The examiner in charge of verification has already stood on the stage. The female teacher who just took the lottery ticket box has recorded each item one by one. They will be examined in groups.
First up was the women's group, which competed in the four arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. For Guangwentang students, those in the first year of junior high didn't need to be evaluated; only those in the second and third years were. The third-year students would be left for the next group, and this group of second-year students only had about twenty or so in total.
The women who came to Guangwen Hall were the daughters of the upper echelons of the capital. Concubines were naturally ineligible, and even legitimate daughters often hired teachers to teach them. Furthermore, Guangwen Hall's entry threshold was high, with an annual payment of one thousand taels of silver alone.
Chen Xin hadn't cared about these material possessions at first, and had sent all three daughters of the Chen family to Guangwen Hall. Ren Wanyun was somewhat dissatisfied with this, but Chen Xin waved his hand and she didn't dare to argue any further. After all, the confiscated silver was the emperor's reward to Chen Xin for his war.
There were twenty-two people, divided into four groups. There were more people in the musical instrument category, with seven people. Girls always like things that can show their own charm. The other three categories each had five people.
The group of paintings that Shen Miao was in included Shen Yue, Qin Qing, the legitimate daughter of the Left Censor-in-Chief, Fan Liu'er from the Fengtian Prefecture Governor's house, and Zhao Yan from the Left Vice Minister's family.
Fan Liu'er and Zhao Yan were both somewhat disappointed. Fan Liu'er excelled in the qin, while Zhao Yan excelled in chess. Not everyone was as proficient in every skill as Shen Yue. Having failed to draw their preferred style, neither Fan Liu'er nor Zhao Yan was particularly pleased in front of the male family members. Qin Qing, however, remained as arrogant as ever. Her beauty made her the only one in Guangwen Hall who could rival Shen Yue's, but it wasn't due to her talent. Although Shen Yue was also naturally beautiful, Qin Qing's striking beauty easily overshadowed her.
Shen Miao's gaze fell on Qin Qing. Today, she was wearing a green, wide-sleeved, embroidered cotton gown. A light yellow belt hung around her waist, accentuating her slender waist, which seemed barely comprehensible. With her flowing sleeves, she looked like a fairy. Compared to the delicate and frail Chen Yue, she looked more like a lotus.
However, this proud and beautiful woman became a military prostitute after the late emperor began to purge the aristocratic families and the Zuodu Yushi family was defeated. Later, it was heard that she killed herself with a knife in the military camp together with a young general.
As if he had noticed Shen Miao's gaze, Qin Qing looked over, as if a little surprised, and then turned his head away with a bit of disgust, as if he didn't want to look at Shen Miao any longer.
Shen Miao didn't care, but Feng An Ning who was standing beside her tugged at the corner of her clothes and said, "At this time, just draw whatever you want, don't think too much."
Feng An Ning thought it was simple. He would eventually make a fool of himself. Such an open and honest embarrassment would only make those people feel bored. However, if Shen Miao did something out of the ordinary on stage just to prove herself, that would be a serious problem.
Shen Miao nodded. Then, the ceremonial official on the stage pounded the drum, and the inspection officially began.
The first thing to be compared is the "qin".
Feng Anning was lucky. The female students who had drawn the piano today were all mediocre in skill. And the best players hadn't been assigned this category, so Feng Anning had gotten a great deal.
Feng Anning's recent diligent practice of the qin had finally paid off. Sitting upright, she had a rather ladylike demeanor, and she was also quite pretty. The ethereal sound of her qin, compared to the mediocre skills of the previous players, was like a gentle breeze, refreshing one's face.
A young man in a blue shirt at the men's table said, "It lingers in the air for three days."
Upon hearing this, Cai Lin, who was standing nearby, kicked the young man in displeasure and said, "What's that? You haven't seen Yue'er's piano music. If Yue'er played a piece, even the Nine Heavens Fairies couldn't match her. You're so ignorant!"
Cai Lin always defended his beloved, but when Su Minglang heard his words, he curled his lips in disdain, as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw his eldest brother's warning look, he held back.
The "qin" competition quickly concluded, and the examiners on the field began to discuss the judging. After the "qin" competition was over, it was time for the chess competition. The chess competition was much simpler, with five players playing in pairs, each one a winner, and points awarded based on their moves and style. The winner of this category was Yi Peilan.
After chess, the next step was calligraphy. Shen Qing, Bai Wei, and Jiang Xiaoxuan happened to be in the same group. These three were close friends, but even on the practice court, the atmosphere was tense. This time, the calligraphy was about writing a poem on the theme of "Today's Chrysanthemum." Writing it down was a test of both calligraphy and talent. Shen Qing's best performance wasn't in poetry, but in chess and calligraphy. Unfortunately, calligraphy was in the men's category, and she didn't get to play chess.
But until the final results come out, no one knows which one will come out on top.
At the end, it was Shen Miao's group's turn.
Chen Yue glanced at Chen Miao. Perhaps she was resentful of the embarrassing scene she had just made. Chen Miao hadn't even managed to maintain her good and kind sister demeanor. She smiled and said to Chen Miao, "Later on stage, Fifth Sister, please give in to me. You look so confident, I'm a little scared."
Fan Liu'er, who happened to be standing nearby, overheard these words and couldn't help but sneer, "Chen Yue, what are you talking about? What do you mean by confident? Could it be that Shen Miao has some backup plan?"
"Now that you mention it, I'm also looking forward to it." Zhao Yan gloated, "Remember last year when Chen Miao stole the zither, she plucked all the strings off someone else's fine bamboo-fragrant zither. Perhaps she inherited General Shen's bravery. This year, when you paint, don't break your brush." As she spoke, she touched Chen Miao's cheek, "Such a fair and tender face, I'm afraid you'll end up painting it into a clown face yourself."
Shen Miao remained motionless, staring at her with cold eyes. Under that extremely cold gaze, Zhao Yan's smile gradually froze. Fan Liu'er also sensed the hostility in Shen Miao's expression. She suddenly felt an inexplicable fear in her heart, and involuntarily pulled Zhao Yan's hand back.
Qin Qing seemed a little impatient and glanced at Shen Miao: "What are you arguing about? If you want to argue, go on stage and let everyone see your faces."
After she said this, although Zhao Yan and the others were dissatisfied, they didn't say anything else.
At the men's table, Cai Lin looked at Chen Yue excitedly, while the glutinous rice dumpling pulled Su Mingfeng and said, "That beautiful sister is here too, big brother, look."
Su Mingfeng was a bit amused and confused, wondering why his brother was so obsessed with Shen Miao. He was already in his third year of high school, and this was his first time out after lying about being seriously ill. He looked very weak, so he couldn't take the test. He also knew Shen Miao's name. After all, the entire Dingjing City knew that the mighty general who fought on the battlefield had a useless daughter.
"She will definitely win." Su Minglang said with a fist.
Su Mingfeng didn't say anything in his heart, he just thought that today, Shen Yue would definitely take the lead again.
Before going on stage, Shen Yue couldn't help herself and teased Shen Miao: "Fifth sister, please don't show mercy later. Sister is waiting for you."
“Definitely.” Shen Miao replied.
There will be no mercy.
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