Chapter 163: The Limelight

(Some ideas seem to have formed; today I will directly publish a four-thousand-word chapter, begging for subscriptions and auto-subscriptions!)

Stepping outside and stretching lazily, he saw that the sun had just risen not long ago. The warm sunlight shone down from the sky, filtering through the cover of branches and leaves, scattering in tiny, dappled spots upon Chen Jianchen's body.

Looking around, he spotted Yingning standing beneath a tree ahead, talking to someone. That person was wearing a green scholarly gown and cloth shoes, dressed like a servant. However, judging by the fine fabric of his attire and his polished appearance, he clearly came from a wealthy and prominent aristocratic household, far from an ordinary servant.

Seeing this man pestering Yingning relentlessly, Chen Jianchen frowned and strode over. As he drew near, he heard the fellow babbling to Yingning, "Little brother, listen to your third elder brother here. If you haven't signed a bond of indenture with your master, hurry up and break away from that household to come to the Duke's Manor and... Even if you are bound by a contract, it's nothing to fear. With our young master's status, he can simply ask for you, and your master wouldn't dare refuse to let you go. At worst, he can just compensate him with a bit more money. Listen to me, our young master loves handsome and nimble page boys like you best. Once you come to the Duke's Manor, good food and drink are guaranteed. Even if you remain a servant, you'll be the chief among servants, and your future wealth and glory will be boundless..."

"Just think, what is so great about following your master? According to my guess, your master is merely an ordinary Xiucai [Scholar], possessing neither power nor influence. In the future, he might not even be able to pass the Juren [Provincial Graduate] examination; he has no future at all..."

"Young master, you're out!"

The man was still running his mouth when the distracted Yingning caught sight of Chen Jianchen approaching and hurried up to meet him.

The man was startled, turned his head, and upon seeing Chen Jianchen dressed in ordinary scholarly robes, a trace of disdain flashed across his eyes. As a chief steward of a wealthy noble family, he had received countless officials, literati, and great scholars coming and going; how could an ordinary, low-ranking scholar like Chen Jianchen catch the eye of a steward? He couldn't even be bothered to greet him.

Chen Jianchen ignored him and asked Yingning, "Yingning, what's going on?"

Yingning giggled. "Someone is plotting against your page boy."

Chen Jianchen feigned shock. "Such a thing exists?" Then he put on an angry expression. "Poaching right into my territory, simply hateful."

Yingning could not help laughing, finding her young master's current act quite amusing.

With a straight face and a dark expression, Chen Jianchen glanced sideways at the man, walked over, and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

The man immediately puffed out his chest and proudly said, "Well spoken! I am Zhang San, the third steward of the Duke of Zheng's manor."

A typical, mundane name rolled out of his mouth, accompanied by a pretentious flurry of archaic phrasing, making it sound quite imposing.

Chen Jianchen let out an "Oh," acting as if he had been frightened, and turned to walk away.

Zhang San instantly grew immensely proud, thinking to himself: *As a mere little scholar, this steward only needs to utter the three words "Duke of Zheng" to scare you so much you wouldn't dare let out a single fart, right? What use is having an academic rank? In front of me, you can only grovel obediently. If you dare to anger me, I will definitely make you suffer, and perhaps even strip you of your Xiucai status...*

Chen Jianchen walked back, waved at Yingning, and said, "Let's go."

Yingning asked, "Are we just going to leave it at that?"

"Yingning, do you think your young master is the kind of person to seek petty revenge?"

Yingning replied, "No."

When they had walked a bit further, Chen Jianchen suddenly asked, "Yingning, do you have any spells that can make that fellow fall flat on his face like a hungry dog eating dung?"

Yingning immediately covered her mouth, her lovely eyes crinkling into gentle smiles as she squinted. "Yes."

"Good, then you know what to do next."

"Understood."

Chen Jianchen was very satisfied with the cleverness of the little fox. With his hands clasped behind his back, he returned to the courtyard—he had always despised arrogant servants who bullied others by abusing their master's power. If the opportunity arose, meting out a light punishment was a must; moreover, this fellow actually dared to target Yingning!

Behind them, Zhang San watched Chen Jianchen and his page boy leave, muttering to himself, "I should report this to the young master first. The young master has always wanted to find such a nimble page boy to serve him, so I mustn't miss this opportunity..."

Just as he was pondering, a large black dog appeared from nowhere. Showing no fear of humans, it scampered joyfully up to him, raised its hind leg, and dropped a large, steaming pile of dog feces right on the ground with a splat, instantly filling the air with a foul stench.

Seeing this, Head Steward Zhang flew into a furious rage and shouted, "You beast, relieving yourself everywhere! Asking for a beating!" With that, he readied himself to kick out viciously.

Unexpectedly, at that very moment, his left foot—which was acting as his supporting leg—stepped on something unknown and slipped. Losing his footing, his entire body pitched forward out of control into a textbook "hungry dog eating dung" posture.

"Ouch!"

A mouthful of foul stench, a face full of yellow filth...

Returning to the small courtyard, Chen Jianchen washed his face and was about to lie down for a short rest when Xiao Hanfeng returned.

Right behind him was Academician Gu. The two academy instructors were nowhere in sight, presumably still remaining at the plaza waiting for the results to be announced.

With a gloomy expression, Academician Gu walked into the courtyard, came to a halt, called Chen Jianchen over, and rebuked him bluntly, "Do you know your fault?"

Xiao Hanfeng frantically shot meaningful glances at Chen Jianchen from the side, but Chen Jianchen acted as if he saw nothing at all and said, "Academician, this student is baffled and does not know what fault I have committed."

Seeing that he remained unrepentant, Academician Gu flicked his sleeve with a huff, practically pointing at his nose to lecture him. "I am asking you, during today's calligraphy competition, why did you submit your paper after only half a cup of tea's time?"

Chen Jianchen replied blankly, "Since I had finished writing, naturally I should submit it."

Academician Gu stared at him, a fierce anger churning within his eyes. Yet, after all, having long held a position of authority, his skill in cultivating emotional restraint was not shallow. After the surge of anger subsided, he gradually grew calm, finally condensing his feelings into a single sentence: "You have disappointed me too much."

With that, he flicked his sleeve, turning to walk away.

In his perception, although Chen Jianchen's previous impression had not been particularly stellar, he at least hadn't seemed hopeless. After all, Chen Jianchen was young and possessed a steady temperament. But today, Chen Jianchen's performance had shattered his expectations; his actions were practically tantamount to "youthful ignorance" combined with arrogance born of that ignorance—a truly ridiculous case of "parochial arrogance."

Academician Gu had originally thought that if Chen Jianchen showed any promise in this competition, he could take him under his wing as a key protege to cultivate and promote in the future. As long as Chen Jianchen exerted himself a bit, the benefits would naturally follow. But looking at it now, the impression Chen Jianchen had made on him had completely collapsed, reducing him to a rotten piece of wood incapable of being carved. He had no value for cultivation whatsoever. A person utterly lacking self-awareness, an arrogant youth puffed up by placing first in all three preliminary county examinations—such a person's mindset had reached a dead end, impossible to salvage.

Besides, why should he, a dignified academician, go through thankless trouble to drag such a person back?

As Academician Gu walked out of the courtyard, he ran head-on into the two instructors hurrying over, who opened their mouths to speak as soon as they saw him. Academician Gu was already in a foul mood and waved a hand. "You two instructors needn't rush; speak of whatever you have at my quarters."

The two instructors had stayed in front of the plaza to await the representatives' results, but Academician Gu could guess with his heels that both representatives from Minghua Academy had crashed and burned. Failing the first hurdle meant that for the next two days they would be reduced entirely to spectators, a terribly dull prospect. Not only dull, but they would also have to endure the strange gazes of others, making it even more depressing. Especially just now, when he had happened to run into his arch-rival, Feng Niange.

Upon seeing him, Feng Niange had immediately cupped his fists and said with sarcastic mockery, "Brother Gu, today the student representative from Minghua Academy was the very first in the entire venue to submit his paper, and of such lightning speed as is rarely seen in a lifetime. Truly a hero born of youth, I am deeply impressed! This time, your Jiangzhou region is bound to stand out brilliantly."

As the saying goes, "The bird that sticks its head out gets shot." If one failed to achieve good results due to a limitation in skill and strength, that was forgivable; but for Chen Jianchen to pull such a stunt under the public gaze, rushing to be the early bird only to turn out utterly worthless, was equivalent to handing others ammunition for ridicule.

People mocking Chen Jianchen didn't matter much, but it implicated the academy and him, Academician Gu, as well. In a word: if you lack genuine skill, don't go recklessly trying to stand out.

Thinking of how, after today, Chen Jianchen's "feat" of submitting the first paper would be mocked by countless people, Academician Gu felt a tight, suffocating oppression in his chest. He had originally intended to find a couple of young students to cope with the event, but in the end, it had still turned into a laughingstock.

Academician Gu did not live with Chen Jianchen and the others in the reception area's courtyard; instead, he was assigned much more comfortable lodgings befitting a distinguished guest.

They took their seats as host and guest, and a servant served fragrant tea.

Academician Gu took a sip to soothe the vexation in his heart and said, "Two instructors, speak of whatever matters you have."

Instructor Zeng said, "Academician, the results for our academy's representative are out."

"Mm."

Instructor Zeng continued, "Xiao Hanfeng's calligraphy score is Lower-Middle Grade; I'm afraid he won't be able to participate in tomorrow's poetry competition."

"Mm."

With another nonchalant grunt, Academician Gu narrowed his eyes slightly, already wondering whether he should feign illness tomorrow and close his doors to avoid going out.

"Chen Liuxian's calligraphy score is Upper-Top Grade, tied with Zheng Shuliang of the Imperial Academy. They are the only two people in the entire venue to achieve an Upper-Top Grade score..."

"Mm... Huh?"

Academician Gu snapped his eyes wide open, spraying out the mouthful of tea he had been holding. "What did you say?"

Instructor Zeng cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, sir! Our Minghua Academy has stood out brilliantly this time. Chen Liuxian's calligraphy score actually reached Upper-Top Grade, not losing in the slightest to young master Zheng of the Imperial Academy..."

Hearing this clearly and without missing a word, Academician Gu—despite his profound emotional restraint—lost his composure and leaped to his feet. "Instructor Zeng, such joyous news, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Instructor Zeng muttered inwardly: *Didn't we hurry over just to report the good news? But you were the one who told us not to rush...* Outwardly, however, he said respectfully, "It was our failure to report in time; please forgive us, Academician."

Ordinarily, the integrity of scholars demanded unyielding defiance toward the powerful and wealthy, but not a shred of this could be found in Instructor Zeng and Instructor Xu. Gu Xiezhao was their immediate superior, and when it came to bowing their heads or offering flattery, they showed no hesitation whatsoever. Just like ordinary teachers in later generations facing a bureaucrat of the education bureau, how could they possibly remain stiff-backed?

Hearing this sudden news, Academician Gu was ecstatic. The turn of events was simply miraculous—a sudden reversal from desperation to hope—making it hard to believe. He hurriedly asked, "What is the exact situation?"

This time it was Instructor Xu's turn to answer. "Reporting to you, sir, we are not entirely clear on the details. The three judges review and score inside the Holy Temple, and we were not allowed to enter and watch. However, once the results came out, to avoid gossip, all the calligraphy scrolls that achieved a Top Grade have been mounted and hung outside the Holy Temple for people to admire and view. By now, they should already be displayed."

Academician Gu sprang up abruptly and gave a grand wave of his hand. "Let's go, let's go take a look."

Amidst his wild elation, he felt a great surge of curiosity—curiosity about what kind of calligraphy Chen Jianchen had actually written to be able to keep pace with Zheng Shuliang and achieve the stellar result of Upper-Top Grade.

"Senior Brother Liuxian, don't blame me for being meddlesome, but just now in front of the Academician, you really didn't need to act like that."

Xiao Hanfeng sighed, truly failing to understand why Chen Jianchen had behaved that way. He did not seem like a foolish or arrogant person at all; why would he suddenly make one blunder after another to the point of angering the Academician?

The Academician of a province held supreme educational authority over the prefecture and commandery; to every aspiring student, he was an elevated, towering figure. Even if one had backbone and didn't want to bow or suck up to him, one shouldn't lightly defy him either.

Chen Jianchen said calmly, "I was merely speaking the truth."

Xiao Hanfeng looked at him and shook his head. "What Senior Brother has learned must be several times greater than mine, so why don't you understand this principle: the truth is often unspeakable, especially the raw truth."

Hearing this, Chen Jianchen burst out laughing. "Hanfeng's words strike a chord with me. But since it has already been said, spilled water cannot be gathered; it cannot be taken back now."

Xiao Hanfeng offered, "Shall I accompany you to see the Academician?"

Chen Jianchen shook his head. "No need... *How can I bow and scrape before the powerful and noble, making my heart unable to be happy...*"

It had to be said that this casually quoted poem of his was extremely "fake," and calling it "putting on an act" wouldn't be an exaggeration at all. Yet when Xiao Hanfeng heard it, his expression turned solemnly stern, and a deep resonance stirred within his heart. At the same time, Senior Brother Liuxian's stature in his mind instantly shot up by several stories!

"*How can I bow and scrape before the powerful and noble, making my heart unable to be happy!*"

Spoken off the cuff, formulated into prose instantly, pouring straight from the heart, simply yet powerfully expressing the attitude and spine that all scholars in the world ought to possess—was this Chen Jianchen's true inner world? The unity of knowledge and action, consistency in speech and deed, the true essence of a great man—just how many people in this world could genuinely achieve it?

In that split second, Xiao Hanfeng could not help but hold him in profound awe and respect!

"This way, it's right here! Chen Liuxian from Minghua Academy lives in this small courtyard..." Right at that moment, a clamor suddenly erupted from outside, accompanied by heavy, rushing footsteps as if a large crowd was heading straight toward them.

Xiao Hanfeng felt a bit puzzled: their courtyard was small and remote, belonging to the fringes of the reception area, and had been desolate and lonely for days. How could a large crowd be coming over?

Before he even had time to step out to see what was happening, with a chaotic rush, dozens of people surged through the doorway—all of them student representatives from various academies.

In an instant, the dozens of people packed the courtyard to capacity, every single gaze locked intently upon Chen Jianchen in an extremely bizarre spectacle!