Chapter 5 Which talented woman isn't a ladies' man?
The list of graduates from Yunzhou Academy was filled with a powerful and elegant inscription at the top: First Place, Lu Jinlan.
Lu Jinlan turned around in surprise and saw Wu Siqun's ashen face and Sun Yin's smug eyes.
Sun Shao Niang: "Hey Wu Shao Niang, you said the other day that if any one of the three of us could outperform you, you would lose. Now our Young Master Lu is at the top, and you're ranked 142nd. Shouldn't you keep your promise?"
Yin Shao Niang: "Don't try to renege on your promise. I'm your witness, that's exactly what you said back then. You even said that Lu Shao was a bad student and that studying was useless. What do you say now?"
With all the classmates watching, Wu Siqun's face turned bright red with shame and indignation. She gritted her teeth and said, "Who's trying to renege? A woman's word is her bond. I'll accept the consequences of my bet."
Lu Jinlan looked at her with mixed feelings. Although this person was a bit annoying, she was, after all, just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy. At that age, she spoke without thinking, acted without considering the consequences, and was arrogant.
Lu Jinlan, with the mindset of a twenty-four-year-old, looked at them as if they were children. Adolescents are easily embarrassed, and to publicly declare oneself stupid and dull-witted was really a bit much. She realized that her impulsive suggestion that day lacked sufficient consideration.
Wu Siqun then turned to face the crowd, steeled his resolve, and shouted, "Listen up, everyone, I'm stupid... um..."
Lu Jinlan quickly covered her mouth and laughed, "You're too straightforward. We're just joking around as classmates, why take it so seriously? You went out of your way to pick me up today, and I haven't thanked you yet. Let's call it even and not mention it again."
Wu Siqun looked at her in disbelief, biting her lip awkwardly, and said, "I voluntarily admit defeat, you don't need to forgive me."
Lu Jinlan chuckled, "Then do as you please, we're leaving anyway."
She called to Sun and Yin, "Let's go eat at Wangyue Tower, it's on me!"
"Huh? You're just going to let it go like that? We finally won!"
"Let's go!" Lu Jinlan hooked her arms around the two of them and quickly left. Watching the three of them walk away, the supervisor, who had been observing from the side door for a long time, suddenly said, "Dean, should I call Lu Jinlan back? Don't you have many questions for her?"
The dean shook his head. "No need. She has indeed improved. Her knowledge and cultivation are far beyond what they used to be, but we just haven't noticed." Copy out the exam papers of the top three and post them throughout the academy. Send the original papers to the capital. If there are any doubts, the people in the capital will ask her.
*
Rare news always spreads very quickly. In less than three days, the entire city of Xizhou knew that the eldest daughter of the Lu family, who had always been at the bottom of the class, had suddenly won the championship, shocking everyone.
Madam Yan was overjoyed. That very day, she decorated the mansion with lanterns and set off firecrackers, showering everyone in the household with gifts. Lu Jinzhao had already gone to Lingzhou Prefecture, and Madam Yan hurriedly dispatched several groups of people to deliver messages.
The Lu residence was several times more lively than usual, with distant relatives coming to offer their congratulations. Lu Jinlan gave a few perfunctory replies, then used reading as an excuse to slip away to Lu Jinzhao's study for some peace and quiet.
She closed the doors and windows and searched frantically, but found nothing. These past few days, Madam Yan had been muttering things like "She's truly my daughter," but Lu Jinlan hadn't even considered asking about his background, fearing that asking abruptly would hurt his loving father's feelings.
Feeling increasingly stifled at home, Lu Jinlan took Xi Moqing and others out for a stroll, hoping to earn some life points along the way.
It is said that people are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat. Lu Jinlan only felt the pressure that fame brought when he became a celebrity.
Previously, when she went out, she would often hear people whispering behind her: "That playboy from the Lu family is here again. He's always staring at men with a lecherous look. He's all show and no substance."
Now when she goes out, before she can even look at anyone, everyone's eyes immediately sweep over her, whispering and gossiping to her face.
"Is this the young master of the Lu family who won the academy's top prize? Wow, he looks like a very talented person."
Lu Jinlan pretended to buy something, but secretly listened intently, thinking to herself: You didn't say that before.
"That's right. Although she may be lustful, which talented woman isn't romantic? A man who isn't romantic in his youth is wasting his youth. The more talented a person is, the more they understand romance and poetry."
Lu Jinlan: It's great to be famous. After becoming famous, great scholars will naturally come to debate the classics for me.
"Sigh, I wonder what kind of man she likes. With the Lu family's prestige and her talent, any man who marries into the family will be considered lucky."
"That's easy. Whoever she stares at the longest is the one she likes."
"My goodness!" Lu Jinlan's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this.
She could vaguely sense that the people around her were getting closer and closer, and some bold men were starting to push forward, all hoping that she would look over.
"I'll take all of these." Lu Jinlan quickly told Xi Mo to pay, then lowered her head and strode away without looking to the side.
After finally breaking free from the crowd, they followed. Lu Jinlan walked faster and faster, and after crossing a street corner, she simply started running.
"Student Lu!" Someone called her.
Lu Jinlan ran without looking back, running for three blocks until he figured he had shaken everyone off. Then he leaned against a wall to catch his breath.
After a while, Lu Jinlan turned his head and suddenly noticed an old woman lying at the entrance of the alley. He quickly went over and helped her up. Upon closer inspection, he realized that this was the steward of the academy's headmaster's family.
How did you fall here?
The old woman took several deep breaths before finally speaking: "I was chasing you, but why... why are you running? I'm exhausted. I consider myself skilled in light-footed kung fu, but I still couldn't catch you. I guess I'm just getting old."
Every night before bed, Lu Jinlan would activate the training mode in the system, and upon waking, she would feel refreshed and increasingly powerful. Today, when she ran, she indeed felt as light as a swallow and much faster than the average person.
Lu Jinlan quickly helped the old housekeeper up. Upon learning that the dean was looking for her, she followed the person to the dean's house.
Dean Meng preferred quiet, and his residence was in the suburbs, with a bamboo grove in the courtyard. Lu Jinlan was standing there admiring the bamboo when a hearty laugh came from behind her.
A sprightly, silver-haired woman in her sixties walked gracefully by, accompanied by a young man of about sixteen or seventeen.
Lu Jinlan quickly bowed and greeted the dean.
Dean Meng patted her shoulder with a smile, "Sit down and let's talk. You're a very popular figure in the city now. I know you're busy, so I wouldn't have called you here if it weren't for important business."
As she spoke, she waved to the young man beside her, who immediately set out writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Dean Meng praised Lu Jinlan's poetry and prose, saying that her poem "Spring River Flower Moon Night" was a masterpiece. Since Xizhou Academy had produced such a talented person, it was natural that her calligraphy should be preserved. Therefore, he asked her to compose another poem encouraging study, which would be engraved on the stone wall at the entrance of the academy for visitors and students to admire.
Lu Jinlan nodded with a smile, but sighed inwardly; she had known all along that this would happen.
From the moment she topped the list, she knew that someone would doubt her abilities and that there would be open and covert tests. So, she would still review her books whenever she had free time, just in case someone questioned her one day. Unexpectedly, this happened, but the test was still on poetry.
In a moment of desperation, I copied a timeless masterpiece for the exam. Now, if I were to compose my own, the quality would be far inferior, and I'd be universally criticized. I've inadvertently placed myself in the position of a renowned master, and now I can't back down.
Now I have no choice but to borrow another song to get through this.
"Ahem." Lu Jinlan held the pen and pretended to ponder, then picked up the pen and wrote: "Exhortation to Learning" - A work I came up with on a whim after meeting Zhu Xi in a dream.
The young master grinding ink beside her watched her write with flowing strokes and softly recited: "Youth fades quickly, learning is hard to achieve; not an inch of time should be wasted... What a fine poem!"
Dean Meng took the poem Lu Jinlan had finished writing, nodded repeatedly, and smiled ambiguously, "Jinlan, you've been in the academy for three years, and I never knew you had such poetic talent."
Lu Jinlan humbly stated, "I only recently had an epiphany; the poems and prose all came from my dreams."
The young master beside him chuckled, "What kind of dream is it where you only dream about men? It's probably just a romantic dream."
Dean Meng frowned. "Shi Xu, you're a man, don't say such frivolous things, lest your sister Lu laugh at you."
Meng Shixu quickly suppressed his smile, lowered his head and admitted his mistake, "Yes, I will follow Mother's teachings."
Dean Meng then turned to Lu Jinlan and said in a friendly tone, "This is my good-for-nothing youngest son. He admires your poetic talent and has begged me for several days to meet you."
Lu Jinlan chuckled. No wonder she kept feeling this young master was glancing at her; she almost thought she was just imagining things. Dean Meng was quite cunning; she hadn't introduced him for a while, but after the exam, she suddenly remembered to introduce her son. Was her son still unmarried?
The more Lu Jinlan thought about it, the more it resembled a blind date, so she quickly made an excuse and got up to leave.
Dean Meng hurriedly said, "There's another important matter. I've sent your exam paper to the capital. The top three exam papers from each local academy will be reviewed by the Emperor himself. If you are selected by His Majesty, you will have the opportunity to go to the capital to participate in the selection process for the Royal Academy. Jinlan, I think you have a very good chance this time."
Dean Meng patted Lu Jinlan's shoulder. "If you successfully pass the martial arts test and enter the Royal Academy, you will become a true student of the emperor. In the future, you can rise to high office and accomplish great things for the country and its people. If you have this opportunity, would you like to give it a try?"
Upon hearing the words "to rise to high office," Lu Jinlan's eyes lit up, and she nodded almost without hesitation: "I want to go."
"Oh? So decisive? Aren't you afraid that if you don't get selected, you'll be humiliated and lose face?"
"So what? I'll give it a try. If I lose, I lose. Otherwise, people will think that no one in Xizhou City dares to take the stage."
Dean Meng said with satisfaction, "Alright, then go back and wait. I'll send someone to inform you as soon as news arrives from the capital."
When Lu Jinlan returned and inquired, he was immediately filled with excitement. This Royal Academy was comparable to the Whampoa Military Academy in the Republic of China era or Tsinghua and Peking Universities in modern times. The program lasted three years, and graduates were guaranteed at least a fifth-rank official position.
A fifth-rank official is roughly equivalent to a department-level cadre, a position she could never reach even in a lifetime of hard work in modern times.
Moreover, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that a career in government was better than going into business, since she had experience in government.
I've worked as a grassroots civil servant in modern times. Although my rank was low, I was still a public servant.
Comrade Lu Jinlan felt that he should play a leading role as a Party member, continue to serve the people in Huaguo, and contribute to the construction of Huaguo.
After several days of confusion, Lu Jinlan suddenly felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun had shone through, instantly seeing the path ahead clearly. Every day, she waited for the notification to go to the capital, spent two hundred points to exchange for a new batch of martial arts books, wished she could sleep twelve hours a day, and worked overtime to prepare for the martial arts exam.
That day, she clicked on "Seventy-Two Sword Techniques" and practiced it during her afternoon nap.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she was groggily woken up by Qing'er, "Young Mistress, wake up! The doctor urgently needs you to come over."
Lu Jinlan, still half-asleep, asked, "Um, what is it?"
A note from the author:
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