novelden Chapter 101 Trial
Chapter 101 Trial
What happened next had nothing to do with Lin Shu and the others. So they went straight into Bao Fang Zhai, asked for a private room on the second floor, and had the waiter bring them some fruits, snacks, and goat milk.
After being delayed downstairs for almost half an hour, we were finally able to get something to eat.
Su Mu held Xiao Ansi in his arms, gently scooping goat milk with a wooden spoon and feeding her spoonful by spoonful. Feng Yu sat to the side, looking smug, glancing over from time to time. Seeing Xiao Ansi eating so happily, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
Su Mu couldn't help but chuckle. He turned and smiled at Lin Shu. He could see the young master's admiration for Lin Shu, but his personality was just like that of a child who hadn't grown up.
So he filled another bowl, added fruit, sprinkled some sugar, stirred it gently, and brought it to Feng Yu, saying softly, "Young master, why don't you try it?"
Feng Yu had no interest at all; the goat milk had a strong, fishy smell, which he usually disliked in the palace. However, he didn't want to offend Su Mu, so he simply picked up the bowl and carefully took a small sip.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he gulped down a small bowl of goat milk in one go, even letting out a soft burp at the end.
Adding fruit to this goat milk is quite ingenious; it reduces the goaty smell and makes the fruit aroma even more intense.
Later, Feng Yu got along exceptionally well with the others and even managed to hold Xiao Ansi in her arms.
……
"Knock knock..."
When Feng Zhao arrived and knocked on the door, he saw Feng Yu, the chubby little boy, sitting obediently on a wooden stool in the private room on the second floor of Baofangzhai, holding a chubby baby in his arms, and drinking something from each other.
There were two bowls of goat milk on the table in front of him. Without a doubt, one of them must have been for his greedy seventh brother.
Looking around at Lin Shu's family, all of them were looking at her with doting eyes. Feng Zhao sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead. This brat, if you're not careful, she'll throw him outside.
"Ah Shu, Xiao Qi has been quite a bother just now, I'll take him away now." Feng Zhao didn't go into the house, but stood at the door, nodded slightly to Su Mu and the others, and then spoke to Lin Shu.
"It's alright!" Lin Shu did not try to stop her. Feng Zhao was in charge of this imperial examination, and it was indeed inappropriate to meet privately before the exam.
After Feng Zhao led the reluctant Feng Yu away, Lin Shu and the others rested for a while, then strolled around downstairs before returning to the Lin residence.
……
The imperial examination will be held on the ninth day of the second month.
As dawn broke and the sky gradually brightened, the streets of the capital were already bustling with activity.
Today is the day of the triennial imperial examination, and countless men and women, dreaming of passing with flying colors, have gathered here from all directions. Some are excited, some are nervous, and some are apprehensive, but without exception, their eyes all gleam with a thirst for fame and power.
The imperial examination lasted nine days, on the 9th, 12th, and 15th days of the second lunar month, divided into three sessions, each lasting three days. (The examinations were held consecutively for nine days, with two days of examination followed by one day of rest. Candidates were not allowed to leave the examination hall during this period.)
The place where the imperial examinations were held was called the Gongyuan, which was a dense cluster of cubicles used by candidates. Each cubicle was three feet wide, four feet deep, with a back wall eight feet high and a front eaves about six feet high.
Following the flow of people, Lin Shu, dressed in a sky-blue outfit and carrying a cloth bag containing writing implements, entered the examination hall. Inside, examiners, dressed in official robes and holding rosters, were verifying the identities of the candidates one by one.
After all the candidates entered the examination hall, the door was immediately locked from the outside. No wonder this examination was called the "Locked Courtyard Examination". The examination hall was surrounded by thorns, so it was also called the "Thorn-Locked Examination".
Lin Shu found her examination booth and sat down. Then, a yamen runner came and gave her a basin of charcoal and a candle.
Then the exam questions were distributed, drums resounded from Mingyuan Tower, and the examiners lit incense to keep time. Lin Shu knew that the imperial examination had officially begun.
The questions in this year's exam were more challenging than those in previous years.
The first session mainly tests the understanding of the Four Books, namely, the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Analects, and the Mencius. Candidates are required to explain their understanding and arguments based on the given topics.
The second section mainly examines the meaning of the "Five Classics," namely, the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. Candidates can choose one classic to answer based on their expertise.
The third section primarily assesses candidates' ability to answer policy-related questions, specifically those posed in the context of current affairs or historical records, thus evaluating their governing philosophy and policy analysis skills.
Lin Shu was writing furiously in the examination room, unaware that her home was about to be robbed after only a few days away.
To be precise, Xue Wen was going to be stolen.
This matter originated a few days ago when Xue Wen and Li Huanzhi took two servants out of the mansion to buy colored thread. The place was very close to the Lin mansion and was in a bustling area. Normally, they would go out without incident.
But he had only been out of the house a short while when someone bumped into him. Li Huanzhi quickly caught Xue Wen, who was about to be knocked down, and asked:
"Father, are you alright?"
"It's alright. Hey! Catch the thief!" Xue Wen shook his head, then reached for his waist and found his purse had vanished. He quickly pointed at the woman who had bumped into him and shouted.
Fortunately, there were many people around, and several kind-hearted women heard about it and quickly caught the thief. Xue Wen then sent one of his servants with him to the authorities for investigation.
Seeing that she couldn't escape, the thief lowered her head as if resigned to her fate. Just as she was about to pass by Xue Wen and the others, she suddenly sprang up, broke free from the person holding her, and pulled out a dagger to stab Xue Wen, who was closest to her.
Xue Wen and Li Huanzhi were both stunned by this man's sudden action. By the time they came to their senses, it was already too late to avoid it...
At this critical moment, a woman wearing an iron mask of a demon suddenly appeared, gently put her arm around Xue Wen's waist, and turned him around once.
The dagger slashed across the man's arm, and the woman let out a muffled groan before swiftly kicking the dagger out of the thief's hand.
After the thief was handed over to the authorities, the woman wearing the demon mask asked Xue Wen in a worried whisper, "Are you alright?"
Xue Wen awkwardly moved away from the woman's hand on her waist, when he heard her ask a question. He immediately felt that the voice was unusually familiar, but before he could think about it, the woman fainted.
Helpless, Xue Wen had no choice but to send someone to help him into the Lin residence and settle him in a guest room.
Su Mu came upon hearing the news, and also brought a doctor with him.
"The wound isn't deep, it's nothing to worry about. I'll prescribe some medicine, and it will heal in about two or three days," the female doctor said, removing her hand from the masked woman's wrist.
Xue Wen was slightly relieved: "That's good then."
Unbeknownst to anyone, the masked man on the bed, upon hearing the doctor's words, frowned beneath his mask and instantly devised a plan.
The next day, Xue Wen heard from the servant who was attending to the masked woman that she could barely lift chopsticks.
They rushed over to check on the person, whose face was enormous and half of it was covered by an iron mask. Only the exposed lips and jaw were as pale as paper, as if the person was seriously injured.
So they called a doctor to examine the man, whose wound had become red, swollen, and worsened, presumably due to being injured by an iron object.
"You have a slight infection. Please avoid strenuous activity these days, and you may even need someone to help you with eating..."
After the doctor left, the masked woman woke up at the right time. She first looked around at everyone in the room in a seemingly blank manner, but in fact, her gaze never left Xue Wen.
Xue Wen relayed the doctor's words. The woman reached out her trembling hand to grab the bowls and chopsticks from the bedside table, her voice deliberately lowered, but still coldly saying:
"It's alright, I can do it myself."
Upon hearing the voice, Xue Wen's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, and he then asked the servant to feed her.
"No need, I don't like others touching me." The masked man quickly interrupted, his tone even colder. Then, through a small hole in his mask, he stared intently at Xue Wen.
Xue Wen: ...Why didn't you say this when you put your arm around my waist?
Finally, seeing that she couldn't get the food into her mouth after a long time, and her tightly pursed thin lips were as pale as paper, Xue Wen blurted out as if possessed: "How about I feed you?"
After saying that, Xue Wen covered his mouth in surprise, wondering why he would say such a thing, since the other person had already said that they did not like being touched by others.
Suddenly annoyed, he was about to say it was a joke and not to take it seriously when he heard:
"it is good."
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