Song Mingzhu’s face turned pale. Her lips trembled, but she still refused to give up.
“This… this only proves she happened to prepare this passage! Who knows if it was just luck!”
As soon as she said this, even the surrounding students couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Second Miss Song, that’s simply unreasonable!”
“Exactly. What Song student just demonstrated was quoting classics with unique insight. How could that be explained by luck?”
The guiding teacher also darkened his expression.
“Since Second Miss Song insists, then this old man will continue the examination.”
He thought for a moment and looked at Song Nianyun.
“From the Book of Songs · Xiaoya, the chapter ‘Cai Wei.’ Recite the entire text, and interpret the artistic conception of the lines: ‘In the past I went forth, the willows were tender and green. Now I return, the rain and snow are falling.’”
This question was even more difficult than before. Cai Wei is a long poem, and its closing lines are considered among the most beautiful in the Book of Songs. Without true mastery of literature, it is impossible to interpret its meaning deeply.
Without the slightest hesitation, Song Nianyun’s clear voice rang out again.
“Gathering fern, gathering fern, the fern has just begun to sprout…”
She recited fluently, word for word, without a single mistake.
After finishing the recitation, she immediately began her interpretation—precise, insightful, and profound.
Then came one question after another.
From the Book of Songs to the Book of Documents, from the Book of Rites to the I Ching—she answered everything with ease, her insights deep and well-reasoned.
The entire crowd was completely convinced.
She was undoubtedly the top candidate.
Many of the texts being tested were ones even they could not fully understand, let alone explain with such clarity and classical references.
Song Mingzhu’s face turned from white to green, and finally completely lost all color.
Watching her elder sister stand calmly under the admiring gazes of everyone, she felt as if the world was spinning.
“No… this is impossible…”
Just then, Song Nianyun turned toward her, a meaningful smile on her lips.
“Now, do you believe it?”
“How is that possible? You were clearly a useless good-for-nothing before! How could you become this capable in just a few months!”
Song Mingzhu could only shake her head in disbelief.
Song Nianyun stepped forward slowly, her voice soft yet piercing.
“I was useless before simply because I found studying boring and never put my heart into it.”
“After falling seriously ill, I understood many things. I decided not to waste my time anymore.”
“If I’m going to study, I will study properly.”
She leaned slightly closer.
“Little sister, do you know what it means to have a photographic memory?”
Song Mingzhu froze, eyes widening in shock.
Song Nianyun straightened up again.
“There are people in this world who only need to read something once to remember it completely.”
“Before, I only cared about marrying well, so I thought this ability was useless. But now that I’ve decided to apply myself, I naturally make full use of it.”
She swept her gaze across the stunned crowd.
“In these past few months, I’ve gone through all the books in my family’s library. The Four Books and Five Classics are already fully engraved in my mind.”
“If you still don’t believe it, feel free to continue testing me.”
A thunderclap seemed to explode in everyone’s minds.
Photographic memory—something only heard of in legends.
No wonder she had transformed so drastically in just a few months.
Song Mingzhu staggered back, barely steadying herself against a pillar.
She suddenly realized how ridiculous her years of effort were compared to someone who only needed to glance at a book once.
“No… impossible…” she murmured, her mind collapsing.
Song Nianyun looked at her calmly.
“There are some things in this world that don’t disappear just because you refuse to believe them.”
Then she lowered her voice, leaning slightly closer.
“In the past, I simply didn’t care. That’s why you thought you were the most talented child in the Song family.”
“But now that I care…”
Her lips curved faintly.
“You will never be able to compete with me again.”
She straightened up.
“Little sister, you’ve lost. Apologize.”
Song Mingzhu trembled all over. She looked around and saw every gaze upon her—mocking, disdainful, indifferent.
No sympathy at all.
Only then did she realize she had become a joke.
“I… I’m sorry…” she whispered.
Song Nianyun raised a brow.
“Too soft. That’s not how you acted when you accused me earlier.”
Song Mingzhu clenched her teeth, forcing herself to speak louder.
“I’m sorry! I falsely accused my elder sister!”
Then she turned toward the teacher.
“And I’m sorry to the academy… I should not have questioned its fairness…”
After speaking, she felt completely drained and almost collapsed.
The teacher sighed.
“Knowing one’s mistake and correcting it is good.”
“But you have erred today. Copy the Disciples’ Rules one hundred times and submit it in three days.”
“I… accept the punishment…” she choked out.
She no longer dared to stay any longer and was helped away by her maid, fleeing in humiliation.
Song Nianyun no longer paid attention to her.
A small opponent like that was not worth her concern.
In her previous life, such a person wouldn’t even qualify to carry her shoes.
After reviewing the Song family lineage last night, she had discovered that by seniority, she was actually the original body’s aunt.
Meaning even the current father of this body would have to call her “Aunt.”
Thinking of this, she felt mildly amused—having to bow respectfully to Song Wenmo every day truly felt unnecessary.
But since she now occupied this body, she could only accept the identity for the time being.
She followed the teacher to a small courtyard in the back mountain.
Inside, bamboo shadows swayed gently.
On a stone table lay a chess game in a deadlock.
General of the Northern Frontier, Jiang Xiurang, played black, his brows tightly furrowed.
Across from him sat an old man with white hair—the dean of Qinghui Academy, the great scholar Yun Qingsong.
He stroked his beard calmly, clearly confident.
The guiding teacher quietly withdrew after bringing her there.
Song Nianyun did not interrupt. She stood by a bamboo grove, observing the board.
After a short moment, she already understood the situation.
The white pieces had formed a hidden encirclement. The black pieces were struggling and already showed signs of defeat.
Sure enough, a moment later, Jiang Xiurang sighed and resigned.
“I lose again, Grandfather.”
At that moment, a voice calmly sounded from the side.
“Actually… it may not be a loss.”