My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!-Chapter 288 - 168: Counter Moves on the Spot

Qingfeng Academy.

A carriage slowly came to a halt at the entrance of the courtyard.

Li Nuo lifted the curtain and jumped down from the carriage.

After presenting his Identity Card, Li Nuo smoothly entered the academy.

The academy did not allow the entry of unrelated persons, and Housekeeper Wu had originally wanted to accompany him inside, but was stopped; Li Nuo asked him to wait in the carriage.

Inside the academy, danger was hardly likely.

Even if there were, he could handle it himself in an extreme situation.

He was there to collect his Imperial Examination certificate.

This minor issue wasn't worth troubling Dean Tang with another trip.

Moments later, within a small building in the academy, Tang Xian said with a smile, "Mr. Li, why did you come in person? I've been busy these past days and had expressed I would have time to deliver it to you tomorrow..."

Li Nuo took the examination certificate and smiled, "I just happened to be passing by the academy, so there's no need to trouble Dean Tang."

Tang Xian said, "This is Mr. Li's first visit to the academy, isn't it? Would you like me to accompany you for a tour?"

Li Nuo shook his head and replied, "Dean Tang, you have a lot on your plate -- attend to your matters, I will have a walk around on my own..."

Hearing this, Tang Xian did not insist. For one, he did indeed have urgent matters to attend to; secondly, walking with Mr. Li in the academy, they would inevitably meet many students who would stop to pay their respects, which would rather dampen his interest.

Li Nuo walked out of the small building and strolled through the academy, feeling a unique sense of place.

There was none of the hustle and bustle of the outside world, only a tranquil and peaceful landscape everywhere.

On the grass by the lake, students were reciting lessons loudly.

Inside a small pavilion in the forest, some were painting, others playing the zither.

From the various classrooms, came the enthusiastic and impassioned voices of the academy's instructors...

...

Inside and outside the academy were two utterly different worlds.

Li Nuo had not experienced such an atmosphere in a long time; walking alone in the academy gave him the feeling of a dream returning to his university days.

The Qingfeng Academy sprawled extensively; it was said that it was once a Royal Garden before being granted to Qingfeng Academy as a new location. With hills and water features, besides the rich academic atmosphere, the scenery was also extremely beautiful.

Some students passed by Li Nuo.

"Brother Huang, aren't you participating in the Imperial Examination this year?"

"Participate my ass. Participating this year is nothing but paving the way for others as stepping stones; I'll wait for the next session."

"Won't you have to wait another four years then?"

"I've waited for over a decade; another four years won't make much difference. To take it now would be to waste the opportunity and silver."

"But I heard that there's some reform in the Book Department for this session of the Imperial Examination, which is advantageous for those skilled in calligraphy like you. Next session might not be so favorable..."

"What reform? I've not heard of it."

"Mr. Wei mentioned it; he is this year's examiner and question setter for the calligraphy portion. He revealed that this year's calligraphy paper has some changes; candidates can write three different styles of characters and the best of the three will be counted toward the final score. Aren't you proficient in Regular Script, running script, and cursive script? This session's examination is favorable for you..."

Li Nuo's footsteps paused slightly.

The topics of the Imperial Examination were not exactly the same for every session.

In it, the Book Department is comprised of four parts, and the test questions have a degree of flexibility. Taking painting as an example, sometimes it tests Ink Painting, sometimes color painting, and sometimes it will reduce the difficulty slightly and test both.

But changes in calligraphy were rare.

He had a nagging feeling of unease.

Li Nuo turned to the student and inquired, "Brother, can you tell me more about these changes to the calligraphy paper?"

The student saw Li Nuo wearing the academy gown and laughed, "Actually, it's just about choosing one work as the final score, which is not much different from before. However, if the calligraphy scores are the same, those who have written the other two styles better can be ranked higher..."

It sounded like there wasn't much of a change.

But it was a significant weakening for Li Nuo.

So far, he only knew the Hairpin Flower Small Regular Script.

His Hairpin Flower Small Regular Script could earn an A+, but for the other two styles, he would not even make C-.

Calligraphy masters were even rarer than painting masters, and Housekeeper Wu had yet to deliver results.

Li Nuo even wondered if this was a deliberate move against him.

After leaving Qingfeng Academy and returning to Song Residence, Li Nuo said to Housekeeper Wu, "Help me look into something..."

Housekeeper Wu was quick to act, and within two hours, he had a response for Li Nuo.

The change in this session's calligraphy portion was promoted by the examiner and question setter of this session's calligraphy part.

His name was Wei Xun, a famous calligrapher in Daxia, who held no official position and taught calligraphy at Qingfeng Academy. With many students under his tutelage, he led a clean and unimpeachable life, and thus the Spiegel Bureau had no way to deal with him.

This made Li Nuo temporarily dispel his doubts. Could it be that the adjustment of the calligraphy scrolls was not targeted at him?

Housekeeper Wu asked, "Young Master, why do you inquire about this person?"

Li Nuo said, "It's nothing, just asking."

Housekeeper Wu casually mentioned, "Wei Xun is quite well-regarded, but his son is no good. As an appointed official of the court, he broke the law knowingly, committed many outrageous deeds that angered both heaven and man, and in the end, was beheaded by the lord..."

"..."

Li Nuo was now certain.

If this adjustment in calligraphy was not aimed at him, he would write his surname Li upside down.

Calligraphy is different from Mathematics; in Mathematics, right is right, wrong is wrong, all correct is exceptional, a single mistake makes it A+, and the examiners have no room for manipulation.

However, calligraphy relies on the subjective evaluation of the examiner; the same piece of calligraphy can be graded two levels apart by different examiners and still be within normal bounds.

His father's enemy being the chief examiner of the Imperial Examination was certainly no good thing.

Although the examination papers were supposed to be anonymous.

Yet his Hairpin Flower Small Regular Script was unique and could easily be recognized.

Thinking it through, Li Nuo directed Housekeeper Wu, "Have someone go investigate again..."

When Housekeeper Wu returned, he said, surprisingly, "Young Master, your guess was indeed not wrong. Not long ago, Wei Xun had contact with people from Marquis Fengyang's Mansion, but there was no evidence found of him taking bribes..."

He looked at Li Nuo with a somewhat emotional expression.

The Young Master and the Lord are becoming more and more alike.

Back then, the Lord had suddenly become enlightened and transformed, as if he became a different person altogether.

Now, the Young Master was doing the same...

Could this be the special bloodline of the Li Family?

Li Nuo was unaware of Housekeeper Wu's thoughts. The Hairpin Flower Small Regular Script was just too conspicuous and surely could not be used again. With less than ten days before the Imperial Examination, he needed to solve these problems quickly.

He looked at Housekeeper Wu and asked, "How's the investigation on those calligraphy masters going?"

Housekeeper Wu replied, "Still checking, it might take a little more time."

But Li Nuo no longer had time to spare; he slowly stood up and said, "Go to the Ministry of Justice..."

...

Qingfeng Academy.

"Mr. Wei, greetings."

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"I've seen Mr. Wei."

"Mr. Wei, have a safe journey."

An elderly man with a gaunt face slowly walked out of Qingfeng Academy. Whether it was the students he encountered or the staff at the gate, they all greeted him respectfully.

Mr. Wei was not only a teacher at Qingfeng Academy but also the leading figure in Daxia's calligraphy, proficient in various styles of writing. Even his students held crucial statuses in the world of calligraphy.

In this year's Imperial Examination, Mr. Wei was the chief examiner for the calligraphy section. With a concerted effort with several calligraphy examiners, they finally got the court to pass an adjustment to the calligraphy examination.

Although largely unchanged from before, under the circumstance of identical scores in the Book Department, those more skilled in calligraphy would have a greater advantage in ranking.

This slight advantage might seem insignificant, but the candidates of the Imperial Examination are unlike those of the spring exam; the gaps between them are not vast. A slight edge could be the difference between being listed on the rankings and not.

After leaving the academy, Wei Xun took out a jade pipe from his waist, filled it with tobacco, and took a deep drag.

What does it matter if he was ranked first in the spring exam? As long as he remained an examiner, that villain's son would not dream of achieving an exceptional grade in the Book Department.

Hairpin Flower Small Regular Script, mere ladies' writing, unworthy of the elegant halls. Even if he could not forbid it, he would not rate it too highly.

"Heh... Ptui!"

Having smoked the dry pipe for a long time, his throat was uncomfortable, and he casually spit out a glob of phlegm.

Passersby who saw this disdainfully avoided the spot.

Wei Xun was about to leave when he was suddenly stopped by someone.

The person wore a constable's uniform; ordinary people, when stopped by a constable, would likely feel intimidated.

But Wei Xun merely glanced at them and asked, "Why do you stop this old man?"

One constable pointed at the thick phlegm on the ground and said, "According to the Chang'an Sanitation Management Regulations, spitting phlegm on the street yields a punishment of five canes and one day of detention. Please come with us."

Wei Xun's aged face revealed a look of shock, and he questioned, "This old man has been in Chang'an for decades, how have I never heard of such a rule?"

The constable kept a stern face and said, "I apologize, this is a new regulation just set by the Ministry of Justice, effective from today."

Wei Xun's expression changed and he said, "This old man is a teacher from Qingfeng Academy, unaware of this new regulation. Could the two of you possibly let me off the hook?"

A teacher from the academy held an esteemed position, and even the government would give them deference; that's why he wasn't intimidated by these two at first.

The constable shook his head and said, "Even if you're a teacher from the academy, you must abide by the Daxia Law. Mr. Wei, as a person of status, should set an example even more so. Please come with us obediently..."