CHAPTER 302: CHAPTER 289: RELYING ON YOURSELF IS BETTER THAN RELYING ON OTHERS

Regarding the request made by Yu Xiaolian, Ma Xiyue didn’t fully agree.

"Winning two out of three is no issue, but I don’t agree with having Dean Lu give the third question!"

Yu Xiaolian snorted, "Are you doubting Dean Lu’s character? Are you afraid she’ll be biased towards me?"

Ma Xiyue indeed thought so. After all, Yu Xiaolian had just confidently said that she wouldn’t give her a graduation document, claiming she had no connection with Dean Lu, which Ma Xiyue didn’t believe at all.

Yu Xiaolian asked again, "Then how about having Dean Zhao from Jianyin Academy set the question?"

Ma Xiyue shook her head, wanting to replace with her own people, "To be fair, let’s have the top scorer from this year’s Autumn Examination in Luocheng set the last question for our competition, do you dare?"

Yu Xiaolian frowned, not quite understanding Ma Xiyue’s intention, "Hasn’t the Autumn Examination list been posted yet?"

"Exactly, that’s what makes it fair, right? Neither of us knows him, so he won’t be biased towards either side!

The list will be posted tomorrow morning, having that person set the question won’t delay our competition the day after." Ma Xiyue was calculating her own plans in her mind.

This year’s Autumn Examination is different from last year’s Autumn Examination, which was an important examination occurring twice in three years; this year, it’s just a regular year-end exam, but various academies will still rank based on this exam.

Ma Xiyue had great confidence in her brother Ma Jingwen, who passed the child exam at the age of twelve and the Scholar exam at sixteen, and has been the top of every academy in recent years. If not for being sick during last year’s Autumn Examination, he might have already been a Scholar now and would have been the youngest Scholar in Great Liang in recent years.

Even her uncle, who holds a Fifth Grade official position, said that her brother is a rare genius, the reincarnation of the heavenly literary star, destined for greatness.

By next autumn, her brother will surely take the exam, and then she will have yet another noble identity as the sister of the youngest Scholar in Great Liang.

Seeing Yu Xiaolian nod in agreement, Ma Xiyue flashed a cold smile.

Yu Xiaolian, just wait until you lose face on October 1st!

Madam Ma wanted to stop her, but it was too late, and then again, she didn’t want to stop anymore. She already understood her daughter’s intention; as long as her son sets the third question, it’s as if her daughter already won the match before it even started.

As long as the first two rounds don’t involve math, her daughter will surely win.

If her daughter beats Yu Xiaolian, not only will Yu Xiaolian lose face, her daughter will gain great fame.

Madam Ma thought things over and went through all possible outcomes in her mind.

Since the bet has been set, her daughter absolutely cannot lose.

But... what if she loses?

It’s well-known how important a Women’s Virtue Academy’s graduation certificate is for an official’s daughter. Losing it is as disgraceful as a woman being rejected by a fiancé’s family.

Madam Ma didn’t have much confidence in her daughter.

She was about to turn and speak with Yu Xiaolian, but where could she find Yu Xiaolian in the courtyard?

The housekeeper at the gate told Madam Ma that Yu Xueguan had left, and while leaving, she even had her maid take back the gifts she had brought.

The housekeeper spoke with twitching lips, never having seen someone who took back gifts they gave.

"Forget it, forget it!" Madam Ma sighed.

Now she could only hope her daughter would make an effort and win the competition the day after.

Despite this farce, Ma Xiyue’s coming-of-age ceremony had to continue normally, but with her swollen face during the pinning ceremony, it was hard not to laugh.

Once Ma Xiyue’s ceremony ended, the young ladies who had been holding back couldn’t help but burst into laughter as they left the Ma Family residence together.

"Oh my, this was the most interesting coming-of-age ceremony I’ve ever attended!" Zhao Qing’er laughed eagerly as soon as she got into her family’s carriage.

Zhao Yan’er also found the scene of Ma Xiyue with a swollen face during the pinning ceremony humorous, but as she was a few years older than Zhao Qing’er, her laughter was more reserved.

Zhao Qing’er recalled that her father had praised Yu Xiaolian several times in front of the sisters, saying she was extremely clever, not only excellent at math but also possessing outstanding literary achievements far beyond an ordinary woman.

"That Ma Xiyue really doesn’t know her place, daring to challenge Yu Xueguan without considering that if Yu Xueguan wasn’t skillful, would she be bestowed as a Ninth Grade Female Academic Officer?

She really thinks Yu Xueguan is all reputation and no substance, how laughable!"

Zhao Yan’er remembered how Ma Xiyue first rejected Dean Lu then her own father, internally lamenting how utterly foolish Ma Xiyue was!

Apparently, Ma Xiyue didn’t realize at all that she was unwittingly trapped by Yu Xiaolian, truly a fool!

In front of so many people, questioning the impartiality of Dean Lu of the Women’s Virtue Academy and Dean Zhao of Jianyin Academy without realizing that her behavior was a massive insult to these highly respected deans.

"Sis, if you hadn’t stopped me, I’d have asked Ma Xiyue face to face, on what grounds she can’t trust our father?" Zhao Qing’er fumed at the thought of Ma Xiyue.

Zhao Yan’er patted her sister’s hand gently, "Wasn’t Dean Lu’s daughter present too? Did she act as impulsively as you did?"

Zhao Qing’er pouted, "I don’t care, as soon as we get home I’ll tell father about Ma Xiyue’s actions."

Zhao Yan’er smiled, "Suit yourself!"

In another carriage, the Feng sisters were discussing the same topic.

Feng Suyue asked, "Sis, who do you think will win between Ma Xiyue and Yu Xueguan?"

Feng Suyun shook her head, "I can’t say either."

After all, they weren’t well-acquainted with either of them, just casually acquainted.

"If all three rounds are on the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, won’t Yu Xueguan surely lose?"

"Not necessarily, Yu Xueguan is a very low-key person, she might be hiding her talents."

"Is she low-key?" Feng Suyue didn’t think so.

Always wearing strange clothes and being pointed at, yet still going her own way without any changes, is that low-key?

Scolding the County Magistrate Ma’s precious daughter and even taking back gifts she gave, is that low-key?

Anyway, Feng Suyue didn’t see any low-key aspect in Yu Xiaolian.

Yu Xiaolian didn’t return home, she went directly to the house rented by Su Dafu in Bridge Alley, "Go knock on the door and see if Scholar Su is there."

Sun Mancang jumped off the carriage to knock on the door.

Shortly after, he returned to the side of the carriage, "He’s not in; the gatekeeper said that after the Autumn Examination, Scholar Su went to Funan and has been gone a long time."

Yu Xiaolian gave a soft acknowledgment, not knowing why, but hearing that Su Jingchen wasn’t there gave her a slight sense of loss.

After the Autumn Examination, there’s a period of leave, but the exam results should be out soon, so why hasn’t Su Jingchen returned?

"Let’s go back!" Initially, Yu Xiaolian wanted to ask Su Jingchen how he fared in the Autumn Examination and whether he was confident in getting the top score, so she could intervene strategically.

Now it seems, relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself; to forge iron, one must be strong oneself!