In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 651 Release of List

Zheng Qing had been interested in martial arts for a long time, but due to his poor family background, he was unable to get involved in it for a long time.

Upon suddenly hearing that Li Qiao was a martial artist, he couldn't help but ask Li Qiao to teach him.

“Teaching you martial arts is no problem, of course, but…”

Li Qiao glanced at Zheng Qing's not particularly robust physique and hesitated before asking, "Practicing martial arts requires not only techniques but also a large amount of money to purchase medicinal herbs. Brother Zheng, do you have the money?"

"..."

Zheng Qing opened his mouth, deeply realizing the importance of money.

Without money, even basic survival is a problem, let alone learning martial arts.

"Brother Zheng, I'm going out to buy groceries. Would you like to come along?"

At this moment, Li Qiao glanced at the sky outside and said.

"Buying groceries?"

Having lived for over twenty years and rarely visited a farmers' market, Zheng Qing became interested and nodded, saying, "Let's go together."

So the two of them went out of the mansion together, bought some vegetables at the market, and then returned to the mansion where Li Qiao personally cooked dinner.

Dinner began shortly afterward.

Although Li Mingyuan was a prefect, the meals at his home were not lavish, at least not as extravagant as Zheng Qing had imagined.

There were only four dishes in total, one of which was a meat dish, and the other three were all vegetarian dishes.

"Eat up!"

Li Mingyuan said with a smile, and then the three of them started eating.

Li Mingyuan and Zheng Qing were both scholars with small appetites, so Li Qiao ate almost all of the four dishes.

After dinner, Li Mingyuan put down his chopsticks and looked at Zheng Qing, asking, "Young Zheng, have you ever thought about what the purpose of studying is?"

Zheng Qing pondered for a moment, then bluntly stated, "For the sake of becoming an official."

Facing Li Mingyuan, Zheng Qing didn't say those hypocritical words, because even if she did, she wouldn't be able to fool Li Mingyuan.

"Ah."

Li Mingyuan wasn't surprised. Ninety-nine percent of the scholars in Xia Kingdom studied to become officials, and he, Li Mingyuan, had done the same.

"Have you ever thought about what the purpose of becoming an official is?"

Li Mingyuan asked again.

Zheng Qing fell silent upon hearing this question.

What is the purpose of being an official?

Being an official was the highest-ranking profession in the Xia Kingdom, representing power and influence. Therefore, everyone wanted to become an official, and Zheng Qing was no exception.

But what was the purpose of becoming an official? Zheng Qing had never really thought about that question.

Seeing that Zheng Qing remained silent for a long time, Li Mingyuan continued, "Is it for accumulating wealth? Or for power? Or perhaps for beautiful wives and concubines?"

"I do not know."

A hint of confusion flashed in Zheng Qing's eyes. Wealth, power, and sex are the pursuits of the vast majority of people in the world, but Zheng Qing's desire for these three things was not particularly strong, so he didn't know what he really wanted.

"There are still about ten days until the results of the provincial examination are released. In this time, you might as well think carefully about this issue."

Seeing that Zheng Qing couldn't answer, Li Mingyuan didn't press her and quickly left the restaurant.

After Zheng Qing and Li Qiao finished cleaning up the dishes, Zheng Qing lay on the bed thinking about Li Mingyuan's question.

What is the purpose of becoming an official?

Lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, Zheng Qing kept questioning her own heart.

…………

…………

For the next period of time, Zheng Qing, who lived in Li Mingyuan's residence, saw how busy Li Mingyuan was. As the prefect, Li Mingyuan was extremely busy with his official duties. He would go out to work as soon as it was dawn and would not return home until nightfall.

Even after returning home in the evening, Li Mingyuan did not rest. He continued to light candles in his room and use the candlelight to handle the unfinished official business from the day.

It could be said that Li Mingyuan was busier than many farmers Zheng Qing had ever seen who worked from dawn till dusk.

In Li Mingyuan, Zheng Qing saw a conscientious and dedicated official, an official who devoted himself to serving the people!

The words "upright and honest" and "diligent and conscientious" truly embody Li Mingyuan.

Because Li Mingyuan was very busy, Zheng Qing, who lived in the mansion, spent most of her time with Li Qiao. Since the two were close in age, they got along unexpectedly well and formed a deep friendship.

Occasionally, Li Qiao would also give Zheng Qing some pointers on martial arts. Although Zheng Qing was unable to pursue martial arts due to a lack of medicinal herbs, he could still improve his physical health.

In addition, Zheng Qing would go to the vegetable market with Li Qiao to buy vegetables, personally bargain with the vendors, and experience the local atmosphere that she had never experienced before.

In this way of getting along, more than ten days passed quietly, and finally the day came when the results of the provincial examination were announced.

On this day, Zheng Qing got up early and went out with Li Qiao to the examination hall, where they stood outside waiting for the results to be announced.

Meanwhile, outside the examination hall, a large number of students from impoverished families were waiting, their eyes filled with tension and unease.

"I don't know if I'll pass this time. If I fail again, I'm afraid I won't be able to participate in the provincial examination again."

A student gazed at the outer wall of the examination hall and muttered to himself, "This is my fifth time taking the provincial examination. The provincial examination is held every three years, which means I have spent fifteen years on it. I have gone from a spirited young man to a middle-aged man. If I fail this time, I will have to give up."

Because his family was not well-off, and his parents were getting old, they could no longer afford to support his education as before.

"Me too! I've been taking the exam for nine years. If I still can't pass, I'll have no choice but to go back home and farm."

"Alas! This is the fate of us poor students! We study harder than ever, yet we fail the exams again and again."

"That's what happens when we're not born into a wealthy family!"

"..."

The students outside the examination hall looked dejected. This was the last provincial examination for many of them. Many of their families could no longer afford the cost of their studies. If they failed this time, they would probably never appear in the provincial examination hall again. They would either go home to farm or rely on the knowledge in their minds to work as accountants or storytellers.

This is the fate of the vast majority of impoverished students in the Xia Kingdom, and it is also the cruel reality.

Fortunately, the chief examiner for this provincial examination is Lord Li.

"Yes! With Lord Li as the examiner, we still have some hope. But if the provincial education commissioner is in charge, we probably won't have any hope at all."

"I only hope that Lord Li will conduct the examination impartially!"

"..."

Outside the examination hall, students from poor families looked on with worry, while students from wealthy families...

If you look closely, you'll find that there are hardly any students from prominent families waiting here for the results.

Unlike students from impoverished families, for students from wealthy clans, the provincial examination was utterly insignificant, or rather...

They didn't need to value the provincial examinations as much as students from poor families. Even if they didn't pass the provincial examinations, they would still be well-off. Moreover, the imperial examinations were not the only way for children from wealthy families to become officials.