Chapter 36: Examination

Arrived at the foot of the mountain.

On a stone tablet nearby, the characters "West Lake Academy" were carved.

Below were two lines of small script:

"Knowledge is gained through diligence; ten thousand books are read by the glow of fireflies."

Luo Zijun paused to watch for a moment, then continued forward, stepping up the stairs.

The mountain was quiet, with only the sound of birds to be heard.

Looking up, the Academy gate was clearly visible; it was ancient and simple, its paint peeling, as if it were a secluded temple hidden in the mountains, lacking the airs and ostentation of the number one academy in the Outer City.

He remembered that in that world, even the most mediocre schools had gates built to be tall, imposing, luxurious, and grand, enough to make one feel intimidated.

Luo Zijun continued walking upward.

At the same time.

In the Deliberation Pavilion of the Academy, several people in front of a long desk were arguing.

"What is so excessive about it?"

"The person hasn't even come to report yet, why can't it be cancelled?"

"You took advantage of me being out of the city to admit him directly, and even issued the Admission Notice; isn't this excessive? I am, after all, a teacher in charge of admissions this year, personally selected by the Vice Dean. By doing this, you have completely disregarded me!"

A long table sat in the room.

In front of the table, an elderly man with silver hair wearing a Confucian robe was arguing with a flushed face.

The others were all trying to persuade him.

"Han Lao, it is not that we did not wait for your return, but we truly did not know when you would be back. We all went to ask the Vice Dean and thought you would not return until next month at the earliest, which is why we decided to sign and admit him first."

"We have all discussed that young man's literary talent very carefully; it is sufficient for exceptional admission."

"We are by no means disrespectful to you; it is just that there have been too few good students in recent years. Linfeng Academy beat us to it the year before last and last year, snatching up talented students from several counties through exceptional admission, and they have just admitted two more this year."

"If we wait until next month's Academy Examination, I fear it will be too late."

The silver-haired old man was named Han Sanzhi; he had been teaching and nurturing students at the Academy for over thirty years and was highly respected, which was why the Vice Dean had entrusted him with the heavy responsibility of admissions.

Although the others were also members of the admissions team, their seniority was far less than his.

Seeing him angry, they were naturally anxious and hurriedly explained.

"What kind of nonsense is 'too late'? Even if it is too late, you cannot just admit someone exceptionally! The ones Linfeng Academy admits exceptionally are all well-known talents far and wide; who has ever heard of this person you admitted exceptionally? Hmm?"

"My West Lake Academy has been a step above other academies for so many years; why is that? It is because we would rather have a vacancy than accept the inferior!"

"I won't even mention those who buy their way in or use connections; I can't control that. But this exceptional admission concerns the reputation of our Academy and the reputation of us admissions teachers! There are only two spots a year; how can they be used so carelessly?"

"If you really want to admit him exceptionally, you must convince me, and you must convince the other teachers and students of the Academy! Otherwise, when he enters, he will only invite ridicule from the whole school, and ridicule from other academies!"

Han Sanzhi puffed out his cheeks and glared, extremely angry.

"To enter through the Academy Examination, one needs at least the talent of a Xiucai Second Dou; to be exempted from the Academy Examination through exceptional admission, one needs at least the talent of a Scholar Three Dou. Does that brat have it? Based on those two Examination Papers, I can't even tell; can you?"

At this moment, a thin, tall middle-aged man nearby hurriedly explained with a smile: "Han Lao, that young man also wrote the poem 'If life were always as it was when we first met,' as well as those two lines, 'I only wish for the people of the world to be free of illness, what does it matter if the medicine on the shelves gathers dust?'"

"Yes, those two lines are truly..."

"Slap!"

Han Sanzhi slammed the table: "Whether that poem and those two lines were written by that brat remains to be verified! At the very least, you should have verified them before issuing the Admission Notice! To be so rash—if he plagiarized them, and it's verified later, wow! A Xiucai First Dou! How will you answer for that? Let me lose face along with you?"

Seeing him so furious, the group looked at each other, feeling very awkward, not knowing how to persuade him further.

"Han Lao, the matter has reached this point, and the Admission Notice has already been issued..."

"If it's issued, then take it back! What's the matter? Are you afraid of losing face? I will go and take it back myself!"

Han Sanzhi stood up directly.

But he also knew that he was speaking impulsively out of anger; if he really went to take it back, the impact on the Academy's reputation would be significant.

He steadied his emotions slightly, pondered for a while, suddenly thought of something, then stood up, walked to the desk in the corner, took an Examination Paper from the drawer, and looked down at it.

A moment later.

He raised his head and said: "It is not that I am intentionally making things difficult, but this matter of exceptional admission must never be handled casually. How about this: if that young man arrives today, let him take this Examination Paper first, and then take him to verify the authenticity of that poem and those two lines. If his talent can reach Scholar Three Dou, we will admit him on the spot and process his enrollment. If he cannot reach it, then I will personally persuade him to give it up voluntarily. As for compensation, I will ensure he is satisfied. If he wants to curse, let him curse me alone."

Hearing this, the group looked at each other in dismay.

They originally wanted to persuade him further, but seeing this old gentleman's appearance of absolutely refusing to let the matter rest, they realized that if he firmly disagreed, the others would likely not dare to make the Student Nameplate, as this old gentleman was also a member of the admissions team and held veto power.

Thinking of this, they could only smile helplessly and agree.

"Then let it be as Han Lao wishes."

"Let him take the exam first to see his true ability."

"As for this Examination Paper..."

The group walked to the table, looked down, and discussed with Han Lao for a while, determining the content of the exam.

Just at this moment, a guard came to report:

"Teachers, Teacher Yuan has brought a young man to pay his respects, saying he is the new student admitted exceptionally by our Academy this time, named Luo Zijun."

The expressions of the group shifted; he was here!

"Let him in!"

!

Han Sanzhi gave the order, immediately sat down, quickly ground the ink, picked up a brush, crossed out a few questions on the Examination Paper, and wrote down the questions the group had just agreed upon.

The thin, tall man named Shangguan Chao took a look and couldn't help but ask: "Han Lao, why is this question on 'Borrowing Objects to Express Ambition' left blank, without a topic or hint?"

Han Sanzhi glanced at him and said: "I want to see what kind of essay he can write without any constraints. Why, since you were the first to recommend him, are you afraid he won't pass and will make you lose face?"

Shangguan Chao smiled awkwardly and said nothing more.

Just as he was about to speak, footsteps sounded at the door.

Han Sanzhi continued to write with his head down.

The others' gazes all turned toward the doorway.

The first to enter was Teacher Yuan Mang of the Academy; he was the very person who first recommended Luo Zijun.

Following him, a delicate and handsome youth wearing a Confucian robe walked in.

Several people inwardly praised: This youth is truly a man of talent and appearance!

"Han Lao, teachers, this is Luo Zijun, the student our Academy is admitting by exception this time; I have brought him here to affix his seal."

Yuan Mang said with a smile.

Then he introduced further: "Zijun, this is Han Lao, this is Teacher Shangguan, and this is..."

"Wait!"

Han Sanzhi raised his head, interrupting his words, and said with a cold face: "I just returned from outside today; this matter of admission by exception still needs to be discussed."

Yuan Mang was stunned.

Shangguan Chao hurriedly pulled him to the side and whispered an explanation with an embarrassed face.

After listening, Yuan Mang was immediately stunned.

"This..."

"There is no 'this' or 'that' about it!"

Han Sanzhi finished writing the last question, stood up, looked at the youth at the doorway with a faint gaze, and said: "Luo Zijun, I have also read your Examination Paper for the scholar exam; you have your own insights and indeed possess some genuine talent. However, wanting to be admitted by exception to my West Lake Academy is not that simple."

Luo Zijun looked at him with some confusion.

Han Sanzhi continued: "You should also know the path to enter West Lake Academy. For most people, there is only one road, which is to pass the Academy Examination and reach Xiucai Second Dou to be admitted. The other road is to be admitted by exception in advance without the Academy Examination. For this road, one needs to reach at least Scholar Three Dou to be qualified for admission by exception. Do you understand what I mean?"

Luo Zijun said: "I do not understand."

He then added: "The student only understands that last night you notified the student, saying that the student had already been admitted, and even sent an Admission Notice, telling the student to come and report today."

The people in the room were suddenly somewhat embarrassed.

Han Sanzhi was also a bit embarrassed; he gave a "cough" and said: "Then I will speak more clearly. You need to pass an examination today, and then after verification by the Talent Gem, you can truly be admitted by exception. Do you understand now?"

Luo Zijun paused for a moment, then nodded.

"This junior understands; you are going back on your word, is that what you mean?"

(End of this chapter)