Fortunately, the dredging of the Ying River was not a very troublesome project. It did not require a massive mobilization of forces but just a minor correction of the river's course.
The technical difficulty was not great, but the challenge lay in the manpower and resources needed.
Just as Yang Zhenshan was busy preparing for the dredging of the Ying River, this year's imperial examination commenced as scheduled.
Yang Mingcheng, who had experience from sending Lu Wenquan to the examination three years prior, made thorough preparations to send Lin Zhan to the exam site.
The examination process went smoothly. When Lin Zhan finished the last test and walked out of the examination hall, Yang Mingcheng immediately approached and asked, "How did you do?"
Before, Yang Mingcheng had never asked this question, fearing it might affect Lin Zhan's performance in subsequent exams. However, now that the examinations were over, Yang Mingcheng had no such concerns.
