Chapter 7
“... It shows that this child truly has a gift!” Mr. Shen pointed at Zheng Fa's exam paper and said, “Although every character he wrote is wrong, if you compare it, you'll find he almost got nine-tenths of the original text right!”
“Photographic memory?” Butler Wu began to grasp Mr. Shen's meaning.
“Exactly! For someone who can't read, to remember these characters in such a short time, it can only be explained by photographic memory.”
“So you really weren't mocking me…”
“Of course not! While photographic memory is indeed a bit unusual, to be honest, I’ve heard of such people before. But there’s one thing that makes me think this child is extraordinary.”
“What is it?” Butler Wu became intrigued.
“Look at the characters he wrote. At first glance, they seem to lack strokes and details, but upon closer inspection, you realize that each character has its own rules. I even have a feeling—each character has a unique way of being written by him, and this way of writing almost retains the essence of the character itself.”
Butler Wu, upon hearing this, found it hard to believe.
“Creating a unique script on his own?”
“That’s beyond mere genius; that’s a prodigy.”
“Isn’t it possible that he just didn’t remember the correct forms of the characters?”
“Hmm…” Deep down, Mr. Shen also felt that Butler Wu had a point; his speculation might be a bit far-fetched.
With that thought, Mr. Shen shook his head. “Regardless, if we’re talking about talent, I believe Zheng Fa stands out among this group.”
Butler Wu chuckled at this. “I told you, my eyes can’t be wrong! This kid is a talent!”
“However, from this exam paper, it’s clear that his family is probably quite ordinary, and he hasn’t had much formal education. He’s older now, and with some talent, it might be hard for him to develop it in a short time. I fear the lady might not think highly of him,” Mr. Shen said with a hint of regret.
At this moment, Butler Wu took Zheng Fa's exam paper and placed it among the four previously selected papers, holding them in his hand.
“You really don’t understand our lady,” he said with a smile as he walked outside. “For her…”
“Family background,” he pointed through the wall at the eager young boys waiting outside, “these kids, whether poor or rich, are just the children of servants.”
“Knowledge,” he gestured to himself and then to Mr. Shen, “is about the same. Those who are useful are kept, and those who aren’t are replaced.”
“I’d bet that among these few, the one chosen will definitely be this Zheng kid. Our lady values talent.”
He held the exam papers and walked deeper into the estate, passing by the lotus pond and through the back garden.
Finally, he arrived at a small two-story building.
Upstairs, the sound of silk and bamboo instruments floated down.
He climbed the fragrant sandalwood stairs to the second floor, where heavy curtains hung. Through the layers of gauze, he could see a graceful figure reclining on a wide low couch.
The woman rested her head on one hand, listening to the performance of three young maidens in the corner, while lazily playing with a gold hairpin in the other.
Butler Wu didn’t dare to look up or speak.
He simply stood quietly in front of the curtain.
After a long while, the music came to an end.
The woman raised her hand and lightly tapped the jade ring hanging from the curtain with the tip of her gold hairpin.
Ding~
The clear sound resonated through the layers of curtains.
Butler Wu knew it was time to speak.
“Madam, today I brought a few exam papers for selecting a book boy for the Seventh Young Master, and there are a few that are quite good.”
Ding~
A young girl stepped out slowly, took the exam papers from Butler Wu, and turned back to the couch.
She handed the papers to the woman on the couch.
---
**Chapter 8: Don’t Discuss Answers After the Exam**
The lady on the couch lazily flipped through the exam papers that Butler Wu had brought.
Butler Wu lowered his head and reported, “According to your instructions, all the boys from the Zhao family servants who are sixteen or older but under eighteen, living near Jingzhou City, have come. There are a total of forty-seven.”
“After Mr. Shen’s selection, these five exam papers are among the best.”
The woman on the couch seemed to have not heard him, only the sound of paper rustling could be heard.
After a long while.
Ding~
The tapping sound rang out again.
Butler Wu immediately said, “Among them, there’s a boy named Zheng Fa, whom Mr. Shen believes has the highest talent.”
The woman inside pulled out Zheng Fa's exam paper.
“I’ve already checked; Zheng Fa has only studied for a year in primary school, so he doesn’t know many characters. Although his exam paper is filled with mistakes, he managed to remember over ninety percent of the content, which is more than double what the others achieved.”
The lady on the couch sat up, set aside the exam papers, and finally spoke:
“Do you think Zheng Fa is the best?”
Her voice was even clearer and more pleasant than the sound of the gold hairpin striking the jade ring.
“I’m just a simple person, only able to see what’s in front of me,” Butler Wu said, lowering his head. “Compared to others, he has his shortcomings. The other boys have more knowledge, having studied for several years, and some have even achieved degrees. Zheng Fa can only be said to have slightly more talent, but he still needs refinement; he’s probably not ready for use at this time.”
The figure behind the curtain nodded gently, seemingly agreeing with his assessment.
But after a moment, she suddenly let out a light laugh. “The most neatly written characters, aside from Zheng Fa, belong to that boy named Gao Yuan? I remember he’s the only son of the second house’s steward?”
“Madam, you see clearly!”
Butler Wu’s back broke out in a cold sweat.
“Alright, these three,” the lady pulled out Zheng Fa's paper and two others, handing them to a nearby maid. “Take them to Xu Zheng for review.”
“Yes!”
Butler Wu took the exam papers from the maid, lowered his head, and slowly walked out of the small building. Outside, the warm breeze blew, but he felt a chill run through him.
Although the lady didn’t manage affairs much, spending her days in high repose and rarely deigning to speak with others, she was truly aware of everything. One sentence from her made him tremble with fear— the second house’s steward had some past grievances with him that no one knew about. After so many years, he had spoken up for Zheng Fa, and his subtle rejection of the steward was due to some unspoken thoughts he believed were hidden.
The lady…
Butler Wu shook his head, realizing that being sent by her to do a task meant he hadn’t truly lost her trust.
---
In the pavilion, the young boys gradually began to converse with one another.
Being in the Zhao family estate, they didn’t dare to move around freely, but their youthful spirits left them with little patience for waiting.
At first, they were wary of Mr. Shen and Butler Wu next door, but soon they saw Butler Wu walking out, followed by Mr. Shen leisurely leaving. With their concerns lifted, they gathered together, exchanging thoughts about the exam.
Since the exam was a dictation, everyone had a good idea of their performance.
Even when they submitted their papers, they could tell who had the best chance.
At this moment, half of them were gathered around a boy wearing a silk cap.
“Gao Ge, the position of book boy is probably already in your pocket,” another student said, a hint of reluctance in his voice.
“That’s not certain,” the boy named Gao shook his head quickly, though a smile was hard to hide. “Chen Ge’s talent is no less than mine; are you trying to flatter me, Gao Yuan?”
The Chen boy shook his head. “I’ve been reading Confucian and legal texts all day; Daoist texts are precious, and I’ve never encountered them before. The ‘Qingjing Jing’ sounds so convoluted to me. I can’t compare to you in this regard.”
Seeing his honesty, Gao Yuan didn’t know how to express his humility.
After all, he felt he was likely the best among them.
The other boys certainly noticed his confidence, and hearing that even the formidable Chen boy said so, they naturally believed Gao Yuan had the greatest hope.
Zheng Fa watched this group of boys. Although they were all around seventeen or eighteen, their maturity surpassed that of peers from another world.
They surrounded Gao Yuan, awkwardly flattering him, and soon cast aside any competitive mindset— or rather, they quickly became self-aware and adjusted their positions.
They were quite flexible.
“After today, let’s go to the Gathering Star Tower for a feast, to celebrate for Young Master Gao!”
Some began to call him “Young Master.”
“Right, we took the exam together; it’s fate.”
“Let’s go together!”
Huang Yu, who had been mingling in the crowd, flattering Gao Yuan, soon slinked away and walked over to Zheng Fa, casting a slightly envious glance at Gao Yuan, who was animatedly discussing with the others.
Zheng Fa turned to look at him, his gaze questioning.
Huang Yu’s flushed face showed some reluctance. “They’re going to the Gathering Star Tower for drinks… Gao Yuan isn’t paying, the others are chipping in. I… my family has money… but I didn’t bring any.”
Got it.
Flattery has its costs.
Zheng Fa nodded and said naturally, “Then I can’t go either; my family has no money, and I can’t even think of bringing anything.”
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