strictlysupreme Chapter 148 Round 2
Chapter 148 Round 2
Chapter 148 The Second Round
"Next up, the national champion, Ye Ru!"
The scholar from Yingtian Academy, holding the list, shouted it out, filling everyone with anticipation. They all wanted to see if Ye Ru could pass this first round of testing.
When his name was called, Ye Ru slowly walked to the stage and stared at the ten rare Chinese characters. Due to the radiance of the sacred temple, only the few academy teachers could hear them.
"The first sound is the same as 'mei', which is a word in a dialect."
Ye Ru explained the origin and homophones of each word, which drew strange and astonished looks from the teachers of the four great academies.
The books that ordinary students read are only for exams, and it is already quite remarkable that they can remember the pronunciation of these obscure characters.
To their astonishment, the young scholar before them could not only pronounce the words but also explain their origins and meanings.
"He truly deserves to be the top student in the country; his talent and learning are comparable to some scholars who have passed the county-level imperial examinations."
The scholar from Yuelu Academy shook his head and sighed.
"I really don't know which academy he will choose. Zhang Shuling, your Yingtian Academy is no longer good. I'm afraid this student won't be able to get into your academy."
At this moment, the scholar from Yuzhang Academy said to Zhang Shuling with a mocking expression.
"Hmph, Xu Zhou, the lackey of the Left Prime Minister, is a disgrace to scholars. What face does he have to speak to us?"
Zhang Shuling's face darkened as he retorted sharply.
"You were originally renamed Yingtian Academy because your academic abilities were lacking, which was to be expected. Why blame the Left Prime Minister?"
Xu Zhou sneered and said.
"What? If it weren't for the secret instigation of your Yuzhang Academy and the Left Prime Minister, how could we have ended up like this today? You want a literary duel? Then I'll have a literary duel with you!"
"Alright, gentlemen, we're here to recruit students, not to argue. What if others hear us!"
The scholar from Yuelu Academy, who had passed the imperial examinations, spoke in a deep voice, stopping the two from arguing.
"Ye Tongsheng, you got all ten rare characters right. In the entire Yanhuang Kingdom, there are very few people who can achieve this level of literary talent. I hope you can continue to excel in the next round."
Then the scholar from Yuelu Academy said with a smile.
"How is it? Can Ye Ru pronounce these obscure characters? It seems those old gentlemen are arguing about something."
Looking at the gloomy faces of Zhang Shuling and the others, Meng Qingyang felt a pang of worry and then said...
"It seems so. Those gentlemen don't look too good. Could it be that Ye Ru really didn't guess five correctly?"
Kong Hexuan's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition rose in his mind.
"I knew it. Although Ye Ru is learned, he is at a loss when it comes to such details. I'm afraid Ye Ru will have to stop here with regret."
Fan Ziling curled her lip, looking disdainful.
As everyone was talking, Ye Ru stepped out from within the light barrier, drawing everyone's attention.
"How did you do? How many did you get right?"
Kong Hexuan said excitedly.
"You only need five to pass the first round. You are a student from a poor family. Although you haven't seen these words much, you should be able to answer five correctly."
Meng Qingyang also looked worried, and then comforted Ye Ru.
"Ye Tongsheng, you didn't even manage to answer five correctly?"
Fan Ziling mocked.
"Cough cough."
Immediately afterwards, the aura of talent that had enveloped the area from the temple gradually dissipated, revealing the people from the four great academies. They stood up, looked around at everyone, and slowly said:
"I've truly witnessed a genius today. He was able to answer all ten obscure characters correctly. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."
The teacher from Yuelu Academy said with a smile, which caused an uproar among everyone. All eyes were scanning around, as if trying to find out who had gotten all ten right.
"Yes, each generation truly surpasses the last. We old folks are probably no longer of any use."
The teacher from Qinghua Academy nodded, then looked at Ye Ru:
"The one who got all ten correct is someone you should all recognize; that's Ye Ru, who came in first place in the national children's competition."
A single sentence from the teacher of Yuelu Academy was like hot oil poured into water, instantly causing a huge uproar in the hearts of the people here. Countless people looked at Ye Ru with expressions of shock.
"No way, Ye Ru can even read such difficult and obscure characters. If you say he is a student from a poor family, I really don't believe it."
"Yes, could he be a disciple of some hidden aristocratic family?"
Many people said this, and even Kong Hexuan and others almost believed it.
Wen Xiang and Chen Tianjian both nodded and relaxed, but their eyes remained fixed on the teacher from Yuzhang Academy.
Because Yuzhang Academy and the Left Prime Minister are related by blood, if Ye Ru offends the Left Prime Minister, Yuzhang Academy will naturally receive the Left Prime Minister's order to sabotage Ye Ru's path to education.
"Hopefully, Yuzhang Academy won't go too far."
Wen Xiang narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured.
"Not only Yuzhang Academy, but even Yingtian Academy has been ordered by the Left Prime Minister. According to reports from spies, the Left Prime Minister has only one intention: to prevent Ye Ru from entering the four major academies."
Chen Tianjian also looked grave and spoke softly.
"Let's wait and see. Zhang Shuling is quite stubborn, but he hates evil as much as he hates it. He once wrote a memorial to the Left Prime Minister. It seems that the Left Prime Minister is using a feint. He first spread the word that Yingtian Academy is one of their people, and then secretly instructed Yuzhang Academy to play tricks behind the scenes."
Wen Xiang nodded and looked back at the stage.
"Eight hundred and twenty-one people passed the first round. Next is the second round. There is a lottery box here containing questions on four subjects: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Each person has ten minutes."
Xu Zhou took out a divination stick container and then addressed the crowd.
"The first one is Ye Ru."
After saying that, Ye Ru walked onto the stage. Xu Zhou pressed the button in the lottery box without leaving a trace, handed it to Ye Ru, and a barely perceptible sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Ye Ru felt around inside and then took out a piece of paper.
The note startled him slightly, and when he saw Xu Zhou's mocking face, he understood something.
"You are a genius, but instead of turning to the light, you have angered the Left Prime Minister. Today, your path of learning ends here."
Xu Zhou's lips twitched slightly, a cold smile playing on his lips, as his words gently reached Ye Ru's ears.
"call."
Ignoring the man, Ye Ru took a deep breath. Not only in the imperial court, but even in academia, there are people with the heart of a rat.
When he looked at the handwriting on the note, he frowned.
"Qin: Compose a piece of your own. The composition time is five minutes, and the performance time is ten minutes."
"What kind of test questions are there?"
Kong Hexuan leaned closer, and when he saw the note, his body stiffened instantly.
This naturally attracted countless people to gather around Ye Ru. When Fan Ziling saw the question, he immediately burst into gloating laughter.
This scene drew angry stares from everyone.
"Creating a piece of music in five minutes? Is that really asking too much? Even my father, who is at the third level of the qin (a seven-stringed zither), couldn't compose a piece of music in five minutes!"
One of them was furious. He looked at the teachers of the four academies and shouted angrily.
Upon hearing this, Wen Xiang and Chen Tianjian's expressions changed, and they whispered:
"The Left Prime Minister has begun his move..."
"Please calm down. This divination box was made by us, and it is absolutely fair. However, the question inside was not created by us; it was probably a good-natured joke by the question setter. But unexpectedly, Ye Tongsheng drew it. Once it's drawn, it cannot be changed, otherwise we would be suspected of cheating. Therefore, we hope that Ye Tongsheng can overcome all difficulties and play this piece, so as not to diminish his reputation as the first child prodigy."
Xu Zhou turned to look at Ye Ru, a mocking look flashing across his face.
"Yes, sir, your words are truly gems. Ye Tongsheng, everyone knows that your poetry is renowned throughout the world, and your calligraphy is also superb. Why not take this opportunity to play a piece, so that we too can share in Brother Ye's joy? What could be better?"
Fan Ziling clapped his hands and praised in a sarcastic tone.
"Xu Zhou! What are you trying to do by framing the top scholar!"
Zhang Shuling looked at Xu Zhou, paused for a moment, and then suddenly roared angrily.
"Brother Zhang, you've framed me! Have you forgotten? The exam questions for this year's student recruitment were actually set by your academy."
Xu Zhou smiled lightly.
"you!"
Zhang Shuling seemed to have thought of something, and her expression immediately changed.
"Well, Ye Tongsheng, the draw can't be changed. So if you want to withdraw and go back to your hometown to study in peace, you still have a chance. Otherwise, if you make a mess of things, your title of the first student will vanish into nothingness in an instant."
After silencing Zhang Shuling, Xu Zhou looked at Ye Ru and said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Ye Ru's lips curled into a cold smile, and he then said:
"I am deeply grateful for the Prime Minister's kindness. He tried to obstruct my path to education, but I will not let him succeed. Mr. Xu, please don't let this backfire and damage my reputation."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Ru stepped forward, and his calm words caused an uproar throughout the room:
"I've taken on this exam."