Her guards

Chapter 39 Articles Under Review
"Third senior brother."

The two disciples called softly.

Ling Yu hummed in agreement, but her gaze remained fixed on the book.

"We've finished reviewing everything, and based on our knowledge and the instructions of some influential people, we've selected the personnel," the disciples could only continue.

After they finished speaking, Ling Yu looked up, her gaze leaving the book, but instead of looking at them, she looked to the side.

The boy on the table next to him was shaking a piece of paper.

Lingyu asked, "Finished watching?"

Mo Zheng nodded, walked over, handed over a piece of paper with one hand, and held a test paper in her other hand at her side.

Ling Yu took it, glanced at it, and then looked at the two disciples.

The two disciples were stunned for a moment, their expressions slightly hesitant. Although they had been judging, they were not as focused on reading as Ling Yu, nor did they need to be. So they saw the boy take a paper and write on another table, and what he was handing over now was what he had just written.

Their gazes fell on the papers the boy handed over and the ones he was holding in his hand; they could clearly see that both papers bore the same name.

Is this going to be replaced?

Is the purpose of the replacement to ensure that this person is elected?

"Third Senior Brother." The fifth disciple hesitated for a moment, then pushed over a stack of papers that had clearly been selected. "It's like this, some of these people were appointed by the palace. We dare not make a decision on whether to add or remove one."

Ling Yu reached out and took the paper from Mo Zheng, while also picking up the stack of selected papers on the table.

"I see," he said. "I'll ask the teachers to make the selection."

The two disciples looked surprised. They were actually going to alarm the High Priest?

Their gazes immediately fell on the boy.

Who exactly is this young man?

Ling Yu actually wanted to alarm the High Priest for his sake?

Family background and power? Useless. Ling Yu comes from a prestigious family and is not afraid of anyone in terms of family background. He is also the third disciple personally taught by Wang Zaitian. Even the eldest son of His Majesty, the Prince of Donghai, does not dare to treat him with disrespect.

Ling Yu didn't explain further to them, and the boy didn't seem alarmed.

"Do you want to come with me to see the teacher?" Ling Yu asked.

Mo Zheng shook her head: "My people won't disturb the High Priest." She smiled as she spoke, "I already feel bad that the article has bothered him."

Ling Yu shook her head, didn't try to persuade her any further, and walked out with a stack of papers in her hand.

Mo Zheng also went out and bowed to Ling Yu from outside the door.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Ling. I'll take my leave now."

Ling Yu smiled and nodded, watching the boy turn and walk away. He then carried the scroll and walked back along the Wind and Rain Pavilion towards the library at the top.

The palace built against the mountain in the academy was converted into a library.

In addition to moving the original collection of books from the Great Xia Imperial Palace, the Emperor of Great Zhou also spent five years collecting ancient books and rare volumes scattered during the war and storing them here.

Wang Zaitian spent almost every day there. Many people said privately that Wang Zaitian agreed to serve as the chief priest for the emperor, but his real purpose was to obtain these books.

The library is also an important place in the academy, guarded by instructors day and night. Students are not allowed to enter or leave at will, and there are restrictions on the time and floors they can go to.

Seeing Ling Yu approach, the instructors greeted him with smiles, "Third Senior Brother," and without waiting for further questions, pointed upwards, saying, "The Chief Priest is on the highest floor."

Ling Yu thanked them and went straight upstairs.

The knocking echoed at the highest point.

"Teacher, teacher, I brought a good article, please take a look," Lingyu said.

The doors and windows of the highest attic were tightly shut, as if it were deserted. No matter how Ling Yu knocked or spoke, there was no response.

“Teacher, I know you’re here,” Ling Yu said again, lifting her robe. “If you don’t open the door, I’ll break it open.”

An impatient voice finally rang out from inside: "I haven't even finished reading all the good articles by the ancients, so you can read the ones by yourself."

Ling Yu said, "Do you still remember the little boy who lived in the Zhang family on the back street of the Confucian Temple in Danyang County?"

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded from inside, stopping at the doorway.

"The child who was eavesdropping under the window?" the old voice asked.

Lingyu said, "He just came over, answered a test paper, and wrote an essay..."

Before she could finish speaking, the door opened, and a tall, white-haired old man appeared in front of Ling Yu.

“That child…” he said, “is still alive.”

Ling Yu frowned: "Their family is just a little poor. Although they don't have parents, they have a grandfather and cousin. How could they not survive? Besides, it's not like before when there was war and the world was at peace."

Wang Zaitian's expression was somewhat complicated. He glanced at Ling Yu and asked, "He came to the academy? Is he here to study?"

Ling Yu shook her head: "No, he said he was still poor and couldn't afford to go to school, but he didn't give up his studies." Without bothering to go into details, she handed over the test paper with a hint of pride, "Look at his answer to this passage."

Wang Zaitian reached out and took it, first glancing at it briefly, then turning his gaze back to read from the first line.

Ling Yu didn't urge him or feel it was a waste of time. She didn't take out a book from her bosom to read, but watched with a smile and waited.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment. Wang Zaitian nodded gently: "I haven't given up on my studies all these years."

Ling Yu laughed and said, "Right? Teacher, you said this child is a good student."

Wang Zaitian held the test paper and remained silent for a moment: "The handwriting is just average."

"There's a reason for that. He's imitating other people's handwriting," Ling Yu said with a smile, before explaining the details: "Teacher, he's currently working as a bodyguard, and his mistress is choosing a princess companion."

……

.......
An instructor and a palace maid entered the hall and saw two disciples sitting at a table, seemingly lost in thought.

"Dr. Qi, Dr. Zhang," the instructor bowed, "Is the assessment complete?"

A palace maid added, "His Majesty ordered that it be announced on the spot, without first sending it into the palace."

The fifth disciple said, "Please wait a moment."

Wait a minute, is it that difficult? It's only forty-odd papers, and two PhDs in the Five Classics are taking so long to look at them?
and……

The desk was empty; there were no answer sheets.

The instructors and palace women looked somewhat puzzled.

The sixth disciple coughed lightly: "The Grand Master has taken it for his personal review."

The Grand Master personally reviewed it? The instructors and palace maids were surprised; this was not originally planned, and it was a truly unexpected surprise.

His Majesty will be very happy to know.

The palace maid hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Your Excellency."

……

.......
Seeing Ling Yu walk in carrying the answer sheet, the two disciples breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up to greet her.

"How about it?"

"What did the teacher say?"

Lingyu handed them the previous answer sheet: "The teacher said to add this in."

After saying that, he slapped another answer sheet on top of it.

The two disciples saw the name on it, and it was the same one that the boy had written earlier.

Unexpectedly, the chief priest himself spoke up.

Then they must comply.

“However,” the fifth disciple suddenly remembered something, “His Majesty ordered the selection of eleven people…”

He looked at the answer sheet he had originally chosen.

Add one more, and there will be one more.

Ling Yu said, "Then we can just choose the one with the worst writing from these eleven people and remove him/her."

……

.......
The sunlight slanted in, and the women stood in the hall, looking nervously at the teacher holding the exam papers.

Yang Luo appeared calm, but her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched into fists. As she listened to each name being called out, she silently counted in her mind, "One, two, three... ten."

When the tenth name was read, Yang Luo felt her breath catch in her throat until she heard "Miss Liu Chan from Fuzhou" in her ear.

Whether it was because she wasn't familiar with the name, or because she was lost in thought and didn't react for a moment, or because Qin Ying nudged her from the side.

"Miss Liu, you've been chosen!"

At the same time, a woman's shrill voice rang out, "What's going on? She got chosen, what about me?"

Yang Hui stared at the instructor in disbelief, "Did you mispronounce it? The last one is my name, not hers!"

The instructor frowned: "Miss Yang, how could we have misread such an important matter given by His Majesty and the Empress?"

Yang Hui's face turned pale: "This shouldn't be, we agreed..."

A palace maid's expression changed, and she shouted, "Miss Yang, this was personally selected by the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy. Who told you it was a favor?"

Yang Hui realized she had spoken out of turn. With countless eyes on her in the hall, she stamped her foot, covered her face, and ran out crying.

The palace maid's face darkened: "How can the young lady of the Duke of Ding'an be so ill-mannered?" She then looked around the hall and said, "Please forgive the young ladies who were not selected. Although you will not be able to study with the princesses from now on, a classmate for a day is a friend for life. Her Majesty the Empress invites you all to the palace for a banquet on the princesses' birthdays."

This was also a royal favor, and the women in the hall bowed and said, "Thank you for the Empress's grace."

After calming the others down, the palace maid smiled and looked at Yang Luo, who was still standing there.

"Miss Liu," she called out, taking the last of the specially made companion badges from the National Academy.

Yang Luo responded with a "yes" and stepped forward slowly, joy surging in her heart.

Sure enough, as long as she outperformed Yang Hui, she would be selected.

I've been traveling these past two days, so updates won't be timely. I probably won't be able to write tomorrow, so please don't wait up for me.

(End of this chapter)