Volume One, Chapter Six: Stealing the Spotlight

In the afternoon, the scholar who entered was still Lin Xiucai, but he brought new news with him. All students at the Tian, Di, and Ren levels, including those of lower rank, were to attend the first lecture of the new case at the Chaohui Hall. As a commoner who had never taken the imperial exams, Fu Chun’er was naturally included.

Chaohui Hall was the largest lecture hall in Bailu Academy, capable of holding over a hundred people. Fu Chun’er thought to herself, fortunately Yin Lingxiao had gone home, or she would have had to ask for leave to avoid this. In her previous life, Yin Lingxiao had never participated in any imperial exams; he had entered the court only after quelling a rebellion and rising through military ranks. If he were still around, he too would have been present at today’s lecture.

Packing her brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, and books into her satchel, Fu Chun’er leisurely followed the crowd to Chaohui Hall. Most of the Tian and Di class students had already arrived. She casually found a seat at the back and flipped through her books during the wait.

Once everyone was seated, the front door suddenly opened, and Fu Xiaolian gracefully floated in. She wore a playful triple bun hairstyle, adorned with unique floral jewelry, dressed in the most fashionable lotus-patterned jacket and skirt of the capital. Her delicate makeup enhanced her already fair features, raising her beauty from five points to seven, drawing the gaze of the entire hall.

The noble ladies of the Tian class had already reserved a good spot for her and warmly invited, “Xiaolian, come sit here.”

Fu Xiaolian shook her head gently with a soft, apologetic smile, her eyes scanning the room before settling on Fu Chun’er. She thought with pride, “Sure enough, she’s a clumsy country girl, pitifully hiding in the corner, even covering her face with white cloth out of insecurity. She must have never seen such a grand scene before.”

Meeting the crowd’s gaze, Fu Xiaolian walked over and placed her bookbox on the desk beside Fu Chun’er. With a sweet voice, she said, “Sister, why sit so far off? Let me accompany you, so if you don’t understand something, you can ask me.”

Fu Chun’er was listening to the system explain the Ebbinghaus memory curve, a method for consolidating memory developed in the future. Enthralled, she glanced at Fu Xiaolian only briefly after being interrupted.

“Xiaolian is truly beautiful and kind, no wonder she’s the legitimate daughter of Minister Fu.”

“Is that Xiaolian’s sister? Why is she covering her face and looking like she doesn’t want to acknowledge Xiaolian?”

“Probably insecure. Look at her coarse linen clothes, standing next to Xiaolian who looks like a fairy. She must be so ugly she has to cover her face!”

Fu Xiaolian basked in the praise and the gazes cast her way, growing increasingly proud. She thought, “Fu Chun’er must feel extremely uncomfortable and uneasy now.”

But in truth, Fu Chun’er was long accustomed to such stares. In her previous life, her first appearance at the academy had already caused quite a stir, with countless admirers and detractors alike. Later, Yin Lingxiao’s relentless pursuit pushed her further into the spotlight, her every action discussed and dissected. Having lived again, Fu Chun’er’s temperament had become resilient and calm. Now, even if others stared holes into her, she could focus intently and recite a chapter of the Book of Rites without distraction.

At that moment, Fu Chun’er was communicating with the system in her mind.

“This Ebbinghaus memory curve is quite good. I’ve decided to give it a try,” she said with satisfaction.

[Keep it up, Host. More challenging tasks await you in the future, and I will continue to impart the essence of past dynasties and future eras!]

Fu Chun’er had anticipated this. Judging by the system’s tasks, there might be different rewards depending on exam rankings later. When taking the county-level exam, she only needed to stand out in the small town, but at the provincial level, she would have to compete with scholars nationwide, including those from the Imperial Academy. That would truly be like crossing a narrow bridge amidst thousands; passing would require extraordinary effort.

With these thoughts, Fu Chun’er resumed her earnest study until the famed top scorer, Scholar Xu, entered, allowing her to finally lift her gaze from the book.

Scholar Xu was around twenty years old, remarkably young to have achieved top scorer status, and his scholarship was naturally impeccable. To be fair, his appearance matched his talent—refined and gentle like a piece of fine jade.

Moreover, Scholar Xu knew exactly how to target students’ weaknesses. His lectures were detailed and clear, even beginners like commoners could understand. Fu Chun’er’s brush moved so quickly it almost left afterimages, capturing every key point he mentioned.

Meanwhile, Jiang Rongrong sat listlessly in her seat, utterly uninterested. She had just lost face before Yin Lingxiao; she was so frightened by a firecracker earlier she nearly wet herself. If she found out who had switched her gift, she would make them pay dearly.

A few girlfriends didn’t know how to comfort her until they noticed Fu Chun’er sitting at the back, diligently reading. They burst into laughter, saying, “Rongrong, look! That country girl is actually studying so seriously.”

Jiang Rongrong glanced back, a mocking smile on her face. “She’s been pretending to study all morning. If you didn’t know better, you’d think she was really smart.”

A rustic girl who hadn’t even read the Three Character Classic probably couldn’t recognize many characters. Fu Xiaolian was close to exposing her ignorance, yet she still pretended. It was truly disgraceful.

One of the girlfriends suddenly recalled, “I heard this Scholar Xu, when lecturing at other academies, loved to give on-the-spot exams with extremely tricky and rare questions. Do you think if Fu Chun’er got called on, she’d just stand there like a fool, unable to say a word?”

Their words sparked a burst of quiet laughter. Imagining Fu Chun’er being exposed and mortified was immensely entertaining. Even Jiang Rongrong’s expression softened into a smile.

Fu Chun’er meticulously recorded every word of the lecture. Scholar Xu lived up to his reputation as top scorer, masterfully linking the Four Books with Zhu Xi’s commentaries. Occasionally, he also explained the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, which were included in the exams of the previous dynasty, to test the students’ comprehension and reasoning.

Fu Chun’er had dabbled in the Six Arts of the Gentleman, which naturally included mathematics. So when other students looked puzzled, she could quickly calculate the answers in her mind.

Fu Xiaolian glanced over and saw her silently copying down the math problem, nearly laughing aloud.

When she first heard Fu Chun’er was being brought back, she had been quite anxious. Before Meiniang fell into disgrace, she had been a renowned official’s daughter, her literary grace far beyond ordinary people. If Fu Chun’er received her careful tutelage, wouldn’t she be overshadowed? However, she later learned that Meiniang had her running around the mountains, climbing trees, and fishing in streams every day, behaving like a wild monkey. The handwriting was barely taught at all, probably because Meiniang couldn’t bear to see it anymore.

Fu Xiaolian smiled inwardly. A country bumpkin so presumptuous—if she couldn’t even understand a math problem that Fu Chun’er could, what hope was there?

As the lecture neared its end, Scholar Xu, true to his reputation, declared, “Who would like to summarize what I’ve just taught?”

The students exchanged hesitant glances; no one dared respond. Since mathematics wasn’t included in the current imperial exams, most had never encountered such problems before. After a few questions, their heads were already spinning. Even if they wanted to show off, they knew their limits.

After waiting a moment, Scholar Xu said, “Since no one answers, I shall call on someone.”

Bailu Academy was among the best, and Scholar Xu was confident in his students.

Jiang Rongrong and her girlfriends hoped he would call on Fu Chun’er. At that moment, a voice rang out, “Master, I am willing to try.”

Fu Xiaolian arrogantly stood up, her face brimming with confidence. Scholar Xu recognized her as a Tian-class student and happily said, “Good, it’s you then.”

Jiang Rongrong’s face darkened with fury; she knew Fu Xiaolian wouldn’t miss this chance to show off.

However, Fu Xiaolian merely repeated the lecture content roughly. After receiving Scholar Xu’s praise, she was caught off guard when he said, “Well done. Now, answer the math problem I just gave.”

Fu Xiaolian hesitated, “Ah? This…”

Scholar Xu asked, “Forgot? The problem was: There is a pond one zhang square; reeds grow in the center, rising one chi above the water. When the reeds are pulled to the shore, they reach exactly the shore’s edge. What are the depths of the water and the length of the reeds?”

Fu Xiaolian was speechless—thank you, but she hadn’t forgotten the question.

Jiang Rongrong was elated to see her fail but also secretly anxious. The question was difficult; if Fu Xiaolian answered it, she could crush her rival.

Scholar Xu smiled gently, “It’s okay if you can’t solve it. I’ll call on someone else to try.”

His gaze swept over the students before landing on one name mentioned by Scholar Chen from the Ren class: “Who is Fu Chun’er? Please stand up and answer this question.”

In an instant, all eyes in Chaohui Hall turned toward the back.