Chapter 15: The Selection Can Begin

Chapter 15: The Selection Can Begin

Wei Qingran's expression darkened, her gaze fixed on Shi Yuanxi and the small eunuch behind her.

She then stepped forward, walking past Shi Yuanxi.

With a half-smiling expression, she said, "Since you like the Imperial Academy so much, then stay."

"I'd like to see just how long you can keep up your pretentious display."

A Consort Jiang Taifei was insignificant to the Wei family, who currently controlled most of the court.

But Wei Qingran understood that such words couldn't be said openly, especially not in front of so many students.

She didn’t see Shi Yuanxi as a threat since Shi Yuanxi had neither power nor influence. Even though she was from the Shi family, no one could protect her.

But Consort Jiang was different; at least outwardly, she still belonged to the royal family.

As soon as Wei Qingran left, the atmosphere at the entrance became even more lively.

"Well, isn't that interesting. Someone publicly accused Minister Xie and, instead of being punished, was rewarded," Lu Xingyi said with a smile. "It seems our Imperial Academy is becoming more and more intriguing."

Zhou Huaiyang didn’t reply, simply stepping into the courtyard.

"What's the rush? Wait for me," he said.

Shi Yuanxi had Le Shu take the gifts and bid farewell to Consort Jiang's people. She then walked toward the Imperial Academy with Shi Yuyan, who had been standing still at the entrance.

As they were walking, someone ran past them. Shi Yuanxi looked up and only saw the large ruby, the size of a baby's fist, on the person's hair crown.

Shi Yuyan frowned and said, "Wei Qingran looks down on everyone. She rarely socializes within the Imperial Academy. You..."

She meant to warn Shi Yuanxi to be cautious. If she truly angered Wei Qingran, the consequences would be hers to bear alone.

But Shi Yuanxi replied, "The Wei family is incredibly powerful. She thinks she can crush me as easily as squashing an ant."

Things had always been like this. Behind Wei Qingran's reckless actions stood the Wei family, who were at the peak of power.

Destroying a woman was simple and required no elaborate procedures.

Has there ever been an emperor who, when executing someone, spared them out of courtesy?

At present, the Wei family hadn’t reached the level of the emperor, but in the eyes of many, they were separated by nothing more than a thin veil.

Shi Yuyan's eyes flickered, yet she remained silent.

She was on her way to the women's academy and, after walking together for a while, parted ways with Shi Yuanxi.

Shi Yuanxi was guided by someone from the Imperial Academy. Under the watchful eyes of many, she entered the heart of the Imperial Academy, the sacred place in the hearts of all scholars of the Liang dynasty—the First-Class Hall.

The Liang dynasty's Imperial Academy was enormous. The First-Class Hall alone took up half a street.

Everywhere one looked, the architecture emphasized openness and brightness.

Within the First-Class Hall, there was a pond that seemed to connect to the sky. Though it was autumn, and the lotus leaves in the pond had withered, a few fat carp swam freely.

Past the pond was a dense bamboo forest.

The bamboo forest was serene, with a faint fragrance of bamboo leaves lingering in the air.

Behind the bamboo forest stands the Duxing Hall, where the Jia Academy of the Imperial Academy regularly conducts its classes.

Shi Yuanxi was led to one of the lecture halls. As she entered, she noticed a delicate wooden sign hanging outside the door. The sign bore four characters—Jia Fifth Level.

The hall was not particularly crowded. Most of the students had already arrived, and hearing the commotion, they all turned to look back.

When they saw that it was a woman, everyone paused for a moment in surprise.

It was common knowledge that a woman had entered the Jia Academy that year, but since there were around ten lecture halls in Jia Fifth Level, the students hadn’t expected to be grouped with Shi Yuanxi so soon.

"Miss Shi?" Wang Hengzhi had been enthusiastically chatting with the person next to him, but when he turned and saw Shi Yuanxi, his eyes lit up with excitement.

Shi Yuanxi surveyed the room before taking a seat at the very back.

Her demeanor was calm, and her movements graceful, showing none of the usual awkwardness of a newcomer to the Guozijian.

"Isn't Mr. Wang also here?" Shi Yuanxi said with a gentle smile as she placed her things down.

Wang Hengzhi, who had never been resistant to beautiful men and women, was momentarily dazed by her smile. After a brief pause, he stammered, "Y-yes."

In truth, Wang Hengzhi had already known he would be in the same hall as Shi Yuanxi when he entered the academy.

Though there were about ten lecture halls in Jia Fifth Level, the assignment of halls was done with great care.

New students were placed into various halls based on their rankings in the entrance exam.

Wang Hengzhi was a yin jiansheng (a student exempted from the entrance exam). Students like him, who entered the Guozijian without taking the exam, would be placed in the lowest-ranked lecture hall. His classmates were those who had performed poorly in the entrance exam.

Shi Yuanxi had placed twenty-sixth, which, though a few ranks higher, still positioned her near the bottom.

As they were talking, another person entered the lecture hall.

Unlike earlier when Shi Yuanxi had entered, this person’s arrival caused everyone in the hall to react strangely.

"Oh no, it’s Lu Xingyi."

"I wasn’t sure before, but now that he’s here, it’s clear. We’re the lowest of the low in the Jia Academy."

The Lu Xingyi they spoke of was the same young man Shi Yuanxi had seen when she first entered the academy. He was wearing his hair in a high ponytail, and his hairpiece was adorned with a large ruby. Tall and handsome, he cut an imposing figure.

At that moment, Lu Xingyi was in a foul mood. With a sullen expression, he pulled out the nearest chair and sat down heavily.

As soon as he sat, the room fell silent, and everyone quickly returned to their seats.

Wang Hengzhi took a seat in front of Shi Yuanxi and said, "From now on, we’re true classmates. If Miss Shi has any questions, feel free to ask me."

Shi Yuanxi paused for a moment before asking, "What does the 'Jia Fifth Level' written on the wooden sign at the door mean?"

"It refers to the ranking within the Jia Academy," Wang Hengzhi explained. "The Jia Academy is divided into five levels. New students enter at the lowest, Jia Fifth Level, and as they progress, they can move up."

"The levels are in descending order, with Jia First Level being the highest. According to current regulations, to graduate from the Guozijian, one must at least reach Jia Third Level."

In theory, it sounded simple, but the rank advancement exams in the Guozijian were extremely difficult. One had to have a strong grasp of the content taught to move up.

Even students who graduated from Jia Third Level still faced difficulties entering the court. It was much easier for those who graduated from Jia Second or Jia First Level.

But the academic level of Class A1 and Class A2 is simply too high. The Liang dynasty's National Academy has been around for over a hundred years, and there haven't been many students who have advanced beyond Class A1.

Class A1 at the National Academy is almost on the same level as the top scholar of the imperial examinations.

In some ways, it's even harder than the imperial examinations.

The imperial examinations are affected by the overall caliber of the students that year and the difficulty of the exam questions.

This is not the case for Class A1. There are fixed requirements for advancing to Class A1, and if you don't meet them, you simply can't advance.

"How does advancement work?" Shi Yuanxi asked.

Her question drew many curious glances her way.

Lu Xingyi, lazily leaning back in his chair, curled his lips, amused that she was placed in the worst group upon admission yet was already thinking so far ahead.

"You should be aware that the rules of our Class A Academy require a major exam every three months, right?"

Shi Yuanxi nodded.

"The advancement exam happens seven days after the major exam, and the top ten students from each level in the major exam can directly participate in the advancement exam."

The rules used to be more complicated, requiring at least a year of enrollment before participating in the advancement exam, but that requirement has been removed.

"That said," Wang Hengzhi said tactfully, "the major exam is already difficult, and for ordinary students, just maintaining their current scores and staying in the Class A Academy is already a significant achievement."

Advancement exams are almost out of the question for new students.

Actually, it's not just new students.

Take someone like Lu Xingyi, who has been in the National Academy for two years and is now in his third year, and yet, he's still placed in the worst lecture hall of Class A5.

His peer, Zhou Huaiyang, who entered the National Academy at the same time, has already advanced to Class A3 this year.

And he's still sitting here with the new students, listening to lectures.

The academic difficulty at the National Academy is extremely high. Even if you're not demoted to the Class B Academy, a poor major exam performance means you'll stagnate at your current level.

If you can't accumulate enough credits in Class A3, graduation becomes impossible, let alone anything else.

Shi Yuanxi's eyes flickered subtly.

The path she had to take was difficult, not just academically, but due to various other challenges and biases.

Without help, even if she entered the National Academy, advancement would likely be difficult.

After the entrance exam, she was confident that academic challenges would pose no difficulty for her.

The real challenge was how to advance.

How to make a name for herself amidst societal pressures, prejudices, and without any connections.

She already had a strategy in mind.

But before approaching others, she needed to prove herself first.

She needed fame—not the reputation of a virtuous, sensible, and proper lady, but the fame of a capable and talented student.

The best opportunity right now was the imperial exam and the promotion exam.

Shi Yuanxi lightly tapped the table. Before pledging herself to the other party, what she needed to do was rely on her own talent to pass the exam and achieve entry into the Fourth Level.

After three months of enrollment, entering the Fourth Level as a female, along with the advantages she held, should be enough to entice the other party.

Ever since returning to the capital, Shi Yuanxi had been preparing for the exams at the Imperial Academy, which were actually more akin to modern liberal arts.

Thanks to her experiences in the Liang dynasty, the thing she did the most in modern times was study.

Like a sponge, she voraciously absorbed a large amount of knowledge.

And this knowledge was her biggest asset at the moment.

"Cough, cough!" Shi Yuanxi looked up and saw a white-haired elder academic supervisor enter the classroom.

The elder academic supervisor wrinkled his brow as soon as he entered.

He had been teaching in the Imperial Academy for many years, but this was the first time he had seen a woman in the classroom.

As he shifted his gaze, he also saw Lu Xingyi.

The elder academic supervisor: ...

The Imperial Academy really wasn't giving him any respite.

The new students were still curious, but the senior students felt a headache coming on at the sight of this Qiu Academic Supervisor.

As they were exchanging glances below, Qiu Academic Supervisor said, "I am surnamed Qiu, and henceforth, you shall address me as Qiu Academic Supervisor."

Before the students below could speak, he coldly continued, "For the course I teach, all students must submit a policy essay before the imperial exam in order to participate."

As soon as he said this, everyone gasped.

Shi Yuanxi hadn't yet understood why they reacted like this when Qiu Academic Supervisor added, "The submitted policy essays must be in a bound booklet form and written by multiple people."

"Each person submits their part, collaborating and forming their own viewpoints. Understood?"

Shi Yuanxi paused slightly. This was an upgraded version of a group assignment.

The difficulty of group projects generally wasn't the project itself, but the people with whom you had to collaborate.

Just as she was thinking this, Qiu Academic Supervisor called her name, "Shi Yuanxi, Wang Hengzhi, and... Lu Xingyi, the three of you are in one group."

Qiu Academic Supervisor knew that Lu Xingyi was a menace, and students usually avoided him.

But this assignment required multiple people, and there were only three left. A conspicuous female student, a yin jiansheng whose writing was abysmal... and the most unruly fellow in the entire academy.

Qiu Academic Supervisor closed his eyes. It couldn't be helped. If he could get these three to be demoted to the Second Level Academy, it would be a meritorious deed.

Shi Yuanxi looked up and saw the other students in the classroom looking at her with expressions of pity.

Pity?

She didn't understand.

After Qiu Academic Supervisor turned his back, Shi Yuanxi heard someone say, "What kind of luck does Third Miss Shi have? She just entered the First Level Academy and now she’s going to be brought down by these two."

Shi Yuanxi paused in her ink-grinding. Was it really that exaggerated?

After Teacher Qiu finished his lecture and announced the dismissal, she understood.

Wang Hengzhi in front of her hesitated for a long time before turning back and asking, "Miss Shi, do you know how to write policy essays?"

Shi Yuanxi: ?

What kind of question is that?

If I couldn’t write one, would I be sitting here?

Then she saw Wang, who had always seemed so graceful, look visibly relieved.

Shi Yuanxi: ...

Is it necessary? He’s already in the National Academy, and even in the first-class section. Even if he entered as a yin jiansheng through his father’s official position, it shouldn’t be that he can’t write policy essays, right?

Wang Hengzhi admitted honestly, "I can, but my previous teacher said... my writing is terrible."

Shi Yuanxi fell silent.

After a moment of quiet, she thought, well, at least there's one person who’s useful.

But when she looked up, she noticed Lu Xingyi’s seat was empty.

Shi Yuanxi: ...

She pointed over there and asked Wang Hengzhi, "Did you see where he went?"

The student next to her shook his head, feeling sorry for her, and upon hearing the question, said, "Lu Xingyi? He’s probably already left."

"Out? Out where?" Shi Yuanxi glanced at the sky—it was still early. There were at least two classes remaining in the National Academy’s schedule.

Wang Hengzhi glanced at her and said, "Naturally... he’s gone out to have fun."

The student next to him shook his head. The next class was also with Teacher Qiu.

In other words, her good partner wasn’t planning to attend the class and was skipping class to have fun instead.

Over there.

On the first day of classes, it was busy inside the National Academy. There were hardly any supervisors in the first-class section.

After taking a nap, Lu Xingyi woke up feeling refreshed. His agility was impressive, and he managed to dodge several officials along the way, circling to the back of Lecture Hall Five.

He raised his hand and, with a few moves, scaled the high wall, which was almost twice his height.

Sitting on the wall, enjoying the breeze, his spirits lifted.

Lu Xingyi whistled. Freedom, here I come.

Just as he was about to jump into the nearby alley, he looked up and saw a figure emerging by the pond.

The other person’s water-blue skirt was slightly wet from the pond water.

She didn’t seem to care, lightly shaking off the glistening water droplets from her hand.

Shi Yuanxi looked up, meeting his gaze calmly, and said, "Fellow student Lu, what a coincidence."

Lu Xingyi: ?

What kind of nonsense is she talking? This place is totally deserted. Normally, there aren't even cats around, let alone people.

He raised his hand, planning to wave her off, when he heard her say, "Supervisor Xu? What are you doing here?"

"Slap!" Lu Xingyi, who was on the wall, lost his balance and with a thud, fell off.

He winced in pain but, ignoring the intense ache all over, asked her with wide eyes, "Where? Where is Supervisor Xu?"

Before he finished speaking, he saw the person in front of him crouch down.

Her face was right in front of him; Lu Xingyi was slightly stunned and hadn't reacted yet when he heard Shi Yuyan say, "Just kidding."

Lu Xingyi took a deep breath, about to curse at her for being crazy.

Shi Yuyan directly said, "You've got two choices now. One, go back and listen to Qiu Xuezheng's lecture. Two, I call for someone and tell them that you..."

She gave him a once-over, her gaze focusing on the sparkling gem.

"Tricked me into coming here with bad intentions."

Lu Xingyi's eyes, which had been narrowed, suddenly widened in shock.

W-w-what is she saying?

Shi Yuyan wasn't actually looking for him. It was Shi Yuyan who had received a message from Shi Yuxi, who sent it from the girls' academy.

She immediately destroyed the note.

Looking up, she saw Lu Xingyi.

She thought he had already left, but instead, they ran into each other.

She should show some care to her group mate, right?

"Now, you've got two choices. Start choosing."