In the Zhong residence, deep within the inner courtyard, a graceful figure wandered among the pavilions and towers. It was the eldest daughter of the Zhong family.
She felt somewhat distracted. She paced back and forth among the pavilions and towers. Her heart had already followed the person she constantly thought about into the imperial palace.
Her family had already told her that an auspicious date had been chosen. In one month she would officially marry him, and the other party had agreed. This meant that in one month she would truly become a wife.
“Sister!” A figure suddenly jumped out with a loud shout.
“Ah!” Zhong Ruochen was startled. She covered her chest with a look of great alarm. Seeing it was her younger sister, she immediately felt annoyed and punched her several times.
Wen Ruowei quickly ran far away. She escaped outside the railing, twisted her hips, and waved several sheets of paper at her sister inside the corridor. “Sister, I got something good. If you hit me again, I will not show it to you.”
Zhong Ruochen did not want to climb over the railing like her shameless sister, and she knew she could not catch her, so she gave up. She asked, “What are you holding in your hand?”
Wen Ruowei chuckled. “Father and mother would not let me go watch brother-in-law take the palace examination. Fine, I did not go. Anyway I had someone copy brother-in-law’s metropolitan examination answers and bring them back.” She shook the things in her hand. “Sister, do you want to see?”
Zhong Ruochen’s bright eyes lit up.
These days she had heard all kinds of people praising her future husband’s unparalleled talent. The sweetness in her heart could not be described.
Even she felt that her years of waiting had not been in vain. The person destined for her was so outstanding. People were praising him as unparalleled in the world!
Unparalleled in the world. What kind of talent that must be.
She was also a scholarly woman who loved literature. In fact she had long wanted to see her future husband’s full-mark top scorer paper, and she wanted to see it urgently.
That kind of feeling was something outsiders could not understand. It was similar to seeing the person through his words. It could also avoid the awkwardness of meeting face to face. She wanted to understand through writing what kind of person her future husband was and how exactly his talent was unparalleled in the world.
But she had to maintain the dignity of a proper young lady. After all she was not yet officially married, so she felt too embarrassed to ask for a man’s writings, especially after learning she was to marry him.
At this moment, hearing that her sister had it, her heart truly warmed. She reached out her hand. “Weiwei, let me see.”
In front of her sister she did not need to hide too much.
Wen Ruowei looked as if she had known this would happen. She shook the things in her hand and said proudly, “I can give it to you, but sister, you have to offer something in exchange.”
Zhong Ruochen felt a bit anxious. “Stop fooling around, Weiwei. Give it to me quickly, or I will get angry.”
Wen Ruowei immediately hid the things behind her back. “Oh? You need something from me yet you dare threaten me. No benefits? Then no looking.”
Zhong Ruochen felt annoyed. She immediately walked out from the corridor to take it herself.
Wen Ruowei quickly bit the things in her hand with her mouth, turned around and climbed straight onto the rockery, not caring that she was wearing a skirt.
In the end she stood on the rockery and looked down triumphantly.
Zhong Ruochen was a proper lady. She could not climb rocks while wearing a skirt. Out of options, she had to yield. “What do you want?”
Wen Ruowei had clearly planned this for a long time. She immediately blurted out, “Have brother-in-law write a poem for me!”
Zhong Ruochen immediately turned and walked away. She herself did not even dare meet that person. How could she have the face to ask for a poem?
Wen Ruowei quickly shouted, “Not now, but in the future. You will marry him in one month anyway. After you marry him, you can ask brother-in-law then. How about that?”
If that was the case, Zhong Ruochen stopped. She hesitated a little, turned back and said with feigned anger, “I do not know if he will agree.”
Wen Ruowei said, “Sister, as long as you ask on my behalf, if brother-in-law refuses then I will have nothing to say.”
Zhong Ruochen asked in confusion, “Why do you want his poem?”
Wen Ruowei immediately squatted on the rockery and looked down. “Sister, you still do not know? Many people now want to ask brother-in-law for poems. Every day people come to find father and mother hoping to get one poem from brother-in-law. You do not know, someone offered father thirty thousand taels just for one handwritten poem from brother-in-law.
Now many people outside feel honoured to obtain a handwritten poem from the rare full-mark top scorer. It can be sold for a high price. Mother is already smiling so widely she cannot close her mouth. She says brother-in-law can casually buy a large mansion in the capital just by selling poems. But father rejected all of them. Father said the palace examination is the priority and these messy things must not disturb brother-in-law’s preparation. Look, if I can get one poem from brother-in-law and take it out, how much face that would give me.”
Zhong Ruochen reached upward. “Hand it down.”
Wen Ruowei’s eyes brightened. “Sister, you agree?”
“If you do not give it then forget it.” Zhong Ruochen turned and walked away.
“Give, give, give. If you say that then I will take it as you agreed.” Wen Ruowei quickly climbed down. She had dirtied her clothes. She ran to her sister and presented the several sheets of paper.
As soon as she got the things, Zhong Ruochen immediately turned back into the corridor. She leaned back in a chair by the railing, sorted out the sheets of paper, and smoothed the wrinkles. Her eyes fell on that poem. After reading it just once she became entranced and kept murmuring repeatedly, “Facing the heavenly palace… In one morning enter the sovereign’s hall, fulfil fame in life and after death. In one morning… fulfil fame in life and after death… Facing the heavenly palace…” She murmured as if in a trance.
“Oh, sister, I heard this poem caused a sensation throughout the entire capital. I heard many people outside the examination hall cried while reading it. Many people say brother-in-law will now become famous across the world…”
Inside the palace examination hall, the four supervising grand academicians kept glancing sideways at Yu Qing who sat at the head position.
Most candidates had basically started writing already. Many had even been writing for quite a while. Yet that top scorer on the tribute list still sat there motionless with his eyes closed, as if resting with his eyes shut.
Several grand academicians felt the urge to go remind him. They wanted to tell him this was the palace examination where one question decided success or failure. Only one hour was given. It was not like the metropolitan examination that allowed several days. He needed to consider the time.
In fact Yu Qing felt anxious inside too, but there was no choice. His junior martial uncle had not responded yet. He could only wait. Fearing that staring blankly would look bad, he could only put on an appearance of closing his eyes to think.
He had already decided in his heart that if an accident happened and his junior martial uncle failed to send the answers in time, he would rather hand in a blank paper than write something embarrassing. The reason would be that he felt his own knowledge was limited and he would prepare to take the exam again next year.
As for what influence a full-mark top scorer handing in a blank paper would bring, he could no longer care. He would force himself out of the game first…
In the quiet residence near the imperial city, Zhou Xinyuan walked hurriedly out of the study. He went straight to the courtyard, found the spot where he had left the footprints earlier, and repositioned his feet. He looked at the nearly one thousand characters of the fu essay in his hand. Thinking of what he was about to do, he could not help letting out a sigh.
The reason Linglong Temple remained hidden from the world was because the techniques they cultivated were special. Attracting people with ulterior motives was secondary. The important thing was that it easily violated taboos. If not careful it could provoke public anger and lead to a siege. Therefore the sect rules had restrictions. Some things could not be done. Otherwise once exposed the consequences would be unimaginable. Using Linglong Temple techniques to cheat in the imperial examinations, for example, was absolutely forbidden.
Yet now, neither the head of Linglong Temple nor his junior martial uncle as the head’s disciple had mentioned the sect rules. They both knowingly went ahead and did something against the rules, as if the rules did not exist at all.
But then again, the rules constraining inner sect disciples were now decided by him and Yu Qing.
He silently apologised in his heart to his late master and senior brother. He still did what needed to be done. With an appearance of listening attentively, his earlobes trembled slightly. After confirming Yu Qing’s position once more, he began to speak softly in a low voice. “The answers are coming. Prepare to record them. From now on I will recite repeatedly until the palace examination ends…”
In the hall Yu Qing, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes. He swiftly picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and began writing a draft rapidly on the paper.
The supervising grand academicians gradually noticed his actions. Calculating the time, he still needed to draft and then copy it over. They truly feared he would not finish in time.
However as they watched they realised they might have worried too much.
Yu Qing let them witness what it meant to write in one smooth flow without even pausing while drafting.
After the several grand academicians observed for a while they exchanged glances. They discovered that extraordinary people indeed had extraordinary qualities. They guessed that his earlier deep thinking had all turned into inspired writing at this moment…
At the end of the si hour, a burst of intense whip cracks suddenly sounded inside the palace gate.
Outside in the carriages in the viewing area, the Zhong couple who had been hiding from the sun both came out again to watch.
The crowd at the scene was no longer so packed. Those who came just for fun were unwilling to suffer. Those remaining were either there to pick someone up, had regrets in their hearts, or simply watched for the sake of watching.
As everyone expected, after the whip cracks the tribute scholars who took the palace examination came out. The one leading was still Yu Qing.
After the old eunuch led them out of the palace gate he stepped aside and bowed to see them off.
Once out of the restricted area the group of tribute scholars all felt relieved regardless of how they had performed.
Xu Fei and Zhan Muchun both wanted to approach Yu Qing to greet him. However Yu Qing did not want to stay even for a moment. He was too lazy to exchange pleasantries with everyone and strode away.
Seeing him approach, the Zhong family immediately waved from outside the area to indicate they were there.
Just as Yu Qing reached the edge of the area, someone outside suddenly shouted loudly, “Is the top scorer married yet? My family has some modest wealth. My daughter is in the bloom of youth, beautiful, and I am willing to betroth her to the top scorer!”
This shout drew a burst of laughter and immediately provoked full hostility on Wen Jianhui’s face. As soon as her prospective son-in-law arrived she hurriedly urged Yu Qing into the carriage. She did not want him to remain exposed outside any longer.
After sitting inside the carriage Wen Jianhui asked with concern, “Shihueng, the palace examination must have been very tiring, right?”
Yu Qing replied, “It was all right.”
Zhong Su then asked, “How do you feel you performed?”
Yu Qing did not know how he had performed either. Anyway this time he had carefully read Mister Ming’s answers. Well, he still felt he could understand them. He had simply copied them. At this moment he could only sigh. “It does not matter. It is nothing more than taking the top place!”
To him nothing was worse than having achieved a full-mark top score.
He spoke from the heart with genuine feeling. Yet Wen Jianhui heard it and covered her mouth with a laugh. She found that people with real ability spoke differently. Taking the top place was just nothing more to him, as if he even looked down on it. Such words probably only her son-in-law had the ability to say. If anyone else said them it would be arrogant boasting.
Zhong Su also smiled and stroked his beard.