Someone Else's Child

Fang Yun sighed softly. "I said before that I was thoroughly knocked awake. But fortune and misfortune leaned upon each other. Last night, I met an extraordinary man. He taught me many things; everything I couldn't remember before, I now remembered, and everything I didn't understand suddenly became clear, as if I'd opened my mind."

Yang Yuhuan looked at Fang Yun with half-belief and half-doubt, then asked softly, "Who was that person?"

"He didn't give his name. He said I counted as half a closed-door disciple of his, and if I couldn't become a Metropolitan Graduate, I wasn't worthy of knowing his name." Fang Yun knew he had ultimately become different, so he made up this story to ease others' suspicions.

Yang Yuhuan's beautiful eyes filled with astonishment. "A Metropolitan Graduate? You have to become a Metropolitan Graduate before you can know him—then who is he? A Grand Academician? A Great Scholar? Could he possibly be a Half-Sage?"

"I don't know that either." Fang Yun shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Since you have a famous teacher guiding you, you'll definitely become a Licentiate! I'll go back and cut off two taels of meat. Tonight, I'll let you eat your fill!" Yang Yuhuan broke into a delighted smile, brighter than spring sunlight.

"Then buy more. Buy a whole jin, and stew a chicken while you're at it." Fang Yun knew that if he failed the Licentiate examination, death would be inevitable. Buying more would count as one final extravagance, and if he passed, he would not lack this little bit of money.

Yang Yuhuan nodded without hesitation. "Then we'll do as you say! You're the head of the household."

Fang Yun had not expected that Yang Yuhuan was not only beautiful, but also so considerate. She protected his dignity in every way. In her eyes, eating this much in one day was already wasteful extravagance, yet she still agreed without the slightest hesitation, afraid that his pride would be wounded.

Fang Yun sighed inwardly. Perhaps she was telling herself that as long as she worked a little harder and endured a little more hardship, she could earn this money back. How could a woman like this be let down? If I can become a Licentiate, I'll never let her suffer even half a bit more or bear even half a burden more!

Yang Yuhuan took out a sugar cake she had baked that morning from the book chest. "I made two extra. You didn't eat breakfast, so eat one now."

Fang Yun accepted the sugar cake and ate it slowly.

The meal on examination day was always better than usual. They had to remain in the Literary Academy at noon, eating while answering questions, and they had to bring their own food and water. The Licentiate examination was still manageable, but the Cultivated Talent Examination lasted three consecutive days. Eating, drinking, relieving oneself, and sleeping all had to be done in cramped examination cells; the slightest physical problem was enough to make someone unable to endure it.

Old Yellow Ox swayed leisurely toward the east side of the city, and before long they arrived outside the Literary Academy.

The Literary Academy had red walls and green tiles, shaded by lush trees, brimming with life beneath the morning light.

A dense black mass of people stood outside the Literary Academy. There were children in their teens and elderly men with graying hair, all lined up in ten rows as they gradually entered. A rough glance showed no fewer than two thousand people, while the parents, relatives, and friends not standing in line were even more numerous.

Fang Yun froze for a moment. He had not expected that Ji County, with a population of less than ninety thousand, would have as many as two thousand people taking the Licentiate examination.

Fang Yun knew that literacy rates in ancient times were very low. In ancient China, only around ten percent of men were literate, and even by the Republican era, it had only reached fifteen percent. More than half of those were craftsmen and entertainers who needed to recognize characters for their trades; scholars and students accounted for less than five percent. Yet this was already the highest proportion among ancient nations. Most Western nobles in ancient times were illiterate, and many countries had literacy rates below one percent.

In Fang Yun's view, having three or four hundred people take Ji County's Licentiate examination at once would already have been plenty. He had never expected two thousand. The number was simply terrifying.

And Ji County was a lower county, able to admit only fifty Licentiates a year!

Fang Yun was astonished. He had not expected to underestimate how fierce the Licentiate examination truly was.

Fang Yun soon recalled that the population density of Saint Origin Continent was far higher than that of ancient China.

Counties were classified as upper, middle, or lower based on prosperity, and Ji County was a lower county with relatively scarce land resources. Yet because Literary Qi existed, commoners would not starve so long as they were not lazy. Fang Yun and Yang Yuhuan were the finest examples: even though they were only two children, they could still support themselves and even barely afford for one person to study.

County magistrates and certain other officials on Sacred Academy Continent had one especially important duty: aiding agriculture.

When there was too little rain, local officials had to hold a "Rain Prayer Literary Gathering," summoning those with Literary Rank to compose poems, lyrics, and essays praying for rain. If the writing was good enough, Literary Qi would stir the world's vital energy, and rain would fall.

If the local scholars failed to pray for rain, or if the drought was truly severe, the officials had to prepare items such as "Literary Treasures" and "Sage Pages," consuming Literary Qi to write out renowned works by ancient masters to pray for rain.

When there was too much rain, they held a "Flood Cessation Literary Gathering." When locust plagues struck, they held a "Locust Repelling Literary Gathering," inevitably composing locust-driving tunes and locust-exterminating songs.

There were too many Literary Assemblies of this sort to enumerate.

It was precisely because of Literary Qi that grain yields here far surpassed those of ancient Earth, supporting more people. Coupled with the allure of Literary Rank, many people tightened their belts to send their children to school. That was why a single county's Licentiate examination had so many candidates.

"Here, Literary Qi is the primary productive force."

Fang Yun thought this as Yang Yuhuan helped him down from the cart.

Nearby candidates all turned to look. Few recognized Fang Yun, but everyone knew the great name of Xishi of Jiang Prefecture. Even if they had never seen her, they could guess who she was now, because Yang Yuhuan was simply too beautiful.

Many people stirred with restless thoughts, but the County Examination was about to begin, and they could not invite trouble beyond the matter at hand. They could only suppress their thoughts of a talented scholar meeting a beauty.

Yang Yuhuan had been watched by others since childhood. The faint shyness in her eyes flashed away, and she continued to support Fang Yun without concern, carrying his book chest for him.

The crowd grew even more envious. This woman was truly too virtuous; they wished they could become Fang Yun themselves.

"Fang Yun!"

"Big Sister Yuhuan!"

Four people left the line and hurried over. All of them carried bamboo-slat book chests. One was clearly younger than Fang Yun, while the other three were several years older.

Fang Yun only needed one glance to remember that they were his classmates from the private school. They had studied together for more than three years. Among the four, only Liang Yuan's family, which owned a Rice Shop, was comparatively well-off; the rest came from ordinary families, just like Fang Yun.

All four had living parents, and their family conditions were better than Fang Yun's, but they had never looked down on him. Their friendship was sincere. Only twelve-year-old Ge Xiaomao had once said with a red face that he had befriended Fang Yun so he could see Big Sister Yuhuan more often.

"What happened to you, Fang Yun?" Liang Yuan was the tallest of the five. He sprang over in a few strides, frowning as he examined Fang Yun.

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

Fang Yun smiled. "The road was slippery from last night's rain, and I fell. They're only minor injuries; they won't affect the examination."

Ge Xiaomao said worriedly, "You're injured this badly, and it's still nothing? Can you really manage?"

Fang Yun joked half-seriously, "Mencius said: 'When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a man, it must first torment his resolve, exhaust his sinews and bones, starve his flesh and skin, and leave his body in want.' I encountered danger before the examination, then received a teacher's instruction. Clearly, Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon me."

"A teacher? Did Mr. Sun give you special guidance?" Liang Yuan asked curiously.

"Not Mr. Sun, but another teacher you don't know. Enough of that. Let's line up and enter the Literary Academy. Big Sister Yuhuan, I'll carry the book chest."

But the tall and sturdy Liang Yuan snatched the book chest first. "I'll carry it for you. Let's go."

Another classmate, Lu Zhan, supported Fang Yun. After bidding farewell to Yang Yuhuan, they lined up to enter the Literary Academy.

Fang Yun looked around. The original Fang Yun had also taken the Licentiate examination last year, but this was still his first time coming here.

Ge Xiaomao complained in a low voice, "I'm only twelve. Coming here is just wasting money. I can manage a crooked poem, but 'Appeal to the Sage's Words' is far too difficult. Besides the Thirteen Classics, there are also works by various sages. More than a thousand years have passed since Confucius was enfeoffed as a Saint, and dozens have since attained Saint Enfeoffment. 'Appeal to the Sage's Words' tests works by multiple ancient sages. I've spent five years in private school and only memorized The Analects, Mencius, the Book of Changes, the Rites of Zhou, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. How could I possibly become a Licentiate?"

Fang Yun knew that the so-called "Appeal to the Sage's Words" resembled later generations' short-answer questions, fill-in-the-blanks, and dictation. Candidates were asked to complete preceding or following passages based on prompts, and some questions even required them to write out an entire chapter from memory.

That reminded Fang Yun of the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Examination.

China's Tang Dynasty Imperial Examination tested "classic filling." It was an important subject for selecting candidates: several lines from the classics were copied out, then a few characters were covered, requiring candidates to fill them in. It was even easier than Appeal to the Sage's Words.

The reason Tang poetry flourished was largely because the Tang Dynasty Imperial Examination also tested verse and prose, and these carried tremendous weight.

On Saint Origin Continent, the Sacred Academy had discovered that poetry and lyrics were most compatible with Literary Qi. In particular, World-Passing war poems and war lyrics could influence the rise and fall of the Human Race, so poetry and lyrics were compulsory in the Imperial Examination, with frontier poetry as the foremost priority.

Liang Yuan laughed. "You're young. You weren't brought here for fame and rank, but to broaden your horizons. Just do your best. The Licentiate examination alone gives thirty Appeal to the Sage's Words papers, while the Prefectural Examination for Cultivated Talents has as many as one hundred. People joke that a hundred pages can work an ox to death—how could anyone answer them all correctly?"

Lu Zhan said, "Little Mao, don't lose heart. Apart from the Four Great Talents, no one can answer every Appeal to the Sage's Words question in the Licentiate examination correctly. We can't either, much less you. Fortunately, the scope tested in the Licentiate examination is relatively narrow. The Appeal to the Sage's Words questions in the Cultivated Talent Examination are truly bizarre and tricky. Throughout several hundred years of Imperial Examinations, not even the talented men of every generation have answered them all correctly—not even those sages who ultimately attained Saint Enfeoffment."

Ge Xiaomao let out a breath of relief. "Liang Yuan, this Licentiate examination depends entirely on you. None of Mr. Sun's disciples have become Licentiates these past few years, and students from other private schools laugh at us. We may not compare to Fang Zhongyong, that prodigy with photographic memory, but we can't let others surpass us! May our ancestors and all the sages bless us."

"You really are something." Liang Yuan shook his head with a laugh.

Fang Yun was slightly stunned when he heard the name Fang Zhongyong.

Just then, someone nearby suddenly shouted, "Fang Zhongyong is here!"

Everyone immediately followed the voice and looked over. A youth of around thirteen or fourteen stepped down from a carriage. His face was solemn, without the slightest trace of childishness. His gaze lacked the liveliness a prodigy ought to possess, making him appear steadier than others his age.

Afterward, a middle-aged man in luxurious brocade robes stepped down proudly from the carriage. Quite a few parents immediately went forward to flatter him.

There were three or four thousand candidates and their relatives outside the Literary Academy. The moment Fang Zhongyong and his father arrived, most people stopped talking and looked toward the pair.

Fang Yun had not expected that, despite sharing the surname Fang, this father and son would shine so brilliantly.

Fang Yun recognized Fang Zhongyong and his father, Fang Li. They were distant relatives. By seniority, Fang Yun was the prodigy Fang Zhongyong's uncle, but the two branches of the family were too distantly related and had never interacted.

Ge Xiaomao said enviously, "Fang Zhongyong's name as a prodigy in Ji County surpasses even Big Sister Yuhuan's reputation for beauty. Not only does he have photographic memory, his poetry and couplets also far surpass ours. His father says he could have become a Licentiate at ten. The reason he is taking the Licentiate examination for the first time this year is that he has accumulated deeply before bursting forth, all to seize first place among the Licentiates and become the Case First."

"This time, the Case First can be none other than him. The Case First may enter Dayuan Prefecture's Prefectural Academy without examination. That is the best school in the entire prefecture, far superior to our private school by who knows how many times," Liang Yuan said.

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