Chapter 2 The Ancient Scholar Used as Cannon Fodder (Part Two) Chu Nanfeng...
Chu Nanfeng couldn't help but feel disheartened. He and Han Qige had been classmates for ten years, and their friendship had deepened in recent years.
However, Han Qige's framing this time was clearly not a spur-of-the-moment decision. In order to ensure that nothing went wrong, he deliberately chose to do it just before entering the examination hall.
If it had been earlier, he might have been able to check the examination basket, but now that he was at the entrance of the examination hall and had no suspicion of Han Qige, it was almost impossible for him to discover Han Qige's scheme.
If it weren't for the sudden appearance of this female ghost reminding him, he would probably be in grave danger today. Cheating in the imperial examination was a serious crime, which would not only strip him of his academic title but also subject him to forty strokes of the cane and a parade through the streets in shackles.
Chu Nanfeng knew very well that with his physique, if he were to go through something like this, he would almost lose half his life.
He was short of money, having spent almost all the money he brought with him, and had no extra money to buy medicine or hire a doctor. It was hard to say whether he would survive.
Only her ailing mother and young sister remained at home. If she hadn't taken care of them, who knew what would have become of her?
The court had a rule that anyone caught cheating during the imperial examinations would be locked in a cangue at the entrance of the examination hall and displayed to the public. If they confessed, they would be imprisoned after all the candidates had entered the examination hall to await punishment.
If they do not plead guilty, they will remain locked on the stage while a special person examines the evidence to see if they are innocent.
However, the cheat sheet that Han Qige used to frame him was not only handwritten by him, but also different in size from normal writing. If it were found during a search, he would have no way to defend himself.
Chu Nanfeng took a deep breath to calm his lingering fear. With a thought, he accepted the binding request from the female ghost, something she had been asking him to do ever since she appeared.
Although he didn't know what the female ghost wanted from him or what she intended to get from him, he was willing to let her do as she pleased, since she had saved his life.
Judging from her warm-hearted manner, she doesn't seem like someone who would harm others. Perhaps it's just that her birth chart is compatible with his/hers?
After hearing the notification that the binding had been accepted, Lin You finally breathed a long sigh of relief; she had finally bound herself to the task target.
As for the female ghost's birth chart and such, there will always be a chance to explain that later.
Looking at Chu Nanfeng, who had regained his composure, she asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid that the calligraphy brush was just a trick I used to frame that guy?"
After all, in this person's mind, he regarded her as a female ghost. Isn't it normal for female ghosts to have magic?
"I can tell whether it's the truth or a lie." Chu Nanfeng felt a little relieved. This female ghost seemed rather simple-minded and should be easy to get along with.
After sensing his thoughts, Lin You was momentarily speechless. Was she really that easy to see through?!
She pouted in frustration, uploaded the signed binding agreement to the company, and then heard a notification sound from the main system.
[Ding! System Lin You has successfully entered the novice trial period, and is awarded 10 system points and 10 experience points. The system page has been updated, the system shop is now open, and the world storyline has been unlocked. Please check them out.]
Upon seeing this message, Lin You's slight frustration vanished instantly. She hadn't expected the company to give out benefits so soon after she started working!
When I first joined the company, they gave me a booklet called "Newcomer's Guide," which introduced these basic things.
System points can be used to buy things in the system shop. Whether it's tools needed to complete tasks or items you like, many things can be bought in the system shop.
Experience points can be used to level up. The highest level is 100. After completing certain tasks or reaching level 60, you can choose to retire and go to the main city or any small world to live a peaceful life.
Of course, as mentioned above, the experience points required for leveling up increase sequentially. The higher the level, the more difficult it is to level up. So far, the company has not yet introduced a system with a maximum level.
Lin You doesn't need to think about this yet, since she's only a level 0 system.
With the addition of 10 experience points, she successfully leveled up to level 1 and underwent some noticeable changes. She was no longer like the wind without a physical form and could change her shape at will.
However, no one could see her or sense her presence. Lin You looked at her body, which had become semi-transparent after returning to its original form, and couldn't help but hiss.
She couldn't help but feel that she looked more like a female ghost now!
"It's okay, take your time, you'll level up quickly." Lin You comforted herself, then shrunk to a foot tall and floated down onto Chu Nanfeng's shoulder.
At least after she became tiny, she no longer appeared transparent.
Lin You's current appearance is exactly what she originally looked like. She happily swung her legs, occasionally kicking Chu Nanfeng's cloak, but he didn't seem to notice.
Looking at the delicate patterns on the cloak, Lin You suddenly asked:
"Chu Nanfeng, could there be something wrong with the clothes that guy gave you?"
Chu Nanfeng shook his head slightly, his expression unchanged. He was almost at the door, so he didn't say anything.
Lin You then realized that her mission target didn't know how to communicate with her, so she hurriedly opened the system's skill introduction and told him the mission target's exclusive methods of mental communication and thought blocking.
Chu Nanfeng has a strong learning ability and quickly figured out how to communicate with the other party.
"This cloak was personally handed to me by Han Qige in full view of everyone. If he smuggled it in, he will definitely be implicated."
Chu Nanfeng's voice rang in Lin You's mind as he patiently explained, "If we deal with the cloak now, it will cause too much of a commotion, which could easily lead to misunderstandings and alert the enemy."
"I see." Lin You replied, not asking if the other party would poison the cloak. Unfortunately, she was just a newbie system and hadn't unlocked any functions yet.
"Miss, would you mind leaving for a moment? You will need to undress during the search at the examination hall. Men and women are different, so please don't offend your eyes," Chu Nanfeng reminded her gently.
Lin You was embarrassed. He probably really thought she was a female ghost, even though she was indeed no different from one.
She couldn't explain it to him clearly in a short time; the system had a built-in censorship function and wouldn't see his privacy.
Lin You casually responded, floated down from his shoulder and landed in a corner to study her system page.
The system page, which originally had only one white task icon, now has five new icons, neatly arranged.
The green human-shaped icon represents information about the person.
The orange book page icon indicates the plot summary.
The Golden Finger icon indicates that you are trying out the Golden Finger feature.
The red shopping cart icon represents the system's online store.
The blue backpack icon represents the system backpack.
There is also a points data and experience value data bar in the upper right corner.
The more Lin You looked at it, the more she felt like she was playing a game, a real-life holographic simulation game.
So Chu Nanfeng is like her adopted son? Amused by her own thoughts, Lin You happily tapped the icon.
She first checked the character information, which showed a series of gray silhouette images. Only the first image was in color, depicting a picture of Chu Nanfeng.
His detailed information was displayed after opening:
Name: Chu Nanfeng
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Height: 179cm
Weight: 58kg
Title: Scholar
Skills: Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, and tea
Note: Information is subject to change based on actual circumstances; please check regularly.
Wow, this kid is a well-rounded academic star! But he only studies humanities subjects, he doesn't have any martial arts skills.
Lin You sighed inwardly and glanced at Chu Nanfeng, who had already dressed and entered the examination hall.
The young man had a refined appearance and deep eyes, showing no trace of childishness. It was hard to believe that he was not even 18 years old yet, still an underage kid.
He's so tall but only weighs 116 pounds, that's too thin. His complexion isn't very rosy either. And looking at his clothes, he's definitely the most shabby among the group of scholars. I guess his living conditions aren't very good.
Lin You floated to Chu Nanfeng's side, looked him over for a moment, then sat down at the table and continued to focus on the system page.
The trial tasks for the cheat codes are randomly selected, and each world is different.
Lin You rubbed her hands excitedly, then tapped the cheat icon. The legendary cheat! She wondered what kind she would get on her first try.
[Ding! Additional task generated: Test of the cheat-like game "The Emperor's Beloved Concubine". A smile that could launch a thousand ships, leaving all the beauties of the harem pale in comparison.]
If you gain 100 points of favor from the emperor, you will be the most dazzling person in the harem. To pass the test, you need to reach at least 60 points.
Failure will deduct the reward for this mission; passing will grant double the reward; a perfect score will allow you to draw a mystery gift. Note: The cheat code can only be used on the mission target.
Lin You: ……………！ ！ ！ ！
What kind of ridiculous cheat code is this!
When Lin You opened the Golden Finger Shop again, all she saw were fertility pills, slimming pills, eyes like spring water, skin like cream, and so on. Lin You felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
The points and experience points for each task are calculated upon completion. She had taken on the simplest task, and this time, upon completion, she would only receive 100 points and 100 experience points.
Lin You watched Chu Nanfeng, who was carefully organizing his belongings in the cramped cell. The young man stood tall and had a handsome face. Even his movements, such as wiping the table, were fluid and graceful.
He's already a scholar at a young age, and now he's taking the provincial examination. Judging from the way that person framed him, his chances of passing are probably very high.
How could someone so beautiful and talented be sent to compete for the emperor's favor in the harem?!
She had just overheard people chatting outside and gained a basic understanding of this world: it was an ancient world where male dominance reigned supreme and the emperor was always male.
She has no interest in forcibly dragging people into gay relationships, so this time the golden finger mission is off, and it's probably all for nothing.
Lin You scratched her head in frustration. Oh well, it's only the first mission. She might not even be able to complete it yet. No reward is no reward. She'll just treat it as getting used to it. There's a probationary period when looking for a job. She can try harder later.
Lin You comforted herself, finally calmed down, opened the plot introduction of this world, and then successfully made herself as angry as a pufferfish.
The transmigrator of this world is none other than Han Qige, who just threw a calligraphy brush into Chu Nanfeng's exam basket in an attempt to frame him.
The other person traveled from the future. In his history, Chu Nanfeng had already achieved lasting fame and risen to the position of Prime Minister. He was exceptionally talented and eloquent, with many of his poems and essays included in textbooks.
He also proposed many policy reforms, which greatly benefited the country and its people. He had an excellent reputation and was trusted by two emperors.
Han Qige is an actress who had just starred in a historical drama, "The Famous Prime Minister Chu Nanfeng," before she time-traveled.
He is a dedicated actor. In order to play this famous prime minister in history well, he researched a lot of information and had a very good understanding of Chu Nanfeng's life.
After suddenly transmigrating, Han Qige found herself in a classmate of Chu Nanfeng, and began to deliberately get close to him, eventually becoming his friend.
After Han Qige transmigrated, her family was considered well-off. Although life was not as carefree as in her previous life, she still had enough to eat and wear, and even had a page to serve her.
However, he was not suited to studying in ancient times. Even with Chu Nanfeng's occasional tutoring, he barely passed the imperial examination and ended up at the bottom of the list.
The teacher initially disagreed with him taking the provincial examination, but he only said he was there to see what it was like, and his family didn't need the registration fee, so the teacher let him have his way.
The reason Han Qige insisted on taking this provincial examination was because, in later generations, Chu Nanfeng's provincial and academy examination papers were recorded.
He knew the test questions and had memorized Chu Nanfeng's exam paper, remembering most of it. Combining this with his own level of learning in this world for several years, he had no problem writing it out.
The only obstacle was Chu Nanfeng, the original author of the answer, which led to the frame-up at the entrance of the examination hall.
Knowing Chu Nanfeng's habit of saving paper, Han Qige slightly modified the first essay topic on the exam paper, tucked it into the book Chu Nanfeng was going to read, and then quietly took it away after he finished writing it.
Chu Nanfeng was found to be carrying contraband during a search without his knowledge, and was put in shackles and paraded in front of the examination hall.
He repeatedly protested his innocence, but it was discovered that the cheat sheet was indeed written by him and was similar to the exam questions. The examiner was furious about the leak of the exam questions and severely punished Chu Nanfeng.
He was stripped of his scholar's degree on the spot, and his forty strokes of the cane were doubled, resulting in a solid eighty strokes. Chu Nanfeng barely survived, and was then dragged through the streets in shackles.
The parade, which was supposed to last only two hours, was dragged on for six hours. After he was sent home, his injuries became even more serious, and he was eventually left with a disability in both legs and could no longer stand up.
With a frail and sickly mother and an innocent and ignorant younger sister, Chu Nanfeng could only grit his teeth and force himself to stay upright, struggling to make a living by selling calligraphy and paintings, barely managing to keep his family afloat.
A note from the author:
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