Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  But this time, Mr. Sidney could not deal with a headache, “Whatever you do this time, there is one person…whom you must proceed with caution.”

  “So the Bach rumor is true?”

  Although not many people knew, Ben had obviously heard about what happened last night. But because of its absurdity and weirdness, not many people wanted to believe it at all.

  “I thought about it all last night, and it’s not necessarily untrue. I even think that the bastard Maxwell must have already known but had kept it a secret just to make a fool of me.”

  Mr. Sidney looked gloomy, “I will not be present for this examination. No matter how many of them you dismiss, that Eastern little devil, you must deal with him carefully. Ben, do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

  “Do not worry.” Ben softly laughed, “The recommendation letter was just a recommendation to us after all. If he can’t pass the exam, even Bach won’t be able to say anything?”

  “Sounds like you are all prepared?”

  “We have carefully prepared the contents of the examination, in addition to…a special segment. Everything is under control, sir.”

  “Then go,” said Sidney, as he nodded with satisfaction, “The school board will remember your contribution.”

  “This is what everyone of elite blood should do.” Ben bowed, and closed the door behind him with a smile.

  -

  Every time Ye Qingxuan stepped into the Royal Academy of Music, he felt something special.

  It was like something was extracted from the air, something was missing. Like a saltwater fish swimming in freshwater, or a lizard from the mud coming to the desert…his breathing seemed a bit easier, but things did not feel the same as usual. He was unsure if it was good or bad.

  When he entered the school, it had seemed that he was the only one that felt this way. When he looked at others, they all seemed calm, as if they noticed nothing.

  Ye Qingxuan twisted his neck uncomfortably, and continued walking ahead with the school worker’s lead.

  Because today was a formal examination, he did not bring Old Phil just in case someone thought he was cheating. Because of that, Old Phil was extremely unhappy today.

  “Please go this way.” Up ahead, the school worker was guiding them through the huge school campus. Among the lush forest, buildings of each of the school factions vaguely appeared. On a long walk, one might feel lost.

  It was said that the whole school was designed by the artist Hermes over a hundred years ago. The layout of the school districts and some of the structures had not changed within the past one hundred years, and still left a strong touch of Queen Victoria’s era.

  That short-lived era ended with the disaster brought on by the creation of the steam engines. Most of the designs were lost as well. Ye Qingxuan was quite excited to see such ancient designs today.

  The line walked forward solemnly except for Ye Qingxuan, who was looking around, sometimes whispering with excitement. Occasionally the noble students would look over, their eyes clearly showing the word ‘country hick.’ Ye Qingxuan just rolled his eyes back at them.

  “Here is the public lecture hall. Please wait here and be patient.” The school worker opened two heavy wooden doors and pointed to the wide space behind them. “All the seats are posted with your name, and the teachers will be here soon to distribute the examination papers.”

  Ye Qingxuan sat down in his chair and looked around. Outside the window were the woods, the distant square, and the fountain that could be seen through layers of green. It must have cost a fortune to build this school. Even the dome above him was full of beautiful carvings. Ye Qingxuan stared for a long time.

  Yet somehow, he felt a gaze from nearby.

  He turned around to look and saw Banner staring at him, no expression on his pale face. After a long time, he slowly turned away.

  “Are elites all weird like this?” Ye Qingxuan muttered in silence.

  -

  As time went by, someone finally came through the door and distributed the papers.

  “The examination is four hours long. You are not allowed to whisper, cheat, hand in your paper in advance, or look around…now, let the examination begin,” the gloomy faced man finished coldly.

  He turned away, not even giving the candidates a chance to ask questions. Before he left, he shut the thick wooden doors behind him.

  With the sound of the door closing, everyone seemed to be lost, not sure what the school was playing at. After a long silence, some of them gave up wondering and began the exam, followed by…cries of astonishment.

  Ye Qingxuan heard someone in front of him curse, and when he started the examination himself, he was shocked as well. Out of six pages, only one page was on grammar, music theory, and mathematics. Four pages were essay questions!

  Four full pages!

  Advanced questions which had nothing to do with basic music theories!

  ‘The impact of the church’s reform over a hundred years ago, on the Anglo system,’ ‘the rise of the School of Choir and its leading figures,’ ‘briefly describe the seven questions raised by Hermes,’ ‘The similarities and differences between Runes’ grammar and the common language,’ ‘St. Gregory’s four big achievements,’ ‘The five criteria of the Choir…’

  Up until the last page, it was completely blank.

  “Did I get the place wrong? Is this the Trinity College?”

  Some candidates were scratching their heads and making painful noises. Last night’s crash studying on music theory and mathematics had been completely useless!

  “Isn’t the advanced mathematics supposed to be hardest part…”

  “I never studied Rune’s grammar!”

  Under the whispered complaints, Ye Qingxuan clutched the paper and looked around with surprise. Had Wolf Flute done him an even bigger favor than he had thought? He grabbed his pen and felt uneasy.

  -

  In the busy examination room, no one had even thought to look up at the grand dome. No one knew that above the dome, there was a group of people casually holding wine glasses, looking at their miserable expressions.

  On the second floor of the lecture hall was a hidden floor. In a magnificent hall, the floor was completely transparent, like crystals. The proctors were sitting on the couch, and looked down at the movements in the examination room, also exchanging words with each other.

  “It seems that this exam is very effective.”

  Several proctors looked at each other and laughed.

  They watched everyone’s sad expressions, and congratulated the one next to them, “Genius idea, Mr. Ben!”

  “Thanks.” Ben nodded, proudly rubbing his mustache. He said with a smile, “After all, the School of Choir is also a part of what the musicians must know. If the commoners do not understand, they can’t blame the others right?

  “The Royal Academy of Music is the most knowledge-intensive school in Anglo. Testing only advanced mathematics and basic music theory won’t be comprehensive enough.”

  Some people agreed, “I suggest that in the future, examinations as well as classes should expand this segment. Religious study should remain an important part of education.”

  “Agreed!”

  “Then it’s settled.”

  Ben said, “I will report back to the school committee. If all the families here are in agreement, even the principal cannot disagree.”

  The proposal had passed.

  “The exam is so difficult this time. What if no one answers correctly?” Someone asked softly.

  “The total number of candidates is two hundred and seventy. More than a hundred idiots will be dismissed and will no longer be our concern. We just need to take care of the remaining one hundred people.

  “Yes. Religion is part of the noble family’s education. Even if it is not the main subject, they won’t be like the commoners, who know nothing other than how to praise the saints.”

  The proctors looked at each other and laughed.
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br />   Most of the children of the noble families began all aspects of education before their coming of age, including art, religion, and etiquette. They were much better off compared to the commoners who only had at most two years in public school and only knew some hymns.

  Once the scope of the examination went beyond the basic education, it would simply be a slaughter within the scope of the provisions.

  Moreover, it would be easy to find the big fish in the small pond…the final interpretation was in the hands of the proctors. As long as everything was tidied up, even the principal would not be able to say anything once he came back.

  Watching the group of blank-faced commoners, Ben could not help but laugh. During the long exam, someone pushed open the door, and sat quietly in the corner chair.

  The noble proctors’ smiles slightly retracted, and gave the old man a quick sneering look, then turned away.

  Ever since the noble faction won the upper hand, the musician faction had completely given up under the influence of the principal. In order to appear fair on the surface, the principal only assigned an inconspicuous teacher as the representative, just for show.

  Compared to the elites who wore expensive clothing, even with his meticulous hair, the old man’s clothing was mediocre at best. He was very ordinary, and did not live up to the status of a musician.

  He sat silently in the corner, not saying a word, and just looked down at the candidates. The dark iron surface of his mechanical metal prosthetic, replacing his right arm, shone slightly. Four fingers stretched silently.

  He watched with concentration like a child.

  28 Everyone is a Good Person

  An hour had passed since they started the test.

  The examiners checked their own areas and students, and were very satisfied with the current progress.

  “This year, the kid from the Adrian family did a good job,” someone whispered in praise.

  In the silence of the examination room, Banner answered the questions on his test paper, emotionless, his pen flying effortlessly. It seemed that was not stressed about the difficult subjects on the test.

  “In the end, he is from a well-educated family.” Ben nodded. “He deserves to be the next generation inherited from the age of darkness. Of course, he is also good at hunting and theology.”

  “It’s not right,” somebody said quietly.

  Someone else was aware of it too. “His speed is too fast.”

  “Huh?”

  “That white-haired boy, what’s he doing?”

  Ben was surprised for a moment, watching the white-haired boy not far from him.

  In the gloomy examination room, the white-haired boy was so happy, almost dancing out of his seat. As if he had taken drugs, his eyes were glistening. He held the pen in his hand, writing at an incredible speed. It was so fast that the proctors could not see his hand moving clearly. Besides the first two pages, which he needed time to think about, he was racing through the rest of the test.

  “The reform of the church swept by, the rise of the School of Choir rushed by, St. Gregory’s achievements…he had filled almost half the page without thinking.

  The only thing he spent a long time on was the question about Runes’ and common grammar because he wrote at least one a half pages without stopping!

  It did not seem like a boy taking an exam, but rather a fox happily slipping into a chicken coop.

  “Hey, what’s going on here?” Ben’s face was gloomy and looking to the side.

  “I don’t know.” The teacher who had written the questions gulped. “He must not be scared of the problems. Maybe he is answering them all incorrectly.”

  “This is not a political analysis. As long it provides a full answer, he can get some basic points.” The female examiner contemptuously glanced at the teen, and said coldly, “If it’s just chicken scratch, he cannot get any points.”

  “But what if he answered them all correctly?” someone softly asked.

  Everyone’s expression was gloomy. The white-haired brat was the target that they had been instructed to ‘take care of.’ If he passed with ease, the vice Principal would be upset.

  Breaking the silence, a man whispered, “Do not scare yourself. How could that untouchable little know any theology?”

  “Yes, I designed the exam in accordance with the difficulty level of teaching staff’s guideline.” A middle-aged proctor shook his head, “They should not be too easy to answer. Even if it were an open book exam, there shouldn’t be people who can easily pass.”

  “Do you think he’s really writing down wrong answers?”

  “I think so.”

  After hearing what others were saying, Ben’s face eased up. He nodded, “A messy answer will disqualify him. I bet the Principal will not be able to say anything about it.”

  “He answered them all correctly,” someone murmured from the corner.

  A white-haired old man looked up, his eyes hazy, his face stiff. Rather than mocking the nobles, he was stating a fact.

  He said, “All the answers are correct.”

  －

  In the examination room, Ye Qingxuan’s pen was flying like the wind, quickly sweeping through the subjects one by one.

  Now that he had come to the last question, the seven guidelines of hymnists…This was the common question for singers, yet outsiders would have no idea.

  But these seven criteria were regarded as part of the ‘reformation’ and recorded in the sixth chronicle of the History of the Church. It was considered as one of the biggest achievements of the sixth generation of Pope Louis.

  The rise and representatives of the School of Choir?

  The answer to the question was just putting together the contents of some chapters from Church Music History and Saints’ Biography! And in order to make sure that he did not miss anything, Ye Qingxuan even added a chapter from Praise Thirteen!

  Seven questions made by Hermes?

  A century ago, Hermes’s era was called the Development of the Art of the Church! Almost all of the artists in that era were all devout believers. They simply made a significant contribution to the development of religious art.

  The seven questions were officially recorded in the Theory, and could be easily found in the book!

  As for the difference between Runes’ and common grammar, Ye Qingxuan knew this well because Father Bann had made him a copyist for three years.

  The more Ye Qingxuan wrote, the more he could not help but want to laugh and dance.

  Good man!

  Everyone was a good person!

  It was so good to have a recommendation letter!

  While Ye Qingxuan was writing, his heart spoke to Wolf Flute, “You were afraid I could not take the exam, and you must have found someone to change the examination questions, thank you!”

  It was an unbelievable privilege.

  —

  “… he answered it all?” one of the proctors whispered.

  “Yes, all the questions are done …”

  “Bullsh*t!” Ben roared, interrupting his words.

  Everyone went completely silent. Ben was crazily pounding on the table, glaring at the dark face of the middle-aged man. “What is going on here?”

  “Maybe…he had peeked at the exam beforehand?” the examiner answered timidly.

  “Why did you assure me?” Ben wanted to kick him. “Can you tell me how the little devil is coming up with correct answers?”

  He remembered the promise he had made to Mr. Sidney. He felt his internal organs twisting into one piece. He was livid.

  “Maybe our exam was leaked?” Under the intense pressure, the middle-aged examiner’s brain began to search for answers. It seemed that he had realized that life-saving possibility. His pale face turned blood red. “Someone must have leaked our exam to him!”

  “He’s cheating!”

  “It seems that the people from downtown only know how to cheat.” Some people sneered, “Or is he the student of the School of Choir?”
>
  “Cheating?” Ben’s face relaxed a little. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course,” the examiner was angry, his eyes full of contempt. “Based on his inferior status, how could he have had access to church classics?”

  “We need to punish him,” another examiner suggested.

  “Yes, to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.” Ben rubbed his palms, his eyes were dark. “We do not need to continue the examination and give him…”

  “He did not cheat,” the low voice came from the corner, interrupting Ben’s words.

  The room was suddenly silent. Ben’s expression became more and more miserable.

  The stiff old man just looked at the examination room, not noticing the change in the atmosphere around him, his eyes focused.

  “His writing methods and writing habits are unique to the church. His ring finger holding the pen is also a unique way of writing, which is how the kind of special font changes could be seen in the church’s announcement and clergy letters.” He continued, “You can see the calluses on his hands that only long years of writing could leave. He must have received training from the church. Maybe he is a clergy…”

  “Enough!” Ben interrupted his words, livid, “Mr. Abraham, pay attention to your words. There is no room here for your foolishness.”

  The old man finally felt that the atmosphere was not right. He slowly closed his mouth and lowered his head, embarrassed.

  Under the cold gazes, he scratched his gray hair in shame with his prosthetic hand.

  “Sorry,” he whispered.

  Ben looked at him coldly, and ignored him.

  “It’s about time.” Ben took a deep breath and opened a box on the side. “Let’s move on.”

  The violin made of glass reflected light like a dream. Ben cradled the violin, holding the bow on the string. His voice was dripping with evil, “Now let them take a real exam.”

  As the subtle music played, his eyes were cunning and demonic.

  -

  In the examination room, Ye Qingxuan hummed the praise poems. He finished the last question with the ease and grace of moving clouds and flowing water.