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Moreover, throughout history, sages and eminent forebears have elaborated on the character "public" to an unknowable extent, to write well and vividly on this single character is truly too arduous, impossible to surpass the thoughts of predecessors.

Furthermore, this time it is a well-known re-examination, to prove Lian Mu’s worth was inherently more stringent than an ordinary provincial exam; Lian Mu still wants to stand out. This is exceedingly difficult!

It’s all over, the outcome is certain; Lian Mu probably...

The common folks don’t understand why, as soon as the examination question is released, those scholars who were just jostling with them for space begin to shake their heads and show wry smiles, their faces full of sympathy.

Some of the locals quietly ask the people beside them who look like scholars, is the question very hard? Isn’t it just one word? Even those who are uneducated almost recognize it.

The scholar beside them opens their mouth to explain, only to realize that it can’t be explained in just a few words, they then shut their mouths again and shake their heads, sighing.

The sighing among the scholars grows, some can’t bear to watch anymore and squeeze out of the crowd, lamenting as they leave, subsequently expressing their sympathy for Lian Mu at the tea houses over a cup of tea, all showing pessimism.

A very small portion who support the joint examination candidates from Taiyuan Prefecture, upon hearing this, are quite delighted and go to spread the word.

In front of Shanxue Square, the expressions of the crowd are diverse, yet Lian Musu alone remains calm and collected.

He glances at his ink and paper, calculating the time needed to moisten the brush once the ink has dried, then begins to meditate with eyes closed.

Those outside looking in see his eyes closed, as if he has fallen asleep, and can’t help but grow anxious on his behalf.

This anxiety causes some to lose control and make a commotion, leading to their removal from the scene by the officers on the spot.

None of these affect Lian Musu, who continues to immerse himself in thought with closed eyes, sitting as straight as a pine tree.

Across the street, on the second floor of a bookshop, an elderly man with white hair and beard strokes his chin, looking out the window with a satisfied nod.

His vantage point is excellent, offering a full view of Shanxue Square and all its occupants, with every detail in plain sight.

Libationer Qin, looking out, then turning to the old man, says, "Minister Fan, I really don’t understand the purpose of your actions."

Minister Fan is of a much senior generation; he was the Chief Examiner when Libationer Qin took his own imperial examinations. Therefore, in Minister Fan’s presence, he also refers to himself as "student."

Minister of Rites Fan Shao shifts his gaze over, arrogantly responding, "Foolish! Do you think becoming my disciple is so easy that one can just breeze through it?"

The question today was set by him. After eavesdropping near the wall yesterday, he went straight to the palace, wept, and begged His Majesty to approve it.

His Majesty, after hearing his account, approved.

Libationer Qin bows and apologizes, "I was dense."

However, he still doesn’t understand. Minister Fan had visited him yesterday, an old man stroking his full white beard with a look of heartfelt gratification, telling him he wished to take Lian Mu as his disciple.

Libationer Qin also knows a bit about the contention between Minister Fan and Master Feng for disciples, and that Minister Fan had been visiting the Imperial Academy in the past days, yet he doesn’t comprehend the intention behind today’s actions.

At that time, he had asked, "Is Minister Fan here because of tomorrow’s grading?"

Minister Fan replied, "Precisely so."

Libationer Qin himself had been selected as one of the graders; besides meeting Lian Mu formally for the first time, for the sake of impartiality, he shouldn’t meet with Lian Musu again before the grading is complete.

He thought Minister Fan had come to intercede for Lian Mu, but that would have been inappropriate, betraying the trust of His Majesty, being unjust to all the scholars, and an insult to Lian Mu himself.

Just as he was about to decline politely, Minister Fan, sensing his intention, immediately slammed his hand on the table and scolded him with a glare.

After hearing a few sentences, he was taken aback. Minister Fan was not there to intercede; on the contrary, he was there to ensure that personal relationships did not influence the grading. The papers must be judged more strictly, and passing marks should not be given easily.

Papers that would normally receive first grade in the regular examinations could only be designated as second grade this time; only if Lian Mu produced a paper exceeding the first grade could it be acknowledged.

Invisibly, the difficulty for the young Lian had been greatly increased.

And Minister Fan probably had the same requirement for all the other graders, fearing he had said the same thing to everyone.

The questions issued today were just like that.

Minister Qin sighed inwardly, feeling sorrow for Lian Mu; he really didn’t know whether Minister Fan wanted to help or harm him. Before even officially taking him as a disciple, he had set a trap first, alas...

Enough.

Lian, the young friend he greatly admired—if he truly could not pass this time, thus never entering the officialdom, then, as Old Jia had suggested, he would step forward as a guarantor and invite Lian Mu to teach at the Imperial Academy. That would be a very good thing indeed.

Minister Fan continued to peer through his cloudy old eyes toward Shanxue Square, and seeing the person in the square as steadfast as before, he was very satisfied, growing more so the more he watched.

That’s right, this fellow had the bearing of someone who attends court; had he rushed to put pen to paper in anxious haste, Minister Fan would have thought less of him. Mediocrity was all like that—speaking without thinking, writing without engaging the brain.

At that moment, the sound of steps came from the staircase.

Several people were huffing and puffing upstairs; the sound of their approach preceded them.

One of them snorted coldly, "Humph, that’s just wishful thinking on Minister Fan’s part.

Lian Mu has never expressed an interest in becoming Minister Fan’s disciple; he might not even know who Minister Fan is, so how could he aspire to be your disciple? "

Minister Fan and Minister Qin turned their heads to look and saw a person coming up the stairs—who else could it be but the Minister of Personnel?

Minister Fan immediately bristled with anger; this Feng Lianian was indeed a lingering specter!

Before he could argue, the Minister of Personnel asked, "Didn’t Minister Fan claim to be ill and miss today’s court session? What brings you here?"

Then, "thump thump thump," several more people ascended the stairs. Good heavens, the Minister of Punishment and others had also arrived!

Minister Qin glanced at the group arriving and sighed silently. Young Lian really had influence; it seems these ministers came straight here after court, to say ’the whole court was shaken’ would not be an exaggeration...

Indeed, these ministers keen to watch the excitement had hurried over immediately after court.

The court session today had ended earlier than usual; the exam questions had been sealed in advance, and the Emperor had handed them over to the Commander of the Imperial Guard for delivery that day.

During the court session, the Minister of Personnel had been secretly scolding the Minister of Rites in his heart.

That sly old fox had sent word that owing to the fatigue of preparing the questions, he was too unwell to attend the court session that day and had specially submitted a written plea for the absence.

As if no one could see through it; that old fox was just making an excuse not to attend the court session, and had sneaked off to the Imperial Academy himself.

Look, as soon as he arrived, he really saw that old fox. How preposterous!

Xue Ping also wanted to come and have a look but did not come with the Minister of Personnel and the others. After hearing the rumors, he started to become interested in Lian Mu.

But he was not in a rush. The papers would not be collected until dusk, so there was no need to appear so anxious, and nothing could be discerned at the moment anyway.

Back at Star Palace after the court session, the Emperor inquired about Canglan Court, and knowing everything was as usual, he was slightly relieved.

His Little Concubine had met her Clan Aunt, and it was good that there were no problems.

If all went well and the guests left, he planned to leave the palace.