Chapter 2156: Extraordinarily Bad Luck

Chapter 2156: Extraordinarily Bad Luck

The first round of the imperial examination lasted for three days. As evening fell, the examiners signaled the end of the first round by beating a gong. Soldiers stationed at the entrances of each row of examination booths announced, "The first round of the imperial examination is over. Please submit your exam papers."

Many candidates began to panic, even though it was time to turn in their papers. Some were still writing as fast as they could, but the more they rushed, the more chaotic they became, increasing the chances of making mistakes.

Meng Yunzheng, on the other hand, remained calm. After his exam paper was collected, while others were still busy packing up, he was the first to leave his examination booth.

Once outside, he stretched his limbs, which had been confined for days.

He walked along the corridor, observing the many candidates who wore anxious expressions as they rushed to hand in their papers. Meng Yunzheng was the first in line at the entrance to the Imperial Academy.

Outside the Imperial Academy, many people had gathered, eagerly awaiting their own candidates. Some families with better means had prepared blankets, hot water, and food for their examinees.

When the gates of the Imperial Academy opened, Meng Yunzheng, carrying his belongings, was the first to step out.

Shu Yu was quite close to the gate, and she assumed he would come out early, but she didn't expect him to be the very first one.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickly signaled to Zhao Xi and Xia Yan beside her, "Quick, he's coming out."

Xia Yan rushed over and let out a sigh of relief when she saw his appearance.

Zhao Xi patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "You look surprisingly good. I heard that the imperial examination consumes a lot of energy, and candidates often can't eat or sleep properly. But seeing you now, it doesn't seem as terrifying as the rumors suggest."

As he finished speaking, a sudden cry came from behind them.

"Someone has fainted! Quick, call for a doctor!"

Zhao Xi turned his head abruptly and saw a candidate with a pale face being carried away by others.

He was taken aback and then looked at the other candidates who were slowly emerging. They all looked exhausted.

When he saw Meng Yunzheng, who appeared robust and energetic with a healthy complexion, he couldn't help but have the illusion that "he's not human."

Meng Yunzheng glanced at him, then took a couple of sips from the hot soup that Shu Yu handed to him.

Although he felt fine, he was indeed tired. The examination booth was small, and it was not comfortable to sleep in at night.

Now, after drinking a few sips of the hot soup, he felt much better.

Shu Yu took a warm towel and wiped his face. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, thanks to the oiled cloth you prepared for me. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome," Meng Yunzheng replied.

Shu Yu was delighted but knew that Meng Yunzheng was just trying to appease her. He made it sound like he would have suffered greatly without the oiled cloth, which she found hard to believe.

The group of them stood at the entrance of the Imperial Academy and soon saw Xun Sheng coming out.

He didn't look too good either, and when he approached Meng Yunzheng, his body was still trembling.

Meng Yunzheng frowned and said to Zhao Xi, "Check on him."

Zhao Xi examined his pulse for a moment. "He's suffering from wind-cold syndrome."

"Before entering the examination booth, I couldn't sleep well the night before, and these past two days have been even worse," Xun Sheng said with pale lips. He smiled bitterly, "The booth I was assigned to had a small leak in the roof. My bedding was wet last night."

Everyone couldn't help but think, "Your luck is truly extraordinarily bad."

These days, the conditions in the examination booths were generally poor. After all, they were only used once every three years for the imperial examination and sealed afterward. So if something in the booth was broken, it might not be repaired promptly.

Hence, the first thing candidates did upon entering the examination booth was to tidy up the place. However, situations like Xun Sheng's, with a leaking roof, were truly difficult to detect.