The other mbers of the Song family were already accustod to Ah Gui’s "disrespectful" behavior. Only Song Yuanbao was montarily stunned. Seeing that his parents and grandparents didn’t react much, he turned his gaze back and whispered to Duan Yan, "What’s going on?"
"Not sure," Duan Yan replied. "This master-servant relationship is quite unusual. The servant behaves lazily and even dips into his master’s money pouch from ti to ti, yet the master doesn’t seem to have any temper about it, as if letting ’Ah Gui’ have his way with everything."
As he spoke, Duan Yan concluded, "Perhaps the Xu family has a lenient family style."
Otherwise, if it were a servant like this in the Song family, breaking those thieving hands would be considered mild.
With Duan Yan’s explanation, Song Yuanbao more or less understood. He glanced over Ah Gui.
Noticing Song Yuanbao’s gaze, Ah Gui spoke without reservation, "Second Young Master wasn’t wrong; my master eats extrely slowly. He’s soone who can’t bear to waste food. To give him one, it’s no exaggeration to say he’d finish eating only by midnight before he could sleep."
Song Yuanbao gave a perfunctory smile, "Alright, you’re Mr. Xu’s man; whatever you say goes."
——
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Imperial College opened, and all governnt offices resud their usual operations.
Song Yuanbao first went to take a look at the Imperial College.
Having been in the palace for over two years, those from his batch had long graduated, and now he hardly knew any students from National Year One to Three.
However, this unawareness was unilateral.
While Song Yuanbao didn’t know them, the vast majority were no strangers to the na "Song Hao."
Thus, upon hearing that Song Yuanbao was going to audit classes, each lecture hall stationed "secret agents" at the Great Success Gate, just waiting to snatch him the mont he appeared.
Song Yuanbao had not anticipated such enthusiasm from the students of these two classes and was unprepared. As soon as he quietly stepped over the threshold of the Imperial College gate, soone covered his head with a black cloth and hoisted him, carrying him toward Guangye Hall.
The ones who snatched him were students from National Year One.
With his mind buzzing in confusion and not having straightened out the situation, Song Yuanbao felt himself being set down. He promptly lifted the cloth bag off his head and blankly stared at the four before him.
They were uniformly dressed in the white robes and student hats typical of the Imperial College uniform, and they appeared quite young, looking as if they were pampered and coddled by their families, likely forced to study by their elders.
Before he could speak, one student cheerfully said, "Brother Song, how about joining our Guangye Hall? Feel free to na your requests, we guarantee your satisfaction."
Song Yuanbao was dumbfounded for a while before realizing that now that the Mid-Autumn had passed and the year-end exams were approaching in a few months, each class was vying hard to get ahead. Having an outstanding student co in could raise the entire class’s average grades.
Song Yuanbao found it funny and wondered where they got the idea that he was going to enroll in National Year One.
Sure enough, as soon as he thought that, another group’s voice ca from behind him.
"Are you guys from Guangye Hall out of your minds? A companion to the Crown Prince and a genius top scorer personally taught by the Imperial Tutor, why would he enter your National Year One?"
"What’s wrong with National Year One?" The boy who spoke first was defiant, "Didn’t everyone co through National Year One?"
"Does soone of his caliber need to attend National Year One?"
"Who said he needed to study, we’re just..."
"Just want him to take your exams and boost your grades? Tsk, truly shaless!"
In just a few exchanges, the two groups began quarreling.
At first, Song Yuanbao found it quite novel, as it was the first ti he realized that besides attracting romantic attention, he was also popular among fellow students. But as the argunt got more heated, his expression grew increasingly numb, and he seized the opportunity to slip away, heading straight to find the Master Sacrificial Officer.
Zhao Xi had already inford this side about Song Yuanbao’s arrangents at the Imperial College, so the Master Sacrificial Officer greeted him with a kindly smile and asked when he would like to begin classes.
Thinking of Zhao Xi’s words, Song Yuanbao hesitantly spoke, "Master Sacrificial Officer, I have an unreasonable request, and I hope you could grant so leeway."
To teachers, good students are forgiven for the occasional minor mistake, especially a national treasure like Song Yuanbao, to whom the Master Sacrificial Officer showed infinite tolerance.
"What’s the matter, just say it."
Song Yuanbao spoke softly, "I want to attend only morning classes, as I have matters in the afternoons."
"To the governnt office?"
Song Yuanbao was stunned for a mont, "Master Sacrificial Officer, how did you know?"
Zou Sacrificial Officer replied, "His Highness inford us before you ca."
"So, can you agree, Master Sacrificial Officer?"
Zou Sacrificial Officer countered, "Song Hao, do you know why the Imperial College recalled you?"
Song Yuanbao shook his head, "I don’t know."
Zou Sacrificial Officer was straightforward and didn’t beat around the bush, "The reason for recalling you is to make you the living emblem of the Imperial College. As long as you secure the top prize at the Grand Imperial Exam three years from now, you are free to do as you please, with the scholars raising no objections."
The Grand Imperial Exam entails topping the provincial, tropolitan, and palace examinations consecutively.
Currently, Song Yuanbao is only a top scorer; to et Zou Sacrificial Officer’s demands, he needs to achieve top honors in both the tropolitan and palace exams too.
"..." Song Yuanbao remarked, "Please, Master, help arrange my afternoon courses as well."
Zou Sacrificial Officer stroked his beard, "Ah, young people should be confident. Look at ; I have faith in you."
Song Yuanbao: How can you make applying pressure sound so casual?
The Grand Imperial Exam, is it as simple as eating and sleeping?
The first day of school, being tugged back and forth by lecture halls was one thing, and now even the Master Sacrificial Officer was giving him tough words.
Song Yuanbao sighed. He had always considered himself handso and dashing, so why did people only see his talent?
With another sigh, Song Yuanbao picked up his belongings and walked out of Zou Sacrificial Officer’s office, heading straight to the Laissez-faire Hall of National Year Three.
The students in National Year Three were far more mature than those in Year One or Two. When Song Yuanbao entered, most ignored him, save for a few.
Song Yuanbao wasn’t bothered; he was simply there to attend classes.
Finding his place, Song Yuanbao laid out his set of writing implents on the desk, which were precisely the ones gifted by Zhao Xi.
The class session was so dull it nearly put him to sleep.
It wasn’t laziness; he simply couldn’t adapt to the pace of the scholar’s lectures.
Back in the Study Room, due to Zhao Xi’s stringent demands, the teachers taught as if waging a war. The pace was so fast that if he was distracted, he’d lose track of the topic.
Now, in a different classroom, the scholar’s voice was so slow and soothing it had a hypnotic effect, making one suspect he hadn’t eaten enough.
And although it was National Year Three, those materials seed familiar to Song Yuanbao, making him feel it was a drag. He propped his head on his hand and dozed off at the desk.
The scholar was new and sowhat proud, frowning imdiately upon seeing soone dare sleep in his class. "This student, stand up and answer my previous question."
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