Chapter 665: Examination Room
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The working hours for officials in Great Chang were very relaxed. Every department worked two shifts. The first shift was from dawn to noon, and the second shift was from noon to midnight.
It spanned six hours, but it amounted to only five hours in total. This was for a relatively busy department. For a more relaxed department, it would only be four hours a day.
For instance, the Ministry of Rites is the most leisurely during ordinary days, followed by the Ministry of War. The busiest are the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Public Works is often on assignments outside the capital throughout the year.
The most mysterious one was the Ministry of Justice. The people in this department were all cold and did not like to be in the same group as the other five departments, let alone other departments.
The people from the Ministry of Justice also found it the hardest to find a wife. Outside, it was said that their hands were stained with blood and were not much cleaner than the butchers at the market.
When the women heard this, how could they dare to marry over?
After the people from the various departments left their posts, they went to different places. Some would go home, and some would stroll around the Imperial City. The Imperial City was very big, and there were many educational institutes.
It was said that in the past, there was still a brothel inside. Later on, many indecent things happened, so it was abolished by the Empress Dowager.
Now, the educational institutes in the Imperial City were all doing serious business. They listened to songs and played the zither, or found someone to play chess with to showcase their calligraphy or painting. It was extremely elegant.
Some would take advantage of this time to do small businesses allowed by the law.
Of course, there were also diligent people like Emperor Minghua who wanted to do everything themselves. Even if the people below had already read it, he still had to read it again. He was so busy every day.
Therefore, Emperor Minghua and the cabinet ministers spent most of their time in the meeting hall.
“So, what does this have to do with our Astrology Divination Bureau?” There was a relatively spacious pavilion in the Little Imperial Garden with two wooden tables placed there. Ah Yu sat at the wooden table and ate the pastries that Tang Yuan had prepared for her.
She did not expect that in just a few hours, while she was still reading in the Astrology Divination Bureau, Tang Yuan had already figured out the situation of the nearby halls.
Not to mention getting acquainted with more than 10 people, she had also heard a lot of news. The above was all told to All Yu by Tang Yuan.
As Ah Yu ate the pastry, she opened her eyes and listened carefully. She couldn’t help but admire Tang Yuan.
Ah Yu’s shift was from seven in the morning to noon. This was convenient for her to go home so that it would not be dark when she finishes work.
However, she had just arrived and was not on duty at the appointed time. Instead, she stayed until midnight.
Because the book collection in the library was really rich, Ah Yu discovered some more interesting books. Some of them were really related to divination, but most of them had obvious mistakes, so she treated them as miscellaneous books.
Tang Yuan handed All Yu a pot of water and said in a low voice, “Village Lord, there’s a lot of knowledge here! Take the small kitchen 1 went to for example. In fact, the highest authority there is the Royal Kitchen, which is under the management of the Empress. The Ministry of Rites also assists from the side. The relationships can be quite complex.”
Even the pastries that Ah Yu is currently eating have their own rules and customs. There are guidelines on what can be eaten, what types of patterns can be made, and which colors should be avoided in food. Everything needs to be carefully considered.
Fortunately, Tang Yuan was very good at interacting with different people, especially those from all walks of life and those who worked behind the scenes. As long as she understood their intentions, it was easy to get them to tell the truth.
“I heard that the Astrology Divination Bureau doesn’t have a good relationship with the kitchen. Their daily meals here are very poor,” Tang Yuan said with lingering fears. “In the future, we’ll still pick vegetables in the vegetable garden ourselves. I’ll go back and learn more from the chef in our residence. Village Lord won’t have to suffer anymore.”
Ah Yu smiled until her eyes curved. “Big Sister Tang Yuan, if not for you, I wouldn’t have known about this. We’ve been delayed in the Imperial City for a long time today. You’re hungry too, right? Come, let’s finish these and go back early to eat.”
As she spoke, Ah Yu dusted the residue off her hand and picked up a pastry with a handkerchief before stuffing it into Tang Yuan’s mouth.
Tang Yuan took a bite and giggled.
As the two of them spoke, they suddenly heard a commotion not far away, as if many people were talking.
“What’s over there?” All Yu glanced at her face and asked.
“That direction leads to the Imperial College, but they usually don’t take this route when going to the Imperial College. It must be during the imperial examination period, and the other path is temporarily closed. So, they can only go through this way for now.”
When she heard about the Imperial College, All Yu thought of her brothers who were taking the imperial examinations.
She wondered how everyone did.
Second Uncle Wang Chuangui was a provincial scholar to begin with, and this was his first attempt, so they were not very worried about him.
Qin Huai was also knowledgeable and intelligent. Moreover, he was not stubborn and was never pedantic when it came to solving questions. Therefore, many teachers thought highly of him.
As for the rest, Wang Erlang and Wang Sanlang passed the civil service examinations and became eligible for the imperial provincial examination. Wang Silang and Wang Qilang, however, did not pass and fell short in the exams. Wang Wulang and Wang Liulang are still only county scholars.
She didn’t know how Erlang and Sanlang did.
“I hope everyone can do well.”
[Kid, do you want me to help you take a look at them?]
Ah Yu was a little tempted.
Ah Yu was in the Imperial City now, so it wouldn’t take much effort for Meatball to find out some information.
“Just check to see if they’re taking the exam properly.”
Since she had this ability, she felt more at ease to take a look.
[Yes, yes.]
Meatbail originally only took a casual look, but it saw an impressive scene.
[Eh, someone is cheating and wants to frame your fiance!]
“What?!” Ah Yu stood up, so shocked that the pastries fell.
In Great Chang, cheating in the examination hall was a serious crime, especially in the imperial civil service examination hall. One’s head would be chopped off!
Tang Yuan didn’t understand.. “Village Lord, what’s wrong?”