Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Mangshan is about four or five miles away from Songjian Academy.

This distance, neither too far nor too near, is the best place to see the differences in social status and background among students through their mode of transportation.

Sons of officials from good families would choose to ride horses or carriages.

Impoverished students would walk there in groups.

Gu Zhenhe boarded the carriage, lifted the curtain, and turned to invite Qin Ji, "Brother Jiang, would you like to come along?"

Qin Ji refused him. He neither intended to ride with Gu Zhen nor in his own carriage, but instead slowly lagged behind the walking group.

Qin Ji was dressed in brand-new student robes today, so he didn't look strange among the poor students. However, his outstanding appearance and innate demeanor still made him stand out.

Songjian Academy is closed today, so students are not required to wear their academic gowns to the poetry gathering. However, for some students from impoverished families, this is the best option available.

Songjian Academy is a renowned academy. The students' uniforms are sturdy, durable, and elegant, so that they don't have to feel ashamed of their worn-out clothes.

Gu Zhenhe looked at Qin Ji, who was lagging behind the crowd, his eyes flashing slightly, and a hint of interest slowly welled up inside him.

This Jiang San was not a student of Songjian Academy, and his origins are a mystery, but he had a close relationship with Mr. Gu.

At first, he thought he was a substitute. But after meeting him two or three times, it was clear from his speech, demeanor, and vision that he came from an extraordinary background. Only a noble family could cultivate such an aura of nobility that was etched into his bones. He seemed approachable, but in reality, he had a natural aloofness.

What's even stranger now is that Jiang San doesn't seem to care about the dignity of a prestigious family. Instead, he'd rather mingle with poor scholars. I wonder what he's up to.

Jiang San, Jiang San, it's no wonder he thinks of the Jiang family of Qingyuan.

This prestigious family, spanning hundreds of years, has produced countless high-ranking officials and renowned ministers.

Even after the turbulent period of the late emperor's debauchery and Wang Jing's chaotic rule, the Jiang clan withdrew from the center of power, but many members of the Jiang clan still served as officials in various places.

Even the renowned Confucian scholar Jiang Jibai came from the Jiang family of Qingyuan.

He famously debated and argued with the Three Confucian scholars at the foot of Mang Mountain, earning their admiration and spreading his fame far and wide.

Although later events proved that this was indeed because Jiang Daru had real talent, Gu Zhenhe believed that if Jiang Daru had not come from the Jiang family of Qingyuan, it would have been much more difficult for him to gain such a transcendent status through a debate on classics, and for scholars to accept his "ascension" almost without resistance.

Jiang San...

Mr. Gu, who was unknown at the time, won over the students of Songjian with his talent and character in just half a month...

At this crucial juncture of the imperial examinations, the headmaster forcefully arranged the Si Ding Zhai...

It's hard for Gu Zhenhe not to overthink things.

He jumped down from the carriage and hurried forward to walk alongside Qin Ji. He stretched slightly and said, "The imperial examinations are just around the corner. I've been staying in the academy every day and haven't been out and about for a long time. Brother Jiang, shall we go together?"

Qin Ji glanced at him and said, "Do as you please."

A guy with a brain, but who wants to be my cheap junior brother. Since he might be a useful talent, it's not convenient to just kill him... a sycophant.

Gu Zhenhe was surprised to find himself labeled with so many tags. He introduced the impoverished students ahead of him to Qin Ji, including the successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

"The one in front, who is as thin as a stick, is named Zou Rong. He has failed the imperial examination twice in a row. This spring is his third time taking the examination. His essays are quite good and he has always been favored by his teachers, but for some reason, he just has bad luck."

Before his first imperial examination, he somehow caught a cold, developed a fever in the examination hall, and fainted in his examination cell. He was carried out by the examiners.

The second time, he was assigned to a particularly foul-smelling cell (the outhouse). After enduring the stench for nine days, just before handing in his paper, he somehow couldn't hold it in and vomited directly onto the ink-stained scroll.

"That pale-faced guy with dark circles under his eyes is called Lu Zhongbai. He gets up earlier than the chickens and goes to bed later than the dogs. He hangs his head from the beam and pricks his thigh with an awl. The students who share a room with him are all afraid that he will suddenly die one day."

Every time someone asks him if he's sleepy, he says no. Last time, he went to the outhouse with someone, and the person next to him was talking to him when he suddenly went silent. The other person was so scared they thought something was wrong and quickly dragged him out, almost calling a doctor. Guess what? He can fall asleep while standing to pee!

"The one who looks very young is actually very young, only fifteen years old, named Pei Lian. He is a famous child prodigy in Gan County, Shanxi Province."

He was also very lucky. When he was very young, he happened to run into Zhao Guangqi, the former Director of the Imperial Academy who had retired and returned to his hometown. Zhao Guangqi was amazed by his intelligence and took him as his disciple.

Although he also came from a poor family, with such a teacher, how could he be shortchanged?

He passed the imperial examinations smoothly all the way up from the lowest level to the highest, but it's unclear whether he'll take the exam this year. His teacher probably wants to push him for another three years, aiming for the highest rank.

But this kid is incredibly arrogant, always looking down on everyone and despising all idiots. I just don't know if he'll listen to his teacher...

"Tsk, quite a few people are already thinking of putting a sack over his head."

Gu Zhen introduced them one by one, and Qin Ji found their strange and wonderful stories quite interesting.

Their group of scholars, many of whom were dressed in the robes of students from Songjian Academy, were quite conspicuous as they walked along the official road.

Even those who weren't wearing school uniforms didn't look like they came from wealthy families.

Soon, passersby mustered up the courage to ask them, "Young men, where are you headed? You've got quite a entourage!"

A harsh, hoarse voice rang out, "What's it to you?"

"You young man, I was just asking you a question. If you don't want to answer, then don't. Did you have to be so rude? You're like a dead duck; your throat must be full of shit. It stinks and sounds awful!"

"Oh, right, he's short."

The man with the hoarse voice was hit where it hurt, and he exploded, "Who are you calling a dead duck? Who are you calling a shorty? I'm still growing, and my voice is still changing, unlike you, with a face as big as a pancake and pockmarks all over your face like snow. People who don't know you would think you're a persimmon that has come to life, covered in frost and cake."

The sound was a bit like sawing wood back and forth, the kind of saw with an unsharpened blade, making you want to scratch the wall.

His metaphors are also sharp and biting, making him a second Shen Jiangliu.

Qin Ji looked in the direction of the sound and saw several students in front of him trying to suppress their laughter, their shoulders shaking. He couldn't tell if they were laughing like a dead duck or a persimmon spirit.

Gu Zhenhe explained in a low voice, "Pei Lian's voice started changing last year, and he hates it when people make fun of him about it and his height."

He used to look down on people and verbally attack them, but since his voice changed, he only looks down on people and rarely speaks anymore.

This person just happened to ask the one person who least wanted to speak, and was met with an annoyed reply. The retort then struck a nerve with Pei Lian, resulting in Pei Lian being sprayed in the face with spittle – what a disaster!

The man Pei Lian called a persimmon demon was a farmer herding pigs into town. His face turned a deep, purplish-red from the insult. He lashed out with a willow branch, striking a pig's hind leg, and pointed at Pei Lian, shouting, "Take him down!"

The pig let out a long howl in pain and charged at Pei Lian. The students around scattered, all afraid of being caught in the crossfire and only wanting to watch the show; not a single one wanted to help.

Pei Lian's expression changed, and he tried to run away, but his trouser leg was stepped on by a pig's hoof, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

The pig kicked up and almost stepped on Pei Lian's leg.

The boy was so frightened that his face turned pale and he didn't dare to move.

This pig must weigh at least 200 pounds. If it gets stepped on, forget about the imperial examinations; its legs might not even heal properly.

...

First update delivered, second update around midnight.

We're 530 units short of generating electricity with love, let's all keep going!