Chapter 172 - 139: Prefecture Examination 3
With his mind made up, Fang Yue immediately sent someone to gather information about the Prefecture Examination.
If he remembered correctly, the Prefecture Examination was usually held at the end of the year or the beginning of the next.
Fang Yue then set off to return to Xiahe County Town.
Information about the Prefecture Examination would be sent down to the various county towns in advance.
Back in the county town, he easily found the notice for the Prefecture Examination on the Government Office’s bulletin board, just as he’d expected.
By the looks of it, the red paper had been posted for some time.
Fang Yue glanced at the red announcement. The beginning, of course, was filled with a torrent of sycophantic praise about civil achievements and martial virtues, with the truly useful information at the very end.
Things like the examination date, the requirements to participate, and so on.
"The fourteenth of the twelfth month?"
"There’s not much time left."
’But why is it scheduled for this time of year?’
’After all, it doesn’t seem to be an auspicious day, which is a bit out of character for the imperial court’s usual way of doing things.’
’Whatever, that’s not my concern. What matters is that time is short, and I need to quickly find three Martial Scholars to co-sponsor me.’
Participating in the Prefecture Examination required sponsorship, just as the examination to become a Martial Scholar had.
Fang Yue thought for a moment. The only Martial Scholar he knew personally was Zhang Boyang; he would have to find the others at the White Tiger Boxing Hall.
While he could ask other candidates for the Prefecture Examination to co-sponsor each other, that came with its own problem: if one of them were caught cheating, everyone else would be implicated.
Thus, it was actually better to find sponsorship from Martial Scholars who were not participating in the examination themselves.
The first person Fang Yue sought out was, of course, his senior, Zhang Boyang. After a brief explanation, Zhang Boyang naturally agreed to act as a sponsor.
However, when he arrived at Zhang Boyang’s home, it happened to be lunchtime.
Zhang Boyang extended a warm invitation, and Fang Yue had little choice but to stay and eat.
During the meal, he inevitably ran into Zhang Shu. This time, however, she didn’t show the same animosity toward Fang Yue as before, nor did she say anything unpleasant. She was uncharacteristically quiet.
This surprised Fang Yue a little. ’It seems she hasn’t yet recovered from her last setback,’ he thought.
However, as he was about to leave, Zhang Shu spoke to him condescendingly, saying that if Fang Yue would just say a few nice things to her, she could whisper in her husband’s ear when she returned to the Prefecture City. She might even be able to pull some strings for him.
"Heh, Senior Sister Zhang, success is forged by one’s own strength. The Prefecture Examination is one of the imperial court’s great ceremonies for selecting talent; it’s not something just anyone can meddle in. I believe it’s better to rely on myself."
Fang Yue just smiled, shook his head, and refused.
"You—! I offer you a kindness and you throw it back in my face. Hmph! Don’t come crying to me when you fail the examination.
The Prefecture Examination brings together all the geniuses from across Shanyang Prefecture; it’s nothing like what you faced in Xiahe County. Don’t think that just because you became a Martial Scholar here, you can be so arrogant. You’ll regret this."
Zhang Shu snorted, then turned and stalked away with her head held high.
’Still the same old her,’ Fang Yue thought. ’Yep, Zhang Shu is still Zhang Shu—her personality is just as awful as ever. She hasn’t changed a bit.’
Fang Yue chuckled to himself and then headed for the White Tiger Boxing Hall.
When he arrived at the White Tiger Boxing Hall, as a Martial Scholar, Fang Yue was naturally received with great enthusiasm.
However, when they heard that Fang Yue was preparing to go to the Prefecture City for the Prefecture Examination,
the second master of the hall, Chen Tong, suddenly looked troubled.
"Well, Nephew Fang, if only you had come two days earlier. Just the other day, Wei He of the Wei Family came to me and asked me to be his sponsor. I... I already agreed and signed the papers."
Chen Tong said, his face a mask of difficulty and regret.
"In that case, I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Master Chen."
Though surprised by this, Fang Yue still cupped his fist in thanks, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then took his leave.
The moment Fang Yue was out the door, a figure emerged from an inner room. It was the head of the Martial Arts Hall, Hall Master Zheng, his aged face etched with worry.
"Sigh... I don’t know if we did the right thing."
"Master, although Fang Yue came from our Martial Arts Hall, he shows no consideration for our interests. His Tea Garden won’t even supply our hall’s tea house! You have to remember, if we hadn’t given him those tea saplings back then, he wouldn’t be where he is today."
Chen Tong spoke indignantly. Seeing Fang Yue’s Tea Garden raking in a fortune while they couldn’t get a piece of the action naturally left a bitter taste in their mouths.
On top of that, there was the time Fang Yue was injured, and the hall cut ties with him.
A rift had already formed between them, making it impossible to return to how things were before.
Therefore, they simply couldn’t continue to help Fang Yue’s advancement.
In fact, what Chen Tong had just said about already sponsoring Wei He was nothing but an excuse.
After all, Fang Yue and Wei He were not on good terms, so there was no way he would go to Wei He to verify the story.