Three days later at dawn, before the thin mist had fully dispersed, the entrance of Qinghui Academy on Lingyun Mountain was already crowded with people.
Today was the academy’s annual student admission day.
For scholars in Lingyang Prefecture, Qinghui Academy was the largest and most prestigious academy in the surrounding counties.
The academy’s headmaster bore the surname Yun, courtesy name Qingsong. He was once a Hanlin Academy scholar in the imperial court, and after retiring, returned to his hometown to establish Qinghui Academy.
Headmaster Yun was learned and highly respected. Many of his disciples now served as officials in the court, which made Qinghui Academy renowned throughout Lingyang Prefecture and even the entire Qingzhou Prefecture.
Scholars in either new or worn long robes, holding registration documents, lined up in a long queue at the academy gate. The air was filled with tension and anticipation.
This year’s admissions were different from previous years; among the crowd were several young women.
A month ago, the emperor had opened the imperial examinations to women.
As the leading academy in Lingyang Prefecture, Qinghui Academy was the first to respond, announcing that it would admit a limited number of female students this year.
The announcement caused a great stir in scholarly circles.
Conservatives condemned it as “the hen crowing at dawn,” while progressives believed it was the trend of the times.
Despite ongoing debate, a few families with scholarly backgrounds and open minds still sent their daughters to try.
Even so, on the actual admission day, the number of female applicants remained few.
By her count, including herself, there were only eight.
Among them was someone she recognized—Song Mingzhu, the daughter of Concubine Li.
Unlike Song Nianyun, Song Mingzhu was quite well-known in the Song family clan school.
Because her mother, Concubine Li, came from a scholarly family, she had raised her daughter carefully despite the family’s decline.
Song Mingzhu had been intelligent since childhood and particularly talented in poetry. She often received praise from teachers and was considered a small genius in the Song family.
The former Song patriarch often sighed that it would have been better if Song Mingzhu had been born a son.
At that moment, Song Mingzhu stood at the front of the line, surrounded by two maidservants.
She wore a brand-new lake-blue brocade dress and a red-gold dotted jade hairpin. Her appearance was fairly delicate.
Feeling Song Nianyun’s gaze behind her, she turned slightly and cast a meaningful look—three parts surprise, seven parts disdain.
Song Nianyun understood immediately.
This concubine-born younger sister had always been proud and competitive within the household, often comparing herself to the original Song eldest daughter.
Since the original Song Nianyun had no interest in studies and was inferior in academics, she had often been mocked openly and covertly by this younger sister.
Now seeing her “useless” elder sister also come to apply for the academy, Song Mingzhu must be inwardly mocking her ignorance and overconfidence.
As expected, not long after, Song Mingzhu walked over and said in a voice neither loud nor soft, just enough for nearby female applicants to hear:
“Elder sister, why are you here?”
Though her tone was respectful on the surface, jealousy almost drove her mad inside.
Every time she saw this legitimate eldest daughter, she felt life was unfair—why was such a fool the legitimate daughter, and why was she so beautiful?
Even though Song Nianyun was only dressed in plain moon-white clothing today, without makeup, she still looked naturally refined and striking.
In contrast, Song Mingzhu, despite her careful dressing in fashionable lake-blue brocade, still felt overshadowed.
Song Nianyun calmly said, “If you can come, I naturally can as well.”
Song Mingzhu chuckled lightly, but there was no warmth in her eyes.
“Elder sister must be joking. Qinghui Academy’s examination is extremely strict. If I recall correctly, you couldn’t even recognize half of the Thousand Character Classic in clan school.”
She deliberately raised her voice slightly, drawing sympathetic glances from nearby candidates.
Such a beautiful girl—yet just an empty vase.
Song Nianyun remained unfazed and smiled faintly instead, her beauty becoming even more striking.
“You’re right. I was indeed foolish in the past. But people improve. One cannot remain stagnant forever.”
“Improve?” Song Mingzhu covered her lips and laughed. “It’s only been a few days. Could you have completely transformed yourself?”
“That may not be so.”
Song Nianyun no longer wished to engage and walked away with Song Zhuangzhuang.
Seeing this, Song Mingzhu snorted coldly. “How confident. Let’s see how you even get into Qinghui Academy.”
Song Nianyun ignored her and walked to the side of the queue, her attention shifting away from Song Mingzhu’s hostile gaze.
She calmly observed the ancient and solemn academy gate, as well as the couplet inscribed by Headmaster Yun:
“Exploring the mysteries of heaven and earth, inheriting a thousand years of literary tradition; nurturing outstanding talents to stabilize the realm.”
The grandeur of the words made her feel genuine admiration for the academy’s founder.
At that moment, commotion suddenly arose behind her.
She turned and saw a group of armored soldiers approaching.
The leading man in black carried another armored man on his back.
They were covered in blood, armor damaged with sword marks. The heavy scent of blood mixed with dust and sweat filled the air, sharply contrasting with the scholarly atmosphere.
The students nearby turned pale and retreated in fear.
Song Nianyun’s pupils suddenly contracted.
She recognized them immediately.
It was the Northern Guard Marquis—Jiang Xiuran—and his personal shadow guard, Night Owl.
Why were they here?
And why was Jiang Xiuran so severely injured?
Before she could think further, Night Owl had already entered the academy carrying him inside after the gate was opened.
Song Nianyun only paused briefly before withdrawing her gaze, focusing again on the examination ahead.
Inside the academy, candidates were assigned to three examination rooms.
Coincidentally, Song Nianyun and Song Mingzhu were placed in the same room.
Before entering, Song Mingzhu glanced at her with undisguised contempt, clearly anticipating her embarrassment.
They entered the eastern examination room one after another.
Desks were arranged neatly with paper, brush, ink, and inkstone.
A middle-aged examiner stood at the front.
“Choose a seat and begin. One hour. When the bell rings, stop writing.”
“Silence is required. No communication or cheating allowed.”
“Any violation will result in disqualification.”
After the instructions, Song Nianyun casually took a seat, while Song Mingzhu sat diagonally behind her.
Clearly, she intended to watch her embarrassment closely.