Chapter 7

After setting off, the group almost never stopped, except to change horses at relay stations and to eat, until they finally settled down for the night at a relay station when it got dark.

Ying Qing estimated that if it weren't for fear that he, a scholar, couldn't keep up, these two could have led him on a non-stop journey day and night.

At dawn, the three continued their dusty journey.

The desolation of the people along the way was commonplace, and it was not unusual to see bones of those who had starved to death on the road.

Traveling in this manner, it took them a full two and a half days to reach their destination.

A majestic city, the capital of Lieshou Prefecture.

The city gates were bustling with people and vehicles, truly a bustling metropolis, a stark contrast to the desolate scenes they had seen on the journey.

The three entered the city safely, without any incidents, thanks to Xu Juaning's proper arrangements.

The city was lined with shops, bustling with vendors, carriages, and the sounds of hawking, the scent of incense from brothels, a vivid scene of the mortal world.

Ying Qing, who had lived in the mountains for a long time, was fascinated by the city's bustle, looking around with interest, but unfortunately, Xu and Tang did not allow him to linger.

As the noisy clamor gradually faded away, the three arrived at a quiet place, in front of a grand gateway.

The gateway was intricately carved and decorated, with flying eaves, as if it were about to take flight, very impressive, and there were heavily armed guards around.

A large sign hung above the gateway, with four characters in dragon and phoenix script: "Lieshou Wenhua."

This place was the Wenhua Academy of Lieshou, the largest official academy in the region, which had already given all the students a holiday, clearing out the halls and dormitories to accommodate the talented scholars who would soon gather in Lieshou.

Ying Qing arrived under the name "A Shiheng," but there were issues with the procedures, as Xu and Tang had not followed the normal process, and the local officials who should have handled the formalities were not present. Who knew who they had brought.

Tang Bulan immediately left, and when he returned, he was accompanied by an official in official robes from Lieshou. With his arrival, the issues were resolved on the spot.

After the procedures were quickly completed, someone led Ying Qing into the Wenhua Academy. Ying Qing looked back every few steps, realizing that he was parting ways with Xu and Tang, and he didn't know if he would see them again.

"That largest building is the 'Fenghua Hall,' a venue for literary debates, capable of accommodating one or two thousand people, enough for all the scholars and teachers to sit comfortably."

"This place is the most famous 'Yuxiu Garden' of the academy, with its carefully crafted landscapes and cultivated plants, all exuding a sense of elegance and artistry. The buildings distributed within are lecture halls for the students..."

The two officials, one tall and one short, introduced the places as they walked, and Ying Qing wondered if they had been instructed to do so. He noticed that there were occasionally people in gray cloaks scattered around, each carrying weapons, clearly on guard, adding a sense of solemnity to the place.

He had heard that the people of the Sinan Office wore gray clothes, and some called them "gray-cloaked people." He had never met anyone from the Sinan Office before, but he guessed that these people might be from the Sinan Office.

"Those houses by the lake are the 'Chenxiang Hall,' where you can eat. You can go there for meals, which are free, and all expenses during your stay are covered by the prefecture."

"These buildings are the 'Chaoyi Garden,' where the academy students live, and they are now temporarily assigned to you." The two officials, who had been talking non-stop, stopped. The shorter one turned around and handed Ying Qing a wooden sign with the name "A Shiheng" written on it. "You can choose any room that is unoccupied. After you move in, remember to hang your nameplate next to the door. Later arrivals will avoid rooms that are already occupied to prevent any disturbances."

"Thank you." Ying Qing took the sign with both hands and asked, "How many candidates have already moved in?"

The two officials exchanged a smile, and the shorter one held up one finger. "Mr. A, you are the first to arrive."

The first? Ying Qing was taken aback and looked around. No wonder it was so quiet; he couldn't see anyone except the guards.

He roughly understood what was going on. It was all due to Xu Juaning's doing, pushing them to travel at breakneck speed, reducing a journey that should have taken seventy to eighty days to just two and a half days. His buttocks were numb from the ride, and he had never seen anyone rush to take an exam like this.

Seeing his puzzled expression, the tall official quickly reassured him with a smile, "This is a good omen, being the first. You might even win the top prize in this exam!"

The shorter one chimed in, "Indeed, indeed."

This made Ying Qing laugh. If he could win the top prize, that would be truly bizarre, an impossible thing.

Noticing that the two officials were lingering around him, smiling and flattering him, and almost reaching out for something, Ying Qing finally understood what was going on. They were trying to get a tip, in other words, some money.

I'm short of money too! Ying Qing muttered to himself, pretending not to understand, and turned to walk into the Chaoyi Garden.

What kind of tip? He was very practical and didn't need any good luck, as he had no intention of passing the exam. Why should he pay for it? Besides, he was used to being poor, and he was glad he didn't have to take money from others. Did they really think that the idea of using the name of the abbot to take money from his senior brother was something anyone could come up with?

The two officials stood there, looking at each other. Normally, as soon as they said something auspicious and made a gesture, any candidate would give them a tip. Even if they were poor, they would give a little. Not giving anything at all was too much, especially when the exam was just around the corner. Wouldn't they be worried about bad luck?

Usually, this was a lucrative job, and they could easily make several hundred taels of silver from a single batch of candidates.

The tall official said, "Is he out of money or didn't understand our meaning?"

The shorter official spat, "How could someone going to the capital for the exam not bring any money? Even the poorest, with the status of a scholar, would have people willing to sponsor their journey. Look at him, carrying a sword, not dressed like a scholar, and just a simple bag. Do you think he looks like an inexperienced bookworm? His eyes are shifty, and he turned and left. He's clearly pretending to be clueless to avoid us. Damn, he's probably a tightwad."

The tall official understood and got angry, waving his hand. "We've been talking non-stop on the way. We can't just work for free. Let's go and confront him directly for a tip, and see who has the thicker skin."

"Let it go." The shorter one held his arm and subtly glanced at the wary eyes around them. "Times have changed. This time is different from previous years. The people from the Sinan Office can execute anyone on the spot without permission. If we cause trouble, we might not be tolerated. Let it go. We can't take the risk, and we'll just consider it a bad start."

"Someone like him thinking about winning the top prize, pfft! He's destined to fail."

"Later, when more people arrive, we'll stand in position, blocking them from easily slipping away."

Ying Qing didn't care about their complaints and wandered around the quiet Chaoyi Garden alone.

The place was quite clean and elegantly laid out, with small bridges, flowing water, pavilions, and lush trees. Stone tables and benches were scattered around, making it a suitable environment for studying.

As for where to stay? Since no one else had arrived, he could choose freely and take his time.

Ying Qing toured the entire Chaoyi Garden and found that the buildings were two-story houses, spaced among the greenery, divided into several sections, with probably one or two thousand rooms, indicating the large scale of the Lieshou Academy.

After circling around, Ying Qing returned to a building near the entrance of the Chaoyi Garden and went up to the second floor.

The second floor was definitely better than the first, as he wouldn't have to hear the footsteps above.

He chose a room at the end of the corridor, with an unobstructed view, a wide field of vision, and easy access to the dining area. It was probably the best choice for a temporary stay.

First come, first served, a natural human tendency. Ying Qing was quite satisfied and hung the wooden sign with "A Shiheng" on the door nail to mark it as occupied.

He pushed the door open and found that the room was fully furnished with a bed, a desk, and everything else, all in one large single room.

After inspecting the room, he put down his belongings and opened all the windows to let in fresh air.

He stood by the window, lost in thought for a while, then took his toiletries and went down to the well behind the building to wash up, including his dusty coat.

After finishing, he tidied up and brought a bucket of clean water back to his room for later use.

With the clothes drying in the room, half a day had passed.

Wearing a scholar's robe, Ying Qing checked the sky, went downstairs, and left the Chaoyi Garden, heading straight to the Chenxiang Hall by the lake for a meal.

At the Chenxiang Hall, he found that meals were only prepared for the candidates, and a single cook was waiting for him, asking what he wanted to eat. Since there were few people, he would cook on the spot.

Ying Qing didn't hesitate and asked for the best dishes. After a satisfying meal, he returned to his room.

He spent the night alone.

The next morning, he heard people talking outside and peeked out the window. The two officials, one tall and one short, were leading a scholar and a servant carrying luggage, who was probably the scholar's attendant.

The government escorted candidates to the capital but could not cater to each candidate's living habits or provide personal services like washing clothes or tucking them in at night to prevent them from getting cold and sick. Given the different living habits of the candidates and to avoid affecting their performance, the government allowed candidates to bring attendants.

Those with strong self-care abilities could go without, but they were a minority. Most were only focused on studying, and to put it bluntly, they were weak and had poor self-care abilities, especially the sons of wealthy families. Therefore, there were specialized attendants called "shutong" to serve the scholars.

Shutong were usually selected and raised from a young age to be familiar with the candidates' habits and to be reliable when traveling.

This was the role that Ying Qing was originally supposed to play for A Shiheng.