The Exam Begins, a Heavy Bet

"If my two esteemed brothers are interested, I'll handle it!" A scholar stepped forward, and with a gesture, a golden paper appeared in his hand, on which he wrote a contract:

Agreement:

The two parties, A and B, shall make a bet using their imperial examination results as stakes. The one with the higher ranking wins, and the one with the lower ranking loses. The loser must run three laps around Haining City, shouting "I am a waste" ten times. Furthermore, the winner has the right to ask the loser one question, which the loser must answer truthfully and in detail. Both parties shall jointly abide by this agreement. If either party fails to comply, their Literary Root shall be severed, and they shall be abandoned by heaven and man.

With the agreement in hand, Zhang Haoyue signed first.

He then passed it to Lin Su.

Lin Su took the paper, hesitating slightly, "Are we using Treasure Paper and a Treasure Brush?"

"A scholar's agreement is worth a thousand pieces of gold. It doesn't originally require Treasure Paper or a Treasure Brush, but since Brother Lin wishes to create a beautiful tale, how can we do without Treasure Paper and a Treasure Brush?" Zhang Haoyue replied nonchalantly.

Lin Su picked up the brush, still hesitant. Everyone's heart pounded, waiting for him to sign...

"Heh heh, afraid to sign? It's okay if you're afraid, just slap yourself ten times and declare that your words were like farting, and we'll let it go!"

Lin Su was furious, "If you want me to sign, I'll sign!"

He picked up the brush, then wrote his name: Lin Su!

"Since it's a beautiful tale, I'll add to the excitement. I'll bet with you too!" The person who had written the agreement earlier also picked up his brush and signed his name: Zhao Ji. His name was also signed on Party A.

"You want to bet one against two?" Lin Su was dumbfounded.

"Of course, we never said Party A only had one person!"

A third person stepped forward...

"Wait!" Lin Su raised his hand to stop them. "What if I win against one person but lose to another? How will that be calculated?"

"The contract is clearly written. If you lose to Brother Zhang, you will act according to Brother Zhang's arrangements. If you win against Brother Zhao, he will act according to your arrangements!"

Lin Su pondered for a long time and nodded. "That's fair enough. Alright, whoever wants to sign can sign. Besides, the more people who sign, the safer I'll be. If the winner makes things difficult for me, I'll get it back doubly from the loser!"

In a short while, twenty-three scholars signed their names on Party A, representing Lin Su betting against twenty-three people.

With all the contracts signed, in duplicate, Zhang Haoyue, representing the twenty-three, took custody of the agreements. Lin Su picked up his copy and slowly turned his gaze to Lei Dongyang, "Professor, is it really okay to gamble before the exam?"

Lei Dongyang seemed very happy at this moment, "Why wouldn't it be? Didn't you just say it yourself? A beautiful tale in the Literary World!"

Lin Su nodded, "Professor Lei, do you want to sign too?"

Lei Dongyang's face changed, "Nonsense! You are gambling on the imperial examinations. I am not participating in the provincial exam!"

Lin Su said, "We can bet on something else."

"Bet on what?"

"Bet on my results in the Metropolitan Examination this October. Let's see whose results are better, mine or yours from when you took it."

Lei Dongyang's gaze slowly narrowed, "What if you cannot participate in this autumn's Metropolitan Examination?"

"Then, of course, I lose!"

"The stakes?"

"The same as theirs!"

Lei Dongyang's expression shifted like clouds and wind, "Alright, it's a bet!"

A unique contract was formed, and Lin Su and Lei Dongyang added another bet.

While they were making a fuss, those outside the red rope knew nothing of it, but someone within the circle sent a message to a distant location.

Upon receiving this message, Ding Hai jumped eight feet high!

"Foolish! Idiots! So ignorant!..."

He paced back and forth on the rooftop, in a state of extreme frenzy.

A beautiful woman landed before him, "Master, what happened?"

Ding Hai took a deep breath, "The secret recipe for White Cloud Border wine is no longer safe!"

"Why?" the woman exclaimed in shock.

Ding Hai recounted the events at the dock. Lin Su was betting with 23 scholars, and the loser would have to run naked... He didn't care about the naked running; it was Lin Su's reputation that would be ruined, his future destroyed. It had nothing to do with him, and he didn't care. The problem was, the contract also stipulated a second clause: the winner had the right to ask the loser one question, and the loser had to answer truthfully and in detail!

This scoundrel Lin Su, he might think the scholars would ask about private matters that would damage his reputation, but Ding Hai knew that these scholars would definitely ask about the wine's secret recipe!

Otherwise, why would 23 scholars be betting with him simultaneously?

The wine's secret recipe was something no one would leak once they knew it. If Zhang Haoyue knew it, he would absolutely not tell other fellow travelers in the Literary World. Therefore, these people had taken matters into their own hands; they also wanted the secret recipe.

Among these 23 people was the Ninth Young Master of "Haitian Prefecture," Qu Prefecture's greatest power. This person was Zhao Ji! Haitian Prefecture had recently sent three forces to approach the Lin residence, but they were all eliminated by the Night Watch. They were determined to obtain the wine's secret recipe.

Zhao Ji's active promotion throughout the entire process was proof of this.

What was even more critical was that Zhao Ji's literary talent was extremely high, and he was a strong contender for the top scholar in this provincial examination.

Regardless of whether others won or lost, Zhao Ji was bound to win!

On the distant river, a golden bell suddenly rang. As the bell sounded, the morning mist covering the river instantly dissipated, and a golden light emerged from the river, forming a golden pathway.

Along the golden pathway, a peculiar large ship cut through the waves. The ship's design was strange, resembling an open book, with oars that flapped like pages, moving up and down...

"The path of imperial examinations, the great way of the mortal world, the Book Boat travels everywhere, evil spirits do not approach, and idlers avoid it!" A clear voice from the Book Boat pierced through the clouds and mist, audible throughout Haining City.

Countless people stopped to watch, their expressions solemn and reverent.

"Examinees, board the boat!"

As soon as the words fell, the Book Boat trembled. Countless pages detached from it, extending to the feet of the scholars on the dock. They lifted the scholars into the air and onto the boat.

Lin Su turned his head and saw the pages beneath his feet. Three large characters were written on them: Dao Ke Dao.

The character beneath the feet of a scholar next to him was: Ming Ke Ming.

Beneath the feet of a scholar in front of him: Feichang Dao.

"The Tao Te Ching is the boat!" Lin Su exclaimed.

A man in white on his left smiled slightly, "With morality as the vessel and all the Sages as guides, even if the mountain of books is perilous, we will still advance bravely. Junior Brother, today is your first battle of the season. I hope you give it your all!"

Lin Su was slightly taken aback, "Brother, you are..."

"I am Qiu Mochi, a disciple of Mr. Bao Shan. Today, I am the guide for the imperial examinations."

"Mr. Bao Shan... How is Mr. Bao Shan?"

"Master has broken through to the Literary Heart Extreme Realm and is currently consolidating his cultivation. He cannot leave seclusion for the time being. Before I left, he instructed me to look after you, Junior Brother. But Master never expected you to participate in this provincial examination."

"It's not just Master Bao Shan who didn't expect it. My elder brother didn't either. He originally hoped I would participate in the examinations in three years. I just came to join the fun and get a feel for the atmosphere of the examinations beforehand."

"It's good that Junior Brother thinks that way. The imperial examinations are held every three years. Junior Brother is still young. Don't be too concerned with gains and losses; improving yourself is the most important thing..."

The exchange between the two surprised the surrounding scholars but also put them at ease.

They were shocked that the renowned scholar Mr. Bao Shan, famous throughout the land, was this young man's teacher?

Could there be any variables?

But this young man himself said he was here to join the fun, to experience the atmosphere of the examinations...

Heh, join the fun!

Young man, do you know? The fun you're joining is quite significant. After this "fun," your Literary Path will be gone, and your secret recipe will be gone too...

Lin Su saw through the elation of the surrounding crowd. He was also quite excited internally.

A bunch of country bumpkins!

You want to play me before you've even fully grown your feathers?

Let's see who plays whom?

With the chime of two bells, the Book Boat approached Qiankun Academy, and the examinees disembarked.

Lin Su waved gently to Qiu Mochi, "Brother Qiu, come to the Lin Family for a drink when you have time!"

The pages carried him upward. Qiu Mochi's eyes held excitement. It was after drinking Lin Su's wine that his master broke through a ten-year bottleneck and entered the Literary Heart Extreme Realm. His wine had become a shared anticipation among his fellow disciples...

Someone next to Lin Su chuckled.

Go to your home for a drink?

By then, your White Cloud Border will be sold all over the city. Where can't we drink? Why must we go to your house?

Qiankun Academy, backed by rolling mountains and facing the rushing Yangtze River, was named Qiankun, and its grandeur was immense. As Lin Su stepped onto the square in front of the academy, he saw the examination grounds for the day.

The provincial examination, although the second of the four levels of examination (Tong Sheng test, provincial examination, metropolitan examination, and palace examination), was generally considered a lower-tier exam. However, it was actually extremely important, arguably the most crucial of the four levels.

Why? Because passing the provincial examination meant becoming a Xiucai.

A Xiucai could meet county officials without bowing and could engage in official work within the county. What did this mean? It meant shedding the identity of a farmer and achieving a leap in social class.

A leap in social class was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Therefore, the vast majority of people were exceptionally nervous. They had studied diligently for ten years, waiting for this day.

Lin Su was not nervous.

Because he knew that today's imperial examinations would be very fair.

No matter how unfair feudal society was, the examination grounds were absolutely fair because the examinations were not controlled by politicians.

The imperial examinations were a reserved territory controlled by all the Sages.

No matter how far the Minister of War's influence reached, it could not extend into the imperial examinations.

No matter how foolish the emperor was, at most, he could only bestow the title of Jinshi; he had no power to change the mainstream direction of the examinations.

As long as his results were good enough, even the emperor could not block his path forward!

No one could cheat in the imperial examinations!

This was the foundation of his confidence to look down on everything!

(A reader spat out a mouthful of tea, "Damn, it's like you wouldn't cheat yourself.")

With the chime of three bells, the examinees entered.

Lin Su's gaze swept over Zhang Haoyue's clearly smug face as he stepped into the examination room labeled "San San Wu" on the left. There were three thousand examinees from Haining City, and thus three thousand individual examination rooms. These rooms, which looked like mere signs from the outside, were as large as bathrooms inside, containing a table, a chair, a stack of draft paper, a lamp, a basin, and a chamber pot.

Lin Su sat on the chair, waiting for the chime of the fourth bell.

Behind Qiankun Academy, in the mountains, there was an elegant courtyard. Bamboo houses and fences, a bamboo floor, and a bamboo garden outside.

The scent of books filled the courtyard, and bamboo shadows swayed in the wind.

The moment Qiu Mochi appeared at the edge of the bamboo garden, a small peacock flew from the bamboo forest above. The peacock squawked, "Mochi is here, Mochi is here..."

Qiu Mochi looked up. "Is Aunt here?"

"Aunt is here, Aunt is here!"

With a gentle flick of its tail feathers, the peacock's presence caused the bamboo shadows before it to part, revealing a path paved with bamboo that led straight to the edge of a small lake.

By the lake, a woman in white stood with her back to the bamboo garden, painting a picture. The peacock soared and landed on the drawing board in front of her, miraculously becoming part of the painting on the board.

"Aunt, your paintings are becoming more and more indistinguishable from reality!" Qiu Mochi exclaimed with delight.