After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Under the oil lamp, Master Ning held a thick stack of notes on the imperial examinations, about an inch thick, and clicked his tongue twice in admiration.

While the female disciple's grandfather was indeed remarkable, and her elder brother, who passed the imperial examination in his early twenties, was an exceptional individual, he only realized after briefly reviewing these insights that the female disciple's father, the second-rank official Lord Gongsun, was probably the most capable among the three generations.

The other party's essay on the imperial examinations was full of discussions on how to speak for the sages. Every word he said was insightful, drawing on a wide range of sources. His writing was profound yet simple, and he did not lose his integrity. Ning Nan found it very rewarding.

In particular, this Lord Gongsun has a deep understanding of policy essays and has written many insights on how to write them well, which is extremely rare. Even the insights left by Headmaster Gongsun are mostly in the eight-legged essay style, with relatively few policy essays.

Ning Nan tidied up, tore off a few sheets of paper, took notes, and categorized the materials.

According to his understanding, the materials from Liuye Lane were suitable for the third-level exam, since they were mostly based on cramming in private schools, but they were somewhat insufficient for the provincial exam.

Some of Han Laoguai's materials appear to be county examination questions, but those who answered those papers were all outstanding individuals who eventually passed the imperial examinations, and their level was naturally much higher than that of ordinary people who passed the county and prefectural examinations.

By looking at their exam papers and trying to understand their thought process between the lines, you can see the difference. You might not be able to tell the difference even in the county or prefectural exams.

However, once the provincial examination came around, the difficulty increased dramatically, and the gap between him and other students could be widened immediately.

When it comes to the imperial examination, comparing Han Laoguai's information with the Gongsun family's ancestral knowledge will at least give you a better chance of success.

As for the palace examination, which only tests policy essays, the information about the female disciple's father is extremely important. Ning Nan looked on with envy, no wonder her father was the second-highest scorer in the imperial examination back then.

He carefully placed the materials, picked up his pen, spread out a sheet of paper, dipped it in ink, took out a question that had been asked in Jiangning County before, and began to write in the eight-legged essay style.

Materials and insights are all static.

Having these things doesn't guarantee success in the imperial examinations.

You need to watch, practice, and practice repeatedly.

This is actually what's giving him a headache right now.

The most important thing in practice is knowing whether you are practicing correctly.

What's the point of the "sea of ​​questions" approach if there are no correct answers to compare against?

Mr. Lizhou frankly stated that he was capable of helping them assess whether their mistresses were good or bad at the eight-legged essay, but he couldn't guarantee success in the provincial examination, let alone the metropolitan examination, since Mr. Lizhou himself had only passed the provincial examination.

Ning Nan smelled the ink on the paper and frowned.

Mr. Lizhou can help him judge whether his practice for the third-year student is good or not.

When it comes to the provincial and metropolitan examinations, he will probably need to find a teacher with expertise in the metropolitan examinations to help him.

The other party would give him questions at the level of the provincial and metropolitan examinations, and provide suggestions based on those standards, which he would then revise accordingly. In this way, his skills gradually improved, making him capable of handling the provincial and metropolitan examinations.

The path of the imperial examination is never too important... Ning Nan sighed deeply... Those who can pass the imperial examination at a young age, or even just pass the provincial examination, are extremely rare. It often takes more than ten or even several decades to have any hope.

Among the people he knew, the most outstanding were Grand Tutor Gu and Grand Scholar Liu.

Unfortunately, Grand Tutor Gu was serving as governor of Yunhu, and Grand Scholar Liu was compiling history.

It's already a blessing that they could give him guidance on one or two articles amidst their busy schedules.

He couldn't possibly expect two important figures to guide him like teachers all the time... He would write one piece, they would read it and give him suggestions, he would write another, they would read it again... Such high-intensity practice was impossible.

Master Ning sighed with a complicated expression, but his hand holding the pen did not tremble at all. He thought he would take it one step at a time and then shamelessly beg for help when the time came.

At this time.

A series of clear shouts came from outside.

"Master! Master!..."

Ning Nan was taken aback. Oh, the female disciple has arrived.

He felt a headache coming on; the county exam was fast approaching, and he certainly didn't have time to play chess with the other person right now.

After thinking for a moment, Master Ning decided to tell his female disciple the truth: he would teach her to play chess after the imperial examination.

In any case, given the chess skills of Master Gongsun and Nalan Wenzong, it's unlikely anyone will be able to break the Laurel Chess Formation in just two or three months. Ning Nan himself figured he couldn't break it either.

A fair-skinned female disciple, dressed in a white striped academy robe, burst into the study.

Ning Nan put down his pen, glanced at the pretty female disciple with anxious eyes and sweat beading on her forehead, and felt a warmth in his heart.

Seeing that the female disciple was not physically injured, and seemed to be unharmed in spirit, still as energetic as ever, he was quite happy.

"Yo."

He stood up, stretched with a smile, and said...

"What's wrong? Is something really important? I was planning to go to Bailu Academy to see you again tomorrow."

He came in person this morning, sent someone over this afternoon, and is now coming in person again.

It seemed that this female disciple really had something important to do, so Ning Nan stood up.

The two had faced life and death together in the dungeon. When he said he wanted to "stab her to death," the female disciple not only understood his good intentions, but also raised her hand, put the gold hairpin to her throat, and said, "I don't need you to do it; I'll end it myself."

This really surprised him, and he even admired her somewhat; she was truly a woman who was both intelligent and strong-willed.

Guided by Chunyu, Gongsun Heng ran to the study and saw that her master was alright and was sitting peacefully writing and drawing. She breathed a sigh of relief, but now was not the time to be at ease.

She shuffled forward in her soap shoes, grabbed Ning Nan's sleeve, and tears welled in her eyes.

"Master, please come with me!"

"What's wrong?" Ning Nan pushed back her chair and stepped out. "Where are you going?"

"Let's go to the academy." Gongsun Heng grabbed his sleeve and hurriedly ran outside.

"What's wrong?"

Gongsun Heng's eyes were red with anxiety as she said:

"Master... the Laurel Chess Game... the game... is about to be broken by those Tartars!"

……

……

Bailu Academy is located on the shore of Mochou Lake, facing south, and covers a very large area. Outside it is a long street paved with bluestone, named "Wenqu Street".

Three archways with gold lettering on a black background stand on Wenqu Street.

The first archway is three zhang tall and bears the inscription "Great virtue carries all things," which was written by Empress Fuye during the reign of Emperor Fuye and bestowed upon her by imperial decree.

The second memorial archway is slightly taller than the first by one foot. It is inscribed with the words "Sage's Memorial Archway," written by Emperor Longchang in the third year of the Longchang reign, to commemorate the imperial tutor Yu Zhang and Yu Xingting, who passed away while teaching at Bailu Academy.

The third archway was cast in white stone and stood nearly four zhang tall. It was inscribed with the words "Wenqu Youguo" (文曲佑国), written by the Grand Empress Dowager at the request of the Grand Secretary Qin in the early years of the Hongjing era, and was personally bestowed by the Grand Empress Dowager.

The academy enjoys great favor and is blessed with unique advantages. The entire building is made of green tiles and white walls, magnificent and spectacular, and contains a world within.

The building complex is laid out symmetrically along the central axis in five courtyards, containing hundreds of rooms including lecture halls, dormitories, sacrificial halls, and libraries.

There is also a three-story Kui Xing Tower towering in the center, a scenic spot in the capital. Students, teachers, and visitors often go up there to observe the stars, compose poems, and drink and enjoy themselves.

The autumn sky was high and the moonlight was soft and warm, its cold, silvery glow pouring down upon the Kui Xing Tower.

The building was also brightly lit.

Above the third floor of Kui Xing Tower.

On the left is a boy of about eighteen or nineteen, wearing a red striped mandarin jacket and a melon-shaped hat, and on the right is a middle-aged scholar in a white robe with a furrowed brow. Between the two is a chessboard with nineteen lines.

"Snapped!"

The boy in the melon-shaped hat placed a jet-black stone at the "entering the third six" position on the chessboard, and smiled faintly:

"Mr. Zhang...you've lost again."

The boy in the melon-shaped hat smiled broadly. Master Gongsun had said that whoever could solve the Laurel Chess Game could make a request of him. His request was simple: to become Master Gongsun's apprentice. Master Gongsun had refused a few days ago, so he learned to play chess with Nalan Wenzong so that he could... have a competition with Master Gongsun.