Row after row of Hanlin Academy, Hanlin Academy, Hanlin Academy—even Buyan, who couldn’t read, found it ridiculous. Couldn’t they change a few characters? By the later rows, Yanqing Academy and Random Academy began to appear, finally breaking the monopoly of Hanlin Academy, except for Qin Ye.
And Zong Jincheng finally found his ranking.
“One hundred and twentieth place, Class A, Qingbo Academy, Zong Jincheng.”
“………………”
The list only had one hundred and twenty names, and he was the last one, with Qingbo Academy’s name, sitting lonely at the bottom.
The last place in the joint examination of the four academies…
The little devil was stunned, gradually grew furious, became enraged, jealous, indignant, and was about to lose his mind…
“Buyan! Put me down!”
Zong Jincheng turned around and left, muttering to himself, “What a lousy academy! I’m never coming back!”
And those people even congratulated him!
What was there to congratulate? Congratulations for what?
Being on the list meant nothing!
What’s there to celebrate about being dead last?
Zong Wenxiu had been by his side the whole time. Though he couldn’t see the words on the list, he noticed his brother stopping at the bottom, clearly having found his name and being deeply affected by it.
He quickly chased after him, noticing Cui Liu whispering to Xu Wan, likely reporting the results to her.
“Madam, Jincheng is leaving,” Zong Wenxiu said anxiously.
Xu Wan nodded. “Expected. Let’s go back too.”
“Aren’t you worried, Madam? Jincheng said he’s never coming back to the academy.”
Xu Wan shrugged. “He’s said that countless times. What’s the difference between that and crying wolf?”
Zong Wenxiu: “…”
She had a point.
But even so, Zong Wenxiu couldn’t help but worry and went to comfort his brother.
“Jincheng, wait for me.”
Hearing his voice, Zong Jincheng stopped and turned around, looking at him with a pout, his lips puckered like a teapot.
“Brother, I did so poorly,” the little devil said, his eyelashes fluttering, his eyes slightly red.
He had probably never faced such a setback before. He had worked so hard and was so confident that he had done well, but the result was far from what he expected.
But he still had his pride. A man doesn’t cry easily—crying would mean admitting defeat, and he would never cry.
Zong Jincheng would never be defeated to the point of tears!
Zong Wenxiu felt a pang of sympathy. He ruffled his brother’s soft hair and comforted him, “You didn’t do poorly. Otherwise, why would so many people congratulate you? Look, I’ve been studying much longer than you, and I didn’t even make the list.”
“Aren’t you upset?” the little devil asked, puzzled.
Zong Wenxiu chuckled. “Of course I’m upset. Not just upset, but also disappointed. But I know that even though I’ve worked hard, I’ve only been studying for a little over half a year. How could I possibly catch up to someone who’s been studying for five or six years? If progress were that easy to make, what would be the point of studying for so many years?”
Zong Jincheng followed his train of thought and realized he had a point.
If he had been studying for five or six years and was surpassed by someone who had only studied for a few months, he’d probably never want to touch a book again in his life.
The little devil was quickly comforted, but he was still unhappy. He grumbled resentfully, “That Hanlin Academy is so annoying. I was exhausted looking through the list—it was all their students, all of them ranked above me.”
Zong Wenxiu thought for a moment and said, “I know about this. Hanlin Academy is the strongest academy in the capital. If you do well on the entrance exam, tuition is waived, and they provide food and lodging. That’s why students from all over the capital and even other regions flock there, and Hanlin Academy’s strength continues to grow.”
Zong Jincheng snorted. “Just wait. Next time, I’m going to crush them in the joint exam! I’ll trample them, trample them all!!”
Zong Wenxiu laughed. “That’s right! With your learning speed, you’ll definitely crush them next time!”
“Hahaha…”
Seeing the boy laughing again, Xu Wan knew that her little helper, Wenxiu, had successfully calmed down the little devil.
She stepped forward and said, “Children, since you’re so curious about Hanlin Academy, why don’t we take a look at their daily study environment?”
“Huh?” “Huh?”
The Zong brothers—one who had never seen the world and the other who had only seen its twisted side—had only ever known Qingbo Academy. They thought all academies were like that.
Little did they know, Xu Wan had chosen Qingbo Academy for them at this stage—a place that wasn’t so elite as to make them feel discouraged, nor so mediocre as to kill their competitive spirit.
But the true top academy in the capital, with the most intense study atmosphere, was still Hanlin Academy’s North Campus.
Zong Jincheng had heard Xu Wan talk about this academy before, so now he used his impressive memory to show off to Zong Wenxiu: “Hanlin Academy is divided into the South Campus and the North Campus. The South Campus is for those who pay their way in, while the North Campus is for those who pass the entrance exam.”
“Every top scholar in the Great Chu Dynasty has come from Hanlin’s North Campus. That’s why people say, ‘Entering Hanlin is like taking a step into officialdom.’ But I have to correct one thing—my father didn’t come from here. He was taught by Master Baili!”
Zong Wenxiu was getting excited, especially by the last part. He said, “Then let’s strive to be the next top scholars who didn’t come from Hanlin’s North Campus!”
Zong Jincheng proudly high-fived him. “Great minds think alike!”
After getting off the carriage, the three of them headed straight for the North Campus.
The South Campus was in the outer area and looked similar to Qingbo Academy, but once they reached the inner area, the students of the North Campus were clearly different.
There were very few students in the North Campus, and the area wasn’t large, but each of them walked incredibly fast, some even jogging. Some carried books while muttering to themselves, while others frowned, deep in thought.
Unlike the curious students of the South Campus, the North Campus students seemed completely absorbed in their own worlds, paying no attention to the strange strangers wandering around the academy.
Zong Wenxiu looked around and said blankly, “Brother, I feel like I’m seeing countless Qin Yes.”
Zong Jincheng nodded in agreement. “I take back what I said earlier.”
“Huh?”
The little devil gritted his teeth. “I suddenly feel like Qin Ye isn’t that cold-hearted after all. Sure, he’s a bit arrogant, domineering, rude, and unlikeable. But at least he’s normal—when he walks, he’s steady and focused. He’s not insane enough to run while reciting books!”
