Chapter 126

As Qin Sang emerged from Consort Xian's palace, she wondered what the eldest princess had said to Prince Ning'an behind their backs. Just as she was about to offer a word of caution against believing the woman, a column of Imperial Guards patrolling the palace passed by.

Upon seeing Prince Ning'an, the guards bowed and greeted him, then stepped aside with their heads bowed, waiting for him to pass. Qin Sang, with her sharp eyes, spotted Xie Sui'an standing behind the captain. His striking appearance and imposing presence made him stand out even in the same ugly clothes among the crowd.

But he didn't look up in their direction, remaining meek and unassuming as if he were a stranger. Qin Sang was pleased and wanted to signal him with her eyes, but Prince Ning'an grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

"Let's go, let's leave the palace," said Prince Ning'an.

Qin Sang struggled but couldn't break free, so she gave up and quickly pulled the person away.

After they turned the corner, the other person naturally let go of her hand. Qin Sang was very frustrated, her mind filled with thoughts of how to explain things to him when they got home that night.

Prince Ning'an suddenly spoke in a low voice: "Do you know how many people in this palace are the Crown Prince's spies?"

Qin Sang looked at the other person, who continued: "Not only in the palace, but also throughout the court and even the whole country, do you know how many people are the Crown Prince's people? The path we are about to take, the thing we are about to do, cannot be wrong in a single step. In the face of the great affairs of the country, your little love and affection are really not worth mentioning."

Qin Sang thought to herself that this was indeed true; matters of national importance always outweigh personal feelings and love. However, she was no ordinary person and had no concept of national righteousness. Therefore, she remained indifferent upon hearing this and simply nodded.

Prince Ning'an thought she had taken his words to heart and said no more. The two of them silently left the deep palace and returned to their respective residences. Before leaving, Prince Ning'an reminded her, "Aren't you curious about why the Crown Prince has so many men under his command? The South Market has gathered students from all over the country who have come to take the imperial examinations. I know you have your own ways of finding out some clues."

Qin Sang felt dejected for a moment on the carriage. He changed out of his cumbersome and heavy formal attire, put on a light men's outfit, dismounted, found another carriage, and headed straight for the South Market.

The South City is far from the capital and is mostly inhabited by people from other places, making it a diverse and bustling area. Every year, students from all over the country who come to Beijing to take the imperial examinations can find fellow townsmen here. Due to various entanglements of interests, they easily gather in groups. Moreover, several outstanding individuals emerge from here each year during the imperial examinations. Therefore, the restaurants and teahouses in the South City are particularly lively at this time, as people make friends and seek their future.

As the carriage entered the southern part of the city, the streets were filled with people speaking with accents from other places and carrying luggage. Even the small vendors' faces were beaming with the joy of thriving business.

After strolling around for a while, Qin Sang spotted a bustling teahouse and led Lingding inside. Because the two of them were dressed as men and looked refined and scholarly, the tea server probably mistook them for scholars on their way to take the imperial examinations. He hurriedly invited them in and introduced the lodging and food at his establishment, saying that the prices were cheap and that he would treat everyone fairly, young and old.

Qin Sang waved her hand, indicating that she was not staying at the hotel. The tea server immediately understood and led her upstairs.

As soon as I went upstairs, I saw that the view was wide open and that students in long robes and hats were sitting around each tea table.

They engaged in lively discussions, reciting poetry and prose, their voices rising and falling in a cacophony of shouts.

Qin Sang looked around and sat down at an empty table next to the most lively group of people.

It's not really an empty table, but compared to the other tables, this one only has one person sitting at it, making it quite quiet.

However, just as he was about to sit down, he heard the only person say in a cold voice, "Sorry, I don't share tables."

Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then squatted down anyway: "It's okay, I won't argue with you. There are no empty seats next door, I'll borrow this one for you."

When the man looked over with a cold expression, Qin Sang had already shifted her attention to the other side.

The area behind her was particularly lively, with almost every table full of people. In the center, a refined scholar was reciting his poem, seemingly under the influence of alcohol. It was obvious that he was reciting it while intoxicated because the scholar's cheeks were flushed.

As he read, Qin Sang could hear the sounds of praise and admiration around her, which suggested that the article was excellent. She couldn't help but prick up her ears, her curiosity piqued, and tried to get a good look at the man's face.

After getting a closer look, I suddenly realized that this person looked somewhat familiar.

"Excuse me, who is this person?" She patted a young man behind her, who shook his head and said he didn't know. But the tea server who had led her upstairs introduced him with a grin: "That's my brother Zigu! Hehe, what do you think? Isn't his writing excellent? Could he be the top scholar this year?"

The tea server looked quite young, but even more honest and straightforward. After saying this, he didn't seem to want an answer from Qin Sang. Instead, he looked at the young man in the center, who was beaming with pride, as if he already believed that he would win the championship and become the top scholar.

Just then, the young man in the middle who had finished reciting his poem also looked over here and winked in the direction of the tea master.

The tea server chuckled again and asked Qin Sang if she wanted something to drink or eat.

Qin Sang suddenly remembered the scholar she had met a few days ago in front of a steamed bun shop who had asked for directions, and exclaimed, "Oh, this inn is the Liuyun Inn..."

The tea server smiled and asked again, "Would you like some fruit wine? It's delicious and not bitter."

Qin Sang ordered tea, soup, and rice wine, and the tea server left happily.

Then, one of the young men at the table, who had a rather bad temper, snorted, "Showing off like this, they're practically asking for death."

Although her voice was very soft, it still reached Qin Sang's ears. She turned around and asked, "What is your surname, brother?"

The man remained aloof and cold. He sat diagonally opposite Qin Sang, and upon hearing this, he slightly raised his eyes to look at her. After a moment, he said, "My surname is Wen."

Qin Sang asked, "Brother Wen, what do you mean by that? Why do you say that he's courting death?"

The man surnamed Wen was of average appearance, with a stubble beard, and looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, which was no longer considered young. Compared to the eloquent young man in the middle, he was quite old. Qin Sang guessed from his appearance that he was a candidate who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. This statement was partly out of jealousy, but partly based on experience.

Remembering Ning'an Prince's reminder, she had a feeling that this person knew something, so she became even more attentive, with a very friendly smile, as if she was humbly seeking advice.

The other person paused for a moment, lowered their eyelashes, picked up their wine glass, looked out the window, and said four words: "Concealing skill in clumsiness."

"Concealing one's talents..." Qin Sang pondered the meaning of these words and looked around at the crowd.

Looking around, most of these people were scholars and literati, each with their own distinct demeanor and thoughts. Some were genuinely supportive, some silently disdainful, some just watching the spectacle, and some filled with resentment… Qin Sang thought to herself, even if she felt envy, jealousy, or hatred, she couldn't possibly extract that knowledge from their minds. What could she do? Even if she were a little flamboyant, what difference would it make?

She suddenly remembered something and her heart skipped a beat. She immediately looked at the man surnamed Wen and asked, "May I ask, sir, in the imperial examinations a few years ago, were there any scholars who mysteriously disappeared or died?"

Wen Qiyan suddenly looked over, his brows furrowing slightly. He glanced around warily before staring intently at Qin Sang, as if observing her closely.

"Are you also a candidate this year?" he asked Qin Sang.

Qin Sang thought for a moment and replied, "I guess so."

What does "consider" mean?

"My brother is going to take the exam, but he's not good at it, so I came out to gather information for him." Qin Sang knew that her identity as a woman had been seen through, so she couldn't say that she was taking the exam herself. She just made up the story of her brother.

Seeing the other party hesitate, she continued to sigh: "This year the court is unstable and disasters are occurring everywhere. My brother is afraid that the imperial examinations will be canceled, but seeing so many outstanding young people coming from all over the country, I think they will not be canceled."

"Cancel?" Brother Wen seemed to scoff. "How could such a good opportunity to expand our power be canceled?"

"Oh? What do you mean by that? Who wants to expand their influence?"

Wen Qiyan looked at Qin Sang: "Are you from Kyoto?"

Qin Sang knew she still had some of her Lixian accent, so she didn't hide it and said, "I'm originally from Kyoto, and I was raised by my maternal grandparents for many years, but my older brother grew up here. So what if I'm not from Kyoto?"

"It's nothing, just do your best if you're a local."

Seeing that the man surnamed Wen was still concise and wouldn't reveal any more information, Qin Sang decided to hold off for now and send someone to secretly investigate him later. It would be much easier than wasting her breath here, and judging from his cautious demeanor, she wouldn't be able to find out anything.

She smiled and made inquiries and connections everywhere, but finally felt exhausted and took Lingding home.

Wang Huiwen waited in her courtyard for an unknown amount of time, even discussing household matters there. The housekeepers, both inside and outside the house, stood in half the courtyard, and when they saw her return, they all turned their heads to look at her with curiosity.

Upon hearing the commotion, Wang Huiwen sighed deeply, tossed the account book in her hand onto a small table, and said, "Although I didn't raise you, I still had people teach you a lot of manners after you came to the capital. It's basic courtesy to inform your elders when you return home after entering the palace, but you..." She looked Qin Sang up and down, hesitated, and waved for the others to leave, exhausted.

The women filed out, and the courtyard instantly became much cleaner.

Qin Sang stepped through the door with a smile and greeted them, saying, "When I left the palace today, Prince Ning'an suddenly reminded me of a small matter. I thought I would go and see him since I was going to pass by anyway. I didn't know that Mother was waiting for me at home. I was wrong, really... Please punish me."

When Wang Huiwen heard that it was the Prince of Ning'an who made the suggestion, his face softened slightly. After a moment of silence, he pulled the man down to sit and asked, "How was it? Did you behave improperly or say anything out of line in front of the palace? Our family can't afford any more trouble. Although you don't have the surname Xie, you are now a member of our family. You must always keep the Prime Minister's expectations in mind and never act recklessly."

Qin Sang briefly recounted what she had seen and heard that day. Wang Huiwen listened without saying anything, but then tenderly advised, "Although there have been many absurd rumors about the Ning'an Prince's Mansion, you have met Consort Xian. She is not a mean person. The two women who married into the family before us have different backgrounds. You will probably only find out the reason for their accidents after you marry into the family. But I am not trying to reassure you. You are different from them. There is no need to be afraid. I believe the Ning'an Prince will protect you."

He paused and then added, "But we can't let our guard down. The inner palace is full of people and gossip, and people's hearts are unpredictable. I've selected some people to be your dowry, and you can take them with you when you go. They are all trustworthy people who can help you if anything happens."

Qin Sang had always known that Wang Huiwen was meticulous, but she hadn't expected that she would treat her like her own daughter. She couldn't help but feel genuinely moved.

"Thank you, Mother," she said.

Wang Huiwen smiled somewhat bitterly: "What's there to thank? Our family is now relying on you to gamble everything. It's all about winning or losing. Since the Prime Minister has chosen a path for us, we can only do our best to follow his plan. My daughter can't do it, but I can see that you can. So, helping you is helping ourselves. There's no need for thanks."