Translator: ChiFu
As for Mu Zhan’s initiative to allow him to attend the Imperial College for his studies, Wen Mingyu was genuinely taken back. After all, when Gong Xue wanted to recommend him in the past, Mu Zhan’s face didn’t look good when he heard about it. Hence, he had to cajole and comb his hair after.
Eventually, he went on to not attend Imperial College with little thought. The highest learning institution was not simply any place one could enroll in; it was populated by individuals with exceptional talents. He was aware of his little cleverness, but the actual geniuses were still light years ahead of him.
And yet, now that Mu Zhan wanted to smuggle him in, he was sort of going through the back door, wasn’t it?
According to the process of enrollment, the Imperial College admitted students into four general groups; these students were collectively referred to as “Imperials.” Passers referred to students who had successfully passed the entrance exam. Recommended Imperials were students who had been selected by the local authorities for their outstanding academic and behavioral excellence. Inherited Imperials were those who were given privileged admission since their fathers were officials. Finally, Regular Imperials were those that enrolled through monetary donations.
Wen Mingyu was in neither of these groups, but he had entered through the most powerful backdoor. He was personally authorized by the Emperor, making for a very solid airborne descent.
Mu Zhan would, without doubt, take every consideration into account. If he actually let Wen Mingyu enter with the emperor’s name attached as a flagrant sponsor, the atmosphere would be unfavorable. Either he would receive flattery from all walks of life, or he would be shunned by others out of fear and scruples, making it difficult for him to make true friends.
Mu Zhan was an alumnus of the Imperial College, and as a prince with a negative reputation and low standing, he had endured the harshest bullying and degradation. He didn’t want Wen Mingyu to go through something similar.
For this reason, he instructed Zhao Dequan to deliver a directory of new students registered this year so that he could determine whose families and cliques those kids belonged to, so as to prevent having people like the Prime Minister’s grandson. Thankfully, there weren’t many freshmen this year, and the younger generation that had witnessed Wen Mingyu in public was either graduating or getting ready for the spring examination the following year.
Not being the son of a large clan, they naturally didn’t have the chance to attend those gatherings and had never met Wen Mingyu before.
As Mu Zhan noticed that children from humble backgrounds accounted for the majority, both of his brows faintly creased.
This was not only advantageous for Wen Mingyu’s academic environment but also to see the future if a top scholar were among one of these kids; they would be steadily cultivated, bestowed with prestigious positions, and gradually replace the encroachment of those large families step by step. They would also carry out significant bloodletting and centralize power.
Mu Zhan made the choice to send Wen Mingyu to the Imperial College for this reason: unlike in officialdom, where there were too many hooks and crooks, the atmosphere there was simple, and the majority of people were enamored by academics. Of course, Mu Zhan also made arrangements for him to have a companion in order to guard against any unscrupulous people. The official in charge of the Imperial College, the head, was also aware of Wen Mingyu’s background and would protect him and send someone to report any instances.
The admission process was complex, but owing to Mu Zhan’s direct orders, it went through rather quickly on the first swish.
And what Wen Mingyu thought was a purely airborne descent was actually inaccurate. When Mu Zhan had given him exam papers to complete before, it was one used in the entrance exams. His score far exceeded the standard. It was just that he didn’t know and assumed it to be a typical quiz.
On the day of the entrance ceremony, Wen Mingyu switched into a light-green dress and a white robe with a green collar—the Imperial College students’ style of uniform.
With his belt secured and his cap on, he was a handsome young scholar with rosy lips and pretty white teeth.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Wen Mingyu flashed the bronze mirror with a slightly novel glance before turning around and approaching Mu Zhan. He then spread out his hand and inquired a little excitedly, “How is it?”
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Ciatbeut la rbecvfv ilxf j rqijrt bo lms kjafg, Qfc Zlcuse kjr ojwliljg klat Ze Itjc’r rqffmt qjaafgc jcv jeabwjalmjiis lcafgqgfafv la jr “nfgs ubbv.”
Ze Itjc tjv atf lvfj ab fcafg rbwfbcf lcab atf Pwqfglji Jbiifuf, yea ktfc qfbqif kfgf gfjiis ublcu atfgf, tf tjv j ralcxs ojmf jcv rja klat tlr fiybkr eq bc atf ajyif, ibbxlcu j ilaaif eqrfa jcv lgglajafv.
Just as he was ready to walk away, Wen Mingyu looked and looked again. He couldn’t resist and took a few steps toward him. “Your Majesty, I have to go.”
“Mmn,” Mu Zhan responded indifferently.
“Well, I’ll see you at lunch.”
Wen Mingyu threw Mu Zhan a small smile and a wave. He turned around and walked out the door to the hall, leaving a vivid and energetic figure in his wake.
Mu Zhan briefly froze. His eyes were clearly reflecting the beautiful smiling face from earlier, and it lingered there for a long while.
Imperial College.
The first thing that entered his vision was a red wall and a stately gate, which was the Taixue gate. Going in, he saw a glazed plaque hanging over the hall that read Piyong Hall. The main nave featured two eaves sheathed in yellow glazed tiles, with the eaves curling upward, and a gilt roof with saved corners.
Surrounded by a perimeter corridor, the red gable porch pillars towered like giants, with the highest grade of “Golden Dragon and Seal” painted in the middle. The temple was ringed by a pond outside, with a Chinese white marble serving as a parapet to form the “Piyong Ring of Water.’’
Moreover, the Imperial College had a unique practice. As a further sign of the value placed on education, it was a special tradition for each emperor to attend a grand lecture ceremony here upon his accession to the throne.
Mu Zhan arrived at the beginning, and only the crowd of doctoral supervisors below were shaken, not even paying attention to his speech. After saying a few things, Mu Zhan walked away. They breathed a sigh of relief and were both grateful and apprehensive. They were pleased they didn’t have to confront the tyrant but worried he would ignore the Imperial College.
Later on, Mu Zhan revised his education policy and established a public academy, much to the joy of the scholars. It was obvious the reigning emperor was concerned about this. Although the tyrant was feared and despised by those of noble blood, scholars had a more nuanced view of Mu Zhan.
Because it was the first day of the new student’s arrival.
There were no classes yet; the only arrangements made were for an entrance ceremony and a tour of the premises.
Once Wen Mingyu entered with his companion, they saw that several people were wearing similar attire as themselves. While most of them were his age, there were also a few that were older or younger.
The ones that were more uncommon and distinctive had the greatest chance of making an impact.
The sole female student and a small child drew the most interest.
Prior to Mu Zhan ascending the throne, the Imperial College’s administration had never admitted women. But during his reign, he drafted a document stating that they could also participate in the imperial examination. It took more than a year to overcome the opposition of the old conservatives and start putting it into practice.
If this lady graduated flourishingly from the Imperial College, was accepted after passing the spring examination, and succeeded in qualifying for the highest imperial exams or even above, she would be the first female official of the dynasty.
Therefore, several of the freshmen were murmuring and sneaking glances at her. The female student was unmoved, still standing serenely, unfazed. If one paid close attention, however, one would notice how her body tensed and how her hands in her sleeves were unconsciously curled up and clenched.
To be the first woman to be admitted to the Imperial College, to endure intense scrutiny, and to remain composed under pressure, she nonetheless already possessed an extraordinary mind.
She had Wen Mingyu in admiration. He may not have been able to do it himself.
Near that girl, there was also a child drawing attention who appeared to be less than ten years old. His face still had prominent baby fat and was dripping with bounciness, and yet his face was grave and stately. Standing with his chest out, he was more stable and mature than those who were older than him, just like a little grown-up.
After his second and third glances, the child caught his sight. He turned his head, opened his mouth, and then looked back again at the scholar standing before him. He was about to say something, but ultimately turned his head away.
The teacher who led the way was describing how the Imperial College had just undergone renovations by decree of the Emperor. It demonstrated how highly the emperor regarded them, so they must put in a lot of effort to study, acquire good grades, earn merit, and serve the emperor.
All the new students nodded gravely, and so did Wen Mingyu, not realizing at all that Mu Zhan had ordered the full renovation ahead of schedule because of his admission.
The entrance ceremony followed a predetermined ritual.
Formation of clothing, performing master-worship rites, washing one’s hands, and heart-purification practices.
The ancients advocated dressing properly first before being reasonable.
The new students then took their places in a neat line, and the teacher adjusted each student’s clothing and cap in turn. The officiant of the Imperial College took part in the entrance ceremony as well.
When the officiant reached Wen Mingyu’s row, he began to correct the students’ attire one by one. “Diligent in knowledge, clear discernment in action,” the officiant remarked as he arrived in front of Wen Mingyu, flashing a sophisticated smile.
Wen Mingyu froze and responded with a solemn nod.
Then the officiant moved on to the following student.
Wen Mingyu felt odd. Was he mistaking it? Why did it seem that the officiant treated him more kindly than the others.
After the entrance ceremony, the freshmen were given some alone time to socialize.
At that moment, a little boy stepped over, stood firmly in front of Wen Mingyu, and sternly introduced himself, “I’m Wei Chen.”
Stunned, Wen Mingyu replied with his name, too.
But Wei Chen continued, “I recognize your name. The antithetical couplet you just put together left a deep impression.”
Before the ceremony, the Imperial College organized a welcoming trivia game as a kind of entertainment and relaxation in which students took turns creating antithetical couplets.
The Imperial answered the question that was posed by the teacher.
If one did it well, they would knowingly smile; if not, it was alright. Naturally, every Imperial got it right, but the couplet scores were either good or ordinary.
“I’ve seen that the only people who are marginally correct are you, Chu Suli, and Shao Yan,” Wei Chen observed.
It was only then that Wen Mingyu realized that the child had nailed down everyone’s names. Chu Suli, who was the only girl, and Shao Yan, a standoffish youth with little expression.
“Needless to say, none of you are as correct as I am.”
Wen Mingyu: “…”
It turned out to be a narcissistic child prodigy.
ChiFu: class schedule just dropped. I have nine subjects and apparently, I have to be at school from morning to night for five straight days??? and it’s Wed to Sun too?? I don’t want to bring my laptop, and school computers are a no-go—also someone might sneak behind me as I do chapters my lord the fear lmao
so I’m just gonna edit around Sunday night then release a chapter on Mondays, yeah! good planning, ChiFu! hahahah… I hope I can follow, seriously.
Thank you very much for the chapter!
Thank you for the translation. ❤️😍
Schedule in school always make you feel like “???? Why everything looks like this? Are you thinking we are robots?”
Thank you for your translation 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗
And in university usually too (but, to be honest, my schedule in university is amazing, so it’s not relatable for me, but for everyone else it’s true)
Thanks for the chapter. Go easy, take your time school come first.
I feel that MZ will soon regret sending WMY to ‘school’~
Thank You for the new chapter (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡
You’re both going to school! Perfect! Take care of yourself and learn and rest! Thanks for the translation, definitely no public computers…🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Even though this chapter was about Wen Mingyu, it really revealed a lot more about Mu Zhan. Just think, if you had a Mu Zhan type in your corner, one of your classes could be to translate this story. Then you could have an entire class period to work on it and you would already be way ahead of everyone else 😄.
Stay strong ChiFu and make sure to take care of yourself too!
Is it only in my school that we have a very relaxing schedule? We start at 7:30 and end at 4:00 and no classes on fridays. We have vacants too. Anyways, thank you for the chapter. If it got so busy, remember to take a break, good luck on your studies.