Lu Jinlan took the notice from her sleeve. The shopkeeper had already risen to her feet in shock. Extending her aged hands with great respect, she said, “May I have a look?”
The name of the Royal Academy was known throughout the State of Hua. Its requirements were exceedingly strict. With a population of hundreds of millions, fewer than one hundred new students were admitted each year.
Of those hundred, twenty to thirty were daughters of the imperial clan and noble families, fifty or sixty were elite students from the capital, Shengjing. The remaining dozen or so places were reserved for the top students from various provinces to compete for. Everyone knew how valuable it was for an out-of-town candidate to obtain a qualification for selection.
The shopkeeper murmured, “In terms of wealth and status, the capital is filled with imperial relatives and nobility. But in terms of talent, it is always the outstanding few who travel from the sixteen provinces each year to participate in the Royal Academy selection. As far as I know, you must first rank at least within the top three in your local examinations, correct?”
Lu Jinlan smiled faintly. “I was fortunate enough to take first place.”
The shopkeeper laughed. “That is too modest. The top three papers from each region must still be submitted to the imperial court, where His Majesty personally selects from them. Out of nearly fifty papers, fewer than twenty are chosen to come to the capital each year. Since you were selected, Miss, you must be a great talent. Fame throughout the realm is surely within reach.”
As she spoke, the shopkeeper respectfully handed over the book. “Our humble shop is honored by your patronage. There is no need to register, and I will not take your deposit. Please take the book and read it. Return it after the selection is over.”
Hearing this, the young gentleman turned away in disappointment. After exchanging a few polite words with the shopkeeper, Lu Jinlan quickly put her things away and strode after him.
“Please wait!” Lu Jinlan handed the book to the man in white. “Take it and read it. Return it in half a month—just say you’re returning it on my behalf.”
The man paused. “You borrowed it for me? You think… I can understand military treatises?”
Lu Jinlan let out a soft laugh. “You found this bookstore precisely, knew the title and year of publication, and were willing to spend a large sum to borrow it. I assume you can read and that you love books. How could you not understand it?”
The man’s eyes darkened slightly. With a bitter smile, he said, “The vast majority of women believe men cannot understand military texts.”
Lu Jinlan shook her head. “Sex discrimination is a foolish prejudice. I am not that stupid.”
“You truly intend to lend it to me?”
“Yes.”
The man accepted the book, though a trace of hesitation appeared on his face. “Then what do you want me to do?”
“Hmm?” Lu Jinlan blinked in surprise, then suddenly realized he had taken her for someone like Young Lady Yan.
She curved her lips. “Although you are indeed unmatched in appearance and extraordinary in bearing, I am helping you purely out of chivalry. I have no other intentions.”
“Is that so?” The man smiled as well. His deep features softened slightly as he gazed into her eyes, amusement in his voice. “In my experience, such a thing is impossible.”
How should one describe the allure of top-tier beauty? Lu Jinlan was not a shallow person, yet watching him smile still stirred her heart. The word “captivating” was not embellishment—it was simply factual.
For some reason, Lu Jinlan suddenly wished to maintain a lofty image before him. She cupped her fists in salute. “Then I shall take my leave at once, to demonstrate my sincerity.”
But the moment she turned around, she regretted it. Setting aside his appearance, this young gentleman’s personality was clearly unlike that of most men here.
The men here had been trained too well. Like Lu Xian and Lu Hui—despite their young age, they already carried themselves like virtuous husbands and devoted fathers, exactly like the endlessly self-sacrificing “good wives” from melodramas of years past.
In truth, this was also one of the reasons Lu Jinlan resisted marriage.
She didn’t want to marry that kind of man. She had no overlap with them in terms of spiritual world, and she couldn’t imagine how they would live together. Even if the other party were virtuous and gentle, she would still feel awkward—like marrying her own great-grandmother. Sharing a bed with someone who felt like they belonged to the Qing dynasty would be unbearable.
Compared to those men, this young gentleman in white seemed refreshingly modern. He could read and write, and he enjoyed studying military strategy. Lu Jinlan truly wanted to talk with him more.
But she had already spoken boldly and put herself on a pedestal. With no choice, she strode forward. How could she run into him again?
In this vast sea of people, she didn’t even know his name. Where could she find him?
Maybe she could make up an excuse and go back to chat a bit more?
Gritting her teeth, Lu Jinlan suddenly turned around—only to nearly collide with the white-robed gentleman hurrying after her. They both froze for a moment. The scene was rather awkward.
“I—”
“I—”
The man smiled. “I’m also heading this way. May I walk with you for a while?”
Lu Jinlan was overjoyed. “Of course. I forgot to ask you something—I was just about to go back and find you.”
“What is it?”
They walked side by side. Lu Jinlan cheerfully began the conversation.
“Why did you tease Young Lady Yan on the street?”
“Is she your friend?”
“Not really. I just met her today.”
The man nodded in satisfaction. “I didn’t think she and you were the same sort. She was frivolous and annoyed me. I teased her a bit so she’d learn a lesson—let’s see if she dares to stop people on the street again.”
Lu Jinlan asked, “Then why didn’t you reject her from the start?”
The man answered sincerely, “I know a little martial arts, but she’s a woman. I don’t know the depth of her skills, and I didn’t want trouble. If I rejected her and she became angry from embarrassment, it could turn ugly. I’m from out of town—an outsider can’t overpower the local powers. Better to be cautious.”
Lu Jinlan laughed. “I didn’t expect you to know martial arts too—accomplished in both letters and arms.”
“I only know a little. My mother is progressive; she raised me like a daughter since I was young—taught me to read, write, and practice martial arts. But…” He paused, and a trace of worry flickered in his eyes.
“But what?”
“But she still thinks I should marry soon. I’m seventeen this year. My family is arranging a match for me.”
Lu Jinlan instantly empathized. “Are you satisfied with the match?”
The man shook his head repeatedly.
“Then you shouldn’t marry. To be honest, my family is the same. I ran away in anger.”
The man looked stunned. “Women run away from arranged marriages too? I thought most women would accept their family’s arrangements—marry a man to keep at home. After all, whether they like him or not, they can always marry again. As many as they want.”
Lu Jinlan smiled meaningfully. “I’m not part of the majority. I’m the minority.”
The man’s lips curved upward. “Then I’m very lucky today.”
Perhaps realizing that sounded too ambiguous, he quickly added awkwardly, “To have met a good person.”
A good person card? Lu Jinlan couldn’t quite smile.
But when she looked up, something even more awkward happened. She had randomly chosen a direction, and the two of them had walked straight into a dead end.
The air froze for a moment.
Lu Jinlan quickly improvised, “The capital’s roads are complicated. We’re both from out of town—it seems we remembered wrong. But I can hear the street from here. If we pass through a few courtyards, we should reach it.”
As she spoke, she leapt onto the wall. The man looked up at her, excitement flickering in his eyes, though he still asked, “Is this… appropriate?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? Come up.” Lu Jinlan reached out her hand. He grasped her wrist and used the leverage to vault lightly onto the wall as well.
They stepped over stone walls and roof tiles, intending to pass quietly—but a dog spotted them. Nearly every household here kept dogs. When one barked, over a dozen joined in. Irritated residents slammed their doors open. “What are you doing? Get down!”
“Run!” Lu Jinlan grabbed the man in white. They dashed forward, shattering who knew how many tiles in their panicked escape.
The system joined the chaos, chiming repeatedly as it added to her life points.
Just as they reached the street, there was a ripping sound. The man’s outer robe caught on a protruding branch and tore a large gash.
They jumped down from the wall and exchanged a look, both hearts pounding wildly.
The street was bustling. With his robe torn, the man had no choice but to stand against the wall. Though he still had trousers underneath, torn clothing was considered improper.
Lu Jinlan glanced around. “There’s a secondhand clothing shop over there. I’ll buy you an outer robe. Wait here.”
“Alright,” he agreed readily.
After taking two steps, Lu Jinlan turned back with a smile. “You won’t run away like you did with Young Lady Yan once I enter the shop, will you?”
He smiled faintly. “Looking like this, where could I run?”
Fair enough. Reassured, she left.
The shop mostly sold old clothes; the ready-made new ones were crude in style and fabric. Judging by his build, she barely found something that might fit.
When she came out, she froze. The spot where he had stood was empty.
“Hey? Where did he go?” She hurriedly stopped passersby. “Did you see a particularly handsome man in white, tall and well-built?”
After asking three or five people, all said no.
She turned around—and her vision darkened. A figure like a mountain blocked the sunlight before her, startling her.
The person looked about her age, dressed in coarse hemp clothing like a hunter. Not exceptionally tall—around 1.78 meters—but on her left shoulder she carried half a wild boar, and on her right hung a string of pheasants and two plump rabbits. It was as if she carried a small mountain.
All that together weighed at least two hundred jin (over a hundred kilograms), yet she strode steadily, calm and composed.
Lu Jinlan nearly collided with her face-to-face and forgot to ask her question, instead sighing, “Miss, what strength!”
The hunter ignored her, cold-faced, and walked past.
“Hey?” Lu Jinlan was rebuffed again and stood with hands on hips, scanning the street.
A voice drifted into her ears: “Have you seen a particularly handsome man in white?”
She turned toward the sound. Before she could see who it was—bang! Disaster struck.
Young Lady Yan, searching in frustration, collided head-on with the boar-carrying hunter. The fresh half of pork fell to the ground, and Young Lady Yan ended up smeared with pig’s blood.
“What’s wrong with you?” they both demanded at once—and immediately began arguing.
Lu Jinlan hurried over. The hunter was frowning, carefully wiping dirt off the pork. “You dirtied my meat. You compensate me!”
“Oh? How interesting. You dirtied my clothes—I haven’t even asked you to compensate me yet! Do you know how expensive this fabric is? It’s woven with gold thread. You couldn’t pay it back even if you sold ten pigs!”
“If you hadn’t crashed into me, your clothes wouldn’t be dirty.”
“If you weren’t carrying that huge lump of pig, would I have failed to dodge?”
“I was walking properly. You suddenly ran into me.”
“If you weren’t carrying that giant pig, would it have fallen?”
Seeing the argument intensifying, Lu Jinlan quickly intervened. “Enough, enough. No one did it on purpose. Calm down. Young Lady Yan, you’re not lacking this one outfit. Let it go.”
Young Lady Yan snorted. “For your sake, Miss Lu, I’ll let it go. I’ll consider myself unlucky. I won’t ask her to compensate me.”
“No,” the hunter said stubbornly. “There’s no rule against carrying a pig on the street. I did nothing wrong. You ran into me—that’s your fault. This side of the pork is covered in dirt. I’ll have to cut it off before selling. You’ve cost me at least ten jin of meat. Forty wen per jin. You owe me four hundred wen.”
Young Lady Yan laughed in anger and rolled up her sleeves. “Four hundred wen? Fine. I’ll give you four taels. But today, I’m definitely beating you up.”