Finally, the ten names were called out.
As they listened, many people lost interest and dispersed.
Liu Sheng, who had also lost interest, suddenly heard her name appended at the very end. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Are even small fry like us being watched?"
"Did this Senior Brother Pig or Senior Brother Monkey say this list was for 'observation candidates'? Who's observing? What are we candidates for?"
"Vague."
"How could insignificant people like us, who are so low-key, be observed?"
The same question arose in everyone's minds.
"Who is this Liu Sheng?"
"Everyone else has their academy listed, so why doesn't she? Did she not attend an academy?"
Liu Sheng was also curious about the explanation and remained silent.
"She has already graduated and left the academy, which is why her academy name isn't listed," Senior Brother Zhu said. "I heard it's because she has two articles on cultivation theory..."
The courtyard erupted in an uproar.
"Hiss, two..."
"Terrifying!"
"I just had my submission rejected; I might as well find a spot to bury myself..."
"Too bad it's all bluestone slabs here; can't dig, can't bury," another person coolly reminded.
With that, everyone understood why "Liu Sheng" appeared on the list.
Before entering the National Academy, many people had no intention or opportunity to publish academic papers, so Liu Sheng, with two publications, was already considered an anomaly.
Liu Sheng glanced around and saw Ling Yuke, who had just been full of pride, now had a complex expression and no longer looked at her.
Gao Yisheng and her Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters already knew about this and showed no particular reaction, only nodding and smiling at her.
Wang Dongdong, however, pouted, "Why didn't you tell me you had another one!"
"I forgot..."
Suddenly, a hand reached from behind and lightly tapped her head with a bent index finger.
"Junior Sister Liu, you arrived quite early," Zhong Youzhi's voice sounded.
Liu Sheng rubbed her head and retorted, "Senior Brother Zhong, you're the one who's too late."
"It's fine, isn't it? The exam hasn't started anyway."
Zhong Youzhi smiled radiantly, still dressed in his resplendent attire. He flicked his hand, intending to open a folding fan, only to realize he hadn't brought anything.
Not far away, Senior Brother Lu Shen and his Senior Brother Zhang Huaiyi also appeared in the courtyard.
Before Senior Brother Lu could speak, Zhang Huaiyi spotted Liu Sheng and loudly called out, "Junior Sister Liu Sheng!"
Everyone was startled by the shout, then realized the name sounded familiar.
"Isn't that the tenth name just now..."
"Senior Brother Monkey, no, Senior Brother Zhu, didn't you say she was some nobody at first? And that you knew the faces of everyone on the hot list for the top spot?" someone reminded Senior Brother Zhu.
Senior Brother Zhu awkwardly coughed and offered a lame excuse, "Perhaps I bought a reprinted edition, and the portrait was a bit distorted..."
"Oh..."
The crowd dispersed in disappointment. They had thought he was some well-informed person with inside news, but it turned out he had just bought a gossip tabloid.
"But I often visit bookstores and read all sorts of newspapers; how come I've never seen this kind of tabloid? Huh? Senior Brother Monkey, no, Senior Brother Pig, where is he?" Gao Yisheng questioned, then turned his head to see that the sharp-faced, monkey-chinned young man had already disappeared.
Liu Sheng was originally gathered with her Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, avoiding the crowd's gaze, and took the opportunity to introduce her friend Wang Dongdong to them.
However, the moment that person disappeared, she noticed everything, instantly understood, and her gaze shot like lightning towards the Dragon Gate.
...
Behind the Dragon Gate, in the vast examination hall, two people were already seated in the examiners' exclusive seats, shielded by a pearl curtain.
"I didn't expect this young lady to be quite sharp," the elderly man in the center said, stroking his gray beard as he looked out the window. A smile was hidden beneath his beard as he slipped a small paper figure into his sleeve.
"Mei Yuanzheng... why did you personally go down to tease them?"
The old man was Mei Yuanzheng of the National Academy, and the middle-aged female official sitting beside him asked with a helpless expression.
"Yan Xueshi, don't you think it's quite interesting to see their reactions?" Mei Yuanzheng chuckled. "Moreover, telling certain people that they are being watched might be even more interesting."
"Is Yuan Zheng looking for entertainment?" Yan Xueshi asked curiously.
"Perhaps..."
Mei Yuanzheng suddenly sensed something and let out a cold chuckle: "They've finally arrived."
At this moment, a door on the other side of the examination hall opened, and three middle-aged men in official robes entered behind the pearl curtain.
"Mei Yuanzheng," the man in the center was the first to cup his hands and bow.
"Li Shangshu," Mei Yuanzheng responded amiably.
However, their gazes met and sparked intense friction.
The others also exchanged greetings.
Though undercurrents surged, they were merely undercurrents; the outward courtesies could not be omitted.
The one in the center was indeed Li Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites. He held a jade box emitting a soft divine glow, carefully, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature.
The two beside him were, one, a man in white robes with an extraordinary demeanor, the renowned Grand Scholar of the Cabinet, Hanshan Jun, though everyone preferred to call him "Hanshan Jun."
And the other, a thin, middle-aged man with a tired face, whose eye bags and dark circles indicated countless sleepless nights, was Minister of Public Works Ling Fu.
As soon as Minister Ling arrived, his gaze fixed intently on the examinees in the courtyard, his expression as serious as it usually was when he delved into the Dao of Artifact Refining.
"Minister Ling is looking at his daughter! Having not seen her for several days, it's understandable that Minister Ling, known for doting on his daughter, must miss her dearly."
Saying this with a smile, Li Shangshu placed the jade box on the table in front of Mei Yuanzheng and gracefully took his seat beside Mei Yuanzheng, also in a place of honor.
Regarding this unprecedented seating arrangement, no one dared to comment, treating it as normal.
Hanshan Jun said with a smile, "Fortunately, Minister Ling has always been upright and incorruptible; otherwise, Your Majesty would not have allowed him to be present here without avoiding suspicion."
Ling Fu casually grunted in noncommittal two times, withdrew his gaze from a certain figure, and sat quietly, not participating in the conversation.
Everyone was accustomed to Ling Fu's temperament and didn't pay much attention.
Mei Yuanzheng said coldly, "Are you implying that Wen Shoufu isn't upright and incorruptible? Is that why he, whose son also has to take the exam, wasn't allowed to come?"
Li Shangshu was choked by the remark but still maintained a gentle smile: "Wen Shoufu is busy with state affairs; Your Majesty pities him, and thus did not arrange for him to come here to supervise the exam."
"So you all are just idle?"
Mei Yuanzheng's sudden remark choked Li Shangshu and Hanshan Jun, making them cough repeatedly.
The other officials who were streaming in also quickly coughed or looked up at the sky, pretending not to hear.
Only Minister Ling remained, lost in thought, not knowing what he was thinking.
And Yan Lai, the Grand Scholar of the National Academy next to him, kept his eyes down, pretending not to hear.
"Since all the lords have arrived, and the divine object has been bestowed, can the examinees now enter?" Yan Xueshi, who disliked such rambling, asked directly with a frown.
"Yes..."
Before Li Shangshu could finish speaking, Mei Yuanzheng asked unceremoniously.
"Wait, do you know how to use this divinely bestowed object?"
"Of course, we do. Just now, His Majesty personally instructed us in the palace," Li Shangshu said gently, only slightly emphasizing the words "His Majesty."
Mei Yuanzheng understood the implication, said no more, and only nodded with a solemn expression.
Thereupon, Li Shangshu nodded slightly to the official beside the jade chime. The official, receiving the command, hastily struck the jade chime.
The chime's clear sound, one after another, resonated throughout the Tribute Yard.
Beneath the "Dragon Gate" plaque, the heavy gate finally swung open.
Liu Sheng looked at the deep examination hall within the gate and thought, "Finally, it's here."
Third update today, Thanks (ω)
