The formal examination lasts only one day, and as dusk approaches, the papers must be handed in. The policy questions and poetry in the exam require so ti, so Gu Chengyu prepared the ink, spread out the draft paper, and began writing his essay.
Approaching noon, Gu Chengyu already felt the heat in the air. This August seed particularly hot, and under the blazing sun, the exam hall felt like a steam room.
Gu Chengyu had just reached the second policy question. After writing for such a long ti, he moved his body slightly. Because he was writing earnestly, he only now felt the heat. Quickly, he circulated his Inner Strength throughout his body, finally feeling much more comfortable.
He glanced across and noticed that the candidate opposite had long since taken off his outer garnts. The sleeves of his inner clothes were rolled up to his elbows, and sweat kept dripping from his head. He was using his outer garnts to wipe his sweat.
Gu Chengyu glanced at the other candidates opposite and found they were in much the sa situation! He shook his head; the exam was always scheduled for August, and bringing a fan into the exam hall was not allowed. Ancient people wore so much, no wonder it was unbearably hot!
The candidates opposite were so hot they had lost the focus to write their papers. They were afraid that sweat from their foreheads would drip onto the papers, so they kept wiping away sweat with their outer garnts. When he looked up across, he was surprised to find the young boy’s clothes were neat, and he wasn’t wiping his forehead.
He found it odd; could that candidate be stunned by the exam? Is he not hot? And he continues to wear so many clothes to keep writing. He began to doubt himself; was he the only one fearful of the heat? He glanced at the row of other candidates and saw they were like him, which gave him so comfort.
Gu Chengyu paid no attention to the glances from the candidates opposite. Ti was pressing; he could not waste it. Finishing early ant he could leave sooner. Being in such a small examination shed with limited space made him feel suffocated.
After finishing the second policy question, he did not rush to copy it but instead looked at the poetry assignnt.
The poem was titled "Xiang Ling Gu Se," with the character "Ling" as the the, requiring five lines with six rhys and twelve characters.
Gu Chengyu closed his eyes and thought for a while. This topic likely originated from a line in "Songs of Chu: Far Roaming," "Let the Xiang River Goddess play the zither, causing the sea to dance with Feng Yi." This mainly speaks of the legend of Emperor Shun and the Xiang River Goddess.
Gu Chengyu planned to summarize the the with the first two lines, ensuring it aligned with the topic. After so thought, he decided to derive from a line in "Nine Songs: Hymn to the Xiang River," "The Emperor’s daughter descends to the northern islet."
He picked up his pen, pondered for a mont, and wrote on the draft paper, "Skilled in playing the yun he se, often hearing the Emperor’s daughter’s spirit. Feng Yi dances in vain, the Chu guest cannot bear to listen." With a start, the rest would be easier.
He had just finished writing these four lines when soone ca to deliver food. Gu Chengyu had to blow-dry the draft, put away the exam and draft papers, and stored them on the bed plank inside.
In the back residence of the governnt office, a doctor was feeling the pulse of a woman through a bed curtain. After a while, he put away the cloth on his wrist but said nothing.
Mrs. Xi hurriedly stepped forward to place the woman’s hand back inside the bed curtain and then pulled the curtains tightly shut.
"How is it? Have you diagnosed any illness?" Mrs. Xi’s heart was extrely anxious. It’s been two months, and things cannot continue like this!
The doctor furrowed his brows in thought for a while, then shook his head, "Forgive the inadequacies of my skills, but I truly cannot diagnose what illness the lady has! If it were due to so poison exposure, it should show in the pulse pattern. You should consult a more skilled doctor!"
No wonder he heard people saying that there was a woman in the Prefect Jiang’s house with a mysterious illness. During the day, she rely felt skin itchiness, but it was bearable. However, as soon as night fell, the itch was so severe, it seed she wanted to scratch her skin raw. Her hand earlier was so scratched that there wasn’t a piece of good flesh left on it, just covered in scratch marks, with so areas even scraped into the flesh.
The early autumn weather was still stiflingly hot, and already damaged skin does not heal easily. The woman’s skin had been scratched open again after freshly applying dicine at night, repeating the cycle, how could it possibly heal?
What a strange case! In decades of practicing dicine, he had never seen such an odd illness. He had no clues about how this illness developed.
Mrs. Xi sighed; this was already the eighth doctor. They had summoned almost every renowned doctor in the Prefecture, yet none could determine what illness it was.
She instructed the maiden to escort the doctor out. Only after hanging up the bed curtains on the hook, Mrs. Xi saw the woman lying on the bed and couldn’t stop her tears from flowing.
The woman lying on the bed was none other than a mber of the Yu Family. At this mont, she no longer had the graceful and beautiful semblance she once bore. The skin exposed was covered in scratch marks, so already torn, and the flesh was festering.
"Madam! Let help you wipe your body!" Mrs. Xi wiped her tears with a handkerchief, preparing to instruct the maid to fetch water.
"Don’t bother, washing only makes it more unbearable. Mother, do you think this is how I will be for the rest of my life?" Yu Family no longer dared to look in the mirror, fearing to see her own hideous state.
Mrs. Xi held a handkerchief over her mouth, suppressing the sobs about to escape, "Madam, why talk like this? The days ahead are still long! Things will get better after these days pass!"
Yu Family gave a bitter smile, "Will it truly get better? So many doctors were consulted, yet none could deduce what illness this is; how can I possibly recover?"
"Madam! This illness is indeed strange, but if it were poison, I interrogated everyone on duty that day in the manor. Honestly, it was impossible for poison to be administered!" Mrs. Xi knew poisoning was impossible. The old lady of the Yu Family couldn’t stand Madam, but Madam was suspicious and would only eat food tested with a silver needle.
"What’s the use in speaking of this now? Did you handle the matter I asked you to?" Yu Family suddenly rembered that affair; if it succeeded, she might find so ease.
"Your letter has been sent to the old lady, and a reply was received, saying it would be handled. But are we truly disregarding Mr. Gu? If rumors of malpractice spread, Mr. Gu would also be adversely implicated!" Mrs. Xi felt uneasy thinking about this. Her master had been in this position for nine years. If this were to occur, not to ntion a promotion, even a demotion was possible!
"Given what I’ve beco, how can I care that much? The heavens are unjust. I can’t stand idly by while that wench lives well. Even in death, I’ll drag a few down with !" Yu Family felt a surge of energy at the ntion of this matter.
"Why make things difficult, madam? This illness will certainly get better." Mrs. Xi could only comfort Yu Family in this manner now.
At this mont, a maid outside reported that Mr. Gu had arrived.
"How is Madam these days? Any better?" Prefect Jiang’s voice reached inside before he himself did.
"Replying to the master, it’s still the sa!" Mrs. Xi wiped her tears and replied to Prefect Jiang.
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