Xu Zhen laughed, "No need, no need."
The young man insisted, "My father and elder sister both work in the court. While I may not be able to arrange an official position, finding a decent job shouldn't be a problem!"
Xu Zhen replied, "Really, it's not necessary."
The young man, brimmed with enthusiasm, exclaimed, "Please don't be polite with me! You might need my help later on!"
Xu Zhen said without hesitation, "Then you can give me the money you promised earlier."
He paused, his expression faltering.
Xu Zhen looked at him earnestly.
After a moment of silence, realizing Xu Zhen was serious, he pulled out a money pouch from his waist, emptied it, and slowly handed her a few copper coins and small silver pieces.
The coins gleamed with a metallic sheen, sparkling in her hand.
Xu Zhen felt a surge of joy, thanked him, and left with a big smile on her face, swaying as she walked out of the academy.
As the academy's front door swung open, it made a soft sound.
The head official, seated at the door, heard the commotion. He looked up, saw Xu Zhen leaving, and quickly got up to come outside, bowing with respect as he sent her off.
Xu Zhen waved goodbye to him as she departed. Behind her, the lush greenery of the trees partially obscured the red-brown wooden building, swaying gently in the wind.
The sounds of reading in the academy were bright and clear. As noon approached, sunlight poured down, and a gentle southern breeze stirred up waves of heat that made people yawn continuously.
In a red-brown wooden house at the front of the courtyard, Xu Qianchun had already changed into her academy uniform. Sitting serenely with her back straight, she transformed once more into a student preparing for the imperial examinations.
Xu Qianchun gazed at the scrolls spread out on the desk in front of her, feeling the temperature around her steadily rise. While others were sweating profusely, she remained calm, as if completely unaffected.
Today's subject was history.
The class had recently finished discussing the "Book of the Later Han" and had begun to cover the Wei Chapter of "Records of the Three Kingdoms."
An elderly teacher with white eyebrows and a beard sat at the front. With one hand resting on the desk and the other holding a scroll, he read aloud in a hoarse voice, reciting, "□□ returned from Xuzhou, and Tun set out to conquer Lü Bu." Below him, many students were drooping, their eyelids heavy with drowsiness.
The elderly teacher called out a name, asking the boy sitting at the front, "Ziyang, you read the next part."
The student hurriedly stood up, lifting the book and reading the following passage aloud.
"Good," the teacher said.
Then he called on Xu Qianchun, asking her to explain the meaning of the passage.
Xu Qianchun had heard Xu Zhen speak about this excerpt before, so it wasn't difficult for her to explain, and she did so with nearly no errors.
The elderly teacher beamed, repeatedly praising her with "Good!" and complimenting her considerably.
He then posed several questions. Although Xu Qianchun couldn't answer all of them, her composed demeanor was notably better than that of average students, prompting the teacher to feel that she was exceptional.
34. Thirty-Four Treasures ?
Start from the beginning
