Chapter 125: Shuang Er Unworthy of the Top Scholarship, County School Final Exams…

Chapter 125: Shuang Er Isn’t Fit for the Top Scholarship – County School Final Exams...

After picking up the skills, the people first went home to build a heated kang for their own households.

"This is the heated kang taught by Lord Bing," a villager remarked enthusiastically.

There were literacy classes in the village too, but hardly anyone bothered to show up.

Thus, only a few households in each village were qualified to learn the techniques from the county.

"Right."

"Looks no different from the heated kang we built ourselves in the village," snapped a villager who hadn’t attended the literacy class and thus missed out on learning the technique.

"Big difference! When Lord Bing taught us the technique, he broke down a lot of knowledge. Do you remember how Li Da Lang’s heated kang suddenly exploded in the middle of the night before? Lord Bing explained it all to us and even taught us how to prevent it from happening."

"What was the reason?"

"I won’t tell you—this is the technique Lord Bing taught me."

"Pfft, big deal."

"The heated kang isn’t that impressive. The real game-changers are the underground heating system and the heated wall. Let me tell you, those two techniques are the real deal. With the underground heating system, you can’t see anything, but once you light the fire, you can go barefoot on the floor—it’s warm and so comfortable."

"What? Going barefoot on the floor? Wouldn’t your feet freeze off in the middle of winter?"

"Not at all! The floor is warm—that’s the magic of it," the guy bragged. "And the heated wall—that’s another technique. When you light the fire, the wall becomes warm."

The folks were baffled but fascinated.

"Chen Qilang, let’s go!" A woman dressed in rough work clothes stood at the village entrance. Her attire was different from the other village women—instead of a skirt, she wore the same work clothes as the men.

"Coming, coming!" Chen Qilang had his wife fetch his shoulder bag, then grabbed it and dashed toward the village entrance. "Wait for me, Captain!"

"Captain? How could you let a woman be your captain?" An old man in the village sneered. "Letting a woman boss you around—you guys are pathetic."

Chen Qilang shouted as he ran, "What do you know? The heated kang, underground heating system, and heated wall in our Lord’s house were all built by Wan. Lord Bing himself praised her, saying she’s the most skilled among all of us. Even big shots from the city come specially to hire her for work!"

The old man was stunned. "Men and women working together—how shameless!"

Chen Qilang’s wife was displeased. Thanks to this technique, her husband had earned in just a few days what used to take a whole month. She didn’t care whether the captain was a man or a woman—frankly, even if it were a cat or a dog, as long as it helped her husband make money, she’d kiss its feet.

"Oh, so Grandpa here is an old-fashioned stickler. Since ancient times, men plow and women weave—men handle outside matters, women manage the household. I wonder how much money Grandpa has earned for his family? Has he ever let his wife have meat on the table every day or wear gold and silver?"

The old man was left speechless. In truth, he had no skills and relied solely on the meager income from his small plot of land. Now that his sons were grown, they could at least go out to do odd jobs.

Chen Qilang’s wife snorted coldly and turned away. "All talk, no skill. Someone as capable as our Lord Bing doesn’t look down on women or Shuang Er, but a good-for-nothing old coot like you dares to despise us women? How laughable!"

Lord Bing’s techniques had brought extra income to countless households. Every day, families could afford an extra dish on the table, and every few days, they could eat meat. The smiles on the people’s faces grew brighter each day, and they started seeing a brighter future.

"Mr. Wuwei, these are from my family’s fields—nothing special, but please accept them." Nan Jinping was once again stopped at the teahouse. She had lost count of how many villagers had come to offer her homegrown vegetables and grains.

"I can’t accept this, Grandpa. Please take it back—I’m all set," Nan Jinping declined.

"This is just a small token of gratitude from our whole family. It’s not worth much, but we wanted to thank Lord Bing for everything he’s done for the people of Ji County," the old man said. "If Mr. Wuwei refuses, does that mean you look down on our simple gifts?"

Hearing this, Nan Jinping decided to just take them. She glanced at the items—nothing expensive—and figured it was fine to take them.

When Nan Jinping returned and told Bing Wengu about it, he crowed, "This is what the people want. It proves your husband is making a decent official."

"Your performance as an official isn't just qualified—it's exceptional," Nan Jinping remarked with heartfelt admiration.

"Tomorrow is the county academy’s year-end examinations. Would you like to come along and see?"

Nan Jinping replied, "Yes."

The next day, Bing Wengu and Nan Jinping arrived at the county academy. Coincidentally, it was the day the exam results were announced.

All the students had gathered in the courtyard, lined up in orderly rows by class and grade.

Their arrival sent a wave of excitement through the students. Many who had returned from studying elsewhere already regarded Bing Wengu as their role model and admired him deeply.

"Magistrate, Sir," the school principal bowed in greeting to the two of them.

Bing Wengu gestured for the principal to rise, and Nan Jinping quickly helped him up. "Carry on as normal—I’m only here to observe."

"We were just preparing to award the students. Since you’re here, perhaps you could personally present the awards? I’m sure the students would be even more thrilled to receive their rewards from your hands," the principal suggested.

Hearing this, the students below beamed with excitement.

Seeing their enthusiasm, Bing Wengu agreed.

The results were announced starting with the literacy class, followed by the lower division, upper division, and finally the imperial examination class.

They’d already announced the literacy class results, so Bing Wengu proceeded to announce the lower division rankings.

"First place in Class A, top rank—Chu Yan," Bing Wengu read, glancing at Nan Jinping as he did so. The name was the same as the one in Nan Jinping’s novel *The Rebirth of Yan Ge’er*.

When the lower division students heard that the top scorer was Chu Yan, they couldn’t help but murmur among themselves.

The reason was simple—Chu Yan was a *shuang’er* (a gender-nonconforming individual).

Chu Yan steeled himself against the whispers around him, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stage.

Bing Wengu, noticing that the top scorer was a young *shuang’er*, didn’t bat an eye. Instead, his eyes lit up.

"Congratulations, Chu Yan," Bing Wengu said, handing him the certificate. He then retrieved three strings of copper coins (*guan*) from a basket on the ground. "This is the scholarship for first place in the lower division—three strings of copper coins."

One string was a thousand coins, and three strings made three thousand coins in total—more money than he’d ever seen.

Bing Wengu understood the boy’s humble background and personally draped the three heavy strings over Chu Yan’s thin arm. The weight dragged his slender arm down.

"Congratulations, Chu Yan. This is the first wealth you’ve earned through knowledge. May you continue to gain more in the future—enough to never go hungry, with both full bellies and peace of mind," Bing Wengu said, choosing a blessing that was practical and meaningful for Chu Yan.

"Thank—" Chu Yan began to thank him when a boy barked from the crowd.

"Sir, Chu Yan doesn’t deserve first place!"

Bing Wengu turned to the principal, who looked at a loss.

Gesturing for the boy to come forward, Bing Wengu watched as Chu Yan bit his lip hard, his face drained of color.

"Why do you say that?" Bing Wengu asked. "Did Chu Yan cheat his way to first place?"

Sir, I assure you, every exam—whether minor tests or major examinations—is fair and square," the principal replied, breaking into a cold sweat.

Bing Wengu's expression turned stern. "I wasn't addressing you. I was asking this student."

"Answer my question," Bing Wengu said with a nod to the boy.

The boy hesitated but ultimately dared not lie in front of everyone. He could only reply truthfully, "Magistrate Bing, Chu Yan did indeed rank first in the final exam. But he is a Shuang Er—he can neither take the imperial examinations nor serve as an official. How can the first-place scholarship be given to someone who can't participate in the exams or become an official? Isn't that a waste?"

Some students in the audience who spoke up in defense of Chu Yan cried out loudly, "Magistrate Bing, we believe Chu Yan by rights should receive the scholarship. He has always studied with singular dedication and ranked first in every class test. The scholarship rightfully belongs to him."

Bing Wengu took a closer look at the boy who had spoken. He was quite young—perhaps not yet steeped in the prejudice against women and Shuang Er, or perhaps his parents had never held such biases.

"What are these two students' names?" Bing Wengu asked the Academic Supervisor, who then showed him the register of students.

One was named Hao Chunsheng, and the other Zhao Cheng.

Hao Chunsheng had performed well, ranking second in the top tier, while Zhao Cheng was also decent, placing fourth. The third-place student, judging by the name, was likely a girl. In other words, if girls and Shuang Er were excluded from the rankings, Zhao Cheng would have made it into the top three and received a better award.

Though character and academic performance were not interchangeable, Bing Wengu had a strong suspicion that Zhao Cheng was not the type of student capable of achieving such high marks.

"Bring me all the examination papers for this class," Bing Wengu ordered the Academic Supervisor.

"Yes, Magistrate Bing." Though puzzled, the Academic Supervisor instructed the teacher to retrieve the papers.

Bing Wengu noticed that the third and fourth-place students in the top tier shared the same surname. He scrutinized the examination papers carefully, word by word, and discovered that one character's handwriting differed from the rest—the stroke was softer, more like a girl's handwriting, while the rest showed no such variation.

If a single person had written the entire paper, there should not have been two distinct handwriting styles.

Magistrate Bing's eyes narrowed with suspicion. Zhao Cheng nervously clenched his fists.

"Jia Yi's 'Five Baits and Three Demonstrations' theory was criticized by Ban Gu as simplistic. Yet Duke Mu of Qin state once used it to dominate the Western Rong, and Zhonghang Yue also warned the Xiongnu chieftain with it—proving its effectiveness." Bing Wengu fixed his gaze on Zhao Cheng. "This is an essay question on historical principles. Tell me how you answered it."

Zhao Cheng broke into a cold sweat, stammering, "I... I can't remember how I answered it."

"I had no idea a scholar eligible for the imperial exams could have such a poor memory—forgetting his own answers in just a few days. I seriously doubt how someone with such a memory could retain any of the teacher's lessons," Bing Wengu remarked dryly.

"I was just too nervous in front of Magistrate Bing, that's why I forgot," Zhao Cheng doggedly maintained.

"Fine. Answer it now. I'll listen," Bing Wengu pressed.

Zhao Cheng couldn't utter a single word, shifting uncomfortably.

"Let me give you an arithmetic problem then. If one head of cattle can be exchanged for two sheep, and one sheep for four rabbits, how many rabbits can you get for two sheep? And how many rabbits for one head of cattle?"

Sweat poured down Zhao Cheng's face. "I'm... not good at mental math. I need writing brush and paper."

Bing Wengu said, "Give him writing brush and paper."

He even thoughtfully instructed the Academic Supervisor to write the problem down for him. Yet, after much hesitation, Zhao Cheng failed to solve even one part.

"Bring an abacus," Bing Wengu ordered, handing it to Zhao Cheng. "That problem was too hard. Here's a simpler one—use the abacus."

"What is fifty-two plus sixty-seven, minus thirty-three, plus forty-six, plus twenty-one, minus fifty?"

Though it was a straightforward calculation, Zhao Cheng fumbled like someone seeing an abacus for the first time, beads clicking awkwardly as he struggled through intermediate steps. Clearly, he was unfamiliar with how to use it.

Bing Wengu said dryly, "I had no idea the fourth-ranked student in the county school was at this level."

The Academic Supervisor's face darkened. Everyone now realized Zhao Cheng's grades were likely fraudulent.

"Zhao Cheng, what is the meaning of this?" the Academic Supervisor thundered.

"I was just too nervous—this isn't my real ability," Zhao Cheng insisted through gritted teeth.

Nan Jinping silently handed Bing Wengu another examination paper.

The moment Bing Wengu began interrogating Zhao Cheng, she had suspected his grades were fraudulent and had quietly started reviewing the papers, her scrutiny growing with mounting suspicion. Instead of checking each one, she focused on those with the same surname as Zhao Cheng—likely a girl's name—and eventually found a paper with handwriting that matched stroke-for-stroke Zhao Cheng's. Certain characters even displayed distinctive brushwork that aligned perfectly with the peculiar strokes on Zhao Cheng's exam.