Since she was going to take the Great Yan Examination, Yu Shu would definitely not continue to laze around at home. She woke up early the next day and dressed herself up. She wore a plain green gown over a black lined jacket and a fur collar. She smiled warmly and energetically left the house with Yu Xiaoxiu, leaving Jing Chen to look after the house and Kim Bao.
She hired a mule cart and sent Yu Xiaoxiu to Baichuan Academy. Yu Shu found the largest courier station in the north of the city and paid ten taels of silver to send a letter to Pei Jing and Zhao Hui to a messenger from Jiangnan.
After sending the letter home, Yu Shu took the recommendation letter she got from the Crown Prince of Prince Xiang and looked for a Great Yi Master who lived nearby. She visited him to inquire about the matters related to the Da Yuan Examination. She only said that there would be an examination and she wasn't sure what to prepare for.
With the Great Yan Examination at hand, there was an endless stream of visitors in front of the residences of the Great Yi Masters in the capital. Visitors carrying gifts and asking for guidance were everywhere. However, the letter from the Crown Prince was not given for nothing. Yu Shu was invited into the residence amidst the crowd of visitors waiting in front of the door.
After drinking the hot tea and waiting for a while, she saw Mr. Gui, who was visiting today. Mr. Gui was very polite to Yu Shu out of respect for Liu Jiong. He answered almost all of her questions and didn't look at her differently just because she said some nonsense.
Yu Shu asked for more details and found out that the Great Yan Examination was not that easy.
The subjects of Yi Xue were divided into six major subjects, namely Feng Shui, Yi Science, Astrology, Physiognomy, Occult Arts, and Mathematics. After the Da Yan Examination, these six subjects would be held in different venues with different topics. Instead of being held on the same day, they would be held in the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. Candidates could choose to take all six subjects, or they could choose not to take any of the six subjects, except for Yi Science, which was mandatory.
After the winter solstice, the results would be released in the spring of March. This was after the civil and military examinations and before the court examinations. This was a yearly tradition.
After the results were released, there was a final round of examinations to be held in the Directorate of Celestials. The examiners would select one out of a hundred candidates to retake the examination. There were reasons and current events to be taken into account. This was to prevent any examinees from passing off as genuine. After all, Yi Xue was not like literature, which could be grasped on paper.
Once someone was found to be an impostor, they would be punished with thirty lashes and two years in prison. They would not be able to take the Great Yan Examination again for the rest of their lives.
Yu Shu inquired about everything she needed to know and thanked Teacher Gui before leaving. Seeing that it was almost noon, she found a restaurant to eat a bowl of hot soup pancakes. Only then did she go for a ride to the Great Yi Hall to buy some divination tools that might be used in the examination. Most importantly, she bought some Yi Li books.
She had always been using what she learned, and was rather lacking in theoretical knowledge. There were still more than ten days before the first exam. She had made up her mind to study the Yi Li thoroughly, and at the same time, tidy up her handwriting so that it could be seen clearly during the exam.
Three sets of tortoise shells, a set of divination sticks, a pair of flint, an hourglass, a star chart, a calendar, a book of 'Yi Jie', and a book of 'Xiang Li'. After selecting these items, he calculated the bill. Unexpectedly, he only had twenty cents of change left from the hundred taels he brought.
Fortunately, it was a serious matter so Yu Shu did not feel bad. She asked someone to pack it up and when afternoon came, she went to Baichuan Academy to wait for Yu Xiaoxiu to finish school and go home together.
"Sister, let me help you." When Yu Xiaoxiu saw Yu Shu coming to pick him up, he was very happy. He said goodbye to his classmates and ran to Yu Shu to take the largest paper bag in her hands.
"What did you buy?"
"Divination tools and a few books. I'll show them to you when we get back." Yu Shu turned her head and looked at the child who was still standing at the school gate waving at Yu Xiaoxiu. He was about the same age as Xiaoxiu. He was wearing a silver-grey velvet hat on his head. He had a round face and round eyes and looked very obedient. She asked him, "Who is that? A new friend?"
"Oh." Yu Xiaoxiu thought for a while and told Yu Shu the truth. "He's the one who almost shot me with an arrow last time. His name is Hu Tian 'er. He's one year younger than me. I scared him and he kept apologizing to me, so I played with him."
Yu Shu patted his shoulder and praised, "Not bad. A man should not be calculative. It's better to make friends than to make enemies."
The two of them talked and laughed as they returned home. It got dark early in the winter. Yu Shu took out the new lantern she bought not long ago and lit it. She asked Jing Chen to hang it on the door. The small courtyard was lit up and it was much easier to go in and out.
Yu Shu went to cook while Yu Xiaoxiu set up a wooden box in the courtyard. He knocked on it and prepared to make a nest for Kim Bao. The weather was getting colder and colder. The little thing often slept in his bed and was almost squashed by him several times.
After dinner, Yu Shu took a stack of paper and went to Jing Chen's room.
"What's the matter?" Jing Chen was standing by the bed and was about to change his clothes.
"Uh, my handwriting is always crooked. Can you give me some advice?" Yu Shu thought that the fastest way to fix her handwriting was to ask Jing Chen for help. However, his right hand was injured and it was inconvenient for him to write. She could only ask him verbally.
"Come in." Jing Chen nodded to her. Yu Shu jumped in with a smile.
Jing Chen nimbly tied the knot on the belt that he had just untied. He walked to the desk and pulled out a chair for Yu Shu to sit down. He stood behind her.
Yu Shu moved the inkstone in front of her and quickly carved out some ink. She pushed it forward, laid out the paper, and handed a pen to her.
"Write a few words first." Jing Chen said.
"Oh." Yu Shu picked up the pen. She had just written two words on the paper when Jing Chen pressed her shoulder from behind.
"The way you hold the pen is wrong. Sit up straight." Jing Chen put his injured right hand behind his back and leaned forward slightly. His left hand went around Yu Shu's left shoulder and held her right hand. His slender fingers pinched the pen and lifted it up. "Don't pinch it too hard. Like this."
Yu Shu's head leaned against Jing Chen's chest. She could hear his serious teaching voice coming from above her head. The hand that held the pen was covered with an unusual temperature. A light breath came from behind with a sense of tranquility. It made her dazed for a moment.
Jing Chen held Yu Shu's slender hand and focused on the paper. His left hand moved her right hand. "Horizontal should be flat. Vertical should be straight. Slide to the left. Press to the right. Once the pen is down, don't hesitate."
Hearing this, Yu Shu was moved. She turned her head and her eyes fell on Jing Chen's particularly handsome face under the candlelight.
When Jing Chen saw that she suddenly stopped staring at him, he let go of her hand. He stood up and asked, "What's wrong? Is it hard to write?"
Yu Shu shook her head. She looked at him again and slowly turned her head. She looked at the word "Mu" on the paper. She moved her wrist and added a "mouth" on it. It became a "daze".
"Jing Chen, don't you think this word looks like a person?"
Jing Chen looked down. He couldn't see how the word "daze" looked like a person. He asked her, "I can't see it. Who does it look like?"
Yu Shu held her chin with one hand and turned to look at him. She blinked and said innocently, "It looks like you."
Jing Chen looked at her and then looked at the words on the paper. After a moment, he realized that she was teasing him. He smiled helplessly. He didn't get angry. He shook his head. "This is not me. This is me."
After saying that, he held her hand again. He added a "E" next to the word "daze". It became a "bao".
Yu Shu looked at the word he added and asked in confusion. "What does this mean?"
Jing Chen raised his hand and gently patted her fluffy head. He seriously explained, "Don't I still have you by my side?"
Yu Shu suddenly understood. She was really amused by his unusual humor. She slapped the table and laughed. "Hahaha."
As she laughed, her heart became happy. She nodded at him. "That's right. You still have me by your side."
This dummy, there were times when he was smart.
Jing Chen saw that she was happy enough. He coaxed her. "Okay, stop playing. Hurry up and write. Write a few more words and I will correct them for you."
"En." Yu Shu happily folded the word "bao" and put it aside. She took out another piece of paper.
"Oh … Oh … Oh!"
It was the most difficult to get up in the morning in winter. The rooster crowed three times before Yu Shu opened her eyes in a daze. She saw a pile of yellow fur. She straightened her neck and realized that it was Kim Bao sleeping on the side of her pillow. She stretched out a finger and poked his forehead. Kim Bao raised half of his eyelids and looked at her. He then lowered his eyelids again. He gently made a sound as if he was telling her not to disturb him.
"I see you sleeping all day. Are you going to hibernate?" Yu Shu whispered. She sat up from the bed with the quilt in her arms. She first thought about what she was going to do today.
There was movement in the courtyard. Yu Shu wrapped herself in a cotton robe and got off the bed. She opened a crack in the window and looked outside. She saw Jing Chen holding a sword-shaped piece of wood in his left hand. His figure was elegant and confident. Of course, one could ignore the gauze wrapped around his right hand.
Yu Shu was caught red-handed and shouted at the top of her lungs, "What are you doing?!"
Jing Chen stopped his sword and looked for Yu Shu, who had half of her face exposed from the window. He put the wooden sword on his back. He didn't want to make her unhappy.
"What are you hiding? I saw it." Yu Shu sneered at him. She didn't lose her temper. She just told him, "Be careful not to hurt your right hand."
Jing Chen's eyes lit up. He knew that she allowed him to practice swordsmanship. He nodded and put the wooden sword in front of him again. He was going to practice the Sword of the Dragon.
Yu Shu leaned against the window and admired it for a while. She thought that after breakfast, she would take out the 'ancient sword' for Jing Chen to use. Although it was rusty, it was still a real sword. It was much better than a wooden sword.
After putting on her clothes, Yu Shu went to get some water to wash her face. At this time, someone knocked on the door of the courtyard. Hearing the sound, she thought that it was Xue Rui. Her hands were wet, so she called out to Jing Chen.
"Jing Chen, open the door."
Jing Chen tiptoed and inserted the wooden sword back into the eaves. He landed on the ground and turned around. He walked to the door and put his hand on the lock. He asked, "Who is it?"
There was silence outside. At first, there was no answer. Jing Chen asked again, "Who is it?"
"… Excuse me, does Yu Shu live here?"
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