CH 62

Mr. Wang shook his head and said, "The Thunderous Holy Sound only has a consolidating effect, not an intelligence-boosting one. If you hadn't studied the Book of Documents, how could you understand its meaning? And how could you solve the problem? Whether it's the Thunderous Holy Sound or your amazing talent, it's like having the Treasures of Literature in your hands. If you can't control it, how can you use it? Even if you can solve the problem with clever words, it's only because you have the ability to use the Treasures of Literature. If you continue to be modest, it's hypocritical."

Fang Yun could only remain silent and accept it calmly in his heart.

Mr. Wang immediately took advantage of the topic and said to the five people, "You have seen such a talented person with your own eyes. Will you still be proud of being in the top five of the Talented Scholars in the future?"

"We dare not," the five people answered in unison.

Mr. Wang sighed and said, "The Path of the Saints is extremely difficult and dangerous, like rowing against the current. A slight mistake can lead to shipwreck and death, and only one in ten thousand can succeed. There have been countless students in our Jing Kingdom for two hundred years, but only Chen Guanhai has become the first person to become a Saint, and what about the others? They all turned into dust, with very few leaving their names behind. If you don't believe me, I'll ask you one question. When Chen Guanhai made a name for himself in the Imperial Examinations that year and became the top scorer, everyone knew that. But who remembers the name of the second-place scholar?"

The five Talented Scholars shook their heads. They couldn't even remember the names of the second-place scholar or the top scorer from over a hundred years ago, let alone others.

Fang Yun said in a low voice, "Wu Huanyi."

The classroom fell silent.

"What did you say?" Mr. Wang asked with a smile.

"Please forgive me for being presumptuous. The second-place scholar in the same year as Chen Guanhai was named Wu Huanyi," Fang Yun replied.

Mr. Wang's face turned slightly red and he said, "Even if you know the second-place scholar, what about the third-place scholar?"

"Zhao Linjia," Fang Yun replied helplessly.

Mr. Wang's face turned even redder.

The five Talented Scholars couldn't help but lower their heads to suppress their laughter.

Mr. Wang couldn't hold back his laughter either and said helplessly, "If you want to laugh, just laugh."

The youngest students, Lu Yu and Ning Zhiyuan, covered their mouths and laughed, while the other three older students smiled. They didn't expect the conversation to turn out like this when they started discussing the Path of the Saints.

Mr. Wang wasn't angry and asked kindly, "How did you remember?"

Fang Yun said, "I bought a book that records the Imperial Scholars of Jing Kingdom over the years a few days ago. When I turned to Chen Guanhai's page, I remembered these two people. It wasn't intentional to target you, Mr. Wang."

Mr. Wang waved his hand and said generously, "No problem. I was just trying to encourage you juniors. If you can remember this, you must be very talented and don't need my encouragement to embark on the Path of the Saints."

"I won't say anything more," Fang Yun said quietly.

Mr. Wang nodded with a smile and continued to carefully evaluate Fang Yun's problem-solving skills. He spoke very well, and the other five Talented Scholars nodded in agreement. Fang Yun's ability to solve the problem was also a stroke of luck, but after Mr. Wang's analysis, his understanding deepened.

The class quickly ended, and Mr. Wang left.

Fang Yun was packing his book box when Lu Yu said, "You're not familiar with the Academy on your first day here. Let's go to the cafeteria for lunch together and then take a walk around the Academy to get familiar with it."

"Okay, but I'll go out first and tell my followers," Fang Yun said.

"Then we'll accompany you," Lu Yu said.

The six of them came to the gate of the Academy together. Fang Yun asked Tang Yu and his companions to go back and have lunch, while he stayed here for lunch and asked them to come back at five in the afternoon.

Fang Yun and the five other students walked and talked as they headed towards the cafeteria.

The cafeteria at the Academy was divided into two halls, one for officials and one for teachers and students. The food was actually the same.

Fang Yun walked in and felt a sense of familiarity, then joined the others in line to get plates and utensils.

After getting their food, the six of them found an empty table and ate and chatted together.Before they finished eating, five people walked over. The oldest among them bowed to Fang Yun and asked, "Are you Fang Yun, Fang Shuangjia?"

Although his voice was not loud, Fang Yun was already a famous person in the Dafu Prefecture, and today a Semi-Saint had announced his great talent to the entire prefecture, causing many people to look towards him.

Fang Yun looked at them and thought that he wouldn't be able to enjoy his meal. He swallowed the food in his mouth, stood up with a smile, and bowed, "It is I."

"Are you willing to join our second class?"

"What do you mean, Chang Wanxu?" Lu Yu was annoyed and stood up, staring angrily at Chang Wanxu.

Chang Wanxu laughed, "Nothing. We just think that Fang Yun is so talented, and we admire him very much. We hope he can join our class."

"Fang Yun has just entered the state academy today and will naturally join our first-year class," Lu Yu said.

"Fang Yun is a rare talent, and the one-year course is too simple for him, while the three-year course is too difficult. It is best for him to join our second-year class. Isn't that right, Fang Yun?" Chang Wanxu smiled, and the people behind him also smiled at Fang Yun.

Fang Yun glanced at the others. Except for the young Lu Yu and Ning Zhiyuan, who were angry, the other three were not angry. Tang Shanyue even smiled as usual.

Fang Yun vaguely understood that there should be competition between the talented scholar classes in the state academy, but there would not be any life or death grudges. It was probably just a comparison of literature and poetry.

"Thank you, Brother Chang, for your kindness, but I have just become a child scholar. Coming to the state academy is already a great achievement. I cannot aim too high and join the first-year class."

The first-year class was very happy, while the second-year class was very regretful. It was clear that they really wanted to be classmates with Fang Yun.

Chang Wanxu regretfully said, "Well, we can't force it, but I hope that the literary competition between the two classes will not affect the harmony among our academy students. With you here, we dare not compare poetry with the first-year class."

"Of course, harmony is important. We are all citizens of the Jing Kingdom and cannot waste our energy on trivial matters."

"That's right. Tonight, I want to invite all our talented scholar classmates to a feast. I wonder if everyone can come?"

Fang Yun understood that there was no malice and that it was a way to build relationships. He looked at the other five people in the first-year class. Except for Lu Yu and Ning Zhiyuan, who were not very happy, Li Yuncong and the other three nodded to indicate that it was okay.

Fang Yun said, "In that case, our first-year class will go together."

"Okay, it's a deal. After school, we'll meet at the main gate and go to the Wash Moon Tower together."

"Agreed."

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Both sides bid farewell with bows.

Unconsciously, everyone in the cafeteria turned their gaze towards Fang Yun, and many people whispered his name. Fang Yun felt a little uneasy, but he continued to eat normally. After taking a bite, he asked, "Is there anything between our first-year and second-year classes?"

Li Yuncong smiled and said, "Nothing. It's an old rule of the academy. To prevent students from becoming arrogant and proud, the three classes take exams, fight demons, or do something else together. They become talented scholars first, and then the presented scholars teach them for a year. Our first-year class naturally falls behind in everything, but the second-year class is the same in front of the third-year class. We're not angry, but being suppressed by others is always uncomfortable. However, the second-year class also knows what is important and will not really damage our harmony. After graduation, we will still take care of each other as classmates and fellow townspeople."

"That's good. Maybe when we graduate, we'll talk about these things from the past and find them interesting."

Li Yuncong and the others nodded.Lu Yu was unwilling to say, "That's true, but every time I see Chang Wanxu's triumphant look, I feel unhappy."

Fang Yun laughed, "If he makes you happy, then the teachers will be unhappy."

"Well, that's true." Lu Yu muttered softly.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Is that Fang Yun, the double champion?"

Fang Yun turned his head and saw six people coming over. He didn't know them, but one of them was wearing the Presented Scholar's robe, so he guessed they were all Presented Scholars.

The entire cafeteria suddenly fell silent, and both teachers and students looked over. Some even had a look of anticipation for a good show.

Fang Yun stood up and said, "Yes, it's me."

Li Yuncong, who was next to him, suddenly whispered, "Be careful, the one who spoke is called Zhuang Wei, he is Liu Zicheng's brother-in-law and an important figure in the Ying Society."

Fang Yun took a closer look and noticed that the man had no anger on his face and was very calm, so he should not be seeking revenge for Liu Zicheng.

Zhuang Wei didn't put on any airs as a Presented Scholar, he clasped his hands and smiled, "I've heard of Fang Yun's extraordinary talents, and today I see a graceful young man indeed. Truly, a well-deserved reputation."

"Brother Zhuang is too kind, you are the one with outstanding talent," Fang Yun replied.

Suddenly, Zhuang Wei bent down at a ninety-degree angle and deeply bowed to Fang Yun.

Fang Yun hurriedly stepped aside and asked, "Brother Zhuang, what are you doing?"

After Zhuang Wei stood up, he said helplessly, "I apologize to you on behalf of my brother-in-law, Liu Zicheng. I know he is used to flirting and I always advise him whenever I see him. I know he had evil intentions towards your Child Bride, and he can't deny it, so I apologize to you. But you said he wanted to kill you, that's absolutely impossible. We've known each other for ten years, and although he may have some bad habits, he would never do something like murder."

Fang Yun's face gradually turned cold, "Before you defend Liu Zicheng, can you go to Ji County and ask the head of the Lu capture team? He witnessed Liu Zicheng still trying to kill me with his Paper Warfare even after I revealed that I was a Child Scholar in front of the Semi-Saint. Today, I have already said in the Prefecture Academy that I forgive Liu Zicheng, but if you slander me, I can only take back this forgiveness."

Zhuang Wei was no longer as polite as before, "He just used Paper Warfare to scare you, how can you say he wanted to kill you?"

"According to the Jinglu, attempted murder is also a crime. Do you want to overthrow the Jinglu?"

"Would he be stupid enough to kill someone in public?"

"Even Wei Yuanjun wanted to force me to death in public with the help of a Semi-Saint. What does it matter if Liu Zicheng is a little stupid?" Fang Yun retorted without hesitation.

The people in the cafeteria only knew that Fang Yun had passed the Saint's selection, but most of them didn't know what had happened there since they were all in class before. So when Fang Yun said this, everyone felt incredulous.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Wei Yuanjun is a prefecture official, how could he force you to death in public? You're simply making things up!" Zhuang Wei angrily said.

Lu Yu immediately said, "Fang Yun is telling the truth, Wei Yuanjun is dead!"

"What?!" Many people couldn't help but exclaim, after all, he was an Imperial Scholar and a sixth-rank official.

At this moment, a lecturer said, "Fang Yun is telling the truth. Before coming to the cafeteria, I heard it from the chief registrar. During the Saint's selection, the Half-Sage initially liked Fang Yun's talent and gave him three couplets, but Wei Yuanjun took the opportunity to take revenge and had the Half-Sage change the test to reciting the Analects backward in two hours."

The cafeteria was boiling.

"Doesn't that mean Fang Yun can recite the Analects backward fluently? That must be fake!"