The graduation exam ranking at Yunzhou Academy had been posted. At the very top, in bold, sweeping strokes, it read: First Place, Lu Jinlan.
Lu Jinlan turned in surprise and saw Wu Siqun’s face ashen with shock, while Young Lady Sun and Young Lady Yin looked smug.
Young Lady Sun said, “Hey, Young Lady Wu, remember you said that if any one of the three of us scored higher than you, that would count as your loss? Well, now our Young Lady Lu has taken the top spot, and you’re in 142nd place. Isn’t it time to honor your promise?”
Young Lady Yin added, “Don’t even think about backing out. I witnessed it myself—you said it exactly like that. And you even said Young Lady Lu was a poor student, that revising wouldn’t help. How do you explain this now?”
All the students were watching. Wu Siqun’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Who’s backing out? Women should keep their word. I’ll honor the bet.”
Lu Jinlan watched her, feeling a complicated mix of emotions. Though Wu Siqun could be annoying, she was still only sixteen or seventeen—a young person at the age of speaking without weighing her words, acting without thinking, headstrong and proud.
Lu Jinlan, with her twenty-four-year-old perspective, felt like she was observing a child. Adolescents are sensitive; asking someone to stand in front of everyone and shout “I’m as dumb as a pig” was really a bit much. She realized her spur-of-the-moment suggestion had been thoughtless.
Wu Siqun squared her shoulders and faced the crowd, ready to shout at the top of her lungs, “Everyone listen, I’m stu—uh…”
Lu Jinlan quickly covered her mouth, laughing. “You’re way too straightforward. We’re classmates joking around, no need to take it seriously. You even went out of your way to bring me here—I haven’t even thanked you yet. Consider it even, and don’t bring it up again.”
Wu Siqun looked at her incredulously, then bit her lip and muttered awkwardly, “I voluntarily admit defeat; you don’t need to spare me.”
Lu Jinlan chuckled. “Fine, do as you like. We’re leaving anyway.”
She called Young Lady Sun and Young Lady Yin. “Let’s go! Moonview Tower for lunch—my treat!”
“Eh? Just like that? We finally won once!”
“Let’s go!” Lu Jinlan linked her arms with the two of them and walked quickly away.
Watching their retreating backs, the academy supervisor at a side gate asked, “Principal, should I call Lu Jinlan back? Didn’t you have a lot of questions for her?”
The principal shook her head. “No need. She has indeed improved; her knowledge and cultivation are far beyond what they once were—we just didn’t notice. Copy the top three exam papers and post them around the academy; the originals will be sent to the capital. If there are questions, the authorities in the capital will inquire directly.”
Extraordinary news spreads fast. Within three days, the entire Xizhou City knew that the usually lagging Lu family eldest daughter-in-law had suddenly taken first place, shocking everyone.
Yan Shi was overjoyed and immediately celebrated with lanterns and firecrackers, rewarding everyone in the mansion. Lu Jinlan’s father, Lu Jinzhou, had already gone to Lingzhou Prefecture, so Yan Shi sent several groups of people to deliver the news.
The Lu residence became several times more lively than usual. Even distant relatives came to congratulate her. Lu Jinlan politely responded with a few words and then, under the pretext of studying, slipped into Lu Jinzhou’s study to be alone.
She closed the doors and windows and searched thoroughly but found nothing. In the past few days, Yan Shi had been praising her constantly—“Just as expected of my daughter”—so Lu Jinlan hadn’t dared to bring up her parentage, not wanting to hurt her kind father’s feelings by asking abruptly.
Feeling increasingly restless at home, Lu Jinlan took Xi Mo, Qing’er and went out for a stroll, conveniently earning some life points.
It is said that fame brings pressure. Lu Jinlan had become well-known, and now she truly felt it.
Previously, when she went out, she occasionally overheard whispers behind her: “That Lu family playboy is here again, always staring at men—pretty on the outside, rotten inside.”
Now, the moment she stepped out, all eyes scanned her, and people whispered right in front of her.
“That must be the Lu family eldest daughter-in-law who topped the academy! Wow, what a remarkable young lady.”
Lu Jinlan pretended to shop while listening in secretly, thinking, You weren’t saying this before.
“Yes, she’s flirtatious, but which talented woman isn’t? If a young lady isn’t a little romantic, it’s a waste of her youth. The more talented she is, the more she appreciates poetry and romance.”
Lu Jinlan thought: Being famous is great; after fame, even the scholars argue in my favor.
“Ah, I wonder what kind of man she likes. With the Lu family’s status and her talent, any young man who marries her will be lucky.”
“That’s easy—whoever she stares at for long, that’s the one she fancies.”
Oh my goodness! Lu Jinlan dared not move her eyes.
She could feel people closing in. Some bold men began to push forward, hoping she would look at them.
“I want all of these,” Lu Jinlan quickly told Xi Mo to pay, then kept her head down and strode away.
Finally breaking out of the crowd, more people followed. She quickened her pace, and upon reaching a street corner, she ran.
“Lu…student!” someone called.
Without looking back, Lu Jinlan ran for three streets, estimating she had shaken them off, then leaned against a wall to catch her breath.
After a moment, she turned and saw an elderly woman crouched at the alley’s entrance. Lu Jinlan hurried over to help her up. It was the house steward of the academy principal.
“What happened? How did you fall here?”
The old woman gasped several times before speaking. “Chasing you…why…why were you running? You exhausted me! I pride myself on my light-footedness, but I simply couldn’t catch you…must be my age catching up.”
Lu Jinlan, having trained her body through the system each night, felt light as a swallow and much faster than normal today. She quickly helped the steward up and, learning that the principal wanted her, followed the woman to the principal’s house.
Principal Meng was fond of peace, and her mansion lay on the city outskirts with a bamboo grove in the yard. Lu Jinlan admired the bamboo when a cheerful voice called from behind.
A spry silver-haired woman in her sixties approached, accompanied by a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old young gentleman.
Lu Jinlan bowed. “Student greets Principal.”
Principal Meng patted her shoulder and smiled. “Sit, let’s talk. You’re the hottest person in the city now. Knowing you’re busy, I wouldn’t have called you here if it weren’t for something important.”
She gestured to the young gentleman beside her, who immediately prepared paper, ink, and brush.
Principal Meng praised Lu Jinlan’s poetry. She said that her rendition of “Spring River Flower Moon Night” was exceptional. Since the academy had produced such talent, they naturally wanted to preserve a copy. She requested that Lu Jinlan compose another motivational poem to be engraved on the stone wall at the academy entrance for future scholars and visitors to admire.
Lu Jinlan smiled and nodded but sighed inwardly. She had anticipated this.
From the moment she topped the ranking, she knew there would be people doubting her abilities and testing her—now the first test had come, and it was still poetry.
At first, in a moment of panic, she had borrowed a timeless masterpiece to get through the exam. Now, if she tried to compose her own poem, the gap in quality would be glaring—she would be absolutely criticized. She couldn’t risk placing herself among the greats and then being unable to back down.
So, for the time being, she could only borrow another poem to get by.
“Ahem.” Lu Jinlan held her brush as if deep in thought, then began writing: “On Learning” — a composition she claimed to have obtained in a dream from Zhu Xi.
The young gentleman beside her, grinding ink, watched her brush glide like a dragon dancing across the page, and softly recited, “Youth is fleeting, learning is hard; not an inch of time may be wasted… What a fine poem!”
Principal Meng took the completed poem from Lu Jinlan, nodding repeatedly, a subtle, mysterious smile tugging at her lips. “Jinlan, in your three years at the academy, I never knew you had such poetic talent.”
Lu Jinlan replied humbly, “Student only recently came to enlightenment. All these poems are inspirations received in dreams.”
The young gentleman chuckled softly. “All your dreams have been about men, huh? Must be rather… romantic dreams.”
Principal Meng frowned. “Shishi, you’re a young man; don’t say such frivolous things and make your Lu sister laugh at you.”
Meng Shixi hurriedly repressed his smile, bowing his head. “Yes, I will heed Mother’s advice.”
Principal Meng then turned to Lu Jinlan with a kind expression. “This is my incapable youngest son. He admires your poetry and has been begging for days to meet you.”
Lu Jinlan chuckled to herself. No wonder she’d felt this young gentleman glancing at her—she almost thought it was just her imagination. Principal Meng was sly; she had waited until after the exam to introduce her son. Surely he hasn’t been promised to anyone yet?
The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a matchmaking scene. She quickly found an excuse to stand and take her leave.
Principal Meng hurriedly said, “One more important matter: I’ve sent your exam papers to the capital. The top three papers from each regional academy will be personally reviewed by His Majesty. If selected, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in the Royal Academy’s trials. Jinlan, I believe you have a very good chance.”
She pinched Lu Jinlan’s shoulder. “If you succeed in the martial trial and enter the Royal Academy, you will truly become a disciple of the emperor. You could serve as a general or minister, achieving great deeds for the nation and the people. If given this opportunity, would you like to try?”
At the words “serve as a general or minister,” Lu Jinlan’s eyes lit up. She nodded almost without hesitation. “I want to try.”
“Oh? So decisive? Aren’t you afraid that if you fail, you’ll embarrass yourself?”
“Does it matter? I’ll try, and if I lose, I lose. Otherwise, people might think no one from Xizhou City dares to compete.”
Principal Meng was pleased. “Good. Then wait at home. As soon as the capital sends word, I’ll have someone notify you immediately.”
Lu Jinlan returned home, her heart racing. The Royal Academy was comparable to Huangpu in the Republic era or Qingbei in modern times. Its three-year program guaranteed graduates at least a fifth-rank official post.
A fifth-rank official was roughly equivalent to a department-level cadre—a position she could never have reached even after a lifetime of effort in the modern world.
Moreover, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that pursuing an official career was better than commerce—and she had experience.
She had served as a grassroots civil servant in the modern world. Though the rank was low, even the smallest civil post served the people.
Lu Jinlan felt that she should lead by example and continue to serve the people of the Hua Kingdom, contributing to its construction and well-being.
After several days of uncertainty, Lu Jinlan suddenly felt a clear path ahead. Every day she waited for news from the capital, spent 200 points to exchange for new martial arts manuals, and wished she could sleep twelve hours a day to cram martial training in every spare moment.
One day, she clicked on “Seventy-Two Sword Techniques” and trained during her midday nap.
She had no idea how much time had passed when she was groggily awakened by Qing’er shaking her. “Young Lady, wake up! The Imperial Instructor is urgently requesting your presence.”
Sleepy, Lu Jinlan murmured, “Hmm… what is it?”