Ye Zhi, Tan Huanhuan, along with Ji Changzhou, Ah Tao, Yun Xiu, Housekeeper Wang, and others set off in a grand procession towards Huai Building.
Noticing that someone was missing, Ye Zhi looked back and saw Shen Chen standing beside Teacher Xun Yin.
However, he looked so lonely.
"Shen Chen, come quickly."
He stood there, not moving an inch.
Ye Zhi, feeling frustrated, ran back to grab his hand, bid farewell to her parents and the teacher, and dragged him along to catch up with the rest of the group.
Indeed, in that moment, she felt as if he was being abandoned.
Even though they were peers, Ji Changzhou seemed much more lively. Ah, the heart of a treacherous minister is hard to fathom, gloomy and inscrutable.
No wonder his name includes the character Chen, which sounds similar to "沉" (沈沉) meaning "deep" or "sunken."
Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.
Yet, the soft clasp of her hand did not let go of his; she didn’t want him to feel lonely by himself.
At Huai Building, they ordered Yangchun noodles and a few smaller portions of dishes like Furong Cake.
They divided into two tables to eat, and after finishing the meal, everyone returned to the inn or the mansion to rest!
*
At the start of the Shen hour that day, they had to take another exam, this time on painting.
Once again, the test was divided into five batches, but this time everyone had two incense sticks’ worth of time to paint, and two classrooms were used simultaneously instead of proceeding one by one.
On the podium, there was a blooming vivid Hibiscus flower, with two more placed on each side of the classroom.
The Hibiscus flower, also known as the Wooden Hibiscus, Frost Resisting Flower, Hua Mu, thrives in warm, humid environments, is intolerant of cold, and requires well-watered but not dry conditions. It is not picky about soil and can grow in barren land, being propagated by cutting, layering, or division.
It is also a favored motif among nobles and wealthy families.
In the Daqing Dynasty, it symbolized wealth, prosperity, and adornment, as a poem aptly states: "From clear water emerges the hibiscus, naturally free from embellishment."
Therefore, the theme this time was: Hibiscus.
The teacher prepared numerous pieces of xuan paper and various paints on each desk, allowing everyone to express themselves freely for the duration of two incense sticks!
This time, the order of students was shuffled, and it wasn’t Teacher Su Jin overseeing but another unfamiliar teacher.
Ye Zhi wasn’t placed with Liu Qingxi this time, instead, she was with Shen Chen.
He was separated from her by seven or eight people, and as expected of the main character, he was already engrossed in his painting!
On the other hand, for herself...
Ye Zhi swallowed nervously, composed herself, deciding to give it her best shot and hoped to live up to Teacher Feng Liuli’s expectations.
Grinding ink, tracing light lines, outlining shapes, applying color...
Time flew by like a fleeting glance.
The teacher tapped a small hammer on the podium to signal the end. All the students stopped their work, tidied up, left their paintings on the wooden tables, and awaited the senior students to collect them before leaving in succession.
And just like that, a day passed.
The next day.
As dawn broke, a large crowd gathered around the notice boards posted at the Imperial College, detailing who would advance in the exams and who had been eliminated.
Out of the six hundred participants, based on their performance the previous day, one hundred had already been eliminated, leaving five hundred for now.
There are only two hundred slots available for the year, and this year, nearly one hundred slots were taken by the royal family and nobility, meaning four hundred of these five hundred would be weeded out, leaving just one hundred, making the competition incredibly fierce.
On the list, Shen Chen’s name appeared in a prominent position, having done exceptionally well, with Tan Huanhuan and Ji Changzhou’s names in the middle, which wasn’t too bad.
When it came to Ye Zhi, as expected, she barely made it, her name almost appearing on the elimination list. Fortunately, she was relieved.
Father Ye and Ye’s mother had modest expectations, and were so thrilled they hugged their daughter, exclaiming her success.
At the same time, they instructed Shen Chen: "Xiao Chen, since you did so well, remember to help Ah Zhi if she doesn’t understand anything."
Shen Chen nodded in agreement.