Chapter 98

Going back two or three days, Mei Ruochu immediately set off upon receiving the news. With his Luck stable at 80, he didn’t exert much effort and arrived at Qingzhu Academy before evening, following the directions given by Lao Buyu.

When the housekeeper announced his arrival, Ling Qingming was quite surprised at how quickly Mei Ruochu had come.

But Mei Ruochu’s early arrival was naturally a good thing. Ling Qingming even wondered if Mei Ruochu had been treated poorly at a grass-roots academy like Cuiwei but had stayed out of obligation, and upon hearing the invitation from their academy, he couldn’t wait to come over.

Before long, Mei Ruochu stood before Ling Qingming, bowing and greeting him.

Aside from the numerous belts around his waist, which made it look like he had tied a bucket to himself, Mei Ruochu exuded an aura of scholarly refinement. His face was handsome, his demeanor elegant, and as Lao Buyu had described, he was clearly an outstanding individual.

Ling Qingming exchanged pleasantries with him and casually asked what books he had been reading recently.

Mei Ruochu had been working on lesson plans for the Book of Changes for the past six months and mentioned that he was currently revisiting it.

The Book of Changes was vast and profound. Many scholars spent their entire lives studying it and still didn’t dare claim to have fully mastered it.

Ling Qingming didn’t seem to mind and casually picked a few questions to ask Mei Ruochu.

Mei Ruochu naturally answered them fluently.

As the saying goes, “Outsiders watch the excitement, insiders watch the doorway.”

After exchanging a few questions and answers, Ling Qingming could tell that Mei Ruochu’s foundation of knowledge was very solid. However, it was still too early to determine whether he or Mu Yunchuan had a better understanding.

There was no need to rush, as Mei Ruochu would reveal his depth of knowledge during his stay at Qingzhu.

Seeing that it was time for dinner, Ling Qingming asked the housekeeper to take him to the dining hall first and politely said, “Since you arrived so quickly, the guest rooms haven’t been prepared yet. I’ll have to trouble you to stay with the other students for tonight.”

Mei Ruochu replied that it wasn’t a problem, saying, “Ling Mountain Master is too kind. I don’t seek any special treatment and am fine staying with the other students.”

His humble attitude, devoid of arrogance, earned Mei Ruochu even more admiration from Ling Qingming. Ling Qingming then instructed the guide to take good care of Mei Ruochu.

Afterward, the guide accompanied Mei Ruochu to the dining hall.

Qingzhu’s dining hall operated on a communal meal system, where the cook prepared a large pot of food and students purchased meals with meal tickets. The cost of meal tickets was not included in the tuition fee and required students to spend additional money to purchase them.

As Mei Ruochu came as a representative of Hongle Academy, he certainly didn’t need to spend money on meal tickets. After a brief exchange with the guide and the cook, Mei Ruochu was allowed to help himself.

Mei Ruochu, like any other student, ordered two simple dishes and a few steamed buns and invited the guide to share.

After he had been sitting for a while, the students from the academy finished their lessons and rushed to the dining hall, hungry.

Although Mei Ruochu was unfamiliar to them, he sat in a corner and went unnoticed for a while.

As Mei Ruochu finished his meal, a dispute broke out between two groups of students in the dining hall.

A burly student, who seemed like a bear, blocked another student and asked accusingly, “Song Yao, did you spread the rumors about Wei Shu?”

Hearing Song Yao’s name, Mei Ruochu turned to look.

The person being blocked, Song Yao, showed no sign of panic. He simply sneered and asked in return, “What rumors? Cousin, why don’t you tell me? Let’s see if I know about them.”

The one questioning him was naturally Song Li.

The rumor Song Li mentioned naturally referred to Wei Shu smuggling Qingzhu’s items to Cuimicro, which led to the county’s incident involving Wei Xi. But repeating it in public might spread the rumor even further, amplifying its impact to those unaware of the truth.

Song Li’s face turned pale, and his friends came over to advise him to let it go. They said, “Rumors are typically short-lived and are only believed by the ignorant.”

“Yeah, Song Brother. Although Wei Brother is friendly with everyone, you’re the only one who’s had conflicts with him. But we don’t have any evidence. Do you forget the consequences of your previous confrontation with him?”

Soon, Song Li was persuaded to leave.

“The emperor is not in a hurry, but the eunuch is.” Song Yao muttered as he watched them leave.

Last year, he was the top scorer in the exam, enjoying unparalleled glory. But due to his poor performance in the provincial exam, those who used to flatter him immediately changed their attitude, showing a different side.

Just like the argument he had with Song Li, no one came to support him.

Song Yao didn’t think his lack of popularity was his fault; he blamed Wei Shu. If Wei Shu had performed poorly in the exam like him, everything would have been fine.

But Wei Shu remained unaffected, making Song Yao’s accusations seem baseless.

“Wait until the provincial exam…” Song Yao thought to himself as he carried his food, already planning to excel in the upcoming exam and outshine Wei Shu. He imagined those people who used to flatter him returning to praise him again.

As he passed by Mei Ruochu, Mei Ruochu asked, “Brother, are you the top scorer from last year, Song Yao?”

Pausing in his steps, Song Yao turned to see the unfamiliar face of Mei Ruochu and asked, “And you are…?”

The guide stepped in to provide a brief explanation, saying that Mei Ruochu was a representative of Hongle Academy who had recently visited Cuimicro and had now arrived at Qingzhu.

Listening to him say that he had spent some time in Cuimicro before coming over, Song Yao muttered to himself in annoyance, thinking that Mei Ruochu, like Song Li, was going to stick up for Wei Shu.

However, Mei Ruochu was a representative of Hongle Academy, treated as an esteemed guest by Ling Qingming, so Song Yao couldn’t afford to be casual in his response.

To his surprise, Mei Ruochu didn’t trouble him but instead said, “I have long admired Brother Song’s talent. The poem you wrote in the county exam last year was splendid.”

When Hongle Academy compiled the exam questions from various prefectures and counties, they naturally managed to obtain some excellent answers from the exams. Song Yao’s poem wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was still commendable.

Mei Ruochu had an exceptional memory and recited Song Yao’s poem word for word on the spot.

Song Yao had no idea that Mei Ruochu possessed such a skill, and he believed that Mei Ruochu genuinely admired his talents, which allowed him to recite the poem he had composed on the spot a year ago.

This brought the two closer together, and Song Yao sat down, engaging in conversation with Mei Ruochu.

After dinner, it was time for the guide to arrange accommodations for him.

Song Yao volunteered to let Mei Ruochu stay with him.

The dormitories at Qingzhu were generally communal, and if one wanted better accommodations, they had to pay extra.

The Song family was wealthy, and previously, Song Yao and Song Li shared a double room.

However, since their falling out, Song Li had moved elsewhere.

Most people were disgusted by Song Yao’s newfound arrogance, so nobody wanted to share a room with him. He ended up being the only one in his dormitory.

Smoothly, Mei Ruochu ended up staying with Song Yao.

The two discussed poetry, literature, and the classics late into the night. Whatever Song Yao said, Mei Ruochu had a response.

In truth, perceptive individuals understood that if someone could effortlessly respond to anything another person said, it meant that person far surpassed the other in various aspects.

Song Yao didn’t expect this turn of events, feeling a strong connection with Mei Ruochu. The next day, they attended classes together, had meals together, and even hung out after school.

Upon learning that Mei Ruochu and Song Yao were getting close, Ling Qingming felt his initial speculation was correct. Mei Ruochu indeed couldn’t get along with Cuimicro, otherwise, he wouldn’t have befriended Song Yao. Perhaps Cuimicro didn’t consider him one of their own or simply didn’t inform him of the discord between Wei Shu and Song Yao.

Although Song Yao’s performance in the prefectural exam was lackluster, in terms of real talent and learning, he was one of the most outstanding among the academy students, second only to Mu Yunchuan, who had already entered the prefectural school.

When exceptional individuals come together, it’s only natural for them to bond.

So Ling Qingming didn’t stop their interactions, instead, he instructed Song Yao to get closer to Mei Ruochu and gauge his talents.

Mei Ruochu, with his exceptional intelligence, easily won Song Yao’s favor. After spending a day together, Song Yao even brought out some hidden liquor to share with him. Although alcohol consumption was prohibited at Qingzhu, Song Yao had brought it secretly, feeling burdened by his recent failures in the exam and the loneliness of living alone.

However, as Song Yao started to drink more, he forgot his initial intention to test Mei Ruochu and began to vent about his grievances, especially about Wei Shu and Song Yao’s success in the exam.

Unperturbed, Mei Ruochu listened calmly until Song Yao passed out on the table.

Just before drifting off, Song Yao heard Mei Ruochu’s voice asking about the rumors he had spread. In his drunken state, Song Yao admitted to spreading them, believing them to be true.

In his half-conscious state, Song Yao vaguely saw Mei Ruochu standing up and undoing his belt, muttering something about wanting to try something.

After fumbling around the room, Mei Ruochu returned to the table, nearly stumbling but catching himself in time. He then reattached the belt to his waist and murmured about trying again tomorrow.

What exactly he was trying, only Mei Ruochu knew.