However, Yu Qing did not think A Shi Heng would agree to postpone.
He had witnessed A Jie Zhang’s strict upbringing of his son. From childhood, the father had forced his son to aim for an official career, hoping the boy could one day return to the court, turn the tide, fulfil the ambitions he himself could not complete, and speak up for the common people of the world.
In plain terms, when he served as head of the Ministry of Works, A Jie Zhang had personally seen what it meant to exhaust the people and waste resources. He did not want the emperor to spend energy chasing vague promises of immortality. He wanted the emperor to focus on government affairs and show some pity to the suffering people of Jin Kingdom.
Because of this stance, A Jie Zhang met a bad end. Yet even knowing it was futile, he still pushed his son to continue down the same path. Yu Qing could not understand it. Still, he knew A Shi Heng’s aspirations had already taken firm root. What the young man set out to do was bound to be a difficult journey. He would not easily bend or change course.
A Shi Heng merely gave a faint “oh”, showing little outward reaction. Then he countered with a question. “In this county, three candidates registered for the examination. Did the other two request a postponement?”
Among those who passed the provincial examination this time, only he came from this county. The other two were repeat candidates from previous years. They had failed in the capital before, refused to give up, and kept trying year after year.
Master Pu seemed to grasp his meaning at once. He earnestly advised, “Young master, there is no comparison here. To prevent panic, the authorities deliberately sealed the news. The other two know nothing about it at all. Besides, how can your safety be compared to theirs?”
“You misunderstood me.” A Shi Heng turned and walked away, looking weighed down by heavy thoughts. He climbed a small earthen slope, stood with hands behind his back, and gazed at the mountain scenery. “When my father was dismissed from the capital years ago, a group of mysterious assassins attacked us on the road. My mother, elder brother, elder sister, and a crowd of servants and attendants all perished. Only because my father blocked the blade with his body did I survive. Master Pu, who were those assassins?”
At the mention of this, hatred flashed across Master Pu’s face. “Nine chances out of ten, it has something to do with that foolish emperor!”
A Shi Heng’s gaze grew deep. “Of course it is connected to the emperor. But it was not the emperor who acted. Once the emperor made his move and took on the infamy, there was no need to do it secretly again. Judging from the timing of our departure from the capital and the location of the attack, the killers pursued even the servants and attendants without mercy. Clearly they wanted to cover up the entire ambush. So it was not personal vengeance either. The real mastermind behind it should be someone in the court.”
Both Yu Qing and Master Pu fell into thoughtful silence. The latter muttered, “Then who could it be?”
“I want to know too. At that time I was only four years old and completely ignorant. Everything I know comes from what my father told me later. My knowledge is limited. I do not even know who my father associated with back then, or what grudges he had. I have no way to judge who the mastermind was.” A Shi Heng turned around. His words returned to the earlier topic. “Master Pu, in each examination cycle, are there more candidates who actually take the test, or more who miss it due to unforeseen delays?”
Master Pu hesitated. “Naturally, most come to take it. For the majority of people, enduring years of hard study is not easy. Once they become a provincial graduate, even if they know passing the metropolitan examination is difficult, as long as they have the means, they still cannot resist going to the capital year after year to try their luck. As long as their name is on the candidate list, very few fail to show up. Young master, are you perhaps worried about losing face?”
“Ha!” Beside them, Yu Qing suddenly let out a mocking laugh, speaking in a sarcastic tone. “He already explained it so clearly himself. It is simply too conspicuous!”
A Shi Heng shot him a glance, clearly annoyed at the interruption.
Yu Qing received the look, gave a soft hum, curled the corner of his mouth, and shut up. Only then did A Shi Heng continue. “Master Pu, tens of thousands of people travel to the capital for the examination every cycle. No one will bother to read through every single candidate’s name, especially since fifteen years have passed since the ambush.
Blending in among the vast crowd of examinees, no one will pay attention to the name ‘A Shi Heng’. Even if my father’s name were listed, it would not draw notice.
But if my name appeared on a short list of those who missed the exam due to accident, it would be very easy for someone to spot. It would easily attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. At that point, my situation would likely be far more dangerous than facing some monster. We do not know the current circumstances of the mastermind behind the scenes. It is better to prepare for the worst.”
Hearing this, Master Pu finally understood. He gave a wry smile. “With this reasoning, I really have nothing left to say. But I still do not understand one thing. Young master, you clearly know that using your real name to register carries danger. Why do you still insist?”
A Shi Heng avoided the question and smiled instead. “Rest assured. The Sinan Office also cares about its reputation. If a bunch of monsters disrupt the court’s great selection of talent, where would the Sinan Office’s prestige go? It would lose face too. This matter will not drag on for long. At the very least, the Sinan Office will surely step in to escort the candidates. There will be no problem.”
Seeing that persuasion was useless and that the young man’s words carried some logic, Master Pu let out a melancholy sigh. “Young master is someone with firm opinions. I only fear you will not listen to advice and that I cannot stop you. That is why I even brought the carriage.” He glanced back at the carriage.
After that, A Shi Heng and Yu Qing naturally boarded the carriage. They also understood its purpose. It had been brought to pick him up.
To avoid A Shi Heng looking too obviously like an examination candidate and attracting the attention of monsters, the carriage had curtains to conceal him.
Master Pu pulled his hat brim low, personally took the reins, drove the carriage onto the main road, and headed toward the county town.
Inside the swaying carriage, Yu Qing leaned close to A Shi Heng’s ear and asked quietly, “Who is this man?”
A Shi Heng paused for a moment but eventually told him. “The clerk in charge of the rites section at the county yamen.”
The rites section clerk? Yu Qing savoured the information, then grinned. So even the official responsible for examinations in this county was one of that man’s people. He seriously suspected whether A Shi Heng had cheated his way through the earlier county-level tests.
He also realised this was clearly not someone A Shi Heng had arranged himself. Rather, it was a path the former head of the Ministry of Works had quietly prepared for his son in advance.
Yu Qing silently pondered what other hidden arrangements that former Ministry of Works official might have made to push his son onto the path of officialdom.
With the carriage, they reached the county town before mid-afternoon.
The carriage did not head to the bustling city centre. Instead it turned into a remote area and stopped at the entrance of an unremarkable small courtyard. The nearby houses seemed unoccupied, and the surroundings felt somewhat deserted.
The two passengers alighted and did not linger outside. They quickly entered the courtyard.
This was a temporary lodging that Clerk Pu had prepared in advance for A Shi Heng’s safety. The aim was to keep A Shi Heng’s arrival as secret as possible and avoid any accidents.
Clerk Pu could not stay here the whole time. Right now he was busy organising candidates to travel to the capital. That was currently the biggest matter in his duty. He was the one in the county responsible for this section. Coming to fetch A Shi Heng had already taken him squeezing out time. After giving brief instructions, he left.
Now they had a place to stay. The courtyard was fully equipped with daily necessities. Food and drink would be delivered to the gate by people unaware of the situation, arranged by Clerk Pu. A Shi Heng did not need to show his face. Yu Qing could handle receiving them.
The rest of the afternoon passed casually.
After dinner, night fell.
After bathing, A Shi Heng was clean and refreshed. He sat alone and quietly on the steps at the main hall entrance, silently gazing up at the starry sky.
While lost in various thoughts, he suddenly caught a very faint, clear fragrance. It was elusive, almost imperceptible, and he could not tell what kind of scent it was.
A Shi Heng looked left and right. He noticed firelight in the kitchen and some sounds coming from there. Without thinking much, he guessed Yu Qing was up to something.
He stood up and walked over. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw Yu Qing stoking the fire at the stove. Something bubbled in the pot. Curious, he asked, “What are you making?”
Yu Qing answered vaguely, “Just throwing together something to eat.”
Just throwing together? A Shi Heng did not believe it. They had only recently finished dinner. There must be something odd in that pot. He went straight to the side of the stove and lifted the lid.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Yu Qing stood up from the firebox and called out, but failed to stop him.
The lid was already lifted. Steam rose. A Shi Heng caught the source of the fragrance. Strangely, the scent that spread was not strong at all. It remained faint and restrained. He blew away the steam and looked closely at what was inside the pot. The grains resembled rice but were half again as large as normal rice. They had a slight translucent sheen. In the centre of each grain shimmered a contained, unmoving purple glow. The grains looked exceptionally lively.
Yu Qing came over, snatched the lid back, and slammed it down with a clang. “Stop interfering. Go back and read your books.”
A Shi Heng showed rare surprise. “Could this be the so-called ‘spiritual rice’? The stuff that costs ten taels of silver for just one tael?”
Yu Qing folded his arms across his chest. “Yes. Eye-opening, isn’t it?”
With confirmation, A Shi Heng reached out and lifted the lid again. He examined it carefully once more, truly looking as if he wanted to take a proper look and broaden his horizons.
Having lived in seclusion in a mountain village before, his experience was limited. He had only heard people mention this thing and seen illustrations in books. This was the first time he had seen the real thing.
It was said that this rice originally grew in the blessed lands and grotto-heavens of immortals. Later, someone accidentally entered an abandoned immortal site, collected the seeds, and brought them out. After repeated attempts, people managed to cultivate it.
The effects of eating this rice were truly extraordinary. For ordinary people, a single mouthful was enough to count as a full meal. If one ate a proper portion of spiritual rice, even if they did not eat again for a whole month, the body would not suffer much discomfort.
For ordinary people, it was merely food to stave off hunger. But for martial cultivators, its benefits could be fully felt and utilised. It contained a large amount of spiritual energy that could be directly absorbed into the body, greatly enhancing cultivation efficiency.
Unfortunately, the price was far too high. Ordinary people could not afford it at all. Even many cultivators could not bear to eat it regularly.
It was said that when this spiritual grain was first successfully cultivated, it was even more expensive. Later, as more people grew it and production scaled up, the supply increased and the price gradually fell.
Even so, not just anyone could cultivate this spiritual plant. It required gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Naturally, a profession emerged from the demand: spiritual plant masters.
After putting the lid back on, A Shi Heng clicked his tongue. “You can casually cook something like this to eat, yet you still have the nerve to complain about being poor?”
Yu Qing pointed at the lid, puffing his beard and glaring. “There are only three taels of rice here. Not even enough for one full meal. It was left behind after my master passed away. I never had the heart to eat it. I carried it with me just in case. You told that clerk that people from the Sinan Office might get involved in escorting the candidates. If they searched and found it, how would I explain my identity? Now I am cooking it to avoid any extra trouble.”
Indeed, when he first looked, there really was not much spiritual rice. A Shi Heng’s lips curved into a smile. He said no more, turned, and left. But he tossed back one sentence. “I have never tasted spiritual rice before. When it is ready, call me.”
Yu Qing waved his sleeve to send him off, looking as if he could not be bothered with him. Then he sat back down in front of the stove and continued adding firewood to the fire.
Just as the bubbling sound in the pot gradually faded and the three taels of spiritual rice were nearly cooked, Yu Qing, who had been sitting idly by the stove with his head resting against the back wall, suddenly tensed as if pricked by a needle. His eyes narrowed sharply. His gaze locked onto the rising steam above the stove.