop smiling, and then, remembering Princess Changning's words, he said...

"Changning said the cotton is almost ripe. You and I should go take a look together then. I think it's best to leave the making of quilts and cotton-padded clothes to you."

"it is good"

After Gu Ziying finished speaking, she wiped her forehead with a handkerchief.

"Ziying, are you hot? Let me hold an umbrella for you."

Li Shuchen opened his oil-paper umbrella and held it above the two of them, shielding them from the strong light.

Li Lingxiao felt a pang of sadness upon seeing this.

With Sister Gu's arrival, he was no longer her darling.

Seeing Li Lingxiao's bitter expression, Xiao Xiuyuan assumed he was suffering from the heat, so he opened his oil-paper umbrella to shield the two of them.

Li Lingxiao said with a wronged expression, "Brother Xiao, thank you."

Xiao Xiuyuan: "You're young, so it's only right that I take care of you."

Li Shuchen looked up at the umbrella in Xiao Xiuyuan's hand; it had a wisteria pattern, and the craftsmanship was exactly the same as the one she had given Ziying.

Gu Ziying hurriedly explained, "Shu Chen, I only gave it to him to use; I didn't give it to him as a gift."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuchen laughed at his aunt: "Hehehe, Ziying, since I've already given you this umbrella, it's yours. You have the right to dispose of it as you see fit. I'm not angry. Ziying, there's no need to worry about such a trivial matter, hehehe."

I only ship couples.

Gu Ziying felt much relieved upon hearing this.

"pat"

"Pattern"

"Pat-pat-pat"

A torrential downpour descended from the sky, disrupting the queue of test-takers.

The surrounding people were in complete chaos.

Only Li Shuchen is stable

Looking at the large raindrops on the ground, Li Lingxiao said admiringly, "Sister is indeed incredibly insightful. The sun is so bright, yet it still rained."

Li Shuchen: "The sun can't control the rain."

Li Lingxiao: "Xiao'er has learned a lot."

Suddenly, several deep voices came.

"Your inkstone is too thick; go back and get a thinner one."

"Your shoes have too thick soles, go back and change into a thinner pair."

"Your pen tube isn't hollowed out; go back and change it now."

Not knowing how many people had made mistakes, the investigator finally couldn't hold back and shouted at them.

"The exam rules were explained in detail before the exam and have been emphasized every year. Why do you still knowingly make mistakes? Go back and change them all. None of you take the rules seriously. It's wishful thinking to think you can pass the imperial examination."