Chapter 410: It's gotten so old it's covered in a patina.
"A woman gaining literary talent... this has never happened before in history..." Chief Clerk Yu also felt this matter was troublesome. To be on the safe side, he made up an excuse to take Yu Zi away from the tent, intending to ask her clearly, "...Before this happened, were there any strange omens? Strange dreams or bizarre phenomena that defied common sense? The sun rising in the west and setting in the east, roosters laying eggs and hatching?"
Yu, the registrar, stood with his hands behind his back and his brows furrowed.
"No, no..." Yu Zi's brows, which resembled those of Registrar Yu, furrowed. She carefully recalled the day she condensed her literary heart—the weather was fine and sunny, everything seemed normal. These strange phenomena her great-uncle described couldn't possibly be possible, could they?
"Really not?"
"Really not!" Yu Zi said firmly, but she was somewhat annoyed and pouted as she complained, "Besides—I'm not some special big shot. I'm just an ordinary fourth-grade upper-middle-level literary talent, how could I be worthy of these strange phenomena?"
She knew that the higher the rank of Wenxin, the rarer they became.
But I once dreamed of becoming a second-class high school student.
After all, there are two readily available right next to me.
One was her mentor, Chu Yao, and the other was her fellow disciple, Lin Feng. Although she had passed the prime age for early learning, Kang Jishou had still said that Lin Feng possessed considerable talent, placing her among the upper-middle rank of a literary scholar. Even if she couldn't reach the upper-middle second rank, achieving the lower-middle third rank would have been acceptable. However, upon condensing her literary monogram, she discovered it was only at the upper-middle fourth rank, leading to a stark sense of disappointment…
Registrar Yu: "..."
For a moment, I didn't know where to begin complaining.
For a woman to attain the Literary Heart rank is unprecedented in history; it's anything but ordinary, isn't it? Furthermore, what does "ordinary fourth-rank upper-middle-level Literary Heart rank" even mean? If she said that, how many Literary Heart scholars would be cursing her twice a day? They'd be so jealous they'd die.
Registrar Yu said, "Although the Literary Mind is divided into nine ranks, there are actually only eight ranks. The highest rank, the first rank, belongs to the Sage rank, which is merely a formality. Below that, among the eight ranks of Literary Mind, ranks two to five belong to the 'Superior Literary Mind,' and ranks six to nine belong to the 'Inferior Literary Mind,' which are also the most numerous. Your teacher is Chu Wuhui, and he should have told you that the rank of Literary Mind cannot be used as a basis for classifying the strength of Literary Mind scholars, right? That's true, but there are still distinctions of nobility and lowliness among Literary Mind scholars."
Yu Zi was stunned for a moment: "Noble or lowly?"
"The highest ranks have no poor families, and the lowest ranks have no noble families."
Yu Zi carefully considered the meaning of these words and asked doubtfully, "The Master never said that, and neither did the other Masters. Moreover—this is not right. The Master once said that he came from a humble background, that his ancestors were farmers, and that they had never achieved great success. But the Master is a second-rank scholar! If this is true, it is impossible for someone of the Master's background to have such a high rank as a scholar..."
Yu, the registrar, said, “This is the incantation of the ‘Mountain and Sea Sacred Land’. When this statement was uttered, the world was astonished. Some scholars from aristocratic families even comprehended a very special ‘Way of the Scholar’ from it… These are too far removed from you. You only need to know that your literary talent is ‘superior’. Even if you encounter a scholar who believes in this incantation in the future, you need not be afraid.”
This statement has given rise to two different interpretations.
One approach is "family background-based," where only those born into aristocratic families are considered aristocratic and qualified to acquire superior literary talent; the other is "literary talent-based," where the level of literary talent determines one's social class.
The two parties were locked in a power struggle, with the former narrowly emerging victorious.
Because only those from privileged backgrounds can receive a complete early education, acquiring literary talent is relatively easier for them, and naturally, a large number of these individuals possess superior literary talent. Therefore, they wield more power and influence in the secular world.
Naturally—
The two factions merged to form a "plus version" that prioritizes family background and emphasizes literary talent, and became even more demanding.
But it also better suits the interests of aristocratic families.
Yu Zi was still in a daze.
She only knew that the former Xin Kingdom and the current Geng Kingdom both considered "family background" when selecting officials, but the kind of thing her great-uncle was talking about... she had never heard of it before.
Yu Zi's face showed her doubt, and Yu the Registrar sighed.
"You are now in the northwest of the continent, far from the Central Plains. There are many weak kingdoms, and local warlords are fighting each other. It has been many years since the country was unified. There are not so many rules and restrictions here. Unlike the Central Plains, where powerful kingdoms stand side by side, with long reigns and stable power... They are just bored and like to think about how to consolidate their own interests and those of their descendants..."
He spoke in a simple and easy-to-understand way, and he also disliked these ideas, but he couldn't argue that the other person's influence was far greater than his own.
"...These things are too far removed from your life." Registrar Yu didn't think Yu Zi would go that far either; a superficial understanding would suffice. The biggest issue right now was still Yu Zi's matter. "What is your teacher's attitude towards your gaining Wenxin?"
Since ancient times—
Heresy is unwelcome.
But Yu Zi is his granddaughter, and he can't just sit idly by.
Yu Zi asked, "What is the teacher's attitude?"
"Did he intend to kill you?"
"……No."
Why did he intend to kill her? Was it because her rank was too low, dragging down his teaching standards? Was it a disgrace to his teaching career?
Registrar Yu was completely baffled.
Yu Zi knew what he was worried about, her little face scrunched up, thinking to herself that she was indeed a "heretic" and not the first one. Before her were her lord, Bai Ze Cao, and after her were her senior sister Lin Feng and Lu Xiao Niangzi who had recently mastered martial arts...
I blended in without drawing attention.
But she couldn't speak until she received her lord's approval.
She could only keep her secret and watch her cheap uncle pace back and forth, his hands behind his back, moving from left to right and from right to left in front of her. Sometimes he would mutter that things were about to change, and other times he would suspect that it was a conspiracy by Chu Wuhui. He never stopped.
Yu Zi said, "...Why don't we wait a little longer?"
Registrar Yu asked, "What are we waiting for?"
Yu Zi: "Waiting for more female scholars..."
Registrar Yu: "..."
Yu Zi smiled, her eyes crinkling, and even used a coquettish, innocent tone: "My lord said that the way to hide a leaf is to throw it into the dense forest. If only I am noticed, but if there are many people, it won't be noticed. Uncle, don't you think so?"
Registrar Yu was annoyed, but he couldn't lose his temper.
"You don't even know why you were able to obtain the Wenxin, how did you create such a dense forest? A dense forest? If someone finds out, I'll have pulled up all the saplings..."
Yu Zi: "I know."
You know?
Yu Zi nodded: "Yes! To be honest, I suspect this matter may be related to our lord."
"Your lord?" Chief Clerk Yu murmured.
What is special about Shen Jun?
After much thought, it all comes down to the illogical dual cultivation of literary and martial arts... Could this young man be the "heretic," the source of the "strange phenomena"? Or perhaps, is it related to the national seal in his possession?
This is the only speculation at the moment.
Yu Zi whispered, "And—"
"And what?"
"Furthermore, my granddaughter discovered that there might be female warriors lurking among the lord's soldiers, but they are inconspicuous and well-hidden, which is why they haven't been discovered. Uncle, given enough time, how could this situation not create a dense forest—"
Before Yu Zi could finish speaking, Yu Zhubu raised his hand to stop her.
She also fell silent.
Registrar Yu: "Let's leave this matter aside for now."
Yu Zi: "???"
How should we proceed?
Unfortunately, Mr. Gu Chi did not respond.
Yu, the registrar, said, "Your lord has quite a few secrets. As his subordinate, you should be careful what you say..."
Yu Zi: "..."
Yu, the registrar, stroked his beard and sneered, "I roughly know what your lord is planning to do... It is indeed feasible."
No wonder this kid dared to ask for 30,000 young men's heads.
Yu Zi: "..."
She also wanted to know her lord's plans.
Unfortunately, my uncle is tight-lipped and refuses to tell.
Then, unexpectedly, Clerk Yu asked, "Wei Heng, was someone instructing you or revealing something to me just now?"
Yu Zi: "!!!"
Her expression didn't change much, but the muscles in her back tensed up slightly. Clerk Yu sneered, "Young."
Yu Zi cried with a mournful face: "Grandpa Uncle..."
"I'm not angry..."
Although he hadn't known Yu Zi for long, the child's ordeal evoked pity and sympathy in him, and he wouldn't truly get angry, even for the sake of her mother and grandparents.
He's getting old and can't protect Yu Zi for long; besides, she's so special, her future is destined to be difficult. All he, this old man, can do is help pave the way for her...
Inside the tent, Gu Chi touched his nose.
He is skilled at reading minds and speaking secrets.
It's very convenient to do something without anyone noticing.
Gu Chi complained insincerely, "...This is truly a cunning old fox, not easy to catch..."
Chu Yao said, "If we are allies, then we are also an asset."
Jiang Sheng: "..."
I wonder what kind of riddle these two are playing.
Shen Tang and her party stayed at Yonggu Pass for a day. The next day, they received news that the princess's wedding procession was about to arrive at the border of Longwu County. As the prefect, Shen Tang was required to go and greet them, but then a second piece of news came: the dowry was still short of a thousand young women, and she was ordered to gather them within a limited time as "additional dowry".
Registrar Yu: "..."
What is this called?
Just when I was about to doze off, a pillow appeared.
Yu, the registrar, suspects that Shen Tang has connections in the royal court!
(End of this chapter)
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