CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 62 COMPETITION

The setting sun dipped below the horizon, adorning the sky with a splendid, majestic purplish-red hue. Carriages journeyed on the return road to Chang’an City.

In the carriages, some wept while others laughed.

Beside the road, the young soldiers on guard chewed grass roots out of sheer boredom. Spotting an official passing by, they promptly spat out the grass and straightened their posture.

"It’s over."

Li Ang, seated inside the carriage, slowly let down the curtain and exhaled deeply.

"Young Master..."

Chai Cuiqiao hesitated, trailing off. Li Ang saw the expression on her face and knew what she wanted to ask. Smiling, he said, "Today’s exam went fairly well. The Scriptures and strategy questions were comparatively easy. I received an ’Excellent’ in the Imperial Examination subject, and was mid-tier in Archery.

"All things considered, there shouldn’t be any issues passing the preliminary test.

"As for the mathematics section..."

Chai Cuiqiao asked subconsciously, "Was it difficult?"

"Not particularly."

Li Ang pondered. "The questions in the mathematics section leaned more toward practical applications. For instance, one problem involved drafting laborers from four counties—A, B, C, and D—to build a river embankment with an isosceles trapezoidal cross-section. You were given numerous variables: the differences between the upper and lower bases at both ends of the embankment; the height differences at both ends; the difference between the upper base and the height difference at one end; and the difference between the height and the embankment’s length at one end. Additionally, data was provided on the number of laborers from each county, the average amount of soil each person could move daily, the distances for transporting soil across varied terrain, the efficiency of load-bearing transport, the total volume of earth required, and the final completion time.

"From this, you had to calculate several things: the volume of earth each person could move per day; the total volume of earth for the entire embankment—its total volume, essentially; the embankment’s length, its heights at both ends, and the widths of its upper and lower bases at both ends; and the length of the embankment section each county was responsible for, among other things.

"One application question encompassed various methods of calculation and examination points. It involved deduction, geometric transformations, and cubic equations."

Chai Cuiqiao blinked, revealing an expression of feigned ignorance, and nodded slightly, saying, "I see, now I understand."

"Those were manageable. The hardest question," Li Ang continued casually, "only involved the interpolation of discrete functions.

"But how should I put this... the more I understand about mathematics, the less I know what it’s like for others who don’t understand it. Thus, I can’t gauge my own level exactly.

"Hmm... my mathematics score should be an A, or perhaps even an A-plus?

"At least the Academic Palace Instructor who supervised the exam seemed quite surprised when he saw my paper. It seemed like only Willow Leaf Eyebrow and I completed all the problems in the entire examination hall."

"Ohh, Willow Leaf Eyebrow?"

"That’s the girl who ranked first in Archery. Her name seems to be... He Fanshuang, if I recall. There were many who participated in elective subjects; I can’t remember everyone clearly."

Li Ang said, "It seems she participated in mathematics, Chess, national history, Yu Law, and Engineering. She chose quite a few subjects.

"For me, it was mathematics, painting, and Herbal Medicine.

"For painting, the task was to draw a peony plant right in front of us.

"In Herbal Medicine, we were presented with hundreds of plants and medicinal materials on the ground. The more types of Herbal Medicine you recognize and the more detailed your writing about the effects and contraindications of each, the better the score."

"That’s your specialty, isn’t it, Young Master?"

"Yes."

Li Ang nodded. "Not many participated in the Herbal Medicine Department. Remember Qiu Feng, the one who treated Yong Hongzhong’s illness at the hostel outside of Chang’an City?"

"I remember. Do you mean the Imperial Physician’s daughter?"

"Yes, her knowledge of Herbal Medicine is pretty detailed. First place should go to either her or me."

Li Ang mentioned casually, "As for the overall ranking of all the candidates, it will depend on who performed better in the elective subjects..."

While the master and servant chatted leisurely, their carriage, as part of the procession, entered Chang’an City without them noticing. The carriages then separated, and theirs eventually stopped in front of Huai De Square.

Li Ang and Chai Cuiqiao stepped down from the carriage. Just as they touched the ground, they were approached by Song Shaoyuan, Zhai Yiming, and Yang Yu, who smilingly asked, "Risheng, we’re going to Pingkang Square later for a banquet. Are you coming?"

"Uh,"

Li Ang wasn’t surprised that Song Shaoyuan and the others were organizing another banquet. Yu people were exceptionally fond of banquets in all their forms. Advanced Scholars alone had a multitude of them: the Grand Acquaintance, the Secondary Acquaintance, the Minor Acquaintance, the Joyous Banquet, the Cherry Banquet, Moonlit Ball Games, the Peony Banquet, the Buddha’s Tooth Viewing, the Guan Banquet, and so on, each differing in name, style, and location.

Having completed the preliminaries of the Academic Palace, it was natural to indulge in banquets to relieve tension and melancholy.

But Pingkang Square again? Brother Song, something’s off.

Li Ang shook his head. "I won’t be joining. I’m a bit tired today. Brother Song, you all go and enjoy yourselves."

"Alright then." Song Shaoyuan nodded, slightly disappointed. He looked towards Ji Linglang and a group of female students.

"We’re not going either," Ji Linglang smiled. "We agreed earlier that tonight we would visit the Chang’an Women’s Society."

Like other places, Chang’an also had civilian private societies formed solely by women, known as "Women’s Societies." They held regular activities and provided mutual aid, relief, and poverty alleviation.

"Alright. Then we’ll be leaving first," Song Shaoyuan said. "Oh, by the way, the results of the Academic Palace preliminaries will be posted at the Imperial City’s Vermilion Bird Gate and on the main streets of several other workshop districts in about a day. When we return tonight, if we’ve seen the posted results, we’ll come and inform you."

Song Shaoyuan and the others left in their carriages. Ji Linglang and the female students also whispered among themselves, boarding their own carriages to visit the Women’s Society.

Li Ang stretched languidly where he stood, then turned to Chai Cuiqiao. "Have you had lunch? Are you hungry? Shall we grab something to eat at a restaurant?"

"I’m not very hungry; I ate quite a bit for lunch." Chai Cuiqiao shook her head, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh yes, Young Master, I made a new friend today—a noble lady. She treated me to lunch."

"Oh? A noble lady? What’s her name?"

Chai Cuiqiao tilted her head. "Um... Li, Li Leqing?"

Li Ang rolled his eyes. "You call her a friend even though you aren’t sure of her name? Weren’t you just focused on the food?"

"Not at all! She’s lovely—good-tempered, with a pleasant personality, and she speaks kindly." Chai Cuiqiao protested, "But she seems to be inherently frail... Young Master, when are we going to open another branch of Security Hall in Chang’an?"

"It’s not that easy to open a medical clinic in Chang’an; it’s not like in Yizhou. We’d have to scout for a good location, estimate potential profits, negotiate rent with the landlord, and deal with officials and Government Officials. It’s a lot of trouble." Li Ang grimaced. "And we might even have to compete with other doctors. Chang’an has the Imperial Medical Bureau, the Pharmacy Bureau, and the Medicine Storage Bureau. Overall, the standard of doctors there is much higher than in Yizhou."