The county examination in Qingshui County was divided into five sessions. After each session, there was a one-day break before the next one began, with the entire process taking nine consecutive days to complete.
The county examination began on the second day of the second lunar month, chosen for the auspicious meaning of "Longtaitou," or the Dragon Raising its Head.
Well before dawn on this day, every household with a scholar was already up and about.
At the Chen family's home in the Weaving Workshop, everyone was, of course, also up early.
Because Chen De'an and Zhao Jing were both taking the imperial examination, Chen Song, as their father and father-in-law, had to avoid any suspicion of favoritism.
He had always been scrupulous in this regard and had informed the County Magistrate long in advance that he would not be on duty at the county government during the examination.
