“When I observe things, everything takes on my own colors.”
The gathered scholars murmured this phrase repeatedly, finding it more profound with each reflection!
A person observes, understands, and perceives things through their own perspective and emotions, so what they see is imbued with their subjective feelings.
He Yunzhao’s original intention was to mock Gu Chengling. This person hadn’t even concerned himself with his own ranking, yet he was wholly preoccupied with defending Feng Qing.
Regardless of the results, which were determined by the chief examiner, it was one thing for scholars to privately criticize a few words, but to openly question not only He Yunzhao but also the chief examiner, Lord Jiang!
From then on, it could be imagined that without external assistance, Gu Chengling would inevitably be rejected by all chief examiners.
No one would want a scholar who casually questions the chief examiner.
Officials must operate this way—avoiding all trouble, and if a problem cannot be resolved, they resolve the person causing it.
Is the Imperial Examination just?
Yes, it is just. Those qualified to take the exam, regardless of family background, sit in the same examination hall, and their papers, with names concealed, are judged by the chief examiner.
Is the Imperial Examination fair?
No, it is not fair. There are the entry inspections, the silver required for joint guarantees, the prearranged seating, and the entirely subjective nature of the exam papers.
Even if Gu Chengling were to receive help and enter the court, it would still depend on whether the chief examiner, Jiang Huaijing, was a tolerant and magnanimous person.
Since ancient times, Imperial Examination fraud has always led to heads rolling. With one impulsive act, Gu Chengling had brought the blade perilously close to Jiang Huaijing’s neck.
One must ask, what official could tolerate such a thing?
Following closely were the posted examination papers of the top ten in the Prefectural Examination. The crowd gathered for a closer look. He Yunzhao’s handwriting was steady and natural, balanced and upright, and his essay flowed like a running stream. Not only that, but even the often-overlooked Prescribed Poem was written with exceptional brilliance.
“Wildfires cannot burn it all away; with the spring breeze, it grows again. This line is exquisite—its parallel structure, upon careful reflection, conveys a sense of indomitable perseverance. We scholars should aspire to this!”
Only then did the crowd swarm forward to read the poem, leaving behind only the pale-faced Gu Chengling and the expressionless Feng Qing.
This Prefectural Examination had forty-two successful candidates. The difference between the forty-second and fiftieth places was minuscule; some were merely lacking a bit of luck.
Among those who took the exam together, senior disciple Zhu Jian ranked seventeenth, and Zhao Tongzhou ranked forty-second, just barely making it as the last lucky candidate.
Mu Yan, however, was less fortunate. He ranked forty-third, just outside the cutoff.
He Yunzhao didn’t know how to comfort Mu Yan and could only watch as he writhed and wailed.
Cuiling anxiously squeezed through, thinking something had happened. “Third Master!”
He Yunzhao waved his hand. “It’s nothing. Just slaughtering a pig.”
She watched as Mu Yan grabbed the silk on the soft couch, twisting and turning his whole body, and sighed helplessly.
If he had ranked fiftieth or sixtieth, he might have accepted it, but being placed exactly here only fueled his resentment.
“How am I supposed to explain this to Mother when I return home!”
“I left with such confidence. If my ranking had been poor, it would have been one thing, but to fall just short like this…”
Zhao Tongzhou, who had luckily secured the last spot, now felt somewhat embarrassed and truly didn’t know how to console his junior disciple.
Senior disciple Zhu Jian, having earned his ranking, hurried home to share the good news.
Zhao Tongzhou, who had come along, was there to discuss the matter of Feng Qing.
Mu Yan's mournful cries echoed through the air, and He Yunzhao could only feel grateful that the He residence was spacious enough, with the front courtyard far from the rear quarters. Otherwise, these tiger-like roars would have disturbed the joy of the women in the inner chambers.
Casually resting her arm on the tea table, she crossed one leg and gave Mu Yan's sole a light kick with her foot.
"Enough, stop wailing. You're bound to pass in the next round—perhaps you'll even make it to the Provincial Examination with us."
Mu Yan buried his face in his arms, his muffled voice emerging, "What's the point? I'm too ashamed to even mention my ranking—I barely missed the cutoff."
Zhao Tongzhou, who had just scraped by as the last qualifier, awkwardly rubbed his nose again. "Brother Mu, why not visit Jingxin Temple to pray next year?"
"Heh heh heh," He Yunzhao laughed, slapping the table as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She clicked her tongue and remarked, "The end of the Cultivated Talent road is Tongzhou, yet Mu Yan trails even behind Tongzhou."
Zhao Tongzhou couldn't hold back either, bursting into laughter.
These two crude, unpoetic lines later spread through Zhao Tongzhou's loose lips, and from then on, the last place in the Imperial Examination earned a nickname:
Failing with Tongzhou.
Mu Yan finally reined in his emotions, and the three sat together as Cuiling led the young maids in serving a table full of delicacies and two pots of fine wine.
The He family's only son passing as a Cultivated Talent was a grand celebration. In the rear quarters, Mother He was busy sending invitations to relatives and old friends for feasts and drinks—the He family had one foot back in elite circles again.
He Yunzhao wasn't in a hurry to join the festivities though; she wanted to clarify today's events first.
At the tavern, she had appeared humble and low-key, unwilling to provoke disputes, and even her final retorts had been elegantly justified.
But human interactions weren't turn-based games ending after one round—the conclusion of one conflict often marked the beginning of another.
Zhao Tongzhou had grown up in the northwest, where military and political affairs intermingled chaotically. Having spent more time roaming the streets with children from military families, he appeared impulsive and passionate but was actually quite shrewd.
Take Zhu Jian for example—he seemed steady and composed, but if it came to scheming against each other, Zhao Tongzhou could finish him off in just two rounds.
He had initially worried that He Yunzhao, being young, might not grasp these complexities. But when she invited him over right after leaving the tavern, he realized she was far from naive.
The alcohol served then had low potency. Noble families typically started training their children's alcohol tolerance from childhood—drunkenness and heavy drinking being privileges of the wealthy.
By age ten, He Yunzhao already practiced drinking a few cups on rest days each month to build her capacity.
According to Old Madam He, both Old Master He and Father He had been fond of drinking with remarkable tolerance—never seen drunk, yet growing restless if they went too long without a drink.
Among the family's children, eldest sister He Jinshu, second sister He Jinmo, and herself all possessed strong drinking abilities.
As host, He Yunzhao first poured a cup for each of them. After downing her drink, the conversation flowed freely.
Casually picking up chopsticks to serve a slice of marinated meat to her senior brother, she asked, "Though Feng Qing didn't say much today, one could tell at a glance he's the one truly directing Gu Chengling. I'd only heard of his literary reputation before, but now that we've clashed, we should investigate his background properly."
He Yunzhao's eyes sparkled with teasing amusement. Just from Zhao Tongzhou's curses earlier, she could tell he likely knew plenty.
Otherwise, how would he have known about those two sharing beds with courtesans?
Zhao Tongzhou accepted the braised meat his junior had picked for him with a smile, but deliberately played coy, "Junior, have you ever heard of any Feng Family before?"
This question truly stumped him.
He had indeed never heard of a Feng Family among scholarly households. The two Feng families he had heard of were one that made silver ornaments for the palace and another that raised horses for the Imperial Stables.
Neither of these matched?
He Yunzhao said, "Senior brother, stop keeping us in suspense."
Mu Yan also urged repeatedly.
Zhao Tongzhou wore an extremely sarcastic smile, an expression that looked quite startling on his face.
"It's right that you haven't heard of them. That's the Feng Family that committed crimes seventeen years ago. The whole family was exiled to the borderlands. When His Majesty ascended the throne and granted amnesty to the world, this family returned to Jing City."
He Yunzhao frowned, feeling something was off. Given Feng Qing's arrogance, he didn't seem to rely solely on talent.
"So he has no one backing him?" she asked in surprise.
Zhao Tongzhou shook his head and sneered, "Not at all. His background is quite impressive."
"The famous Li Country Duke Mansion!"
He Yunzhao was stunned. Li Country Duke Mansion—how familiar. It happened to border the mansion of her great-grandfather, Prince Xiang.
The QI Residence extended from where the two gardens met. It was also where she first made her name.
Since Zhao Tongzhou had started, he decided to say everything.
"You should know Li Country Duke Pei Shangxuan—both a duke and the husband of His Majesty's only younger sister, Princess Ning'an. I won't hide it from you—my father had many disagreements with him and was forced to go to the northwest because of him back then."
"The discord between Li Country Duke and the princess is related to this Feng Family. During the final years of the previous emperor's reign, there were many changes in the court. The Feng Family got involved in the Two Princes Case and was discovered by the Ministry of Justice, leading to the entire family's exile."
"But it's said that Li Country Duke was once saved by a young lady from the Feng Family. After His Majesty ascended the throne, he brought the entire Feng Family back from the borderlands."
Zhao Tongzhou raised an eyebrow. "Guess who now holds more sway in Li Country Duke Mansion than even the princess?"
The two stunned youngsters shook their heads like roly-poly toys. "We don't know."
"It's none other than Feng Qing's own sister!"
He Yunzhao's eyes widened in shock.
What shocked her wasn't that the princess's husband had taken a concubine—in fact, it was common for princesses' husbands to have concubines, and those who didn't were rare.
Even the most formidable princesses of the Tang Dynasty faced husbands with concubines. When Princess Zhongzong of Tang married Pei Xun, and Pei Xun secretly took a concubine, the princess had a patch of skin flayed from the concubine and simultaneously removed a patch of skin from her husband's forehead, then swapped the two.
In the Northern Song Dynasty, after Wang Shen became Princess Bao'an's husband, he frequently took concubines, acquiring eight within a few years. He even committed adultery with a maid right beside the princess while she was critically ill.
It was never unusual for princesses' husbands to have concubines. There were even instances where they humiliated princesses, and emperors had bestowed favors upon illegitimate sons!
What shocked He Yunzhao was that the current emperor had only Princess Ning'an as his younger sister. No matter how gentle her temperament, he wouldn't allow her husband to treat her like this!
Although Pei Shangxuan held significant power among military officials, the current emperor was no puppet ruler. Openly humiliating the princess would suggest disloyal intentions!
Zhao Tongzhou shook his head with a complicated expression. He tutted twice, "You don't understand, you just don't understand!"
He Yunzhao didn't grasp the meaning of these words at that moment.
But when the He Family held a banquet to celebrate, and Prince Xiang personally attended, He Yunzhao finally understood how indescribable those two words were.
Though advanced in years, Prince Xiang remained spirited, his snow-white hair neatly combed. Hearing his precious great-grandson ask about this matter, the old man wrinkled his face and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Ah!" The old man scratched his forehead irritably, messing up the hair he had carefully combed before going out. His frustration was comparable to that of a supervisor revising a student's thesis.
"That Ning'an—she's out of her mind!"