Travel through time and become a member of the Warhammer Empire

Chapter 289 Imperial Examination

Just at dawn, Mousse suddenly woke up with a start. Sweat suddenly broke out on his forehead, slid down his cheeks to his chin, and dripped down one by one.

The right hand was already on the rune sword before the body could react.

Breathing was rapid and blood was rushing.

Beside her, Wendlow was still being pressed down by her thighs, sleeping soundly with his eyes closed.

The reason why Mousse was so panicked was not because of any unusual movement around him, nor because he heard any strange noise.

There is only one root of everything.

"It's so quiet."

"Why is it so quiet?"

He muttered a few words quietly to make sure that what he said could be heard by himself. Besides proving that he was not deaf, it also proved the dead silence of the surrounding environment.

There was no hawking, no human voices, not even the sound of birds or livestock.

Hanyu Port seemed to be isolated from the whole world and became a quiet place.

Crawling down, Mousse leaned against the wall in the safest posture and slowly leaned his head towards the city.

Pedestrians, shops, transactions, life, everything in the city was in order, without any changes, but the sound had indeed disappeared.

There was no immediate danger, so Mousse shook Windlow two or three times to wake him up. He placed his right index finger on his lips to signal Windlow to keep quiet, while lowering his voice to the lowest level.

"Speak softly, this city has changed, it's too quiet."

Windlow was also startled by this unexpected situation and stood up and looked towards the street.

The city was no different except for the absence of sound.

He could only quickly tidy up his clothes and keep his mouth shut. Together with Mousse, the two of them entered the heart of the city like ghosts.

Looking up and seeing the plaque that had just been hung, the few lines of large characters on it finally calmed Wendlow down.

Although the literacy rate in Aurora is higher than that in the Empire and even higher than that in Batonia, not everyone can learn the extremely complex hieroglyphics.

When local officials promulgate documents that need to be read by all citizens, they will use the simplest words to express the simplest meaning.

Even Wendlow, who had only learned a little Chinese in Marienburg, could understand it.

"You have to take a test, not loudly."

"Exam? What exam?"

The dark elves are indeed lawless and will never abide by the laws and regulations of other races, but the Lord of Dread is a very far-sighted being. When the entire city is quiet, Mousse has also learned to adapt to the local customs.

He whispered something close to Wendlow's ear and even put out his hand to protect his words from leaking out.

"What is an exam? It sounds like a gladiatorial arena."

Windlow did know a little about the Aurora exam, but not much.

The so-called Aurora Examination, officially called the Aurora Imperial Examination, was held once a year and was divided into two categories: civil examination and military examination.

June 6th and June 7th of each year are the times for the civil imperial examinations, while the military imperial examinations are calculated separately.

All the nine provinces and thirteen provinces of Zhendan will hold examinations at this time, and all provincial capital cities will be under martial law.

The candidates range from six-year-old children to eighty-year-old elders, and there is no gender restriction.

If one could pass the college entrance examination, also known as high school, one would become famous overnight, leap into the ruling group of Zhendan, become a bureaucrat, enjoy the blessing of the dragon descendants, hold a high position and receive a life of wealth and glory.

This sounded familiar to Mousse. There was also such a system among the dark elves, but it was about killing people instead of taking exams.

As for this annual event, you can go and take a look, just as a way to gather intelligence. After all, the whole city is under martial law now, and no large-scale events can be held.

It is now June 6th, and there are only two days left before the imperial examination, but some people are still preparing to register.

This also explains why the city was under martial law before and why the guards were so careful. Zhendan must have been nervous during such a national event.

Windlow and Mousse had nothing to do, so they came to the registration site. They didn't expect that there were no restrictions on this most important imperial examination in Zhendan.

Anyone, of any age and gender can take the imperial examination.

Even including.

“Can I sign up, too?”

Windlow stepped forward. As a merchant, he could not only speak Imperial but also Bretonnian. He could even speak the rather difficult Elvish in a way that the elves could understand.

As for the Zhendan language, although it is different from other languages ​​in terms of system, experience is something that can indeed be integrated.

Learning a second foreign language is definitely much easier than learning the first one, not to mention that Aurora is now the fifth foreign language that Windlow has mastered.

"You? An imperial citizen who came from afar? Well, it's not impossible. After all, there are no restrictions on foreigners taking the imperial examinations."

The Aurora official at the registration desk nodded, wrote down Windlow's name, and then pointed to a sign nearby.

"The registration fee is two taels of silver."

The word "liang" was the basic currency of Zhendan. Two liang of silver was equivalent to 2.8 silver coins, or 2 silver coins and 80 copper coins.

It seems that the Aurora Imperial Examination is not a losing business, and it may be a way for the local government to generate income.

From the official's eyes, Windlow saw a kind of half-smile. After all, for the scholars in Zhendan, the imperial examination was a very difficult thing, let alone allowing a foreigner to participate.

We still have to thank Windlow for contributing his wealth to Aurora.

It costs about three silver coins, which is not an expensive expense.

It's a good way to experience the local customs and practices.

At the same time, you can also register and pay for Zhendan’s military imperial examination here, a total of 10 taels of silver, which will start immediately after the civil imperial examination.

Speaking of fighting, Mousse put his left hand on his right shoulder and moved his entire upper body. It was indeed he hadn't had any experience in a long time.

It’s not a bad idea to spend money to find a sparring partner.

Just like that, after spending 16 silver coins and 80 copper coins in registration fees, the names of the two foreigners were written on the registration list.

However, the imperial examination is divided into subjects, and different people can choose to take the exam in what they are good at. It is divided into compulsory subjects and elective subjects.

In consideration of the money paid, the Aurora official quietly but carefully explained the entire Aurora examination subjects.

There are only two compulsory subjects, Chinese and mathematics. The former tests a person's cultural level, while the latter tests a person's logical ability.

As for the elective examination, the candidates themselves choose one from foreign languages, painting, alchemy, investigation of things, music, geomancy, and astronomy. The score of this elective examination will be used for subsequent professional determination.

In a nutshell, compulsory examinations are the foundation. If the scores are not enough, everything will be in vain. Elective examinations serve as icing on the cake after the candidates are admitted.

"Can I just choose randomly? Then I'll choose all of them."