Time flashed back to a short while ago. The atmosphere around the library of the Su Manor was solemn, with roaring stoves. Virtually all the knowledgeable people the Su family could find had gathered here. The highest-ranking among them was, of course, Song Mao, Song Yufan, the current prefect of Shenzhou. He was a Jinshi degree holder and considered a man of great talent in the region. Knowing that he would come every year, the Su family's students had been preparing for a long time under the supervision of their teachers.

Money may not buy knowledge, but it can buy books. Therefore, the Su family's library was actually quite large and majestic. If Old Master Su had any wish, it would probably be that the Su Manor would one day become a true scholarly family. He hoped that future generations would see this library and remember the efforts made by his generation, who were merely merchants – a matter that felt quite solemn, as the elderly were often most interested in such things.

Inside the library, the first, rather mechanical, part of the examination had already been completed. It mainly involved giving older students a policy essay question and younger children excerpts from the sayings of ancient sages, asking them to interpret and explain them. Answer keys, of course, were nonexistent in this era. No one could definitively tell you what a certain sentence in the Analects meant. Everyone had their own understanding, and the evaluation was a matter of free judgment. Of course, anyone with insight could discern many things from it: the teachers' mechanical indoctrination, or whether the students had innovation and their own ideas.

This year's examination was somewhat different from previous years.

After the preliminary examination, a child no older than nine or ten was called to the center of the library to answer Song Mao's questions. It was clear that he was very nervous. His speech was stuttering, and he didn't seem very confident in his answers, but he still managed to continue.

"The Analects… in 'Yong Ye'… it says… the wise find pleasure in water, the benevolent find pleasure in mountains. The wise are active, the benevolent are still. The wise are joyful, the benevolent are long-lived… it means… the wise seek the changes in all things, the benevolent… but the reason why the wise seek many changes is to find the ultimate truth that remains constant amidst all changes. The benevolent do not seek change, but they can also respond to all changes with constancy. The benevolent and the wise are essentially one… the teacher said… the teacher said that the benevolent who do not understand wisdom are not truly benevolent, and the wise who do not understand benevolence only know unorthodox ways. Uh… they will suffer one day…"

This child was only around nine years old and seemed to be an honest and simple fellow. He had great difficulty organizing his words, and after speaking for a long time, he still used phrases like "the teacher said," interspersed with some colloquial language. If he were to take this out for an exam, it would certainly not be suitable for formal occasions, but this was of course different. Song Mao, who was nearly forty, also looked like an upright and somewhat simple person. He listened while nodding.

"Xunzi once said, 'Through thousands of actions and changes, the principle is one.' Zhuangzi also said, 'Without deviating from the origin is called the union of Heaven and man.' The principle remains constant amidst all changes… that is indeed the case. Xiao Heizi, this sentence must have been taught to you by your teacher, right?"

Hearing him ask this, the nervous Xiao Heizi was slightly happier, probably because the answer was simple, and he nodded: "Yes, answering… answering Prefect Song, the teacher said that the vertical and horizontal do not exceed the square and circle, and the principle remains constant amidst all changes."

"The vertical and horizontal do not exceed the square and circle, and the principle remains constant amidst all changes… that is enough…" Song Mao nodded, then smiled, "Just now, was the interpretation of the wise finding pleasure in water entirely said by your teacher?"

Xiao Heizi nodded: "The teacher mentioned some things casually. The student… the student doesn't remember everything…"

"Do you understand?"

The child thought about it, shook his head, and then nodded carefully: "Understand… understand a little…"

"Haha, I thought so." Song Mao laughed, "Then, was the interpretation in the previous examination also entirely said by your teacher?"

The child nodded, then shook his head: "The teacher… the teacher mentioned it, but… but didn't specifically say these things. This is… some of it the student thought of…"

Song Mao watched him shake his head and nod, nod and shake his head again, and then he smiled and nodded to himself, exchanging some opinions with Su Chonghua and others around him. Old Master Su was watching from the side, and he naturally noticed that something was different: "Prefect, this is…"

"Congratulations, Uncle Su. This child, and the child who was tested earlier, may achieve something in the future."

"Ah…"

It was not easy to get such a comment from Song Mao. Old Master Su was delighted, but he didn't show too much on the surface, just watching how things developed. Song Mao looked at the teachers and several scholars in the academy, cupped his hands to Su Chonghua: "Brother Su, I wonder which teacher is instructing Xiao Heizi's studies…"

He had some contact with the teachers of Yushan Academy in the past, but none of them were particularly outstanding. He now cast his gaze on one or two unfamiliar faces. Su Chonghua hesitated, but looking at Old Master Su, he finally said: "He doesn't seem to be here. Both Xiao Heizi and that child, Chongming, are disciples of Liheng."

Old Master Su was slightly stunned, then showed a look of joy. Song Mao's expression also changed slightly. Then, he flipped through some of the previous answer sheets, had one of the teachers select five of them, and looked at them again before handing them to Old Master Su and Su Chonghua: "Brother Su, take a look. Were all of these students' answers taught by that one person?"

Su Chonghua looked at the names and nodded. Song Mao then explained to Old Master Su: "It's the same question, taught by the same teacher, the same lessons are taught in the classroom, but these five are all different, and each has their own understanding and insights…"

Not much more needed to be said. Although Old Master Su himself didn't have much knowledge, he understood the meaning of the other party's words when he heard this. Then, Song Mao looked at the people standing around and asked Su Chonghua: "Liheng that Brother Su mentioned, is it Ning Yi of the *Shui Diao Ge Tou*, Ning Liheng?"

"… Indeed, it is that person."

"This person is highly talented. I wonder who he is. He should be invited to the stage to sit with us. How can we let him observe from below?"

Those on the stage were all middle-aged and elderly men. Ning Yi should be present. Since he wasn't on the stage, he must be standing among the families and relatives watching. Old Master Su looked towards the stage, but his eyesight wasn't good, and he also asked Su Boyong: "Where's Liheng?"

Su Boyong had also been looking, and shook his head: "It seems… he's not here."

In the past, the individual questioning in the second half was often those of the older students being called out. This time, two children were called out. Although they were very nervous standing on the stage, in the eyes of the people around them, it was a symbol of some knowledge and very honorable. While those on the stage were talking amongst themselves, the people watching below were also whispering. Juan'er, who had come to watch the excitement, was encouraging one of Ning Yi's disciples: "Look how amazing Heizi and Chongming are. If they call you out to ask questions later, you have to answer well, and you can't lose your teacher's face."

These children often pestered Ning Yi to tell stories and were familiar with Chan'er and Juan'er. At this time, he made a sad face: "But Sister Juan'er, I'm scared. The one up there is Prefect Lord."

"He's not the prefect of our state, and he won't kill you. Look how friendly he is. Heizi and the others are also scared… Anyway, if you lose face, this sister won't spare you…"

Before she could finish speaking, Su Boyong above had already spotted Juan'er in the crowd and happily called her out: "Where is your son-in-law?" By the time she was sent out to find Ning Yi, Song Mao in the hall behind was already interested in asking about Ning Yi's storytelling in class, asking Xiao Heizi to tell one on the spot…

After adjusting her breathing and recounting this vividly to Su Tan'er and the others, Su Tan'er and the others were already somewhat stunned. Then Juan'er asked Chan'er: "Where is my master, the elders are still waiting for him, I have gone to find him in the courtyard earlier, but he is not there."

Chan'er was also somewhat troubled: "But... It seems that my master has already gone out this morning... I, I'm not very clear..."

******************

Having taught at Yushan Academy for a few months, Ning Yi had heard about the annual examination at the end of the year from Xiao Chan, but with his personality, he naturally wouldn't take these things to heart. When telling stories to a group of children in the classroom, people suspected, laughed, and criticized. Su Tan'er was also puzzled and disliked it. He could see the emotions of everyone in his heart, and he was actually very clear about it. He was too lazy to argue, but if Xiao Chan really asked him what he thought of these examinations, he would most likely say casually: "If you can't get past these things, then there's really no need to do it…"

There weren't many things he wanted to do now, but as long as he did them, all he needed to do was wait for the results. After experiencing so many things, he naturally still had vanity, but vanity was no longer a factor that could influence his main actions. For people who could slightly understand or try to understand, and who also had a good outlook on life, such as Old Man Qin and Old Man Kang, he could also say some nonsense while chatting, secretly enjoying the expressions on their faces. But if the other party didn't have enough comprehension, and you said something, they would look righteously and say that you were unconventional, then wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

Today, if Ning Yi was at home, it was hard to say whether he would go to see the examination process, but in any case, he had already gone out this morning and didn't know the development of the whole thing. The Su family had been quite busy recently, and he also had some things he wanted to do. After all, he had been idle for too long, and it was time to find something to play with. It was hard to say whether there would be results in the future, but at least it could prove that he, a modern big boss, had struggled for a while for a happy and beautiful life in this terrible era where even monosodium glutamate didn't exist.

Thinking about it, it was like a pig struggling…

The sky was filled with falling snow. While thinking about it in boredom, he walked along the snow-covered street towards the intersection ahead. Wearing a blue robe and holding a paper umbrella, if it were placed in a painting, this figure, along with the snowy long street around him, would have some ancient scholar charm. There were still many shops open for business on both sides of the road, and pedestrians hurried past. A carriage passed by him. At the intersection, behind a small cart with several stalls, a woman with an ugly headscarf blinked her eyes and looked this way with some doubt. Ning Yi waved his hand, and she showed a bashful smile.

Nie Yunzhu's pancake stall, which was completely out of character, had already opened, and Ning Yi already knew the location, but this was the first time he had strolled over.

***************

Today there were two things, the college entrance examination started, and Yao Jiaxin was executed. On such a complicated day, Banana wants to say: Please give me many, many recommendation votes ^_^

Among the readers of Banana's books, there should still be some college entrance examination students. I wish you all good luck on the exam. However, if you see this blessing today, then you are probably not a good student. This matter also makes my mood a bit complicated. In any case, reading books for recreation is itself a way to relax and adjust your mood. The ultimate goal of resting is to be able to walk more steadily and better on the road ahead. Banana would like to say here that no matter what kind of recreation and relaxation methods you choose when you stop, please be sure to work hard in life. YY is useless. Increasing effort and accumulation, and lowering expectations, is the way to obtain happiness. This is not a slogan, but Banana's realization.

I wish all of Banana's book friends happiness ^_^

The most important thing is said twice: Please give me many, many recommendation votes ah ah ah ah ah!