Chapter 57

Of course, Lin Yanzhao's moment of being stunned and unable to put pen to paper was also noticed by others, who naturally assumed he was confused and couldn't answer a single question, and they secretly mocked him. After a while, Lin Yanzhao shook his head, started grinding the ink, dipped his brush, and began to write and make notes on the rough paper.

Seeing Lin Yanzhao start writing, some people couldn't help but mock him, saying this kid was just putting on a show, and it would be interesting to see what kind of article he would write. Lin Yanzhao was indeed putting on a show; he wanted to solve the problem from his own perspective, but after thinking of several solutions, he compared them with the model essays in his memory, and they all seemed inferior.

It seemed that his level was still not high enough. Lin Yanzhao decided not to change anything and directly wrote down the solution from the model essay. Once the solution was set, the structure of the article was also determined. Before the solution, the article was his; after the solution, he was bound by the article.

Lin Yanzhao continued writing, making slight modifications to the subsequent parts of the article, such as the continuation, introduction, and conclusion. Of course, these modifications were minor, but they did take a lot of mental effort. This was purely to avoid suspicion, as writing the model essay word for word would not be good. This was the only part of the exam that required Lin Yanzhao to use his brain.

Lin Yanzhao quickly finished his first article, but most of the others had just started writing their drafts, and some were still struggling to come up with a solution, scratching their heads and deep in thought, very distressed.

Lin Yanzhao then deliberately slowed down for the second and third articles, even practicing his calligraphy on the remaining paper. When there was only half an hour left in the exam, a few people confidently submitted their papers. Only then did Lin Yanzhao take out the final paper and copy his draft onto it.

The final paper was directly submitted to the examiner. In the exam, the handwriting on the copied paper must not only be neat but also beautiful.

However, by the Wanli era, the calligraphy in the examination hall was no longer dominated by the official script. The Yan style and the official script were generally clean and precise, with full and dignified strokes, and less flamboyant, as if one could see the iron will of Yan Gong when he scolded Li Xilie.

Lin Yanzhao's current calligraphy skills naturally did not reach that level, but after three months of hard practice, he could achieve clean and precise strokes. The entire paper looked clean and tidy, and Lin Yanzhao felt a sense of accomplishment. This was the best writing he had done since his rebirth, and he believed he would do even better in the future.

When Lin Yanzhao finished and submitted his paper, the county school instructor glanced at it, looked up at Lin Yanzhao, and said nothing. Lin Yanzhao bowed and left the study hall.

The papers were graded immediately after submission, and the county school instructor personally evaluated them.

At lunchtime, people discussed the morning exam. Some were happy, and some were worried. The happy ones talked enthusiastically about their problem-solving strategies, while the worried ones sat silently.

The monthly exam was also important for the ranking of the outer dormitory, and it carried more weight than the biweekly exams, second only to the quarterly exams. For the students of the academy, if they saw their ranking rise, it was good, but if it fell, it meant they were regressing, and the pressure on them would be even greater.

Many people lost their appetite, staring blankly as they ate, and some pushed their food boxes away and went to a secluded place. Lin Yanzhao, seeing this, couldn't help but think of his own days as a high school student. Even after several hundred years, the emotions were the same.

However, Lin Yanzhao did well this time, so he was in a good mood. He walked to his usual pavilion, sat down, and enjoyed the scenery around him, which was about to turn to winter, eating his meal under the plum trees, a very elegant thing to do.

Lin Yanzhao opened his food box, and the meal today was really good, with both meat and vegetables. The cook had even made a sea clam and egg soup, which was a change from the usual plain water.

Lin Yanzhao was enjoying his meal when a few students came to the pavilion and asked with a smile, "Brother Lin, how did the exam go? Do you have any confidence?"

Lin Yanzhao thought for a moment and said, "Not bad."

The students looked at each other and asked with a smile, "Brother Yanzhao, when you say 'not bad,' do you mean you think you can rank in the top few?"

Lin Yanzhao picked up a piece of sea clam with his chopsticks, nodded seriously, and said, "In the top five, I think."

"Top five? Brother Yanzhao, you are really confident," the person couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Yanzhao said, "Yes."

The students all bowed and laughed as they left.

Lin Yanzhao also bowed and continued eating.

In the afternoon, the results of the outer dormitory exam were posted. The caretaker put the list on the study hall.

The students were all anxious and rushed to the list.

"Brother Chen, how did you do?"

"Don't mention it. I didn't finish the third question and only ranked 17th, two places lower than last time. Brother Ma looks very happy, so he must have done well."

"Yes, he improved by three places this time."

"Congratulations, Brother Ma, you have a good chance of becoming an inner dormitory student."

"Look, is the second place Lin Yanzhao?"

For a moment, everyone was silent and looked at the list.

At the top was still Ye Xianggao, followed by Lin Yanzhao in second place, and Yu Ziyu in third place...

"Is the list posted upside down?"

Everyone's first reaction was to laugh. The bookworm who studied all day, wasn't his last essay terrible? Is there something fishy here?

"Wasn't his essay terrible last time?"

"He must have done something underhanded."

"Shh, Lin Yanzhao is right there."

"What's the problem with saying it? I want to say it to his face. We have studied hard for ten years, how can we study with someone who doesn't know anything?" A student with a red ear and neck said loudly, glancing back at Lin Yanzhao.

"Brother He is right. If it's true, we can't just sit by. If there's something fishy, I will report it to the headmaster," another student said.

"Alright, alright, Brother He, Brother Ma," Chen Xinggui stepped forward and looked at Lin Yanzhao, "Calm down, let's wait for the papers to be returned. Brother Lin, the clear will be clear, and you don't need to fear others' words, right?"

Chen Xinggui was giving him a hint, and Lin Yanzhao knew that he usually got along well with Yu Ziyu. "Brother Chen is right."

"Alright, everyone, let's go."

Hearing Chen Xinggui, everyone entered the study hall. Chen Xinggui looked at Yu Ziyu and said, "Brother Yu?"

Yu Ziyu turned around and said, "Nothing, let's wait for the papers."

Soon, the county school instructor entered the lecture hall with a stack of papers.

The county school had one instructor and several tutors, all of whom were graduates or tribute students appointed by the provincial governor, responsible for teaching the scholars.

The students all held their breath. The county school instructor was a renowned scholar, an old graduate, and the quality of scholars in Min County, the first county of the ten Min, was the highest. This instructor had a good reputation and was as knowledgeable as the headmaster, Lin Yuan.

Fortunately, this time the county school instructor graded the papers. If someone else had done it, the outer dormitory students would have overturned the tables and rebelled.

The county school instructor said, "I have been to Lianjiang Academy before, but this time was very rewarding. Which of you is Ye Xianggao and Lin Yanzhao? Stand up and let me see you."

Ye Xianggao and Lin Yanzhao stood up.

The county school instructor said with satisfaction, "Though you are not from Min County, you are both teachable talents. What a pity, what a pity."

The students, who could enter the academy, were all well-versed in the subtleties of language. The instructor's words were clear: Ye Xianggao and Lin Yanzhao were not from Min County, so even if they passed the exam and became scholars, they could not study at the Min County school. The instructor's regret was that he could not teach them.

The students were all surprised. Ye Xianggao was one thing, but how could Lin Yanzhao be from outside Min County?

Yu Ziyu's face turned green. He was the third place in this monthly exam, and being below Lin Yanzhao was uncomfortable. But the instructor only mentioned Ye Xianggao and Lin Yanzhao, not him, indicating that his level was not on par with theirs.

Yu Ziyu looked at Lin Yanzhao and thought, "I want to see what makes your paper so special."

The county school instructor, having finished explaining the papers, was about to go to the inner dormitory, so he only took Ye Xianggao's paper to explain.

Lin Yanzhao listened to Ye Xianggao's solutions, which were not from "The Treasury of Major and Minor Topics," but were mostly his own, and even so, they were innovative and successful. This was the level Lin Liao required him to reach.

Lin Yanzhao carefully appreciated the subtleties of Ye Xianggao's solutions, but the other students were not interested; they wanted to see Lin Yanzhao's paper.

After the instructor distributed the papers, he left.

Lin Yanzhao picked up his paper and saw that several good parts were circled in red ink, and in the upper left corner, a "2" was written in red ink.

"Brother Yanzhao, can I see your paper?"

Because they were sitting cross-legged, the desks in the study hall were very low, not much higher than a computer desk. Therefore, the two students surnamed Ma and He, standing next to Lin Yanzhao, looked down at him.

To be fair, Lin Yanzhao had been in school for so long and still didn't know the names of the two students surnamed Ma and He. Of course, with his photographic memory, he could remember them, but he didn't think it was necessary.

"Brother Yanzhao, can I see your paper?"

The two students asked, but their tone was more of a command, and they simply took the paper from Lin Yanzhao's desk.

PS: Thank you all for your recommendations and support. About the updates, I am not slacking off, but I do have to work. Every update is written in my spare time. I will update twice on the weekend, I promise.

Finally, thank you all for your support.