The next day, early in the morning.

Mr. Sidney, who had not slept all night, turned his head from his office and saw the morning light outside the window, his eyes bloodshot.

A middle-aged man dressed in an aristocratic dress knocked on the door politely, and Bane's eyes were full of joy: "Sir, the dean has just boarded the carriage and headed for Wellington. ”

"He will definitely make concessions to the Cameron family's McCann despite the opposition of the Ministry of Education, risking offending five or six large families. ”

Sidney had expected this. The departure of the dean means that the musician faction will remain silent for these two months, and the aristocratic faction has the upper hand, which is a great thing, but as one of the representatives of the aristocratic faction of the academy, he is not happy at this moment.

"It's a pity that McCann, although he is a parallel import, is a chief after all. ”

"He was caught smoking a mandala and did it to himself. Sidney said coldly: "Maybe this matter was deliberately arranged by his younger brothers and sisters in order to seize his inheritance." ”

"Either way, the sovereignty of this exam is in our hands, sir. ”

Bain said: "The Royal Academy of Music must not be allowed to degenerate like this again. Rhythm is the privilege of Glorious Blood, and it makes me feel sick to see those shameless guys daring to show up in my class. ”

"As it should be. Sidney nodded.

The aristocratic faction held the right to the entrance examination, which undoubtedly represented a catastrophe for the poor candidates. Especially in a place like the Royal Academy of Music, where there is a lot of aristocratic blood. However, many people from aristocratic backgrounds regard those untouchables who are equal to themselves as a thorn in their side......

Only this time, as soon as he said this, Sidney couldn't help but have a headache: "This time you can do whatever you want, but there is one person...... It must be approached with caution. ”

"Is that Bach rumor?"

Not many people knew about it, but Bane had clearly heard about last night's events. But this thing is so absurd and weird that many people don't want to believe it.

"I thought about it all night last night, and it wasn't necessarily fake. I even think...... Maxwell's bastard already knew, but he kept pressing the news and wanted to see me make a fool of myself. ”

Sidney's face was gloomy: "I won't show up for this exam, no matter how you clean it up, the others will be fine, but for that oriental ghost, you must be cautious." Bane, I mean, you know?"

"Rest assured. ”

Bane chuckled softly: "After all, a letter of introduction is just a letter of introduction, but aren't we? If you can't pass the exam, even if it's really Bach, you can't say anything, right?"

"Looks like you're ready?"

"We have carefully prepared the content of the exam, and there are ...... Special links. Everything is under control, sir. ”

"Then go ahead. Sidney nodded in satisfaction, "The school committee will remember your credit." ”

"This is what every noble blood should do. ”

Bane bent down to say goodbye and smiled and closed the door for him.

－

Every time Ye Qingxuan entered the Royal Academy of Music, he had a special feeling.

It's like there's something in the air that's been sucked out, a little bit missing. Like a saltwater fish entering fresh water, a lizard in a foggy swamp has entered the desert...... When I breathe, I always feel a little smoother, but I lose my usual feeling, and I don't know if it's good or bad.

But when he walked into the school gate, he seemed to be the only one who felt like this, and when he looked around at the others, he found that they were all calm, as if they didn't notice anything.

Ye Qingxuan twisted his neck a little uncomfortably, and continued to walk forward under the leadership of the school worker.

Today, because it was an official exam, he didn't bring Lao Fei here. It would be miserable if someone was taken for cheating. It is because of this that Lao Fei is extremely unhappy today.

"Please go this way. ”

Ahead, school workers guide them through the sprawling school district. In the shade of the lush trees, you can faintly see the buildings of the various factions of the academy. After walking in it for a long time, I suddenly felt disoriented.

It is said that the entire school was designed by the artist 'Hermes' 100 years ago, and the school district is divided and some buildings have not changed for 100 years, and there is still a strong atmosphere of Queen Victoria.

That epoch that was short-lived in history ended with the catastrophe of the steam engine, and design was rare. Being able to see such an ancient style today made Ye Qingxuan's mood quite excited.

In the team, everyone walked forward solemnly with a serious expression, and only Ye Qingxuan was the only one who looked left and right, sometimes exclaiming in a low voice...... Occasionally, when an aristocratic student looked at it, the words 'soil bun' were clearly written in his eyes, and Ye Qingxuan rolled his eyes back at this.

"This is a public lecture hall, so you can just be patient here. ”

After pushing open the two heavy wooden doors, the school worker pointed to the wide space behind the doors: "Your names have been pasted on your seats, and there will be a teacher to hand out the exam papers later." ”

Ye Qingxuan sat down in his place and looked around. Outside the window is a thick wood, and only distant squares and fountains can be seen in the layers of emerald green. I don't know how much money it cost to build the academy at the beginning, and the high dome is still beautifully decorated, which makes Ye Qingxuan's gaze stop for a long time.

It's just that for some reason, he always felt a gaze coming from his side.

When he turned his head to look, he saw Banner staring at him, with no expression on his pale face. After a long time, he slowly withdrew his gaze and stopped looking.

"Are all aristocrats so neurotic?"

Ye Qingxuan muttered silently in his heart.

－

As time passed, someone finally walked through the door and handed out the test papers.

"The exam lasts for four hours, and you are not allowed to talk to each other, you are not allowed to cheat, you are not allowed to hand in your papers in advance, and you are not allowed to look around...... Next, the exam begins. ”

The man with a gloomy face finished speaking coldly, and then turned to leave, not giving the candidate the slightest time to ask questions.

Before leaving, he closed the wooden door that was full of one person's thickness.

In the silence of the door slamming shut, everyone stared blankly, unable to figure out what the school was doing. After a long time, someone finally stopped thinking and began to bury their heads in answers.

Followed by...... A stunned sound sounded.

Ye Qingxuan heard someone in front of him scolding his mother in a low voice, but when he buried his head in reading the exam papers, he was also stunned. Of the six pages, four pages are essay questions, except for one page of grammar, music theory, and math problems!

Four pages!

And it's an advanced topic that has nothing to do with basic music theory!

'The influence of the Order's reform system on the Anglo system a hundred years ago', 'The rise and representative figures of the Psalm faction', 'A brief description of the seven questions raised by Hermes', 'The similarities and differences between the grammar and the lingua franca of Lune', 'The four merits of Saint Gregory', 'The five principles of the chant'......

Until the last page, it turned out to be completely blank.

"Am I in the wrong place? This is Trinity College!"

Some test takers grabbed their hair in pain and made painful sounds. Music theory and math that I didn't sleep all night last night are completely useless!

"Didn't you say that the hardest thing is advanced mathematics......

"I haven't learned rune grammar at all!"

In a low complaint, Ye Qingxuan grabbed the scroll and looked around in astonishment.

"This back door is open...... It's too much, isn't it?"

He grabbed the pen and felt his conscience uneasy.

－

－

In the busy examination room, no one thought to look up at the exquisite dome of the examination room.

No one thought that above the dome, there was a group of people holding wine glasses, leisurely looking down on their sad expressions.

Just above the second floor of the lecture hall, there is a hidden floor. In the palatial halls, the floor is completely transparent, like crystal. The examiners who were watching the exam room sat on the sofa, looking down at the changes in the exam room, exchanging opinions with each other.

"It seems that this year's exam questions have been very effective. ”

Several examiners looked at each other and burst out laughing.

They stared at the candidates' sad expressions and congratulated the people beside them: "Genius idea, Mr. Bane!"

"Prizes. ”

Bane bowed his head implicitly, rubbed the goatee on his chin triumphantly, and said with a smile: "After all, the chant faction is also a part that musicians must understand, and the untouchables don't understand, and they can't blame anyone else, right?"

"The Royal Academy of Music is where Angru has the strongest academic style, and it is probably not enough to take the advanced mathematics and basic music theory exams. ”

Someone responded: "I suggest that this part of the examination and education in the future should be expanded. The position of theology is unshakable. ”

"Agreed!"

"Then it's decided. ”

"I'll go back and report to the school committee," Bane said. If all the families here agree with this, even the dean can't just go his own way, right?"

This proposal has rightly won a chorus of acceptance and approval.

"This time the questions are so difficult, what if no one can answer them?" someone asked softly.

"The total number of candidates is two hundred and seventy. We don't need to care about the more than 100 black necks that have been brushed off, as long as we ensure the remaining 100 people. ”

"That's right, theology is a part of the education of the aristocratic family, and even if you don't know it well, you can't write a word except the praise of the saints, like those low-class people, right?"

The examiners looked at each other and burst out laughing.

The children of most families begin to receive education in all aspects of art, theology, and etiquette when they are still minors. It is much better than a commoner who has attended public school for two years at most and has only memorized a few hymns.

Once the scope of the exam is detached from the basic subjects, it is simply a slaughter of compliance.

It's always easy to get tall inside a short man, and besides, it's ...... The final interpretation is in the hands of the examiner. This time, Tetsuo was more beautiful, and even if the dean came back, he couldn't say anything.

Seeing the blank expressions of the specially recruited civilians, Bane couldn't help but laugh.

In the middle of the long exam, someone pushed the door open and sat silently on a chair in the corner.

The smiling faces of the aristocratic examiners narrowed slightly, and they just glanced at the old man with contempt before withdrawing their gaze.

After the aristocratic faction gained the upper hand, the musician faction apparently no longer struggled to the death, and seemed to have given up on the beheaval of the headmaster. For the sake of ostensible fairness, the principal just casually sent an inconspicuous teacher as the representative of the invigilator to go through the motions.

Compared with those nobles who were richly dressed and even had meticulous hair, this old man's clothes were much more mediocre, and he looked just ordinary, not worthy of the status of a musician at all.

He sat in silence in the corner, not saying a word, just looking down at the candidates' answers. On his right arm, the mechanical metal prosthetic exuded a gloomy glow of black iron slightly rusted, and the four fingers stretched silently.

I watched attentively and concentratingly, like a child.