Shao Yanzhe had just put down his brush when he heard the Court Lady’s words. He froze for a moment, then read through his essay from beginning to end, but couldn’t find the issues she mentioned.
“Where exactly is it crude?” he asked directly.
The Court Lady sneered and proceeded to criticize every part of his essay: “In short, compared to your previous piece, this is as different as clouds and mud!”
Shao Yanzhe: …
He silently digested the Court Lady’s criticism and looked at his essay again, finding it almost unbearable to read.
Alright, she was right.
Shao Yanzhe sat at his desk, staring blankly ahead as he began to reflect.
After all, he had traveled here from modern times and had basically never written policy essays before. Although he possessed far more knowledge than the original owner of this body, having just started studying the Four Books and Five Classics and being left to figure out essay writing on his own, even if he occasionally produced a decent piece, it wasn’t enough.
He couldn’t guarantee that all his future essays would be like that one which had generated Literary Qi. It was only now that he suddenly realized the Literary Qi produced by this essay was extremely faint, like a thin mist that could dissipate with the slightest breeze.
He needed a teacher’s guidance!
The original owner had previously studied at Wenyuan Academy in the county town, but had stopped attending classes there to prepare for the Imperial Exam.
Shao Yanzhe knew perfectly well that he was different from the original owner, and the teacher who had taught the original would definitely notice the difference between them.
Therefore, returning to Wenyuan Academy to study wasn’t feasible.
But where else could he find a Xiucai teacher?
The Court Lady in the painting scroll didn’t care what Shao Yanzhe was thinking and continued her tirade: “Have you been feeding all your studies to the dogs?”
“Policy essays are the most important part of the Imperial Exam! With your current level, you actually dare to dream of becoming a Xiucai? Hah!”
“You should just go home and roast sweet potatoes!”
“If someone of your caliber can become a Xiucai, then the entire imperial court is truly finished!”
“The court would be finished, the common people would be finished! The whole world would be doomed!”
Shao Yanzhe: …
The Court Lady was quite knowledgeable, but how could such icy words come from such warm lips?
“As the eldest daughter of the Yun family, I had mastered the Three Character Classic by age three, memorized the Four Books and Five Classics by five, passed the Xiucai exam at nine, became a Juren at fifteen, and ranked first in the Metropolitan Exam at eighteen! I was unprecedented, unmatched in my time!”
“Your current essay barely compares to the policy essays I wrote at seven years old. Although you previously wrote one somewhat decent piece, you’re still far from matching my level.”
The Court Lady’s words came one after another, each like a knife stabbing into Shao Yanzhe’s heart.
Shao Yanzhe suddenly stood up and looked at the Court Lady.
She immediately fell silent, staring at Shao Yanzhe while recalling her harsh words, feeling somewhat guilty.
Perhaps, maybe, she had gone a bit too far just now.
Was he going to lash out in anger and hit her?
Shao Yanzhe spoke: “You…”
The Court Lady interrupted him: “What about me! Was anything I said untrue?”
Shao Yanzhe nodded: “It was all true.”
The Court Lady breathed a sigh of relief: “Then what do you want?”
Shao Yanzhe gazed intently at the Court Lady and said: “Nothing much. It’s just that I need a teacher. Given your profound knowledge, you would certainly be able to teach me!”
The Court Lady was taken aback for a moment, then frowned as she looked him up and down. “What are you thinking? How could I possibly teach you!”
Shao Yanzhe wasn’t surprised by her refusal. After all, they were now adversaries, enemies on opposite sides.
“I suspect your death is related to this Shen Moyuan.”
His gaze fell on the small characters in the lower right corner of the scroll, feeling about seventy percent confident in his speculation.
The “Wei Yue” written there was likely the Court Lady’s personal name. Combined with her earlier mention of being the eldest daughter of the Yun family, her maiden name should be Yun Weiyue, and she had once participated in the Imperial Exam.
From the memories of his original body, he knew the current dynasty was the Yong Dynasty, with the reign title Xi Rui. This year marked the sixtieth year of Xi Rui, exactly six decades since the current Xi Rui Emperor ascended the throne.
At the beginning of the Xi Rui Emperor’s reign, reforms were made to the Imperial Exam system. Not only was the grace examination introduced, but women were also permitted to take the Imperial Exam.
However, a major examination fraud scandal later emerged, leading to the imprisonment of many scholars from that year’s exam. Nearly one hundred scholars were sentenced to death.
This scandal became famously known in the Great Yong Dynasty as the “Xi Rui Grace Examination Scandal,” though privately, many referred to it as the “Calamity of the Women’s Examination.”
Shao Yanzhe speculated that the Court Lady in the scroll, Yun Weiyue, must have been caught up in that Xi Rui Grace Examination Scandal and lost her life.
But judging from Yun Weiyue’s personal background and her scholarly knowledge, he didn’t believe someone of her intellect would need to cheat. There had to be something fishy going on!
For Yun Weiyue to be implicated, aside from the possibility of actual cheating, it was highly probable she was falsely accused—either framed by others or reported by someone.
As her husband, if Shen Moyuan came forward to accuse Yun Weiyue of cheating, he must have prepared thoroughly beforehand.
Caught off guard by a calculated scheme, how could Yun Weiyue possibly escape?
Upon hearing the name spoken by Shao Yanzhe, Yun Weiyue’s pupils slightly dilated, and her entire body trembled.
She gritted her teeth and spat out hatefully, “Don’t mention that name in front of me!”
After saying this, she suddenly realized where Shao Yanzhe had seen it. With a light flick of her sleeve, the line of small characters in the lower right corner of the scroll instantly vanished.
Shao Yanzhe couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Yun Weiyue’s reaction confirmed that his speculation was terrifyingly accurate.
The person responsible for Yun Weiyue’s current plight was Shen Moyuan!
Betrayed by the one who shared her pillow, no wonder Yun Weiyue had turned into a vengeful spirit.
Shao Yanzhe sighed inwardly but remained focused on his goal.
“I imagine you were framed by Shen…” He had only uttered the first character of the name when he felt Yun Weiyue’s icy, sharp gaze and immediately changed his address.
“…by that person. I’m sure you’re unwilling to accept how he treated you. I can help you uncover the truth and clear your name. In exchange, you can tutor me in my essays.”
“What do you think?”
Shao Yanzhe looked at Yun Weiyue expectantly, hoping to achieve his objective.
Yun Weiyue stared back at Shao Yanzhe and said, “I am indeed unwilling, but you surely haven’t forgotten that just moments ago, I wanted to kill you. Aren’t you afraid of me?”
As she spoke, a skull slowly manifested on her face, its pale white teeth clacking together with a eerie click-clack sound, creating a deeply unsettling sight.
Shao Yanzhe shuddered but nodded without hesitation, answering righteously, “Of course I’m afraid!”
Yun Weiyue glared at him. “Then why are you still seeking to cooperate with me?”
Shao Yanzhe chuckled slyly, “One thing at a time. You need me to help you find evidence, and I need you to tutor me in writing. How about we each get what we need?”
Yun Weiyue raised an eyebrow as she looked at Shao Yanzhe. “Deal!”
A human and a ghost temporarily reached an agreement.
“Now, solve all the policy essay questions from that stack of exam papers!” Yun Weiyue said, pointing to the test papers on the desk.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at the nearly fifty exam papers on the desk, flexed his fingers, and immediately began answering the policy essay questions as she requested.
Seeing his actions, Yun Weiyue couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows in surprise. Based on her own speed, completing all those exam papers would take at least five hours.
It was currently 8 p.m., and there were only a little over four hours until dawn. That meant Shao Yanzhe would need the entire night to finish these exam papers.
She had originally thought Shao Yanzhe would try to bargain with her, but he had agreed without hesitation.
She pursed her lips slightly, hoping he could truly meet her demands.
Xuan Yao opened its eyes, twitched its ears, and avoided the glaring light shining on its eyelids.
After resting all night, the injuries inside its body had improved somewhat.
It stretched its body, involuntarily letting out a big, lazy yawn, then sat upright on the floor and looked around at its surroundings.
Sunlight streamed in through the half-open window, casting a golden glow over the entire study. The morning breeze gently brushed past, causing the thick stack of rice paper on the desk to rustle softly.
Only after taking in its surroundings did Xuan Yao remember what had happened the day before.
It abruptly stood up, its gold-and-black pupils scanning the area as it searched for Shao Yanzhe’s figure.
Finally, it spotted the human on the low table beside the desk.
Xuan Yao walked over. Numerous crumpled paper balls were scattered around Shao Yanzhe, and his head and stomach were covered with rice paper filled with writing.
It tilted its head and looked at the soundly sleeping biped, its large pupils filled with confusion.
Do all bipeds sleep like this?
It didn’t understand, but it respected it!
“Hey! Stinky cat! See this?” Yun Weiyue’s voice sounded above Xuan Yao’s head.
Xuan Yao bared its teeth and stared warily at Yun Weiyue, ready to attack at the slightest unusual movement.
Yun Weiyue paid no attention to its caution. Instead, she shook the stack of rice paper in her hand triumphantly.
“Look, all these belong to Shao Yanzhe. He’s my disciple now. If you’re rude to me again, I’ll have him kick you out!”
“Meow!”
Xuan Yao let out an angry cry. Without even glancing at Yun Weiyue, it lifted its front paw and slapped Shao Yanzhe squarely across the face as he slept soundly.
“Who hit me!”
With that slap, Shao Yanzhe tumbled off the low table with a thud.
He frantically pulled the rice paper off his head and sat on the floor in a daze. His eyes swept across the room before finally settling on Xuan Yao, who was glaring at him unfriendly.
“Hehe, Xuan Yao, you’re better now!”
As he spoke, he reached out to pet it, but Xuan Yao disdainfully swatted his hand away with its paw.
Xuan Yao’s originally round cat eyes turned sharp, and its aura suddenly became fierce. It growled lowly at Shao Yanzhe, its ears flattening into helicopter ears while its whiskers fanned out like a fan, the ends trembling involuntarily.
It extended its cat paw, pointing at Shao Yanzhe, then at Yun Weiyue, before slapping its paw forcefully on the ground with loud pats—clearly showing how furious it was at the moment.
Shao Yanzhe immediately understood Xuan Yao’s meaning and hurriedly explained, “No, of course you’re more important than her! We’re just temporary partners for now!”
“Meow?” Xuan Yao retracted its fierce aura and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Shao Yanzhe nodded firmly. “Really!”
Only then did Xuan Yao nod in satisfaction. It then turned to Yun Weiyue, let out a meow in her direction, raised its head, and hopped lightly onto the windowsill with brisk steps, lying there comfortably to bask in the sun.
Yun Weiyue snorted coldly. She glanced at Shao Yanzhe and said, “Hmph! Men are all scum, just as expected!”
With that, she turned and left, hiding behind the bookshelf in the painting.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at the now-empty scroll but didn’t mind it. Just as he had said earlier, his peaceful coexistence with Yun Weiyue was merely a temporary cooperation.
A partner in cooperation, of course, couldn’t compare to a little kitten.
“A-Ze, are you there?” A somewhat familiar voice sounded outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by urgent knocking.
Author’s note: