In the blink of an eye, the golden autumn of September arrived, and the triennial autumn examinations commenced as scheduled.
Over the past few months, the entire capital had been abuzz with gossip. Half of it was about the rumors concerning the living devil who wasn't supposed to survive past the Mid-Autumn Festival. Prince Qi, Xiao Jingyan, had not only survived but, against all expectations, lived in perfect harmony with the concubine's daughter who had married him in her sister's stead. He had even handed full control of the prince's estate over to her.
The other half of the gossip was about the legitimate daughter of the Pingyang Marquis household, Shen Biwei, who had rejected a wealthy man, insisting instead on marrying the poor scholar Lu Yanzhu. It was said that to support Lu Yanzhu's studies, Shen Biwei had not only pawned most of her dowry jewelry, but was also forced by her harsh mother-in-law to fight with the washerwomen in the south of the city for well water every day, leaving her hands raw and covered in chilblains.
But I knew Shen Biwei didn't care about any of this. She lived in a daily dream of becoming the Grand Secretary's wife, boasting to everyone she met that her beloved Lu would definitely top the autumn examinations as the first-place scholar, and would even be personally summoned by the Emperor.
Today was the day the exam results were to be released. The long street outside the Imperial Academy was already packed with students and their families waiting to see the postings. I sat inside the grand carriage of Prince Qi's estate, parked at the end of the most secluded alley on this street, lifting the carriage curtain slightly as I looked coldly at the large red bulletin board at the Academy's gate.
The carriage was filled with a dense aroma of medicinal herbs. Sitting across from me, Xiao Jingyan had his eyes closed, his legs soaking in a black wooden tub that emitted a pungent odor. For the past few months, every three days, I had to use a highly toxic medicinal bath to draw out the venom of the southern border Blood Gu from him. The process was as painful as scraping bone and gouging flesh, yet he never cried out in pain once, nor did he even furrow his brow. At this moment, his skin, which was originally dark greenish-black and necrotic, had gradually recovered its normal color. Although he still could not stand for a long time, the inner strength in his meridians could slowly circulate now.
"You have such great interest in watching the show."
Xiao Jingyan slowly opened his long, deep eyes. Through the gap in the carriage curtain, he glanced at the crowded street in the distance. "That fine brother-in-law of yours — if he places high on the list, won't your legitimate elder sister's tail wag all the way up to heaven?"
His tone carried a hint of teasing, seemingly testing me.
I gave a soft chuckle and let down the carriage curtain. I turned around to add a ladle of scalding medicinal liquid to his tub. "Your Highness must be joking. If a useless fool like him, who cannot even memorize the thirteen policy essays in full, could place high, then the imperial examinations of the Great Xuan Dynasty would have been rotten to the core long ago."
Xiao Jingyan raised his brow slightly, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. "It seems you know his background very well."
"More than just clear." I sat upright on the soft cushion and poured myself a cup of tea, a hint of mockery flashing in my eyes. "Every essay he wrote over the past half year consisted of outdated clichés copied from lord knows where. He could not even formulate a proper thesis. Sister confidently claims he has state-governing talent merely because she is blinded by love."
In our past life, in order to make Lu Yanzhu stand out in the autumn examinations, I spent all the personal savings I had secretly hoarded to bribe an old failed scholar in the capital to polish and refine his essays. I even stayed up all night to study the preferences of previous chief examiners, forcing him to memorize by heart the policy essays I had custom-tailored for him. Not only that, I also used the court trends I had overheard as a concubine's daughter in the Marquis's manor to correctly guess an exam question about water conservancy. Without all of this, with Lu Yanzhu's brain full of nothing but mushy romance and pedantic nonsense, he might not have even passed the entry-level exam, let alone the provincial exam. He is just daydreaming.
"Then this prince shall watch this good show with you."
Xiao Jingyan closed his eyes, a bloodthirsty cold smile playing on his lips. He didn't care about the life or death of a poor scholar. What he cared about was that during this time, the Pingyang Marquis Manor, deeply bogged down because of Lu Yanzhu, had gradually begun to reveal its traces of collusion with the Crown Prince's faction. And this was exactly what he wanted.
The gong of the imperial examination hall rang three times. The announcing officers holding bright red posters of successful candidates began to loudly call out the names on the list.
"Good news. Master Li Mingyuan of Huaiji County has won first place in the Renyan provincial exam."
As the names were announced one by one, bursts of ecstatic cheering and tearful wails erupted from the crowd from time to time.
Through the gaps in the crowd, I stared intently at Shen Biwei, who stood at the very front. Today she had specially worn a bright rose-purple brocade jacket and skirt. Unfortunately, the fabric was clearly old and still stained with grease that couldn't be washed out. She looked extremely excited, clutching her hands to her chest, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared intently at the red list, muttering under her breath.
Lu Yanzhu stood beside her with his hands behind his back. Although he put on a calm and lofty front, his slightly trembling legs and the bean-sized sweat drops on his forehead betrayed his nervousness at this moment. Behind them followed his overbearing and unbearable mother, Madam Lu.
"Announcing the fiftieth place. Announcing the hundredth place. Announcing the two hundredth place, the end of the list."
Until the last name was read at the top of the officer's lungs, and the officers began to pack up the red list, preparing to seal it. The entire roll call had taken a full hour.
Lu Yanzhu's name was not on it. He wasn't even listed as a runner-up at the bottom of the list.
A strange dead silence suddenly fell over the gates of the examination compound.