The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

The school supervisor didn't even let Shen Chen speak and sent him home directly.

Shen Chen didn't care. He had been studying at home all this time anyway, so he wouldn't come to school if he didn't want to.

He turned around to go back and pack up the remaining books he had.

The school supervisor stopped him as he was about to walk into the school. "Didn't you say you didn't want to come to school? Why are you going in?"

"Student supervisor, I'm going to pack up my books and take them with me."

"Who told you to bring books? Who's responsible if your things from school get lost?"

"I don't want to go to court." Clearly, this school supervisor had also heard about what happened a few days ago.

He looked at Shen Chen with a mocking smile, "Are you sure the book in your hand is your own?"

Someone stepped forward and snatched the book from his hand.

The school supervisor carefully flipped through the book again and again. When he finished inspecting it, the book was in terrible condition; the thread in the middle was broken, and the paper was scattered all over the floor.

"Alright, take the trash with you from the entrance and don't come to the school again."

After saying that, he led the others toward the school.

Shen Chen was left alone in the empty corridor, silently picking up the papers from the ground.

Shen Chen didn't linger; he picked everything up and went home.

After returning home, he acted as if nothing had happened and continued reading as usual every day.

Suburbs of Xin'an County.

"Grand Tutor Zhou, why are you doing this?"

"Even if we're in a hurry, we can't rush things. The students aren't going to run away."

"Besides, if he's capable, you'll have a chance to get to know him when you go to the capital."

"Look at you, you're so old. After finishing the autumn examinations, why don't you go back and report to the Emperor? Why come to this small place?"

A boy who looked to be in his teens muttered to an elderly man with graying temples but a sprightly appearance.

"Don't think I don't know you're eager to see the little flower next door."

"Your wife isn't going anywhere."

"My student might actually be able to run away."

This old man with a goatee and slightly graying temples was none other than the renowned Confucian scholar Zhou Taishi of the Great Xia Kingdom, who was also the chief examiner in charge of this autumn imperial examination.

Who would have thought that after finishing his exams, Grand Tutor Zhou would not return to the capital but instead come to Xin'an County?

The young boy beside him is now his page, who takes care of his daily life.

Grand Tutor Zhou also valued talent highly, which is why he made this trip.

He read the article. It was fluent, with clear viewpoints and insightful opinions, though the writing style was somewhat immature and extreme. He could tell the author was a promising talent.

With proper guidance, they will surely achieve great things in the future.

If such a student encounters a good teacher, he will surely soar to great heights; conversely, if he is misled, he may go astray.

It was also a loss for the Great Xia Kingdom.

When he was young, he didn't have the same insights as that student.

More importantly, he was very familiar with the educational resources in Xin'an County, which were vastly superior to those in the capital. He had never seen such excellent articles among all the students in the capital.

He didn't want to miss out on such a talented person.

However, he hadn't had any decent meals along the way, which caused this elderly man to lose weight and his belt to loosen considerably.

Moreover, the closer they got to Xin'an County, the more difficult the official road became, with a bumpy ride all the way. If they didn't make it to his backside soon, he wouldn't be able to stand it.

He had already planned it all out: as soon as he entered the city, he would go to the best restaurant in Xin'an County for a meal.

"Sir, we're almost at Xin'an County."

The coachman saw the city gate of Xin'an County and spoke to the people inside.

Grand Tutor Zhou lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked ahead, and sure enough, he saw a city gate.

It's finally arrived.

As soon as he entered the city gate, he saw the colorful lanterns on both sides of the street, which had not yet been taken down since the Mid-Autumn Festival had just passed.

"I didn't expect Xin'an County to be so lively."

The coachman was from Xin'an County. He happened to meet Grand Tutor Zhou and his companion, who were also on their way to Xin'an County, and the two of them hired his carriage.

"Sir, you may not know this, but Xin'an County is located at the confluence of the river and the sea, making shipping very convenient. Merchant ships come and go in an endless stream. If we're talking about all the novelties in the country, Xin'an County probably has them all. There are even some things that other places don't have."

"Moreover, many people from neighboring countries come here to do business, so the place is very lively during festivals."

"During the Mid-Autumn Festival a while ago, the merchants here used all their best skills to attract customers."

"I also heard that there was a restaurant that set up a lot of riddles for a group of children to guess, and they got candy if they guessed correctly."

“All the children in the county went to his house.”

Grand Tutor Zhou found it amusing, but Ye Shu, a young boy standing nearby, remarked, "This shopkeeper is really something. What kind of riddles can a child possibly solve? He probably doesn't even know how to read."

"This young man probably doesn't know this, but this restaurant has someone who reads out riddles to everyone. And the riddles are all familiar folk customs. Quite a few kids have answered them correctly."

"My daughter only won one piece of candy."

Ye Shu pouted. "A little trick."

Grand Tutor Zhou stroked his beard. "This is quite an interesting shopkeeper."

"That's right, and the food at this restaurant is both delicious and cheap. I go there often; it's so good."

Ye Shu pouted again. This coachman was obviously ignorant. No matter how delicious the food at a restaurant was, it was still just so-so.

Some home-style dishes are at best just enough to fool the stomachs of ordinary people. Even those who have tasted delicacies from land and sea, or even Grand Tutor Zhou who has attended state banquets, would probably be no match for them.

Although Grand Tutor Zhou did not mean to look down on small eateries, he also felt that a small eatery that served only some home-style dishes was probably popular because it was affordable.

But he's not the kind of person who's practical; he's very picky about food.

You can tell he's a gourmand just by how much weight he's lost.

I'd rather go hungry than settle for something mediocre.

The coachman dropped the two off at the last inn in the county town, and then left Xin'an Inn.

After receiving his payment, he headed to Shen's restaurant, hoping that if he was lucky, he could still get a boxed lunch.

If all else fails, he can have a bowl of noodles. He's been away for over half a month and has been craving the food at Shen's Restaurant for a long time.

Grand Tutor Zhou and his companion booked two superior rooms at the inn, tidied up a bit, and then went out.

They asked the innkeeper about the best restaurant in the area, and he gave them a detailed description of the location of Zuixianlou.

The two then headed towards Zuixianlou.

The two strolled through the streets of Xin'an County and arrived at Zuixianlou, just after lunchtime.

There were relatively few people at Zuixianlou at the moment, so the two of them didn't ask for a private room but instead sat in a window seat in the second-floor lobby.

This is a good opportunity to appreciate Xin'an County.

Wang Chengyan had just left home, intending to visit a friend, when he saw a familiar figure walk into Zuixianlou.

He was afraid he was seeing things, so he waited a while and then saw the person's figure again at the second-floor window.

He actually came to Xin'an County. Does that mean the rumors were true?

So as not to disturb him, he left first.

Thinking about it, tomorrow seems to be the results release day. If nothing unexpected happens, then I...

His face was beaming with a smile that he couldn't hide.