Chapter 4

Fang Yun sighed lightly and said, "I said before, I was thoroughly awakened. However, misfortune may be an actual blessing. Last night, I met an extraordinary person who taught me a lot. Things I couldn't remember before, I now remember, and things I didn't understand suddenly became clear, as if I had been enlightened."

Yang Yuhuan looked at Fang Yun with a mix of disbelief and doubt, and asked softly, "Who was that person?"

"He didn't give his name, saying I'm his half-closed disciple. If I can't pass the examination for a junior scholar, I don't deserve to know his name." Fang Yun knew he had fundamentally changed, so he fabricated this story to reduce others' suspicions.

Yang Yuhuan's beautiful eyes were full of surprise as she asked, "Junior scholar? Only a junior scholar can know him, so who is he? A senior scholar? A great Confucian? Could he be a semi-sage?"

"I don't know that." Fang Yun shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"Since you have a great teacher guiding you, you will definitely pass the examination for a child scholar! I'll go back and cut two taels of meat, and you can eat your fill tonight!" Yang Yuhuan laughed happily, her smile brighter than the spring sunshine.

"Then buy more, a catty, and stew a chicken while you're at it." Fang Yun knew that failing the child scholar examination would mean certain death, so he decided to indulge himself as a last luxury. If he passed, the money wouldn't matter.

Yang Yuhuan nodded without hesitation and said, "Then I'll do as you say! You are the head of the family."

Fang Yun hadn't expected that Yang Yuhuan, besides being beautiful, was also so considerate, always protecting his dignity. In her eyes, eating so much in one day was already wasteful, but she still agreed without hesitation, fearing that Fang Yun's self-esteem would be hurt.

Fang Yun sighed inwardly, "Perhaps she thinks that if she works a little harder and endures a bit more, she can earn back this money. Such a woman, how can I let her down? If I can pass the child scholar examination, I will never let her suffer or work hard again!"

Yang Yuhuan took out a sugar pancake she had made that morning from the book box and said, "I made a few more. You didn't eat breakfast, so have this now."

Fang Yun took the sugar pancake and started eating slowly.

The food on the day of the examination was always better than usual. At noon, they had to stay at the academy, eating and answering questions at the same time, and they had to bring their own food and water. The child scholar examination was relatively easy to write, but the scholar examination lasted for three days, with eating, drinking, and sleeping all in a small examination room. Even a slight physical problem could be unbearable.

The old ox cart swayed as it headed east, and soon they arrived outside the academy.

The academy, with its red walls and green tiles, was surrounded by green trees, looking vibrant in the morning light.

Outside the academy, a large crowd of people stood, including children in their teens and elderly people with white hair. They were lined up in ten rows, gradually entering the academy. A rough estimate showed that there were no fewer than two thousand people, and even more parents and relatives who were not in line.

Fang Yun was taken aback, not expecting that in a county with a population of less than 90,000, the number of people taking the child scholar examination could reach two thousand.

Fang Yun knew that the literacy rate in ancient times was very low. In ancient China, the literacy rate among men was around 10%, and by the early Republic of China, it was only 15%, with more than half of those being various craftsmen and artisans who needed to recognize characters. The proportion of scholars and students was less than 5%, but this was the highest in the ancient world. In ancient Western countries, most nobles were illiterate, and the literacy rate in many countries was below 1%.

In Fang Yun's view, having three or four hundred people taking the child scholar examination in Ji County would have been enough, but he hadn't expected it to be two thousand, which was a shocking number.

And Ji County was a lower county, which could only admit fifty child scholars a year!

Fang Yun was surprised, realizing he had underestimated the intensity of the child scholar examination.

Fang Yun quickly remembered that the population density of the Holy Yuan Continent was much higher than in ancient China.

Counties were divided into upper, middle, and lower based on their wealth, and Ji County was a lower county with relatively scarce land resources. However, because of the existence of talent, as long as the common people didn't slack off, they wouldn't starve. Fang Yun and Yang Yuhuan were the best examples; even as children, they could support themselves and even barely afford to send one person to school.

One of the important duties of county magistrates and other officials on the Holy Yuan Continent was to assist farmers.

If there was a lack of rain, local officials would hold a "Rain Prayer Literary Gathering," inviting people with literary positions to write poems and articles to pray for rain. If the poems and articles were good enough, the talent would attract the elemental energy of heaven and earth, causing it to rain.

If the local scholars failed to pray for rain or if the weather was too dry, the officials would prepare "Literary Treasures" and "Holy Pages," using their talent to write famous works by ancient celebrities to pray for rain.

If there was too much rain, they would hold a "Flood Control Literary Gathering." In the case of a locust plague, they would hold a "Locust Control Literary Gathering," which would involve writing locust control tunes and locust extermination songs.

There were countless such literary gatherings.

Thanks to the talent, the grain yield here was much higher than in ancient Earth, supporting a larger population. Combined with the attraction of literary positions, many people would tighten their belts to send their children to school, which was why so many people took the child scholar examination in a county.

"Here, talent is the first productive force."

Fang Yun thought to himself as Yang Yuhuan helped him get off the cart.

The nearby candidates all looked over. Few knew Fang Yun, but everyone knew the famous beauty of Jiangzhou, Yang Yuhuan. Even if they hadn't seen her before, they could guess now because Yang Yuhuan was so beautiful.

Many people were tempted, but with the county examination about to start, they couldn't afford to cause trouble. They had to suppress their thoughts of a talented man and a beautiful woman.

Yang Yuhuan, used to being stared at, showed a faint blush in her eyes that quickly disappeared. She then helped Fang Yun without hesitation, carrying his book box for him.

The crowd envied her even more, thinking what a virtuous woman she was, wishing they could be Fang Yun.

"Fang Yun!"

"Yuhuan Sister!"

Four people left the line and walked over quickly, each carrying a bamboo book box. One was clearly younger than Fang Yun, while the other three were several years older.

Fang Yun recognized them as his classmates from the private school, with whom he had studied for more than three years. Among the four, Liang Yuan's family ran a rice shop and was relatively wealthy, while the others, like Fang Yun, were from ordinary families.

Their parents were alive, and their family conditions were better than Fang Yun's, but they never looked down on him. Their feelings for each other were very genuine, though twelve-year-old Ge Xiaomao had once blushed and said that he befriended Fang Yun to see Yuhuan Sister more often.

"What happened to you, Fang Yun?" Liang Yuan, the tallest of the five, rushed over and frowned as he examined Fang Yun.

Although Fang Yun had changed into clean clothes, his head was wrapped in medicinal bandages, and his face had obvious bruises and wounds.

Fang Yun smiled and said, "I slipped and fell on the rainy road last night. It's just minor injuries and won't affect the examination."

Ge Xiaomao worriedly said, "Are you sure it's not a big deal? Can you really do it?"

Fang Yun said half-jokingly, "Mencius said: 'Heaven, in bestowing a great task on a person, first tests his resolve, exhausts his muscles and bones, starves his body, and makes him destitute. I encountered obstacles before the examination and received guidance from a teacher, which shows that Heaven will bestow a great task on me.'"

"Teacher? Did Mr. Sun specially guide you?" Liang Yuan asked curiously.

"Not Mr. Sun, but another teacher you don't know. Let's not talk about this. We should queue up to enter the academy. Yuhuan Sister, I'll carry the book box."

The tall and strong Liang Yuan, however, took the book box and said, "I'll carry it for you. Let's go."

Another classmate, Lu Zhan, supported Fang Yun, said goodbye to Yang Yuhuan, and joined the queue to enter the academy.

Fang Yun looked around. He had taken the child scholar examination last year, but this was his first time here.

Ge Xiaomao complained softly, "I'm only twelve, and coming here is just a waste of money. I can write a few bad poems, but 'Invoking the Sage's Words' is too difficult. Besides the Thirteen Classics, there are also works by various sages. Since Confucius was deified, over a thousand years have passed, and dozens have been deified. 'Invoking the Sage's Words' tests knowledge of works by multiple sages. I've been in private school for five years, but I've only memorized 'The Analects,' 'Mencius,' 'The Book of Changes,' 'The Rites of Zhou,' and 'The Spring and Autumn Annals.' How can I possibly pass the child scholar examination?"

Fang Yun knew that 'Invoking the Sage's Words' was similar to fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice, and dictation questions in later times, where candidates had to fill in the blanks or write entire passages based on prompts.

This reminded Fang Yun of the imperial examinations in Tang Dynasty China.

In the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination included 'Tiejing,' which was an important subject for selecting candidates. It involved copying a few sentences from a classic text and then covering a few characters, asking candidates to fill in the blanks, which was even simpler than 'Invoking the Sage's Words.'

The prosperity of Tang poetry was mainly due to the fact that the imperial examination also tested poetry and prose, which had a significant weight.

On the Holy Yuan Continent, the Holy Academy found that poetry and talent were the most compatible, especially war poems and war lyrics that could influence the rise and fall of the human race. Therefore, the imperial examination always included poetry, with frontier poetry being the most important.

Liang Yuan smiled and said, "You're young, and you're here not for fame but to gain experience. Do your best. The 'Invoking the Sage's Words' section of the child scholar examination has thirty papers, and the 'Invoking the Sage's Words' section of the scholar examination has a hundred papers, jokingly called 'a hundred pages that can kill a plow ox.' How could anyone answer all of them correctly?"

Lu Zhan said, "Xiaomao, don't be discouraged. No one, except the four great talents, can answer all the 'Invoking the Sage's Words' questions in the child scholar examination, and we can't either, let alone you. Fortunately, the range of knowledge tested in the child scholar examination is smaller. The 'Invoking the Sage's Words' section of the scholar examination is much more difficult, and in hundreds of years of imperial examinations, no one, even the sages who were eventually deified, has answered all the questions correctly."

Ge Xiaomao sighed in relief and said, "Liang Yuan, this child scholar examination depends on you. No one from Mr. Sun's disciples has passed the child scholar examination in recent years, and other private schools have been mocking us. We can't be outdone by others! I hope our ancestors and the sages will bless us."

"You!" Liang Yuan laughed and shook his head.

Fang Yun was slightly taken aback when he heard the name Fang Zhongyong.

At that moment, someone nearby suddenly shouted, "Fang Zhongyong is here."

Everyone immediately looked in the direction of the voice and saw a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old getting off a horse-drawn carriage. The boy had a serious expression, lacking the innocence of a child, and his eyes lacked the liveliness expected of a prodigy, making him seem more mature than his peers.

A middle-aged man in a luxurious brocade robe then got off the carriage, looking very pleased with himself. Many parents immediately went up to flatter the man.

There were three to four thousand candidates and their relatives in front of the academy. When Fang Zhongyong and his father arrived, most people stopped talking and looked at them.

Fang Yun hadn't expected that, despite sharing the same surname, this father and son would be so prominent.

Fang Yun recognized Fang Zhongyong and his father, Fang Li, who were distant relatives. By seniority, Fang Yun was Fang Zhongyong's uncle, but the two families were so distant that they had no contact.

Ge Xiaomao said enviously, "Fang Zhongyong's reputation as a prodigy in Ji County surpasses even Yuhuan Sister's beauty. He not only has a photographic memory but also excels in poetry and prose far beyond us. His father says he could have passed the child scholar examination at ten, but he waited until this year to show his true strength and compete for the top position, the 'Anshou.'"

"This time, the 'Anshou' will definitely be his. The 'Anshou' can enter the prefectural academy of Dayuan Prefecture without further examination, which is the best school in the prefecture, far better than our private school." Liang Yuan said.

Fang Yun was slightly taken aback when he heard the name Fang Zhongyong.

At that moment, someone nearby suddenly shouted, "Fang Zhongyong is here."

Everyone immediately looked in the direction of the voice and saw a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old getting off a horse-drawn carriage. The boy had a serious expression, lacking the innocence of a child, and his eyes lacked the liveliness expected of a prodigy, making him seem more mature than his peers.

A middle-aged man in a luxurious brocade robe then got off the carriage, looking very pleased with himself. Many parents immediately went up to flatter the man.

There were three to four thousand candidates and their relatives in front of the academy. When Fang Zhongyong and his father arrived, most people stopped talking and looked at them.

Fang Yun hadn't expected that, despite sharing the same surname, this father and son would be so prominent.

Fang Yun recognized Fang Zhongyong and his father, Fang Li, who were distant relatives. By seniority, Fang Yun was Fang Zhongyong's uncle, but the two families were so distant that they had no contact.

Ge Xiaomao said enviously, "Fang Zhongyong's reputation as a prodigy in Ji County surpasses even Yuhuan Sister's beauty. He not only has a photographic memory but also excels in poetry and prose far beyond us. His father says he could have passed the child scholar examination at ten, but he waited until this year to show his true strength and compete for the top position, the 'Anshou.'"

"This time, the 'Anshou' will definitely be his. The 'Anshou' can enter the prefectural academy of Dayuan Prefecture without further examination, which is the best school in the prefecture, far better than our private school." Liang Yuan said.