Everyone entered the waterside pavilion in single file.

Two middle-aged men were already standing in the hall. One was clean-shaven, clad in a green robe, with a slim but upright posture. The other had a neatly trimmed mustache, was dressed in silk, and looked like a wealthy landowner.

When the group came in, the man with the mustache spoke up first, “Find a seat for yourselves.”

Each person took a spot at a desk, and Zheng Fa settled in an empty corner, kneeling before his desk.

Zheng Fa had always felt that the tensest moment was right before an exam started, and this time was no different. The pavilion was silent, with only the sound of slightly heavy breathing.

“I am the inner steward under Madam’s command, named Wu,” he said, pointing to the man in the green robe. “This here is the Seventh Young Master’s teacher, Mr. Shen. Today, he’ll be overseeing the exam.”

Mr. Shen gave a slight nod, his expression unreadable. He cut straight to the point, “Today, we’re selecting a study attendant for the Seventh Young Master. You all come from different backgrounds,” he noted, glancing over Zheng Fa’s short robe and then at the silk-clad youths.

“Your learning also varies.”

“So, to keep things fair, today we won’t test anything else.” He gestured at the desks in front of them. “On each is a Taoist text, The Classic of Purity and Tranquility. I will lead you in reading some passages, and then you’ll need to write down what you remember.”

Without waiting to see their reactions, he began reciting, holding no book.

The boys hurriedly opened The Classic of Purity and Tranquility, stumbling through the verses, struggling to keep up with Mr. Shen’s rapid pace.

“The Dao is formless; it nurtures heaven and earth. The Dao is impartial; it operates the sun and moon. The Dao is nameless; it sustains all life. I do not know its name, but I forcefully call it Dao. The Dao has clarity and impurity, movement and stillness; heaven is clear, earth is impure, heaven moves, earth is still. Males are clear, females are impure; males move, females are still. It descends to the roots and flows to the branches, thus giving birth to all things. Clarity is the source of impurity, movement the foundation of stillness. If one can remain clear and still, heaven and earth will return…”

After four passages, he abruptly stopped and said, “All right, hand over your books and start writing.”

The start had been sudden, and the end even more so, leaving them scrambling. The boys sighed but, seeing his stern expression, didn’t dare protest. They handed over the books, not having memorized enough.

...

The pavilion fell quiet again, with only the sounds of ink grinding and papers rustling.

Mr. Shen and Steward Wu stood at the front, watching the ten or so boys hunched over their desks. They spoke softly, voices low enough to be heard only by each other—a sign they both had some martial skills.

“Mr. Shen, you’re a tough one,” said Steward Wu.

The boys, even those who were seventeen or eighteen, had clearly picked up on Mr. Shen’s impatience.

“Just for a mere study attendant...”

“What else can we do? The Seventh Young Master is Madam’s treasure and the future head of the Zhao Estate. The people around him must be carefully chosen. Besides, you know as well as I do that the previous study attendants were all dismissed by Madam.”

“It’s his own unruliness!”

Mr. Shen’s expression turned even darker.

Steward Wu quickly changed the topic. “This Classic of Purity and Tranquility is quite an unusual choice. These youngsters usually study Confucian texts, not Taoist scriptures, so they’re bound to struggle.”

“Hmph! Madam wants the best, so I’ll find her the best!”

Steward Wu smiled faintly, knowing Mr. Shen was just venting. As the Seventh Young Master’s teacher, he probably felt it beneath him to examine these boys.

“This book was a brilliant choice. None of them have read it before, so who could say this exam isn’t fair?”

But Mr. Shen shook his head slightly. “Fair as it may be, the ones who’ll stand out are still those with some background.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re educated; you should know. Eating meat makes you stronger, and better nutrition aids memory. Not to mention, education sharpens the mind, and those who’ve studied are generally sharper than those who haven’t.”

Steward Wu acknowledged that Mr. Shen had a point.

“The three scholars here each have notable backgrounds—one’s the child of a steward from the Second Branch, another is the Seventh Young Master’s wet nurse’s son, and the third is the grandson of a family manager. So you think it’ll be one of those three?”

Mr. Shen nodded.

“But there’s one kid here who seems interesting,” Steward Wu noted, glancing at the corner.

There, Zheng Fa was quietly grinding his ink.

“Him?” Mr. Shen frowned. “Judging by his attire, he’s probably the poorest here. You really think he has a chance?”

Steward Wu chuckled. “When it comes to scholarly matters, I can’t compare to you. But in reading people, I have a bit of skill.”

He gestured toward Zheng Fa. “This kid came in a bit nervous, but he settled in after just a few breaths, unlike the others who still look uneasy.”

“When you were reciting, even those scholars looked distressed, but he—well, he didn’t seem fazed.”

“Looks like he’s got something in him.”

Mr. Shen looked closely at Zheng Fa, noticing a certain steadiness in his expression. He knew Steward Wu’s words weren’t mere boasting. Trusted by Madam and in charge of nearly all affairs in the main branch’s back estate, Steward Wu’s talent for judging people was no small thing.

...

Zheng Fa finally managed to grind enough ink.

He wasn’t all that nervous, having taken exams countless times in the past five years. Regardless of his results, his exam-taking mentality was solid.

Plus, this exam format was actually in his favor—The Classic of Purity and Tranquility might be tough to recite, but it was nothing compared to learning English back in elementary school.

Sure, he didn’t understand every term, but following Mr. Shen’s recitation, he’d managed to memorize most of it.

It was just annoying that he had to grind ink before he could start writing.

Once he finally had enough ink, Zheng Fa picked up his brush, only to realize one glaring problem—

He didn’t know how to use a brush!

In any world, he had never learned calligraphy.

So, Zheng Fa awkwardly gripped it like a regular pen.

Only then did he realize something else:

He couldn’t really write in this world’s script.

Well, he wasn’t entirely clueless—he’d attended a year of elementary studies. But overall, his proficiency was low.

The characters here were oddly similar to modern ones, resembling ancient script. When he’d read The Classic of Purity and Tranquility, he hadn’t noticed the issue, just as many people could read traditional script without difficulty. But once he tried writing, he felt utterly hopeless.

Was he really about to become illiterate all over again?

“Never leave an answer blank, even if you have to guess!” Mr. Chen’s words of advice echoed in his mind. Gritting his teeth, Zheng Fa started writing in simplified characters.

At the front of the hall, Mr. Shen watched Zheng Fa’s clumsy, mismatched characters and looked over at Steward Wu with a smile.

Steward Wu stroked his mustache. “Missed the mark on this one—where’d this kid get such confidence?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com