Chapter 12

"Students, pay your respects to the Prefect!" Over three hundred candidates bowed together in respect.

Ying Qing, mixed among them, did not want to stand out too much and had to follow the drill as practiced before.

"There's no need for such formalities." Lu Jigui smiled and raised both hands to signal them to rise.

The candidates thanked him and rose.

The official in charge of the venue then introduced the six candidates at the front to Lu Jigui, "Your Excellency, these six are this year's..."

Lu Jigui raised his hand to interrupt, "No need for introductions. The top six from this year's local examination, I met them at the congratulatory banquet after the examination. They are all talented scholars of Lieshou, and I remember them well!" He pointed particularly at Jieyuan Lang Zhan Muchun, his smile broad and satisfied.

"Thank you, Prefect, for your kind words!" Zhan Muchun, radiant with pride, led the others in their gratitude, and the remaining five also bowed.

The group of candidates behind, including Su Yingtao, Fang Wenxian, Zhang Manqu, and Pan Wenqing, envied the top six who had received such praise from the Prefect.

Everyone knew that even if the top six from the local examination failed to pass the imperial examination in the capital or stumbled in the metropolitan examination, due to various internal factors, they would still be given important positions in Lieshou upon their return. If everything went well, their starting positions would not be too bad.

In other words, these top six would soon become officials in Lieshou, which was why Su Yingtao and the others had tried to befriend Zhan Muchun before. This was the easiest time to get close to them, and in the future, they might not even recognize you. The four of them ranked within the top thirty, and their future was still uncertain.

Lu Jigui did not waste time and immediately introduced the two people beside him, "Come, let me introduce to you two distinguished figures of Lieshou. This is Mr. Di Cang, the foremost spirit plant master of Lieshou, and this is Mr. Yu Qi, the foremost demon subduing master of Lieshou."

The candidates were somewhat surprised, not expecting the Prefect to bring such important figures to this occasion. For them, these two were major figures in Lieshou, people they rarely had the chance to meet, and they all bowed to greet the two masters.

Di Cang and Yu Qi merely smiled and nodded to the candidates, not saying much. They had no common ground with these candidates and did not want to overshadow the main event.

After some polite exchanges, the candidates parted to make way, and Lu Jigui, led by the officials, entered the Chaohexi Garden to inspect. The top six accompanied him, representing the candidates in responding to the Prefect's inquiries. The others followed behind, and Ying Qing, mingling among them, had never imagined he would be in such a situation, but it was a valuable experience.

Lu Jigui inevitably asked how everyone was settling in and eating, and he particularly instructed the local official to take good care of the candidates' meals to ensure that the talented scholars of Lieshou could shine.

When it came to accommodation, they naturally had to check the rooms. The room of the Jieyuan Lang was the focus.

Not everyone could go upstairs, so most candidates waited downstairs.

Ying Qing was among them, watching as Lu Jigui and the others entered the room he had once stayed in. He looked around at the candidates eagerly waiting, wondering what they were so hopeful about and what they could possibly gain.

Lu Jigui could not spend all his time at the accommodation. After inspecting the nearby building, he took a walk around the Chaohexi Garden and then changed the subject, "Our newly minted scholars are all here, and this is a rare opportunity. Gentlemen, would you be interested in seeing their talents?" He stopped and turned to face the two masters.

Everyone stopped when he did, all eyes on him. Some candidates sensed an opportunity to show off and their eyes sparkled with hope.

Di Cang and Yu Qi were a bit slow to react. They exchanged a smile, and Di Cang asked, "How would we see their talents?"

Lu Jigui's gaze swept over the candidates, and he stroked his beard, "Each of you could set a question, and our newly minted scholars would write two essays in response. You two would judge the quality, and it would also serve as a legacy they leave for the academy before heading to the capital, for the students to study. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Ying Qing, who had been idly passing the time, felt a chill down his spine, his heart tightening, and his scalp tingling.

Writing a few words was fine; calligraphy was a basic skill he had practiced in the Daoist temple, and his handwriting was not inferior to Ashi Heng's, perhaps even better. Writing letters and such was no problem, but composing essays on given topics was beyond his ability.

When parting ways with Ashi Heng, Ashi Heng had said that failing the examination in the capital was not a big deal, as he did not expect him to pass, but he hoped Ying Qing would put in more effort. The reasoning was simple: failing the exam and being eliminated was normal, but if the examiners found his answers so poor that they wanted to investigate his background, it would be too much.

He was still unfamiliar with the exam format and planned to learn from Ashi Heng's connections in the capital. Suddenly facing this situation, he could not help but feel anxious and began to look around.

He realized that if he were exposed here, with his cultivation and strength, he would have no chance of escaping.

He felt as if he had been jolted awake from a daze, cursing Ashi Heng for warning him about the possibility of unexpected events on the journey. Now, what was he to do?

He felt a sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

For the other candidates, this was an unexpected opportunity. Whether they did well or not, they had nothing to lose, and if they did well, they might catch the Prefect's eye.

Of course, for someone else, it was a disaster from the sky.

While the other candidates looked at him with hopeful eyes, Ying Qing's gaze darted around, trying to think of a way out.

Di Cang and Yu Qi were also taken aback, not expecting the Prefect to ask them to do this.

They exchanged a glance and reached a silent agreement. Di Cang declined, "This is not our place. The questions should be set by the Prefect himself."

Lu Jigui chuckled, "Setting questions is a minor matter. I want to take this opportunity to have you two offer some prizes as encouragement for our scholars. I hope you won't refuse."

With this, the two understood the deeper meaning. The Prefect was using this to show that even they had to follow his orders.

Just appearing was not enough, and they exchanged another glance.

It was not that they were not giving Lu Jigui face, but in the realm of elegant writing, they were certainly not as good as these young candidates, who were all top talents from the local examination. Judging their essays would be inappropriate and could lead to ridicule.

However, since Lu Jigui had said this in public, they could not refuse.

After some thought, Yu Qi said, "Your Excellency, I think setting essay questions is not a good idea. First, even without considering the time to answer, it would take us a long time to read through the essays of over three hundred people, and we are too busy..."

Lu Jigui was about to suggest that they write poems instead, which would be easier and faster to review.

But Yu Qi did not give him the chance, quickly adding, "Second, these young people have already been tested in the local examination. Their essays have been judged, and their rankings are already determined. It would be inappropriate for us to make further judgments. Your Excellency, why not test something they haven't been tested on before? How about testing their quick thinking? We three could each set a few riddles, and give them the time of one incense stick to see who can solve the most riddles in the shortest time. This would be less confrontational. What do you think?"

Turning to riddles? The candidates looked at each other in surprise.

Ying Qing, who was trying to figure out how to deal with the unexpected situation, was also stunned. If it turned into a riddle-solving contest, he would not need to think about escaping, as failing to solve riddles would not be a big deal.

He immediately stood on tiptoe, watching Lu Jigui's reaction, hoping he would listen to the advice and not insist on writing essays.

Di Cang nodded in agreement, thinking Yu Qi's suggestion was good. It would resolve their awkwardness and give Lu Jigui face.

Indeed, it was reasonable, and Lu Jigui nodded, deciding on the spot, "Good! I'll go with your suggestion. But... are you willing to offer prizes?" He smiled teasingly.

The two masters exchanged another glance, knowing they would have to contribute something. Giving too little would not be appropriate given the Prefect's public request.

Ying Qing, who had been on tiptoe, let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Di Cang's gaze swept over the candidates, and he said loudly, "Since the Prefect has spoken, how can we refuse? I will offer one hundred pounds of spirit rice as a prize!"

The value of one hundred pounds of spirit rice was known to many candidates, at least ten thousand taels of silver.

What was going on? Ying Qing, who had just relaxed, immediately perked up, standing on tiptoe and staring at Di Cang in disbelief. One hundred pounds of spirit rice? His eyes were full of incredulity.

He wanted to know if the one hundred pounds of spirit rice worth ten thousand taels would go to one person or be divided among the three hundred candidates.

If it went to one person, he would feel very unfair. He had once beaten up three fellow disciples for a few hundred taels of silver, and now solving a few riddles could win ten thousand taels, which seemed too easy.

However, Di Cang did not specify how the prize would be distributed.

Lu Jigui smiled in satisfaction and then looked at Yu Qi with a smile.

Yu Qi sighed inwardly, knowing he had to make a statement. He spoke calmly and clearly, "A vial of Xuan-level 'Dianyao Dew' as a prize."

"Dianyao Dew?" The candidates began to whisper, some of whom, due to their lack of experience, did not know what it was.

Ying Qing, who had been on tiptoe, felt another jolt. He, as a person of the martial world, knew what 'Dianyao Dew' was. It was a powerful tool for subduing demons, requiring only a drop to reveal a demon's true form, hence its name.

The key, of course, was its value.