Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 91 Report

The next morning.

He had his father drive the cart, carrying only the two boxes of books, through the long bluestone street, and stop in front of the white marble archway of the prefectural school, which was inscribed with "A Thousand Years of Literary Heritage".

The gatekeepers here are not as snobbish as those in ordinary government offices.

When the other party saw Lu Chuan, he first glanced at him, but when he saw the document that Lu Chuan handed over, which was stamped with the seal of the prefect and the official seal of the prefectural school, his eyes immediately sharpened, and his back unconsciously bent a little.

"So it's Chief Case Lu. The professor already instructed me to come with you."

The doorman led the way, his attitude respectful but not obsequious.

Beneath the ancient cypress trees lining both sides of the sacred path, groups of students were reading books aloud in the morning.

They all stopped when Lu Chuan walked by.

"Look, that's Lu Chuan from Qingyang County."

"Is this the one who won two gold medals?"

These sounds clearly penetrated Lu Chuan's ears.

Lu Chuan walked forward without changing his expression or looking to the side.

Whispers rose and fell from both sides.

Upon arriving outside Minglun Hall, Lu Chuan stopped and politely nodded to the gatekeeper: "Lu Chuan from Qingyang, here to report for duty after leave."

The monk had clearly received instructions from above. His previously lazy expression instantly vanished, and he bowed politely to Lu Chuan: "Please wait a moment, Chief Lu. The professor is speaking with several instructors. I will go and inform him immediately."

While waiting, Lu Chuan stood under the corridor pillar, attracting the attention of several passing students.

As these students walked past him, they all behaved very politely on the surface; some would nod slightly, and some would cup their hands in greeting.

Lu Chuan returned the greetings one by one, his manners so impeccable that no one could find fault with him.

But once they passed each other, the whispers behind them started up again.

"Chief Lu, the professor requests your presence." Zhaifu rushed out, his attitude becoming increasingly enthusiastic.

Lu Chuan straightened his clothes and stepped steadily into the Minglun Hall.

The hall was filled with the smoke of incense. Professor Lin sat on the high seat, flanked by two stern-faced instructors.

Lu Chuan stepped forward, presented the academic certificate with both hands, and bowed deeply: "Student Lu Chuan, today I enroll and pay my respects to all my esteemed teachers."

Professor Lin raised his eyes and scrutinized Lu Chuan with keen eyes.

He had clearly heard the faint whispers outside, but instead of stopping them, he spoke slowly, with a hint of probing:

"Lu Chuan, did you hear those noises outside?"

Lu Chuan calmly stood up, looking straight ahead: "Reporting to the professor, I heard you."

"What are your thoughts?" a teacher standing next to Professor Lin interjected.

Lu Chuan smiled slightly, his expression showing no impatience: "As the old saying goes, praise and blame are up to others, but gains and losses are up to me. Since I have entered the academy, I am here to learn, not to seek fame. No matter how loud the voice is, it cannot drown out the sound of reading; no matter how many opinions there are, they cannot confuse the tip of the pen. As long as my abilities can withstand the professor's examination, those idle words will naturally dissipate like smoke."

Upon hearing this, the instructor, who had originally intended to probe further, paused slightly, then a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Professor Lin even smiled, a rare occurrence for him. He stroked his beard and nodded, "Well said, 'Praise and blame are influenced by others.' Lord Zhou said your temperament far surpasses your peers, and I was somewhat skeptical at first. But seeing your composure today, you've passed the first test."

He waved his hand, signaling the attendant to hand Lu Chuan the student's headdress and ivory tokens that had been prepared.

"Go, your seat is in Jingzhengzhai."

As Lu Chuan walked to the front of the Wan Juan Lou, a unique scent of aged paper and ink wafted towards him.

Pushing open the heavy vermilion door, the interior of the building was dimly lit.

In the center of the hall was a large black lacquered desk, behind which sat a scribe of about fifty years old.

The man was looking down at the ledger in his hand.

Lu Chuan stepped forward and gently placed the bronze ivory plaque he was carrying on the table.

"Student Lu Chuan, newly enrolled in Jingzhengzhai, has come to the library to borrow books. Please instruct me on the proper procedures for reporting in."

The clerk didn't even look up, but simply tapped two fingers on the table: "Name, place of origin, and room of stay, register them in the 'Entry Register' to the side."

Lu Chuan did as instructed, picking up his pen and writing down his words.

The scribe then adjusted his glasses, took the ivory token, and examined it carefully.

When he saw the name Lu Chuan, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. He then flipped the ivory tag over and checked the number against the light.

"You're the eleven-year-old head of the prefectural court?"

"Once you enter this Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion, no matter who appointed you as the leader, you must follow the rules here. Listen carefully, I will only say this once."

He pulled a piece of cardboard from under the table and pushed it in front of Lu Chuan.

"First, verify identity. Every day when entering the cabinet, not only must the identification token be checked, but also the signature must be affixed to this 'Entry and Exit Register'."

"When you leave the house, I will personally search your books. You are strictly forbidden from bringing your own ink into the house, lest you defile the ancient books."

"Second, match them to their corresponding numbers. Every bookshelf and every book in this building has a corresponding Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch number."

"To find the book you want to read, you must first locate the corresponding number among these wooden plaques. When you retrieve a book, you must hang your plaque on the empty slot. Once the book is returned to its place, you can retrieve the plaque."

"Third, sign your name for the exam. If you want to copy, you can only go to the copying table over there, where the prefectural school has the standard light ink. If you want to borrow books to leave the palace..." The scribe paused, giving Lu Chuan a meaningful look, "You can borrow the classics of this dynasty, but unique copies must never leave this gate."

"Borrowers must sign a joint liability agreement; if there is any damage, not only will you be punished, but your fellow pilgrims will also be implicated."

Lu Chuan listened very carefully, especially when he heard about checking the serial numbers and exchanging books with tags. He secretly marveled at how meticulous the procedures had become.

"The student will remember." Lu Chuan took the ivory token handed back by the clerk, and then pressed his fingerprint on another document. "The registration is complete. Please tell me the relevant case files from previous cases, what are their numbers?"

"On shelf number T, the sixteenth shelf," the librarian pointed.

Following the direction the scribe pointed, Lu Chuan walked into the T-shaped bookshelf.

He stood before a row of vermilion wooden cabinets, the doors of which were labeled in neat small regular script: "Selection of Outstanding Vermilion and Black Papers from Past Provincial and Prefectural Examinations".

This was the real purpose of his trip.

Lu Chuan did not rush to open the cabinet. Instead, he first followed the rules that the scribe had just explained and took off the ivory tag from his pocket and hung it on the corresponding T-shaped number sixteen iron hook.

With a "clink" sound, he opened the wooden cabinet.

The books in the cabinet were arranged in a very orderly manner, each stack wrapped in mothproof rue paper and labeled with a number on the side.

Lu Chuan's fingers traced across rows of documents: "Prefectural Examination Paper of the Twelfth Year of Qianhe", "Handwritten Paper of the Top Scholar in the Provincial Examination of the Eighteenth Year of Qianhe", "Compilation of Excellent Essays on Policy Writing from the Past Thirty Years"...

He pulled out one of the volumes, and it felt heavy in his hand.

Turning to the title page, one finds the official seal of Yingnan Prefectural School, and the first page clearly states: "Retrieve and verify records."