CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: BACK MOUNTAIN

The serious and bright voice of the teacher resounded again: "Next, Shen Chen."

A young boy slowly walked to the teacher, calmly extending his rice paper, exuding a cultured and refined demeanor.

With the air of an elegant young scholar, the onlooking students couldn’t help but doubt: Can he make it...

They waited with anticipation to see him turn into a drowned rat.

A mischievous student even whistled teasingly a few times.

Shen Chen stood at the lakeside, gazing at the stepping stones in the clear water, without immediately jumping. This action sparked a few other students to whistle, as if they were anticipating something.

Ye Zhi, on the opposite side of the lake, saw him not moving and got a bit anxious, jumping up and down on the spot and waved her right hand in greeting: "Hey, Shen Chen, don’t be afraid, just jump over, it’s easy, I wasn’t scared, hurry, I’m waiting for you here."

"Silence in the examination hall is mandatory, keep quiet."

The one who spoke was the stern teacher responsible for collecting the rice paper and stamping, his voice loud and clear.

Later they found out he was called Mr. Gu.

Ye Zhi heard him clearly from the other side and suddenly fell silent.

She could only stare at the little traitor with a victorious look, encouraging him to jump over.

That look, sparkling.

Shen Chen hesitated no more, stretched his foot to take the first step, leaped up, one foot landing on the stone slab, jumping across in one go, his other foot following easily, as if it was the simplest matter for him, his expression unchanged.

Until he passed through.

"Ah. How did you do it so effortlessly, have you practiced?"

A soft girlish voice reached his ears, sounding like a playful tease!

Being close, he could feel her breath, as if floating clouds obscuring the moon, as elusive as a breeze driving back snow.

He did not reply to her, directly heading towards the teacher to collect the passing rice paper.

The third test was at the back hill of the Imperial College.

Because the test involved catching rabbits, pheasants, and ducks.

That’s right, you didn’t hear it wrong, it’s indeed testing these...

As long as one enters the back hill and catches one rabbit, one pheasant, and one duck, it counts as passing, requiring all three, none can be missing.

What a sin.

Located in the suburbs of the Capital City, the Royal Family’s Imperial College, testing these, is it really appropriate?

Only then did they understand why the princesses and princes are exempt from examinations. If future Emperors as children took such a test, regardless of their performance, it would become a stain in history, which also preserves some dignity for those princes and princesses.

After all, in everyone’s eyes, the Royal Family are like precious branches and jade leaves, only kept under the Emperor.

The proctor teacher gave each student entering the back hill a semi-transparent netted small sack, along with three ropes, to tie the animal’s feet, and once caught, they could be placed in the sack and carried down the hill.

The small sack’s size was just right to fit three.

After collecting the items, Ye Zhi and Shen Chen entered the back hill together.

The rear hill was abundant with towering, lush green trees, overlapping mountain peaks, though not necessarily orderly arranged, did not give a messy impression, and the winding paths, though rugged and uneven, had their charm. Soon after entering, their shoes were covered in a thin layer of mud.

Along the way, they saw many little squirrels, as well as small sparrows, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, and thrushes...

They also encountered many unknown strange flowers and herbs that they had never seen before.

In the back hill there was a lake, the water emerald green, crystal clear, with the blue sky and white clouds reflected on the lake’s surface, like a bright mirror, and beside it stood a green-tiled pavilion, "Bishui Pavilion," written in seal script on a square wooden plaque.

The pavilion’s columns were painted a brown-red color, complementing the green water and lush mountains, simply marvelous. Marvelous indeed!