The feasibility of using black gunpowder for explosions had significantly boosted Gu Shanhai’s confidence. Soon, after he synthesized a type of high-explosive black gunpowder and took appropriate safety asures, it had already grown dark.
"It’s ti to go to Yuzhu Pavilion." Gu Shanhai quickly got ready.
He also knew the exact location of Yuzhu Pavilion, having inquired about it while out purchasing materials.
When he left the inn, he saw quite a number of people since he wasn’t the only one invited; many scholars who had co for the exam were invited, and the number was not small.
’It seems they are invited in batches, not all at the sa ti. Right, this many scholars, if all were invited at once, Yuzhu Pavilion couldn’t accommodate them all.’
Not to ntion, just the inn where Gu Shanhai was staying housed nearly fifty candidates. He had also found out that during this period, their food and lodging were covered by the governnt, so they didn’t need to pay themselves; this was a sort of welfare treatnt.
Also, to better manage these scholar candidates. This was about selecting talent, and central managent could help avoid various accidents, showing the importance placed on the imperial examination and the candidates. More importantly, since this place was under the Emperor’s direct jurisdiction, the treatnt was better than the past rural and departntal examinations.
He also learned that Yuzhu Pavilion was more about having a al and informally interacting to relieve stress; the Crown Prince wouldn’t make an appearance. For the Crown Prince, it was necessary to rally support, but appearing now would seem sowhat beneath him.
Gu Shanhai had no complaints about this; if it weren’t for the need to go with the flow and find a cover, he wouldn’t even want to go there.
Because it was a waste of ti. Intellectuals belittling each other was common. There would inevitably be poetry competitions, and he didn’t understand any of it.
When intellectuals gather, it wasn’t about romantic affairs or couldn’t they grieve for the nation. This was inherently problematic.
Yuzhu Pavilion wasn’t far away. Gu Shanhai arrived there quickly on his own, like Deng Zhida and other fellow townsn who ca in a group, belonging to a close-knit circle.
This also confird sothing; the person he was replacing didn’t have a good relationship with his fellow local students, otherwise, they would have called him to set off together rather than leaving one after another.
And the previous chat was probably due to a chance encounter rather than a deliberate attempt to talk.
Upon entering Yuzhu Pavilion, servants quickly organized everything. After Gu Shanhai reported his na, he was seated in a slightly cornered spot.
’Is there a guest list? Indeed, reputation matters everywhere.’
The arrangent at Yuzhu Pavilion was quite normal. As a person of no renown, you couldn’t expect to occupy a pri seat. That was too much wishful thinking.
’This approach, though, isn’t appropriate,’ Gu Shanhai lanted internally. A fellow scholar candidate sitting beside him looked calm at first glance, but his micro-expressions revealed his displeasure.
Scholar Hou Weiji.
This was the hint Gu Shanhai got. He noticed sothing interesting—not everyone received relevant hints, such as his townsn or those well-known scholars sitting in the front row or those next to him.
For people like servants at Yuzhu Pavilion or those unlikely to intersect at all, there were no corresponding hints.
Thus, Gu Shanhai boldly guessed this was likely because the authority figure didn’t know these people.
Which ant that people who got hints could be key figures or perhaps just re NPCs.
The atmosphere in Yuzhu Pavilion quickly heated up. The few scholars in front spearheaded the warming up, obviously adept at dealing with such social gatherings. After declaring their own titles, everyone began to flatter each other, but to Gu Shanhai, these praises seed sowhat like hidden barbs.
As the mood escalated and beca heated, many scholars sitting in the back rows began to stir—first inciting poetry competitions, then planning to climb the social ladder by stepping on others’ reputations.
Gu Shanhai remained unmoved, instead observing this developnt with a cold eye. Hou Weiji beside him was more proactive, frequently standing up, holding his wine cup, and walking around, exuding a flamboyant style.
For a while, Gu Shanhai couldn’t quite understand how the situation was unfolding.
He knew there was danger here, but where exactly the danger lay remained unclear. After spending the whole afternoon without encountering anything, he considered it pretty bizarre.
At least give him so kind of hint; otherwise, he was just as baffled and would have to proceed with the plan to steal the examination questions from the Ministry of Rites.
Primarily, Gu Shanhai believed there might be relevant situations at Yuzhu Pavilion; otherwise, there was no reason to bring him here for no reason. Perhaps it was tied to past experiences of the original person, enough to be included in this illusion, which surely ant there was an issue.
The banquet progressively grew more lively; he even saw his townsn joining in, leaving only a few possibly introverted scholars still inactive.
Just as Gu Shanhai was thinking about getting up to explore, he suddenly heard a shriek.
Everyone was startled.
"Dead... Geng Sheng is dead!" Then, a scholar exclaid loudly.
A scholar surnad Geng had died. Gu Shanhai was also curious about this; he rembered the man, nad Geng Wu, whose na, like Hou Weiji’s, had the prefix ’Scholar.’
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