Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When class was dismissed, everyone looked at me differently.

The young woman from the front row passed by my side and asked in a low voice, “How did you know Luo Xiang would care about his reputation in the outside world?”

I smiled. “Because what he wants is more than just three provinces.”

Yin Rui gave me a long, searching look, then nodded and left.

Ah He glanced toward Master Du, who was gathering his books at the head of the room. “Elder Sister, I’ll wait for you outside.”

In the empty classroom, Master Du asked as if in passing, “When your honored father was in the capital, did he often discuss such matters with you?”

I replied, “Father often said that when dealing with people, one must first understand what they want most and what they most fear losing. Start from there, and the path of thought becomes clear.”

Interest sparked in his eyes. “As expected of the main branch. Even a twelve-year-old girl can see things so clearly.”

I answered in turn, “Though this student is young, I know that true vision should not be confined by age or by the four walls around us.”

He clearly had not expected me to be so direct. Then, suddenly, he clapped his hands.

“Good, good. It seems I was the pedantic one.”

“Little girl, this old man is looking forward to the assessment at the end of the month. Go on, then. Prepare well.”

I walked out of Mingli Study. Ah He stood beneath the corridor, gazing absently at the ancient cypress in the courtyard.

I went over and stood beside her. “Why didn’t you speak up in class today?”

She lowered her eyes. “It was my first time meeting them. I was a little timid, so I wanted to observe a while longer.”

It was a perfectly reasonable excuse.

But I knew that was not the truth.

She was not afraid. She had merely glimpsed, all at once, the truth of another world, and it had left her unwilling to accept her place.

I asked her, “Ah He, do you know why, after you came to Xianyang, the clan never sent any other children here?”

She looked up, somewhat puzzled.

I said, “In the third year after you arrived, Father took notice of a little girl who could recognize a thousand characters at the age of two.”

“From Wuwei to Xianyang, the carriage journey was long and rough. The little girl had only just passed Tianshui when she fell ill and became dehydrated. When Father heard, he simply waved his hand and had her sent back the way she came.”

I gently took her hand. “In Father’s eyes, knowing a thousand characters at two years old was worth less than having bones strong enough to endure a carriage ride.”

“You were only five, yet you came alone from Luoyang. You entered the household, paid your respects, and offered your greetings without the slightest mistake. That is your ability.”

“The people in Mingli Study may be better read than you, but none of them, at five years old, crossed the threshold of a great household alone the way you did.”

Ah He was silent for a long time.

After a while, she suddenly smiled and clasped my hand in return.

“Elder Sister is absolutely right. Even if I am to be a raft, I must be a raft capable of bearing mountains.”

For the next half month and more, we formally attended lessons at Mingli Study.

In the mornings, we rose early to recite the classics. Before noon, we studied literature and arithmetic. In the afternoons, we discussed practical governance and strategy.

Every three days, there was also a riding and archery lesson.

Once Ah He’s mind had opened up, her talents quickly began to show.

Especially when it came to coordinating funds and grain, even several of the habitually strict teachers nodded in private approval.

In the blink of an eye, the end-of-month assessment arrived.

This assessment was Mingli Study’s major evaluation, held once every three months.

The results not only determined changes in seating order, but would also be recorded and sent to the clan at the end of the year for review.

The assessment was divided across three days. On the first day, we were tested on the classics, history, and policy essays.

On the second day, we were tested on practical simulations.

On the third day came riding, archery, and the identification of battle formations.

Though Mingli Study seated men and women together, the third portion had always been the girls’ weakness. In previous years, not a single female student had ever ranked in the top five for that section.

The results were posted three days after the assessment.

The top scorer in the classics, history, and policy essays was Yin Rui.

Her essay, “On Salt, Iron, and the Frontier Garrisons,” was sharp and forceful, earning repeated praise from all the masters.

In the practical simulation, I took first place.

The scenario was a year of severe drought, requiring the resettlement of displaced people and the arrangement of public security.

The teacher’s comment was: Thoroughly considered, with a strong grasp of governance.

The most unexpected result came in riding, archery, and battle formations.

In riding and archery, both Yin Rui and I ranked around the middle.

But Ah He seized third place in battle formations in one stroke.

She did not take the conventional path, instead focusing specifically on weak and perilous points.

It could hardly be called orthodox, but her way of thinking left the teachers stroking their beards in contemplation for quite some time before they ultimately awarded her a high score.

Across all three sections combined, I ranked first, Yin Rui second, and Ah He also pushed her way into the top five.

Since Mingli Study first opened, this was the first time female students had ranked so high-and the moment they did, they took three places at once.