In the Northern Song Dynasty, he started by marrying the eighth daughter of the Su family.

After staying at home for several days, Liu Chang's arrangements from the Ministry of Rites finally came down, and Han Zhi could go to the Imperial Academy the next day.

After dinner, Han Zhi held Su Zhen in his arms and sat on the couch in the room, looking at the "admission document." Su Zhen then pointed to the words "Imperial Academy" and asked:

"My lord, what is the meaning of this Imperial Academy?"

"The Imperial Academy is divided into several levels, with the highest being the Imperial Academy, followed by the Prefectural Academy, and then the Four Gates Academy. They are classified in order from top to bottom. I have been assigned to the highest level class."

Han Zhi explained, and Su Zhen nodded, praising him rarely, "My lord is so capable that he was able to enter such an academy."

Han Zhi shrugged and said, "It's alright. I think all the candidates from outside the capital will be brought into the Imperial Academy, right? I don't think the Minister of Personnel would be biased towards me."

Su Zhen nodded and said, "Now that you have been admitted to the best Imperial Academy, I will have to urge you on even more diligently."

"I disagree! I have objections!" Han Zhi was the first to object.

Su Zhen didn't care about that, and just called out "Xiao Hei". Instantly, the round little white dog ran in and wagged its tail at Su Zhen.

"Little Black, do you agree that I should urge my husband to be even stricter?"

When Su Zhen asked the question, Xiao Hei actually barked once, and its tail kept wagging, as if it had agreed.

"Look, my lord! Even Xiao Hei has agreed. It's two against one, so your word doesn't count anymore." Su Zhen was quite pleased with himself at this moment.

As a result, Han Zhi became "enraged and embarrassed" and started acting like a brat—he hugged Su Zhen tightly and started pecking at her face. Meanwhile, Xiao Hei, protective of its master, climbed onto the couch, put its two front paws on Han Zhi's legs, and kept barking at him.

"My lord! I was wrong... I was wrong! My lord... please don't..." Su Zhen was so tormented by him that she couldn't open her eyes, so she had no choice but to obediently beg for mercy.

Hearing Su Zhen beg for mercy, Han Zhi stopped his "strawberry attack," letting out a long sigh of relief, feeling refreshed. Then he felt a "heavy blow" to his shoulder, followed by a reproachful remark from Su Zhen:

"What a shameless rascal!"

Xiao Hei barked again, seemingly in response to Su Zhen's words.

Han Zhi then asked, "Will Eighth Sister be even stricter?"

"Yes." Su Zhen still wouldn't budge. "My lord is going to take the imperial examination, so naturally we can't slack off."

After saying that, she seemed to have foreseen her fate, so she simply leaned against Han Zhi and let him do whatever he wanted with her.

But after waiting for a long time, Han Zhi still didn't react, which aroused Su Zhen's curiosity. She looked up and saw that Han Zhi's face was already very close to hers.

He did nothing but watch her. Xiao Hei, ever the intelligent creature it is, turned and left, returning to its seat by the room's doorway.

Su Zhen couldn't stand Han Zhi staring at her like that, so she pressed a kiss to his lips and then, before he could react, she slipped out of his arms.

"I'm going to take a bath now. My lord, you may rest in the room. If you get bored, you can play with Xiao Hei."

As she spoke, she quickly packed her clothes and fled towards the outside, leaving Han Zhi alone in the room, grinning foolishly.

……

The next day, Han Zhi changed into his Imperial Academy uniform early in the morning, then carried the book box he had prepared beforehand, and arrived at the gate led by Su Zhen.

Standing at the door, Su Zhen hung a water bucket on Han Zhi's book box, then took out two silver ingots from his purse and stuffed them into Han Zhi's hand.

"My lord, today is your first time visiting the Imperial Academy. Remember to be careful with your words and actions, and don't get into trouble with others. You can use this money to buy some food on the way there and back. It's cold and dry, so remember to drink plenty of water."

"I have already arranged the gifts for today's arrival and had them placed in the carriage. Remember to give them to the teacher. Once you're there, remember to do your homework and don't fall asleep."

"If you suffer any injustice or have any troubles at the Imperial Academy, please remember to tell me when you return. Don't suffer alone."

Han Zhi smiled, feeling for the first time that being nagged was actually a happy thing. After confirming that Su Zhen had finished speaking, he gave her a "goodbye kiss" and got into the car.

"Have you remembered everything, my lord?" Su Zhen called out again when he saw that Su Zhen did not respond.

Han Zhi poked his head out and laughed, "I've remembered them all!"

Seeing his comical appearance, Su Zhen laughed again and said, "Hurry up and go, or the snow will probably get heavier later."

"it is good!"

Han Zhi pulled his head back into the carriage, and Ma Ping pulled the reins, whipping the horse's hind legs, and the carriage slowly moved forward.

After traveling for about twenty minutes, the carriage stopped in front of a gate. Han Zhi noticed the carriage had stopped, so he poked his head out and looked at the gate, which read: "Imperial Academy"!

After getting off the carriage and checking his belongings, he said to Ma Ping, "I'll have to trouble you for now. Wait for me here for half a day. I'll come back next time I know when school ends."

Ma Ping nodded: "Yes, Ah Lang."

"If you're cold, go inside the carriage to warm up, or you can buy some hot wine or tea to ward off the cold." After giving these final instructions, he went straight into the Imperial College.

The first thing he saw upon entering was a wide plaza, and across from the plaza were rows and rows of classrooms. Holding his documents, he began to feel intimidated—

How do I get there?

He looked up and scanned his surroundings before spotting a table with an old man on it, seemingly registering something. He quickly followed him.

The old man seemed to notice someone approaching, so he looked up and saw it was Han Zhi.

"Sir, is this the place where the new student is registered? Please trouble you to let me know."

Upon hearing Han Zhi's very polite question, the old gentleman immediately formed a good first impression of him and replied, "I am registering here. May I ask if you have any official documents or appointment slips?"

Han Zhi nodded: "Yes, please wait a moment, sir."

After saying this, he put down his book box, took out the document, and placed it in front of the old man. The old man glanced at it briefly, then looked Han Zhi up and down before stamping his seal.

"He's entered the Imperial Academy and even became a top scholar in the provincial examination; he's quite a promising talent," the old man said.

He then beckoned to a student from the Imperial Academy and had him lead Han Zhi inside.

As he walked, the student kept turning back to look at him, seemingly quite curious.

Han Zhi thought that only this student was curious, but after entering the Guozixue classroom, he found that the other students were also looking at him in the same way.

The atmosphere remained quiet, unusually so. Then, the sound of a door closing broke the silence. A student clapped twice, and then everyone else joined in.

Han Zhi was utterly astonished—what was going on?