tallest building

Chapter 143 Second Round

After the first round of competition, only twenty-eight people remained, and everyone was looking forward to the second round.

Mr. Hua Ying slowly and deliberately said, "For the second round, please write down your birth date and time."

These words immediately caused an uproar, with many saying, "How strange! We've never considered this before. What are we competing against?"

"Analyzing birth charts, does that mean they're going to arrange a marriage? My goodness, this is truly a strange thing."

Someone said in a deliberately profound tone, "Perhaps it's because one of the teachers in the academy has a daughter who has come of age and wants to find a good match for her, so they need these people's birth dates and times to determine their compatibility."

Immediately someone retorted, "That's nonsense! Among these people, some are married, some are engaged, and some are even babies. What kind of marriage is this?"

The man then said, "Are you perhaps looking for an adopted son? Otherwise, what's the point of asking for birth dates? Asking for birth dates must be to see if they're compatible."

The crowd said, "This is utter nonsense! Who would adopt a son for no reason?"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Gong Chang'an and the others had finished writing down their birth dates and handed them in, quietly awaiting the results.

To everyone's surprise, the wait was much longer than the last time, which inevitably caused everyone to have doubts and become increasingly anxious as time went on.

Finally, Mr. Hua Ying came out, and everyone craned their necks to wait.

Mr. Hua Ying said, "Those who entered the three-wheeled procession include Lu Hong, Xiao Manlang, Cui Zheng... Gong Chang'an, a total of sixteen people."

The twelve who were eliminated were naturally indignant. Among them, Yu Hanying loudly questioned, "The Sanjing Academy has always been known for its sages and worthies. How can you use such absurd methods to determine who is chosen? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Immediately, someone echoed, "That's right! Although Heaven gives birth to people of varying virtues and vices, how can one determine their social status based on their birth date?"

The rest of the people joined in the commotion, shouting, "We're not convinced! We're not convinced!"

Mr. Hua Ying was not annoyed. He waited until the crowd quieted down before saying, "Does none of you study the Book of Changes?"

Everyone was speechless at the question, because the Book of Changes is one of the Four Books and Five Classics, but it is difficult for ordinary people to understand it.

The twelve men retreated dejectedly, and then Mr. Hua Ying spoke again: "Please have the remaining sixteen men come in with me."

Everyone was inevitably disappointed, as they couldn't see the rest firsthand and could only find out about it later. Even so, they all waited there, determined to wait for the results.

Gong Chang'an was the youngest, lagging behind at the end of the line.

He didn't know what the house had been used for before, but he felt that the house was very spacious.

There were several disciples in white robes inside, but not a single teacher could be seen.

Mr. Hua Ying held a large bamboo tube containing sixteen lots: "Please draw lots first, and then proceed to the back in order."

Everyone then reached out to draw lots.

Gong Chang'an also took one and held it in his hand. Upon closer inspection, he found that it had the character "一" written on it.

"Hey, young man, you're really lucky to have won first place!" someone joked with him.

In reality, the person who draws the first lot is often in a bad situation. They lack time to prepare and have no precedent to follow. When they were drawing lots, they were all silently praying that they wouldn't draw the first lot.

Gong Chang'an didn't mind and smiled, "That suits me just fine. If I don't choose, I can go home for dinner early."

"Yes, yes, you're still young, you'll have plenty of opportunities in the future." Everyone agreed. "Besides, you've already passed two rounds, which is quite remarkable."

At Gong Chang'an's age, having passed two rounds of selection by the Sanjing Academy is enough for him to boast about for a lifetime.

"Come with me." Mr. Hua Ying took Gong Chang'an's hand and walked to the back.

After passing through a corridor, there were three main rooms. Gong Chang'an entered the room and saw a large screen with green landscape paintings standing in the center. Turning around the screen, he saw five old men sitting in the room. They were of different heights, builds, and appearances, but all of them were wearing black robes and Boshan crowns.

He only recognized one of them, namely Master Kang, who was sitting on the west side.

After dropping him off, Mr. Hua Ying turned and left without lingering.

"Disciple Gong Chang'an greets all the masters." Gong Chang'an respectfully bowed to the five masters.

“Don’t be shy,” said the white-haired scholar at the head of the table. “You can draw lots first!”

"Another lottery." Gong Chang'an muttered to himself.

This time, the fortune-telling container is made of jade and is much smaller than the previous one.

He reached out and pulled one out; it was marked number thirty-three.

"It's question number thirty-three," the teacher who had spoken earlier said.

Gong Chang'an thought to himself, "This question is really not simple. Although I don't know the specific content yet, there are at least forty lots in the lot box, and eighteen people have been selected."

It's impossible to select the same questions repeatedly, and with so many questions remaining, it's difficult to leak the questions.

Then he saw the five teachers take out their keys and unlock the five locks on a large wooden box one by one.

Then he took out envelope number 33. The envelope was sealed very securely, and the cover had to be destroyed to open it.

In short, if someone wanted to open it ahead of time, they would definitely leave traces.

The scholars examined the envelope, confirmed it was intact, and carefully opened it with a paper cutter to take out the letter inside.

Gong Chang'an saw that it was covered with writing, but he didn't know what it said.

"Gong Chang'an, listen carefully." A scholar with a long beard took the letter and read it aloud, "Suppose you pass through a place where there is a cold case that has remained unsolved for many years."

A farmer's daughter has been missing for several years, with no trace of her and her fate unknown.

By sheer coincidence, a beggar tells you that he once witnessed a group of villains murder this girl, and in order to destroy the evidence, they buried her body in a coffin in a burial plot on the same day.

Unfortunately, the tomb's occupant was of noble status—the mother of the local prefect. Now, how do you intend to resolve this matter?

These few words are indeed a difficult problem.

This poor girl died unjustly, while the evildoers went unpunished.

If the girl's remains were buried elsewhere, all that's needed is to exhume them. The authorities can then be notified of the crime, and a thorough investigation will be conducted.

But the thieves buried him inside the coffin of the prefect's mother.

In other words, if the girl's remains were to see the light of day again, the governor's ancestral graves would have to be dug up.

This is not something that can be easily accomplished.
Moreover, there is no other evidence besides the beggar's words, so it cannot be trusted, and it cannot be ruled out that the beggar is lying.

Such a difficult problem would be hard to solve even for an official who has adjudicated countless cases, let alone a seven or eight-year-old child like Gong Chang'an.

But now that the problem has been presented, we must explain how to solve it.

“Child, we’ll give you fifteen minutes to think,” Master Kang said. “If you really can’t answer, that’s alright.”

The exam questions at the Sanjing Academy were not set by ordinary people, nor were they designed for ordinary people.

It's perfectly normal not to be able to answer.