Chapter 297 – A Medicine Party, Rockery PY Transactions (Part Seven)
His mind had already cooled down, and the urge for mischief had vanished.
Now it was deep autumn, and with the slightest breeze, he felt a chill all over, his body trembling, and even his rear was quaking.
Scared.
Liu Zhi noticed the change in his expression and coldly scoffed, “The assessment is related to the stability of the nation and the future of Dongqing. Such a serious and sacred matter, yet someone chose to publicly disrobe and prance around without any shame. They’ve truly taught us a lesson in foolishness.”
The hall of scholars was as quiet as a chicken, while the frightened maidservants hastily knelt down, trembling.
Seeing the guards remain unmoving, Liu Zhi blandly uttered another sentence.
“Take him away. Can’t you understand human words?”
Several deputy assessors were just about to plead for leniency.
Although they felt the scholar had gone too far, using Cold Food Powder had already become fashionable among the elite of Dongqing. This was an elegant concern, and even if the reaction was excessive, it was merely due to improper use, which shouldn’t be treated as a special case but rather as something to be handled with discretion.
“Foolish bugs!”
Before they could speak, Liu Zhi had already hurled an insult, though he didn’t name anyone, but how could those old men not know he was scolding them?
Instantly, their expressions were as colorful as a painter’s palette.
With their heads down, the guards eventually dragged the person away.
Liu Zhi, expression unchanged, folded Wei Ci’s exam paper and tucked it into his sleeve.
The audience in the live stream couldn’t hear what Liu Zhi had cursed, but based on his expression, they could tell that the host’s father was genuinely angry.
More importantly, the scholar’s actions looked all too much like someone who had gotten high on drugs.
【Library Keeper】: Strange, why do I feel that the behavior of that scholar just now was a bit off?
【Ming Dynasty Suits】: Not only off, he was definitely drugged! What’s the difference between taking off clothes in an exam and trying to lewd other exam takers? No matter who you are, you should be thrown out… I don’t know if it’s because I’ve watched too many palace and household struggles, but I feel like this matter isn’t so simple; perhaps this candidate was plotted against… Suddenly imagining a palace intrigue.
【Old Driver Alliance】: Probably just overdosed on Cold Food Powder; it’s not some kind of conspiracy.
【Earth’s Handsomest Man】: Cold Food Powder? What’s that?
【Old Driver Alliance】: Cold Food Powder, also known as Five Stone Powder, is a highly toxic substance. It’s addictive and hallucinogenic, and once consumed, it spreads toxicity, generating immense internal heat. Long-term use leads to chronic poisoning. However, ancient people believed that after consuming Cold Food Powder, one would have a clear mind, and writing poetry would feel aided by divine influence… Probably that foolish kid was buzzing on the medicine during the assessment…
【Nougat Candy】: Isn’t this just a drug?
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow at those comments.
She was aware of this substance. Cold Food Powder was a luxurious item among the aristocrats of Dongqing.
Liu Xi recalled seeing many scholars from Hejian using Cold Food Powder as a source of entertainment during elegant gatherings.
Another audience member looked up information on Cold Food Powder and copied a ton of data to educate those who were unaware.
【Old Driver Alliance】: Cold Food Powder is addictive, but in a way, it’s even scarier than drugs.
Jiang Pengji glanced at it and then disinterestedly set it down.
The audience in the live stream belonged to a more ancient time; Cold Food Powder was still incredibly frightening to them. But Jiang Pengji, having grown up in a technologically advanced space era, viewed all kinds of previously feared toxins as beneath her notice.
【Rock Sugar Lemon】: Ugh, how terrifying! If one accidentally becomes addicted to this stuff, won’t that be the end? It must be tough to detox in ancient times… Think of our country, think of opium… If this stuff spreads widely, the consequences are unimaginable.
This comment received substantial support from the audience.
【Host V】: There’s no need to worry so much. Cold Food Powder is only spreading in small circles. This thing is very expensive; the common people can’t afford it, which eliminates the possibility of widespread proliferation. After taking Cold Food Powder, one also needs to carry out very complex release procedures to disperse the excess heat. If the release goes wrong, it could lead to serious consequences, something the common people cannot afford to mess with.
Even so, the dangers of Cold Food Powder were indeed not to be overlooked.
In this ancient era, as the upper class languished, the societal atmosphere became skewed, and the unfortunate ones were still the common people.
Jiang Pengji looked at the scholars participating in the assessment, her brows slightly furrowed, losing interest in continuing to watch.
Cold Food Powder couldn’t catch her eye because, with the physical condition of future humans, it would basically be impossible to get hooked on Cold Food Powder. But ancient humans were different; they were far weaker, especially those pampered aristocrats.
Once hooked, detoxing would be challenging, and probably no one would have the willpower to quit.
The noble scholars had plenty of money to keep buying Cold Food Powder and could continue using it without issues, so why would they suffer to quit?
In this pyramid-shaped society, with illiterates everywhere, the elite upper class had too much influence over the common lower class. Their decline would lead to the entire society’s degradation, and their incompetence would taint the overall social atmosphere…
Her lips pressed into a straight line, she didn’t alert anyone, quietly leaving the octagonal pavilion.
With such an interruption, Liu Zhi didn’t have much mind left to host the assessment, waiting for all the scholars to finish their questions before asking to collect their papers. For fairness, all the scholars’ names would be covered with white cloth and scored slowly.
Han Yu’s face was filled with worry, “Zixiao seems to have suffered a bit too much this time…”
This was just bad luck, like stepping out without checking the calendar and running into such misfortune.
Lü Zheng said, “Zixiao has always been meticulous; I hope this doesn’t hit him too hard.”
Regarding Wei Ci leaving the assessment midway, their teacher, Mr. Yuanjing, wasn’t surprised at all.
Instead, he smiled indifferently, “I know about this matter; you don’t need to worry too much. Zixiao has his own plans.”
Wei Ci had never intended to serve Dongqing. What did the assessment results mean to him?
Had it not been for Mr. Yuanjing’s request, he wouldn’t have appeared here today.
Jiang Pengji was on her way back when she happened to run into Feng Jin, who had come looking for her.
“The royal grounds are no place for wandering, didn’t I tell you not to run around?”
Feng Jin scrutinized her from head to toe, ensuring there was nothing out of the ordinary before secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Seemed like she hadn’t caused any trouble.
“I just wanted to see the assessment scene from a distance. There are people everywhere; if trouble breaks out, it can’t be blamed on me alone.”
Jiang Pengji glanced at other scholars and noble girls, signaling to Feng Jin that she was innocent.
“Is it that you’re worried I don’t understand the rules here?” As a wounded person, caring for a rambunctious child isn’t easy. “Just because the royal garden looks glamorous, who knows what demons are lurking behind? If you inadvertently interrupt someone’s business, be careful that your head is not safe…”
Jiang Pengji stepped closer to Feng Jin, walking side by side down the narrow path while maintaining a significant distance from others.
“Looks like you have plenty of experience. I just saw Wu Ma Jun and a girl named An Yina sneaking around in the rockery cave, tsk tsk… the battle was fierce! Is this a big deal?”
Feng Jin: “……”
