The man kneeling on the ground, kowtowing, had hair streaked with white, his face carved with deep wrinkles, and wore tattered clothing that evoked pity in anyone who saw him.
Shao Yanzhe was very familiar with this person—it was the Old Village Chief of Qingshan Village.
“Lizheng, there’s no need for this.”
Shao Yanzhe wore a helpless expression as he reached out to help the man up, but the Lizheng avoided his hand.
He stopped the Lizheng from continuing to kowtow: “Lizheng, I am your junior. For an elder to kowtow to a junior—are you trying to force me to my death?”
Feeling the strength supporting his arm, the Lizheng could no longer continue kowtowing.
He stood up and looked at Shao Yanzhe, though his eyes kept darting toward the young master beside him.
This young master was clearly no ordinary person, and judging by his inexperienced demeanor, he would likely be moved by the sight of an elderly man weathered by hardship pleading with others.
The Lizheng assumed Shao Yanzhe wanted to befriend this young master and, to maintain a good impression in front of him, would surely let go of past grievances regarding Shao Ran’s actions out of face-saving considerations.
“Since Lizheng has come with a request, if it is within my ability as a junior, I will certainly help. From what you just said, has something happened to Shao Ran?” Shao Yanzhe inquired.
The Lizheng wore a pained expression, his rough, calloused hands trembling as they grasped Shao Yanzhe’s.
He opened his mouth, then finally spoke as if steeling his resolve: “I am aware of the foolish things Shao Ran has done. Fortunately, you, A’Ze, are blessed with great fortune and were unharmed. Otherwise, when this old man passes on to the afterlife, I wouldn’t know how to face your parents.”
Shao Yanzhe shook his head slightly. He had later learned from Fuzi that Shao Ran’s results were not good, and if not for the unexpected, he would certainly have been left behind in the Illusion.
Though he understood and respected Shao Ran’s desperation to survive, which led to scheming against him, he would not forgive him for it.
As if ignoring Shao Yanzhe’s headshake, the Lizheng held his hand and continued: “But A’Ze, you know Shao Ran is not a bad person. He was just frightened and acted foolishly in the moment. To err is human—won’t you forgive him? Moreover, Shao Ran and you are the only two promising individuals from the village. With your exceptional talent, A’Ze, your future is boundless. You will surely need assistance, and Shao Ran, having grown up with you, would be a reliable aide by your side. Wouldn’t that make things easier for you?”
“Pfft!”
As soon as the Lizheng finished speaking, a snort of laughter erupted from the side.
The Old Village Chief’s face immediately darkened. He turned to see the young master covering his mouth, trying to suppress a laugh but barely holding back.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at Zhou Jiming, mentally applauding him. Well laughed! If not for respecting the Lizheng as an elder, he would have laughed too.
Zhou Jiming struggled to contain himself but ultimately failed.
“Ahahahaha!”
After laughing heartily for a moment, he finally composed himself enough to cup his hands toward the Lizheng and apologize: “My apologies, apologies, Elder! What you just said was simply too amusing—I couldn’t help myself!”
The Lizheng scowled and retorted, “I wonder which part of this old man’s words was so amusing as to provoke such laughter from you, Young Master?”
Zhou Jiming snapped open his folding fan with a crisp sound, fanning himself leisurely as he remarked, “Although I don’t know exactly what Shao Ran did to Scholar Shao, I can well imagine it was nothing good. Given that, it’s clear Shao Ran lacks moral character—he excels at stabbing people in the back. When things don’t threaten him personally, he might seem harmless, but once danger arises, he’ll surely push others forward as shields. Yet just now, the Lizheng suggested that when Scholar Shao achieves success in the future, Shao Ran should stay by his side. What, is one betrayal not enough? Should he be kept close to betray Scholar Shao again? I must say, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a tactic. It truly broadens my horizons!”
The Lizheng trembled, pointing a shaking finger at Zhou Jiming, his face darkening with anger. “You! How dare you spout such nonsense!”
Shao Yanzhe gave Zhou Jiming an appreciative glance before stepping forward to intervene. “Lizheng, back then, Shao Ran framed me to save his own skin. I narrowly escaped with my life—that is no reason for him to be forgiven. Moreover, since Shao Ran was the one who did wrong, why hasn’t he come to apologize in person? Instead, he sends you to seek forgiveness on his behalf. Does he expect me to pardon him out of respect for your position? I’m sorry, Lizheng, but I will not forgive Shao Ran. From now on, I shall regard him as no cousin of mine.”
Seeing Shao Yanzhe’s resolute stance, the Lizheng knew Shao Ran’s actions had cut deep. Yet he couldn’t stand by and watch Shao Ran be expelled from Wenyuan Academy.
Gritting his teeth, he moved to kneel before Shao Yanzhe.
But Fuzi, who had arrived unnoticed, swiftly reached out to stop him. After a stern look at Shao Yanzhe, he said gravely, “Shao Yanzhe, why are you idling here instead of studying?”
Shao Yanzhe promptly bowed in salute. “Greetings, Fuzi! This student will return to his studies at once!”
With that, he took Zhou Jiming and hurried into the academy.
However, instead of leaving outright, they hid and watched as Fuzi spoke to the Lizheng. The Lizheng listened, looking utterly defeated, before trudging despondently away from the academy.
Fuzi watched him go, then turned to find Shao Yanzhe peeking out from within the academy grounds. A flicker of exasperation crossed his eyes.
Meeting Fuzi’s gaze, Shao Yanzhe offered an awkward smile.
Fuzi approached him and said, “Yanzhe, though you’ve now earned the Xiucai title, remember this is only the first step on the path of the Imperial Exam. To journey far on this road, you must remain vigilant and self-reflective. Becoming a Top Candidate is no great feat—do not grow arrogant. Consider the vast expanse of the Dayong Dynasty: our Jiangzhou Province alone comprises seven prefectures and three directly-administered regions. Each Imperial Examination produces ten Xiucai Top Candidates, and with exams held twice every three years, the dynasty sees nearly two hundred Top Candidates per cycle. You are but one among those two hundred.”
Shao Yanzhe knew Fuzi spoke for his benefit. He bowed solemnly. “Yes, Fuzi. This student will remember your words.”
Any trace of pride he had felt was thoroughly dashed by this admonition.
“Go now. In a few days, you’ll set out with Mingyuan and the others. The Provincial Examination is not far off, and given your current essay skills, you might barely qualify as a Juren. Also, your poetry composition still needs improvement. And you must memorize the laws of the Dayong Dynasty thoroughly.”
After reciting all the precautions at length, the Fuzi finally left with his hands clasped behind his back, leaving Shao Yanzhe standing alone in place, his expression numb with a trace of shock.
“Brother Shao, what’s wrong?” Zhou Jiming asked in confusion.
Shao Yanzhe turned his head stiffly toward him and asked uncertainly, “When is the Provincial Examination?”
Zhou Jiming replied, “This August, which is about half a month from now!”
Shao Yanzhe tried to resist: “But didn’t we just finish the Imperial Examination?”
Zhou Jiming nodded and explained, “Yes, but this year happens to be a Provincial Examination year. Brother Shao is lucky—you can take it this year and aim for the Top Candidate!”
Shao Yanzhe forced a smile: “Thank you for your expectations, Brother Zhou. In that case, if you have no other urgent matters, I must go study now and won’t keep you any longer.”
Zhou Jiming wasn’t offended by the dismissal. His visit was merely to get acquainted with Shao Yanzhe, and there would be plenty of time to interact and understand each other later.
He cupped his hands toward Shao Yanzhe: “Very well, I won’t disturb you further, Brother Shao. I’ll take my leave now. Farewell!”
After seeing Zhou Jiming off, Shao Yanzhe hurried back to the dormitory.
Yun Weiyue, seeing him return in such a rush, couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?”
Shao Yanzhe sat down at the desk, pulled out the Great Yong Law, and walked over to the scroll, saying, “I just found out that the Provincial Examination is in half a month!”
“That’s right.” Yun Weiyue nodded.
Shao Yanzhe said somewhat sheepishly, “The Fuzi said my essays are passable, but my poetry and knowledge of the Dayong Dynasty’s laws are lacking. Is Miss Suqing here?”
Yun Weiyue glanced at him and understood his meaning: “I’ll call her out.”
Soon, Yun Suqing appeared. She looked at Shao Yanzhe with a puzzled expression and asked, “What do you need from me?”
Shao Yanzhe smiled awkwardly: “I’d like to borrow your Illusion, Miss Suqing.”
Yun Suqing couldn’t help but look him up and down in surprise, as if studying a madman. She remembered how, last time, to tutor him in essay writing, she had kept him in the Illusion for quite some time. When he finally left, he seemed so eager to escape that he looked as if he never wanted to see the Illusion again.
Why was he now voluntarily asking to enter it?
“Fine.”
She didn’t probe further. After all, it was no trouble—just tossing him in would suffice.
Shao Yanzhe re-entered the Illusion and found himself in the familiar surroundings, his expression turning complex. He never thought he would return here one day.
Sighing at the unpredictability of life, he quickly opened the Great Yong Law and began reading.
Since the original owner had occasionally studied the Great Yong Law, he had already memorized about seventy to eighty percent of its content. Now, he only needed to review from the beginning, reinforcing what he had already memorized and committing the rest to memory.
When it came to studying, he was already quite adept. In this Illusion, he felt neither hunger nor fatigue, like a wound-up machine, burying himself in diligent reading.
Finally, after seven days in real time, he had fully mastered the Great Yong Law and could skillfully apply it to legal judgments.
As for composing poetry, Shao Yanzhe found it rather troublesome. Although he could produce poems that appeared decent, as a modern person, poetry composition wasn’t his forte. Compared to those scholars skilled in verse, his works inevitably seemed mechanical and lacking in spiritual essence—this was simply unavoidable.
He could do nothing about this.
Seeing that time was running short, he emerged from the Illusion.
“You’re out.” Yun Suqing glanced at him before continuing with her tasks.
“Yes, the timing is about right. The plan can commence now.” Shao Yanzhe placed the book in his hand on the desk, speaking with a calm expression.
Yun Suqing paused her movements, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes as she curved her lips into a smile. “Good. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, it’s time to reunite Shen Moyuan with his family.”
Apart from Shen Moyuan himself, all other members of the Shen family had long passed away.
Hearing this, Shao Yanzhe smiled as well.