Master Wang: “...” You might as well just say I'm partial to the Wang family!
However...
“As a master at the Imperial Academy and a trusted official of His Majesty the Emperor, I'm in charge of the interview for the Women's Academy. I select students with responsibility and fairness. How dare you question me!”
Master Wang斜着 his eyes, showing disdain. “Just now, we asked the same questions to all the candidates. Miss Wang's answers were obvious to all. Do you still want to question all of us?”
“You're really overestimating yourself.”
If someone didn't know the situation, they might really think it was Xie Fengran being unreasonable after hearing this righteous speech!
However, everyone present was shocked by Master Wang's words!
“Brother, this man is so shameless. You should do something about him!”
The Fourth Princess was an impatient person. It was not easy for her to hold back until now before speaking out.
At this moment, she even wanted to rush down and beat Master Wang up.
The Crown Prince seemed to know what the Fourth Princess was thinking. He glanced sideways with a sharp look in his eyes.
Unfortunately, the Fourth Princess was so excited that she didn't notice her elder brother's annoyance and continued to add fuel to the fire.
“Second Brother, don't you think this man is too shameless? How could there be such a master in the Imperial Academy? Can such a person teach students well?”
The Second Prince turned his head and met the Fourth Princess's gritted - teeth look. He cleared his throat and forced a smile. “Third Sister, watch your words!”
“Second Brother, am I wrong? He is really...”
“Qin Zhaoyue, shut up!”
The Crown Prince squeezed out a sentence through his teeth and glared the Fourth Princess back.
His younger sister was usually very smart, but why did she become so stupid when it came to Xie Fengran's matter!
Master Wang was at least from the Wang family, their in - law. Even if he was not good, they could just give him a gentle reminder in private. Talking about it in front of the Second Prince like this and rushing to question him was just self - embarrassing!
On the viewing stand, the siblings were glaring at each other because of Xie Fengran, but Xie Fengran was not so excited.
There was no trace of emotion on her face. She bowed as a junior and replied, “Master is right. Since you've been trusted by His Majesty to be the interviewer, you will surely live up to His Majesty's trust. After all, His Majesty attaches great importance to the Women's Academy, and even the Crown Prince is here to watch. I believe that both His Majesty and the Crown Prince hope that you will act fairly and that the interview for the Women's Academy will go smoothly.”
The Crown Prince!
Master Wang gave a start and his body stiffened. He had actually forgotten that the Crown Prince was here.
But he quickly recovered and coughed lightly. “There's no need for you to remind me. I know what I'm doing.”
After saying that, he gave Master Lin a look. Master Lin understood and the interview got into the main part.
Maybe because of Xie Fengran's questioning, Master Wang kept silent and Master Lin asked the questions.
In order to curry favor with Master Wang, Master Lin asked questions ranging from poetry and songs to classics and history.
The two of them argued back and forth. At first, it was just question - and - answer, but later it turned into a debate.
As Master Wang's face got darker and darker, Xie Fengran's answers became more and more brilliant. Finally, Master Lin was defeated.
“Sister Xie is amazing! She even made that old pedant speechless.”
The Fourth Princess almost jumped up. She knew that Sister Xie was well - known for her talent, but she didn't expect that she could hold her own against a master from the Imperial Academy. It was really unexpected.
Master Lin got angry from embarrassment. Every question he asked far exceeded the knowledge range of ordinary young ladies and went further and further afield.
Seeing that Xie Fengran was having more and more difficulty answering, Master Lin got excited. After Xie Fengran answered, he wanted to ask another question.
“Master Lin, Miss Xie's level has far exceeded the assessment standard of the Women's Academy. You've gone too far!”
“I... I've finished asking!” Master Lin glanced at the person who spoke and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. He said angrily.
Hearing this, Xie Fengran also felt relieved.
She had dealt with the two most difficult masters. The remaining two didn't have much hostility towards them.
However, Xie Fengran didn't let her guard down. She looked at Master Wu and the master on the far side, bowed, and said, “Please give me some guidance, masters!”
Master Wu had always been with a straight face. He glanced at Xie Fengran and said stiffly, “I have no questions to ask!”
It was Master Zhou, who had spoken up for Xie Fengran, who asked, “May I ask what books Miss Xie usually reads?”
What books?
Xie Fengran's tense nerves didn't react for a moment. She subconsciously replied, “I don't deliberately look for books to read. There are my grandfather's collections at home. After I was enlightened, I've been reading them.”
After she finished speaking, she clearly felt that Master Zhou's attitude became better. He said gently, “It's good that you can inherit your grandfather's legacy and study hard. Emperor Dezong established the Women's Academy to provide an opportunity for women all over the world. I'm sure your grandfather would be very pleased to see this.”
There were a lot of emotions in Master Zhou's words. Xie Fengran was confused, but this was not the right occasion to ask. She could only suppress her curiosity and wait for the final result.
The interview was led by Master Wang, and whether a candidate passed or not depended entirely on him.
Thanks to Master Lin's “help”, even if Master Wang wanted to tell lies, he couldn't. He could only suppress his unwillingness and announce that Xie Fengran had passed the interview.
“Thank you, master!”
Xie Fengran bowed and calmly stepped back.
Master Wang looked at her back and snorted. He thought that after her vague preaching, he would easily let these people go. It was just a dream!
However, Master Wang didn't know that a pit had already been dug for him.
Just before the next young lady took the stage, the eunuch beside the Crown Prince walked up to Master Wang and whispered in his ear, “Sir, the Crown Prince has something to tell you!”
Master Wang was stunned for a moment, then he realized and nodded.
The eunuch whispered, “Know when to stop!”
Master Wang's face sank little by little. He nodded and said, “I know. Please reply to the Crown Prince for me, Your Excellency.”
“As long as you know, Your Highness is also doing this for your own good. After all, the words have been said.” Master Wang knew what the eunuch was referring to. He looked at the next young lady on stage with a gloomy face.
The young lady shivered and almost dropped the handkerchief in her hand.
Fortunately, Master Wang was not so stubborn and knew when to stop!
The young lady went on stage nervously and came down nervously. She didn't feel relieved until she sat back.
On the viewing stand, the Crown Prince was also shocked by Xie Fengran's knowledge - he didn't even know that she was so knowledgeable.
He felt even more proud of his good judgment. However... The Crown Prince turned his head and met Qin Junxing's eyes. He suddenly felt very annoyed!
It was really a killjoy when he was so excited!
On the contrary, Qin Junxing looked very gratified. He looked at Xie Fengran with a burning gaze, as if there was only this woman in the world and he couldn't see anyone else!