The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 932 - 911 Quench the Fire

Chapter 932: Chapter 911 Quench the Fire

"It was the Emperor who let me in. If you don’t want me to enter, go and tell the Emperor yourself. If he doesn’t allow me, I’ll just go home," Bai Shan said, having been tense the entire journey, bombarded by various people telling him to be patient. He knew he should be tolerant, but with Lian Yucheng’s gaze upon him, he simply couldn’t suppress his anger.

Bai Shan glared at him coldly and then turned to the academic official behind him, asking, "Can it be done or not?"

Bai Dalang quickly tugged at him, whispering, "Didn’t I just tell you at home to be patient?"

Bai Shan was about to speak when Manbao grabbed his hand; he then clenched his lips tightly and, with great willpower, suppressed the anger in his chest, remaining silent.

Seeing how stubborn the young man was, the academic official quickly stepped forward to mediate, saying with a smile, "It’s already recorded. We are only missing students from two families, who I presume will arrive in the next couple of days. The examination is scheduled to start on the first day of July and will last for three days. Afterwards, students will be admitted into the Six Academies based on their rankings."

He smiled and added, "Let Young Master Bai know, this time the Emperor’s decree has been issued to a total of twenty-four families, each allocated two spots. Unless there are any surprises, forty-eight students will be admitted. In the Six Academies, the Imperial Academy takes only the top three, the Highest Institute takes twelve, and the four faculties take twelve. The remaining twenty-one students are dispersed among the other three faculties, depending on where their strengths lie."

Manbao, curious, asked, "What if one isn’t particularly skilled in anything?"

The official gave a stiff smile, "There’s always something one excels at."

If there really was no area of expertise, then they would simply have to draw lots among the three faculties, with the unlucky one getting such a student.

Bai Dalang, Bai Shan, and Manbao simultaneously turned to glance at Bai Erlang.

Bai Erlang, meeting their gaze, said angrily and with embarrassment, "Why are you looking at me? I’m definitely going to be chosen."

Manbao nodded and patted his shoulder.

The group, along with the academic official, took an iron tablet for reference and departed without paying any attention to Lian Yucheng who stood aside.

Watching them walk away, Lian Yucheng couldn’t help but frown and turned to the academic official, "Whose descendants are they to be so arrogant?"

The official chuckled, "Well, his father isn’t of high rank either, considered the lowest-ranked among the named meritorious figures this time, a mere former Shu County magistrate of sixth rank, Bai Qizhi’s son, who had loyally served the country by quelling bandits. Even the Emperor had commended him back then."

Lian Yucheng’s eyes widened, "Bai Qizhi’s son?"

"Do you know him?"

Lian Yucheng frowned and said, "He was a scholar in my previous class, I’ve heard of him. I didn’t realize he had died so early; no wonder I’ve heard nothing of him these years. He was quite renowned back in the Highest Institute."

The official pondered and then said, "So it seems, Bai Shan is relying not on his family background, but on his talents."

Lian Yucheng snorted, "This is the Imperial Academy, a place for studying, one should indeed rely on talent. Those who depend on their family backgrounds ought to discuss their status among the nobles."

Lian Yucheng’s expression eased a bit, "It won’t be long before we know what he’s relying on. It had better be his talent, so as not to let his father down."

The academic official mentally disagreed, but his face remained smiling and agreeable.

The group of five left the Imperial Academy’s office.

Manbao was still holding Bai Shan’s hand, and she turned to look at him, asking, "Why did you suddenly get so angry?"

Bai Dalang was also about to speak his mind when Mr. Zhuang, smiling warmly, reached out and gently patted Bai Shan’s head and said, "It’s okay, what Shanbao said wasn’t entirely wrong. Having said it, he said it."

Everyone gaped at Mr. Zhuang.

Mr. Zhuang then looked around and asked, "Dalang, where’s a good restaurant around here? How about I treat you all to a meal of our capital’s cuisine and see if it suits your taste? What would you like to eat?"

Manbao then bent her head pondering over the menu while Bai Shan looked at Mr. Zhuang, asking, "Aren’t you upset with me?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled at him and said, "No worries."

He paused for a moment before adding, "But you mustn’t be reckless like that again."

After pondering for a moment, he said, "How about I take you all to Xuandu Temple to see the flowers tomorrow?"

Manbao asked, "Where is Xuandu Temple?"

"In Chongye Courtyard," Mr. Zhuang replied. "We’ll go up high for a better view; now is the perfect time for that."

A young man, two boys, and a girl looked up at the bright sun hanging in the sky and realized that their teacher could also tell fibs.

In such blistering heat, shouldn’t they be sheltering at home, enjoying some cheese, and listening to stories?

Mr. Zhuang didn’t give them much time to think. He turned, got on the carriage, and waved at them, "Come on, get on quickly. Standing under the sun too long might give you a heatstroke."

Only then did they each climb into their carriages.

Manbao noticed she had been holding Bai Shan’s hand. She quickly let go and scrambled aboard the carriage to secure a good spot first.

Walking behind Bai Shan, Bai Erlang curiously asked him, "Your ears are all red; are you sure you’re not suffering from heatstroke?"

Bai Shan climbed into the carriage, glanced back at him, and said, "No, just keep quiet."

Daji watched the three of them and didn’t jump into the carriage until they were all aboard.

Mr. Zhuang was exceptionally generous that day, treating them to an expensive meal outside, and even the next day, he didn’t force them to study or write. Instead, he led them to Chongye Courtyard, where they climbed all the way to Xuandu Temple.

It was supposed to be a scenic lookout, but Xuandu Temple wasn’t very high. From its highest point, they could only see Chongye Courtyard; anything further was out of sight.

Bai Dalang knew their interests because when he returned home, Old Master Bai complained more than once that his younger brother loved to go mountain climbing, and his younger brother had also often invited him to join.

But, Bai Dalang disliked it.

He leaned against a wall, sweating profusely, and said, "If you want to climb high mountains, you’d need to leave the city. There aren’t any particularly tall mountains in the city."

He didn’t understand why they couldn’t just calmly walk and rest on their way to the temple instead of rushing up all at once. Didn’t they realize it would make them sweat, look disheveled, and be impolite?

Bai Shan was sweating profusely too, but he felt exhilarated. He took a deep breath and started shouting loudly with his hands cupped around his mouth.

Seeing this, Manbao and Bai Erlang followed suit, shaping their hands like trumpets and shouting down the mountain, nearly causing Bai Dalang to jump in fright...

His eyes widened as he looked at the three of them, completely baffled as to why they were shouting so loudly. He nervously looked around, noticing that nearby people were also startled and turned to look over.

Yet, seeing it was three lively young people, they turned their heads back, resigning themselves with a thought: well, they are still young.

Mr. Zhuang nonchalantly found a rock to sit down on and waited until they had finished shouting. Then, he waved them over and handed them a water flask.

After they had all drunk, he asked, "Has your pent-up frustration dissipated?"

Manbao nodded embarrassingly, while Bai Shan also nodded with a red face, "It’s gone."

Bai Erlang chuckled and said, "I wasn’t angry."

Mr. Zhuang praised him, saying, "Hmm, you did better than the two of them this time."

Bai Erlang beamed proudly and looked at them both, amused.