Chapter 9: The upright Chai Zixin ruined the dishonest Jin Suiqing...

Jin Suiqing chose not to continue to agonize; instead, she decided to explore the National Academy.

The courtyard not only gathers many of the wealthiest people in the capital, but also future pillars of various industries. Take this opportunity to make your presence known, because having more friends opens up more opportunities.

Jin Suiqing had clearly oversimplified the situation.

After class, she wandered around the academy, and people greeted her as they passed by: "Greetings, young princess."

I encountered several people in a row, and they were all like this.

Jin Suiqing guessed that everyone probably already had a copy of her portrait, given the extensive network within the National Academy.

Hiding in a shady spot, Jin Suiqing crossed her arms, frowned, pouted, and impatiently tapped her toes on the ground.

No need to guess, it must have been Huangfu Li who did it.

Her brother, the Crown Prince, wanted her identity to be transparent enough so that she could live under everyone's surveillance.

"How perverse," Jin Suiqing muttered, patting the hem of her skirt. She turned and pushed the courtyard gate, which wasn't locked, and slipped inside.

The courtyard was spacious, with no artificial hills or ponds, and minimal decoration. The ground was bare, with exposed yellow earth instead of bluestone bricks. Looking around, Jin Suiqing knew she had come to the right place.

This is the Jingxie Hall.

It is a place within the National Academy where military weapons are stored, and where students study courses on special magical weapons from Kyushu.

Jin Suiqing, who had never been to the National Academy before, knew about this place only because she had read a small part of "The Wind Over the World".

In the story, the incompetent fake heiress is extremely jealous of the real heiress, Huangfu Feng, and, blinded by jealousy, challenges her to a contest of assembling magical weapons.

In the end, the fake heiress turned pale and fled in disarray.

Huangfu Feng returns, his false identity as a young lady is exposed, and he is reduced to a servant.

In the original book, the fake heiress stumbled twice here, a memory that Jin Suiqing remembers vividly.

She pushed open the door, and the swirling dust made her sneeze several times, but even so, it couldn't hide her sparkling eyes.

She rubbed her nose, gently closed the door, tiptoed closer to the nearest mech, excitedly opened her arms, and with a snap, Jin Suiqing, like a light purple slime, stuck to the mech.

High*! EA! Steel* Man!

It's a dream that a tech-savvy otaku like her could never resist!

The mech in front of me is nearly two meters tall, dark gold in color, with thin and tough armor plates. Each part is connected by a sulfur-burning engine, and there are mortise and tenon joints on the front and back, which can be assembled with other magical weapons.

The sulfur combustion engine was a regular hexagon, completely sealed with dark copper-colored metal, its internal structure invisible. Jin Suiqing disassembled it; the sulfur combustion engine was just slightly larger than her fist.

Holding the treasure, Jin Suiqing examined it closely, excitedly muttering to himself, "This is a super sulfur combustion engine?"

The most impressive feature of the super sulfur combustion engine is its size.

Occupying a tiny portion, yet capable of driving the overall operation of the magical machinery, it has transcended mechanics and is no longer within the realm of physics.

Jin Suiqing was completely engrossed, patting his cheeks: "Forget logic, this is a fantasy novel!"

Jin Suiqing knocked on the sulfur generator and opened the hidden box at the bottom. Sure enough, the place where the sulfur and gold should have been placed was empty. Without energy, the mechs naturally wouldn't move.

The National Academy is located within Ziwei City. The use of magical weapons requires approval, and teaching aids are no exception.

Jin Suiqing was slightly disappointed, but only for a moment. Soon, she lifted her skirt, sat down on the ground, and began to study the super sulfur combustion engine.

Just as she was having a great time, she suddenly heard footsteps outside the door. Judging from the sound, there were two people.

Jin Suiqing's big eyes darted around, and she hid under the table, clutching the sulfur generator, and lowered her breathing.

She had just hidden herself when the door was pushed open.

Two men slipped into the guardhouse, and after confirming they weren't being followed, began searching the interior. One of them glanced around for a moment, then spotted a desk in the dimly lit room that was just big enough to hide someone, and quickly approached it.

Startled, Jin Suiqing immediately held her breath and covered her mouth and nose. The man's hand had already reached under the table, grabbing the tablecloth and about to lift it up.

Right in front of Jin Suiqing, at a distance where she could be exposed with just a breath!

Another person suddenly said, "No need to check. There are no classes in Jingxie Hall today, so there shouldn't be anyone here. Let's get down to business."

Jin Suiqing's eyes blinked, and only when she saw the hand in front of her withdraw did she dare to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

That was close!

"It's never a bad thing to be cautious," the man said, straightening up. "What we're about to do is a capital offense."

Jin Suiqing's throat tightened.

Damn it, what bad luck! She's stumbled upon a crime scene.

"I sent many people into Ziwei City without ever making a mistake. Even the Empress didn't notice anything during the palace examination, so why panic?"

"snort."

"Don't worry."

Jin Suiqing became alert.

The two mentioned the imperial examination during their conversation, and according to the usual novel tropes, the next thing they would discuss would definitely be...

"I need the exam questions for this year's provincial civil service exam for law enforcement and mechanical engineering."

Her lips curled into a golden crescent.

It was indeed a case of cheating in the imperial examinations.

The imperial examination system in Kyushu was modeled after the Tang Dynasty. All students who studied at the National Academy and graduated from the higher school would be eligible to participate in the provincial examinations and directly participate in the metropolitan examinations.

This was done for two reasons: first, to protect the interests of the class; and second, students studying at the National Academy were not allowed to have their exams waived or exempted. If they failed the advancement exams for the lower, middle, and upper grades, they would either have to drop out or repeat a grade.

Although the competition was far less intense than taking the provincial examinations, the internal pressure within the academy was still considerable.

There's a saying circulating in the capital: If you want to be an ignorant and incompetent playboy, don't go to the National Academy.

Jin Suiqing thought, "Direct admission to a top high school, right? I'm familiar with that."

Unexpectedly, there were even cases of cheating within the Academy of Chinese Studies.

It is still the exceptionally sensitive field of forensic science.

After the provincial examination, the Legal Instruments and Equipment Examination was separated into another examination called the Instruments and Equipment Examination. The top three candidates were not allowed to serve as officials in the imperial court. Instead, they were placed under the jurisdiction of the Legal Instruments and Equipment Bureau and received the same treatment as the Six Ministries, directly under the Emperor.

The Empress used this method to ensure that top-tier magic engineers would not leave the country.

The profession of magic-based magic is one that heavily relies on talent. Many students from impoverished backgrounds have achieved extraordinary success by relying on their talent, something that ordinary people cannot accomplish in one leap.

Dan Jinsuiqing knew very well that Chai Zixin, who came from a poor family, entered the Magic Weapon Sect in this way.

Jin Suiqing frowned and listened quietly. The person outside said again, "The mechanical engineering exam questions are perfectly acceptable."

"Okay, name your price."

"No, no, no, since you've come to me, you should know that this deal isn't about price, it's about networking and leverage."

Jin Suiqing opened her eyes wide in horror, and the person opposite her fell silent.

If the goal is to find incriminating evidence, this matter cannot be explained simply by a case of fraud.

Do they want to create an academic clique, or an academic clique that controls the nation's core technologies?

In the future, wouldn't it be easy for them to control the winds and rains? If they were bold enough, it wouldn't be difficult for them to coerce Huangfu into ruling!

The man continued, "What I need is for you to write a document yourself and affix the Duke of England's seal. Only then can we completely trust each other, right?"

The Duke of England? This person is actually the son of the Duke of England.

Jin Suiqing was curious: would such a wealthy family also engage in cheating?

Young Master Li: "You! Don't push your luck!"

"Am I pushing my luck?" the man sneered. "Rewards and risks always go hand in hand. You can't just abandon me after you've become an adult, and I have to leave myself a way out too. Besides, we're in the same boat now. I'm just a pawn; I can be discarded easily. You're far more valuable than me."

"I will not abandon those who have helped me."

"You're joking again. You're all petty people, why pretend to be gentlemen?"

After thinking for a moment, Young Master Li gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, when will the test questions be in my hands?"

"No rush. Once the test questions are released, we'll have a small gathering at Zuixianlou to discuss it face-to-face."

"Authenticity guaranteed?"

"Don't worry... wait, someone's coming."

The two stopped talking, and with the creak of the door being pushed open, a familiar voice, Jin Suiqing's, rang out.

It was Chai Zixin. He said, "What are you doing hiding here?"

"Teacher Chai... Oh, we were playing around with our classmates and before we knew it, we were in the training hall. We're leaving now."

Jin Suiqing crawled forward two steps and saw through the gap that Chai Zixin was pulling one of the men, looking righteous: "Young Master Li, you must not follow the evil ways, be careful not to be deceived."

Jin Suiqing covered her eyes, speechless and choked with emotion.

Firewood! So upright, are you risking your life?!

Chai Zixin has the air of a contract worker; he's not tactful when he should be, and not direct when he should be.

Especially when it comes to legal instruments, Chai Zixin is like Mount Tai attached to him, making Nantong retreat three steps away, truly unyielding.

Young Master Li glanced coldly at Chai Zixin, shook off his hand, and left.

Chai Zixin only heard about the exam questions. Every year, candidates in the capital city have been deceived, and many people have bought fake exam papers. It is understandable for a teacher to take action out of a sense of responsibility.

Jin Suiqing didn't think so. Watching the two figures leave, she silently mourned for Chai Zixin.

Teacher Chai, it's better if you don't say anything.

If you open your mouth, you're likely to be silenced.

Jin Suiqing, holding the sulfur-burning machine, sat cross-legged on the ground without making a sound.

She is not a kind person, and moreover, given that this involves court intrigues, she should not interfere given her current status.

If you interfere, it has to be in a way that benefits her.

Jin Suiqing pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something.

What is Chai Zixin doing at Jingxietang?

As if hearing Jin Suiqing's inner thoughts, Chai Zixin tidied up while muttering to himself, "I was planning to schedule the classes until today and return to the sect tomorrow..."

The gold has been shattered and the blue has become clear. Starting this month, the Kyushu Ancestor Festival will be held to commemorate the discovery of sulfur-based gold by our ancestors. The entire country will commemorate this event, and there will be celebrations in the capital city. Public officials and students will not participate.

After all, one of them is working overtime, and the other is studying.

It makes sense that Chai Zixin, who had been away from the palace for a long time, was promoted to teach at the National Academy, while retaining his position in the Palace Law and Weapon Sect. He was scheduled to return to the sect to handle matters related to the Yuanzu Festival.

It can be said that they are both working and studying.

Teachers are like this: they suffer from the hardships of studying when they are young, and they will suffer even more from the hardships of studying and society when they grow up.

Jin Suiqing wanted to chuckle, but then something dawned on her, and her smile froze on her face. She cursed inwardly, "Damn it, how am I supposed to get out of here!"

A note from the author:

How Huangfu Li carried out his surveillance plan.

He frantically posted pictures of his little sister, proclaiming to the world as he did so: "Look how cute my little sister is! My little sister is the cutest, most, most adorable sister in the world!"

Jin Suiqing pulled Jin Shiyu: "Brother Crown Prince is a pervert. Brother, you must never learn from him."

Jin Shiyu remained silent, her small hands not being clean, and secretly pulled out one card.

Jin Suiqing, who witnessed the whole thing: ...

What should I do? Both of my older brothers are perverts.

Meibao is riding the waves!