“And those wearing the same robes,” he nodded toward a large table in the center, “I noticed they’ve been sticking together since they started lining up. They’re all from prominent families and probably know things we don’t. If this were like the imperial exams, where everyone’s a competitor, they wouldn’t be so unguarded around each other. But from the looks of it, that’s not the case. I think the scholar’s exam might actually allow people to help each other pass, and a group has a much bigger advantage than a single person.”

　　Brian Carter couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

　　This guy seemed a bit slow, but his powers of observation were surprisingly sharp.

　　For a youth not yet of age, this was already quite impressive.

Chapter Two: Because of Ignorance

　　“Brother Carter, what do you think?” Seeing he didn’t respond, William Grant couldn’t help but ask.

　　Brian Carter smiled slightly. “I’m thinking, instead of making wild guesses, why not just ask someone who knows?”

　　“Huh? Who would know?”

　　He raised his hand and beckoned to the waiter. “Waiter, could you come over for a moment?”

　　“Hey, coming!”

　　Brian Carter tilted his head. “See, someone who knows is here.”

　　William Grant couldn’t help but gape in surprise. “You think... the teahouse waiter would know the inside story of the scholar’s exam?”

　　“Actually, I was puzzled from the start—why would a remote village halfway up a mountain have an inn and a teahouse at its center?” He put down his teacup and slowly voiced his doubts. “It’s not close to any big city, nor is it on a main road. If it weren’t for the scholar’s exam, who would come all the way here to stay at an inn? It’s a money-losing business—no one in the world would want to do that.”

　　“Uh...” William Grant was stunned too. “Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”

　　“Look at these blue brick floors—they must be decades old at least, not something built in a hurry. For this place to stay open so long, there must be some other source of income supporting it. And if someone’s willing to invest money here without caring about profit and loss, who do you think it could be?”

　　“Could it be... the Privy Council that organizes the scholar’s exam? But even if that’s true, what does it have to do with the waiter?” William Grant was still confused.

　　“The imperial exam just needs a paper and a pen, the martial exam just needs an open space and weapons—both can be held almost anywhere. But the scholar’s exam? Surely they can’t just pick any random place. Otherwise, the Privy Council wouldn’t go to all this trouble to gather everyone in this remote town.” Brian Carter guided him patiently. “After all, from an administrative and operational cost perspective, holding it in a big city is always the best option. That’s also why the final round of both exams is always set in the capital.”

　　“Administrative... cost?” his companion repeated with difficulty.

　　“Ahem, don’t mind the wording—just think of it as the difference between the expenses and profits of holding the event.” He held up two fingers. “Anyway, from all this, it’s not hard to deduce two things: first, the venues for the scholar’s exam must be somewhat special and probably not too many; second, to keep such a venue running, there needs to be a steady flow of money.”

　　“The Privy Council is important, but they can’t just throw money around. If they’ve kept Qingshan Town running for so long, it can’t be just for this one exam. In other words, this place must have hosted the scholar’s exam many times before.” Brian Carter concluded, “If the waiter is a local, he’s probably seen this kind of thing before.”

　　William Grant was left speechless.

　　“Gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?” As they spoke, the waiter arrived at their table.

　　Brian Carter first ordered some braised beef, then casually shifted the topic, pretending to ask offhandedly, “By the way, how long have you been working at this teahouse?”

　　“Sir, I’ve been running errands here since I was a kid—at least ten years, if not more.” The waiter replied enthusiastically.

　　“Business isn’t usually this busy, is it?”

　　“You’re right. The last time it was this crowded was probably five or six years ago.”

　　“Were the people who came then like us?” William Grant quickly asked.

　　The waiter smiled but didn’t answer right away.

　　Brian Carter understood—clearly, this one was experienced... He coughed twice and pointed at his waist.

　　William Grant paused for a moment before catching on. He took out half a tael of silver from his pouch and placed it on the table.

　　The waiter’s face lit up instantly. With a quick sweep of his sleeve, he pocketed the silver. “Pretty much, yes. I remember they talked about the scholar’s exam, spells, and such. Of course, I didn’t really understand the details.”

　　William Grant got excited. “Then do you know what the exam involved?”

　　The waiter clammed up again.

　　This time, no prompting was needed—his companion had already pushed another piece of silver toward him.

　　“To be honest, I’m not too sure,” the waiter said cheerfully. “I wouldn’t dare get involved in that stuff. Besides, most of those people only came out at night and always headed for the back mountain. Everyone else tried to avoid them, let alone go up and ask what was going on. If anyone in town knows, it’d probably be those old hunters. I heard someone once hired them as guides and they made over ten taels of silver in a single night.”

　　William Grant was about to reach for his pouch again when Brian Carter stopped him. “That’s enough, you can get back to work.”

　　“Alright!” the waiter replied.

　　“Wait, I still want to...”