The bluestone-paved avenue outside the palace gates was crowded with officials' carriages and sedan chairs. Fortunately, Fu Xuechen had chosen to ride a horse, allowing her to easily squeeze through the narrow gaps in the road and reach the front. She dismounted close to the palace gates, handed the reins to Fu An, and instructed him to find a place to rest with the horse while waiting for her return.All the young men preparing to participate in the selection for the imperial prince's study companions were registered in the palace records. After verifying their identities with the palace gate guards, they were led inside by a young eunuch and taken directly to the examination site.Fu Xuechen had only taken a few steps following a young eunuch when a voice suddenly called out from behind: "Yuchen! Yuchen! Wait for me!"This was a bit troublesome! She had already encountered someone familiar with Fu Yuchen, and unfortunately, Fu An was not by her side to promptly remind her who the newcomer was.Fu Xuechen steadied herself and turned to look. A robust, sun-tanned young man with a masculine build was rushing toward her. His eyes sparkled with delight as he gazed at Fu Xuechen, clearly showing a close and familiar relationship with Fu Yuchen."It's you!" Fu Xuechen responded with a polite smile. In her mind, she recalled the descriptions of Fu Yuchen's classmates and close friends that Fu An had mentioned on the way. She narrowed it down to two likely candidates: one was Zhang Chuyang, the youngest son of the Vice Minister of War, Zhang Huo; the other was Guan Enming, the second legitimate son of the Marquis of Zhenxi, Guan Zihao, who also came from a noble family.Both of these young men were also candidates for the imperial prince's study companions, though their chances of success were slim. Unless a miracle occurred, they were likely just there to make up the numbers.Leading one person or two made little difference to the young eunuch. With keen observation, he paused and waited for the newcomer to walk alongside Fu Xuechen before continuing to lead the way. Unfortunately, palace etiquette emphasized discretion—speaking less meant fewer mistakes—so the eunuch offered no hint as to the newcomer's identity.Fu Xuechen had no choice but to walk silently, pretending to be slightly nervous and avoiding unnecessary conversation."Are you nervous, Yuchen?" The young man was rather straightforward. After glancing at Fu Xuechen twice, he offered reassurance: "Don't worry! I said I'd help you, and I'll see it through to the end. I guarantee no one else will outperform you!"Fu Xuechen found this strange: "How do you plan to help me?"The young man glanced around and lowered his voice: "My father revealed to me last night that my distant uncle—Zhang Ying, the commander of the imperial guards in the palace—has already put in a good word for us with his friends. They'll go easy on us during the martial arts examination, ensuring we get promoted in the rankings!"How audacious! Fu Xuechen broke into a cold sweat. This was cheating right under the emperor's nose!At the same time, she realized who this young man was: Zhang Chuyang, the youngest son of the Vice Minister of War. No wonder he had access to inside information about the equestrian and archery examination in advance.However, Fu Xuechen couldn't outright stop him from cheating. Based on what she knew of Fu Yuchen's personality, he would never consider the consequences of such actions. If he knew someone could help him cheat to pass, he would be overjoyed.After wrestling with her thoughts for a moment, Fu Xuechen could only furrow her brows slightly and whisper: "Passing the equestrian and archery tests isn't enough! My opponent also includes Xie Yucheng from the Xie family, who has studied literature since childhood. I'm afraid I won't be a match for him in the literary examination.""Him!" Zhang Chuyang didn't consider Xie Yucheng much of a threat, waving his hand dismissively. "He's just a scholar who excels at studies but lacks martial skills. Our current emperor is a god of war who won the empire on horseback—how could he possibly choose such a weak, bookish type as a study companion for the princes!"Fu Xuechen shook her head. "Brother Zhang, don't underestimate him! As the saying goes, conquering an empire is easier than ruling it. Now that the realm is newly unified, it's time to let the people recuperate. This is the perfect moment for civil officials to apply their learning in governing the empire. His Majesty will place greater emphasis on civil governance; otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed the sons of civil officials to be eligible for selection."Zhang Chuyang was taken aback, staring at Fu Xuechen several times in succession. "That makes sense! Yuchen, you're thinking surprisingly deeply today."Hah! What a thing to say… Could it be that Fu Yuchen usually acted like a naive, clueless fool in front of his friends?Fu Xuechen was speechless. "I heard it from my father.""Oh!" Zhang Chuyang immediately believed it. "If it's from Uncle Fu, no wonder! My father said His Majesty often praises Uncle Fu as a wise general."Xie Yucheng also studied at the Imperial Academy, and his class ranking was quite high. Although he couldn't compare to some of the sons of civil officials from the Jiangnan region, he still had a modest reputation for talent, and his literary skills were far superior to those of the noble scions.Zhang Chuyang racked his brains but couldn't think of a way to surpass Xie Yucheng in the literary exam, frowning in frustration.Fu Xuechen, however, wasn't worried about this at all. The world of the Great Rong Empire shared similar geography with the original Earth's China, but many aspects were different. For instance, the locations and names of cities and prefectures were quite distinct, including the capital, Shangjing, which was neither Jinling nor Yanjing. Instead, it was located further southwest than Yanjing and further northwest than Jinling, right at the center of the empire's territory.History also had many differences. Apart from the unavoidable progression from primitive society to slave society to feudal civilization, along with the cyclical rise and fall of order and chaos, everything after the Qin and Han dynasties—from historical figures to surviving texts—was different!In such an almost entirely new world, competing in literary talent with the entire treasury of ancient Chinese prose and poetry from Earth as her backing, Fu Xuechen wasn't afraid of any exam question, even though she had forgotten much of the ancient texts and poems she had studied before.Of course, fearlessness aside, if possible, Fu Xuechen didn't want to use those timeless masterpieces that had survived the ages to astonish others. It wouldn't fit Fu Yuchen's identity as the descendant of a noble military family or his educational level. It would be too outrageous and would only create trouble in the future.Lost in thought, they arrived at their destination—a side hall where dozens of seats had been arranged, each equipped with writing brushes and ink. As the candidates arrived and took their seats, the empty spots quickly dwindled, and the noise gradually grew.Ignoring the surroundings, furnishings, and the ancient-style clothing worn by the youths, the whole scene felt like a modern-day large classroom.Just as Fu Xuechen and Zhang Chuyang arrived, another tall youth with similarly dark skin turned around from his seat, waving vigorously and calling out to them. "Yuchen! Chuyang! Over here! I saved seats for both of you!"Another one of Fu Yuchen's friends! This must be Guan Enming.Fu Xuechen reluctantly followed Zhang Chuyang over, nodding in response, "Brother Guan, you arrived early!"Zhang Chuyang pulled Guan Enming along, and the three occupied a corner, eagerly beginning to discuss and speculate about the content of this assessment's literary examination. Unfortunately, their social circles rarely included the sons of civil officials. Even if there were one or two, they weren't qualified to participate, let alone the fact that they were all academic slackers who only knew how to skip classes and fool around, offering no help to the trio in this regard.Fu Xuechen resolved to listen more and speak less, appearing to participate in the discussion while actually observing her surroundings with keen eyes and ears, carefully studying the environment.The sky had just begun to brighten, not yet reaching a level where writing could be done without difficulty. In front of the hall, aside from the guarding soldiers, only young eunuchs were busy guiding people, checking the arranged examination tools, and tending to the charcoal braziers around. From the supervising officials to the princes, it was still far from the time for their appearance.Apart from the groups of whispering young men, the most eye-catching in the venue were likely the few girls isolated in the far corner, seemingly forming their own separate group. Their average age was also the youngest, each dressed in soft, pink hues, exuding an indescribable, delicate cuteness.While observing, Fu Xuechen suddenly felt a gaze fixed upon her. Following the direction of the gaze, she saw a lean, somewhat fierce-looking young man sitting diagonally to her left, looking disdainfully at the trio. When his eyes met Fu Xuechen's, he didn't back down. Instead, his expression turned provocative as he mouthed the words clearly and softly toward Fu Xuechen, "Sissy!"Who is this? Even within the imperial palace, he dares to be so arrogant.Fu Xuechen's face darkened, instinctively reflecting on whether she had revealed any flaws. Zhang Chuyang and Guan Enming noticed beside her, following her gaze toward the lean young man, immediately widening their eyes and glaring back fiercely."It's that skinny monkey Cheng Defang again!" Guan Enming muttered unhappily. "He's ugly himself but loves to mock Yuchen. Let's ignore him for now."Zhang Chuyang added, "Looks like this kid is itching for a beating. Later, I'll find a chance to help you, Yuchen, give him a good thrashing!"So that lean young man was Cheng Defang, the illegitimate grandson of the Duke of Yi and one of the formidable competitors her father had mentioned! Fu Xuechen understood, while also glancing sideways at Fu Yuchen's two companions. Talking about beating someone up right away—these two weren't exactly good-natured either.However, judging from her companions' reactions, she hadn't revealed any flaws. The reason Cheng Defang had cursed her as a "sissy" was likely because she and Fu Yuchen, as siblings, had overly delicate and fair appearances, lacking the rough, masculine aura typical of military family descendants.But there was no time to confront Cheng Defang now. As the duty eunuch outside the hall cracked his whip twice, the surroundings fell silent. They saw several young men and one young woman following closely behind two elderly men, the group walking straight into the side hall.The princes, princess, and the two instructors from Mingde Hall had arrived!Everyone in the hall quickly returned to their positions, standing beside their seats, quietly watching as the group walked to the front."Greetings to the instructors! Greetings to Their Highnesses!" everyone bowed in unison, speaking loudly in salute.The Great Rong Empire did not practice kneeling rituals and upheld respect for teachers and the value of education. Even princes and princesses held no special privileges before their instructors; all were required to observe the etiquette of disciples. Thus, everyone first greeted the teacher, followed by the princes and princesses. This set of rituals had been taught in advance, and no one made mistakes."Rise! All be seated."The elder at the head gestured for everyone to sit, including the princes and princesses, who took their seats behind him. Beginning with introductions of the princes and princesses, the day's literary examination for study companions officially commenced.
Chapter 3
The Prince Does Not Compete for the Throne