Wei Yu recalled previously overhearing others at the club talking about the autumn exam.

At that time, he only thought it was some irrelevant gossip. Now, after hearing Liu Huaiyuan mention the spring exam, Wei Yu began to take the imperial examination more seriously.

He didn’t even know when the spring exam would be. Should he tell his father and ask him to give Liu Huaiyuan a little special favor or something…

That seemed a bit unethical.

But Liu Huaiyuan was carefully teaching Liu Jiuyuan and Liu Chanyi!

This counted as helping the court cultivate talents—he deserved credit!

While Wei Yu was thinking, Liu Huaiyuan was waiting for his answer.

Looking at His Highness’s thoughtful expression, Liu Huaiyuan sighed in his heart and smiled, "Forget it, I will wait until next time."

What?

Wei Yu came back to his senses and looked at him incredulously, "Why wait until next time? The imperial exam only happens once every three years. If you miss next year, won’t you just waste more time?"

This stunned Liu Huaiyuan.

His Highness was not forbidding him from going?

Wei Yu earnestly persuaded, "It’s fine. If you want to take the exam, then just go. Teaching can be dealt with later; your exam is the most important thing."

This ancient version of the college entrance exam—no matter what, Wei Yu could not let the child miss it!

As for teaching at the academy?

That’s easy—he could ask his father to send someone over later…

That academy now was not only his anymore! It was completely a talent incubation base for the court!

If he weren’t unfamiliar with those erudite officials at the Hanlin Academy, who might think it beneath their dignity to teach commoner children, Wei Yu would have already had his father send someone over.

But these things were just thoughts; it was inconvenient if the people weren’t his own.

Wei Yu still thought it better to rely on himself to lure… invite talent!

Yes, during the spring exam, he could look more carefully to find promising candidates, and then bring them all into the academy to work!

Liu Huaiyuan was once again moved by His Highness.

He looked deeply at Wei Yu and truly felt there was no other ruler in the world more understanding and kind than the Wise King.

His Highness treated him like a confidant; he would certainly devote himself wholeheartedly to His Highness’s grand plan!

Liu Huaiyuan stepped back, raised his hand, bowed, and gave Wei Yu a deep kowtow.

"Yuanhua thanks Your Highness for your grace."

Oh, the kid was excited—happy to hear he could take the exam, right?

Wei Yu understood the significance of the "college entrance exam" to the examinee, so he wanted to help every child with exams fulfill their wishes.

Wei Yu stepped forward quickly to help him up, "Brother Yuanhua, why be so polite? No need for formality."

Liu Huaiyuan lowered his eyes and smiled lightly, "Yuanhua has waited twenty-four years for the spring exam day. Without Your Highness, perhaps today I still wouldn’t know where I’d be."

Originally, Liu’s family had long been unable to survive in the capital because of debt, so they sold their property and returned home.

As an unwelcomed illegitimate son, Liu Huaiyuan knew very well that if he stayed home, not to mention whether he could study in peace, he probably wouldn’t even have the money to travel to the capital for the exam.

He was grateful to His Highness not only because of His Highness’s character but also because with His Highness, he was able to attend the imperial exam smoothly.

Wei Yu smiled and patted his arm, "It’s nothing, Brother Yuanhua, don’t mind it. Rest assured, no matter the result of the exam, as long as I am here, the gates of the Wise King’s mansion will always be open to you!"

Liu Huaiyuan looked at him deeply, "Yes, thank you, Your Highness."

—

It was late autumn, a season with plenty of food, but the temperature had dropped.

The past two days had indeed been busy. Wei Yu finally found some free time, lazing in bed, eating oranges shipped from Qingzhou while watching the long-awaited update of a passionate manga—very leisurely.

But such leisure was never blessed by heaven.

Soon Xiao Anzi came in, saying someone had come to visit.

Wei Yu stuffed a segment of orange into his mouth and asked, "Who is it? Just tell them I’m not here."

Xiao Anzi said, "The visitor claims to be the son of the Minister of Justice, called Sun Zhao."

Wei Yu froze.

He took a sharp breath, then exhaled long and heavy, his face full of sorrow.

Damn it, another job!

Wei Yu closed his tablet, threw off the blanket, and got up.

"Go ahead, let them in. I’ll get dressed first."

Wei Yu quickly put on clothes, grabbed two more oranges, eating as he walked to the study.

He didn’t need to ask why Sun Zhao came.

It was to ask about the follow-up!

Last time at the club, he tricked them into wanting to raise pigs. He told them before doing that, they had to study biology because to make it big, they had to learn the related knowledge. Luckily, he had books he could lend them…

There was no news in the past few days. Wei Yu didn’t rush to lend the books. Now that they came, it must be to borrow the books.

Simple biology textbooks, plus things like "Postpartum Care for Sows," "Practical Techniques for Raising Chickens," "How to Improve Duck Farming Efficiency," and "Tips for Preventing Chicken Diseases"—all of which Wei Yu had written off and on back in Ji Prefecture.

Since Eighth Brother didn’t appreciate them, they could only go to those who did.

Wei Yu told two servants at the door to carry the books, then headed to the front hall.

Sun Zhao had really come just to borrow books.

As for why they hadn’t acted in the past two days, it was simply because they had gone home to gather money.

This was one of the few things these people were seriously trying to do. They couldn’t be careless. Since they decided to go big, money was certainly necessary.

A group like them—if their families weren’t wealthy and doting on them, they wouldn’t be spendthrift rich kids.

They all had small private funds, collected bit by bit over the years from here and there.

Though not much, they had elders who cared for them!

Normally, if they wanted to buy something expensive, it was basically just to take a few hundred taels from the warehouse without much trouble.

During the serious reading time ahead, they occasionally took a few more notes from the warehouse, saving a few hundred or even a thousand taels.

As for telling their elders about this?

Ha, forget it. To avoid being ridiculed, the rich kids decided to do this well first, then tell their elders, quietly to amaze the world!

After meeting Sun Zhao, Wei Yu didn’t chat much, just told the servants behind to give him the books.

"Here, these are the books you should read. I don’t know who among you should read what, but I suggest everyone look through those biology books."

Two large stacks of books—Sun Zhao was stunned.

"So many?"

Sun Zhao casually flipped through the top book titled "Biology 1" and found there were even illustrations inside.

He laughed, "This book even has drawings? Huh, the artwork… unheard of."

Books with pictures were always more fun than pure text.

Watching Sun Zhao study the drawings, Wei Yu smiled silently.

Should he say those pictures were actually sketches he made out of boredom with charcoal pencils?