With that, the groundskeeper left the Academy.
Soon after, Shi Yi was led to the study in the side courtyard. This area served as the office for all the Academy’s instructors to grade assignments. Students of the Academy often gathered here to recite poetry, hoping to catch the ear of an instructor and earn a word of praise.
Shi Zaijian and his cronies were already there. They were putting on quite a performance, reciting poems loudly in front of the blooming lotus flowers in the center of the courtyard, all in the hopes of being noticed by the masters inside. Shi Zaijian was currently the one drawing the most attention. He had placed second in the provincial examination and was considered the second-greatest talent in the Academy. The top talent was the son of a local wealthy family who was merely enrolled in name and rarely seen on campus, leaving Shi Zaijian to hog the spotlight.
"Who reflects the moonlight upon the small boat, a bay of clear water locking in tenderness..."
Chapter 90