After the Metropolitan Examination, Whose Heart Could Remain Steady?

"Hmm? Such a strong fluctuation of Qi and Blood! Truly unexpected, but it's temporarily stalled. We need to hurry up with the Fleshly Body."

Inside the inn, Qiu Yan's Fleshly Body opened its eyes, a fleeting glint of light flashing within them.

"However, there is still a hidden danger. The underhanded tactics of that soldier during the examination were not accidental. It means that someone You Di to me and has considerable power, capable of interfering with the Examination Hall examination. Given Fleshly Body current status, I should not provoke such a person. It is very likely that I will be caught in the crossfire!"

With a quick thought, Qiu Yan had a general idea in mind, guessing that it might be caused by his relationship with certain people.

"One possibility is that it's because the Grand Confucian values me; another possibility is my relationship with Chancellor Ma. But either way, it's difficult to resolve this situation with just Fleshly Body connections. Fortunately, I'm not without a plan..."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and several figures appeared in his mind.

"My essay incorporates three Incomplete Sage Spirit. As long as the examiners recognize its value, they won't easily dismiss it. It's like having a protective charm. Even if the Examination Hall Human Path is determined to suppress it, they can't make me fail. Moreover, as long as the results aren't announced, my name is unlikely to be revealed. Those who plot against me might fail because of this unforeseen event and expose their true colors. Then we can follow the clues and find the source. For now, let's wait and see!"

As Qiu Yan pondered, he gathered his thoughts, returned to the table, dipped his brush in ink, and mentally simulated the process of ink staining the paper during the imperial Metropolitan Examination. Then, following a certain thread, he tried to comprehend the mysteries of Dragon Qi and the City Intent.

In reality, without the explosive pull of Fortune, the City Will and the Dragon Qi could no longer make contact. The so-called veins were actually a kind of memory, recording the scenes and changes when Qiu Yan used Fortune to contact the City Will and the Dragon Qi.

Now, he is reminiscing about how he felt back then.

This feeling was invaluable, beyond Qiu Yan's realm. If it weren't for the fact that he Literary Staining of Examination Papers, and that the exam paper was still connected to the Dragon Qi and the City Will, he wouldn't even be able to savor it.

Even so, it was only a matter of time before the feeling dissipated. That's why Qiu Yan did not hesitate to hold back Flying Leopard Feibao, just to give him time to comprehend and grasp this sliver of insight.

"That exam paper still holds secrets that haven't been unlocked. My essay incorporated Incomplete Sage Spirit, which permeated the paper. Logically, the paper should contain some spirit related to commerce and trade, but now it's all contained within. I don't know why, but because of this, the Dragon Qi and the City Will I drew upon while writing the exam paper still leave traces, giving me a chance to comprehend it."

Thinking this way, his mind gradually settled down. Not only the thoughts and ideas of his Fleshly Body, but also the Divine Sense of his Divine Spirit Body and the Five Aggregates of his Heart Demon Body were changing and recombining, forming various forms, simulating and reproducing the scene of the Metropolitan Examination, so as to deeply explore and comprehend.

This immersion made Qiu Yan forget the passage of time.

Outside the window, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west; two days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The bustling Metropolitan Examination had come to an end, but the atmosphere in the city grew increasingly heavy. The candidates who had been reciting poems in various restaurants and teahouses had lost their energy and mostly displayed somber expressions. Whenever they had time, they would gather together to discuss the Metropolitan Examination questions.

For them, the period before the results are released is undoubtedly the most difficult time.

Just after noon, Luo Jiayun, Zhou Guan, and the others arrived at the inn where Qiu Yan was staying.

The group hadn't seen each other since the imperial Metropolitan Examination. They came this time to discuss their experiences with Qiu Yan Metropolitan Examination ask each other questions.

Scholars like them are everywhere these days. Several groups were scattered in the lobby of this inn, exchanging a few words: some were excited, some regretful, and some confused.

Upon seeing the group, Hu Qi approached them and relayed Qiu Yan's instructions.

"Reading calms the mind?" Luo Jiayun asked in surprise.

Hu Qi nodded and said, "When breakfast and dinner were served, the young master was still engrossed in his reading, showing no signs of distraction."

"As expected of a top scholar, he's working so hard." Cao Hanqi shook his head and sighed, then changed the subject, "But, can't he spare even a little time?"

"I can only apologize for this," Hu Qi shook his head. With his cultivation of Fate Dao, he had noticed yesterday that Qiu Yan's condition was not good, and his aura was fluctuating. He was already surprised, but he could not tell the others this. He could only say, "When my young master returned yesterday, his complexion was very bad, his spirits were low, and he seemed restless. He has been reading these past two days, which is actually his way of recuperating."

"Distracted?"

Upon hearing this phrase, the group understood immediately. It meant that they had been too preoccupied and their minds were disturbed, making it inappropriate to bother them.

"During the Metropolitan Examination, Brother Qiu wrote with incredible speed and handed in his paper very quickly. I found that strange at the time and thought there must be something going on. But in such a short time, completing the exam must have been exhausting." Luo Jiayun nodded.

They and Qiu Yan were all candidates from Jiannan Circuit, and they were in the same examination room. Qiu Yan could see them when he handed in his paper.

"What a pity," Cao Hanqi said with regret. "Brother Qiu is very talented. I wanted to ask him about the Metropolitan Examination. However, his essays and policy proposals were unexpected. The essays were alright; 'low grain prices hurt farmers, high grain prices hurt merchants'—this is common knowledge, and the reasoning wasn't profound. It was easy to apply to everyday situations. But the policy proposals..."

Zhou Guan seized the opportunity to speak, "The policy essay may seem like a cliché, but it contains hidden meaning. The person who set the question wants us to write about the word 'profit'!"

"That's right! This is it." Xu Wanren, who came with Cao Hanqi, nodded, but looked troubled. "In the Sage, how can one easily talk about profit?" He sighed as he finished speaking.

"That's not right," Hai Ming said, his brows furrowed. "When we were students, of course we couldn't easily talk about profit, but if we became officials in the future, how could we not be involved in taxation? Taxation is a major source of national benefit, and we will inevitably have to deal with it. It's just that we didn't have experience before, and during the exams we could only quote classics, which is ultimately not as clear-cut as those who have learned the New Law."

As they talked, everyone's hearts were in their throats, their expressions varied, suggesting that their answers to the policy questions were not ideal.

Yu Xun, who had been silent all along, also had a good relationship with Cao Hanqi. He spoke up at this moment, "In this imperial examination, the Chancellor Wang Metropolitan Examination exam. He himself is in charge of the reforms, so it is not surprising that he would ask about agricultural benefits during the Imperial Examinations. We were unprepared, and everyone else was just as rushed."

His words calmed the others down a bit.

Unexpectedly, Cao Hanqi sneered and lowered his voice, "That's not necessarily true."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Luo Jiayun's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but ask. He knew that Cao Hanqi was good at making friends and had good connections.

Sure enough, Cao Hanqi glanced around a few times, then lowered his voice even further. "I originally wanted to wait for Brother Qiu to come down so we could discuss this together, but since he's not available, we'll have to figure it out ourselves."

His mysterious demeanor piqued the curiosity of everyone else, who listened intently.

"It's said that someone Metropolitan Examination this imperial examination by getting the questions in advance!"

"Is that so?" The others were naturally surprised and lowered their voices as well.

"This is just a rumor, it hasn't been confirmed yet, but I heard there are already some leads and people are investigating. I'll know as soon as there's any news." Cao Hanqi shook his head, noticing someone approaching, and quickly changed the subject.

At the same time, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by Dai Guo's voice—

"Ladies, my young master is indeed preoccupied and unable to receive guests!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman's voice rang out. "You, a mere servant, dare to make decisions for your master? We had already made an appointment with Qiu Yan outside the Examination Hall, so why are we being turned away?"

Amidst the conversation, Pang Qianru, dressed in military uniform, strode into the inn, followed by Dai Guo, who was holding a stray dog on a leash. However, the dog's limbs were stiff, and it was being pulled around on the ground, rolling and kicking up dust.

Following closely behind was Song Qian, who looked embarrassed. She quickly stepped forward and came to Pang Qianru's side, whispering, "Sister Pang, since Young Master Qiu is not available today, let's come another day. Let's go back first and not disturb his rest."

"Don't say too much about this, I have my own plans." Pang Qianru looked at Song Qian with a smile, her tone gentle.

On the other side, Hu Qi to Dai Guo and asked, "Weren't you going out to walk the dog? Why did you bring these two back?"

Dai Guo said helplessly, "I ran into her at the alleyway ahead. She said she wanted to visit you, young master. I told her that you were studying and contemplating and couldn't receive guests for the time being, but that Miss Pang ignored me and insisted on coming. I couldn't stop her!"

"You're also Qiu Yan's servant, aren't you? I remember you." At this moment, Pang Qianru shook off Song Qian's dissuasion and walked towards Hu Qi.

"Miss Pang, my young master..." Hu Qi was about to reply when Pang Qianru waved her hand to interrupt him.

She smiled and said, "Don't rush to send us away, otherwise it might seem like you're favoring one over the other." With that, she looked towards the door.

"Hmm?" Hu Qi and Dai Guo were puzzled upon hearing this, but then they saw several people walking in from outside. The person in the lead was a woman dressed in Confucian robes. Who else could it be but Ji Zheng?

Behind Ji Zheng followed two other people: Xu Ran, the granddaughter of the prime minister, and Wen Zhizhen, a talented scholar from Jiangnan.

As soon as she stepped across the threshold, Xu Ran complained in a low voice, "Sister Ji, why did you have to come all the way here? Wouldn't it have been enough to just deliver an invitation to Qiu Yan?"

Before Ji Zheng reply, Wen Zhizhen shook her head and laughed, "Ran'er, that's not right. Brother Qiu is also a renowned scholar. What's wrong with us coming to visit?"

The innkeeper's waiter hurried over to greet the large group of people, but someone was faster than him.

As soon as Wen Zhizhen appeared, the scholars scattered throughout the inn rushed to surround him, and many people also poured in from outside.

"Young Master Wen!"

"So it's Young Master Wen!"

"Young Master Wen, what are your thoughts on this Metropolitan Examination? Do you have any insights into the essays and policy discussions?"

"Brother Wen, this policy discussion came too suddenly..."

The words surged forth; if they were tangible, they would likely have drowned out Wen Zhizhen and the others.

However, faced with the intense public outcry, Wen Zhizhen simply smiled faintly, remaining calm and composed.

"Very good questions, everyone..." (To be continued. Please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)