In the days that followed, when Zhao Jing and his friends grew tired of studying, they would occasionally head out into the streets.

They might inquire more carefully about the Lord Prefect’s literary tastes, or buy a few of the "exam prediction papers" being hawked on the street. At other times, they would simply listen to the other candidates’ lengthy debates or discuss the most astounding essays from the various counties’ selected works.

It was said that after these selected works were published, the Lord Prefect reviewed the caliber of this year’s students from Qingshui County and decided to grant them one extra spot for a Scholar.

Meanwhile, in other counties, such as Guyuan County, the candidates’ academic standards were generally low. The top-ranked student, in particular, had written such a terrible essay that the enraged Lord Prefect repeatedly called it "utter nonsense" and "convoluted gibberish."

As a result, Guyuan County’s quota for Scholars was slashed from six to just four.

With all the selected works available, the academic level of the candidates from each region was clear at a glance.

This brought Zhao Jing enormous fame.

In teahouses and other crowded places, many Scholars could be heard lamenting, "A shame we haven’t had the chance to meet Mr. Zhao."

With so many people wanting to associate with Zhao Jing, he, contrary to expectations, started staying cooped up indoors.

As the date of the Prefecture exam drew near, the Prefecture became a turbulent and unsettled place.

Rumor had it that one candidate after another was falling victim to accidents for various reasons.

Some had drunkenly lost their footing and fallen down the stairs, requiring two or three months of bed rest to recover. Others had fallen into the lake while boating and, after being rescued, developed a fever that left them muddle-headed and severely weakened. Still others broke out in rashes that caused their skin to fester, or suffered from violent vomiting and diarrhea due to food incompatibilities.

These incidents occurred one after another in the days leading up to the Prefecture exam.

In light of this, Zhao Jing and his companions became even more cautious.

They didn’t even step out the main gate. If they needed anything, they had their cook purchase it for them.

But despite all their precautions, they still nearly fell into a trap.

Fortunately, they had learned a lesson from Mr. Zheng’s attempt to harm Zhao Jing years ago. Every day when the cook prepared their meals, one or two of them would pretend to be chatting, strolling, or reading outside, while in reality, they were keeping watch.

And they actually caught her red-handed.

The cook wailed and sobbed, crying "I’ve been framed!" over and over.

But she was still dusted with croton bean powder. If that large handful of powder had ended up in their stomachs, they certainly would have missed the exam in three days.

The cook was reported to the authorities, which then implicated two other candidates who had come from Qingshui County for the exam.

These two candidates had ranked even higher than De’an, placing tenth and eleventh respectively. They belonged to the group of people who, with a bit more effort, just might have been able to pass and become Scholars.

It was only then that Zhao Jing and the others learned that the three men who ranked seventh, eighth, and ninth in the Qingshui County exam had been unable to get out of bed due to being "unable to acclimate to the local conditions."

Pitifully, they were so short on funds they didn’t even dare to call a doctor and could only lie in bed, enduring it.

In just a few short days, their faces had turned sallow, they were unsteady on their feet, and they couldn’t even get out of bed.

They had thought it was simply a matter of not being used to the new environment, but now, it seemed likely they too had ingested croton beans.

When questioned why they had been so heartless and cruel, the culprits broke down in tears. They explained that they had been taking the exams for ten or twenty years straight, and their pursuit of scholarship had left their families so poor they could barely afford to eat.

This was the closest they had ever come to becoming Scholars. If they didn’t risk it all, they feared they would never achieve that status in their lifetimes.

But because they "risked it all," forget becoming Scholars—they were stripped of their candidate titles on the spot, sentenced to forty strokes of the cane, and five years in prison.

These punishments were considered light. The most severe consequence was that, with a criminal record, the two candidates would be barred from ever setting foot in an examination hall again. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

This was the heaviest punishment of all.

Unable to bear such a severe penalty, the two men cried out to the heavens and lunged, slamming their heads against a pillar in the public hall.

Fortunately, the constables were quick-eyed and swift-handed, managing to save them just in time. However, for "showing contempt for the court," their prison sentences were extended by another two years.

They were already over thirty this year. By the time they were released from prison, they would be past forty. With their lives drawing to a close, there was no longer any chance for them to change their fate.

Because of this wicked affair, the candidates from Qingshui County were furious.

"What an utter disgrace."

"They’ve really made a name for our Qingshui County now, haven’t they?"

"If Mr. Cheng knew, he’d surely thank their ancestors for eight generations."

Others came to console Zhao Jing, Huang Chen, and the others, saying it was lucky they had been so careful. Otherwise, wouldn’t it have been a terrible injustice to be so easily harmed?

The conversation eventually turned to the fact that there was also a "Moxiang Pavilion" in the Prefecture, which also sold "Moonlight Fragrance."

"We brought plenty of incense pills with us from home, but unfortunately, after so many nights of studying, they’re about to run out. We were thinking we’d have to use them sparingly to save some for the exam, but now we don’t have to be so frugal. If we run out, we can just go to Moxiang Pavilion and buy more."