Jing Xingzhi’s Daily Life in Ancient Times

Jing Xingzhi recognized that the old superintendent was on his side but the questions for the imperial examination still had to be completed. In public, even if he had connections, it would have been in vain without hard work.

Jing Xingzhi glanced at the cheap teacher twice, then he obediently wrote the test paper.

This time, he wrote the test paper in front of the Holy Emperor and many ministers, so the rule that answers must be written on scratch paper was gone.

However, Jing Xingzhi seemed to have remembered the word “low-key” and wrote the answers honestly.

After finishing the test paper, Jing Xingzhi wasn’t even ready to hand it in right away. Instead, he started thinking about how to use a clean piece of scratch paper to pass the time.

Should he write something?

With Jing Xingzhi’s speed at writing, there wasn’t much to write about.

Listening to the sounds of others working on their questions, Jing Xingzhi noticed that many people hadn’t turned in their papers yet. He thought he would have to wait a little longer.

If he started painting, it might leave a bad impression if someone saw it.

How about making a poem?

Poetry was a powerful little thing. It was even more challenging than trying to figure out when his little Ah Deng would fall asleep or wake up. Sometimes, it took a long time to come up with just one sentence.

Jing Xingzhi lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Then… he stopped moving.

He couldn’t think of any serious poems, and his mind became cluttered with limericks, which left him troubled.

Writing poetry was truly difficult!

At first glance, he looked so quiet and meditative—it seemed as though he was a studious young man deep in thought. Moreover, as a handsome young man, his demeanour was quite pleasing to the eye.

However, Jing Xingzhi became too absorbed in his thoughts, maintaining the same posture for a quarter of an hour. This caught the attention of “Second Senior Brother,” Li Yunxi.

Li Yunxi stared at his junior brother for a while, then stood up and slowly patrolled over to Jing Xingzhi’s side with his hands behind his back.

Dressed in bright yellow, his mere presence sent ripples through the room, shaking many would-be Jinshis.

‘The Holy One must be interested in my literary talents!’

‘No, not me.’

‘But it’s definitely not that idiot sitting next to me either. What a relief.’

The candidates who noticed that Li Yunxi’s destination was Jing Xingzhi and observed Jing Xingzhi’s demeanour out of the corner of their eye were delighted.

‘He must be going crazy. On such an important occasion, you’re still distracted?!’

‘Are you being targeted by the Holy Emperor now? Do you realize your mistake?’

Finally, Li Yunxi arrived at Jing Xingzhi’s desk. He stretched out his hand and knocked on the desk.

“Boom—”

“What are you thinking about?” Li Yunxi asked.

Jing Xingzhi raised his head in shock, but fortunately, he responded quickly, “Looking for an idea.”

Li Yunxi picked up his answer sheet, looked it over, and said, “You’ve finished it. What ideas are you looking for? Be honest.”

The candidates nearby were overjoyed. ‘Yes, let him tell the truth! Be ruthless to him!’

‘But…wait! That’s not right!’

‘What did he mean by finished?!’

A candidate who had just completed half of the questions glanced at Jing Xingzhi’s desk with a dull expression. His heart ached when he caught a glimpse of the neat and dense regular script on Jing Xingzhi’s paper.

It turned out it was really done…

He wasn’t crazy, nor deliberately distracted; he was just waiting for them.

The imperial examination was different from the general examination. In the imperial examination, candidates could submit their papers in advance, provided they had the ability and confidence.

In every session, many people submitted their papers early and were favoured; others submitted early but faced ridicule and ruined prospects.

As far as Jing Xingzhi’s level was concerned, everyone knew his strength. As long as he completed his work, he would be the number one. There was no possibility of him submitting his papers early and being quietly removed from the list without notice.

Thus, it was advantageous for Jing Xingzhi to submit his papers early.

Submitting early would show off his talent.

The candidate who had been staring in a daze lowered his once-proud head in shame and worked harder on his questions.

Li Yunxi, however, didn’t urge Jing Xingzhi to hand in his paper. Instead, in a somewhat nonsensical manner, he ordered Zhang Tong, “Bring me some good paper.” Then, he turned to Jing Xingzhi and said, “Draw me two paintings for the imperial examination. I’ll keep one later.”

Jing Xingzhi was initially delighted at the thought of a new way to pass the time, but then he realized something was wrong.

This guy, Li Yunxi, was asking him to draw two paintings and then planned to take one for himself. What was the point of that?

‘Second Senior Brother, this is a painting I drew, and you’re taking it for yourself for free?’

‘Listen to yourself—you’re so domineering!’

Jing Xingzhi felt aggrieved, but when he thought about how others were working hard to solve questions while he painted under instructions, he felt oddly at peace.

Sure enough, life still required comparison. One had to learn to find joy even in hardship.

However, the other candidates did not envy Jing Xingzhi. They were engrossed in their own work, tackling the questions with intense focus and dedication.

Their level of investment was so remarkable that anyone watching might believe that if they had met Jing Xingzhi earlier, perhaps they could have passed the Jinshi exam three years in advance.

It was a pity that there were no what-ifs in life. Still, the candidates were all in excellent form, their inspiration soaring, and their pens gliding across the paper as if guided by the spirit itself. For some, this burst of inspiration could be a double-edged sword; if not managed well, it could affect their mentality and remind them that they still needed more practice.

Meanwhile, Jing Xingzhi’s task of painting two pictures consumed significant time and energy. This delay caused other students to submit their papers earlier than him.

Li Yunxi, observing this, was quite pleased. He even joked with the second-to-last student to submit their paper, “Are you happy that you’re not the last one?”

The candidate, surprised to hear Li Yunxi address him directly, lit up with joy. ‘Who would have thought the Holy Emperor himself would ask me such a question?’

After a brief moment of thought, he replied eloquently, “I wasn’t very happy at first, but having the Holy Emperor speak to me makes me happy now.”

Zhang Tong cast a glance at the candidate, feeling a touch of wariness. ‘This candidate’s flattery is impressive for a first attempt. If he continues, he might even perfect the art.’

Li Yunxi laughed heartily and said, “As long as you’re happy. That kid who handed in his test paper early in the previous three exams is so impatient—it must have affected others’ mentality. Today, he’s punished to hand in his paper last, so he can understand how you all feel!”

The candidate was left speechless.

‘So, I was just a setup for the punchline all along.’

Li Yunxi’s tone and words revealed an unmistakable sense of familiarity and affection for Jing Xingzhi. Anyone listening could discern what he truly meant.

The room erupted in laughter, the kind where several participants were genuinely amused, though no one could tell who they were.

Among them, Su Mingyuan seemed particularly delighted, finding the Holy Emperor’s playful antics quite entertaining.

Jing Xingzhi, having heard every word, could only focus on painting faster. Determined to finish the two paintings in his hands, he sped up his work and handed in the paintings along with his answer sheet.