“You look poor and shabby, but your tone is quite big. That broken basket wouldn’t even be worth a single coin if you stretch it to the heavens!”
Hong Yongwang’s eyes widened instantly as he snapped open his folding fan with a sharp sound.
“Young master is dressed in fine silk. Could it be that you’re putting on a brave face and pretending to be wealthy when you can’t even afford twenty taels?” Murong Yun lay back down lazily, one leg slightly raised, her tone full of mockery. “Forget it, since that’s the case—”
“Who said I can’t afford it!”
Hong Yongwang threw a heavy piece of silver onto the ground and looked at them in disgust. “Poor people are short-sighted. Take this as my charity.” With that, he flicked his sleeve and left.
The passing candidates could not help but laugh inwardly. This extortion was rather ruthless. So Qingshan Academy was not as pure and upright as the rumors suggested after all, despite its scholarly reputation.
Yu Ziyang gritted his teeth in anger. “He’s actually using money to humiliate us! Truly despicable! Who cares about his filthy money—”
Before he could finish, Murong Yun had already picked up the silver from the ground, carefully brushing the dust off its surface.
“Good thing it didn’t get damaged. Good silver. From now on, you’re mine,” Murong Yun said as she tucked it into her money pouch. With a clinking sound, the silver ingot landed inside. Such a pleasant sound.
“….”
Yu Ziyang pouted. “We really have no backbone.”
“Who would have a problem with money?” Murong Yun thought for a moment, then reached into her pouch, rummaging for a while before finally taking out five taels and handing it to him. “This is your fee for helping me stand up for myself. Hard work. If there’s more in the future, we can keep collaborating.”
The five taels in Yu Ziyang’s palm still carried warmth. In the cold weather, it made his heart feel warm. “Alright.”
Inside the examination hall, faint incense smoke curled from the green bronze burner. This burner was not usually used, but today it had been lit to make the place look more dignified and grand.
Shangguan Xuan had already taken his seat beside her. “I brought you food.”
On the desk were three flatbreads and a full water flask. “I was afraid you’d get hungry during the exam, so I went early in the morning to snatch these flatbreads. The other candidates have gotten smarter too, so I only managed to get the last three.”
“What about you?” Murong Yun set down her book basket. Around them, others were still revising, murmuring essays and classics, making their conversation feel slightly out of place.
“I had dried sweet potatoes stored earlier,” Shangguan Xuan said, biting into a brown, rectangular strip. Each bite made him pause for a moment. “They’re a bit hard, not easy to chew. I’ll dry them softer next time and share them with you.”
Murong Yun burst out laughing.
“Why are you taking the imperial examination? With your hands-on skills, you could run a restaurant or start a business back home and make far more money,” she said while chewing her flatbread, the sesame filling spreading a rich aroma in her mouth.
Shangguan Xuan ground two portions of ink, filled her inkstone, then carefully dipped her brush so the ink spread evenly and the writing would come out smooth and bright.
“Ever since the founding of Daying, the world has admired scholarly learning and court authority. This has always been the trend.”
“Then what about you?” Murong Yun tilted her head. “You’re not someone who simply follows the crowd. The imperial exam isn’t an easy path. What supports you through all this hardship?”
Shangguan Xuan paused, turning to look at her with steady eyes. “To eliminate corruption. Murong, would you be willing to step into the court with me?”
The court was dark and unpredictable, full of schemes and cold calculation. Friendship, weakness, submission—all of it was merely a tool to gain greater power.
With such a path, having someone by one’s side might make it feel less lonely.
“Of course. Don’t even think about leaving me behind. When you rise to greatness, don’t forget me,” Murong Yun said with a raised brow, smiling inwardly.
The future Minister of Rites would not be allowed to break his word so easily.
Their bright smiles drew some dissatisfaction from those around them.
Hong Yongwang looked at their identical shabby outfits and mocked loudly, “You two poor scholars should stop wasting time and actually study. Can you stop disturbing others?”
Shangguan Xuan picked up the folding fan on the desk, his expression turning impatient.
“Hold it in. A true man must endure,” Murong Yun pressed his hand down.
“You still want to talk?” Hong Yongwang kicked Murong Yun’s desk. “Say it louder if you have the guts.”
Murong Yun rubbed her ear and smiled. “Who’s talking? I only understand human speech. Dog speech is beyond me.”
Laughter rippled through the room.
“You—” Hong Yongwang looked around angrily. “Fine. Qingshan Academy students really are foul-mouthed. Who would dare take the exam here? Such a sacred exam held in such a filthy place.”
The Qingshan Academy students were displeased. Xiao Heng and Yu Ziyang were the first to react, fists clenched as if ready to fight the students from Yucai Academy.
“Then why are you still here?” Murong Yun slammed the table and stood up, her presence silencing the room. “If you’re so confident, go back to your Yucai Academy. Don’t come crying here if you fail and blame Qingshan Academy. Typical case of blaming the road when you’re the one who can’t walk it.”
Xiao Heng gave a thumbs-up toward the Yucai students, who briefly cheered.
Then the thumb slowly rotated downward into a mocking gesture.
“….”
Hong Yongwang snorted. “We’ll see the results on the ranking list. Let’s see what trash you can write. Don’t embarrass yourselves in front of the examiners!”
The hall fell quiet again.
Shangguan Xuan asked softly, “Didn’t you say a true man must endure?”
“Sometimes being a villain is not bad,” Murong Yun said cheerfully, biting into her flatbread.
Master Xu appeared at the doorway with a stern face. “The imperial examination is about to begin. No more noise.”
The exam would last three full hours, strictly timed, with no early submission allowed.
The topic this time tested the principles of governing a state.
Murong Yun’s mind drifted through the words of On Governing the State. Just as she was about to write, the image of Granny Wei bending over to plant rice in the fields surfaced in her mind, and she paused.
Governing the state, but if there is only court politics, how can it be called a “state”?
Her brush shifted.
“The foundation of governance lies in ensuring the well-being of the people.”
She wrote clearly and methodically about grain transport, land tax, commercial taxation, and official administration. Her arguments flowed like running water across the page.
Linking all these systems together, she described how they formed a stable and prosperous nation.
After writing steadily for two hours, she finally finished, ate two flatbreads, and fell asleep on the desk.
Master Wang patrolled the room continuously, walking back and forth between candidates, clearly worried about cheating. Whenever he passed someone, he would stop and inspect their answers closely.
Shangguan Xuan occasionally looked up and noticed Master Wang staring at Murong Yun with narrowed eyes, deep in thought.
“Time’s up!”
Murong Yun was the first to rush out.
“Shangguan, I made fifteen taels. I’ll treat you to meat,” she said proudly. “All of it from Hong Yongwang.”
Shangguan Xuan raised a brow. “Then we should spend it all, so he doesn’t get the chance to bother us again.”
“Murong—” Master Wang called out to them, asking about their plans after the exam. “Now that the imperial examination is over, what do you intend to do?”
“Travel around and see the world,” Murong Yun replied.
The question surprised her slightly. He had always favored Zheng Yuan in particular.
“I heard your family has suffered financial loss. If you are in need, I can offer a little assistance,” Master Wang said.
“Thank you, teacher. Our family business involves small trade. There are always risks and fluctuations,” Murong Yun sighed. “At least I can still read and write to earn a bit of money. Barely enough to survive.”
Master Wang’s mouth twitched slightly. “That is good then.”
He left with a straight posture, dignified and refined.
“I was too narrow-minded,” Murong Yun muttered to herself.
Master Wang was a good person.
On the day the results were posted, the crowd at the mountain foot was packed tightly.
Three teachers from Qingshan Academy squeezed into the crowd early. Scholar Zhao’s face was squashed flat like a pancake. “Old Xu, Old Wang, have you seen the ranking list yet?”
During the squeeze, Master Xu’s beard had even been snipped off by someone with scissors, leaving him furious. “Not yet! Someone cut my beard!”
Master Wang, however, remained calm, strolling through the crowd and casually asking passing candidates, “Who’s first? Zheng or Zhao?”
When he finally saw the red ranking board, he stood frozen for a long time.
“First place… Murong Yun! That brat!”
Master Xu shouted excitedly, “I see it! I see it! Second place is Shangguan Xuan! Qingshan Academy has five or six students on the list!”
The imperial examination ranked all candidates across the province. Those on the list could advance to the next stage.
Scholar Zhao, unable to squeeze forward, wiped the corner of his eye. “Good kid, Murong Yun. Always slacking off. If he doesn’t pass the next exam, the three of us will break his legs when he comes back!”
With such talent, if he actually studied seriously, he would surely pass.
Master Xu deliberately shouted, “Zhao Mingyuan is also on the list. He is diligent and steady, more reliable than Murong.”
Scholar Zhao laughed silently.
Enemies always feel especially sharp when they meet.
Murong Yun was eating roast duck when she ran into Hong Yongwang on the street while heading to check the rankings.
“Heh, enjoy your roast duck while you still can. Without my money in the future, you won’t know when your next meal comes,” Hong Yongwang said, fanning himself in front of his nose.
Murong Yun ignored him and pulled Shangguan Xuan forward.
“Pretending not to hear,” Hong Yongwang mocked, then ordered his attendants, “Clear the way for me.”
“Yes, young master.”
“You can walk fast all you want,” he continued, “but your rank won’t change. You two poor fools understand nothing about governance. You can’t possibly write anything meaningful.”
He simply disliked poor people.
In his view, wealth like his own was hard-earned, so why should the poor be allowed to participate in the imperial examinations? Things should have remained as they were in the past dynasties.
“Let’s make a bet,” Murong Yun said suddenly, turning back. Only the bones of her roast duck remained in her hand, which she waved in front of him, making him step back.
“A bet?”
“A bet on whether your ranking will be lower than ours,” she said.
Hong Yongwang was furious. “Fine! I’ll make you lose everything! A hundred taels of gold!”
“Gold?” Murong Yun hesitated slightly.
“What, never seen gold before? If you back down now, I’ll let you off.”
Murong Yun looked him up and down. “No, I’m just worried you can’t afford it.”