Chapter 53

Lao Buyu smiled triumphantly, but as he continued to smile, he noticed Shen Cui’s embarrassed expression, and he realized something was wrong.

“What’s the matter? Why would my senior brother ask you to pass on a message about the cane to me…” Lao Buyu suddenly realized something and his face turned pale. “You went to the city to register for the academy competition, and don’t tell me that this year’s competition is not in the capital city but in our county town, and it happens to be organized by my senior brother.”

Seeing that he had guessed it, Shen Cui simply said, “It just ‘happened’ to be like that.”

Shen Cui then relayed everything the head had said to Lao Buyu.

Even Shen Cui, as the head, directly stated that this time they were participating, and when compared to other academies, they would definitely rank at the bottom. How could they avoid bringing shame to the local scholars and students?

Shen Cui comforted him somewhat nervously, “Master, take care of yourself.”

Otherwise, the head might give him a beating with the cane when he found out.

Shen Cui didn’t dare to look back at Lao Buyu, and quickly found an excuse to slip away.

Left alone, Lao Buyu thought of the thick cane passed down by his master, which had not been used yet, and he seemed to feel a headache coming on from between his bones.

Although he had spent ten taels on the registration fee, which could allow the two children to gain some experience and knowledge, Shen Cui’s mood today was not greatly affected.

Later that night, as she was about to go to sleep, Shen Cui called out to the system.

Since the system had provided free hypnosis music the other day, if she knew she could listen to it for free, she would definitely not miss out!

The system didn’t complain about her taking advantage of it, but instead asked her, “Host, have you decided to take it easy? Just focus on participating and completing the tasks?”

“How can I not take it easy? Lao Buyu told me that this is a gathering of literati. I can’t force the two children to earn me a good reputation just for the sake of system rewards. What kind of person would I become?”

She was a determined person, and ordinary people could hardly persuade her, let alone the system.

So the system didn’t continue to persuade her, but said, “Aren’t you curious about the better results and richer rewards for higher grades?”

“Huh? Can I know about this?”

“You can know some of it.”

After saying that, the system directly pushed two things to her.

The first was the reward for passing the preliminary round.

[Item Name: Simulation Room]

[Item Description: A standalone space created to simulate the environment of the imperial examination hall. Testing in this room will make students unconsciously feel like they are participating in the actual imperial examination, helping to train their mentality and enhance their physical fitness.]

Shen Cui immediately got out of bed and carefully studied this simulation room.

This simulation room was essentially a simulated examination hall!

Although various academies would conduct tests of varying sizes, it was known that tests and actual examinations were definitely different. Even in modern times, there were students whose nerves would collapse during major exams, failing to perform up to their true abilities!

In this case, before entering the examination hall, they would need to undress and have their bodies searched, then enter the cramped examination hall, where they would stay for several days.

It was not only a test of mental resilience but also a test of physical fitness.

There were plenty of candidates with insufficient mental or physical endurance who went in walking and were carried out lying down.

Not to mention that it also had the effect of ‘enhancing physical fitness’. After putting Wei Xi in for a few exams, his physical fitness would definitely not just hover around the passing line!

With this simulation room, combined with the question bank purchased earlier, it would definitely have a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts!
Shen Cui brightened up after reading this and then looked at the second item.

The second item was not a physical object, but an additional benefit attached to the academy.

Shen Cui was dumbfounded when she saw it—it was actually a bonus that could change the flow of time.

With this time bonus, when students were studying in the academy, as long as they could focus, they could achieve a state of complete immersion, making time flow in the academy half as fast as outside!

In simpler terms, it would make people feel like time was passing more slowly. As long as they could focus, the same day spent in the academy would be equivalent to two days outside. It was like having twice as much study time as others!

Of course, with such an amazing effect, there were many rules and restrictions.

Firstly, it was limited to three years. After three years, if they wanted to continue, they would have to participate in the academy’s biennial big competition.

Secondly, it required that there be no outsiders in the academy, only the academy master, teachers, students, and miscellaneous workers in the academy system.

Lastly, it had requirements for the mood and physical fitness of everyone in the academy. If anyone’s mood or physical fitness fell below the passing line, it would immediately be invalidated!

Similarly, if any of the teachers or students were distracted, it would not take effect.

But no matter how many rules and restrictions there were, it couldn’t be denied that this bonus was absolutely priceless!

Shen Cui had always been wary of Mu Yunchuan. She knew that he would become extremely talented in the future, but on the other hand, she also knew that based on the current rate of development, her second child would not be able to compare with Mu Yunchuan for a long time.

By then, although the situation would be better than it is now, she would still only be able to passively seek self-preservation.

What her second child lacked most was time!

He started his enlightenment too late. Although Lou Buyu taught him quickly, laying the foundation was not something that could be done overnight; it required time to settle.

If he could get this bonus and study in the academy for one day, it would be equivalent to studying for two days outside.

So when Mu Yunchuan went to take the imperial examination in three years, the second child would have studied for six years, and with the bonus from the system, he would definitely be able to take the county exam! The ten-year agreement between Lou Buyu and the Headmaster might not necessarily have to rely on Wei Xi to complete; Mu Er Pang would also have a fighting chance!

[System: These are the rewards for passing the preliminary and semifinal exams. Does the host want to see the rewards for making it to the finals or winning the championship?]

The system’s tone was like a demon tempting a mortal to make a mistake. Shen Cui quickly said, [No, don’t show me! I’m afraid that if I see it, I’ll really become the kind of person who uses any means to force my children to achieve results!]

As the night passed, Lou Buyu, who hadn’t slept well and had dark circles under his eyes, saw Shen Cui, who was also like him with panda eyes, during morning exercises.

After breakfast, Mrs. Zhou cleaned up the table and the two children began their morning reading.

Lou Buyu and Shen Cui went to the outer room to talk.

Lou Buyu had a slight complaint about Shen Cui yesterday. Although the registration was decided by the two of them, after she went into the city and learned that it was the Qingzhu Academy that was hosting, and after hearing what his senior brother said, she should have waited and discussed it with him before deciding to register!

But seeing Shen Cui, who had spent the whole night without sleep and was full of worries, he couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. He comforted her, “It’s just a few strokes of the cane. When I was young, I don’t know how many times I was beaten, but I’ve grown up knowing to avoid it. I haven’t been beaten much… Anyway, I’ve been able to endure beatings since I was young, and my senior brother couldn’t possibly beat me to death. Mrs. Mu doesn’t need to worry like I do!”

To achieve some success in the academy’s major competition, they both needed to work together. Shen Cui didn’t explain the “beautiful” misunderstanding. She just said, “The master is not young anymore. If he had married earlier, he would be a grandfather by now. Now he is also the teacher of two children. How can I watch you being beaten up? I have figured it out. It’s more than three months before the competition. Let’s work hard. We should achieve some results!”

Both of them looked very unusual after getting up today. Mu Er Pang and Wei Xi naturally noticed, so even though they were reading in the room, they were actually listening to them talking.

Shen Cui didn’t intend to hide it from them. When she made her ambitious vow, she deliberately said it very loudly to show her determination.

When they heard that Lao Bu Yu might get beaten, Mu Er Pang and Wei Xi naturally couldn’t sit still and came out to ask what was going on.

Shen Cui told them everything.

Now the two children were serious. Wei Xi said, “I didn’t have much to do at night anyway. I will practice the piano more and win the music competition.”

Mu Er Pang also wanted to show his determination, but unfortunately, he didn’t know what he could compete with others in. He said, “Then I will sleep a little less every day. Whatever the master asks me to learn, I will study it twice as hard!”

The two children were now thinking not about gains or losses but about defending their teacher’s reputation. They didn’t have to worry about their mindset being affected by the competition results.

In three months, Lao Bu Yu really didn’t think that he could achieve anything good in the academy’s major competition with just effort. After all, others had been preparing for three years.

But for the sake of everyone in the academy coming together to prevent him from being beaten, as the teacher, he naturally couldn’t show weakness. He said, “Alright! Let’s work together and see!”

Afterward, Lao Bu Yu explained the specific items of the academy’s major competition to them.

Although the competition covered a wide range, the first and second rounds were the six arts of the gentleman: ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.

And among them, charioteering, which is the skill of driving a horse carriage, is generally not something that scholars and students would be specifically asked to compete in, so it is usually compared to the other five items.

Of the five items, if three are ranked at the top, they can enter the final round. The content of the final round remains the same, but the difficulty increases sharply.

“In terms of ‘music,’ Xiao Xi can participate. Han Shan, you can try to learn ‘archery.’ We scholars are weak and have little strength. There are very few people who can pull a bow. Especially this year in the county competition, our small place doesn’t have a dedicated field, so I guess this year’s competition should be about throwing pots. Han Shan, you are not weak. You should start practicing by throwing pots.”

After assigning these two items, Lao Buyu encountered a difficulty. The remaining items were not something that could be improved with just a few months of effort.

“As for the rest, I can help you catch up in ritual and calligraphy, and you may see some initial results. It’s just the ‘mathematics.’ I’m not afraid to admit that I’m not particularly proficient in mathematics, and Han Shan and Xiao Xi have only learned the basics of ‘The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art,’ so I’m afraid…”

“I’ll take care of this.” Shen Cui interjected, “Yesterday, when I went to sign up for the competition, the people from Qingzhu Academy reminded me. They said that if there are students who are not from the academy but want to participate, they can be affiliated with the academy. So as long as we find someone who wants to participate in the competition and is willing to be affiliated with our academy, it’s settled!”

Anyone daring to participate in such a competition must be extremely proficient in a certain subject. Would such a person not be affiliated with an academy?

Even if they weren’t affiliated with an academy, such people would be highly sought after before the competition. Would they be willing to affiliate with Cuiwei Academy, which was unheard of, and give Cuiwei Academy face?

Thinking about it, Lao Buyu also felt that this method was not very feasible.

But since things had come to this point, Lao Buyu didn’t want to sound pessimistic. He continued, “Alright, then I’ll trouble Mrs. Mu… No, I’ll trouble the headmaster to arrange this.”