After Wang Qingchen had eaten his fill, he thought about going to visit Li Yuntai and Liu Hao, perhaps to wake them up for a bite to eat before they rested further.

Wang Qingchen first went to knock on Liu Hao’s room door. After knocking for quite some time, there was no response, which spoke volumes about how soundly Liu Hao was sleeping.

Seeing that Liu Hao’s door wouldn't open, Wang Qingchen gave up and turned to knock on Li Yuntai’s door instead. Li Yuntai, who was already awake inside, heard the knocking and quickly went to open the door. Upon opening it, he found Wang Qingchen standing outside.

As soon as Wang Qingchen saw Li Yuntai open the door so quickly, he asked with some suspicion, "You haven't been sleeping, have you?"

Li Yuntai’s complexion was quite haggard, but he still managed a forced smile. "How could I not be asleep? After getting through the preliminary examination, who wouldn't be completely drained? Rest is absolutely necessary. I just happened to be awake and heard you knocking."

Wang Qingchen noticed something was off with Li Yuntai’s look, but he didn't press the issue then, simply saying, "You really are something. Now that you’re awake, why don't you go down and eat something? Do you think your body is made of iron to be able to endure this?"

Li Yuntai became slightly embarrassed by Wang Qingchen’s words and had no choice but to tidy himself up before following Wang Qingchen downstairs to the main hall.

Upon reaching the hall, Wang Qingchen helped Li Yuntai order some light fare and then sent the waiter to prepare it.

Li Yuntai looked quite puzzled. "That’s all they’re bringing?"

Wang Qingchen looked at Li Yuntai and replied, "I already ate. What I just asked the waiter to prepare is just your portion."

Li Yuntai looked at Wang Qingchen and could tell he was telling the truth; after all, Wang Qingchen’s current state was far better than his own. Even if he wasn't exactly beaming with energy, he was certainly much closer to his usual self than before.

When the waiter brought the food, Wang Qingchen didn't immediately press Li Yuntai about what was bothering him. Instead, he remained silent, letting Li Yuntai eat first. Li Yuntai had been preoccupied with thoughts since waking up and hadn't felt hungry, but seeing the food on the table now made his stomach protest. Thus, Li Yuntai followed Wang Qingchen’s suggestion and filled his stomach first.

After Li Yuntai finished eating, Wang Qingchen finally asked, "Tell me, what’s wrong with you? You slept for the same amount of time as the rest of us, yet your complexion is still this poor?"

"Alas, don't even mention it. I feel like my participation in this preliminary examination was pointless. I suspect I won't pass this time," Li Yuntai admitted dejectedly.

"Come on, how do you know you didn't do well? That's just your own assumption," Wang Qingchen countered, stating his honest belief, as the final judgment would rest with the graders.

"You don't understand. This year’s questions focused exactly on the areas I usually neglect. How can I possibly do well?" Li Yuntai shook his head.

"What does that matter? Just because you didn't pay much attention to it usually doesn't mean anything. Perhaps your interpretation aligns perfectly with what the examiners are looking for?" Wang Qingchen probed.

Although Wang Qingchen said this, Li Yuntai was convinced of his failure. No amount of persuasion from Wang Qingchen helped. Finally, Wang Qingchen conceded, "Fine, let's not argue about it here. Won't we know the result when the announcement board goes up?"

Though Li Yuntai said nothing, he remained certain of his poor performance, so he readily dropped the unpleasant topic. Afterward, the two steered clear of the preliminary examination and chatted about other matters. A considerable time later, they went together to call for Liu Hao.

Earlier, Wang Qingchen’s knocking at Liu Hao's door had gone unanswered. This time, things went slightly better; they managed to rouse Liu Hao, though it took a long time of knocking, even disturbing the scholars in the adjacent rooms, before Liu Hao finally woke up. Wang Qingchen couldn't help but exclaim, "Liu Hao, my man, you're mighty!"

However, even though Liu Hao was awake, he wasn't his usual boisterous self; he looked utterly drained of spirit. Seeing Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai at his door, he grumbled crossly, "Seriously, what time is it that you two drag me out of sleep?"

"We just thought you hadn't eaten anything yet and wanted to wake you up for some food before you went back to sleep. Oh, good intentions treated like ill-received gifts!" Wang Qingchen feigned sorrow dramatically.

"Oh, stop teasing me, Qingchen. I have no energy to deal with you right now. Since you’ve come to drag me to eat, let's just go!" Liu Hao said listlessly.

It had to be admitted that Liu Hao was quite remarkable. Before, he looked completely spiritless, but after eating, he suddenly seemed injected with a stimulant; his energy surged back, and he launched into conversation.

"Hey, let me tell you, during this preliminary examination, guess who was sitting opposite me?" Liu Hao asked mysteriously.

"Who?" Wang Qingchen, though not overly interested, asked casually.

"Haha, you’ll never guess—it was Zhao Cheng! And let me tell you, Zhao Cheng’s ranking this time is definitely going to be high," Liu Hao revealed.

"High? Why? Haven't the rankings even been posted yet?" Li Yuntai asked, confused.

Facing Li Yuntai’s confusion, Liu Hao milked the suspense, thoroughly whetting the appetites of both Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai before whispering, "I'm telling you, the chief examiner was that Provincial Education Commissioner, right? When he was inspecting the examination hall, he lingered by Zhao Cheng’s desk for quite a while, nodding repeatedly. Doesn't that suggest he was very satisfied with Zhao Cheng? I bet his ranking won't be bad at all."

Wang Qingchen and Li Yuntai were genuinely shocked upon hearing this, but then envy followed. If Zhao Cheng had managed to gain the appreciation of the Provincial Education Commissioner, smoothing things over with him later on would certainly make his future path much easier.

Noticing their contemplative expressions, Liu Hao gloated, "Well, wasn't that news a shocker? It really is unexpected that Zhao Cheng has such great fortune. I guess we’ll have to rely on him for future favors! After all, we all came from the same academy, didn’t we?" Liu Hao joked.

After processing the information, Wang Qingchen set aside his envy. After all, he was different from Zhao Cheng; his goal wasn't to become an official, but rather to elevate his social standing so he wouldn't be so easily manipulated by others. Therefore, while there was envy regarding Zhao Cheng being favored by the Provincial Education Commissioner, it didn't fester into genuine resentment.

Later, the three discussed other topics, such as what style of essays the examiners might favor this time, and who might likely make the honor roll.

Li Yuntai participated in these discussions too. Although he had given up hope for his own examination result, after some time, he had come to terms with it—if he didn't pass this time, he’d just take the exam again! He refused to believe that if he failed once, he'd fail every time. Thinking this way, Li Yuntai became much more open-minded, and discussing the preliminary examination with Wang Qingchen and Liu Hao held no more awkwardness for him.

Wang Qingchen felt much better seeing Li Yuntai no longer depressed. However, unlike Li Yuntai, he didn't believe all hope was lost. In Wang Qingchen’s view, as long as the announcement board hadn't been posted, there was still a chance. Perhaps Li Yuntai’s results weren't as bad as he imagined? But since it was only his imagination, Wang Qingchen knew trying to persuade him further was useless.

As evening approached, the scholars emerging from the inn gradually increased in number, making the downstairs hall incredibly lively. At one table, then another, groups gathered, all discussing the preliminary examination—some felt they hadn't done well, others were quite pleased with themselves, feeling self-assured.

The entire hall was noisy, but the innkeeper was delighted. All this chatter meant more tea orders! Some even got hungry and ordered pastries—all of which meant money! Thus, the scholars passionately discussed matters in the hall while the innkeeper happily counted his earnings. It was tough on the waiters and kitchen staff, though, who were constantly busy.

During the days waiting for the preliminary examination results to be posted, the scholars either went on excursions or gathered to drink wine and compose poetry—they certainly knew how to find ways to pass the time.

Wang Qingchen and his companions also decided to take a temporary break and go out for a stroll. Liu Hao, thinking about his frequent coincidental meetings with Zhao Cheng as a form of destiny, proposed inviting Zhao Cheng along. Wang Qingchen didn't object, though he didn't expect Zhao Cheng would accept.

To Wang Qingchen’s surprise, Zhao Cheng agreed quite readily to join them. The four of them then indulged in a bit of affected elegance, visiting scenic spots both inside and outside the county town. Although they didn't compose poetry like some others, their moods significantly lightened. They were less anxious about the examination results, and the relationship among the four of them advanced rapidly.

Meanwhile, back at the old Wang family residence, Li Wu, after consulting a master to calculate several auspicious dates, selected one in the twelfth lunar month of that year and dispatched a matchmaker to inform the Wang family.

The old master and mistress looked over the date and raised no objections. After all, their daughter was remarrying, so some standards didn't need to be so rigidly maintained.

The old mistress even thought it better for her daughter to marry sooner, lest that person secretly plotting against their family stirred up more trouble, which would be undesirable. As for Wang Guifang herself, she had no objections whatsoever, leaving the final decision to her parents. Thus, the wedding day for Wang Guifang and Li Wu was set for the twelfth month of this year.