Chapter 998: Literary Examination

Xue Shao handed the bundle to Pan Yun and entered the examination hall alone with the betrothal gold.

Feng Hongde made a literary examination so lively that the venue was open to the public, with only ropes stretched to separate the candidates.

Many wished to become Feng Hongde’s son-in-law, and many applied, but not every applicant could pass—they had to clear the preliminary screening.

The preliminary screening was based on appearance and height.

This eliminated many candidates.

Feng Hongde used this first round to weed out many he found unsuitable, including some who met the appearance and height standards.

Xue Shao had learned from Huang Quan that most of these rejected applicants were sons of local gentry.

As Huang Quan put it: “Those gentry families send their legitimate second sons—or even illegitimate ones—to become sons-in-law, waiting until Feng Hongde dies to restore their lineage, reaping both fame and fortune. At his age, how many more years can Feng Hongde live? When he’s gone, Feng’s family will have only a lone daughter—won’t they then control everything?”

Huang Quan was also a local; though his family wasn’t wealthy, they were a modest landowning household.

So he knew he’d be rejected—even though he’d once been tempted, he never made a move.

Because he was tactful, he introduced several outstanding men from outside the region to Feng Hongde, who greatly liked him—not only letting him eat at the side residence but also giving him payment.

Because Xue Shao was the highest quality candidate, Feng Hongde was delighted: he gave him ten taels of silver as a reward and paraded him before the County Magistrate and the Instructor.

This made Huang Quan grow even closer to Xue Shao, seeing him as his benefactor.

So today, for the literary examination, he specifically took leave to come and cheer for Xue Shao.

Many other students from the county school had also taken leave to come; they all gathered behind the rope, craning their necks to watch the candidates scratching their heads and pacing in distress.

Some simply found it amusing, but others lurked in the crowd, silently exchanging glances and winks with those inside the examination hall.

Feng Hongde sat at the head, looking down from above—how could any move escape his notice?

He sneered inwardly, noting down those secretly cheating—how could such morally corrupt men become his son-in-law?

Then his gaze fell upon Xue Shao, already seated, elegant and composed, radiating quiet confidence; he couldn’t help stroking his beard—no wonder he’d chosen this man.

He turned to his steward: “Has the daughter arrived?”

“She’s here, waiting behind the screen.”

Behind Feng Hongde stood a massive screen, on which the examination questions were hung; they would be unveiled the moment candidates sat down, and all applicants would write their answers directly on paper.

Feng Hongde had already privately decided on Xue Shao, but this was his daughter’s marriage—he had to let her see him.

Miss Feng sat behind the screen; her senior maid peeked out, then returned excitedly: “Miss, Xue Ju-ren has arrived—quick, take a look!”

Miss Feng sighed listlessly, twisting her handkerchief: “Father has already seen him—why must I look too?”

“Miss, Xue Ju-ren is very handsome.”

“So what if he’s handsome? He’s just a frail scholar—will he protect me, or will I have to protect him?” Miss Feng bit her lip: “Why can’t Father pick someone from the military for me?”

The senior maid knew her mistress preferred martial men like her father, not scholars—but she also understood her father’s concern: “Miss, choosing a scholar makes him easier to control. If your husband is also in the military, you’ll lose out in any fights later.”

“Then why hold a martial contest instead of a literary one?”

The maid felt awkward: “It’s just a name—it’s not like we’re only doing literary or martial now, are we?”

Under the maid’s urging, Miss Feng reluctantly rose and peered out from behind the screen: “Which one is he?”

The maid pointed excitedly: “That one, that one—the best-looking, in plain clothes, back straight, most composed, most calm.”

Without needing further pointing, Miss Feng had already seen him at a glance.

Xue Shao stood out sharply among the crowd of furrowed brows and frantic scratching.

Since Feng Hongde had announced a martial contest, most applicants had little scholarly knowledge but could at least speak to their martial skills.

Among them were military officers and martial artists; though a few scholars and foolish sons of landowners were present, their literary talent was mediocre and their martial skill unremarkable.

Thus Xue Shao’s calm demeanor during the literary test was striking.

A young man seated beside Xue Shao couldn’t help turning to stare at him—looked, then looked again.

The more he looked, the more his brow furrowed.

Pan Yun, mingling in the crowd, listened to the chatter and watched the clumsy cheating, unable to suppress a smile.

As soon as the drum sounded, the screen’s questions unfurled: the exam covered everything—multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, short answers, and an essay.

It followed the exact standard of the county examination, though the questions were more direct and cunning.

Besides cultural questions like “chickens and rabbits in the same cage,” there were ones like: “Miss Feng has set her heart on a pearl set but lacks funds—she plans to sell a hundred mu of land south of the city to buy it. As her future husband, what would you do?”

Even Pan Yun found herself stroking her chin in thought—what answer did Feng Hongde want?

If family development was the priority, then refusal was the answer;

If Miss Feng’s happiness mattered most, then her wish should come first.

As Pan Yun pondered, she noticed the young man beside Xue Shao repeatedly glancing at him; she frowned slightly.

Was he trying to cheat?

Watching further, her expression grew serious—she sensed they’d gone too far. This man… why did he look familiar?

Pan Yun stared hard, straining to recall; since her breakthrough to the First Marquis, her memory was flawless—soon she unearthed a matching face from deep in her mind.

On a swaying ship at sea, his face had flashed past.

Pan Yun’s teeth ached—he’d once fought alongside them against pirates, but thank heavens he wasn’t among those who went to Japan with them.

What had Xue Shao’s status been on that ship?

Oh—he was a down-on-his-luck Ju-ren wandering the martial world—but…

After returning from Japan, Xue Shao’s identity was no longer secret; over the past two years, unless he’d hidden deep in the mountains, this man must have heard of Xue Shao.

Pan Yun rubbed her forehead, grabbed Pan Xiaohei on her shoulder, and whispered: “Put him to sleep before he speaks.”

Pan Xiaohei: “...Why don’t you do it yourself?”

Pan Yun: “Don’t hurt him. Go ahead, use your body—I’ll handle it.”

Pan Xiaohei reluctantly agreed, leapt from her arms, and slipped into the examination hall in a few swift moves.

The young man finally remembered where he’d seen Xue Shao—he gasped, leapt to his feet—wasn’t this the scholar always trailing behind Daoist Pan?

His name was Xue Shao, but rumors said his identity was fake—he was an imperial official, and Daoist Pan’s close friend.

The young man seethed with envy: Daoist Pan had become the State Preceptor—he should have risen with him! Why was he here competing for the position of son-in-law?

Wait—what had they said his real identity was again?

As the young man was about to recall, a cool breeze brushed the back of his neck—he went black, and collapsed with a thud.

(End of Chapter)