EES - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Yang Sheng had traveled to Qiong'an for the examinations and, like other candidates, stayed at an inn.
During the Spring Metropolitan Examination, guest rooms in Qiong'an were severely short. Many innkeepers divided single rooms into double occupancy by hanging a cloth partition down the middle. Yang Sheng had been delayed on the road and arrived slightly late, so he only managed to secure one of these shared rooms.
His roommate was a scholar surnamed Li, who had returned to the inn long after checking the posted results. He was packing his belongings, looking dejected and low-spirited. Upon seeing Yang Sheng return, he perked up and greeted him. "Brother Yang, congratulations on topping the Metropolitan Examination. Next time I come to Qiong'an, I suppose I'll have to rely on your patronage."
"You're leaving today?" Yang Sheng asked after pausing briefly at the door before stepping inside.
Scholar Li nodded straightforwardly. "Indeed. Qiong'an is expensive. Every extra day I stay costs me more money, so it's better to spend sparingly and set off early."
Hearing this, Yang Sheng said nothing further. He gave a slight nod, turned to his side of the room, and began gathering his books and clothes to pack as well.
Since his roommate was leaving, the room he had rented at half price would likely revert to its standard rate. After all, once the examinations concluded, Qiong'an's overcrowded inns would gradually empty out, and sharing rooms would no longer be necessary.
He would need to find new lodging.
As Yang Sheng weighed his options, he heard Scholar Li's hesitant voice from across the room. "Brother Yang, regarding those rumors from the poetry gathering... do you... need to clarify things?"
"I don't mean anything else by it. I just feel that if we don't clear it up quickly and let it spread, it might affect your official career, Brother Yang."
Yang Sheng calmly countered, "Don't you think what they're saying is true?"
"We've known each other for some time now. Of course I know you, Brother Yang, possess genuine talent and would absolutely never do such a thing, nor have any reason to. The poems and essays you write daily are clearly on the same level as those three pieces. How could you ruin your reputation just to steal the spotlight at a poetry gathering?" Scholar Li said earnestly. "Besides... I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, but every time I've seen that talented Liu, something about him has felt off."
"Off?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it," Scholar Li rubbed his hair, searching for the right words. "It's just that when he came to visit you a few days ago, his demeanor seemed very friendly, yet there was a faint hint of guilt about it. In short, not entirely sincere."
Yang Sheng pondered for a moment before replying, "Thank you for the reminder."
Scholar Li hastily dismissed it as unnecessary.
After packing, he thought for a moment and invited Yang Sheng to go downstairs for a meal to see him off. They had gotten along well these past few days, so Yang Sheng agreed.
The inn also served as a restaurant. Once downstairs, the two found a table in a corner, ordered several signature dishes, and waited. During their wait, they noticed that candidates checking out of the inn barely stopped coming and going. Most looked utterly defeated, while only a few wore expressions of joy.
Yang Sheng did not let his gaze linger on the passing crowd. He kept his eyes lowered, lost in thought.
In truth, he had not failed to notice the oddities surrounding Liu Guanglin. It was simply that the truth was too bizarre for a man of this era to entertain at first, so Yang Sheng had initially dismissed it.
He had met Liu Guanglin on the road to the capital. At the time, Yang Sheng had been traveling for several days, weary and dusty. When a merchant caravan bound for Qiong'an passed by, Liu Guanglin appeared near it, claiming to be another candidate heading for the exams and asking to hitch a ride. That was how Yang Sheng ended up traveling alongside him for the next few days.
During those days, Yang Sheng had actually held a degree of appreciation for Liu Guanglin. Whenever Liu composed poetry extemporaneously in his presence, it invariably struck a chord with Yang Sheng's mood, as if their minds were perfectly aligned. Yang Sheng always valued those with genuine talent.
But why had he felt something was wrong?
It stemmed from a casual verse Liu Guanglin had recited once. It described a fruit called 'Nie peach' and speculated on the story behind it. That particular peach was a specialty of Yang Sheng's hometown, Linfang. Once picked from the tree, it would ripen and rot within three days. Because it was difficult to transport elsewhere and offered little economic return, it was essentially unknown outside the local area.
Yet earlier in their conversations, Liu Guanglin had explicitly stated he had never been to Linfang.
If that could be written off as a coincidence, then upon arriving in Qiong'an, Yang Sheng saw an essay written by Liu Guanglin circulating among others. After reading it, he became completely certain that Liu Guanglin was indeed suspicious.
The essay contained a rare and highly specific phrasing used at the end of a sentence. Aside from a close friend of Yang Sheng's from their private school days, he had never seen anyone else use it. Strictly speaking, the phrasing was unsuitable for formal essays; every time his friend wrote it, the tutor would order him to change it. Yet his friend would inevitably slip it back in the next time, favoring it greatly.
But how Liu Guanglin had acquired such peculiar quirks remained entirely unclear to Yang Sheng even now.
It defied all conventional explanation.
Yang Sheng frowned slightly.
Just as he was deeply absorbed in thought, he suddenly felt an intensely palpable gaze resting on his back. Breaking from his reverie, Yang Sheng turned his head to look toward the source of the attention.
It was a young man who had just reached his majority.
He wore dark brocade robes, the fabric appearing quite valuable. This clashed sharply with the inn's plain wooden tables and chairs, as well as the scholars milling about in simple long gowns. Yet the man himself seemed entirely unaware of the incongruity. He sat comfortably and securely. When someone needed to pass behind him, he didn't say a word, merely smiled and slid his bench inward.
He possessed a strange, unguarded casualness.
The man's gaze was just a little odd, Yang Sheng thought.
"Who is that...?" Scholar Li, sitting opposite Yang Sheng, had naturally noticed the man staring their way. "He seems to be looking at you, Brother Yang."
Yang Sheng remained silent.
Scholar Li couldn't help but glance at the brocade-clad man a few more times. Noticing the man's appraisal carry satisfaction, which in turn carried delight, a sudden spark of insight flashed through his mind. He finally understood!
"By the way, I've heard that in past years some families, worried they would lose out if the competition got too fierce, wouldn't wait for the Palace Examination results. They'd act as soon as the Metropolitan Examination results came out, seeking a son-in-law from among the successful candidates." He lowered his voice to share his theory. "Brother Yang, looking at that man's bearing, could he be from an official family, scouting for a match for one of their daughters?"
...
An Lin had no idea that one of the two men sitting there had already let his imagination run wild.
The moment Yang Sheng descended the stairs and took a seat nearby, her gaze had been firmly captured by the text floating above his head.
It was truly... dazzling!
Literally sparkling with golden light.
There, hovering above the upright young scholar's head...
[Yang Sheng (Top Scholar of the Metropolitan Examination)
Governance: 90 | Military: 40 | Learning: 99 | Martial Strength: 30 | Politics: 82 | Management: 70 | Ambition: 66 | Loyalty: 10 | Prestige: 1300]
What was this? This was a Learning stat of ninety-nine!
I've played the Emperor Simulator for a long time, both before crossing over and since arriving here, but I've only ever seen subjective stats like Ambition and Loyalty reach 99. I've never seen hard stats like Learning or Martial Strength hit 99!
Even better, his Governance and Learning stats were both high.
I knew that if a character only had exceptionally high Learning, their path would basically be that of a literati whose works would endure through the ages but who would never hold office. But add Governance to the mix, and they were guaranteed to become a celebrated statesman.
Just as she was observing him, her destined minister seemed to sense it instinctively and turned around, locking eyes with her.
With their gazes already meeting, there was no need for covert observation anymore. Overjoyed, An Lin confidently strode forward to say, "Hey, my dear minister"... Ah, no, that wasn't quite right. Rather, she fully embraced the emperor's requisite thick skin and forward familiarity, confidently approaching her destined minister to strike up a conversation.
"You must be the Top Scholar of the Metropolitan Examination whose name was posted today. I've long admired your reputation." A smile graced An Lin's face as she approached the table where Yang Sheng and the other man were seated. She tapped the tabletop lightly with curled knuckles and asked casually, "Would you mind if I sit here?"
Comments
Post a Comment