Snow: The Crown Prince of Chu, forced into marriage by the Minister of the Southern Palace with his

"Its power is such that it can instantly kill beings below the level of a terrestrial immortal."

"The journey to Tingchao Pavilion will be arduous and may not be as simple as it seems."

Hearing Jiang Xuan's words, Minister Nangong was at a loss for what to do.

She waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "I can't accept this. You need it more than I do..."

But before she could finish speaking...

Jiang Xuan, however, took her hand and placed it in Nangong Pushe's palm:

"I don't want to know if you want it or not, but if I give it to you, you have to take it. That's considered..."

He glanced at Nangong Pushe's eyes and said, "I'm protecting my woman."

Nangong Pushe shuddered, as if his mind was about to break down in that instant.

But seeing Jiang Xuan's resolute attitude, she had no choice but to accept it.

"Yes, that's more like it. When I go to Tingchao Pavilion one day, I will marry you."

Jiang Xuan was also in a great mood when he saw that Minister Nangong had accepted the gift.

The well symbol is indeed very useful to him, but possessing such a deadly weapon means he must have some trump cards up his sleeve.

But it also delayed his desire to become stronger.

Moreover, once they arrive at Shangyin Academy and sign in, they don't know what rewards they will receive.

"You lecherous scoundrel!" Minister Nangong spat, then asked, "Aren't you going to Tingchao Pavilion?"

“Yes,” Jiang Xuan nodded, “I plan to go to Shangyin Academy to study.”

"What books should we read?" Nangong Pushe asked instinctively.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Xuan smiled at her and looked her up and down with eyes that seemed to see through everything.

He only spoke after making her feel extremely uncomfortable: "Let's go look at erotic pictures."

"..." Nangong Pushe was speechless for a moment.

After a long silence, he finally spoke with resentment: "He really is a lecherous thief!"

...........................

The two did not travel together for long.

Although Jiang Xuan had always wanted to take things a step further, Nangong Pushe kept calling him a lecherous scoundrel, which made him feel quite embarrassed.

After taking a few forks in the road, they parted ways.

One side faces north, the destination being Shangyin Academy.

One side faces west, heading towards Tingchao Pavilion.

But after parting ways, I looked at that figure in green.

Minister Nangong stood there for a very long time.

"You lecherous scoundrel... I'll be waiting for you at Tingchao Pavilion..."

She suddenly spoke without warning, her face flushing red for a moment.

Chapter Five: Shangyin Academy, Entrance Ceremony

Shangyin Academy.

It is located east of Longhu Mountain and north of Wudi City.

Above, Tai'an Town suppresses the flow of Qi; below, Longhu Mountain provides support through its golden lotus blossoms.

Over the years, the region has been rich in talent, and has provided many talented individuals to the Liyang court.

This place was also the Heavenly Gate opened by Zhang Julu, the Grand Secretary of the current dynasty, for the poor and noble sons of the world!

Among them, the number of students is far more than ten thousand.

Even the surrounding towns are filled with the fragrance of books and have a flourishing literary atmosphere.

And today.

This is the annual enrollment meeting of the Shangyin Academy.

It has three stages: composing poems and essays, strategies for governing the country, and self-examination by Confucian sages.

After passing these three steps, one can enter the Shangyin Academy and become a formal disciple.

Not only did they receive instruction from renowned teachers from Liyang, but they also had the opportunity to meet officials from the imperial court.

If one could gain Zhang Julu's favor, even if one failed the imperial examination, it would be enough to rise rapidly in rank and dominate the officialdom!

Such allure has led to the area being completely surrounded.

Not only sons from humble backgrounds, but also some aristocratic families sent their younger generation.

I've heard that if one can pass the three tests of entry, one can become Zhang Julu's disciple.

However, some people know their own limitations and come specifically to study.

"If one can enter the Imperial Academy, one can read the writings of great Confucian scholars!"

"I've heard that the sage of the Zhang family once left a book here. If one can see it, one will surely gain some enlightenment!"

"Guess who will be the champion of these three trials today?"

"The title of leader is nothing but an empty name; true knowledge is only found when it is internalized."

A group of scholars were discussing among themselves. Some said that the Shangyin Academy had a rich collection of books, some speculated that the former top scholar would be mentioned, and others guessed what the exam questions would be.

The saying "the place is always bustling with visitors" is an understatement.

As a royal academy, Shangyin Academy was an opportunity for scholars to change their destiny.

As long as you can join them, no matter how incompetent you are, you can become a county magistrate.

For scholars, this was a secure job with no job security.

For those from prominent families, this is even more precious.

They were all there for the leader of the three passes.

Zhang Julu promoted the imperial examination system, which weakened the power of aristocratic families. To consolidate his position, he naturally needed to re-enter the imperial court.

While everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts and looked anxious.

Among the crowd, Jiang Xuan, dressed in a blue robe, seemed completely unconcerned.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Shangyin Academy, a message was sent from the system.

Once you join Shangyin Academy, you can start checking in daily.

However, Jiang Xuan had absolutely no liking for the Shangyin Academy.

This kind of academy has indeed opened up a broad road for poor and noble families all over the world.

In reality, however, they distorted history and smeared the various states of the Spring and Autumn Period, using books collected from the palaces of those states to cultivate talent for Liyang.

The victor is king, the loser is villain; there's nothing inherently wrong with that.

History is written by the victors, let alone just a few books.

But Jiang Xuan just felt uncomfortable!

Especially after seeing Cao Changqing's tireless efforts and witnessing the current rejection of the people of Liyang from the old state of the Spring and Autumn Period.

He felt even more uncomfortable!

In a daze, he suddenly understood why, in his previous life, even though Qin Shi Huang unified the world, there were still figures like Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.

If this was the case during the Qin Dynasty, how does Emperor Liyang compare to the First Emperor?

However, they belong to different worlds and cannot be compared.

While he was pondering...

The crowd around me surged toward the gate.

"The questions are out! The questions for the first round are here!"

"The first challenge is to compose poems and essays. I wonder what the questions will be this year?"

"I remember that the exam questions in previous years were quite difficult, and there were even questions about chickens, ducks and other livestock."

"Poetry and prose begin from humble beginnings, and their purpose lies in establishing a theme. This hurdle is not easy to overcome, but if the theme is good, one can pass the test."

"The theme? Zhao Huangchao was a man of extraordinary talent and brilliance; who can compare to the theme he set?"

“The ‘Record of the Pillar’ says: ‘To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations.’ Such a vision is probably unmatched.”

"Let's see what the exam questions are today before making any plans."

As the crowd surged, Jiang Xuan followed suit.

Upon arriving at the main gate of Shangyin Academy, it was not so crowded.

Here, a huge square was left empty, and no one dared to step over it.

And just as everyone was filled with anticipation.

The tightly closed door suddenly opened, and an elderly man with gray hair and beard slowly walked out.

"It's the Chief Minister Wang! He's the one who set the exam questions this time?"

"This person is one of the three Grand Masters of the Shangyin Academy, second only to the Grand Master!"

"So, the three tests this time were probably set by the three chief priests?"

"This is troublesome. These three chief scholars are all learned Confucian scholars. I'm afraid this year's exam questions will be much more difficult."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion.

But with a soft cough from the Chief Minister Wang, everyone fell silent.

Wang Jijiu surveyed the assembled students, then spoke in a loud voice:

"Since you have all come here because of today's poetry topic, I will not keep you in suspense any longer."