Chapter 462 - 177: Going Home
Chapter 462: Chapter 177: Going Home
Life was good for De’an in Yueli Hall. In contrast, Zhao Jing was having a rough time over in Xiaocheng Hall.
Yin Xichen was a difficult man to deal with. That much was clear from the way he had deliberately given Zhao Jing and Chen De’an a hard time during the entrance exam.
But in reality, Yin Xichen was far more difficult than anyone had imagined.
Take, for instance, how Yin Xichen had negotiated terms with Zhao Jing and accepted the exceptionally talented student. One might have thought this was a sign of burying the hatchet, but as it turned out, they were all overthinking it.
When Zhao Jing joined Xiaocheng Hall, the twenty senior students inside hadn’t even had a chance to give him any trouble. Instead, it was Yin Xichen who was already repeatedly "challenging" Zhao Jing.
Whenever he called on students to answer questions in class, Zhao Jing was always picked. And it was never just one question; he would grill him relentlessly, as if chasing down a cornered foe.
But Zhao Jing’s responses were even more astounding.
Not only was he never stumped, but every one of his answers had a touch of brilliance. Even on the rare occasion he couldn’t fully articulate his thoughts, his answers would still cut straight to the heart of the matter, leaving everyone in awe.
The daily showdowns between the student, Zhao Jing, and his master, Yin Xichen, had become quite the spectacle at the academy.
Now, anywhere you went in the academy, you could hear students discussing the vindictive instructor from Xiaocheng Hall and his student, Zhao Jing, who was tougher to kill than a cockroach.
Even in the dining hall, students had stopped reading or chatting with friends during meals. All they talked about was Zhao Jing.
Zhao Jing had only been at the academy for five days, but he had already become its most talked-about figure. His every move was watched closely by students and instructors alike.
This most talked-about figure, Zhao Jing, was currently in his dormitory, packing.
De’an looked at the thick stack of exam papers in Zhao Jing’s hands and swallowed nervously, a sense of dread washing over him.
Jing had negotiated the right to five days of leave every ten-day period. He had just finished five days of classes and was now packing his things to go home.
Yin Xichen had promised him this right, so of course, he couldn’t go back on his word. But the instructor was a real piece of work. Just before Zhao Jing was about to leave, he’d dumped a whopping ten exam papers on him.
Each paper had two policy essay questions. That meant he had to complete at least two papers a day, which meant writing four policy essays daily.
According to examination standards, each essay had to be at least seven hundred words long. That meant he had to write a minimum of two thousand eight hundred words every day.
Just thinking about two thousand eight hundred words, and how many pages of paper that would take, made De’an swallow hard.
This wasn’t simple transcription; these were essays that required racking one’s brain. If he ran into a particularly obscure topic, there was no telling how many books he’d have to go through for research.
His five days at home were shaping up to be even more grueling than his time at the academy. In a situation like this, was this five-day leave really so essential?
De’an sighed. "Mr. Yin... what can you even say about him? He kept his promise, I’ll give him that. But for every move Jing makes, he has a countermove ready. How does he come up with so many nasty tricks?"
Wang Jun flipped through the stack of exam papers, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples.
"I feel like the teaching pace in Yueli Hall and Xiaocheng Hall isn’t that different, so why can’t I understand half of the questions on their exam papers?"
"What are you talking about? While you’re all Scholars, you’re at the very beginning level. They’re on track to become scholars, and many of them are already at that level. Can you even compare the two?"
Wang Jun shook his head. "I guess you can’t compare... I’m not looking anymore. The more I look, the more anxious I get. I feel like a total blockhead right now."
"Don’t worry, you have me to be the blockhead at the very bottom, cushioning your fall. We’re just a pair of brothers in misfortune."
Zhao Jing had finished packing.
He wasn’t taking much, just a bundle of books.
Since it wasn’t completely dark out yet, Zhao Jing said a quick goodbye to his two friends and headed out.
"Mr. Yin said he arranged a carriage for you, but somehow, I find that hard to believe."
"Yeah, it doesn’t sound very reliable. He’s tried to mess with you so many times and failed. He wouldn’t miss a chance to teach you a lesson, would he?"
"I’m sure that’s it. Sigh... Jing, why don’t you just leave tomorrow morning instead? If you leave the academy now and there’s no carriage waiting, you’ll have to walk back, won’t you? The road isn’t that far, but it’ll be pitch-black by then. What if you run into trouble?"
"Don’t worry, it won’t be dangerous. The daughters of three high officials from Xinghuai Prefecture study at the academy and travel this road every day. No matter how late it gets, there are always constables on patrol. Petty criminals and vagrants wouldn’t dare cause trouble here. As for the carriage... it doesn’t matter. It won’t take me that long to walk back."