NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 171-178
Chapter 171: Difficulty Of The Theory Examinations
“Because I’m taking part in the examinations too.”
“You’re taking part too?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ping Yang’s scholar outfit and found it strange. A princess of the palace came here to participate in the examinations similar to the carp run in the river. She was not here to become an official neither was she here to gain recognition. There was only one other reason…
She was here for fun.
However, the Imperial Law of Dao examinations were draconian. To obtain to right to enter the Imperial Examinations, one would have to pass the county and provincial examinations first.
Could Ping Yang have passed the county and provincial examinations?
Of course not.
“Can’t I?” Ping Yang did not know what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking. Her face a look of indignation.
“Of course you can. However… Your entry pass is a fake, isn’t it?” Fang Zhengzhi was able to believe that Ping Yang stole an examination script but he did not believe that she could bribe the whole of Imperial Academy to give her an entry pass.
Furthermore…
What was intriguing was her outfit she wore today. Obviously, she was here to create trouble and fulfil her mischievous impulses.
The original prideful expression of Ping Yang faltered after Fang Zhengzhi brought up the entry pass. However, Ping Yang will be Ping Yang.
Even when she was seen through, she did not panic.
“That’s right. I especially found someone to make this. It cost me a hundred silver taels. You see…Isn’t it exactly like the real thing? Aren’t I smart?” Ping Yang took out the pass from her chest and showed it off to Fang Zhengzhi.
“One hundred taels?! Are you a pig?” Fang Zhengzhi thought about how could she so easily get duped by others. Scamming yourself would be better than letting others take advantage of you.
“Such gall. You dare to scold me? Slap yourself!”
“To hell with the slap. You should count your blessings that I’m not reporting you. Oh right, next time if you need another fake entry pass, you can find me. I give a fair price, no matter young or old. Only ninety-nine silver tales!” Fang Zhengzhi could not care less about Ping Yang after finishing. He walked around and towards the gates of the Imperial Academy.
“Look for you?” Ping Yang was stunned for a moment. However, she was not satisfied with Fang Zhengzhi just walking away like that, “You really don’t want? With this baby, you will definitely get into the first-class roll!”
Ping Yang looked very sure of that.
“A pity. I’m aiming for roll champion!” Fang Zhengzhi continued forward without turning his head.
“Based on the current you? Someone who had just entered the Heavenly Reflection State…Yet you want to take the title of roll champion? You should count your blessings if you don’t fall out of the roll!” Ping Yang ended with a forceful “Hmph”. After that, she turned her eyes turned to Yan Xiu, “Yan Xiu… Do you want?”
“Answering Your Highness, I don’t,” it seemed like Yan Xiu understood Ping Yang’s status clearer than Fang Zhengzhi. Therefore, his tone might be calm but it was not disrespectful.
“Why not?” Ping Yang was honestly curious now. She could understand if Fang Zhengzhi did not want it but why was Yan Xiu the same too? Did he even reach the Heavenly Reflection State?
“Because I’m aiming for the second place,” Yan Xiu continued towards the gates after his declaration.
“Second place?!” Ping Yang stared at the backs of Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu. Her glassy orbs hid a trace of doubt, “Did they really not know the intensity of the Imperial Examinations? But…If one took the first place and the other took the second place, then what would I be?”
…
Not long after Fang Zhengzhi stepped into the Imperial Academy, he saw Ping Yang also followed behind leisurely. He silently sighed to himself.
This world’s examination verification process was relatively outdated.
Of course, the reason might be something to do with the sheer amount of candidates. However, the most important reason would be that practically no one would fiddle with the entry pass.
To enter a Law of Dao Examination, one would just need to enter a Hall of Dao and the right to participate in the examinations could be obtained.
…
The Imperial Examinations were conducted in spacious and brightly lit rooms. Every room had four invigilators and they sat facing the four cardinal directions.
Three sides of each seat were fenced up and every seat was two meters apart from one another. In such a setup, trying to cheat would be a challenge in and of itself.
Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu decided to sit beside each other this time.
However, unfortunately, they were tailed by a Ping Yang.
To ensure they did not seat near her, they purposely found a space with exactly two seats left and sat down.
With that, Ping Yang had a look of annoyance in her eyes.
She swept her eyes across to the seat of Fang Zhengzhi’s left. Her eyes lit.
“Stand, this seat is mine!” Ping Yang swaggered over to the seat on the left of Fang Zhengzhi. It was currently occupied by a noble young master wearing traditional Chinese clothing.
He was currently closing his eyes, resting his mind and controlling his breathing. Out of nowhere, he heard this sentence and was slightly peeved.
“Where did this wild brat appear from? Are you sick? Did you not see that this is my…” The noble young master did not finish before his mouth slammed shut.
For he recognised that pair of distinctive glassy eyes from the gentle scholar.
“You dare scold me? Slap yourself!” Ping Yang raised her eyebrows.
The noble young master’s face was ashen. Without hesitation, he gave himself two tight slaps and fly up from his seat.
“Prin…”
“Scram!”
“Yes yes yes… I will scram now!” The young master let out a sigh of relief. He ran out in a flash, not daring to stay in the room any longer.
Those that sat near that young master naturally saw everything.
After that, their faces also eventually paled. Immediately, they stood up, getting ready to take the examination in another room.
However, Ping Yang was here to cheat. If everyone in the room was gone, then who would be luring the invigilator’s attention away from her?
“All better sit down, not a single movement!”
With one sentence, cold sweat started dripping from people’s foreheads. No one dared to move.
Fang Zhengzhi softly sighed. Of course, he understood that in this world, not everyone had to guts to stand up to authority.
“Gong!”
The gong that signalled the start of the exam rang out.
The four invigilators walked in after that. All of them had a garb of jet black official uniform. On the chest area was imprinted with the large character – Imperial.
This indicated that the invigilators for the Imperial Examinations were all Imperial Messengers.
This clearly showed the considerable difference between the Imperial Examinations and the provincial and county examinations.
Once one cleared the Imperial Examinations, it was equivalent to a carp becoming a dragon. The true qualifications for stepping into the Imperial Government of the Great Xia Dynasty. Be it the military sector or the Department of Flood Control.
All who step in could get a position and rank.
…
Fang Zhengzhi did not have much interest in official ranks therefore, he did not have to suffer from massive stress like most people.
His face was relaxed and laid back.
On the other hand, Yan Xiu on his right had a stern expression. He looked slightly nervous. However, the Ping Yang on his left was the same as him. Her eyes darted left and right, looking unbelievably relaxed.
In no time, the examination scripts were being handed down.
When the invigilator who was giving out the examinations scripts reached Fang Zhengzhi, he stopped for a brief moment then continued past him.
Fang Zhengzhi did not notice that detail. He simply picked up his script.
His teacher said before.
When handed the script, the first step, also the most important step was to write down his examination index number and name!
Since young, Fang Zhengzhi had followed his teacher’s teachings. He had enshrined this lesson in his heart.
After he wrote down his index number and name, he started flipping through the script. It had ten-something pages filled with writings densely packed together.
No matter the quantity or quality both alone was enough to fill one with helplessness and despair.
Everyone said it was very hard…
Fang Zhengzhi did not mind them. However, this time he held the ten-something pages of examination scripts in his hand. This was the first time he felt the indomitable difficulty of the Imperial Examinations.
Ten-something pages of script. Such a large quantity, with only four hours. Was it possible to finish?
Disregarding everything else…
Simply finishing the paper would be a challenge for most.
“Alright, you don’t have much time…Start the paper!” Fang Zhengzhi did not falter. With a sweep of his eyes, he picked up the pencil and started writing.
Chapter 172: Finally Done
The first question was on the subject of I Ching.
More specifically, the Bo Zixia’s “Zixia Anthology”.
Of course, such titles were not in the script. In this world, there was no Bo Zixia or Zixia Anthology. They did not exist.
There was only the “Law of Dao”.
Fang Zhengzhi’s pen scratched the paper as he began work.
“The hexagram predicates that there is the right time for every action. Softness belies toughness. By closing oneself off of outside influence, one can achieve growth of character.”
“Humility comes with satisfaction, such is the law of the world…”
The question was referring to the balance of your inner and outer spirit. The answer to this was in the original scriptures. Although these were testing on I Ching, it was not hard to answer them.
After finishing the first question, he quickly jumped to the next.
The second question immediately delved into ” The Works of the Sage of Ghost Valley” and it was on one of the articles stated within. The question asking about the Three Rites and required students to provide their own interpretation of the Three Rites.
It was hard to admit but the Imperial Examinations were indeed demanding.
Without studying “The Works of the Sage of Ghost Valley”, and without knowing the articles within, they required candidates to determine the origins of the Three Rites and provide their own interpretations. It was indeed something beyond the understanding of an average person.
However, this did not pose a difficulty to Fang Zhengzhi. His mind contained the modern interpretations, and also included the most in-depth and elegant analysis of the texts.
Interpretation?
The best interpretation would the conclusion arrived after thousands of years and generations of work.
The second question was quickly dealt with. He continued onwards to the next question…
…
Fang Zhengzhi wrote at top speed. The scratching sound between the pen tip and the paper surface could be heard by the whole room because everyone was looking at him.
Those eyes looked like they saw a ghost.
Even Ping Yang could only stare dumbly at the unstoppable Fang Zhengzhi.
After that, she rubbed her eyes hard. She could not believe that one person could blast through the rigorous examination script at such incredible speeds.
Last night, she saw with her own eyes the few palace officials wrecking their brains and scratching their heads as they tried to finish the paper.
Every single one of them was scrunching their eyebrows that they were going white.
However, why is it that the same paper, in front of Fang Zhengzhi, looked like a child’s play. There was no pause at all.
Ping Yang sat on Fang Zhengzhi’s left. Therefore, she could clearly see his actions. After a single look at the script, he would immediately take his pen and start writing.
Then, he would move on to the next question.
In no time at all, the first page was almost filled.
“Is this copied?” Ping Yang really wanted to stand up and report Fang Zhengzhi. However, she remembered she had answers on her too so she suppressed the thought of exposing him.
This was the first time Yan Xiu took part in the Imperial Examinations together with Fang Zhengzhi, therefore he did not know the state of Fang Zhengzhi when he took the Imperial Examinations. He was briefly taken aback by Fang Zhengzhi’s ridiculous speed.
A thought unconsciously surfaced in his mind. Did he do the script before?
On second thoughts, that couldn’t be right…
If Fang Zhengzhi really did the same script before, he would not have kept it from him. Furthermore, the probability of this happening was infinitesimal.
Then, was he messing around?
The thought was popped by Yan Xiu as soon as it bubbled up.
He got the Roll Champion title for both the theory examinations at county and province level. There was no way Yan Xiu could believe that Fang Zhengzhi was simply doodling on his papers.
“He could do it so fast?” Yan Xiu looked at the examination script on the table. He took a deep breath and gradually exhaled. After that, he calmly began answering.
However, Yan Xiu did not start from the first question. Instead, he flipped to the back and started from there.
Currently, Fang Zhengzhi was burying his head in the script, scribbling away. He did not notice the actions of Yan Xiu.
In fact…
It was not only Yan Xiu, the other candidates were also carefully choosing which questions to answer. In the whole room, there was no one like Fang Zhengzhi who could tackle all the questions in order.
Even Ping Yang, who possessed the answers, was no exception.
Eventually, the room was filled with the sounds of pen scratching paper. This indicated that all the candidates had begun to answer their questions. No one had time to bother with Fang Zhengzhi.
Those who did not know him naturally thought, “How did this fellow even get into the Imperial Examinations?”
While those who knew him could only silently sigh. Did he have to be so outrageously good?
…
The minutes slowly ticked by.
After two hours, Fang Zhengzhi was still maintaining a consistent speed. In his hands, there was still half of the papers that were untouched. He pushed on.
However, those that noticed Fang Zhengzhi’s actions were flabbergasted.
“Is…is he aiming to finish everything?!”
This thought rose up in many people’s minds. After that, it was swiftly and forcefully suppressed by them.
Because it was simply impossible.
More importantly…
There was no need to do that.
Fang Zhengzhi did not care about that. He was currently completing the questions one by one in order. As he was doing, he realized a peculiar trend.
In every sheet of the examination script, a few couplets would periodically appear.
“As expected of Yan Capital, the people here sure knows how to play. These couplets that even three-year-olds could do… Must it really appear in the Imperial Examinations? This… Was this something they came up with last minute?”
Fang Zhengzhi felt that such a question was too much of an insult to his intelligence. However, there was nothing he could do about that. Since it came out, he would pair them with some of his own.
To prevent his intelligence from degrading, he wrote a few extra lines under each couplet. In other words, for every line that needed a complementing line, he gave more than 5 lines to be coupled with.
After doing that, he felt a bit better.
“One line with 5 possible pairings! This would fit the demands of the Imperial Examination…”
…
Time trudged on under the sounds of the candidates’ pen scratching the paper. Before they knew it, another hour had passed.
Ping Yang had started to check her answers at this point. She might look like she was checking but it was merely an act.
Compared to Ping Yang and Yan Xiu, the rest of the candidates were not looking as well. They were basically still burying their nose into the table, writing with all their might. There were even a few that were sweating bullets and shaking under the stress.
Fang Zhengzhi’s pen did not stop either. He still had the last page to finish.
In front of him, there were already eleven fully answered pages.
At this point, Fang Zhengzhi raised his head and looked around. He found that Yan Xiu was refining his answers while Ping Yang was leisurely swaying her head as she checked her answers.
A small minority of the rest of the candidates were also done but the majority was still facing their scripts and scribbling away.
“All of them are doing so fast?” Fang Zhengzhi remembered when he took part in the county and provincial examinations. He basically slept half the time yet he did not expect that the Imperial Examinations gave him such a hard time.
In the last fifteen minutes, he still had one page unfinished.
“Why you… Who in the world…came up with so many questions?” Fang Zhengzhi silently cursed. With no more time to look around, he quickly resumed writing.
Time once again flew.
The last question on the last page. Fang Zhengzhi thought that it would be the same as the provincial examinations. The subject would be something related to military formations and matrices. However, that was not the case. The question came out of the “Book of Rites”.
It tested on the Meaning of the Ceremony of Capping.
On this point, Fang Zhengzhi was familiar with it. This world had their own rites for the Ceremony of Capping. However, it was different from the Ceremony of Capping in his world.
In his previous world, by taking part in the imperial selection and passing the Adolescent’s Examinations, one could take part in the Capping Ceremony.
There was an iron-clad rule regarding the Ceremony of Capping in this world. One must be at least the age of sixteen. The age of sixteen was perceived as the time when people transit from adolescence to adulthood.
Thinking about this, Fang Zhengzhi suddenly remembered Yan Xiu’s household also had rites to come of age at sixteen. Therefore, Yan Xiu probably did the Ceremony of Capping before leaving the Yan Clan.
Previously at the Divine Constabulary great banquet, Yan Xiu said something that Fang Zhengzhi remember even until now. He said that after two years, he would reach the first-class position.
Fang Zhengzhi did not understand what it meant then.
Two years?
Eighteen years old…
“Dong!”
As he was figuring this out, the gong signaling the collection of scripts sounded off.
Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes swept around and realized that the four invigilators were starting to collect the script from all four directions. Without any further delay, he added his last sentence on the Meaning of the Ceremony of Capping with lightning quick speed.
After writing everything, he finally let out a sigh of relief, “Damn, finally done!”
Chapter 173: A Serious Incident
It was a release that welled up from the bottom of his heart. From the moment he stepped into the room, for the whole 4 hours, Fang Zhengzhi did not stop writing. This feeling of serenity after the anxiety…
It was a feeling that only those who had experienced it could understand.
Therefore, when Fang Zhengzhi sighed, he unconsciously let out his voice. The sound was not loud. It could only be considered as mumbling to himself at the most.
However…
His voice easily propagated through the silent examination room. Everyone’s eyes swept across the room and focused their sights on Fang Zhengzhi.
“Finished?!”
Everyone felt like they were just struck by lightning. Fang Zhengzhi’s voice continuously reverberated in their minds.
“You really finished everything?!” Yan Xiu’s eyes revealed the shock that struck his heart.
“Here you go lying again… Why can’t you be honest for once?” Ping Yang had an indignant look of disbelief.
The rest of the candidates had a variety of expressions. Some faces were shocked, and some were too shocked to even make a sound. However, there were more people that were sneering and mocking.
“He actually said he finished everything? Hahaha… What can be funnier than this?”
“As a human… He should have more integrity and be more humble. One should not be too shameless…”
“I have never seen someone so thick-skinned and despicable!”
The jeering of the candidates naturally attracted the attention of the four invigilators. Four pairs of paralyzing eyes suddenly all focused on Fang Zhengzhi.
After that, one of them noticed that Fang Zhengzhi still had his pen in his hands.
At that exact moment, his eyes flashed. He was entrusted with a mission in this round of invigilation. His eyes were locked on Fang Zhengzhi the whole time.
However, from the start of the examination, Fang Zhengzhi did not move a single centimeter from where he sat. For the whole duration of four hours, he was writing and writing…
Just like an unstoppable mill.
Under such circumstances, even if he was purposely trying to find fault, there was no opening for him.
“Cheating by exceeding the time?!”
Although it was a small violation and they could not cancel Fang Zhengzhi’s eligibility, they could at least nullify the marks for that question. In this way, they could have something to show for.
Thinking of this, the invigilator did not hesitate. He took a few strides and came to Fang Zhengzhi’s side.
“Just now when the gong sounded off, didn’t you hear it?” The invigilator scanned the pen that Fang Zhengzhi just put down, his tone was stone cold.
Fang Zhengzhi who was preparing for a liberating stretch heard the voice. He turned and saw the invigilator looking at him with an icy expression. His heart froze. Could it be that they discovered that he wrote the last sentence after the sound of the gong?
Usually, such an incident would not have any impact. There were many times when the invigilators closed one eye to such a violation.
However…
This did not mean that it was allowed. If the invigilator was to be impartial, then writing his last line did indeed exceed the time.
But will Fang Zhengzhi honestly admit that?
Of course not!
“Yes I did hear it,” Fang Zhengzhi replied boldly.
“Since you heard it, why were you still moving your pen?” The invigilator’s eyes revealed the icy chill swirling within.
“Did I? I did not notice… Oh right, I have a habit of spinning my pen. Have a look if you don’t believe,” Fang Zhengzhi innocently picked up his pen and started spinning it in his hands…
The invigilator’s eyebrows furrowed. He did not expect Fang Zhengzhi to stubbornly deny. However, in this situation, if he did not produce any evidence, there was nothing he could do to Fang Zhengzhi.
“You moved. I can be the witness. I saw it clearly just now.” On the left-hand side, a voice softly floated by, threatening to add oil to fire to satisfy her mischief.
Fang Zhengzhi did not even need to turn his head to know that the voice belonged to Ping Yang.
Someone who had done nothing wrong would not be afraid of accusations. However, this Ping Yang was weird. She had answers on her body yet she dared to report to be a witness?
“With a witness, then that question you were answering would have its marks nullified!” The invigilator’s eyes lit up the moment he heard Ping Yang’s words. He held up Fang Zhengzhi’s script and asked, “Candidate, please clarify which was the question that was answered after the gong?”
“It was on the last…” Ping Yang was preparing to say it was the last page when her tiny cherry lips opened wide.
Because…
She saw on Fang Zhengzhi’s last page was filled with characters scrunched together to fit into the page.
“A whole paper totally filed up?!”
Ping Yang’s eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. She remembered what Fang Zhengzhi said just now. Her glassy orbs once again shifted to the rest of the papers.
Then, she saw that the previous page was filled and so was the page before that…
At this point, her eyes froze on that page. She stared intently at Fang Zhengzhi’s script and could not look away for even a second.
The invigilators also noticed Ping Yang’s peculiar behavior at this moment.
His eyes also shifted to the paper in his hands. He was stunned. Page after page flew up as he flipped.
One page, two pages, three pages… Twelve pages of the examination script!
All were filled!
There was not a single question left blank!
“My god… What is this that I see?!” The invigilator’s face suddenly changed from white to red, then from red to purple and lastly, it swelled to become a purplish red that matched the color of a pig’s liver.
He had been working for the Imperial Academy for about six years now.
Within that time, he oversaw the conduct of two county examinations, assisted the Imperial Examiner with the conduct of the provincial examinations and had been the invigilator for the Imperial Examination twice including this time.
However…
It was not just him who had never seen it. Even the whole of Imperial Academy had never seen anyone who could complete the scripts.In the whole history of the Great Xia Dynasty, there had never been anyone who could finish the whole examinations script within the allocated time.
“Is this fake?! Cheating?” The invigilator simply could not believe his eyes. However, he had been intently observing Fang Zhengzhi’s hand since he began writing.
He knew it clearer than anyone.
The examination script was produced by Fang Zhengzhi own two hands.
It was just that this matter was too unbelievable. How could such a thing even happen? Even if this paper’s answer was placed in front to let him copiously copy, it would be difficult to even finish copying everything within the allocated four hours.
To do finish…
The mere thought of finishing everything was hard to swallow like a fishbone lodged in the invigilator’s throat. His mouth was gaping yet he was not taking in any breath.
…
Fang Zhengzhi did not know what the invigilator and Ping Yang were currently thinking. Instead, he was only thinking, that damn Ping Yang, since you dared to testify against me, I dare to report you!
“I want to make a report!” Fang Zhengzhi decided to take the advantage of making the first move.
“Oh,” the invigilator nodded in a daze.
At this moment, Ping Yang also still reeling from shock. She did not even register Fang Zhengzhi’s voice.
The rest of the candidates and invigilators heard Fang Zhengzhi’s report. However, there was already an invigilator beside him, the rest of the invigilators naturally would not intervene.
As a result, Fang Zhengzhi realized that his proclamation was ignored.
“I said, I want to make a report!” Fang Zhengzhi was peeved. In this broad daylight, as a morally upright citizen, he wanted to lodge a report yet everyone ignored him?
Where is the justice!
“Oh… Ah?!” The invigilator finally reacted, “What do you want to report?”
“I’m reporting her for cheating. She had answers with her. Search her body if you don’t believe!” Fang Zhengzhi pointed at Ping Yang, waiting for her to be searched. After getting her expelled from the room, then there would be no one to act as a witness against him.
“What?! You dare to report me?” Ping Yang regained her sense when she heard the word “answers”. Her pale flawless face contorted. She totally did not expect Fang Zhengzhi was actually going forward and report her?
“Answers?!” The invigilator felt that his brain was about to crash, there was no way for him to make a sound judgment.
However, when the rest of the invigilators heard “answers”, they could barely suppress the shock on their faces.
If…
Someone really had answers on them, that meant that the examination script was leaked prematurely. If that was true, this incident would shake the whole Great Xia empire. If it was traced, from the bottom Imperial Messengers to the top Chief Imperial Messenger, even the Headmaster of the Imperial Academy would be implicated.
Chapter 174: Six Sets of Examination Script
The invigilators’ shock originated from the severity of such an offense. However, when Fang Zhengzhi made the report against Ping Yang, the rest of the candidates all had a face of puzzlement.
When Ping Yang chased away that noble, everyone found out about her identity.
Now…
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to report her?!
Was it possible that Fang Zhengzhi actually did not know who she was? It was highly unlikely because the incident at Ping Yang’s birthday banquet was the talk of the capital.
Since he knew, he still dared to report?
Everyone was waiting for Ping Yang to start firing at him.
Then, she really did. However, the target was not Fang Zhengzhi, it was the invigilator who did not recognize her.
After reeling in shock, the invigilator regained his senses.
“Someone snuck in the answers?”
With such a serious incident, there was no way he could be careless.
“Search!”
“How dare you!”
The first sentence was utter by the invigilator while the one after came out of Ping Yang.
The invigilator was once again stunned by Ping Yang’s audacious words. This was the Imperial Academy, he was one of the Imperial Messengers with the responsibility of conducting the examination.
Within the examination room, there was actually someone who challenged him?
Such gall!
Just as he was about to exercise his absolute authority to subdue this impertinent candidate, his eyelids did a jump.
Because…
He noticed that the eyes of the candidate had such clarity, similar to an autumn pond.
The pair of eyes were gorgeous but only one person in the of the Yan Capital, or rather the whole of the Great Xia Dynasty had such gorgeous eyes.
Princess Ping Yang!
“Prin…prin…”
“What are you mumbling on about? Collect the scripts and scram!” Ping Yang slightly tilted her chin up, a face of haughtiness and dominance. She did not wish for her identity to be revealed too much.
However, that did mean that she could just allow this invigilator to search her body.
“Yes, yes!” The invigilator dare not speak further. He swiftly collected Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi’s scripts, fearing to question Fang Zhengzhi’s transgression of exceeding the time limit any further.
Compared to his mission, his head was definitely more important to him.
The rest of the invigilator noticed the abnormality. They were prepared to go forward to check it out when they saw Ping Yang turned and gave them a small smile.
In an instant, the three invigilators felt a chill shot down their spine.
“Why did this demoness want to participate in the Imperial Examinations?This…this is simply too…” The three invigilators gave each other a look and quickly decided on the path of self-preservation.
It did not matter if she really snuck in the answers. Even if she was guilty, there was no one who dared to charge her. In the end, they would be the one at the short end of the stick.
In this situation, it was more rational to ignore her rather than checking her.
…
It did not take long for the four invigilators to collect all of the scripts.
After reaching this stage, Fang Zhengzhi felt that it was about time to return to the inn for a bath and some rest. However, Ping Yang definitely would not let him escape so easily.
“Hmph, don’t think you are such a big shot just because you could finish the whole paper. I also know how to write bullshit!” Although Ping Yang was shocked by Fang Zhengzhi completion of the entire examination script, she did not have a clear look at the legitimacy of his answers.
“What? He really finished everything?”
“Twelve pages of questions, he finished every question?”
“How is that possible? There were six sets to the twelve-page examinations script…”
“If he finished everything, didn’t that meant that he finished six examinations worth of questions? To complete six examinations within four hours…”
Those candidates that were preparing to leave had their jaws agape as they heard Ping Yang’s words.
They could not believe that such a thing would happen. However, since Princess Ping Yang said this, then it was highly likely that it was the truth.
At this point, Yan Xiu was looking at Fang Zhengzhi like he was a monster.
Six sets of examination questions in four hours?
“Yes, I’m dead tired from it. Luckily I made it in time… What’s wrong? Did you not finish?” Fang Zhengzhi was confused after hearing Yan Xiu’s question.
“Did you not know that you can choose which questions to do? Every question had a marking to indicate which set it belonged to. Did you…miss it?” Yan Xiu questioned further.
“Marking to indicate which set? I saw it!” Fang Zhengzhi remembered after Yan Xiu reminded him. At the beginning of every question, there was a special marking.
However, Fang Zhengzhi did not know what those were for. All along, he thought it was for aesthetic purposes.
“You saw them yet you finished every question?” Yan Xiu’s face revealed confoundment.
“Oh no… Did I break a rule?” Fang Zhengzhi’s expression changed when he heard Yan Xiu’s words.
Break a rule? Yan Xiu observed Fang Zhengzhi tensing up and his face was at a loss. Such a way to break a rule. It was not some rule that anyone could break just by thinking of it. An average person was really not capable of breaking such a rule.
“I don’t think so,” Yan Xiu shook his head.
“Oh, that’s great! For a moment, I thought I broke a rule. Since it was not against the rules then all is well. The questions were so simple anyway and I knew how to do everything. So, I finished them without a pause.”
“…”
Yan Xiu stared at Fang Zhengzhi’s relaxed face, his mouth opening then closing. Not really sure what to say.
“…”
The rest of the candidates at looked at one another.
“Simple?!”
“Know how to do everything?!”
“So he finished them without pause?!”
“Did he have to insult us like that?!”
Ping Yang focused her glassy orbs at Fang Zhengzhi. She was very annoyed, extremely annoyed! What was the meaning behind this? What was the meaning of the “simple questions”?
It was obviously used to outrightly insult her!
“Fang Zhengzhi, I’m going to kill you!”
“Sure thing. However, now is not the time,” Fang Zhengzhi gave Ping Yang a bored stare. After that, he pulled Yan Xiu with him out of the room.
He did not wish to continue spending his time with the unruly princess.
The rest of the candidates saw Ping Yang started firing and immediately scatter like spooked birds.
In an instant, the examination room only left Ping Yang who was shaking and pouting her tiny cherry lips.
“What was there to gloat about? So what if he finished all six sets… My god! That fellow actually finished all six sets of questions? What for?”
…
The biannual Law of Dao examinations had always been the focal points for both the citizens and officials in the whole of the Great Xia Dynasty, The Imperial Examinations was the focal point of the focal points.
After every Theory Examination, many of the candidates would discuss among themselves the difficulty of the examination.
Furthermore, some officials would take the lead to open up a forum to exchange ideas with the candidates on the thought processes required to answers the questions.
The idea was to examine the questions together with the students, analyze and come to a conclusion together.
In actuality, those officials were also gauging each students potential from the way they approached the analysis. This allowed them to pick out the students with exceptional talents in advance.
After all, to approach them after the release of the results might be too late.
Moreover, to provide them with opportunities before they know of their choices would very much reduce the costs and easier to win over their hearts.
However,
There was an exception in this year’s Imperial Examinations.
Because after the Theory Examinations, the whole of Yan Capital exploded. Everyone was debating about the legendary rumor. Which was about how Fang Zhengzhi finished all six sets of the examination script!
Four hours, six full sets of examination papers. He actually answered all of the questions without fail in such a demanding examination.
Since the establishment of the Great Xia Dynasty, such an event had never happened before…
No one was willing to believe it was possible but the authenticity of this incident could be questioned no further.
All of the candidates that were in the same room of Fang Zhengzhi could pat their chest confidently and even dig out their eyes to support the credibility of such claims.
The invigilators in the Imperial Academy could also confirm the rumors.
This was even witnessed by a mysterious big shot in the capital.
Well, who was this person? No one dared to utter her name as they were quite happy with their lives in Yan Capital.
Chapter 175: Aftermath
The next morning, the whole of Yan Capital, from the various palace officials in their conference halls to the restaurants in big streets and small alleys. There was no one who was not talking about one name.
He was Fang Zhengzhi.
“An examination script with six sets, the whole six sets were finished in just four hours?!”
“Even if he did finish it, so what? Who knows if he just simply filled in nonsense? If it was nonsense, I could finish it too!”
“It was probably not nonsense, right? It was the Imperial Examination after all.”
“Well then, have you seen anyone who finished all six sets of the examination script before? If it was not nonsense… How did he finish them?”
“Most likely…”
…
The East Palace, within the Royal Palace, was the residence of the crown prince for generations.
Today, within the East Palace sat a person. He wore a White Dragon Silk Robe. With willowy eyebrows and a pair of narrow eyes, he stared at the pot of “Tri-crowned Orchid”
It was a species of orchid that grew in the Southeast. It was unbelievably rare and priceless.
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong had a unique adoration for orchids. He felt that they were pure and elegant. Not unlike his own status and style.
He loved the arts. Frequently saw the orchids as his friends and include them in his writings.
At this moment, below him sat another person. He had a greying beard and hair dyed by the white sands of time. His face was thinning but his eyes showed an intense vigor.
He was dressed in a red palace robe.
Within the palace of the Great Xia Dynasty, there exist a system where red represented the ministers while purple represented marquis.
From this point, the person’s identity was not hard to guess. He was the current Left Prime Minister, Yu Yiping. Yiping as first-class[1]. It was unclear whether his forefathers had to foresight to name him as such.
Currently, Yu Yipping was indeed a first-class official in the palace court.
The Crown Prince, Lin Tianrong did not really like Yu Yiping because the way Yu Yiping did things was too direct. Sometimes, this bluntness did not sit well with him.
However, the Sacred Lord liked Yu Yiping’s bluntness.
Therefore, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong had to tolerate him. Even when Yu Yiping almost smashed his pot of “Tri-crowned Orchid” into a pile of dirt, Lin Tianrong did not show any outward signs.
“Didn’t Prime Minister always allowed me to settle things? Why are you risking yourself for such a small matter?” Crown Prince Lin Tianrong found it hard to wrap his head around this or it might be he did not bother to try and understand this.
No matter what kind of suggestion he brought up, Yu Yiping would always come up with enough reasons to support his own “correct” opinion such that there was no way for the Crown Prince to reject it.
Then…
Why should he try and understand?
Or it might be that in front of Yu Yiping, there was no need for him to try and understand.
This seemed like spineless but the intelligent people could easily see the rationale behind this. Although he was bestowed the title of Crown Prince, before he ascends to the throne, he was nothing.
He needed to rely on the palace officials and the Left Prime Minister was the best official there is.
It was just that this palace official was a bit more direct. Therefore, as the Crown Prince, the best way to interact was to “show need”. Only when he showed enough need for him, he could have a use for the Left Prime Minister who had great influence in the palace.
“My actions were precisely so because this issue needed to be settled. On the side of Han Changfeng, they already sent out the news. Fang Zhengzhi did indeed finish all six sets of the examination script. Furthermore, from his previous interaction with Fang Zhengzhi in the River of Trust Province’s provincial examinations, the chances of Fang Zhengzhi writing nonsense was zero. Then… This person was the one existence that could threaten the balance of the palace politics!” Yu Yiping’s face was much calmer than it was a moment ago.
“Then, Prime Minister’s meaning is?” Crown Prince Lin Tianrong prodded.
“Edit! Now we can only take the risk of editing his answers. In the Imperial Examinations, only Fang Zhengzhi finished all six sets of questions. This is a pro and a con because this way, we could easily find his sealed script among the others. With just some minor adjustments, we could kick him off the roll,” Yu Yiping’s eyes shone with an icy glare.
“However, I’ve heard that King Duan also wanted Fang Zhengzhi out of the roll. I always thought that we should save those that King Duan wanted gone. Why are we on the same side as King Duan this time, Prime Minister?” Crown Prince Lin Tianrong expressed his opinion to show his need for him. He must act to win him over.
“We have to act according to the situation. If you blindly move ahead, how could you achieve great things?” Yu Yiping indeed did not take bother with the Crown Prince’s opinion.
“Prime Minister’s advice is indeed wise. Then let’s move according to your plan,” the Crown Prince replied. After that, he slowly lifted the pot of “Tri-crowned Orchids” and carefully walked towards the backyard.
He murmured to himself as he walked, “My precious… Where should I place you?”
…
Within the Imperial Academy, Han Changfeng’s eyebrows were scrunched tightly. He would never have thought that such a miracle could happen. Someone actually finished all six sets?
This created an uneasiness in his heart.
Heavenly Reflection at fifteen.
In the Imperial Examination, he finished all six sets in one sitting…
Impossible!
If Fang Zhengzhi was the one mentioned in the Heavenly Prophecy, then, the incident at the doors of the River of Trust examination location was enough leverage for Fang Zhengzhi to bring me to my grave.
Whether it was for the stability of the palace politics or for the preservation of oneself, Fang Zhengzhi must be eliminated.
Han Changfeng was waiting.
Waiting for the reply from the East Palace because to do this, he needed cooperation from the Left Prime Minister. Even if he was the Chief Imperial Messenger for the Imperial Academy and the Chief Examiner for the Imperial Examinations, he lacks the power to carry such a plan.
Similar to Han Changfeng, King Duan Lin Xinjue was just as anxious. As the Supervising Inspector of this round of Imperial Examinations, he naturally had the power to inspect any of the candidates’ scripts.
Therefore, he had immediately sent someone to retrieve Fang Zhengzhi’s script.
After that…
He felt that his mind just got whacked by a sledgehammer. A bit of dizziness and a bit of disbelief.
Fang Zhengzhi’s script was easy to recognize. The seal did not need to be opened to know which one it was. The couplets on the script had five to six paired sentences for each one. What was the meaning of this?
Didn’t he lack the skills of pairing couplets?
Was it all an elaborate act?
King Duan had a soreness in his heart that came from being outplayed by someone else. He believed that Fang Zhengzhi did this on purpose. He purposely pretended that he did not know how to pair couplets so as to lower the difficulty of the Theory Examinations in the Imperial Examinations.
All for the goal of his noble triumph of finishing all six sets of the examination papers.
Despicable!
King Duan was so enraged he almost tore up the papers in front of him. However, he manages to suppress that urge because he could not do it, not in front of the hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at him.
“Edit! Even if I was to be accused of being an incompetent inspector, his script must be edited!”
…
Within the Ping Yang Residence, the Ping Yang dressed up in a red cloak was not happy. The more she thought about it, the more furious she got. The more furious she was, the more her lips pouted.
“I’m furious, furious…”
Stalks of brightly blooming flowers suffered horrible fates in her poisonous hands. Even the flower pot was shown no mercy.
Ping! Piang! These sounds echoed in the small garden.
At this point, a Chi Guyan wearing a pink dress appeared. Her gentle footsteps were heard and even flowers bow in her presence.
“Sister Yan!” Ping Yang jumped up the moment she saw Chi Guyan.
“What’s wrong? Why are you expressing your frustrations here alone?” Chi Guyan calmly walked towards Ping Yang, then, she pulled Ping Yang towards her to sit.
“Who else but that despicable man. Sister Yan, you knew that I was going to enter this round of Imperial Examinations. Initially, I thought that with my answers, I would definitely win him. However… that fellow actually finished everything? That was totally unreasonable!” Ping Yang was once again enraged at the thought of this.
“I see. But it’s not worth it to be angry at such a shameless person. You said that he finished everything but that did not mean that he will beat you.”
“How can he not? Six sets of examination papers… He finished everything by himself!” Ping Yang did not understand.
“He merely finished. Are you sure that what he wrote was correct?”
“How do I even confirm? I’m not the Chief Examiner. How would I know if it was right or wrong?” As Ping Yang said this, she was humbled because even as the Chief Examiner, she would not be able to judge whether Fang Zhengzhi’s answers.
“Would you like to be the Chief Examiner though?” Chi Guyan gently smiled.
“Of course. However, the Chief Examiner was already appointed. I don’t have a chance even if I wanted to,” Ping Yang did not really catch Chi Guyan’s meaning.
“It’s not totally impossible.”
“Sister Yan, is there still a way for me to become the Chief Examiner?” Ping Yang’s eyes revealed her incredulity when she heard that.
[1]: First-class translate to Chinese is 一品 which is read as yi pin and sounds the same as Yu Yiping’s name, hence the pun.
Chapter 176: Quality over Quantity
“There is a way but it only allows you to examine one person’s script. Would you be willing?” Chi Guyan asked.
“Of course I will! I’m only afraid that…”
“Afraid that you can’t tell the difference between right and wrong?”
“Sister Yan, you are teasing me again…”
“Then don’t you just need someone to look at it for you?”
“Who?”
“I believe… His Majesty should be interested in that shameless fellow’s script.”
“Father?!” Ping Yang was briefly stunned. After that, her glassy eyes immediately shimmer, “I understand now. Sister Yan wants me to find my father. If Father gained some interest in that fellow’s script, he would definitely order the people at the Imperial Academy to send it over?”
“Ping Yang is indeed smart. Enlightened with only a little guidance.”
“Hahaha… Naturally. I shall go find my father now!” After finishing the sentence, Ping Yang disappeared in a blink of an eye, skipping and hopping as she went out of the courtyard.
Chi Guyan looked on at Ping Yang’s fading figure, then turned towards the direction of the palace, “If I’m not wrong, Your Majesty also needed a reason to have a look at Fang Zhengzhi’s script right?”
…
Inside the palace, within the study room.
The Sacred Lord, Lin Mubai, dawned his Golden Dragon Robe and sat in his Dragon Throne. In his hands, he was flipping through an academic memorial but his eyes were looking out the window.
At this moment, the doors were pushed opened by someone from the outside.
Such an impudent action was worthy of a beheading.
Instead, the Sacred Lord’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Only Chi Guyan knows the way to my heart!”
The Sacred Lord did not even need to turn his head to know that it was definitely Ping Yang who was approaching. Only she could barge into the room with such gall.
“Ping Yang, you came? Come sit beside me,” the Sacred Lord showed an amiable smile.
“Father!” Ping Yang lightly skipped to the side of Lin Mubai.
“What brings you to me?”
“Did Father heard of the incredible rumor? It is currently making waves everywhere in the capital.”
“Oh? What could cause such a big uproar? Even my Ping Yang was disturbed?”
“I wasn’t really disturbed by it. I’m just curious. I’ve heard that Fajg Zhengzhi actually finished all six sets of the examination script. I was thinking…he definitely deceiving us!”
“Oh really?” The Sacred Lord gave a small smile and resumed reading the academic memorial within his hands.
“Is Father not curious to have a look at what kind of cheap method that the scum, who was merely pining for fame, used?” Ping Yang saw that the Sacred Lord seemed to be disinterested. In the instant, she was anxious.
“The conducting structure for the Theory Examinations of the Imperial Examinations was headed by Han Changfeng as the Chief Examiner. Even I found find it hard to interfere with this,” the Sacred Lord seemed to be out on the spot by Ping Yang.
“What is a mere Han Changfeng? I shall go the Imperial Academy now and order him to obediently hand over Fang Zhengzhi’s script to us. He dares to defy my orders? Hmph!” After her outburst, she jumped up.
“This…this is not very nice?” The Sacred Lord was about to stop her but Ping Yang did not even bother with him and was already gone with the wind.
“She really does come and go like the wind. This personality definitely took after her mother…”
…
Within Yan Capital, low and high ranking officials were holding academic conferences within their residences.
Among them, the conference at the Left Prime Minister’s Residence was the most respected and grand. Countless of the Imperial Examinations candidates entered its halls, hoping to be guided towards enlightenment by the Left Prime Minister.
The Left Prime Minister, Yu Yiping, personally welcomed them into the main courtyard, where he sat at the head of the conference. His smile perpetually painted with a slight smile while he discussed with the candidates as he savored his tea.
After a thorough discussion of the questions, naturally, the candidates began to probe the Left Prime Minister on his predictions of which families would clinch the top three positions.
The prediction of the three positions had always been a hot topic in these conferences.
This indicated the official’s judgment of the current political climate. The candidates also used this to gauge whether they had followed the right people or would they have to reconsider a place that could bring forth their potentials.
After all, the choice had to be mutually beneficial.
Yu Yip was naturally prepared for this, therefore, he did not even show a trace of panic.
“In this round of the Imperial Examinations, the were several outstanding individuals. Close to home, we have Xing Qingsui from the Stabilisation Constabulary and Su Clan’s Su Donglin. Further away, we have Nangong Mu from the Nangong Clan. If I’m not wrong, the top three in this Imperial Examinations would be between these three.”
“Comparing this three, Su Donglin’s reputation is the biggest and also the most likely person to clinch the top spot. However, in my opinion, the Roll Champion would instead give taken by Nangong Mu!”
After Yu Yiping finished, he gently lifted his teacup and took a small sip.
“Nangong Mu? Isn’t he Nangong Hao’s younger brother?”
“Prime Minister Yu’s analysis made sense. Nangong Hao is already the Great Xia Empire’s greatest talent. Nangong Mu is Nangong Hao’s blood-related younger brother. Their age difference is only two years. After taking the title of Roll Champion at the Capital Examinations two years ago, because of Chi Guyan, he abruptly pulled out of the Imperial Examinations. This time round’s Imperial Examination, he is sure to clinch the top spot.”
“However, this round’s Imperial Examination had Fang Zhengzhi… He answered all six sets of the examination script. Wondering what is Prime Minister Yu’s views on this?” One of the candidates could no longer hold back after hearing this.
When the other candidates heard this, they too showed the look of anticipation.
Yu Yiping seemed like he was expecting this question. With his smile showing no signs of diminishing, he slowly put down his cup. After that, he calmly stated, “Although Fang Zhengzhi was the Double Roll Champion in both the county and provincial examinations, both cannot be compared to the Imperial Examinations. Since the establishment of the Great Xia Dynasty, no one had ever finished all six sets of the examination script in four hours. This person did something like this only belies the suspicion that he is simply stealing fame and reputation.”
“I’m have always believed when it comes to such things, quality is required more than quantity. The more you do, the more mistakes you make. Even if the highest scoring set is used as a gauge, he would just as easily drop to the lower-class rolls!”
“The most he could hope for is only the second-class roll!”
As Yu Yiping approached the end, his tone was incomparably firm.
“I see!”
“I have greatly benefited from listening to Prime Minister Yu’s speech!”
“Low-lives that spread lies and deceit to garner undeserved fame do not last long. After the release of results three days later, I would like to see whether Fang Zhengzhi would still have the face to participate in the Combat Examinations?”
“By that time, he might just gain the reputation of being the laughing stock, hahaha….”
When the candidates heard this, they could not hold in their laughter too. This was not saying that they were near-sighted but in their hearts, they simply could not believe that Fang Zhengzhi could do finish everything and still maintain accuracy.
Just as the Left Prime Minister had said.
Quality over quantity. Who could argue with such logic?
How would it be possible?!
…
Fang Zhengzhi did not know about the discussions that surrounded him happening all over Yan Capital. After the end of the examinations, he and Yan Xiu rode out of Yan Capital…
Five kilometers outside of Yan Capital, there was a quaint and serene villa. Within the villa was a huge lake dubbed the “Five Kilometers Red”.
The name came from the five kilometers of red shores.
It was described as five kilometers of red shore because along the lake, scarlet red rocks lined the shores. Whether it was the sandbanks or rocks along the shoreline, everything was painted a fiery red.
Rumour was that the Five Kilometers Lake was the site of the most devastating and brutal battle between the Demon Army and the Human Alliance.
The whole lake was dyed red, even the rocks by the shores were not spared.
After millennials, this red still did not fade.
The purpose of Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu’s visit was obviously not to commemorate the heroes of the past. They were here to appreciate the view and of course, one more thing. To use the lake as a mirror to solve Yan Xiu’s Mirror Projection mystery.
The villa did not have many guests here. Yan Xiu originally wanted to book the whole place but he was stopped by Fang Zhengzhi, “There are not many people here anyway. Here is quite quiet.”
…
While Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu were enjoying their vacation at the lakeside villa, the Imperial Academy was plagued by a devastating peril the likes of which they had never seen for the past hundred years.
Ping Yang was coming.
With the attitude of an unruly bandit, she kicked aside the guards at the gates of the Imperial Academy. She, just a single individual, viewed the hundreds of guards at the Imperial Academy as ants.
She opened a bloody path towards the heavily guarded Script Grading Hall of the Imperial Academy with gale force speed.
Nearly a hundred Imperial Messengers who were buried in the scripts all raised their heads in unison.
Seated a fair distance away, at a large study desk was Han Changfeng. In that moment, his face immediately changed. The ink brush that was just dipped in jet-black ink was dropped onto the floor with a “Pa” due to alarm.
Chapter 177: Release of Results of the Theory Examinations
Was Han Changfeng not calm enough?
Of course not.
It was just that anyone who was caught red-handed doing something unspeakable would struggle to keep their cool. Especially when the person who caught him was the Sacred Lord’s most beloved Princess Ping Yang.
Ping Yang invaded the Imperial Academy?!
The purpose of yer visit was clear to everyone because no matter how much chaos she caused in the capital, she had never disrupted the conduct of political matters.
So…
Just as Han Changfeng’s face ashen, Ping Yang cut through the crowd of Imperial Messengers while wearing her red cloak. She was like a red fireball that shot in front of him.
Her tender cherry-sized lips curled into a smile.
Her glassy orbs studied Han Changfeng’s face at close range.
“Lord Han, you look nervous… Don’t tell me you are illegally altering the scripts?”
With this sentence out, the whole Imperial Academy was like the surface of a lake after a giant rock fell into it. All the Imperial Messengers were momentarily dumbfounded.
Han Changfeng’s jaws dropped like a stone. He was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out.
“Princess Ping Yang, please don’t make such accusations so easily…” Han Changfeng’s heart was in turmoil but he quietly reigned in his facial expressions.
“Hahaha, Lord Han sure can’t take a joke as usual. I’m here on the orders of my Father to retrieve someone’s script,” Ping Yang smile with such vibrancy it was comparable to the sakura blooms in spring, after seeing Han Changfeng’s agitated expression.
…
Nights in Yan Capital was not quiet. Candle flames in residences lit up like the stars in heaven. People from all walks of life moved about within these residences, causing a flow of dark shadows that traversed the streets outside.
Compared to Yan Capital, the surface of the Five Kilometer Lake was much calmer. A crisp green covered the lake like a coat of jade. The moonlight that drifted down bathed the area with a silver hue.
Fang Zhengzhi stared at the surface of the lake, his mouth slightly opened and his eyes were not even blinking.
Because…
He saw a woman. A woman dancing under the moonlight. Just like the scene he saw at the Heavenly Treasure Hall. The same dress floating in the air, the same elegant figure.
However, this was not the Heavenly Treasure Hall. It was the Five Kilometers Lake.
So…
Where did this woman come from?
Fang Zhengzhi was stumped. He really wanted to have a good look at her features but there seemed to be a veil of light in the air in front of him, reducing the clarity of the woman’s features.
However, he felt a great sense of wonder.
He felt that the woman was familiar. He must have seen her somewhere before but he did not know exactly where.
The woman softly danced on the surface of the lake, enjoying the glow of the moon. The scene was stunning yet strange. Fang Zhengzhi’s heart felt like it was struck by lightning.
However, this was different from the quick glance he had at the Heavenly Treasure Hall. This time, Fang Zhengzhi could study her carefully, scrutinize her every move.
Hence, he realized that the woman kept her dancing within a certain area.
It seemed circular.
It was not a big circle but the woman could never leap out of that circle. It felt like she was doing this on purpose yet when looked upon closely, it seemed like she was trapped inside.
Fang Zhengzhi played with the thought of calling Yan Xiu here to have a look. However, just as he was about to get up, packets of radiance slowly drifted down from the sky.
Almost like the moonlight dripped down from the skies.
Pure white light gently floated down from the heavens.
Right at this moment, a ray of light of the same kind shot out from the woman’s forehead. That light consumed those starry lights drifting down or rather, it assimilated with them.
As Fang Zhengzhi was mesmerized by this sight, the woman suddenly disappeared.
As if she had never existed.
Serenity returned to the lake surface. The blood-soaked rocks along the shoreline were the same intense red. A breeze came along, revealing a soft glow in the air…
…
Three days later, daybreak.
The fiery sun rose, slowly peeking it’s head out, bathing the horizon in its golden rays and painting the sky gold.
At the gates of Yan Capital, two young adults riding side by side, they rode on the Snow Treading Dragon Stallions that was only possessed by the Divine Constabulary of the Northern Desert.
The two young adults were not riding very fast, therefore, the guards at the capital gates could easily discern who they were.
No one stopped them.
Fang Zhengzhi looked at the aloof Yan Xiu beside him. He did not probe him because he knew what Yan Xiu was thinking. In his heart, he firmly believed that Yan Xiu could definitely do it.
…
At the gates of the Imperial Academy, the crowd was packed like sardines.
Countless of candidates were already waiting at the gates before the sun even rose because today was the release of the results of the Theory Examinations.
Such a day was of incredible significance.
Too many of the candidates, this could be the pivotal moment in their lives.
Hence, last night was fated to a sleepless night, not just for the candidates. The Imperial Messengers that were evaluating the scripts lost their sleep too.
The Imperial Examinations gathered talents from the Northern Lands, Western Liang, Southern Nation and the Eastern Metropolis. It was the grandest occasion in the Law of Dao Examinations.
This meant that many of the candidates traversed thousands of kilometers to get here. Therefore, there were situations of candidates red-eyed and still chewing on dry rations in the mouth.
Other than the candidates coming to see their results, the Yan Capital’s palace officials appeared too.
The release of results of the Theory Examinations was the best time to seize the talents. It was also the time to test their own intuition. To successfully pull over a candidate on the first-class roll would be a significant achievement.
“Quick, look. It is Xing Qingsui from the Stabilisation Constabulary!” The crowd rapidly grew noisier. After that, all eyes were on the young man that was walking here from a distance away.
The young man was about twenty-three to twenty-four years of age. His face was dark. He did not look like someone grew up in comfort like the rest of the noblelites but his aura was extremely intimidating.
Like a coiled panther that was ready to spring on its prey. His eyes possessed a soft gleam and his thick eyebrows gave him a wild demeanor.
“I’ve heard that Xing Qingsui was in the middle stages of the Heavenly Reflection State. He was even personally groomed by Lord Xing from the Stabilisation Constabulary. He has been sharpening himself on the battlefield for a few years. In this round of Imperial Examinations, he will probably get a good position.”
“For this round of the Imperial Examinations, I look forward to seeing Su Dongling from the Su Clan.”
“Well, I would disagree on this point. Su Donglin might be in his later stages of the Heavenly Reflection State but his skills were not tested on the battlefield. Although his state level is high, he may not fare well against Xing Qingsui on the battlefield.
“Su Donglin is arriving!”
As the crowd was discussing, a young man wearing a white traditional chinese outfit made his way here. His age was about twenty-five to twenty-six years old. The face was smooth and pale but in between his eyebrows, there was a tiredness that could not be shaken off.
Almost as if they pushed himself too much on certain things.
Behind the young man, followed two young female attendants.
The two female attendants had delicate features. One wore a green dress that reached their ankles while the other wore a red one. The common feature was the sword that was slung on the backs of these two attendants.
The sword was similarly distinguished by green and red, matching each attendant’s outfit color.
“Look, it’s Su Donglin’s left and right attendant!”
“Lord Su’s love for his son is extraordinary. The left and right attendants actually followed him to see the results. This is simply too…”
“Don’t hide your envy you brat, what nonsense are you spouting?”
“Hahaha…”
The crowd’s attention at this point was all focused on Xing Qingsui and Su Donglin. No one noticed a pair of eyes. That pair of eyes was calm, not a tiny glimmer was reflected in those eyes.
However, that pair of eyes was special because it was too calm. In the context of the congregation of talents at the gates of the Imperial Academy, this pair of eyes did not fit in.
The owner of this pair of eyes did not seem to want the attention of others.
He simply stood under the shade of a tree. He wore a plain shirt with a whitening sash that hanged off of his hair.
This kind of outfit was extremely ordinary.
An average person would not even look twice at him.
Yet it was exactly this kind of ordinary person that attracted the gaze of many palace officials. All the officials present subtly glanced over at the young man.
However, no one went forward to interact with him. Within their eyes was the expression of apprehension. Fear from the bottom of their hearts.
Chapter 178: Arrogance
The palace officials fear a young man?
This was defying common sense. However, if this young man’s surname was Nangong, then it would be understandable to a certain extent because there was a peerless genius produced by the Nangong clan.
A genius that was possibly on par with Chi Guyan.
He was the number one prodigy of the Great Xia Dynasty, Nangong Hao.
The young man in front of them would be Nangong Mu, the younger brother of Nangong Hao.
…
Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu returned to the inn on their Snow Treading Dragon Stallions. As they secured the reins of these horses, they could feel the obvious increase in foot traffic along the main streets. Most were all in one direction.
That direction was naturally the Imperial Academy.
Today was the release of results of the Theory Examination. The atmosphere in Yan Capital was heavy and tense but it seemed to have no effect on Fang Zhengzhi. He always preferred to go with the natural flow.
Similarly, Yan Xiu did not show any indication of nervousness. He occupied his mind with introspection. From the end of the Theory Examinations till now, he had been reflecting and trying.
On their way back, the two exchanged few words.
As Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu approached the Imperial Academy’s gates side by side, heads looking like black dots stretched as far as their eyes could see. Forget about the Results Tablet, even the guards at the gates were completely blocked.
Any sort of elevation near the Imperial Academy was fully packed with people.
Fang Zhengzhi had a small scare when he saw such a sight. He recalled that there were not so many candidates that participated in the examinations.
So where did all these people come from?
As he was thinking, he subconsciously scanned the crowd surrounding him. After that, he realized that other than the candidates, there were some palace officials wearing their official uniform mixed with the crowds.
There were even some passing merchants that came to see what was going on.
Without a doubt, the Imperial Examinations’ release of results was indeed one of the grand occasions in the Great Xia Dynasty. Be it, officials or citizens, everyone was keeping an extremely close watch of the event.
Fang Zhengzhi’s leisurely stroll with an easygoing expression on his face while humming a small tune. His eyes sweeping the crowd in front of him, looking for the limited empty spaces.
However, when people start noticing him and Yan Xiu, the crowd start to bubble with discussions.
This puzzled Fang Zhengzhi. He remembered when he was going to take Theory Examinations, he and Yan Xiu were obscured by the blinding talents of Yan Capital.
However, today…
Seemed a bit special.
Of course, he did not know that in the three days that he was gone, he had become the talk of the capital. From the main streets to the back alleys; small and big residences, everyone knew and talked about him.
He made history. No matter what method he used, whether he wrote nonsense or not, it was an irreversible fact that he broke the rule that no one else could for the past thousand years.
Everyone, simultaneously turned their heads to face one position. Countless pairs of eyes all pointed in unison at Fang Zhengzhi.
“It’s Fang Zhengzhi?!”
He finally came. What do you think his expression would be when he drops out of the roll?”
“Well, I feel that he wouldn’t drop so far off the roll. To be able to become the roll champion in the River of Trust Provincial Examinations, won’t he at least have a shot at getting on the second-class roll?”
“Didn’t you hear about Prime Minister Yu’s analysis?”
“You mean that sentence about quality over quantity?”
“That’s right. If Fang Zhengzhi earnestly attempted the questions in the Imperial Theory Examinations, he might have a chance at the second-class roll. Unfortunately, he finished all six sets of the script. Such low-life that lusts after superficial fame and wealth would naturally not have time for checking and refinement.”
“Brother Tang’s eyes sure are sharp. I’m impressed!”
The candidates started to murmur among themselves. They were looking forward to Fang Zhengzhi’s expression when he dropped out of the roll. This intention was probably spurred on by jealousy.
It was like when people are used to wearing clothes out, then suddenly one day, one person did otherwise. Propounding that going out naked could allow one to fully embrace what Mother Nature has to offer.
Then…
This person would be either stoned or drowned in spit.
Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi’s actions this time did not simply break the mindset that was instilled over a long period of time. He went and crushed the history of the Great Xia Dynasty since its founding under his feet.
He did something that no one had done since the beginning of the Great Xia Dynasty.
Finishing the six sets of questions in the examination script in under four hours.
If such a thing actually happened, then didn’t it meant that he was one level higher than the likes of Chi Guyan and Nangong Hao?
Whether it was the previous round when Chi Guyan became the Double Roll Champion or the round before that when Nangong Hao who got the title of roll champion for the Imperial Examinations, no such thing had happened before.
No one believed that such an achievement was possible.
Furthermore, it was achieved by a mountain villager that had not ever step foot in a Hall of Dao before. The officials did not believe and the noblelites even more so.
Fang Zhengzhi looked at those eyes that shot at him and felt confused. Yet, at this time, a disturbance arose in the crowd.
A young man wearing a white traditional chinese outfit, followed by two female attendants wearing a red and green dress respectively, forced a path through the crowd towards Fang Zhengzhi’s position.
With this, the already packed crowd that blocked the Imperial Academy’s gates barely had any room to maneuver. Some of the slower people were pushed down with the butts hitting the floor.
Hence, among the soft discussions, the disharmonious cursing grew.
“Where’re your eyes?!”
“Leg, leg… My leg!”
“Ahh, Lady, you’re sitting on my face!”
“…”
The extremely puzzled Fang Zhengzhi heard the moans of the last guy. His curiously wondered what kind of soreness would that be when someone sat on his face.
Therefore, he started to find out the source of this voice.
However…
Unfortunately, as he was still finding, a figure blocked his line of sight. Furthermore, two more people stood on each side of this figure.
It was Su Donglin and his two female attendants.
The two attendants had delicate and elegant features. It was hard to discern their age. On their backs was a sword slung diagonally. The unique features were their eyes. Sharp and piercing just like the swords sheathed in the scabbard.
“It’s the Sword Attendants,” Yan Xiu spoke. His gaze was not on Su Donglin either. Like Fang Zhengzhi, his attention was on the two attendants.
The feeling of being overlooked caused Su Donglin’s face to darken. The once pale and unblemished face immediately dropped in temperature.
“So you are Fang Zhengzhi?” Su Donglin opened his mouth.
“Looking for something?” Fang Zhengzhi heard his question and turned to look at Su Donglin in slight annoyance.
Su Donglin saw the look of annoyance on Fang Zhengzhi’s face. It was like his heart got pierced by something, the chill on his face got even icier.
“Do you know what kind of people I hate the most? It’s those low-lives like you who chase after fame and glory by faking it. I’m different from the likes of you. I relied on my abilities. Soon, my name would be carved on the Roll Tablet. There’s a place where you could no hope to even see!” Su Donglin stared at Fang Zhengzhi, his eyes brimming with arrogance.
Rationally speaking, he had no grudges against Fang Zhengzhi but in the three days after the examination, the person everyone was talking about was Fang Zhengzhi.
He originally thought that after the examination, he would be able to enjoy the most triumphant of glories but instead, he was all but forgotten.
The feeling was like after marriage, as he was about the go on a honeymoon but realized that someone was already a step in front of him and enjoy himself.
How could he bear with such a feeling?
Fang Zhengzhi did not understand Su Donglin’s thoughts. He felt that everything was happening too suddenly. Without antagonizing anyone, someone jumped out and proclaimed that his abilities were superior to Fang Zhengzhi’s abilities.
You had the ability…
You came up just because you had the ability?!
“Have you heard of this saying?” Fang Zhengzhi did not reply Su Donglin. Instead, he posed a question to him.
“What saying?”
“Thirty years on the east bank, the next thirty years on the west bank.”[1]
“Are you saying that you are young and still have a lot of time ahead of yourself?” Su Donglin underestimated him.
“No, what I meant was, I’m the east bank and you are the west bank. If you want to be at the top, wait another thirty years,” Fang Zhengzhi answered in an exceedingly indifferent tone.
“You…arrogant prick!” Su Donglin’s face changed. HIs pupils dilated in rage and his aura exploded. A raging tidal wave of energy poured out from his body.
With his Late Stage Heavenly Reflection State’s capabilities, he had confidence that he could make someone who just reached the Heavenly Reflection State to kneel before him.
However, to his disappointment.
Fang Zhengzhi totally did not sense the pressure from him.
Instead, he looked at Su Donglin innocently. He felt like a boat inside the storm. Bobbing up and down within the storm but never sinking.
“Young master, Master has ordered to refrain from causing trouble!” Right at this moment, the attendant in red suddenly opened her mouth. Although her voice was not loud, it had a mysterious sharpness to it.
“Hmph! I hope there is a fluke and you pass the Theory Examinations!” Su Donglin was held back by the attendant. However, unlike most noble young masters, he did not vilify her for her disrespect but instead, he collected back his aura.
Peace was restored.
Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze once again went past Su Donglin, directing it at the female attendant in red. He could sense that those two were not the common attendants because their power was definitely above average.
Su Donglin once again felt the piercing pain of being overlooked. His eyes flashed but he did not dispute with Fang Zhengzhi any further because the gate of the Imperial Academy had opened.
Two rows of soldiers in shining armors swiftly marched out from within the gates.
The crowd that initially surrounded the gates saw the soldiers and immediately retreated to a distance. They opened a path from the gates of the Imperial Academy to the Roll Tablet.
[1] This Chinese saying “三十年河东,三十年河西” means that the world is ever-changing, nothing will stay the same. For the first thirty years, you might be on the east bank side of the Huang River but in the next thirty years, the flow of the Huang River might change such that you become situated on the west bank instead.