"...If you don't give him full marks, how do you know he will be proud?"

"We are not even arrogant. Instead, the spirit, ambition, and vigor that we Linlu students should have have been extinguished by seniors like you."

Zhu Yourong's light words really seemed to have cast a powerful spell, freezing the atmosphere in the entire place.

The female students who came to help did not dare to make a sound. As for the other gentlemen, they glanced sideways to see the old gentleman's reaction.

Mr. Zeng was known in the academy for his stubbornness and rigidity.

His idea of ​​putting classics first in art seemed old-fashioned to everyone, and he often said it in front of everyone, which naturally made art masters like Duan Jiuling and Su Changfeng in the hall feel unhappy. However, they couldn't say anything on weekdays. After all, they had seniority, and if they argued, they would be the ones making a big deal out of it.

But if you say that Mr. Zeng is a bad person, that is not necessarily the case. To be able to become a professor in a college, he certainly has the qualities to be a role model for a teacher. He also works hard to teach the students in the academy and has done his job well.

It's just that in the eyes of these young gentlemen, when people get old, their thinking is bound to become rigid and they regard their inherent experience as a treasure. However, the decision-makers at the top of the academy, whether it is the chief academic officer of the school or the deputy principal of the academy, all listen to and respect the opinions of the old people in the academy.

This is also a common phenomenon in Confucian academies. Filial piety is the most important virtue, and even elders who are not relatives should be respected.

Therefore, the younger teachers in the school could do nothing about Mr. Zeng's love of guiding and educating them whenever he had nothing to do, but they still had to nod their heads in agreement and say that they had received his instruction.

After Zhu Yourong came out, no one spoke. All the gentlemen held back their laughter and looked at Mr. Zeng seriously, as if saying, "This Mr. Zhu is so ignorant. How can he say that about Mr. Zeng? He is so ignorant." In fact, many people were already very happy in their hearts.

So the pressure from the whole audience came to Mr. Zeng.

I thought the old man would pull his beard and glare, but I didn't expect that after seeing the lady who stood up, Mr. Zeng's expression changed slightly, and his temper improved for no reason:

“Xiao Zhu, why are you putting accusations on me? If you young people are really capable, your spirit, ambition and vigor will not be extinguished even if ten old men come. Just like usual, no matter what I say about you, aren’t most of you still unwilling to accept it in your hearts?” The old man sighed.

Zhu Yourong did not retreat, and said in a crisp voice, "But the old man can choose not to give the juniors full marks like he is doing now."

Mr. Zeng looked aside and said, "There must be a reason for not giving full marks. Don't accuse me of 'unreasonable suppression'..." The old man was a little angry when he said this, but then he sighed again, "Forget it, this matter needs to be discussed. Well, let Xiao Chen and I discuss it again. You amateurs should stop joining in the fun and go back to your seats first..."

Zhu Yourong was not so easily fooled. Just now, when she heard Mr. Chen exclaimed "good handwriting" in surprise when he saw the paper, she roughly guessed something.

She nodded, "What is the reason? Please teach me, old sir. I am not talented. Before I started calligraphy, I studied the classics for more than 20 years. I understand a little bit. You may teach me."

Mr. Zeng: …

Gentlemen: …

Good fellow, how can you say you know a little? How old are you? This 'only twenty years or so' means, if I'm not mistaken, you started learning at the age of three. If the rumors in the Confucian school about a 'quasi-female gentleman who insists on hitting her head against the wall' are correct, you must have practiced Confucianism and Taoism to the level of a brilliant Nascent Soul, and because of this, you were designated by the Confucian Temple as the first-class scholar below the gentleman.

Mr. Zeng's face stiffened slightly.

A certain "senior sister" who was extremely protective of her son did not waver in her gaze.

No one should think of bullying her 'junior brother' under 'Senior Sister Zhu's' nose.

At this time, the old man spoke again, "How can you let others take over the exam for the Confucian classics? No, no... No, Xiao Zhu, do you know the owner of this paper? Why are you speaking for him?"

The female teacher who stepped out did not change her expression. She was dressed in men's Confucian clothes, but her red lips and white teeth were not concealed. She said in a crisp and sweet voice: "Old senior, please don't make blind guesses. I haven't even looked at the paper. How can I know whose it is? It's just that I have something in my heart for a long time. The old gentleman's style is very similar to those old seniors in the Confucian Temple. I can't stand it anymore."

When they heard about the Confucian Temple, everyone was moved, but Mr. Zeng looked helpless. It seems that you, a girl, are picking on the weak, right? The Confucian scholars and wise men in the Confucian Temple suppressed you, and your father and Zhu were helpless, but what did they have to do with me?

The old man seemed to remember some rumors and complained in his heart, but it was not convenient for him to argue with her at this time. He just shook his head and said, "I won't argue with you. Regarding the full score... Let me tell you this, Xiao Chen and I have no say in this matter. We can only give 19 points at most. If you want a higher score, you have to send this paper to the person who wrote the questions together for review and let him decide."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yourong's elegant expression finally changed, but surprisingly, she didn't look surprised at all and remained silent.

The other gentlemen who were watching were surprised. Mr. Chen was also surprised and asked, "Mr. Zeng, wasn't this paper written by you? I remember that you were the one who decided on this test question. Wait, is it possible that..."

Among the gentlemen who study classics in the academy, Mr. Zeng may not be the most outstanding, but he is already considered a senior with great experience. Even he needs to ask for instructions. There are actually not many people above him, not even a single-choice question can be counted.

Mr. Zeng shook his head and interrupted Mr. Chen. "I came up with the scripture-posting topic, but that person happened to be present when I came up with the scripture-interpretation question for this major exam. He also mentioned this final test question and gave some suggestions. I used it directly if I thought it was good. Now that I want to give it a full score, I have to show it to that person to take a look. It's polite and proper. What do you think?"

Mr. Chen, who had objections at first, and everyone else were speechless now.

Mr. Zeng turned to look at the silent Zhu Yourong, stroked his beard, and said bluntly:

"Xiao Zhu, you are very smart, you should have guessed something. I know you may have seen a shadow of yourself in this student whose score was suppressed, but you have to know that if it were just me and Xiao Chen, we would have given him 19 points without blinking an eye. It is indeed well written, but if it is sent to that person, according to his strict standards..."

"To grade the papers of a mere student, well, you must use extremely high standards, at least the same level as the scholars, so you can't guarantee that you can get 19 points."

Mr. Zeng shook his head. "I don't think it's worth taking such a big risk just for this one point difference. And this student, wait for me to check the test number. Oh, it's the 'Ren Zi Shi San' you mentioned. Haha, it's him again!"

The old man closed the paper and laughed, nodded and said, "My ears were callused when I was marking the papers just now, now I finally see it. Haha, this Renzi Shisan actually wants to get full marks in our Confucian Classics again."

There was a sudden shock in the hall. All the gentlemen were surprised and stunned. Even Su Changfeng and Duan Jiuling, who had given full marks without hesitation, looked at each other in shock. It was known that four subjects were almost full marks, which was too outrageous.

Many of the female students who were not very popular in the lobby, such as Xiao Hongyu and Li Xueyu, already had looks of admiration on their faces.

Is this Renzi No. 13 going to win the double crown of the two major arts, classics and poetry? Moreover, I thought that getting full marks in three major arts was already extremely strong, but I didn't expect that the essay he wrote right now would cause endless arguments between Mr. Zeng and Mr. Zhu, and he even had the opportunity to submit it to the senior management of the academy for a certain big boss to review and leave his name... This is an achievement and treatment that Yu Huaijin, who had always dominated the six halls, had never had!

The female students became a little restless. Mr. Meng, who had been watching from the sidelines, turned around and took a look. They immediately became quiet, but the excited blush on their faces could not be concealed for a moment.

Although this Ren Zi No. 13 was not themselves, and might not even be from their school, and they did not even know him, they still felt proud of it, as if they were witnessing and participating in some glorious event.

It's like a school. Although the top student in the grade is far away from everyone else, everyone knows his name and is even keen to publicize his failure to the people outside the school. If the top student in the grade is several levels lower than the top students in other schools or previous years, then it is even more worth talking about outside. Being in the same class, it seems that one can also have some pride.

As for envy, jealousy and hatred, they were too much. The emotion of comparison was extinguished by a big hand before it could even rise. It was a bit similar to the mentality of Fan Yushu who was playing badly. So... this morning, facing this mysterious Renzi No. 13, all the female students present were Fan Yushu? A wonderful metaphor...

At this time, Mr. Zeng sighed for a while, then turned to look at Zhu Yourong:

"I know you all think that I am taking advantage of my age and bullying you young people, and that I cannot tolerate your youthful vigor. But Xiao Zhu, I actually never think that there is anything wrong with young people being high-spirited. It is fine for you to have the ambition to 'compete with the gods'. This is very good, and I appreciate it..."

"But at the same time, you have to accept the reality that human power is limited, but the sky is infinite. If you are too ambitious but not hard enough, you will face the risk of falling from the sky. The higher you stand, the more painful it will be. I have seen many young people who failed to measure themselves and ended up falling flat on their faces. So sometimes, the old rule of slightly suppressing you still makes sense. Like now, there is no need to chase this one point... Don't you think so? If he really listened to you and sent this paper out at such a big risk, do you think this student would thank you or blame you in the end?"

Zhu Yourong silently looked at the old senior who was smiling and sighing and the silent crowd. After a while, he turned around and looked at the paper in the old man's hand again.

The lady who dreamed of becoming a senior sister once again saw Zhao Rong's calm eyes before they parted yesterday. She raised her head, pointed at the test paper in Mr. Zeng's hand and said, "This Renzi Shisan's performance today has astonished me and you all. He is qualified to get more full marks and to be sent to that person for a new understanding. I have always firmly believed that the ambition and sharpness of our generation of Confucian scholars cannot be suppressed. This young man should be proud! He should hold his head high and move forward!"

The woman's eyes did not waver.

This is the real "little junior brother" in my mind. It's just that she had this sentence in her mind but didn't say it out loud.

Zhu Yourong certainly knew the risks of sending Zhao Rong's paper to that person for marking, even better than Mr. Zeng. It was not only because of that person's high standards, but also because of her. As long as a man she liked, that person would most likely dislike him and would be inherently dissatisfied with him.

However, Zhu Yourong still supported sending the paper over because she believed in Zhao Rong.

She had misunderstood him once a few days ago, thinking that he was distracted and did not try his best in the exam, and thus failed her expectations. However, this morning, his test papers with full marks appeared in front of her, and the image of his calm eyes before parting yesterday flashed through her mind again and again... Zhu Yourong felt surprisingly ashamed and apologetic, and her heart, which was entangled with love, felt uncomfortable and self-blaming.

"Zhao Ziyu, I will never distrust you again... Go, let that person get to know you again." Zhu Yourong whispered in her heart.

At this moment in the lobby, the resounding voice of a lady who was lost in thought seemed to still be faintly echoing, lingering in everyone's ears for a long time.

Mr. Chen and other gentlemen were silent, and some of them nodded slightly.

Mr. Zeng was also stunned. He lowered his head and thought for a while, then looked at the test paper with the writing in a free and easy style. He turned his head and looked at Mr. Chen, who nodded slightly.

"Okay, the test paper for number 13 is still controversial!" Mr. Zeng agreed loudly, then suddenly picked up the teacup to moisten his lips, and continued to nod: "I will send it to the person who wrote the question for review."

After Mr. Zeng finished speaking, he nodded to Meng Zhengjun, then got up and went out with the paper. After leaving the house, the old man sighed and shook his head, but finally he still walked in a certain direction.

Jingchen Hall was quiet for a while, and then, under the supervision of Meng Zhengjun, the teachers and students returned to their seats to continue the final work of marking and grading the papers.

Meng Zhengjun turned around and glanced at Zhu Yourong, but the latter did not look back at her.

The busty lady patted her sleeves and returned to her seat as if nothing had happened, as if she had just spoken out for justice out of inspiration and no longer cared about the outcome of the test paper No. 13...

Soon, all the test papers in Jingchen Hall were marked and the teachers stopped writing.

The final task of summing up the scores fell to Meng Zhengjun and the sixteen female students.

…