Chapter 121 The Method of the Heavenly Decree
Zhou Jiming felt like the sky was about to fall.
If he were to pass the imperial examination, it would truly be a case of blood raining down from the sky!
How could he, the most dissolute playboy in the capital, possibly pass the imperial examination!
As for that bet from before, it's not important. It's just admitting to everyone that you're a loser!
He felt that compared to passing the imperial examination, it was nothing.
"Brother Shao, I think I'm not up to the task. I'll have a hard time even making it onto the secondary list, let alone passing the imperial examination. It's harder than climbing to heaven!"
Zhou Jiming was self-aware; he didn't study hard, preferred reading miscellaneous books, and was completely unskilled at writing classical Chinese essays or poems.
"Don't worry, there's still some time before the imperial examination. I'll help you, and I'm sure you'll pass."
Shao Yanzhe assured him, then looked at Liu Mingyuan and Chen Yunhe and asked, "What about you two? Do you want to come with Brother Zhou?"
Liu Mingyuan and Chen Yunhe exchanged a glance, hesitation flashing in their eyes.
"Well, neither of us is learned enough to pass the imperial examination. We came out here mainly for study tours."
“Of course I know, but don’t worry, I have a way to help you pass the imperial examination this time,” Shao Yanzhe said.
"real?"
The others couldn't help but look at him, their eyes filled with a hint of surprise.
"Of course, but the process will probably be quite tough."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiming wanted to back out; he couldn't handle hardship.
After some hesitation, Liu Mingyuan and Chen Yunhe agreed. They genuinely wanted to pass the imperial examination; how could studying not involve hardship?
As long as they can pass the imperial examinations, they are not afraid of suffering a little!
Shao Yanzhe looked at Zhou Jiming.
“I don’t know your past, but from what I’ve seen since entering the capital, I know that you’re not doing well in the Changping Marquis’s mansion. Now that I see you’re showing signs of decline, some people are trying to bully you. Are you just going to let them ride roughshod over you?”
Zhou Jiming opened his mouth as if to say something, but Shao Yanzhe stopped him with a gesture.
Even if you don't care, as your friend, I won't just stand by and watch you get bullied!
Zhou Jiming was moved as he listened. His family always indulged him, but when someone came to his door, his father, the Marquis of Changping, would make him apologize immediately, even if he wasn't in the wrong.
Now, he feels protected.
"So, I will make a study plan for you so that you can shine in next year's exam."
Zhou Jiming snapped out of his daze and tentatively asked, "What study plan?"
"If you want to pass the imperial examination, you will definitely need to work hard, but it will all be worth it!"
Shao Yanzhe stared at him gently and said, "Think about it. After you pass the imperial examination, you will not only beat that person and make a fool of him, but also make others dare not look down on you anymore. After that, His Majesty will definitely give you a good official position because you are the eldest son of Marquis Changping. At that time, even if Marquis Changping loses his title for some reason, you will still have an official position. Perhaps, when that time comes, Marquis Changping will need you, his eldest son, to support him."
"Perhaps, you will gradually rise through the ranks. You are capable, knowledgeable, and resilient. It is not impossible for you to become the Grand Secretary in the future."
What do you think?
Zhou Jiming was so flattered that he became a little dizzy. He said with a blank look, "I don't think I'm good enough. How could I become the chief minister?"
"Why not! You have to believe in yourself. Look at the current Chief Minister Gu. He came from a poor family and started from the lowest level of the imperial examinations. It took him nine years to pass and he was only ranked twentieth. Yet he still rose from a seventh-rank county magistrate to Chief Minister."
"And what about you? You are the heir of the Marquis of Changping. His Majesty will definitely not give you a minor official position. At the very least, you will be a sixth-rank official. Your starting point is higher than that of Chief Minister Gu, and you are also younger than him. Once you have achieved political success, Chief Minister Gu will have to retire. Then your opportunity will come."
"Don't you want to be the Grand Secretary?"
"think!"
Zhou Jiming said with a longing look on his face.
"So, do you want to pass the imperial examination?"
“Yes!” Zhou Jiming nodded firmly immediately.
"Okay! I knew you weren't the kind of person who would break your word!"
Zhou Jiming patted Zhou Jiming on the shoulder with great satisfaction. Since he could remember the contents of those books about ghosts and monsters, it meant that he was not stupid; he just hadn't bothered to study them.
After all, when he had no choice but to study before, his learning progress was no worse than that of Su Yuheng and others.
After everyone finished their meal, they left the restaurant.
Inside the Tai'an Building, the boy who had once provoked Zhou Jiming pushed open the window of the private room and looked outside, his eyes cold.
"Have someone keep an eye on him and his movements. We must destroy him as soon as possible."
The two men behind him respectfully replied, "Yes!"
The boy stared at Zhou Jiming, his eyes darkening. He was truly sorry, but anyone who blocked the way for an adult must die.
Zhou Jiming suddenly felt a chill run through his body and couldn't help but shiver.
"Ouch! It's so cold!"
Shao Yanzhe glanced at the setting sun. A night breeze blew gently, chilling his clothes. It was indeed a bit cold.
“It is indeed a bit cold. Let’s go back now. Brother Zhou, are you sure you can go back to the Marquis of Changping’s residence by yourself? Do you need us to take you back?” he asked.
“Go back to the Marquis of Changping’s residence! I’m not going back. I’m going back with you all today,” Zhou Jiming said without hesitation.
Shao Yanzhe looked at him in surprise: "Aren't you going back to the Marquis of Changping's residence?"
"Hmph! What's the point of going back! Are we just going to get ourselves into trouble?"
Zhou Jiming snorted coldly, then waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go back quickly!"
As he spoke, he took the lead and started walking back.
Shao Yanzhe and the others exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile helplessly.
They didn't know much about Zhou Jiming's situation. Originally, they just thought that the Changping Marquis's family was very angry because of Zhou Jiming's previous incompetence, but after all, they were father and son, so their relationship shouldn't be too bad.
It now appears that the relationship between Zhou Jiming and Marquis Changping has become extremely strained.
They had no way to ease the tension between the two. They could only wait for Zhou Jiming to pass the imperial examination and prove that he was capable. Then Marquis Changping would no longer be angry, and the relationship between the two might improve.
The group quickly returned to the Zhou residence. They had experienced many things on their way to the capital, and everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally. After eating and drinking their fill, they were too tired to say much and went back to their own courtyards to rest.
The next day, the scorching sun was high overhead, and everyone overslept.
Fortunately, Zhou Jiming had arranged for servants yesterday. After they woke up, got dressed, and washed up, they were given food to fill their stomachs.
"Now that Brother Zhou is here, shall we begin our studies today?" Shao Yanzhe said.
He looked at the others and said, "Brother Su, Brother Wen, Brother Shen, are you coming with us, or will you continue your studies on your own?"
After thinking for a moment, the three declined the offer to study with them and returned to their own courtyards to study.
Shao Yanzhe looked at Zhou Jiming, Liu Mingyuan, and Chen Yunhe, and said with a serious expression, "Alright, I will tutor the three of you in your studies from now on."
The three were filled with apprehension, unsure of what they would face next.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at the three of them, his lips curling up briefly before returning to a straight angle.
He flipped his fingers, and the jade hairpin pen appeared in his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, the tip of the jade hairpin brush gently touched the space between the three people's eyebrows.
Then, a white light suddenly burst forth from between the three people's eyebrows, and they immediately lost consciousness after closing their eyes.
Upon seeing this, Xuan Yao, who was lying to the side, suddenly raised his head, his golden and black heterochromatic eyes widening in shock, clearly startled by the scene.
"Meow! What's wrong with them?"
Shao Yanzhe smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing. The three of them are indeed not very good at studying. It's basically impossible for them to pass the imperial examination in just the next three or four months. So we can only use other methods."
"What method?" Xuan Yao asked curiously.
Shao Yanzhe: "You know, I once studied in Su Qing's Ghost Realm. The flow of time there is much slower than outside. Last time, I accidentally fell into the trap of the Ouroboros and almost got lost in my own dream world."
"After I came out, I found that the flow of time in the dream world was different from that in the outside world."
"Therefore, I had an idea: I can control my own dream world. If I pull other people into my dream world, wouldn't I be able to control time at will and create the plot I want?"
"So I often tried this in my dreams, and finally I've had some success these days."
Xuan Yao stared wide-eyed at Shao Yanzhe, as if he were seeing him for the first time. He never expected that Shao Yanzhe would be researching such a terrifying thing in private.
"So, are they reading in your dream world now?" he stammered.
Shao Yanzhe nodded: "Yes."
Xuan Yao fell silent, unsure of what to say.
"Alright, now it's up to you to protect our bodies," Shao Yanzhe said.
"Meow! Don't worry!"
After Shao Yanzhe finished speaking, he twirled the jade hairpin pen in his hand, and touched the tip of the pen to his brow. He quickly lost consciousness.
Looking at the four people slumped over the table, Xuan Yao grinned, then quietly lay back down and closed his eyes.
As soon as Shao Yanzhe entered the dream world, he found that Zhou Jiming and the other two were sitting in the classroom he had created, reading. However, they were currently in a state of amnesia, and all they knew was to listen to the teacher and read and recite.
He checked on the students' reading progress and found that the three of them had been memorizing the texts much more efficiently than before.
He raised an eyebrow; it seemed his method was truly working!
The teacher in front of Zhou Jiming and the other two was someone he had created based on his own learning, his previous studies with Wei Yue, and his previous travels, ranging from simple to extremely difficult.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
