With the autumn provincial examination just around the corner, the atmosphere at the Imperial Academy grew tense in an instant.
Even the Yongning Marquis’s residence had seen fewer visitors recently coming to “propose marriage.” After all, standing in the way of someone’s future was tantamount to killing their parents.
The young ladies of the capital wanted to become family with their Huai-lang, not enemies.
“From today onward, we’ll hold one mock examination every day. Questions in the morning, review and commentary in the afternoon. No one is allowed to take leave.”
Lu Yanli stood behind the lectern, holding a thick stack of past provincial-examination papers.
Wang Ren lay sprawled across his desk, his round face flattened out of shape. His muffled voice seeped out from between his arms.
“One every day? Are you trying to work us to death?”
Shen Jinghong mocked him. “Someone like you couldn’t pass even if you worked yourself to death.”
Wang Ren suddenly raised his head. The marks from his arms had not yet faded, leaving his face streaked red and white.
“Shen Jinghong, can’t you show a little virtue?”
Shen Jinghong did not even lift his eyelids.
“Wasn’t I stating a fact? How many words did you write in your essay for the last ten-day examination? Three hundred? Or four hundred?”
Wang Ren had been struck where it hurt. His face flushed crimson, and his lips trembled several times before he finally forced out:
“I just didn’t perform well that time. Just wait and see at the autumn examination.”
Shen Jinghong finally raised his eyes to look at him, the faint smile at the corner of his mouth filled with meaning.
“Fine. I’ll wait and see.”
Gu Changning had not managed to read a single word of the book in his hands since morning.
His mind kept circling back to the autumn examination.
He was not worried that he himself would fail. He was worried about someone else.
That person’s results in the recent mock examinations had been rather unstable.
The day before yesterday, Lu Yanli had marked his policy essay with the comment, “The central idea is acceptable, but the argument is insufficient.” Yesterday, he had cited the wrong classical reference in his interpretation essay and lost points.
The deductions had not been large each time, but taken together, they were enough to make anyone anxious.
A worn copy of Four Books with Commentaries lay open before Lin Mo. Its pages had been thumbed until the edges had frayed.
His complexion was poor, and faint dark circles showed beneath his eyes.
It was obvious that he had not slept well for several nights.
When Lu Yanli handed out the examination papers, his gaze lingered for a moment on every student’s face before finally settling on Shi Huai.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as though he wanted to say something. In the end, he merely nodded.
Shi Huai accepted the examination paper and flipped open the first page. After sweeping his eyes over the questions, he pressed his lips together slightly, then picked up his ink stick and began grinding ink.
The ink stick traced circles across the inkstone, making a faint rasping sound.
Shen Jinghong watched his calm, unhurried manner from the side and began grinding ink as well.
The classroom fell silent. The only sounds were the soft rasp of ink being ground and the rustle of turning pages.
Lu Yanli sat behind the lectern with a book in his hands.
Yet his eyes were not on the book. Every so often, he would raise his gaze and sweep it across the classroom, as though observing something.
When the results of the first mock examination were released, it was as if something had crashed down upon Class A. The entire room fell deathly silent.
Shi Huai had placed first, Gu Changning second, and Shen Jinghong third.
Wang Ren lay facedown on his desk. On the examination paper before him, a large “Thirteenth” had been written in vermilion ink.
Beside it was a short note: “Off topic. Rewrite this at home.”
He stared at those words for a long while, then turned the paper facedown on the desk and buried his face in his arms.
Shen Jinghong leaned back in his chair and looked at his own paper, his brows drawing together slightly.
He was dissatisfied with third place, but he also knew that he truly had not performed well this time. His argumentation had not been rigorous enough, and the classical references he had cited had not been entirely apt.
Gu Changning folded his paper and tucked it into his book bag, his expression impossible to read.
He could not say whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied with second place.
Lu Yanli held Shi Huai’s paper in his hands as he stood before the lectern. He read aloud a passage from the conclusion of Shi Huai’s policy essay, every word polished and every sentence sound.
When he finished, the classroom was quiet for a moment. Then a few scattered voices of admiration arose.
“Shi Huai’s essay is indeed excellent. The central idea is fresh, the argumentation rigorous, and the diction elegant without being showy.”
Lu Yanli placed the paper back on the desk, his gaze settling on Shi Huai.
“However, the argument in the third paragraph is still insufficiently developed. It would be even better if you expanded upon it further.”
Shi Huai rose and gave a proper bow.
“This student has taken note. Thank you for your guidance, sir.”
Lu Yanli nodded, picked up the next examination paper, and continued the review.
After sitting down, Shi Huai wrote down each of Lu Yanli’s points one by one.
Seven days before the autumn examination, the Imperial Academy suspended classes and allowed the students to return home to prepare.
As Shi Huai finished gathering his things and walked out of the classroom, Shen Jinghong followed behind him.
“Shi Huai, how is your preparation going?”
Shen Jinghong’s voice was lower than usual, and it was impossible to tell what he was feeling.
“Not bad. I’ve read everything I ought to read and memorized everything I ought to memorize. The rest is up to fate.”
There was a hint of laughter in Shi Huai’s voice, making it impossible to tell whether he was serious or joking.
The words “up to fate” made Shen Jinghong’s heart tighten. His steps faltered for a moment before returning to their normal pace.
“You have good fortune. You’ll certainly pass.”
Shi Huai smiled but said nothing.
Three days before the autumn examination, an unexpected guest arrived at the Yongning Marquis’s residence.
Du Ziteng wore a dark crow-gray robe and carried a book bag in one hand. Standing at the entrance of the marquis’s residence, he looked up at the plaque bearing the words “Yongning Marquis’s Residence” for a long while before finally stepping inside.
The gatekeeper, Old Liu, did not recognize him and stopped him briefly. Du Ziteng drew a calling card from his sleeve and held it out.
The card bore the words “Assistant Instructor of the Imperial Academy, Du Ziteng.”
Old Liu glanced at it and hurriedly stepped aside, his face breaking into an ingratiating smile.
“So you’re Master Du! This way, please. I’ll go announce your arrival.”
Du Ziteng waved a hand.
“There’s no need. I’ll go in myself.”
He went straight through the front courtyard and headed toward Shou’an Hall.
He walked neither quickly nor slowly, but his steps were steady. The hem of his crow-gray robe lifted gently in the breeze, and his whole person resembled a green bamboo stalk moving through the courtyard.
Shi Huai was reading in the study.
With the autumn examination approaching, he had done nothing else these past few days.
He had simply taken out every mock examination he had completed before and gone over them again, marking the questions he had gotten wrong or was uncertain about, one by one.
Du Ziteng stood at the study door and raised a hand to knock against the doorframe.
Shi Huai looked up. Seeing Du Ziteng standing there, he paused slightly before rising and offering a bow.
“Master Du? What brings you here?”
Du Ziteng entered the study and swept his eyes around the room. His gaze finally came to rest on the neat piles of books and examination papers covering the desk, and the corner of his mouth twitched faintly.
“I came to see how your preparations are going.”
Shi Huai invited him to sit and poured him a cup of tea.
“Everything is ready. Please rest assured, Master.”
Du Ziteng accepted the teacup, took a sip, and set it down. His gaze settled on Shi Huai’s face, and he remained silent for a moment.
“There are several very formidable competitors in this year’s provincial examination. Do you know that?”
Shi Huai sat down across from him, his back straight and his hands resting on his knees.
“Who are you referring to, Master?”
