Marking these policy essays from the noble academy, Zhi Ning really could not stand it anymore.
From the very first word, the ignorance and shallowness of the essay’s author were revealed. For an arrogant talented woman like Zhi Ning, reading an essay was like savouring fine food. A good essay was like a delicious delicacy that left one intoxicated. A bad essay, however, was like rotten food, so foul that even one sniff made it hard to swallow.
After reading dozens of policy essays, Zhi Ning was almost on the verge of exploding. She even felt a nauseating sense of disgust.
They were truly awful. More than half of these essays sang praises to the royal family, claiming that under the wise rule of the royal family the Nu Lang Kingdom would last for at least thousands of generations.
Another portion of the essays were completely sensational, saying that the Nu Lang Kingdom had only a few decades of national fortune left or even that its destruction was imminent.
Yet when one looked at the content, it was all empty showmanship with no substantial material whatsoever.
While skimming through the papers at a glance and giving very low scores, Zhi Ning waited to see Suolun’s essay so she could mock the other party’s stupidity and shallowness to her heart’s content.
Many people thought that the political essay topic for this graduation grand examination had been set by King Zhi Bian, but actually it was not. It had been set by Zhi Li and Zhi Ning, then reported to His Majesty the King for approval.
The reason for setting such an outlandish topic was largely to prevent Suolun from cheating.
Because Suo Ningbing was a talented woman, she must have made extensive preparations for the policy essay and written many essays for Suolun to memorise. If she had guessed the topic correctly, he would naturally have obtained a high score with ease.
How many more years of national fortune does the Nu Lang Kingdom have? This topic was too obscure and too bizarre. Suo Ningbing definitely could not have guessed it correctly. In that case, Suolun the good for nothing would naturally have no chance of a good result, and they would be waiting for this good for nothing’s essay to be utterly abysmal.
Enduring the nausea in her heart, Zhi Ning flipped through the essays one by one. The twenty examiners had to read every single paper, more than two hundred in total. This tedious and nauseating work would continue for a full two days.
She pulled out the next exam paper, opened it and was slightly startled.
Because she saw familiar handwriting, that of the scoundrel Suolun. This piece of trash had written no fewer than a hundred love letters to her.
However, although the handwriting on this exam paper was Suolun’s, it was already somewhat different, much more restrained yet still concealing a sharp edge. She had to admit that the good for nothing Suolun’s handwriting had become much better, as if the ordeal in the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range had made him mature.
Next she looked at Suolun’s policy essay title: Party Struggle Misleads the Country, Party Struggle Destroys the Country.
Immediately, Zhi Ning’s eyes brightened instinctively. This way of breaking the topic was unprecedented.
Moreover, the brand new term of party struggle instantly struck a chord in her heart.
Thus she could not wait to read on.
On the first reading she went quickly and finished the two thousand word essay in just a few minutes.
At once she even forgot that this was Suolun’s essay, that scoundrel of a man whom she hated to the bone.
Reading a good essay was like eating ice in the height of summer, refreshing the whole body as if every pore had opened. And right now Zhi Ning felt exactly that way.
Zhi Ning closed her beautiful eyes and began to savour the words within.
This essay was truly excellently written. The viewpoint was so clear and sharp, the insight so far sighted. The entire text revolved around the idea of three party struggles, fully reasoned and evidenced, filled with rigorous logic that convinced anyone at a glance.
Especially the first party struggle, which had actually already begun faintly. As for the second party struggle, only King Zhi Bian and Zhi Li would occasionally sense a trace of it by chance. Yet Suolun had written it out so clearly.
After closing her eyes and savouring it for a while, Zhi Ning began a second reading.
On the second reading she read very slowly, almost sentence by sentence. After finishing a paragraph she would even deduce and ponder it in her mind. Sometimes she would go back to read earlier paragraphs or sentences.
Nearly half an hour later, the second reading was completely finished.
It was really written too well. Even the proud and arrogant Zhi Ning felt emotional inside.
Talent was something that an expert could tell at a glance whether it existed or not.
And Zhi Ning could easily see what kind of talent and wisdom lay behind this essay.
Could this be Suo Ningbing’s handiwork? Zhi Ning was instantly filled with suspicion, but she quickly denied it.
Because this policy essay topic was so obscure and so unexpected, Suo Ningbing could not possibly have guessed it correctly.
Then had this come entirely from Suolun’s own hand? That would mean that whether it was the naval development strategy before or judging that the king would definitely reject the naval strategy, everything had come from Suolun’s own insight rather than Suo Ningbing’s?
If that was the case, what would it mean?
It would mean that Suolun was a genius? Then what about all his previous bad records? Were they a form of disguise?
Or had Suo Long’s death and the danger in the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range caused Suolun to have a sudden awakening and turn over a new leaf?
This possibility was not nonexistent, because previously Suolun had truly been the public enemy of women. How many outstanding women in Wangcheng Academy had all been successfully plucked by him? Could it be that those women were all blind? Knowing full well that he was a playboy, they had still thrown themselves at him one after another?
Perhaps previously Suolun had devoted all his energy to pleasing women, and only when the Suo clan faced a fatal crisis had he put his talent to proper use?
Immediately after, she also thought that her brother Zhi Li had launched the upheaval in Tianshui City ahead of schedule and had even agreed to the greedy demands of those high level warrior lords. Perhaps he had already sensed Suolun’s change long ago?
For a moment Zhi Ning felt somewhat dejected. She had worked so hard, yet in terms of insight and wisdom she was still one step behind her brother Zhi Li.
She opened Suolun’s exam paper once more. In her mind appeared that handsome yet roguish face, along with the day he had suddenly rushed forward and bitten her lip. That tingling numbness and pain seemed to surge into her heart once again.
This scoundrel of a good for nothing is actually a genius? He can actually write such far sighted and such incisive policy essays? Zhi Ning sighed and asked herself inwardly.
She took a deep breath, handed Suolun’s policy essay to the nearby Dean Jian Yong and said, Marquis, please take a look at this essay.
…
In merely two hours, Lanling’s policy essay had already spread among all the examiners present and shocked the entire venue.
Not only that, Zhi Ning had also taken it into the cabinet and the royal family.
This policy essay was truly sharp enough to pierce everyone’s mental defences, especially those of the cabinet and the royal family.
Moreover, this policy essay had directly won the favour of the vast majority of the noble class. This was the first time someone had defended the interests of the noble class from such a high perspective.
Of course, Lanling had no intention in his heart of aligning himself with this noble class. If Zhi Bian did not make large scale use of civilian elites, the Nu Lang Kingdom would decline even faster because the rate of corruption in the noble class was simply too quick.
After King Zhi Bian saw this policy essay, he said nothing. Instead he turned to the great eunuch beside him and said, Pass this policy essay to Zhi Li to read.
Yes. The great eunuch held the policy essay and headed for Zhi Li’s young lord mansion.
Zhi Li took a full hour to finish reading it, then closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.
He took a deep breath, patted the beauty kneeling between his legs who was serving him and said, Alright, you should go home now. Otherwise I am afraid your husband will really be unhappy.
This mature beauty said coquettishly, How could he be unhappy? He feels nothing but honour at having sent me to serve you.
Zhi Li said, Believe me, no man truly likes wearing a green hat.
Then he said, Let Zhi Ning come in to see me. Prepare the bath soup. I want to bathe. My younger sister hates most seeing me fool around with other women. Do not let her smell anything.
…
After finishing the first two examinations there would be two days of rest, because the marking of the policy essay examination required two days.
On the afternoon of the fifth day the results of the second examination would be announced, and in the evening the third examination, the art subject examination, would continue.
In the grand examination of the civilian academy there was no art subject examination. Because for them art was temporarily dispensable. Only the civil and military subjects were the most important.
For nobles, however, art was a display of status and taste, so it had become one of the four main subjects.
At this time there were still more than two hours until the third examination, yet most of the noble students had already gathered outside the examination hall, craning their necks as they waited for the scores of the second policy essay examination.
Of course, what they cared about was still not their own scores but Suolun’s score.
Now the bet between Suolun and Princess Zhi Ning had become the focus of the entire royal city. Of course, up to now still no one was optimistic about Suolun, because the gold coins bet on Suolun winning had still not increased.
Of course, originally there had been many ruffians and scoundrels who wanted to bet a few silver coins to see if they could step on dog shit luck. In the end the silver casino had said that the minimum bet was one gold coin. Thus not a single person had bet on Suolun winning.
Lanling was also looking forward to his own result, because the scoring of policy essays was completely subjective. Moreover, since his ranking in the first subject examination had not been prominent, his achievement in the second subject now seemed comparatively important.
It is out, it is out… Mentor Xiu Yan held a thick list and pasted the sheets one by one on the wall.
At once Lanling saw his own name at first glance. Because he was ranked first.
In the second policy essay examination, which was out of one hundred points, each of the twenty examiners gave a score. The highest and lowest were removed, and the final average was the ultimate score. And Lanling’s score in the second policy essay examination was ninety five points.
Heavens, has the academy gone mad? Giving Suolun ninety five points?
This time the policy essay topic was so obscure. Suolun definitely could not have cheated. How could this good for nothing possibly have ninety five points?
All the noble students cried out in surprise, then looked towards Lanling again and again, completely unable to believe this result.
The key point was that the second place in the second policy essay examination had only seventy five points. Suolun was a full twenty points higher.
Lanling was also slightly startled by this high score. He knew his policy essay had been extremely sharp, and he knew that with the cultivator from the Shenlong Holy Temple present, even if Princess Zhi Ning had wanted to suppress the score she could not. Yet the high score of ninety five points still surprised him.
He took a deep breath, composed himself and prepared to take the third examination.
Suolun, come with me for a moment. At this moment a voice reached his ear. He turned his head and saw that it was Li Zhu, the eunuch beside Zhi Ning.
Lanling was startled. Zhi Ning was arranging to meet him at this time? But why?