“Young master, when did you come back?” Lily exclaimed in surprise, revealing a long-lost smile.

Brian Bolton, however, ignored her and simply looked Emily Thompson up and down for a while before suddenly blurting out, “Can you still walk?”

He had been living it up in Chengdu, indulging in pleasure without a care in the world, and had no intention of returning home. Unexpectedly, he heard from a friend that the county-level student exams would be held at the end of the month. Realizing there were only a few days left, he had to bid a painful farewell to the brothels and hurried back to Yilong.

“The day after tomorrow is the student exam. What you said that day, Young Master Thompson…” He suddenly noticed Lily standing nearby, so he waved his hand to send her out. Lily, helpless, could only dawdle her way out. Suddenly, her face flushed red, as if she thought of something, and she turned and ran off.

Emily Thompson thought to himself, “Don’t be fooled by this young master’s wild ways—at critical moments, he can still keep his head. He’s not completely useless after all.” So he smiled and said, “It’s nothing, I can walk now. Please, go ahead!”

During his trip to Chengdu, Brian Bolton had come into contact with many sons of officials, all of whom looked down on others, and even the brothel girls treated him differently. This had stung his pride. The official title he once didn’t care about suddenly became a heavy burden.

“Back then, Young Master Thompson, you promised to help me get the student qualification. The exam is the day after tomorrow. If I don’t get it, I’ll have to wait another year, and that would be too late.” After saying this, he stared intently at Emily Thompson’s face, as if it were the list of successful candidates, expecting to see his own name, Brian Bolton, on it.

When Emily Thompson was in college, he had visited his professors’ homes countless times, hoping for leniency. Later, when job hunting, he nearly wore out the thresholds of various directors’ and bureau chiefs’ homes. So, he was already well-versed in the art of pulling strings. A few days ago, he had met with County Magistrate Lewis, and from the latter’s attitude toward Mrs. Bolton, it was clear that this man was eager for fame and not the upright type. He just needed to be careful with his approach—if he was too blunt, it could backfire. He remembered failing to get into the city finance bureau because he had tried to give a gift to the director right in the office.

“Samuel Lewis—isn’t he just a rootless man?” Thinking this, Emily Thompson smiled slightly and said, “This is very easy. As long as you prepare one hundred taels of silver for me, young master, it can be done.”

During the Tang dynasty, the imperial examination was divided into regular exams and special exams. The special exams were held at the emperor’s whim to select talent from across the land—anyone, even farmers and fishermen, could apply.

The regular exams were fixed and had two steps. First was the local exam, organized by each prefecture. Those who passed were called “juren,” but the prerequisite was to have student status, which meant passing the official school entrance exam—the student exam.

After becoming a juren, one could go to the capital to take the provincial exam, which had many subjects: xiucai, classics, jinshi, law, books, mathematics, and so on. After the Tianbao era, most juren only took the classics and jinshi subjects—the classics focused on essays, the jinshi on poetry, depending on one’s strengths. Passing the provincial exam only granted the qualification to become an official; the Ministry of Personnel would still have to assess the candidate’s appearance and character before granting a post. Sometimes this assessment could take years, turning one’s hair white with waiting. The lucky ones, like the county magistrate of Yilong, Samuel Lewis, passed the jinshi exam and received an official post within a month.

At this moment, he had just finished official business and returned home. For the sake of Mrs. Bolton, he received Emily Thompson. After hearing his request, he was taken aback. Although the other party spoke vaguely, he understood: “Young Master Bolton wants a student qualification.”

Normally, he would have gently picked up his teacup and said, “See the guest out!” But today, he dared not—sending the guest away might mean sending away his own future. Yet, as he looked this young tutor from the Bolton household up and down, he couldn’t help but look down on his background. Hmph! Just a Daoist priest.

Still, he maintained proper etiquette. Samuel Lewis smiled and said, “I learned to read at six, wrote poetry at eight, became a juren at twenty, and passed the jinshi exam at thirty-two. I can’t count the hardships I’ve endured or the beatings I’ve taken. It was hard to get where I am today. With just one sentence, Young Master Thompson, you would ruin my good name, wouldn’t you?”

He glanced sidelong at Emily Thompson, his face half-smiling, waiting for a reply. He needed to figure out who was really behind this request for a student qualification—this tutor, Young Master Bolton, Mrs. Bolton, or John Spencer. There was risk involved; the question was whether it was worth taking.

Emily Thompson cursed his hypocrisy inwardly, but also smiled and said, “Doesn’t Lord Lewis want to ask what Young Master Bolton wants this student qualification for?”

Samuel Lewis’s heart skipped a beat. That’s right! This Young Master Bolton was notorious in the county for being idle and unstudious. What did he want with a meaningless student qualification? He thought this, but didn’t show it on his face. He simply picked up his tea and sipped, but listened to every word that followed.

“Lord Lewis also knows that all the sons of the Spencer family are studying at the official school in Chengdu. In Xinzheng County, only the old, the young, women, and children are left. They really need a man to hold down the fort. Coincidentally, the county constable of Xinzheng will retire next year. Master Spencer intends for his nephew to take the post, and Second Master Spencer agrees. With Brian Bolton at home, they can go to the capital to serve as officials without worry. However, Master Spencer cares about appearances and hopes his nephew can earn a juren title before taking office. The student qualification is the first step. So, madam wanted to trouble County Magistrate Lewis with this matter. She’s not comfortable coming forward herself, so she asked me to speak. She also said, if County Magistrate Lewis finds it difficult, just pretend this never happened.”