She is Jianxiu

Chapter 1447 Zhang Qi Goes to School

The Sique clan has a history of over a thousand years. Following the example of their illustrious ancestors, they established a clan school within their ancestral home to cultivate talent and educate future generations. Those who could lecture and teach there were at least sixth-rank scholars. Even those from the direct line of the clan dared not laugh or joke in front of their teachers, thus disrupting the order.

After all, the words of the master are like imperial law; a single poor evaluation can expel a student from the school. Those in the clan school only wish to show off their talents in every way possible to win the master's favor, and dare not offend him.

The clan school held daily lessons every three days, categorizing students according to their progress in studying the classics, thus establishing three classes: A, B, and C. Class C had the largest number of students, regardless of age, all of whom were still at the eighth rank of scholarly achievement. If they advanced to the seventh rank, they could move to Class B. Class A, however, was unrelated to rank advancement; instead, it involved a triennial examination, selecting the top one hundred students, whom the Sique clan called "Upper Class," a source of great pride for the clan.

Only after reaching the sixth rank can one be considered to have graduated and completed their apprenticeship.

The Sique clan boasted of its flourishing literary tradition, yet the number of graduates each year was only a handful, and it was not uncommon for no one to break through to the sixth rank within two or three years.

The three tutors of the current Bingzi Room are sixth-rank scholars who graduated from the clan school two years ago. According to custom, they are required to teach in the mansion for three years as a term. After completing one term, they can obtain the recommendation of the Sique Clan, thus exempting them from the examination and allowing them to directly enter the Gushe Academy as inner students.

Among the current instructors was an elder named Zhan Yan, who was particularly rigid and never smiled. The students of the Bingzi class feared his authority, and on the days when Zhan Yan lectured, they dared not delay for even a moment. They would rather arrive half an hour early than enter the school with their instructor.

Classes were supposed to start at Chen Shi (7-9 AM), but it was only a little past Mao Shi (5-7 AM), and a few people had already sparsely taken their seats in the Bing Shi room. As time went on, more and more students rushed in. Several hundred people were crammed into the hall, but there was no sign of them jostling each other, which showed that the school grounds were spacious.

Furthermore, the students were seated in an orderly manner, so even though there were many people, it did not become chaotic. The order of their seats was determined by the exams in the large lectures, and the evaluation results were visible to everyone. All the evaluations were made by the three instructors themselves, and no one was allowed to question them.

Therefore, those seats in the front were occupied by powerful individuals at the peak of the eighth rank, who could break through to the seventh rank at any time. Their mentors also favored them and often gave them private guidance, which was truly the envy of others.

For students sitting in the middle or back positions, their primary concern shouldn't be when they'll break through. Their position is unstable, and they're always at risk of failing the assessments and being dismissed by their mentors during the three-year final exams. This inevitably leads them to have other ideas.

Inside room C, two tall, thin young men exchanged a brief glance before turning back to look at the empty seat behind them. A palm-sized wooden plaque lay on the low table, clearly displaying the three characters "Si Que Yi" on its front. The characters were elegant and upright, perfectly balanced and straight, just like the person who wrote them.

"Why haven't we arrived yet?"

One of them muttered something under his breath, and the young man with thin eyebrows and slanted eyes next to him immediately shrugged and sneered, "Maybe he's like the others, too scared to come."

Unexcused absences from school are the most abhorrent offenses among the instructors. If a student is absent three times, the instructor can label them as "negligent in their studies" and demote them to the position of assistant instructor. This position remains until the three-year final exams, where the student must achieve at least a top grade to regain their instructor status. During this period, if an assistant instructor receives another major demerit, they will be permanently dismissed and sent home, never to be re-enrolled.

Therefore, although there were those in the school who had lost confidence and were living aimlessly, even skipping classes altogether, they were still quite bold.

The tall, thin young man didn't answer, but just smiled and turned to talk to someone nearby, saying, "Jingchuan, look, that person still hasn't arrived. He must be really scared out of his wits."

After speaking, the woman called Jingchuan slowly turned her head and narrowed her eyes at the man, saying, "Skipping school without a valid reason is a serious offense. Si Queyi has only been enrolled for less than a month, so she wouldn't dare!"

But Jingchuan himself knew that Siqueyi was diligent and eager to learn. Usually, when the other two teachers were lecturing, she would enter the school at dawn, without fail. So it was really unexpected that she arrived so late today.

Is it genuine fear, or is there another plan?
Jingchuan shrugged, noticing that Siqueyi had only been there for a little over ten days and had only attended one major lecture, yet his position had already risen from the bottom to the middle, almost touching his own. Leaving aside the direct descendants, such performance was truly commendable even among the collateral branches. At this rate, passing the major examination in three years would be a natural outcome. Given Siqueyi's diligence, it wasn't impossible for him to receive a mid-to-high rating, or even higher, from his mentor.

Imagine her, her cousin, and her elder brother. One of them passed the major exam last year, but luckily passed the elimination hurdle with a lower-middle grade. The other two entered school the year before last and studied hard for two years, but their rankings were still in the middle to lower range. It is conceivable that when the major exam comes this year, she and her elder brother will most likely have to go home and, like their parents, work diligently for the family all their lives.

How can anyone tolerate this!
Fortunately, her elder brother, Si Que Tan, was quite quick-witted and had secretly made contact with a young master from the main branch of the family. If they could gain the trust of this man, even if they failed the year-end exams, he could keep her and her brother as study companions instead of sending them home.

Therefore, figuring out how to please the other person became the top priority for the brother and sister.

“What Young Master Zhuo dislikes most is having members of collateral branches rise to the second rank and compete with them for the master’s favor. The top positions are too prominent, and we can’t shake them, so we can only start from the lower ranks, eliminating as many talented individuals as possible to satisfy Young Master Zhuo.” Si Que Tan lowered his voice, speaking with remarkable clarity, and the “talented” he was referring to was clearly Si Que Yi. Hearing this, Jing Chuan silently nodded, but didn’t consider Si Que Yi, who also came from a collateral branch, as one of his own. After all, a clan as large as the Si Que clan had collateral members almost scattered throughout the entire Sichuan region; those living far apart would likely never cross paths in their lifetime, so how could they possibly develop closeness?

Just like Si Que Zhuo, for thousands of years they were all one family, but now they treat the collateral branches like servants, and the two sides fight each other endlessly.

However, what his elder brother said also reflected Jingchuan's own considerations.

These petty tricks among students are no match for the discerning eyes of their teachers. Sixth-rank scholars are arrogant and only those with truly exceptional talent and character deserve their personal attention. Si Queyi possesses some talent, deserving a passing grade, and coupled with his diligence and studiousness, he has a chance to break through to the seventh rank and enter the Yi-rank section in the future.

The mentors have seen many people with such aptitude. Once she encounters setbacks, they not only won't help her, but will also stand by and watch to see if she can get through it, calling it a trial.

That's why Jingchuan and others dared to act boldly, unafraid of being reprimanded by their mentor.

After a long while, the attendant who had been brought from home had already set out the writing brush and ink and sat down to the side with his head down. At this moment, his elder brother Si Que Tan let out a soft "Hey!" which made Jing Chuan turn his head and notice the person who had come.

After two or three days of rest, Si Queyi's fatigue disappeared. As if afraid of attracting the attention of her master for being late, she was particularly tense, and even after sitting down, her expression remained veiled.

Jingchuan exchanged a glance with his two older brothers and realized that the person following Si Queyi today was actually a strange woman.

The woman was quite tall, dressed simply and cleanly, and at first glance she seemed unremarkable. However, her eyes were like a flowing spring, but if you looked at them for a while, you could see their depths, which made people shiver involuntarily.

Who is this person?

Si Que Tan frowned and whispered to his younger sister, "Did they bring a new study companion?"

The siblings had already met Huaying and the others, and knew that among Si Queyi's companions, whether it was Huaying or the Luzhu and Yuezhu sisters, they were all innocent and straightforward. The more Si Queyi cared about them, the more obvious their weaknesses and shortcomings became. Once they saw their companions being punished, they would mostly panic and find it difficult to concentrate on their studies.

Therefore, many difficulties in the past were targeted at the student companion. Now it seems that Si Queyi has also noticed this, which is why he changed the person to take to school.

“Not bad, a ninth-rank.” Jingchuan’s face darkened, and he quickly looked away from the man, his tone slightly hesitant. “He’s more composed than the previous three, so he probably came prepared.”

Si Que Tan responded with a cold laugh, not taking it to heart, "So what? Just a study companion."

Those around him thought they were observing discreetly, but Zhao Chun had already taken notice. It was clear that everyone in the school knew about the difficulties Si Queyi was being faced, yet no one dared to speak up for him.

She was not surprised, nor did she think there was anything commendable about this childish trick. She simply sat down cross-legged next to the low table with Si Queyi and watched him arrange the writing brush, ink, and inkstone on his own without interfering.

She wasn't a real study companion, and Si Queyi didn't dare treat her as one either. After tidying up the desk, he leaned close to Zhao Chun's ear and whispered, "Miss Zhao, those are the people I told you about earlier."

Zhao Chun nodded, knowing that the three students' expressions were strange. Ever since she approached, their eyes had inexplicably carried a hint of hostility. This defensive posture clearly explained their relationship with Si Queyi.

After saying this, Si Queyi suddenly sat up straight, his expression turning solemn.

Below the high platform, a side door on the right was pushed open, and a tall but thin figure stepped across the threshold. His gaunt cheeks made his sharp eyes appear even more piercing. He swept his gaze over the hundreds of students below before stepping forward and sitting in a large chair. He took a sip of tea indifferently and said:
"Let's begin class."

Chunzi: Some deep-seated memories have been suddenly awakened...