Volume 6, Chapter 2: Exam Requirements (1/2)

This matter was accomplished magnificently, once again courtesy of Gaoshun’s commendable finesse.

With the madam already bribed and the apprentice Sazen looking after the pharmacy, Maomao was to be reserving a room in Rokushoushan to study. The madam will be nearby, so she could go ask the crone questions if there was something she didn’t understand. It wasn’t that she was constantly sticking to her, but there had been no slip-ups lately.

Chou’u, the brat, would occasionally come in to bother Maomao, but the madam or a manservant would come to drag him away by the scruff of his neck every time.

An incense that improved concentration was lit in the room, and she could hear gentle erhu and qin melodies from the room next door. Courtesans talented in music were performing for her.

Though it was said that you’ll crave for sweet food when you study, Maomao was provided salty senbei and cold fruit juice instead.

How very gracious of them.

(Just how high is this pile?)

Even such a question came to her mind. The madam was also making rounds at the same time in case Maomao skipped out by napping, so it was actually difficult for her to do. Even though it had been a long time ago, the madam had used to be quite a high-class courtesan in her youth. As a result, her education was a step higher than the average person.

“Hey, can you not even do poetry properly either?” the madam said.

“It’s mysterious. Why do you need poetry in a court physician exam?” Maomao said.

More correctly, it wasn’t a court physician exam, but one for court ladies to serve court physicians. There were several requirements to becoming a court lady in this court – she was told that this exam was new. If they had to go so far as to make a new exam, why couldn’t they just do away with poetry?

“What does poetry have to do with medicine? Also, what’s up with history, and copying sutras?” Maomao said.

“A depth of a person changes by knowing history. Characters are easier to read when they are pretty, so sutras are a good thing to study.” It was only in moments like this when the madam talks about decent things. Her usual “It’s fine to not remember things that won’t get you money” would have been good enough.

Her copybook handwritten characters were neat. Those now withered hands of hers must have been long and slender fingers with beautiful nails a long time ago.

Women with beautiful handwriting were liked. Women with good looks were liked.

She was a woman who had been polished for the sake of men, and yet she was still training courtesans in the pleasure district. If she was known to be that much of a beauty, why hadn’t she chosen a different life? Or had she been unable to choose?

“Even if the words you write are pretty, it doesn’t always mean what you write about is pretty too.”

Maomao was expecting the madam to drop a fist, but nothing happened.

“Not everyone is going to know if the things you write are pretty or ugly. If so, wouldn’t it be better if it’s just your words that are pretty?” The madam gave her a look of her sample as if to tell her to “So, write.” Her standard, uniform words seemed as if they were the model solution of the civil exam.

“Yeah sure.”

If she procrastinated, the cane would come hurtling towards her. Maomao rolled up her sleeves and picked up the brush.

Apparently, the court lady examinations were held quite frequently. Unlike the civil examination, the examinees were all young girls. Unlike men, their work period was short, so personnel were employed at fixed intervals otherwise there would soon be a shortage of workers.

The girls who wished to become court ladies were mostly the daughters of officials, so in a way, it was also for them to train in homemaking and groom searching. So, it also felt like it wouldn’t be an issue even if their numbers more or less decreased.

The examination site was in a school in the north side of the capital. Though the civil examinations were held in a provincial city north of the capital, a frequent exam would be better off held within the capital.

After cramming for around half-a-month, Maomao haggardly went to take the exam. There were around a hundred examinees in the examination site. There were also examinees aside from court physician apprentices, so it must be that.

In regards to the exam, it wasn’t difficult. It was finished within a dual hour, and she promptly went back. Apparently, the judging was already over. They probably didn’t want to show their crushed faces when they fail people during the screening process.

The places where Maomao had issues in were the subjects she had no interest in – namely poetry and sutras. She should be getting good marks for the other subjects. Rather, if she made any mistakes, they would be things that she wanted them to teach her.

After taking the exam and writing what she had to write, she had nothing left to do so she was going to hurry back to the pleasure district on foot.

If she didn’t hear that stupid voice.

“Ehhh, why aren’t you letting me take the exam?”

There was some dispute in front of the examination hall. It looked like it was between an official who supervised the exam and an examinee, but no matter how Maomao looked, the examinee was strange. She was wearing women’s clothes, women’s clothes, but she was tall for a woman. It was fine if she was just tall, but her voice was deep, and above all, Maomao recognised it.

(It’s like I’ve seen this scene before.)

Maomao had an unpleasant premonition. She wanted to ignore them, but she couldn’t as the scene was bizarre.

“Can’t you let me in?”

The coy-acting woman had half her face covered by a cloth. Maomao was already suspicious at this point, but her confidence faltered there. Certainly, by looking at that woman’s face, it wasn’t that they didn’t look like a woman. Their face was attractive; the contours itself were slender. Their makeup was also done quite prettily. However, that person was unable to hide it properly even if they spoke in falsetto, and above all, the way they wiggled their body was gross.

“…what are you doing?” Maomao said. It would have been fine to ignore them, but she felt sorry for the official who got roped into this. He’s a nice official. Maomao would have handed the woman over to a military official as soon as she could.