Two days passed by with such ease, and the academy's admission list was released.
Lin Yan was on the list, and even more surprisingly, the people Lin Bo had interacted well with these past two days were also listed.
Lin Yan felt this might be her cousin's special ability.
Knowing they could now enter the academy, they, with the help of Quan Ge'er, prepared all the necessary items.
The next morning, Lin Yan and Lin Bo, along with their respective bookboys, entered the academy with their luggage and identification tags.
After registering their information, they were led to the dormitories. Lin Yan and Lin Bo were assigned to the same room. They received the keys from the dormitory prefect and went to tidy up.
Lin Yan's bookboy was named Shi Mo, and Lin Bo's was Xiao Kai.
Although they had bookboys to clean the rooms, Lin Yan and Lin Bo were not idle. The four of them working together was much faster than two.
Lin Yan's maid did not enter the academy. Lin Yan gave up her previously rented small courtyard and rented a smaller one for her maid to live in.
She left some money for her. Although the newly rented house was smaller, it had all the necessities. Lin Yan planned to have a place to rest and eat home-cooked meals when she returned on holidays.
However, this was another expense, though a necessary one. Lin Yan needed her own space, and this maid had grown up with the original owner.
She knew the original owner's situation and could take care of Lin Yan and cover for her.
Lin Yan and the others quickly cleaned the dormitory. Though said to be one room, it was actually divided into an inner and outer section, with a side room specifically for the bookboys.
The outer section was for receiving guests, and the inner section was for living. Lin Yan was quite satisfied with the bed that had bed curtains, at least it respected personal privacy.
Lin Bo gave the better position to Lin Yan, taking the spot by the window himself and letting Lin Yan choose the spot by the wall.
Although the window side was brighter, it would be drafty in winter. Lin Bo thought that with his cousin's physique, living in such a spot would likely lead to frequent colds in winter.
Lin Yan understood her cousin's consideration, but seeing the accommodation conditions, she began to look forward to the special dormitories.
She heard that the top three in each季考 (seasonal exam) could choose to live in single rooms. It was said to be a separate small courtyard, similar to the environment where the teachers lived.
This information came from the nephew of an academy teacher.
To get such a single room, Lin Yan had to study hard. Although she hadn't developed yet, it would come soon.
In ancient times, age was counted in virtual years. Lin Yan was currently twelve in virtual years, but in actual years, her body was only ten.
This also explained the original owner's genius and why the Lin family all saw her as their hope.
The academy's classes were divided according to the Thousand Character Classic. Lin Yan was assigned to Class Huang Zi One, while Lin Bo was in Class Huang Zi Two.
Students in the Tian Zi class had all passed the Juren examination and were here for the next Imperial Examination. However, they had their own affairs and were older, so the academy did not restrict them from staying at the academy.
The Di Zi class consisted of Xiucai scholars, preparing for the provincial examinations. The Xuan Zi class was for those who had entered the academy before, while the Huang Zi class was for the Tong Sheng who newly enrolled each year.
However, the personnel in the Huang Zi and Xuan Zi classes were not fixed. After the first旬考 (decadal exam), there would be some adjustments.
Those who performed better in the Huang Zi class would be promoted to the Xuan Zi class, while some in the Xuan Zi class who couldn't keep up would be sent back to the Huang Zi class.
Therefore, the旬考 after each new student's enrollment made the students in the Xuan Zi class extremely worried.
Being sent back to the Huang Zi class was not just a change of class; it was a complete loss of face.
To avoid being demoted to the Huang Zi class, everyone in the Xuan Zi class worked incredibly hard.
Lin Yan had only been at the academy for two days, but she already felt a strong academic atmosphere. She adapted well to this learning environment.
However, the academy did not only teach the Four Books and Five Classics. It also offered classes in horseback riding, music, mathematics, law, poetry, and etiquette.
But in Lin Yan's Huang Zi class, these courses were not taught extensively, as the prefectural and academy examinations involved less of these subjects. Therefore, the Huang Zi class only focused on building a foundation.
By the time they reached the Tian Zi and Di Zi classes, the requirements for these courses were much higher.
However, these classes were open to everyone, and students could choose to attend based on their personal preferences. Lin Yan was interested in all of them and made a note of the class times, planning to attend if she had free time.
Lin Yan and Lin Bo absorbed the knowledge imparted by the academy like sponges. Lin Yan also felt that she might have been a bit arrogant before; the imperial examination was not as simple as she had imagined.
Systematic study at the academy was of great help to her. The biggest change was in Lin Yan's poetry.
Her poems were no longer just a jumble of words; they now possessed some literary flair.
However, thinking about the poetry teacher's evaluation of her, Lin Yan felt that her path to writing poetry was still long and arduous.
Lin Yan did not need to attend horseback riding lessons. She knew how to ride a horse and was quite skilled at it, having come from a martial arts world where horses were their primary mode of transportation.
Still, she attended a few classes to avoid having to explain her equestrian skills.
Lin Bo did not have the same flexibility as Lin Yan. He found his studies somewhat challenging, let alone learning horseback riding and music.
However, being naturally cheerful, he didn't dwell on these matters. He also did not refuse Lin Yan's offer of help.
At the same time, he admired his cousin even more.
In the letter he wrote home, Lin Bo praised Lin Yan to the heavens. Lin Bo's parents were also very grateful to Lin Yan.
But since Lin Yan was not present before them, they could only express their gratitude to Madam Lin and Lin's mother.
They sent many gifts to Madam Lin as thanks, but Madam Lin always reciprocated with some gifts.
Madam Lin also felt this was very good. Lin Yan and Lin Bo supported each other at the academy, and if their familial relationships remained close and harmonious, then Lin Bo and Lin Yan's relationship at the academy would also be better.
Madam Lin was happy to see such a situation. The other members of the Lin family were also very satisfied with this arrangement.
Especially after they received the past exam papers and their compiled notes sent back by Lin Yan, the entire village began to thank Lin Yan and Lin Bo.
They overlooked their previous jealousy of Lin Yan and Lin Bo and instead started speaking well of them.
Enjoying the benefits and conveniences brought back by Lin Yan and Lin Bo, the elders of the Lin family also placed great importance on them.
Such individuals who knew gratitude and had the family in their hearts were more worthy of becoming the pillars of the Lin family.