FIMA Ch47: Imperial Examinations

Gu Zhen’s gaze followed his mother’s, and he saw Gu Yang and Xie Changyue pressing their faces and bodies together, acting as if no one else were around. He couldn’t help but furrow his long brows.

…A delicate wrist grinding ink, red sleeves adding fragrance.

Was this not the dream of scholars and literary men throughout the ages?

Heh, his second brother certainly knew how to enjoy himself.

Gu Siyuan had always been alert and sharp. Right at that moment, he lifted his eyelids and directly met that complicated, scrutinizing gaze from afar.

However, upon seeing clearly who it was, he slightly narrowed his long, narrow eyes and indifferently turned his face away.

As if that person simply did not exist in his eyes.

Gu Zhen was stunned.

This was the second time he inexplicably felt a sense of being looked down upon into the dust by Gu Yang.

But on what basis?

On what basis did Gu Yang look down on him? What did Gu Yang have that could compare to him? His looks, his scholarship, his popularity—none were a match for his… Even his current deeply doted-upon husband was someone he had discarded.

Hmph… Perhaps in the future, when his name was on the golden roll and the gap between them became too vast to bridge, Gu Yang might experience this feeling of being looked down upon from the eyes of his most beloved husband. That would surely be very interesting…

On this day, a few scattered stars still floated in the sky, and the distant mountains were draped in a thin veil of dark blue mist. Gu Siyuan gently moved the person in his arms aside and got up early to dress.

When he finished tidying up and opened the door, the door to the next room also opened.

Gu Er yawned and looked at his son: “Why are you up so early? Didn’t I say I would go to Plum Village to buy meat?”

Gu Siyuan shook his head: “Father, go back to sleep. Your son can go himself.”

Gu Er chuckled as he looked at him, said no more, and turned back into his room.

Since his son was sensible enough to do it himself, he could take it easy. Besides, he still wanted to go back to his room, hold his husband, and continue sleeping!

Gu Siyuan closed the courtyard gate and walked out along the village road.

The gentle morning breeze of early summer brought no chill, only an endless, refreshing comfort.

As Gu Siyuan walked, he unconsciously quickened his pace, feeling an urge to try breaking into a run.

The original owner’s body was, after all, that of a scholar, far inferior to his own. He had been planning to exercise it for a while now.

Fortunately, it was still early, and there wasn’t a single silhouette on the village road. Otherwise, seeing a scholar in a long scholarly gown running madly without regard for his image would probably become the talk of the town over tea and meals.

After running for about ten minutes, a large stone carved with the words “Plum Village” appeared before his eyes. Gu Siyuan stopped and steadied his breathing.

Among the several nearby villages, only Plum Village had a butcher.

Aside from traveling around to butcher pigs during holidays and festivals, this butcher would also set up a stall at his own home on regular days, selling some pork early every few days, which was actually in short supply.

Gu Siyuan had intentionally gotten up early to rush here to buy meat because today was the day for Xie Changyue’s third-day visit to his maiden home.

Yesterday, Old Madam Gu and Mu Xia had already discussed the gifts for the return visit: two catties of pork, a rooster, as well as pastries, sugar, wine, and some homemade items.

The sugar, wine, and pastries had been brought back from the county town by Gu San a few days ago, so there was no need to spend extra money to buy them.

When Gu Siyuan reached the meat stall, there were already three to five customers there. The butcher was chopping bones and cutting meat in full swing, so he quietly stood to the side with one hand behind his back, waiting.

When the people who had finished buying meat turned around, they caught sight of this tall figure at first glance and couldn’t help but widen their eyes.

Gu Siyuan had a tall, straight posture and wore a long cyan cotton gown. His jet-black hair was tied high, revealing his cold, profound facial features that made him unforgettable to anyone who saw him.

Even after walking quite a distance away, those few people gathered together to mutter among themselves about whose family this young man belonged to, having such good looks and a striking presence. Wearing a long gown, he was a scholar. They wondered if he was married yet…

Even the burly, rugged butcher beamed with joy upon seeing Gu Siyuan, his rough voice lowering by a few notches.

After paying for the meat, Gu Siyuan didn’t run on his way back.

There were already a few figures on the village road. However, upon seeing him, almost all of them couldn’t help but turn their heads to cast a few glances, and then tsk-tsked in praise.

When Gu Siyuan, carrying the meat wrapped in leaves, pushed open his own courtyard gate, basically everyone in the Gu family was already up.

Gu Qingqing was squatting in the corner brushing her teeth with a willow twig. Seeing him, she teased: “Second Brother seems like a completely different person since getting married. It’d be great if the husband I find in the future dotes on his spouse as much as Second Brother does.”

Hearing this, the few people in the courtyard couldn’t help but laugh.

Li Xiangtao happened to walk by and slapped her shoulder: “Have you no shame? What nonsense is a big girl like you spouting?”

Besides, what kind of great capability was it for a man like Gu Yang to be tangled up with his husband all day? Her Zhen-er being so good at studying and catching the eye of a prominent Ger like Shen Changhuan—that was true capability!

Gu Siyuan nodded at everyone, placed the pork on the table in the main room, and entered his own room.

Xie Changyue was also already up and fully dressed, wearing his shoes. However, ultimately unaccustomed to washing up in front of a courtyard full of men and women, he had fetched water to wash in the room.

The moment he saw Gu Siyuan, he puffed out his cheeks and glared at him.

Gu Siyuan glanced at him, furrowing his brows slightly: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Changyue hung his cloth on the wooden stand, blinked his large, watery eyes, and sidled up to Gu Siyuan: “Why didn’t you wake me when you got up? I wanted to go buy meat with you too.”

For the past few days, he had woken up in his husband’s arms every day. Not seeing him all of a sudden this morning had given him a scare.

Seeing that he looked somewhat listless, Gu Siyuan pulled him into his arms and softly comforted him: “I called you a few times, but you didn’t wake up. Afraid you were tired, I let you sleep a bit longer.”

Xie Changyue was somewhat skeptical. Although he had been a bit tired the past few nights, he wasn’t the type of person who slept heavily.

However, his husband treated him so well; he certainly wouldn’t lie to him.

Pouting, he said coquettishly: “Then next time… you must wake me up. I want to be with you, Husband. Wherever you go, I go.”

Gu Siyuan saw his cheeks puffed out in anger, forming a round, cute curve, and couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch them: “Following me all the time, going wherever I go—aren’t you busy tending to your flowers?”

Since he had given the corn seeds to Xie Changyue, this guy ran to the vegetable garden in the backyard eight hundred times a day and still thought it wasn’t enough.

Without hesitation, Xie Changyue said: “Then outside of the time I spend looking at the flowers, I’ll follow you.”

Caressing his slender waist, Gu Siyuan thought to himself: Originally, he had only wanted to marry Xie Changyue and take care of him to complete the mission, but now he had found himself a living, breathing little sticky cake.

After eating breakfast, Gu Siyuan took Xie Changyue back to his maiden home.

For this kind of visiting, it was better to be early than late.

Xie Changyue was someone who kept his word. Along the entire way, he clung tightly to Gu Siyuan. Gu Siyuan carried the basket in one hand and held his hand with the other.

At this time, it was also exactly when the villagers were heading down to the fields. Seeing them, everyone just felt that the young couple’s relationship was truly excellent.

If not for Gu Siyuan’s usual cold and stern face that kept people thousands of miles away, some busybodies probably couldn’t have resisted coming forward to tease them a bit.

At the end of the village, the Xie family also knew today was the day of the return visit, so they were all waiting neatly in the courtyard.

Seeing the intimate manner of the two, Xie Er felt his heart relax a bit. Xie Changyue had not grown up by his side since childhood, and his relationship with his current wife and sons was only average, which made things very difficult for him.

However, he was ultimately his flesh and blood. He could only hope that Xie Changyue would live well after marrying out, and that in the future, it would be best if everyone could peacefully interact as ordinary relatives.

Xie Changyue, however, completely shed his soft, sweet demeanor from when he was in front of Gu Siyuan, appropriately greeting people: “Father.”

Gu Siyuan also cupped his hands: “Father-in-law.”

Xie Er waved his hand, smiling: “It’s good that you’re back. Go on in and sit.”

The group entered the house one after another, and Gu Siyuan set down the things he had brought in his hands.

Fresh meat, a chicken, and the like were all taken out to be processed as soon as possible. Liu Zhi also opened a package of pastries and snacks, distributing them to everyone on the spot, while taking the rest back to store away.

In the main hall, Xie Er and Xie Dong were keeping Gu Siyuan company and chatting.

Xie Changyue returned to the room he had previously stayed in to take a look. He had left a few things behind and could take them away this time.

However, when he pushed open the door, he discovered that the room looked completely unfamiliar.

Seeing this from the courtyard, Xie Qiu let out a cold laugh: “You’re already married off, what are you looking at? This is now my brother Xie Dong’s study.”

A mocking smile curled at the corners of Xie Changyue’s mouth. He closed the door, turned, and walked back to the main hall.

Xie Dong had been born in the winter of the year following Liu Zhi’s marriage to Xie Er. He was only a little over a year younger than Xie Changyue and was highly doted upon in the Xie family. He had also attended school.

However, the Xie family’s conditions were not as good as the Gu family’s, so Xie Dong couldn’t attend the academy in the county town. Instead, he had started his elementary schooling at the private school of an old Xiucai (licensed scholar) in the neighboring village and remained there to this day. It was said that his academic performance was quite good.

Gu Siyuan had a rough sense of this.

Because just in the brief moments of conversation just now, this Young Master Xie Dong had displayed unparalleled arrogance. At such a young age, he acted like an old pedant, loving to preach and highly fond of showing off.

Naturally, Gu Siyuan had no interest in bickering with this titular brother-in-law who was actually just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old brat, only faintly echoing a few words.

At this moment, seeing Xie Changyue return looking somewhat unhappy, he was even less inclined to pay attention to Xie Dong.

He reached out and pulled his husband to sit on the stool beside him, lowering his eyes and asking softly: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Changyue gave a light chuckle, shook his head, and said nothing.

Gu Siyuan didn’t continue asking.

They were currently in the Xie house; it was ultimately the Xie family members who had made him unhappy. Now, in front of Xie Er and Xie Dong, unless he wanted to completely burn bridges right then and there, there naturally wasn’t much more to say.

He reached out to take a piece of pastry from the table and handed it to Xie Changyue: “Eat something sweet, it’ll make you happy.”

Taking the pastry, Xie Changyue glanced at his husband.

He clearly still wore that same habitual cold and majestic expression, yet a single casual sentence from him was enough to make him feel instantly surrounded by warmth.

Xie Changyue opened his mouth and took a gentle bite of the pastry; it was indeed incredibly sweet.

With this thought, he took bite after bite until he finished it all.

In the past, when he was in the Suining Earl’s Mansion, he had never really liked eating pastries, always feeling they were a bit overly rich. But right now, this coarse pastry that dropped crumbs, lacking even half the refinement of those at the Suining Earl’s Mansion, felt to him like the most delicious thing in the world.

During a lull in Gu Siyuan and Xie Er’s conversation, he looked down and saw pastry crumbs clinging to the corner of his husband’s mouth, so he subconsciously lifted his sleeve and gently wiped them away for him.

Tugging at his sleeve, Xie Changyue looked up and playfully stuck his tongue out at him.

Seeing this scene, the nearby Young Master Xie Dong felt deeply ashamed. They were guests in someone else’s house, yet they were acting so immodestly.

And to think Gu Yang was a scholar! His aptitude was already average, his scholarship mediocre, yet he was so unmotivated, indulging in romance. Who knew when he would ever attain any scholarly honors; he was truly far inferior to Brother Gu Zhen.

He coughed lightly: “I heard Brother-in-law plans to take the exams next spring?”

“That is indeed the case,” Gu Siyuan glanced at him and nodded.

Xie Dong craned his neck, his gaze soaring: “Master Zhang said I might also take the exams next year to test the waters. This way, when I take the exams again the year after next, I will surely make the list.”

Appearing completely unmoved, Gu Siyuan said: “Since the master suggested it, worthy brother should indeed give it a try.”

Xie Dong was somewhat dissatisfied with his reaction. After all, he was almost four years younger than him, yet they were taking the exams together. Did this person have no sense of shame?

He continued: “Does Brother-in-law hold any hope for his ranking in his first exam? Brother Changhuan mentioned when he returned previously that if I pass the county and prefectural exams the year after next, he will help me find an academy in the capital.”

Hearing this, Xie Er was the first to experience a slight change in expression, a look of embarrassment in his eyes.

He subconsciously looked at Xie Changyue, only to find him sitting steadfastly beside Gu Siyuan, completely unperturbed, as if he had heard nothing.

Meanwhile, Gu Siyuan held Xie Changyue’s hand and echoed without even looking up: “Mm, there are many academies in the capital, that is a good thing.”

Seeing this attitude, Xie Dong felt a surge of unvented anger and said coldly: “Does Brother-in-law not wish to attend an academy in the capital? When the time comes, I could say a word to Brother Changhuan…”

“No need.” Gu Siyuan finally looked up at him. He wanted to see exactly what this brainless little idiot—this little idiot who repeatedly brought up Shen Changhuan in front of Xie Changyue—was made of.

Seeing the person finally looking at him, Xie Dong smiled smugly: “Is Brother-in-law unconfident about passing the prefectural exam the year after next? Mm, a gentleman’s words should reflect loyalty and honesty; although Brother-in-law’s scholarship is lacking, you are a very honest person.”

Hearing this, a rare trace of a faint smile appeared on Gu Siyuan’s ice-cold face.

Like a flower blooming on ice, it naturally held a boundless, charming mystery.

Not only Xie Changyue, but even Xie Er and Xie Qiu were unconsciously drawn by it.

Then, his thin lips parted slightly: “You stinking idiot, I’ve tolerated you for a long time. How about we make a bet? Based on our rankings in next year’s county exam, for however many places you are behind me, you will stand at the village entrance and shout ‘Xie Dong is the number one fool under heaven’ that many times. How about it?”

His tone remained entirely calm, his enunciation clear and round; absolutely no one in the room could have misheard.

Thus, the atmosphere instantly plummeted to the extreme point of silence.

“…”

In a flash, Xie Dong’s still somewhat immature face alternated between green and white, his eye sockets flushing red, almost on the verge of tears.

The next moment, he slammed his hand on the table and stood straight up: “You… you are simply a disgrace to scholars.”

Gu Siyuan gave a cold laugh: “Just who is disgracing scholars? Daring to slam the table and stand up right in front of your own biological father—truly the good upbringing and fine character of a scholar!”

Xie Dong’s face flushed even redder: “You… you…”

He pointed at Gu Siyuan for a long time but couldn’t utter a single word.

Gu Siyuan swatted his hand away, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth: “Cut the nonsense. Well, do you dare to bet or not?”

Xie Dong was almost on the verge of blurting out, ‘Bet it is then.’

However, meeting the confident gaze of the person before him, he subconsciously hesitated. Losing now was just a momentary verbal dispute, but if they truly made a bet, what if in the future… his reputation would be completely ruined.

As the head of the household, seeing a perfectly good post-wedding visit turn into this, Xie Er felt a degree of dissatisfaction toward Xie Dong, as well as toward Gu Siyuan and Xie Changyue.

But right now, he could only push Xie Dong back toward his study.

Not only was it to naturally diffuse Xie Dong’s awkwardness, but he was also afraid that if Gu Siyuan and Xie Changyue simply flicked their sleeves and left right then, the villagers would only laugh at the Xie family, saying they were too stingy to even keep their Ger’s husband for a meal on his return visit.

After the father and son left, Xie Changyue gently squeezed Gu Siyuan’s hand, an exquisitely beautiful smile curling at his lips.

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained unchanged, maintaining his usual indifference.

Yet the two of them looked like an absolute perfect match.

Observing from the side, Xie Qiu gave a slight snort, but in his heart, he wasn’t feeling indignant for his brother.

Rather, he felt it was unfair. He had originally thought that Xie Changyue not being able to marry Brother Gu Zhen meant he should be very pitiful. Yet, this Gu Yang didn’t look the least bit inferior to Gu Zhen, and he protected Xie Changyue wholeheartedly.

How did Xie Changyue have such good luck…

After that, Gu Siyuan didn’t speak with anyone from the Xie family again.

After eating lunch, the two of them directly returned to the Gu family.

The scene after returning home was much the same as yesterday. Gu Siyuan stood in front of the window practicing calligraphy and reciting texts from memory, while Xie Changyue ran back and forth—one moment going to check on the ‘flowers’ he planted in the backyard, the next moment coming to accompany Gu Siyuan, helping him grind ink and casually writing a few characters for fun.

It truly was a picturesque scene of romance and companionship… Extremely pleasant.

When night fell and they returned to their room, Xie Changyue watched his husband take off his top, plant his hands and feet on the ground, and adopt a strange posture.

“Husband, what are you doing?”

Gu Siyuan’s breathing remained steady: “Working out a bit.”

Xie Changyue propped his chin, watching curiously.

With Gu Siyuan’s every movement, the muscles on his shoulders, back, and arms bulged slightly, making his narrow waist and broad shoulders look even more prominent.

Watching the muscles bulge rhythmically, Xie Changyue curiously reached out a finger to poke them. A Ger’s fingers were white and soft, tickling when they touched him. Poked like this, Gu Siyuan almost lost his strength.

He turned his face to look at him and said coldly: “Stop messing around.”

Xie Changyue gave a hmph and also propped himself on the ground mimicking him, but he immediately collapsed flat. Unable to even push up once after a long time, he felt somewhat discouraged.

Feeling helpless, Gu Siyuan spoke to him to distract his attention: “I’m going to the academy the day after tomorrow.”

“Ah…” Xie Changyue’s eyes went round, his expression instantly changing. He snorted through his nose and muttered: “The academy… why do you have to go to the academy so early?”

Saying this, he completely ignored Gu Siyuan, sitting alone on the bed propping his chin with a bitter face, thinking about who knew what.

Seeing him looking so pitiful, Gu Siyuan only did a few push-ups before standing up. He dampened a sweat towel in the basin and wiped the sweat from his hands, neck, and back.

Tossing the towel aside, he walked over, sat down beside Xie Changyue, and pinched his cheek: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Changyue’s feelings were very straightforward: “I can’t bear to be apart from my husband.”

Gu Siyuan’s heart softened a bit; this feeling was very unique: “Why is my husband so clingy? I only have classes at the academy during the day; I’ll come back every evening, and I’ll still have a day off at the end of every ten-day period.”

“Oh…” Xie Changyue nodded while hugging his arm, but he still looked like a wilted eggplant.

He and his husband had only been married for a few days, and they were already going to be separated.

Gu Siyuan continued to instruct him: “When you’re home alone during the day, be good. If you need anything, find Papa to help you.”

“Okay…” Xie Changyue dragged out the syllable lazily.

After a thought, Gu Siyuan pulled him entirely into his arms. Since he was in such low spirits, he ought to do something to cheer him up!

No matter how reluctant he was to part, Gu Siyuan still had to start his studying routine of leaving early and returning late on schedule.

The academy’s rules were very strict; slacking off or skipping classes was absolutely unacceptable. If one were to anger the teacher and be expelled, their reputation would be completely ruined, and no other academy would be willing to accept them.

And Gu Zhen had actually left a day earlier than him. After Gu Zhen passed the exam to become a Tongsheng (child scholar), he didn’t continue his studies at the county academy but went to the prefectural school in Tongzhou.

Tongzhou city was about a hundred li away from Huangyang Village. By convention, unless something came up, Gu Zhen would not return home on his ten-day breaks. The next time everyone saw him would likely be during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The county academy’s morning classes began exactly at the hour of Chen (8:00 AM) every day. The distance from Huangyang Village to the Wuqing County town was about fourteen or fifteen li, which would take over an hour at a normal walking pace. Counting his daily jog as exercise, Gu Siyuan could see the county town gates in less than three quarters of an hour.

After entering through the county town gates, going straight across the broad Anding Avenue, taking a right turn over the stone bridge crossing the clear stream, one would enter Book Market Street.

Book Market Street was the most prestigious area in Wuqing County town. Not only were academies and private schools gathered here, but the Wuqing County Government Office and the County School were also majestically situated at the end of the street. The businesses operating on both sides of the main street either sold the Four Treasures of the Study or were quiet teahouses, with only an occasional food stall.

The academy the original owner Gu Yang attended was fully named the Anping Academy. The main instructors were four teachers: one Juren (provincial graduate) and three Xiucai (licensed scholars). The word ‘Anping’ was precisely the given name of that Juren surnamed Qi.

Most of the students at the academy were aiming for the Tongsheng exam. There were also those who had already passed the Tongsheng or Xiucai exams but couldn’t enter the county or prefectural schools due to low rankings, so they paid to continue studying here.

When Gu Siyuan walked into his classroom, three figures were already seated inside. Two of them were from the county town, and the other, like him, lived in the countryside, arriving so early entirely out of extreme diligence.

Upon seeing each other, the several of them stood up to exchange bows, and then sat back down to continue silently reciting texts with swaying heads.

Gu Siyuan didn’t have the habit of swaying his head, so he silently memorized the texts while copying them down to practice his calligraphy.

His memory had always been excellent; no matter what it was, reading it once allowed him to roughly remember it, and if he copied it once, he could recite it backward fluently.

This was extremely advantageous in the imperial examinations. Except for the final Palace Examination, where the current Emperor personally set the questions and might unexpectedly ask anything, the previous exams primarily consisted of content from the Four Books and Five Classics—aside from the section on regulated eight-line poems. In particular, the policy essay questions based on fragmented, combined phrases had blocked countless scholars on their path to advancement just because of those obscure cut-and-pasted sentences.

But for Gu Siyuan, these problems naturally didn’t exist.

What he needed to consider more was how to write a brilliant policy essay that would amaze the world with a single feat, while simultaneously avoiding taboos, preventing an overly flashy display, and managing to win the favor of the examiners.

As he thought this, the bell outside the classroom was struck, and subsequently, a tall, thin figure walked in.

The person teaching the students in their classroom who hadn’t yet obtained scholarly honors was Master Chen.

Master Chen was forty-seven this year, a strict man who had failed multiple times in the provincial exams in previous years, and had become a teacher at the Anping Academy last year.

Although Master Chen’s examination abilities weren’t considered outstanding, his teaching capability was passable. After finishing his explanation of today’s classical texts, he required everyone to silently memorize and understand them on their own.

Gu Siyuan had completely memorized it after hearing it once, saving himself the effort of silent recitation.

He then habitually picked up his brush to record Master Chen’s explanations, added a few of his own understandings and annotations, and wrote them down as class notes. Perhaps he could even sell them in the future.

Seeing that he alone was behaving differently, Master Chen walked over with his hands behind his back, stroking his beard.

Originally angered by his disobedience and intending to strictly reprimand him, after seeing the enriched content on his paper and those calligraphic strokes like iron and silver hooks, he couldn’t help but pause. He then stroked his beard in pleasant surprise: “Excellent!”

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained unchanged as he simply stood up and gave a slight bow.

Master Chen continued asking: “When are you scheduled to take the exams?”

Having only arrived last year, Master Chen didn’t have a comprehensive grasp of these students’ situations yet. However, this was a great thing for Gu Siyuan.

Gu Siyuan replied: “In February of next year, I am willing to give it a try.”

According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the imperial examinations began with the County Exam. If one were fortunate enough to pass successively, they could keep advancing until stopping at the Palace Examination.

And the County Exam was held every year in the spring month of February.

Hearing this, Master Chen nodded in gratification. Then, he directly began testing Gu Siyuan with questions.

The County Exam was the first test, and its content was naturally the most superficial among them. The custom was to recite two passages from the Four Books and Five Classics from memory, plus compose a regulated eight-line poem, and later there might also be dictations of the Sacred Edict and the Classic of Filial Piety.

The questions Master Chen asked fell within this scope. Reciting and writing from memory couldn’t be simpler for Gu Siyuan; he only needed to pay attention to certain taboos.

Thus, he easily answered them all.

Master Chen had never seen anyone memorize the classical texts so fluently. Suddenly delighted, he had lost track of how many questions he had asked.

By the end, seemingly harboring the intention to stump him, the questions he asked had become extremely obscure. But no matter what they were, Gu Siyuan could still answer fluently as usual.

Master Chen’s eyes shone brightly: “Your accumulation is highly sufficient, you are a rather diligent and dedicated lad.”

In this era, whether teachers or fathers, when educating the younger generation, the principle was to scold rather than praise, lest their young age and unsteady temperaments lead them to develop arrogant and conceited hearts due to praise.

Therefore, this single sentence from Master Chen at this moment could be considered an extremely high appraisal.

Afterward, Master Chen proceeded to have Gu Siyuan compose two regulated eight-line poems according to the format.

Gu Siyuan’s talent in poetic arts was average, but as the proverb says, ‘Familiarity with three hundred Tang poems will allow one to chant even if one cannot compose.’

With sufficient accumulation, even if the poems he composed didn’t possess brilliant talent, they were at least passable.

After Master Chen read them, although they didn’t impart the same sense of amazement as before, he was still quite satisfied. He deeply felt that as long as no accidents occurred, with this kind of performance, passing the County Exam would be no major problem, and he might even achieve a very high ranking.

Having arrived at the Anping Academy relatively late, Master Chen had the shallowest seniority among the several teachers. Therefore, he held an even greater hope that a few students who could pass the County and Prefectural Exams would emerge from under his tutelage.

Previously, he had never particularly set his sights on anyone. Yet now, after a one-month farming break, he hadn’t expected to encounter such a pleasant surprise.

After thinking for a moment, Master Chen lowered his head and wrote a few characters on a piece of paper.

Putting down the brush, he said to Gu Siyuan: “You must complete this after classes end today. Before morning classes begin tomorrow, I shall inspect it.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

The teacher really did hold him in high regard.

These few characters were clearly the theme for a policy essay. It was evident that Master Chen probably felt he was guaranteed to pass the County Exam, and was thus testing him in advance on the content for the Prefectural Exam.

Like the County Exam, the Prefectural Exam included reciting from the Four Books and Five Classics and composing regulated eight-line poems. But aside from that, there were additional evaluations of short essays, and most importantly, a policy essay.

The policy essay was the true test that could reveal a person’s accumulation of knowledge, capability, and insight; it was the most profound and difficult portion.

However, this suited Gu Siyuan’s intentions perfectly.

Not only the County and Prefectural Exams, but he also intended to pass the subsequent Prefectural Academy Exam in one go. The Academy Exam was held once every two years; if he didn’t pass next year, the next opportunity would be three years later, and he couldn’t wait that long.

Thus, Gu Siyuan stood up openly and bowed in acknowledgment.

Seeing his student’s calm and unhurried demeanor, Master Chen felt even more satisfied in his heart.

Immersed in studying, one only felt time fly by in a flash.

During the noon break, Gu Siyuan spent three copper coins to buy a bowl of hot soup at a small stall outside the academy. Paired with a few pan-fried buns his Papa had gotten up early to make for him, he made do for lunch.

In the afternoon, Master Chen lectured on regulated eight-line poems and essay-related topics.

When the hour of You (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM) arrived and the sun slanted westward, the day’s classes completely concluded.

Gu Siyuan had no intention of lingering at the academy. The moment the teacher stepped out of the classroom, his belongings were already packed into his book basket. He stood up, slung it onto his back, and left directly, which felt somewhat like returning to his high school days.

Thinking of high school, for some reason, Xie Changyue’s face flashed in Gu Siyuan’s mind, but in the appearance of wearing short hair and a suit uniform.

This attire surprisingly didn’t look the least bit bizarre or abrupt, as if he had truly existed that way.

Gu Siyuan couldn’t help but chuckle. It had only been one day; could it be that he had gone crazy from missing his husband?

Was it that Xie Changyue couldn’t be without him, or that he couldn’t be without Xie Changyue?

With his tall stature and long legs, he walked quickly. After drifting off in thought for just a moment, he had already crossed the stone bridge over the clear stream and arrived at Anding Avenue, where the clamor of voices surged everywhere and various fragrances continually wafted to his nose.

With a slight raise of his eyes, his gaze swept over a pastry shop named “Baoxiang Zhai” on his left, and Gu Siyuan stopped in his tracks.

In the original owner’s memory, this seemed to be the best pastry shop in Wuqing County town.

He remembered Xie Changyue’s cute appearance, his mouth covered in pastry crumbs, during their return visit the day before yesterday, and directly lifted his feet to walk toward the shop’s entrance.

When he emerged again, Gu Siyuan carried two bags of packaged pastries in his hand.

After leaving the city, he tossed the pastries into his back basket.

Maintaining the same speed as when he came in the morning, he ran whenever there was no one on the road. From a scientific standpoint, aerobic exercise in the evening was more efficient than in the morning.

Huangyang Village, the Gu family courtyard.

Returning from the mountain, Gu Er saw Mu Xia bagging soybeans in the courtyard. He quickly set down the back basket and firewood from his shoulders to help, casually asking: “Why are you alone? Where’s our son-in-law? Before I left, wasn’t he helping you?”

Mu Xia straightened up and pointed outside the courtyard gate.

Gu Er raised his brows: “He went out? You spent all day telling him to go out for a walk, and didn’t he refuse?”

Mu Xia smiled and pointed at the sky.

Gu Er realized what it meant.

The sun had set, the hour of You had passed, and his good son was coming back from classes.

Gu Er couldn’t help but let out a laugh: “You know, in the past, seeing my son keep his head down and not talk all day, I used to worry about what to do if he couldn’t find a wife or a husband. Who would have known that now, he’s got that little Ger so smitten that he can’t bear to be apart from him for even a moment?”

Mu Xia raised his hand to slap him lightly, then glared at him.

What kind of father talks about his own son like that behind his back?

However, thinking of how many times Changyue had asked him today about what time A’Yang finished classes and how long it took to walk home from the academy, Mu Xia couldn’t help but chuckle softly too.

His son and son-in-law got along so well; he had never seen a couple so inseparable…

Xie Changyue stood on the large stone at the village entrance, stretching his long neck to look ahead at the official road leading to the county town.

However, after peering for a long time, he saw nothing.

Yet he wasn’t disappointed. Just before coming here, he had passed by the sundial at the entrance of the ancestral hall—it was only the third quarter of the You hour. If he were the one walking from the county town to the village, it would probably take close to a whole Shichen (two hours). His husband was definitely faster, but it would still take at least five or six quarters of an hour.

If classes only ended at the You hour, it would still be a while before he returned.

After standing for a bit, Xie Changyue jumped down, squatted beside the large stone, and propped his chin, staring blankly at the two gardenia bushes with fallen flowers at the village entrance.

After letting his thoughts wander for a while, he lowered his head, picked up a thin piece of stone, and began to write in the dirt. Just writing this name made him feel as if flowers were blooming in his heart.

He grew happier the more he wrote, not even noticing that someone had approached.

“Not bad, you’ve attained about forty percent of my proficiency!” A cold, deep male voice sounded from directly above his head.

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