Chapter 26: A Time Traveler? The quality of literature has always been determined by the words and writing style…

Contrary to Wen Qingshi's expectations, after passing the guards at the inner garden gate, there was another checkpoint at the entrance to the library.

Several people in uniform exam administration stood solemnly at the door and raised their hands to stop her: "Stop. Raise your arms and submit to inspection."

Wen Qingshi's heart skipped a beat, almost leaping into his throat.

A body search? Could it be... their identities are about to be discovered?

The examiner was unusually efficient; he quickly checked her sleeve pockets and collar for any notes before waving her off without paying any attention to her disguise.

Lin Lan and Wen Yue, who followed closely behind, also underwent the same examination.

Then, all the writing implements she carried with her were taken away.

The examination officer explained to the group in a businesslike manner, "Brand new stationery has been prepared in the examination room. These personal belongings will be returned when you return after the exam."

The group nodded and entered the library, secretly thinking to themselves: the rules of this literary gathering are so strict... it's like an imperial examination.

Wen Qingshi had heard his elder brothers discuss the rules of literary gatherings before. In his memory, the gatherings would be attended by officials and great scholars from Luzhou Prefecture.

She had expected to be led to some important person after entering the room, and was mentally rehearsing the proper etiquette for the greeting. However, the examiner led her directly into a spacious and quiet room.

The room contained only a few tables and desks, nothing else.

"Please wait here quietly before the exam begins. When the time comes, we will guide you to your respective examination cells." After giving these instructions, the examination officer turned and left.

Wen Qingshi and the others looked at each other, curious about this unusual rule, but said nothing and found seats to sit down.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Before long, footsteps sounded outside, and a young man with a serious expression and a rigid demeanor strode in. It was Lu Chengzhou.

He glanced at Wen Qingshi and the other two, and let out a sneer without any attempt to hide it. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "Ha, the threshold for this literary gathering is getting lower and lower these days. Any country bumpkin can get in."

Young and impetuous, Wen Yue couldn't hold back and retorted, "Young master, is this the cultivation and refinement you pride yourself on, speaking ill of someone you've just met?"

Lu Chengzhou was speechless for a moment, then adopted a haughty attitude: "I, Lu Chengzhou, have been on the list of winners in every literary gathering, and I have never seen such vulgar people as you!"

"Lord Su has shown you great mercy by allowing you to come in and broaden your horizons; how can you not know when to stop?"

"You—!" Wen Yue was speechless with anger.

Wen Qingshi gently pressed down on his arm, looked calmly at Lu Chengzhou, and said in a voice as cold as a clear spring: "The quality of literature has always been in the writing, not in the debate of words."

She paused briefly, her tone still calm, yet every word was piercing: "Besides, there are always people more capable than you, and there is always something beyond your understanding. Today is merely a literary gathering, yet you, as a native of Luzhou Prefecture, have looked down upon the people of Luxi Village. If you were to go to the capital for the imperial examinations in the future, in the eyes of the true talents of the capital, how would you be any different from the 'country bumpkin' you despise today?"

"I hope that by then, you will be as 'magnanimous' as you are today."

Lu Chengzhou's face flushed red, as if a sore spot had been hit.

He wanted to retort, but was momentarily speechless, afraid of losing face. He could only angrily fling his sleeve and forcefully say, "Arrogant brat! I won't stoop to your level!"

Wen Qingshi remained calm and composed, instead slowly curving his lips into a meaningful smile: "I've heard that you're nearing adulthood, young master?"

"I will be too old to participate in the next literary gathering. This opportunity is indeed...incredibly precious."

Her tone was gentle, even carrying a hint of concern.

Although her words were ordinary, Lu Chengzhou managed to read a hint of provocation in them, as if she were silently declaring, "What a pity, this year's champion is not for you."

This feeling of suffocation was stuck in my chest, and I couldn't let it out.

As more and more invited students arrived, some were unfamiliar faces like Wen Qingshi and his group, while others were old acquaintances from the city's academies.

Lu Chengzhou looked around but didn't see the person he was looking for; his face remained ashen.

Where's Gu Ming? Why hasn't he arrived yet?

He almost hoped that his old nemesis would appear so he could vent his anger.

However, that familiar figure didn't arrive until just before the exam was about to start.

Gu Ming, dressed in a flamboyant crimson robe, was full of vigor. As soon as he entered, he spotted Lu Chengzhou and laughed loudly, "Brother Lu, I deliberately came late today. If you fall behind me again this time, you can't blame me for arriving early and stealing your opportunity, can you?"

"You've been nagging about this behind my back for two or three years, but I'm truly innocent!"

Lu Chengzhou angrily retorted, "Stop your nonsense! The outcome is still undecided; it's impossible to know who is superior between us!"

“It’s not necessarily a contest between you and me.” Gu Ming’s smile remained unchanged as his gaze swept meaningfully over the other students in the room. “With so many talented young people here this year, who knows, a dark horse might emerge and make our positions in the top three precarious?”

"You!" Lu Chengzhou was furious.

Just as the two were about to clash, the examination officer re-entered the quiet room, his face stern: "Silence! Return to your positions! No talking or whispering!"

The students who had been watching the spectacle could only regretfully turn their gaze away.

It's a real shame we didn't get to see these two fight.

Lu Chengzhou's arrogant and disdainful attitude had already annoyed everyone, who wished someone would beat him black and blue.

"Now, the examination rules will be read aloud." The examination officer unfurled the scroll and announced loudly, "The examination time limit is one hour..."

After the rules were read aloud, all the students were led to their respective cells.

They were separated by a single partition, never seeing each other or being able to talk.

If you urgently need to use the restroom, you should raise the number sign on the corner of the table, and the examination officer will guide you there.

Wen Qingshi stepped into his own small cell.

Inside, there was a table and a chair, and on the table, a plain white exam paper lay quietly.

She took a deep breath, sat down calmly, and placed her pen at the beginning of the scroll, neatly filling in her name.

Sister, I will not let you down.

----

After hearing the gossip, Wen Yu came out of the inner garden gate and successfully met up with Ning Shengan, who had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing that they had plenty of time, the two strolled around and saw a stall for betting on the winning number not far away, so they went over to watch the excitement.

Seeing everyone hesitating between Gu Ming and Lu Chengzhou, Wen Yu did not hesitate and bet most of his money on a name that no one believed in.

"Wen Qingshi?" the stall owner asked doubtfully. "Young lady, you're the first person to bet on this person today."

Someone nearby chimed in, "Yeah, I've never heard of that name before."

She just smiled and said, "It's my own child, I'll support him."

Some people nearby looked on knowingly, while others shook their heads and sighed, "Sigh, what a fool with all their money... Even if it's their own child, what can they do? There's no chance of winning..."

Ning Shengan stretched out his hand and handed over a string of coins.

“I’ll place another bet, just like her.”

The two have unwavering confidence in the child they have raised.

After wandering around for a while, Wen Yu also started to feel sleepy.

As the sun rose high in the sky and it was almost noon, she found a bench by the roadside to rest and casually turned on the live chat to pass the time.

As the wait dragged on, the comments section became increasingly agitated.

[It gives me a strange sense of déjà vu, like parents waiting outside the exam hall for their children taking the college entrance exam...]

This process is so familiar. You have to sign in to get in, and you're completely isolated from the outside world. Family members aren't allowed in, and I heard they even do a body search... This civil service exam candidate's PTSD is about to flare up!

[Won't something unexpected happen? That Lu Chengzhou seems like he's got a lot of bad intentions.]

The more arrogant he gets, the more I look forward to slapping him in the face! I wish I could hire two netizens right now, one to call him a "stinking outsider" and the other to call him a "country bumpkin"!

[Haha, you upstairs, you understand abstract concepts!]

Seeing them chatting so enthusiastically, Wen Yu couldn't help but smile.

She tapped the system: "System, has the approval rating reached?"

She vaguely sensed that the group of guys who had caused trouble in her live stream a while ago had mostly run away, and most of those left were normal people.

She summoned the system, which had been silent for a long time, even starting it up lazily: [Host, querying for you...]

[Current viewership: 151,276; positive review rate: 29.8%]

?

It was intentional, wasn't it?

How did it get stuck at this last point!

"Can you round it up?" she tried to bargain.

【No, host.】The system's emotionless tone surprisingly carried a hint of cuteness.

He seems even more deserving of a beating.

Wen Yu almost wanted to curse this awful system, but she managed to hold back.

Well... judging by the current trend, I should be able to raise enough money soon, right?

A fragrant aroma of food suddenly wafted to her nose on the breeze.

"Gurgle," Wen Yu's stomach interjected.

It was hungry.

She turned to look for the source of the fragrance and saw several wooden carts being slowly pushed out in the distance. The carts were covered with canopies and contained several large wooden barrels.

Although the lid of the bucket was tightly closed, wisps of enticing food aromas still wafted out, making one's stomach rumble.

A sharp-eyed tourist immediately recognized him: "Isn't that the head chef of Lianxinlou Restaurant?"

Immediately, a minor official maintaining order announced loudly: "Lord Su has specially invited the chefs of Lianxinlou to prepare meals for everyone here. Those who wish to purchase, please line up in order!"

Everyone then realized that the bucket contained lunch for sale.

This move was a timely help, and many tourists who lived in remote areas and were worried about the time spent traveling back and forth and missing the voting deadline were extremely grateful.

Someone called out, "Officer, we didn't bring any bowls or chopsticks, how are we supposed to eat?"

"Don't worry, everyone!" the clerk replied with a smile. "Clean wooden bowls and chopsticks are available at the stall. You can borrow them with the tickets you received when you entered the park. One set per person."

"Those who return the item after use—" he drawled, successfully attracting everyone's attention, "will also receive a raffle ticket to participate in a prize draw after the voting ends!"

Upon hearing this, those who had originally intended to steal immediately abandoned their plans.

Who can resist a free lottery draw?

Unable to resist the temptation, Wen Yu followed the crowd and bought a serving.

She sat down in the shade with her lunchbox and examined it closely. She found that the meals the cooks were selling were mainly vegetarian, but they were served with scrambled eggs, so they weren't entirely devoid of meat.

This meal was made with high-quality ingredients, yet it was cheaper than what was available in the market. Even though she didn't have much money left, she could buy it without any financial burden.

Of course, most people who are truly impoverished have neither the inclination nor the money to visit this place.

Those who visit the park today all have some savings and can afford such food.

Wen Yu savored the unexpectedly delicious food, but suddenly felt a little puzzled.

This Lord Su's way of thinking and style of doing things are surprisingly similar to those of modern people.

Could he be a time traveler?

Whether it's lifting the ban on parks, introducing public review, or now providing public catering services... every single thing has been carefully considered, and the measures benefit ordinary people, unlike those officials in the past who only had eyes for high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

In this rigidly hierarchical era, this sentiment is truly commendable.

Wen Yu suppressed her curiosity and made a plan in her mind.

She has a cheat code!

Once Su Lin makes his official appearance, she will definitely use the character panel function to carefully examine his "background".

Let's see if this person is actually someone from her hometown in another world.

----

After lunch, Wen Yu followed the crowd and returned the bowls and chopsticks as required, and sure enough, she received a small raffle ticket.

She had just put it away when she heard a commotion from the other side.

"The exam is over! It's finished inside!"

The crowd immediately became restless, craning their necks to look towards the inner garden exit. After waiting for a long time, they still couldn't see a single student.

Soon after, an examination officer announced: "To ensure fairness and prevent cheating, all participating students are not allowed to leave the venue until the voting ends. Please wait patiently."

"All the exam papers will be posted in the park for everyone to read and review. We will bring a ballot box later to collect your opinions."

Immediately afterwards, several people who looked like clerks posted neatly copied exam papers on a specially set-up notice board in the park.

Wen Yu found a less crowded spot on the notice board and took a closer look.

After only a few glances, she noticed that the style of the questions for this year's literary competition was quite different from that of previous years.

According to Wen Qingshi's previous account, in previous years there were mostly objective questions such as reciting poems and interpreting classics, but this time, the exam paper was full of open-ended subjective questions.

From analyzing articles and interpreting poems to discussing current affairs, everything deeply examines the students' own insights, critical thinking, and literary talent.

This is undoubtedly a fatal blow to those pedantic students who only know how to memorize by rote.

Wen Yu indeed saw that several papers contained only a few words, or even large blank spaces, clearly indicating that the test takers were speechless when asked questions.

The last question on the exam paper asked students to express their opinions freely and write an essay on the theme of "famine," with no restrictions on style.

Wen Yu: "..."

Could this be... an ancient version of the essay writing section?

The papers posted on the bulletin board were all copied, with neat and uniform handwriting, making it impossible to identify whose work it was.

The names on the exam papers were also hidden, leaving only the serial numbers that represented each individual.

After reading it, everyone panicked.

"Oh no! They're all exactly the same, how can anyone tell them apart?"

"Oh dear, the questions have changed so much this year. If we rely solely on their past writing styles to identify them, we're probably not going to be able to do it!"

"Hahaha, luckily I didn't place any bets, I just picked the ones that looked good to me!"

There was a buzz of discussion around, and everyone crowded around the notice board to examine it closely. Those who had placed bets frowned, trying to discern their supporters from between the lines.

Wen Yu held her breath and focused intently, carefully reading through each page one after another.

This isn't it...

This one isn't either...

Her gaze swept quickly across the answer sheets until it settled on one of them.

The article is precise in its approach, lofty in its arguments, meticulous in its reasoning, and elegant in its language.

They possess insightful knowledge yet retain a childlike heart.

Wen Yu's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

This is it!

-----------------------

Author's note: One hundred favorites! So happy! [Sprinkling flowers]