"So whose sons are they? Hurry up and tell us."

"The one with the lips that are always smiling, who looks a bit roguish, is Chen De’an, the son of the County Assistant Magistrate. His scholarship can’t quite compare to the others, but with his ability, it shouldn’t be hard for him to pass the county examination. As for the other one, he’s exceptionally handsome and has a noble air. He may seem gentle and harmless, but he’s actually the greatest rival to all the others."

"What do you mean? Who is that young man? Are you sure you know him? Tell us, quickly! Don’t leave us hanging."

At his friend’s urging, this "Ba Xiaosheng" of a scholar stopped building the suspense and began to explain.

"He’s none other than the one who ruined Mr. Zheng’s career and had him thrown in prison..."

The man started to say "the culprit," but he felt the term was too negative and inappropriate. After some thought, he finally used another, not-quite-fitting description: "A great talent."

"So he’s Zhao Jing?"

"That’s him, all right! His family has a deep scholarly tradition—his father even passed the first two stages of the provincial examination. But setting that aside, Zhao Jing himself is exceptionally gifted and has been a diligent student since he was a child. I’d bet he’ll take the top spot in this exam."

"Him? The top scorer? Isn’t that an exaggeration? Mr. Zheng was mediocre and incompetent. He only became a Scholar after he was fifty, and who knows if the County Magistrate only granted him the title out of pity and because of the generous gifts his family presented. Since he had no real ability himself, he probably thought everyone else was brilliant. He likely overestimated Zhao Jing’s talent, and that’s why he plotted against him..."

The "Ba Xiaosheng" spoke again. "My bet that Zhao Jing will be the top scorer has nothing to do with Mr. Zheng. It’s because during the first session of the exam, I happened to be in the East Literature Field. I looked up just as Zhao Jing was leaving. I took a guess at where he was sitting, and if I’m not mistaken, it must have been Seat Xuan Thirty-five in the East Literature Field."

This revelation stunned everyone present. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

It was an unwritten rule that, barring any surprises, the top scorer of the first session would also be the final top scorer of the county examination.

Everyone had been too busy with the exam to gather and gossip, so naturally, they had no idea that Zhao Jing was very likely the mysterious candidate from Seat Xuan Thirty-five in the East Literature Field.

The crowd buzzed with shock at this news.

The conversation had drawn a lot of attention. Seeing the crowd’s gasps and the increasing number of eyes on their main table, Mr. Wang found it odd and couldn’t help but ask what was going on.

And so, it wasn’t long before everyone at their table learned what all the discussion was about.

Instantly, all eyes turned to Zhao Jing.

But the young man in the azure robe seemed not to hear the murmurs, continuing to sip his tea at an unhurried pace. His bearing was exemplary, his demeanor so graceful he looked as if he could ride away on the wind.

Mr. Wang couldn’t resist a small cough. His eyes fixed intently on him, he asked, "Mr. Zhao, for the first session of the exam, are you certain you were in the East Literature Field?"

As the words left his mouth, Mr. Wang seemed to recall something. He nodded and said, "It was the East Literature Field. I remember seeing you come from that way."

De’an casually chimed in, "Not only was Zhao Jing in the East Literature Field, so was I. And we were seated very close, almost one right behind the other."

Mr. Wang looked from one to the other in bewildered surprise before finally settling his gaze on Zhao Jing. "Mr. Zhao, your seat for the first session... was it Seat Xuan Thirty-five in the East Literature Field?"

De’an scoffed.

’Why couldn’t it have been my seat number?’

’How insulting.’

’He wasn’t actually at Seat Xuan Thirty-five, but for them to count him out without even asking... that was a real blow to his ego.’

Mr. Wang seemed to realize his gaffe. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and offered an explanation that only made things worse. "It’s not that I don’t believe in your abilities, Mr. Chen. I just have more faith in Mr. Zhao."

Chen De’an gave Mr. Wang a thumbs-up.

’You’ve really mastered the art of language, haven’t you?’

With everyone watching him, Zhao Jing finally broke his silence. He set down his teacup. Without openly admitting he was the one at Seat Xuan Thirty-five, he simply said, "Just a stroke of luck."

’So he’s admitting it?’

For a moment, the expressions in the crowd became incredibly complex.

This was especially true for Li Cun. Others might not have been familiar with Zhao Jing’s abilities, but he was.

He had previously studied under Mr. Zhao, where Zhao Jing had always outshone him. They had been on good terms back then, but he couldn’t stand how Zhao Jing was always a step ahead, and resentment began to fester. He even had the ugly thought that it was all because Mr. Zhao doted on his only son, or perhaps was giving Zhao Jing special tutoring in private.

As a result, he had gradually distanced himself from Zhao Jing.

Zhao Jing, being as perceptive as he was, noticed the shift in his attitude and promptly stopped trying to be close to him as well.