March 3

“I am different from Brother Shen. I don’t have a bright future paved for me. I have to walk every step of the way myself.” Xu Qiu looked at him with a half-smile.

"I thought I would definitely pass the imperial examination with flying colors this spring, but the wound hurts so badly that my right hand is trembling even when I pick up a pen to write. I guess I have no chance."

But I never expected my luck to get any worse. The exam questions were leaked early on. I don't think I can compete with those candidates who bought the questions, do you agree, Brother Shen?

Shen Changqing remained silent and did not answer Xu Qiu's question.

From the moment the Imperial Guards stormed into the examination hall, he knew it must be because of the exam questions.

He didn't know much about his father's side of the operation, but he knew it couldn't possibly be the person who bought the exam questions who leaked the information, because the person who bought the exam questions would be punished the same as the person who sold them, regardless of whether they participated in the exam.

The people they come into contact with are just the lowest-level henchmen. Above the henchmen are those in charge, and above those in charge are those above them. If something goes wrong, all they have to do is have someone step forward to take the blame.

So even if someone wants to investigate, they can quickly sever ties and clean things up.

If the problem wasn't with his father, it couldn't possibly be with Shi Zhixuan. Right now, he wants to know the truth even more than Li Shiqin does.

Who exactly put him in this predicament? Was that person targeting his father, or Prime Minister Sun?

The third day of the third lunar month is the Shangsi Festival.

Gu Yu was supposed to travel with Shen Changqing, who had just finished the imperial examinations, but she learned about the examination hall early yesterday morning.

This was something she had expected, and she wasn't surprised at all.

“Miss, I believe Young Master Shen wouldn’t do such a thing. With his talent, there’s no need for him to do something so unnecessary.” Chunyue bit her lip, looking very worried.

Miss always brought her along when she went out to meet Shen Changqing; she had seen how close the two were.

Will Miss worry that Young Master Shen will fall ill again and revert to his old ways?

Fortunately, apart from her sorrowful expression, Gu Yu did not cancel her decision to go out for a spring outing. "Chunyue, I believe in him. As long as they find out the truth, Shen Lang will definitely come out."

Qiuju quietly styled Gu Yu's hair without saying a word. "Chunyue, the sun is shining brightly today. Stay in the manor and tidy up the young lady's clothes, and take the bedding out to air it..."

Upon hearing this, Chun Yue pouted. Although she and Qiu Ju were of equal rank, Gu Yu clearly trusted the calm and steady Qiu Ju more than the unconventional Chun Yue.

"good."

Although she also wanted to go on a spring outing with her mistress, she was afraid that her loose tongue might say something inappropriate and make her mistress even more upset.

Outside the city of Shengjing, there is a peach grove that stretches for ten miles and is the favorite spring outing destination for the young masters and ladies of Shengjing.

Today should have been a lively day, with scholars finishing their spring examinations, young ladies from noble families who had been cooped up in their chambers all winter, and gentlemen coming to enjoy the scenery.

However, everyone felt the Emperor's wrath yesterday. Anxiety lingered throughout Shengjing City, stirring up the city's fragile nerves and pouring cold water on everyone.

Therefore, the third day of the third month in the twenty-fourth year of Shengyuan was exceptionally quiet and deserted.

Gu Yu stepped onto this land without realizing it. The warm, mixed scents of grass and trees filled her nostrils—the scent of freedom.

A ten-foot-wide stream meanders from Spring Water Lake in the city, its banks lined with lush grass and filled with the melodious chirping of birds.

A pavilion has been built in the woods for people to rest. It is not as exquisite as the pavilion in the middle of the lake, but the surrounding scenery is well worth seeing.

The weather this year is colder than usual. Only a few peach trees in the peach orchard have blossomed, while most others have chosen to remain still, only growing tender green leaves that rustle in the spring breeze.

Gu Yu leaned lazily against the wooden chair in the pavilion, with the soft cushions she had brought underneath her, some for back support and others for sitting on.

She completely relaxed, no longer worried about Shen Changqing, and looked into the distance where she saw a familiar figure.

"Qiuju, I'm a little hungry. I want to eat some candied fruit from Huishiju in the north of the city, and some white fungus soup from Minningfang in the south of the city."

"Yes." Qiuju glanced at her young mistress, her expression somewhat strange.

The north and south of the city are quite far from here, and it takes half an hour to travel back and forth between them. Today, besides her, there is only one coachman, so the two of them have to go separately to buy the goods so they can return by noon.

The carriage was also stocked with some food; the young lady had gone to the trouble of sending someone to the city to buy things.

After everyone left, the person walked over leisurely and said, "Miss Gu, it's been a long time."

"Young Master Dongfang, please accompany me for a walk."

Gu Yu got up and yawned. Sure enough, the warm spring day was not suitable for her; it only made her feel comfortable and lethargic, and she craved the present stability.

She still preferred to huddle in the cold winter, as a vengeful ghost with sharp teeth and a heart full of resentment, the biting north wind keeping her mind painfully clear at all times.

The two walked deeper into the peach grove and found a secluded streamside. Gu Yu chose a relatively flat stone to sit on, as her body was too weak and she would lose strength if she stood for too long.

"Does Young Master Dongfang have something to ask me?" Gu Yu spoke first.

Looking at Gu Yu's beautiful and gentle appearance again, Dongfang Hongyao no longer felt that she was weak and pitiful. She was unlike any other woman he had ever met; she had none of the gentleness and docility of other women.

“If Miss Gu doesn’t want Wei Cong and me to participate in the imperial examination, she could have just said so. Wei Cong and I were seriously ill and almost lost our lives.”

Gu Yu remained silent for a long time, clearly indicating that this was not her idea, but something she had asked someone else to do.

"...It was the people I sent who came up with this plan," Gu Yu said. "But this is not necessarily a bad thing, what do you think, Young Master Dongfang? Besides, if I had said it before the imperial examination, you certainly wouldn't have listened to me, and I would have given you a handle to use against me."

"Therefore, I wish to ask you for a favor. Would Young Master Dongfang be willing to help?"

All the clues she left behind were meant to lure Dongfang Hongyao into pursuing her intentions. If he truly knew nothing about it, then he would be of no use to her.

"Miss Gu, why don't you tell me first?"

Although Dongfang Hongyao loves beautiful women, he has always been able to distinguish right from wrong. As a scion of a prominent family, he has seen plenty of schemes and plots.

He was truly outmaneuvered by Gu Yu this time. First, she used him to buy paper and ink from merchants in Hejian Prefecture, and then she pulled him out of the mire during the imperial examinations.

He became Gu Yu's pawn almost without realizing it, and since his interests aligned with hers, he had no choice but to board Gu Yu's pirate ship.

It's a real pity that Gu Yu is just a woman confined to her boudoir. If she were a man, how many people in this world could match her scheming skills?

“If you and Wei Cong manage to escape this matter, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Shen Xiuwen will definitely come looking for you if they want to investigate.” Gu Yu’s tone softened. “I’ve already shown you some sincerity by giving you some information, so be careful.”

“Wei Cong knows nothing, so I’m not worried about him. I’m only worried about you.”

"Miss Gu, rest assured, we are in the same boat now. This is not something I can help you with. What we want now is the same."

That is where the paper and ink came from.

Dongfang Hongyao sighed, almost wanting to slap himself for being so chivalrous. Now he'd gotten himself into a huge mess of trouble.

Seeing how cooperative he was, Gu Yu sent him another message.

"Don't worry, Young Master Dongfang. After this matter is over, the imperial examination will definitely be reopened. There is a shortage of local officials in Shaanxi. If we don't fill the gaps quickly this time, it may cause a popular uprising."

"That's actually good news." Dongfang Hongyao smiled wryly, hoping that after his experience with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Shen Xiuwen, he would still have the energy to deal with the imperial examination.

Gu Yu watched Dongfang Hongyao's departing figure, and sat for a while before returning to the pavilion. Her timing was good; Qiuju indeed returned with what she wanted.

The Dongfang gentry were a renowned family of officials in Hejian Prefecture, producing Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in every generation. Their most illustrious period was during the previous dynasty, when three Jinshi emerged in the same generation. The highest-ranking member rose to the position of Minister and entered the Grand Secretariat, just one step away from becoming the Grand Secretary.

However, during the reign of Emperor Shengyuan, he preferred scholars from the south and liked to promote poor students who were not from aristocratic families.

That's why the Dongfang family gradually declined. Many of their descendants, seeing no hope in the imperial examinations, chose other paths. By the time of Dongfang Hongyao's generation, he was the only one to pass the examinations and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).

Dongfang Hongyao clearly knew on the day of the imperial examination that the paper dragonflies in Shengjing were his doing, and he was willing to play along because their interests aligned.

She was also curious about how far Dongfang would go—would he choose to keep it a secret forever, or would he betray her?

This was also a test for her. In fact, compared to Xu Qiu, Dongfang Hongyao was more suitable to be her husband.

If he betrays her, she has ways to escape...

When she first met the two men, she had already sent people to find out their backgrounds clearly, so she naturally knew that Dongfang Hongyao already had two concubines, but she didn't care.

She had no feelings for him whatsoever, so naturally she wouldn't feel jealous.

Moreover, if he had any affection for those two concubines, they wouldn't have become his principal wife.

It wouldn't be a big deal if she briefly occupied the position of his wife.

Two days later, inside the imperial prison.

Because of the recent series of misfortunes that have implicated a large number of people, the prison in the Northern Garrison Command is simply overflowing with people.

Shen Changqing was imprisoned with the other candidates in a cell that was only ten feet square. There were more than fifty people in the cell, shoulder to shoulder, so crowded that no one else could fit in.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, and even in the filthy environment, his otherworldly demeanor remained distinct from the others. Moreover, he showed no sign of panic, closing his eyes to conserve his energy.

Three days ago, he searched through the crowd, but Wei Cong and Dongfang Hongyao were nowhere to be found.

Those who were originally required to participate in this spring imperial examination coincidentally did not attend.

That's so strange.

His guess was correct; this was a conspiracy against him, or rather, against the Shen family.

So who exactly knows all the inside stories of the Shen family and wants to bring him down from his high position? Although he won't be reduced to dust, he'll still suffer serious injuries.

"Young Master Shen." The jailer outside called out to him, his tone respectful, since he wasn't a real prisoner and the Shen family was still standing outside.

"Someone wants to see you." The jailer took the brass key hanging from his waist, inserted it into the lock, and opened half of the door, leaving only a crack for one person to pass through.

Shen Changqing opened his eyes, got up and left the prison. The surrounding noise grew louder and louder, mostly people shouting that they were innocent and asking him why he was allowed to leave.

"Go away, go away! Their family members have come to visit, what are you all making such a fuss about?" The jailer spat at the loudest person. "Behave yourselves. If you keep making a fuss, I'll think of a way to quiet you down."

After saying that, he smiled obsequiously at Shen Changqing, "Young Master Shen, turn left. That house is where my brothers and I eat, drink, and rest. It's empty now; your family is waiting for you there."

"I won't go in; I'll wait for you at the door."

Although Shen Xiuwen has been demoted, he is still a force to be reckoned with, and who knows when he might return? He is someone Shen Xiuwen cannot afford to offend.

"Thank you." Shen Changqing thought for a moment, then took off the jade pendant from his side and handed it to him. The jailer could not refuse and accepted it with a smile.

As he entered the house, his mother and Gu Yu were waiting anxiously inside.

When Zhuang Mengdie saw him come in, she quickly came forward and said, "Qing'er, you've lost weight. Eat first."

Gu Yu looked at him with worry in her eyes, her cheeks still wet with tears, her misty peach blossom eyes looking very pitiful. She opened the food box and took out all the dishes inside.

"Shen Lang, the food here must be terrible. You must be starving these past few days. Let's eat first."

"Okay." Shen Changqing was not the type to be picky about food.

He had been eating little these past few days because he was overthinking, but now that he saw the dishes his mother had prepared for him, he felt extremely hungry.

He ate more than usual, which was unusual for him. Zhuang Mengdie looked at his disheveled appearance and couldn't stop crying. "Your father said that this matter will pass soon and you will be able to leave in a few days."

“However…” Zhuang Mengdie’s voice was somewhat unsteady, “the rumors outside are rampant. After you leave, go and stay with your grandfather for a while. We’ll have you and Ayu get married next year…”

Shen Changqing paused, "The results of the imperial examinations have been announced?"

Zhuang Mengdie, with tears in her eyes, was speechless. How could such a thing have happened?

It was as if fate had played a cruel joke on her son.

Her son should have been the most glorious scholar in the imperial examinations, entering the imperial palace to compete for the top spot, riding proudly on a tall horse, and then marrying the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an...

But now, the higher he stands, the harder he falls; thankfully, thankfully, he wasn't shattered to pieces...

It's just a matter of reputation. Gu Yu still cares about Shen Changqing, so things aren't at their worst yet.

"Shen Lang, it's alright. I know those are just rumors and shouldn't be taken seriously. I believe you." Gu Yu held back her tears, her eyelashes still wet, but she still comforted him softly.

"Ayu, thank you." Shen Changqing covered her hand, noticing that her palm was cold, and comforted her, "There is indeed more to this than meets the eye. If we can find out the truth, I can also clear my name."

"Mother, have Father secretly investigate Xu Qiu, Wei Cong, and Dongfang Hongyao. The problem might lie with one of them..."

Zhuang Mengdie nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, noted down the names of the three people, glanced at Gu Yu, knowing that she still had something to say to Shen Changqing alone, so she left the room first.

She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. A person worthy of being the matriarch of the Shen family is naturally not a weak or kind person. If someone really wants to harm her son, she will naturally not hesitate to take action.