Chapter 39: The Reviewed Article

"Third Senior Brother."

Two disciples called out softly.

Ling Yu hummed in response, but his gaze remained fixed on his scrolls.

"We have finished reviewing them. Based on their scholarship and certain instructions from the nobility, the candidates have been selected," the disciples continued, having no choice but to proceed.

As they finished speaking, Ling Yu lifted his head. His eyes left the book, but instead of looking at them, he glanced to the side.

On a nearby table, a youth was shaking a piece of paper.

Ling Yu asked, "Are you finished?"

Mo Zheng nodded and walked over. He handed over one piece of paper with one hand, while his other hand held a scroll hanging at his side.

Ling Yu took it, scanned it briefly, and then looked at the two disciples.

The two disciples froze, their expressions hesitant. Although they had been conducting the evaluations, they had not been as focused on their reading as Ling Yu, nor did they need to be. Consequently, they had seen the youth take a scroll, write on another table, and the paper being handed over now was what he had just written.

Their eyes fell upon the paper being handed over and the scroll held at his side; they could clearly see that both bore the exact same name.

Was he... trying to replace it?

Was the purpose of the replacement to ensure this person was selected?

"Third Senior Brother," the fifth disciple hesitated, pushing forward a stack of clearly selected scrolls, "It's like this—some of these individuals were specifically designated by the Palace. We wouldn't dare make the decision to add or remove anyone."

Ling Yu reached out to take the paper Mo Zheng had handed him, while simultaneously picking up the stack of selected scrolls from the table.

"I see," he said. "I will ask the Teacher to conduct the final selection."

The two disciples looked astonished. To actually disturb the Chancellor?

Their gazes instantly shifted to the youth.

Who exactly was this boy?

Was Ling Yu really going to disturb the Chancellor just for him?

Family background or political power? That wouldn't work. Ling Yu came from a prestigious clan; in terms of lineage, he feared no one. Furthermore, he was the third direct disciple of Wang Zaitian, and even the Emperor's eldest son, the Prince of Donghai, would not dare treat him with disrespect.

Ling Yu offered no further explanation, and the youth showed no sign of trepidation.

"Do you want to come with me to see the Teacher?" Ling Yu asked.

Mo Zheng shook his head. "I won't trouble the Chancellor with my presence." He smiled. "Even bothering him with essays is already quite an imposition."

Ling Yu shook his head and did not press further, walking out with the stack of scrolls.

Mo Zheng followed him out and bowed to Ling Yu outside the door.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Ling. I shall take my leave."

Ling Yu nodded with a smile, watching the youth turn and walk away. He then turned and began walking along the Wind and Rain Pavilion toward the Library at the highest point.

The palace built against the mountain within the Academy had been converted into the Library.

In addition to moving the original collection from the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, the Emperor had spent five years gathering ancient texts and rare volumes scattered by war to store them here.

Wang Zaitian spent almost every day immersed in it. Many whispered privately that the reason Wang Zaitian agreed to serve as Chancellor was actually for these books.

The Library was a restricted area of the Academy, guarded by instructors day and night. Students were not allowed to enter or exit at will; they were restricted to specific times and specific floors.

Seeing Ling Yu approaching, the instructors greeted him with smiles. "Third Senior Brother," they said, pointing directly upward without waiting for a question, "The Chancellor is on the top floor."

Ling Yu thanked them and headed straight up.

The sound of rhythmic knocking echoed at the highest point.

"Teacher, Teacher, I've brought some excellent essays. Please, have a look," Ling Yu called out.

The windows and doors of the top attic were tightly shut, making it seem like an uninhabited realm. Regardless of Ling Yu's knocking or his polite words, there was no response.

"Teacher, I know you are in here," Ling Yu said again, lifting his robes. "If you don't open the door, I'm going to barge in."

Finally, an impatient voice sounded from within: "I haven't even finished reading the great works of the ancients. You can read the works of your contemporaries yourself."

Ling Yu said, "Do you still remember that young boy who lived in the house belonging to the Zhang family on the back street of the Danyang County Confucian Temple?"

As the words fell, footsteps sounded from within, stopping at the door.

"The child who used to crouch under the window to eavesdrop?" the aged voice asked.

Ling Yu replied, "He came by just now. He answered a scroll and wrote an essay..."

Before he could finish, the door swung open, and a tall, white-haired elderly man appeared before Ling Yu.

"That child..." he said, "is actually still alive."

Ling Yu frowned. "His family was merely poor. Although he has no parents, he has a grandfather and a cousin. How could he not have survived? Besides, it is no longer a time of war; the world is at peace."

Wang Zaitian's expression was complex. He glanced at Ling Yu and asked, "He came to the Academy? To study?"

Ling Yu shook his head. "No. He said his family is still poor and he has no money for tuition, but he never stopped reading." Without waiting to explain the full details, he handed over the scroll with a hint of pride. "Look at how he answered this passage on Confucian classics."

Wang Zaitian took the scroll, scanned it once, and then turned his gaze back to read from the very first line.

Ling Yu did not urge him, nor did he feel it was a waste of time. He did not pull a book from his robes to read, but instead watched with a smile, waiting.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it felt like only a moment.

Wang Zaitian nodded slightly. "He truly has not abandoned his studies all these years."

Ling Yu smiled. "See? You always said this child was a natural scholar."

Wang Zaitian held the scroll in silence for a moment. "His handwriting is mediocre."

"There is a reason for that; he is imitating someone else's style," Ling Yu said with a smile, finally explaining the full story. "Teacher, he is currently working as a guard. His young lady has come to select companions for the Princess."

...

...

An instructor and a palace lady walked into the hall, seeing the two disciples sitting at the table, appearing to be in a daze.

"Doctor Qi, Doctor Zhang," the instructor bowed. "Have the evaluations been completed?"

The palace lady added, "His Majesty ordered that the results be announced on the spot. There is no need to send them to the Palace first."

The fifth disciple said, "Please wait a moment."

*Wait a moment? Is it that difficult? It's only about forty scrolls; why are the two Doctors of the Five Classics reading so slowly?*

And...

The table was empty. There were no answer sheets.

The instructor and the palace lady looked puzzled.

The sixth disciple cleared his throat. "The Chancellor took them to review personally."

The Chancellor is reviewing them personally? The instructor and the palace lady were astonished. This was not part of the original arrangement; it was a pleasant surprise.

His Majesty will surely be very pleased when he finds out.

The palace lady hurriedly bowed. "We thank the Chancellor for his hard work."

...

...

Seeing Ling Yu walking in holding the answer sheet, the two disciples breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to greet him.

"How is it?"

"What did the Teacher say?"

Ling Yu handed them the scroll. "The Teacher said to include this one."

As he spoke, he slapped another answer sheet on top of it.

The two disciples saw the name on it—it was the same one the youth had written earlier.

They hadn't expected the Chancellor to personally intervene.

In that case, they must comply.

"But," the fifth disciple suddenly remembered something, "His Majesty ordered us to select eleven people..."

He looked at the originally selected scrolls.

Adding one more would make twelve.

Ling Yu gave an "oh" sound. "Then just pick the worst one among these eleven and remove them."

...

...

As the sunlight slanted across the hall, the young women stood among the crowd, watching the instructor holding the scrolls with nervous expressions.

Yang Luo appeared calm, but her hands were clenched at her sides. As she listened to the names being called one by one, she was silently counting in her heart: "One, two, three... ten."

When the tenth name was called, Yang Luo felt her breath hitch, until the words "Miss Liu Chan of Fuzhou" rang in her ears.

She wasn't sure if it was because the name was unfamiliar, because she had been lost in thought, or because Qin Ying had nudged her from the side.

"Miss Liu, you have been selected!"

At the same time, a shrill voice rang out: "What's going on? She was selected, so what about me?"

Yang Hui looked on in disbelief, glaring at the instructor. "Did you read the wrong name! The last one was supposed to be mine, not hers!"

The instructor frowned. "Miss Yang, this is a major matter ordered by His Majesty and the Empress. How could we possibly misread it?"

Yang Hui's face turned pale. "That shouldn't be... it was agreed..."

A palace lady's expression changed, and she barked, "Miss Yang, this was personally selected by the Chancellor of the National Academy. Who 'agreed' with you?"

Yang Hui realized she had overstepped. With countless eyes in the hall turning toward her, she stamped her foot and ran out crying, covering her face.

The palace lady's expression was grim. "How can a lady from the House of Duke Ding'an be so ill-mannered?" She then looked at the crowd in the hall. "To the ladies who were not selected, please forgive us. Although you will not be studying alongside the Princesses, a day as classmates makes you friends for life. Her Majesty the Empress invites you all to a banquet in the Palace on the Princess's birthday."

This was also a royal grace. The women in the hall bowed one after another. "We thank Her Majesty the Empress for her imperial grace."

After soothing the others, the palace lady looked toward Yang Luo, who was still standing in place, with a smile.

"Miss Liu," she called, taking out the final specially made companion jade token of the National Academy.

Yang Luo responded, stepping forward slowly, joy surging in her heart.

As expected, as long as she surpassed Yang Hui, she would be selected.