Chapter 16: Counterattack

Chapter 16: Counterattack

The supervisor who had once mocked Yu Jianli was left stunned for a long time after being gestured at by him.

A sudden ringing filled his head as the image of Yu Jianli's earlier appearance replayed in his mind—the light steps, the clear lack of any pressure or dejection.

It was a demeanor none of the previous examinees had displayed.

Yu Jianli still wore his usual smile, but today's smile was slightly different from before, striking everyone present with a peculiar forcefulness.

It seemed that a relaxed and gentle smile could indeed be weaponized.

He felt a dryness in his throat, attempting to swallow despite not having drunk water or eaten anything all day, making even swallowing an uncomfortable ordeal.

He knew the dryness wasn't solely due to dehydration; it was as if a fire had suddenly ignited in his heart, burning away his dignity where he cared most, leaving it unrecognizable.

Someone nearby whispered, "Could it be that he really did get a top grade?"

Quickly, another person refuted, "He's been to the Imperial Academy once before. Naturally, he can achieve good results now that he's studying again! Wait until they test him on something he hasn't learned yet; I doubt he'll be smiling then."

Instantly, the person felt a sense of relief.

Indeed, it was because Yu Jianli had studied once before that he could secure a top grade when everyone else struggled to pass.

"But..." A hoarse voice emerged from his mouth, still dazed, he continued, "The Imperial Academy has never repeated questions. Even the same scripture is interpreted from different angles each year. How could this year's exam have the same questions as before?"

If the Imperial Academy's questions over the years were similar, wouldn't new students just copy the essays of previous students?

The questions set by the Imperial Academy were always from unexpected angles—a legacy from its predecessors designed specifically to prevent such cheating.

Clearly, this explanation didn't hold water.

This time, the scene fell into complete silence.

To acknowledge that someone was born with excellence in every aspect, far surpassing them, was unexpectedly difficult.

Most of those present had also passed the exams to enter.

Back in their hometowns, they were renowned scholars, envied by all, and sent off with fanfare from their villages.

They still remembered the sycophantic looks of their fellow villagers, as if they had already achieved great success.

How could it not count? In those places, it took decades for a talent like them to emerge.

Once the pride of the heavens, surrounded by adoration, who would have thought that coming to the capital and entering the Imperial Academy would result in them falling into the mire?

They used to think that Yu Jianli was nothing more than a pretty face, that they were all imperial scholars with comparable knowledge.

Now, however, they saw a stark difference.

Before, they could say that Yu Jianli had questionable character, so what if he had some talent?

But after truly getting to know him for a month, they found no fault in his actions. Instead, they were the ones causing trouble, lacking the grace expected of gentlemen.

They didn't want to admit Yu Jianli's superiority, especially since he excelled in every way compared to themselves.

Yet, they couldn't deny it.

This discomfort fueled their anger, leading to an inexplicable hatred.

Why must such a person exist?!

The presence of such individuals only made them seem mediocre!

It was unfair!

The mockery they once directed at Yu Jianli now turned into sharp blades, cutting their cheeks painfully.

Internally, they were overwhelmed by tumultuous emotions, almost breaking them apart.

At this moment, they understood the dislike other Imperial Academy students had for Ming Zhiyan.

Just like their inexplicable hatred for Yu Jianli now.

How could they resolve this hatred?

Yu Jianli's death, or their own numbness.

Or perhaps... destroy him!

At this thought, the man was suddenly startled, quickly regaining his composure.

The world was full of brilliant stars, and outstanding people emerged endlessly. How could they possibly destroy them all?

He could only suppress his jealousy, enduring the torment of his past arrogance, and bear the humiliation of being refuted.

*

"Long enough!"

As soon as Yu Jianli returned to his dormitory, he saw Lu Huaijing waiting at the door. Upon seeing him enter the courtyard, Lu Huaijing immediately stood up to complain and walked towards him. "Your Four Doors Academy group of impoverished scholars only know how to struggle on the brink of death, taking so long for the exams.

"Our branch hall has given up on struggling! Especially Ji Yanbai, he dashed in and out in no time."

Clearly, he wanted to imply that he and Ji Yanbai both performed poorly.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jianli couldn't help feeling somewhat disheartened. It seemed that Ji Yanbai hadn't remembered the questions he had predicted.

If he had read through the summaries he wrote a bit more, passing shouldn't have been a problem.

Perhaps he had crammed too hastily at the last minute. Should he prepare earlier for Ji Yanbai next time?

Entering the dormitory, he asked, "Why did you come here?"

Lu Huaijing suggested, "We have two days off after the exams. Why don't we go out and play together?"

Yu Jianli wasn't particularly keen on the idea.

Those who were friendly with Lu Huaijing were all a bunch of spoiled young masters. If he went, he would undoubtedly dazzle everyone upon his appearance, with everyone marveling at his appearance, from shock to amazement.

It was rather boring, and he would feel awkward himself.

"I'd rather stay in the dormitory and read books," Yu Jianli said without showing much interest, which left Lu Huaijing disappointed.

Thus, Lu Huaijing angrily exclaimed, "I don't know how many people would jump at the chance to be with me!"

"In that case, you won't lack companions. You should all go together."

"You... you're ungrateful!" Lu Huaijing was quite upset, turning around and walking away. After a few steps, he realized that Yu Jianli wasn't chasing after him this time, so he returned and followed Yu Jianli into the dormitory.

After entering the dormitory, Yu Jianli first poured himself a cup of water to soothe his throat, then sat down to rest.

Lu Huaijing sat directly opposite him, leaning on the table edge, glaring at him angrily.

After being glared at by Lu Huaijing for a while, Yu Jianli sighed helplessly, "Brother Lu, I'm hungry. How about..."

Lu Huaijing finally became happy, laughing out loud, but his tone was still mocking. "Huh! I thought you were so boring and aloof, but you still need my help, don't you?!"

Yu Jianli replied sincerely, "Yes, for such an important matter, I can only trouble Brother Lu. I don't trust anyone else."

"From now on, don't put on airs with me. Just tell me straight if you have something. Wait, I'll be right back."

With that, Lu Huaijing got up and left triumphantly, as if going out to hunt a spirited little beast full of fighting spirit.

Yu Jianli couldn't understand why someone would enjoy being troubled.

He took another sip of water and then held the cup, lost in thought.

Preparing for exams could indeed make one nervous, but fortunately, the two main exams were over. For the elective courses afterward, he just needed a half point, and no deductions in archery.

Thinking about this, he felt much more relaxed.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. He assumed it was Lu Huaijing returning, but when he opened the door, he found Tan Hui instead.

Tan Hui was still as cheerful as ever, and upon seeing Yu Jianli, he laughed loudly. "Young Master specially asked me to inform you, Sir Yu, that he got three questions right!"

"Oh... What a pity, he didn't pass."

"Pfft! Passing or not doesn't matter. My Young Master is ecstatic! Let's see who dares to call him illiterate after this!"

Yu Jianli really hadn't expected this.

For someone like him, who would worry even if he didn't get a top grade, he naturally didn't understand how someone could be happy just by answering a question correctly.

However, thinking about how he had helped Ji Yanbai, he felt a bit happier.

Yu Jianli calmed down and asked, "Has he gone to practice archery again?"

"No, he's gone home to be scolded."

It was amazing how Tan Hui could say this so openly and cheerfully. After listening, Yu Jianli didn't even feel worried.

"Did he cause trouble again?"

"It's a small matter. He was punished for not submitting his writing on time, but this time, Young Master surprisingly wrote several copies. I doubt he'll be too harshly treated."

Yu Jianli nodded thoughtfully, "Oh..."

"At most, he'll get kicked a few times."

"Huh? The Duke's kicks aren't light, are they?"

"Hehe, our Young Master is tough!" Tan Hui proudly raised his hand, showing his thumb.

Looking at Tan Hui praising his Young Master like this, Yu Jianli wondered if Ji Yanbai would be happy if he knew?

"Well, well, that's good." Yu Jianli could only respond like this.

A boss like Ji Yanbai, with high attack power and thick HP, was indeed hard to kill. The Duke's kicks couldn't take him down.

If he couldn't die, it wasn't a big deal.

*

The Duke threw several copies of the punishment in front of Ji Yanbai. Seeing the papers flutter to the ground, he still wasn't satisfied and stomped on them a few times. "What is this garbage you've written! Do you even recognize these characters yourself?"

Ji Yanbai stood straight, not showing any fear in front of the furious Duke. Instead, he calmly replied, "Of course I do."

"Even scribbles look better than this!?"

"Never seen it. Invite a ghost to draw a few, and I'll compare them."

"Bastard, do I have to catch a ghost for you? Your father has been invincible for so many years. Even ghosts are afraid of me. Where can I find one?"

"Oh."

"Oh?!" The Duke became even angrier at Ji Yanbai's tone, slapping the table with his palm. "What 'oh'? Who am I afraid of in this world? Everyone is afraid of me!"

"Yes, you fear neither heaven nor earth. Try taking a concubine."

"..." Surprisingly, the Duke fell silent in his rage.

Men of the Ji family feared nothing in the world except their wives.

"Don’t mention those unlucky things!" The Duke finally responded, even with a hint of threat.

He knew that his wife was eavesdropping outside at this very moment.

Ji Yanbai also changed the subject appropriately: "I’ve already done my punishment writing, and I’ve stayed in the Imperial Academy. I haven’t caused any trouble these past few days, so why are you angry today?"

"Five days were given to you to finish all your punishment writing, and yet you still haven’t completed it. Can’t I ask about it?"

"If you can’t even remember the family rules, what do you expect me to abide by? What’s the use of writing more? A crooked top beam will inevitably lead to a skewed bottom one. I’m just following your example."

"Bastard..."

"That makes you the old bastard."

The Duke couldn’t hold back anymore and kicked him with his leg: "Look at yourself, acting like a street thug. Where is the demeanor of a young general or a young imperial uncle?!"

Ji Yanbai didn’t make a sound even after being kicked, taking the blow silently.

The Duchess, who had been eavesdropping at the door, quickly pushed it open and stood protectively in front of Ji Yanbai: "How could you hit the child?!"

"Look at how spoiled you’ve made him, he’s become completely unruly!"

"But Bai Bai has been at the Imperial Academy these days, and I imagine it hasn’t been comfortable for him. I heard from the news coming from the Imperial Academy that he answered three questions correctly in the oral exam! What does that mean?!"

"It means our Bai Bai has been studying very hard. He only lost points on the written exam because of his handwriting. Answering so many questions correctly, could you have done that when you were young? Learning so much, how much hardship has our Bai Bai endured?"

As the Duchess spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing the Duchess like this, the Duke softened his stance immediately: "Don’t cry!"

He tried to support the Duchess’s arm, but she shook him off: "Back when I followed the army, Bai Bai was born in the camp, and he suffered with us since he was little. You were always at war, and no one could teach him to read and write. That’s why he fell behind, and now you blame him instead?"

"I, I was just worried. Now that we’re in the capital, if he slips up, it might affect Chu’er and Bian’er..."

A towering tree invites the wind, and the Duke’s Mansion has always been under close scrutiny by many people.

Their family had the Empress and the Crown Prince, which also affected them.

After Ji Yanbai returned to the capital, the Duke had been on edge, fearing that Ji Yanbai would cause some trouble, leading to a rift between the Emperor and Empress, which could then affect the Crown Prince.

"Your son, and you don’t understand him?! He’s always been a good boy!" The Duchess refuted.

The Duke fell silent at this.

Ji Yanbai stood aside watching their argument, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

Next time Yu Jianli predicts the test questions, he should listen carefully; it could save him a couple of kicks.

If he could predict the test questions, could Yu Jianli also predict where the enemy would launch an attack?

He’d ask next time.