"Zeng Anmin?"
Qin Shoucheng's face stiffened slightly, and he instinctively started to look toward the butler. At this moment, the butler kept his head bowed, avoiding eye contact. Only then did Qin Shoucheng's expression return to normal. He couldn't help but recall how he had just been grandstanding, claiming that this boy hadn't made a name for his talents in all his sixteen years...
"Zeng Anmin..." Qin Shoucheng slowly murmured the name. Then, he abruptly looked up and asked, "Let me ask you, have you observed this boy's Essence Bone?"
"This..." The butler's expression suddenly changed.
Initiation into the Confucian Dao required one to be over sixteen years old. This was an established ironclad rule passed down through the generations of the Confucian Dao. Under the age of sixteen, a person's Divine Sense was unstable and their Essence Qi was insufficient. If one forcefully entered the Dao, they would inevitably suffer a backlash later on. At the very least, this backlash would manifest during the Nurturing Realm, following the Self-Cultivation Realm.
Qin Shoucheng suddenly sneered. "What kind of temper does that Zeng Shilin have?
"He is extremely competitive and highly ambitious.
"In my opinion, that fellow must have been too strict with his discipline, overwhelming his son.
"He inevitably began secretly studying how to enter the Dao before the age of sixteen."
"This..." The butler hesitated. The Dean was right.
The Dean chuckled softly, "Heh, since he's in such a rush to break through, let him be. Arrange for his advancement tomorrow.
"After the Self-Cultivation Realm comes the Nurturing Realm. One must comprehend seven hundred strands of Literary Qi to reach perfection. Given this boy's temperament, seeing all his peers progressing faster than him will surely make him anxious for quick success.
"Once his essence blood is depleted and his life hangs by a thread, I will step in to help."
"Uh..." The butler couldn't help but give the Dean a mental thumbs-up.
This wouldn't just save an academy student's life; it would also earn a favor from the Governor of Fengqi Road. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.
"Understood." The butler then hurried away.
Upper River Pier, Liangjiang Commandery.
One thousand guards stood along both sides of the street, all brandishing sharp weapons. Over a dozen officials of Liangjiang Commandery, both high and low ranking, were gathered here, gazing respectfully at the surging river before them. In the middle of the river, a towering ship slowly sailed eastward.
Watching the tall ship gradually disappear from sight, Zeng Shilin finally let out a sigh of relief. Emperor Jianhong had departed at last.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the nearby officials as he spoke in a frigid tone. "Keep your mouths tightly shut regarding His Majesty's visit to Liangjiang Commandery. If I find out that anyone has been wagging their tongues... Hmph!"
Hearing his words, everyone shuddered. The Prefect of Liangjiang and the Commander of the Observation Department trembled. They then took the lead in swearing that the secret would absolutely never escape their lips. The remaining dozen or so officials also responded with grave solemnity.
"Report! Governor, there is a letter from Shuidu Academy!" A civil clerk pushed his way through the crowd, panting heavily.
"Shuidu Academy?" Zeng Shilin frowned slightly.
Shuidu Academy was the institution with the most flourishing Literary Qi in all of Jiangnan. It could even be considered the highest academy in the entire southern region of the Great Saint Dynasty. If anything went wrong there, it would be an absolute disaster. Not daring to delay, Zeng Shilin took the letter from the clerk's hands, tore off the wax seal, and read it with a serious expression.
"This..." Zeng Shilin blanked for a moment after reading the contents.
Fearing he had missed something, he read it through a second time. Once he was sure he hadn't mistaken anything, he slowly raised his head, his face completely expressionless.
Seeing the Governor's strange reaction, the officials were puzzled. Someone cautiously asked, "Might I ask what urgent matter has occurred?"
"Urgent matter?" Hearing this, Zeng Shilin looked up and gave a cold snort. "Sending a special report for such a trivial, flyspeck of a matter? Is the academy trying to mock me?!"
The officials on the shore were all stunned by this outburst. What trivial matter could provoke such fury from the Governor?
Seeing this, the Prefect of Liangjiang, Qin Xiande, put on a solemn expression. He stepped up to Zeng Shilin and asked in a grave voice, "Please speak plainly, Governor Zeng."
Zeng Shilin immediately handed over the letter. "Pass it around and see for yourselves." He then let out another cold snort, turned his back to the crowd, and stared out at the endlessly flowing river.
Qin Xiande took the letter and read it carefully. When he saw the line—*Today, the newly enrolled student Zeng Anmin comprehended Literary Qi in less than a quarter of an hour*—his entire body trembled.
"In less than a quarter of an hour?!!" he cried out involuntarily.
"What the hell is going on, Old Qin? All this secrecy is going to kill me with anxiety!" Wang Deli, Commander of the Observation Department, grumbled in a muffled, deeply agitated voice.
Qin Xiande took a deep breath and handed the letter out. "Read it yourselves."
Unable to hold back any longer, Wang Deli snatched the letter and began to read it earnestly. The other officials also leaned in. After finishing the letter, they all looked up in absolute shock.
"A heaven-sent Confucian talent!"
"A great fortune for our Great Saint Dynasty!"
"Indeed! I still remember when I reached the Entry Grade; it took me a full year!"
They immediately broke into a flurry of excited chatter.
However, Prefect Qin Xiande knew that wasn't the main point. His eyes shifted as he suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Governor Zeng! I thought your esteemed son solving the case of the missing Dragon Inspection Map in a single day was already a display of peerless brilliance. I never imagined he would also be a heaven-defying prodigy on the Confucian Dao! This is a tremendous blessing! A blessing for the Confucian Dao, and a blessing for our Holy Dynasty!!!"
Qin Xiande bowed directly to Zeng Shilin's back.
It was only then that the others finally realized it and quickly looked back at the letter.
Zeng Anmin?!
"Oh my! Could this Zeng Anmin be the Governor's only son?!"
"This, this, this... Two great talents from one family! Such a thing has never been seen throughout history!"
With Qin Xiande taking the lead, the rest finally caught on and rushed to offer their congratulations.
"Sweet mother of mercy! Young Master Zeng is so damn impressive!!" Wang Deli finally caught on as well, his face full of disbelief.
Hearing his crass outburst, the mouths of several nearby Civil Servants twitched, and they all discreetly took two steps back. They inwardly scoffed at the vulgar Martial Artist.
By the river.
If one were to look at Zeng Shilin from the river's surface, they would naturally see the corners of his lips curling upward and a thoroughly delighted gleam in his eyes, not to mention his right hand unconsciously stroking his beard.
However, keeping his back to the crowd, Zeng Shilin said in a calm, distant voice without the slightest fluctuation, "Hmph! It's merely a slightly faster initiation. What is there to praise?"
Upon hearing this, feelings of deep admiration welled up in everyone. The Governor truly cared nothing for fame or fortune! If such a momentous event had happened to them, they would have rushed home to their ancestral halls long ago to joyfully announce the news to their ancestors.
"Court affairs, the livelihoods of the people, the autumn harvest, and spring sowing—which of these is not more important than this trivial matter?" Zeng Shilin turned around with a stoic expression and slowly walked toward Qin Xiande.
Qin Xiande immediately understood and respectfully handed the letter back.
"Alright, everyone go back. There is no need to linger here." After giving his dismissal, Zeng Shilin walked briskly toward his carriage.
All the officials watched him leave with solemn respect, watching until the carriage traveled farther and farther away, finally disappearing from sight.
"Governor Zeng's sole devotion to the people is truly endlessly admirable..."
Amidst the bustling crowds on the street.
"AHAHAHAHA!! Excellent!! Excellent!!"
From within a certain carriage, a long, uncontrollable burst of laughter finally vented out into the distance.