Teacher, are you jealous of me?

Xu Qingxiao followed Zhou Ling to the entrance.

Wu had already opened the courtyard gate.

A handsome young man stood outside. The scholar wore blue robes, his hair bound beneath a cap, and carried a book basket on his back. It looked anything but awkward on him; instead, it lent him an even more scholarly air.

Moreover, Righteous Haoran Qi wreathed him, and Literary Qi overflowed from him. He was almost ready to enter a rank.

Xu Qingxiao had already entered a rank, and his Literary Pool spanned thirty-six yards, giving him the potential of a Literary Sage. Naturally, he could see the Qi-Nurturing strength of other Confucian scholars.

"Your student, Chen Xinghe, greets you, teacher."

Upon seeing Zhou Ling, Chen Xinghe immediately bowed. Perhaps because an outsider was present, he appeared particularly solemn.

"Mm."

Zhou Ling nodded, then immediately spoke.

"Xinghe, this is my newest student, Xu Qingxiao. He is your junior fellow disciple, and he will accompany you to Southern Yu Prefecture for the imperial examinations."

"I asked you here to discuss this Prefectural Examination and have the two of you study together."

Zhou Ling pointed at Xu Qingxiao as he spoke.

Xu Qingxiao immediately cupped his hands and bowed.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Chen."

Xu Qingxiao was very courteous.

Chen Xinghe's gaze involuntarily settled on him.

Chen Xinghe had not expected his teacher to summon him home so that he could study with someone else.

But he looked Xu Qingxiao over.

Mm, his looks are decent enough. Very refined, though his clothes are ordinary.

Much better than those previous ones.

At that thought, Chen Xinghe nodded, his aloof expression softening a little.

"Mm, you are too courteous, Junior Brother Xu."

His reply was calm. To an ordinary observer, it might have seemed rather cold, but Zhou Ling saw it differently.

Other students had met Chen Xinghe before, but he had always treated them with great arrogance. Getting a mere "mm" out of him was already an achievement, yet now he had actually said more.

That was rather strange.

Zhou Ling was somewhat puzzled. In truth, Chen Xinghe was not ignorant of etiquette; he simply cared a great deal about appearances and really could not be bothered with ordinary-looking people.

Xu Qingxiao looked quite good, handsome even. Though not his equal, he was not far behind. With a change of clothes, he might even rival him.

Thus, Chen Xinghe felt somewhat favorably toward Xu Qingxiao.

"Let's talk inside."

Zhou Ling spoke and led the two into the study.

The study was cool and shaded. Chen Xinghe took off his book basket and sat down. Xu Qingxiao sat as well, though his gaze remained on Zhou Ling.

"Xinghe, studying together was not the only reason I summoned you."

"I asked around and learned a few things about this Prefectural Examination, which is why I sent someone to find you overnight."

Now that Chen Xinghe had arrived, Zhou Ling went straight to the real reason he had summoned him.

"Will this year's Prefectural Examination be different?"

From Chen Xinghe's question, it was clear that he had taken the Prefectural Examination more than once.

Xu Qingxiao said nothing and merely listened quietly. After all, he had neither a foundation in nor any source of information about the Confucian Dao and the imperial examinations, so listening attentively was best.

"Yes, this year's Prefectural Examination will be different."

"In the first year of the new reign, what Her Majesty of Great Wei values most is the imperial examinations. Previously, the Prefectural Lord reviewed the Prefectural Examination papers, and those of the top three candidates were sent to the Capital City for a second review by the Grand Academy."

"This year, however, every essay and examination paper must be sent directly to the Grand Academy. The academy will review them, select the top three from each prefecture, and submit them to Her Majesty for her personal appraisal."

Zhou Ling spoke slowly, explaining what would be different this year.

At those words, Chen Xinghe could not help looking surprised.

"Her Majesty will appraise them herself?"

He sounded astonished.

Xu Qingxiao was somewhat surprised as well. The Prefectural Examination was not the capital's imperial examination. The Great Wei Dynasty had four or five hundred prefectures of various sizes; taking the top three from each would amount to more than fifteen hundred essays.

The emperor had ten thousand affairs to attend to each day and might not even have enough time to review memorials. How could she read Prefectural Examination essays?

The capital examination essays were understandable, since they represented the highest level attained by Great Wei's scholars over three years. But the Prefectural Examination took place annually. Could she possibly read them all?

A diligent sovereign.

Xu Qingxiao muttered inwardly, but said nothing.

"Yes. The new reign has begun, and a Female Emperor has ascended the throne. This is an unprecedented change throughout history, so it is only natural that Her Majesty should govern diligently. As for her exact reasons, those are the sovereign's intentions. They are beyond our reach, and we should not speculate recklessly."

"But for scholars like us, this is a good thing, especially for you two. If your essays place among the top three and receive Her Majesty's appraisal, it will be a blessing as vast as heaven."

Zhou Ling did not know why either. All he knew was that the emperor's high regard for scholars was good for them.

"Understood. In that case, I will no longer conceal my abilities this year."

Chen Xinghe nodded and delivered an exceptionally pretentious declaration.

Both Xu Qingxiao and Zhou Ling froze for a moment. Zhou Ling handled it better, having encountered this before, but Xu Qingxiao was rather stunned.

That line positively reeks of showing off.

"All right. Focus on your studies over the next few days. I will also give it some thought and see what topic might appear on this examination. If I predict it correctly, you will achieve twice the results with half the effort."

"Let's eat first."

Zhou Ling said no more. After a brief rest, he called the two to eat.

"I'm not very hungry. I'll just read."

Chen Xinghe shook his head, rose, and took a book from his basket to read alone.

Knowing his temperament, Zhou Ling called Xu Qingxiao to eat.

"Qingxiao, go eat. A martial practitioner cannot go hungry."

"Mm."

Xu Qingxiao did not stand on ceremony. He was indeed rather hungry, so he rose and left.

But Zhou Ling's words had piqued Chen Xinghe's curiosity.

After Xu Qingxiao left, Chen Xinghe could not help asking.

"Teacher, what is Qingxiao's background?"

Chen Xinghe's tone was mild.

"Nothing special. He is a county constable, but he has a gift for scholarship, and I could not bear to let such talent go to waste."

Zhou Ling answered.

"A constable?"

This time, Chen Xinghe was surprised.

Had he been a poor scholar, there would have been nothing unusual about it. But a constable?

It was not that Chen Xinghe looked down on Xu Qingxiao. Rather, scholarship required more than literacy. There were countless intricacies: poetry, verse, essays, and policy discussions. Which of these did not require ten or even several decades of accumulated knowledge?

Moreover, Xu Qingxiao being a constable meant he had little time to study.

Most scholars who toiled beneath a cold window learned to read as children, then began studying all manner of books without allowing themselves distractions. Some impoverished scholars did not even farm, leaving their wives to support the household.

Such cases were everywhere.

That was why Chen Xinghe was surprised.

Of course, the main point was that Xu Qingxiao also intended to take the Prefectural Examination.

"Yes. Can a constable not study?"

Zhou Ling asked.

"That is not what I meant. How many years has Junior Brother Qingxiao studied?"

Chen Xinghe would not look down on Xu Qingxiao. Though arrogant, he did not discriminate against others; he was merely aloof and obsessed with good looks.

"By my reckoning, three or four days."

After calculating carefully, Zhou Ling gave that answer.

"Three or four days? Teacher, are you joking with me?"

Hearing that answer, Chen Xinghe could no longer remain calm.

He had studied for three or four days and was already taking the Prefectural Examination?

Was this not a joke?

"Do not get agitated."

"I have my own plans. In short, you need only remember that your junior brother possesses exceptional talent. He is a piece of uncut jade. I am sending him to this Prefectural Examination not in the hope that he will pass, but so that he can meet people and prepare for the future."

Zhou Ling patted Chen Xinghe's shoulder. He could not very well reveal that Xu Qingxiao had entered a rank overnight-not because he feared discouraging Chen Xinghe, but because...

Chen Xinghe instantly understood Zhou Ling's meaning.

"Understood."

Chen Xinghe nodded and said no more.

"All right, I'm going to eat. I will have your teacher's wife bring you something."

With that, Zhou Ling left with his hands behind his back.

But just before he left, Chen Xinghe spoke again.

"Teacher, I am close to entering a rank. Next month at the latest."

Chen Xinghe was utterly composed. Looking down at his book, he appeared aloof, handsome, and exceedingly impressive.

Yet Zhou Ling, walking away with his hands behind his back, merely replied calmly when he heard this.

"Oh."

Then he went to the dining room.

He left behind a rather bewildered Chen Xinghe.

*???*

What is that supposed to mean?

Teacher, are you hard of hearing?

I said I'm about to enter a rank.

That's your reaction? Shouldn't you be shocked?

What do you mean, "oh"?

Pretending to be calm? Do you think that makes you look cool?

Fine, you're jealous of me.

Zhou Ling's reply shattered Chen Xinghe's composure. But despite his bellyful of complaints, he dared not voice them. He could only lower his head and study hard, determined to enter a rank before the Prefectural Examination.

Meanwhile.

In an uninhabited mountain range in Ping'an County.

A group had gathered before three corpses.

Their leader was Cheng Lidong.

His face remained deathly pale, as though illness had already sunk into his bones. He held a handkerchief over his mouth and nose, but his gaze was chillingly sinister.

"Lord Cheng, we have already lost seven brothers. If he keeps wearing us down like this, I fear all our brothers will die here."

Someone spoke with his head lowered, looking awkward, but unable to leave it unsaid.

"Do I need you to tell me that?"

Cheng Lidong gave him a cold glance. The man immediately trembled and bowed his head even lower.

"He cultivated the second volume of an Unorthodox Art, most likely the one hidden in Ping'an County. It purged the yin poison from his body and allowed him to break through to the next rank. Otherwise, he would stand no chance against me."

"But there is no need to worry. I have sent a messenger to the Prefectural Lord. Within three days, the authorities will dispatch a true expert to apprehend him."

"For now, your sole task is to keep watch and prevent him from escaping."

With his back to the group, Cheng Lidong spoke in an icy voice.

"Yes."

Everyone obeyed.

Just then, a figure hurried toward them.

"My lord."

He ran over and knelt before Cheng Lidong.

"My lord, today I discovered Xu Qingxiao writing something at home. After he left, I slipped inside and copied what he had written. Please take a look."

As he spoke, he offered up his booklet.

"Writing?"

Cheng Lidong murmured thoughtfully, then took the booklet and slowly opened it. A few lines soon came into view.

But he quickly frowned.

These were not Great Wei's ancient characters. They were exceedingly strange.

He drew his sword and copied them onto the ground, stroke by stroke, following the booklet.

The characters were peculiar.

Cheng Lidong did not understand them at all. He tried writing them out, but still could not make sense of them.

When I return, I will find the Prefectural Lord and ask him to invite a Confucian master to reproduce these characters through Literary Heart Communion. Perhaps then we can discover what they mean.

Cheng Lidong thought to himself.

"Move out."

The next moment, Cheng Lidong spoke and led his men away.

Traces of simplified characters remained on the ground.

They read:

[First, never act on impulse]

[Second, never let a single evil deed escape judgment]

[Third, always deliver fair and flawless judgments]