Chapter 48

Wang Zhaojing nodded. After a few days, his initial defiance had turned into genuine admiration, and his words and attitude had changed from what they used to be.

"Wang Zhaojing, your family is a scholarly one. Let me say something that might offend you, but isn't martial arts considered a lowly pursuit for your family? How can your martial skills be so good?" This was a question that Zhao Jin had been holding back for a long time.

In this era, the status of scholars was incomparably high, and those with official titles were even more remarkable. As for those who passed the imperial examinations and became censors in the Censorate, they were already considered the top tier among scholars. In such a prestigious family, even if the children were incompetent, they would still be urged to study, not to practice martial arts. After all, even a top general, in the eyes of civil officials, was nothing more than a dog. Given this contrast, it was no exaggeration to say that the son of a censor, born from a family of scholars, learning martial arts was shocking and unconventional.

Moreover, after interacting with Wang Zhaojing for a few days, it was clear that he was not an incompetent and spoiled young man. At his age, he was already so resilient, calm, and wise, and compared to his peers, he was very adept at human relations. Such a person would definitely not be incompetent in his studies.

Actually, after Zhao Jin asked this question, he also felt it was inappropriate. Wasn't he indirectly saying that the other person lacked the talent for studying?

With Wang Zhaojing's intelligence, he naturally understood this implication. His fair face immediately turned red. An adult might have held back, especially when trying to be friendly, but at his age, he was competitive and couldn't bear to be looked down upon. He immediately raised his voice to explain. Fortunately, at this moment, the martial arts competition had reached the round of sixteen, and with many new participants, the cheers and applause were continuous, so no one noticed this side conversation.

"My father and the elders at home all say I am a promising scholar. If I take the county examination now, I will definitely pass and become a scholar. My father even said that his writing skills were not as good as mine when he was my age. He said that if I study for a few more years, passing the provincial examination won't be difficult."

Seeing Wang Zhaojing's excitement and his reference to his father and elders, it didn't seem like he was lying. However, Zhao Jin had a general understanding of the imperial examination system of this era. Passing the county and prefectural examinations was relatively easy, especially with wealth, power, and connections; obtaining the title of scholar was not difficult. But passing the provincial examination was much harder. Even in Zhao Jin's family of martial artists, they had heard the saying "golden provincial scholar, silver imperial scholar," which referred to the difficulty of passing the provincial and imperial examinations.

There were many scholars, but the proportion who passed the provincial examination was very small. Out of tens of thousands of scholars, only about a thousand would pass the provincial examination. Then, from the provincial scholars, only a few hundred would pass the metropolitan examination and become imperial scholars. The ratio of provincial scholars to imperial scholars was much higher than that of scholars to provincial scholars.

Moreover, Wang Zhaojing had been in the capital, which was part of the Northern Zhili, and now he was in Xuzhou, which was part of the Southern Zhili. The Northern and Southern Zhili were the centers of the empire, with many more scholars than other provinces. In the Jiangnan region, the cultural atmosphere was particularly strong, and even the preliminary selection for the provincial examination was held, overseen by the imperial censor. Only those who passed this preliminary selection could take the provincial examination.

Given such a low ratio and such a difficult examination, saying he could pass the provincial examination was quite a bold claim. If others heard it, most of Zhao Jin's peers wouldn't understand, and adults would think it was just something to please the child, not to be taken seriously.

But Zhao Jin didn't think so. In a family of scholars like the Wangs, they had a sense of propriety. Overpraising a child and then failing to meet expectations would be a great embarrassment in the scholarly community. Moreover, the Wangs didn't seem like the type to flatter a child. Wang Zhaojing put so much effort into martial arts; why would they flatter him by saying he could pass the provincial examination? There must be a reason for such a claim.

Zhao Jin nodded thoughtfully. Seeing that Zhao Jin's reaction was genuine and not dismissive, Wang Zhaojing relaxed a bit. It seemed he was very afraid that others would think he practiced martial arts because he was not good at studying.

"Actually, at first, I also found it strange. My mother told me that my father originally planned for me to study literature and follow his path. But in the third year in the capital, he changed his mind and decided to have me practice martial arts. Many people found this strange, and many close to our family tried to dissuade him. My father, however, remained firm. Fortunately, over the years, I haven't neglected my studies or martial arts, and the elders have finally breathed a sigh of relief." Wang Zhaojing explained in detail.

A civil official, especially one who was a censor and an imperial scholar, deciding to have his child practice martial arts was indeed strange.

However, Zhao Jin still smiled and said, "Wang Zhaojing, you are truly both a scholar and a warrior."

"Too kind, Brother Zhao, too kind." Being both a scholar and a warrior was one of the most outstanding skills in this era, and Wang Zhaojing was very pleased to hear this.

On the competition ground, Dong Bingfeng had defeated Sun Dalei and entered the semi-finals. Although his staff techniques were flashy, he had been overconfident yesterday. When he became more cautious and didn't attack recklessly, his physical strength and training gave him an easy victory. In the other match, Chen Sheng had an 80% chance of winning against Shi Manqiang.

"Brother Zhao, I find Brother Zhao to be calm and composed, with outstanding strategy and martial skills. I dare say that even in the capital, among people our age, Brother Zhao is rare." Wang Zhaojing praised Zhao Jin.

Zhao Jin laughed and shook his head, "We've been playing together; you can see my strategic skills from that?"

"Yes, these things contain a lot of wisdom when you think about them. I told my father, and he was also very surprised." Wang Zhaojing spoke earnestly.

On the competition ground, Dong Bingfeng and Chen Sheng both won their semi-final matches. However, Dong Bingfeng was badly beaten by Ji Xiang, even bleeding from the nose. Chen Sheng, on the other hand, was unharmed.

"Brother Zhao, do you have any aspirations?" Wang Zhaojing suddenly asked. At that moment, Zhao Jin's attention was on the competition, and he subconsciously answered, "To continuously become stronger and leave my name in history."

In the competition, the two were still using weapons, but Chen Sheng had a significant advantage. He quickly closed the distance and, with a shoulder charge, knocked Dong Bingfeng down, winning the match.

At that moment, Mu Shulan still hadn't appeared, but the five hooligans reappeared with swollen faces, slapped themselves, and bowed deeply before leaving.

Unlike others, Chen Sheng, who had won first place many times, was not very interested in the pastries. After seeing Zhao Jin's behavior, he also wanted to do the same. He first let his younger brother take his fill, then gave some to his close friends, and distributed the rest to everyone.

His generous behavior excited the young people who had come. Dong Bingfeng also took two pieces and enjoyed them. Zhao Jin stretched his legs a bit and felt much better than yesterday. He thought he could probably participate in the competition the next day or the day after.

"Zhao Jin, let me help you back. It's on the way anyway." Chen Sheng said.

Seeing Wang Zhaojing and Zhao Jin chatting and laughing, Chen Sheng felt a bit uncomfortable. He thought, "Zhao Jin is my best friend; why is a newcomer getting involved?"

Walking was actually quite steady and didn't require support. However, in the cold weather, not moving made him feel very cold. As they walked and chatted, Chen Sheng talked about the competition: "The new guy, Dong Bingfeng, is actually very skilled. He just lacks experience, so he doesn't know how to fight. His techniques may be flashy, but his caution is also strong."

"Did you see the two people who came with him? They are probably his teachers and seem to know martial arts suitable for battlefields." Zhao Jin also shared his observations.