1. "Ningning? What are you thinking about?"
2. "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering how I can become the chief examiner for the autumn exam in a proper, legitimate way."
3. "You have to at least be at the right level; you need to be able to speak in polished verse on the fly. The autumn exam is the chance for scholars to acknowledge their teacher's grace,"
4. "Which means this is your chance to build a power base in court. Those ministers will definitely..."
5. To be honest, da feng's literary system is basically the same as the nine years of compulsory education I remember,
6. But for someone who supposedly didn't know a single character to suddenly show insane literary talent would be way too out of character...
7. "No, I need to find someone to tutor me! There are still eight or nine days before the autumn exam. Your majesty, please believe me, if I have the right teacher..."
1. "It won't work. The military officials are basically all rough brutes. And as for the civil officials, who would actually teach you in good faith... Unless..."
2. "Unless..."
3. "I'll be your teacher. Wouldn't that solve everything? Who would dare question my scholarship?"
4. "Within seven days, no, within five days, getting you to memorize two timeless classics and some principles of statecraft will be no problem at all~"
5. "Then from this moment on, I am your majesty's student!"
6. "It's a deal. As a student, you have to listen closely to your teacher's guidance, okay~"
1. "Your majesty, you have to move the brush."
2. "O-oh, right!"
3. "There-hold the brush like this, then press down. First the horizontal stroke, then the vertical..."
4. A graceful lady, a gentleman's good match
5. Whew. Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. Today I must take the initiative!
1. Sh-she's lost her mind, hasn't she?
2. She's actually willing to give up such a massive reward just to be the autumn exam examiner?
3. "Your majesty, absolutely not! In da feng, it is rare for martial artists to possess both literary and military mastery. This subject has long heard that commander gu is illiterate-she can't even read a full exam paper."
4. "To make her an examiner would be a public disgrace. It violates reason and propriety!"
5. "We second the motion."
6. "Hold it!"
7. "Lately, I've been studying the classics and histories with his majesty. I've improved at breakneck speed-advancing a thousand miles in a single day."
8. "In five days, I'll definitely be able to write a timeless masterpiece. Being chief examiner for the autumn exam won't be a problem then, will it?"
1. "Fine, gu ning. If you can really do it in five days, then what if I let you have the chief examiner post?"
2. "Chancellor, that's not quite right. If I can do it, that only proves my own worth. The chief examiner position still has to be decided by his majesty, so how can it be a bargaining chip for a bet between you and me?"
3. "You! Hmph! This chancellor won't waste words with commander gu. If you can't do it, it will be the crime of deceiving the emperor!"
1. "O-okay..."
2. "Hmph. This time, even if she has godlike abilities, she's finished. Forget the empress personally teaching her-"
3. "Even if she invited every grand scholar in the hanlin pavilion, she still couldn't produce a single timeless masterpiece."
4. "For this autumn exam, the chancellor can sleep soundly! We just have to wait for gu ning to walk right into the trap!"
5. "This chancellor has already secretly contacted the northern desert envoy. As long as we promise enough benefits, the tukhara mercenaries won't be limited to just one force."
6. "The northern desert? Chancellor, brilliant! That way we can completely break free of the northern border's control..."
