stab in the back
When Jiaohan and Jiaorui rushed back to the villa with a pot of fine yellow wine from the kitchen and several dishes of appetizers, they found Dou Yanxun already lying on a bamboo chair, fast asleep.
Jiao Han was somewhat unwilling. She opened her mouth, intending to gently wake the sleeping Dou Yanxun. Jiao Rui gave Jiao Han a light shove and winked at her. The two of them quietly placed the wine pot and snacks on the side table next to the bed before quietly leaving the room.
The two walked a few steps along the window ledge. After Jiao Rui looked around and found no one, she lowered her voice and said, "You are too bold to disturb your master."
Jiao Han's face was drooping, and there was a hint of resentment in her eyes.
"I just didn't want to miss a good opportunity! Sister knows our master all too well; once he's drunk, he becomes incredibly enthusiastic, a real good-natured spendthrift. Didn't he reward you with several jade and white jade thumb rings before? Each one is priceless! Besides, last month when that little maid Huan'er was on duty, the Second Young Master drank quite a bit, and Huan'er still managed to make him very happy, immediately throwing her dozens of silver notes! That's equivalent to several years' worth of our salaries."
Jiaorui understood perfectly, but still looked wary and said in a low voice, "That may be true, but our master is not easy to deal with. If you want the reward money to be fair, we, as servants, must not forget the lady's admonition."
How could she forget? Jiao Han broke out in a cold sweat whenever she thought of Bai Shi, and only then did she give up, nodding dejectedly.
The two women were originally maids of Lady Bai, the wife of Dou Huaisheng. They had been serving Dou Yanxun for many years after being assigned to his side, but the master had never been particularly close to them. The tasks that Lady Bai had secretly assigned them had always been difficult for them to complete, and this situation inevitably caused them distress.
Dou Yanxun's position in the mansion was awkward. She was not as popular as Dou Yanzhou, nor as favored by the master and mistress as her young mistress Dou Zhen. The two of them went from being the eldest maid of the main house to being ignored servants of illegitimate sons in the other courtyard. They had their share of resentment.
Fortunately, although the second young master was usually aloof, he was extremely generous when drunk. Gradually, the old servants who had served him for a long time all knew about this, and they served him even more diligently. They were just dreaming that one day the second young master would be in a good mood again and reward them with a hundred or eighty taels of silver, and that they would rise to prominence in one fell swoop.
Jiao Rui tested Jiao Han slightly, but saw that she was only thinking about money, and a cold smile arose in her heart.
She's not that short-sighted!
After all, although Dou Yanxun was born a son of a concubine, he was still a master of noble status. Although she had served the Bai family before, if she were to take advantage of Dou Yanxun's drunkenness and seduce him with her beauty, wouldn't she be guaranteed wealth and honor? This second young master was known for his philandering and dissolute ways. It was said that he not only had a lover at Bihua Tower, but also kept several beautiful mistresses in Yuehuan Lane in the south of Mujing City.
Although she was just a maid, she was at least innocent and well-regarded in the household. If those vixens outside could climb into her master's bed, why couldn't she?
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Before they knew it, it was time for the Zhiqiong Hall examination. Lin Xu had been working late for several days and nights, and because of the sudden cold nights caused by the continuous heavy rain, he probably caught a cold and felt groggy when he woke up in the morning.
The maid Zhu Ling brought over a bowl of steaming red bean porridge and a plate of fried dough twists, smiling as she said, "Hot porridge is the best for the stomach. Miss, eat some while it's hot, and you'll surely come out on top in today's exam!"
Zhu Ling is only eleven or twelve years old. She is very cute and more accommodating than the average young maid. Besides Qing Wu and Zhi Yuan, who are close to Lin Xu, Zhu Ling is now the most capable person. Gradually, she has come to serve in the front hall.
She shook her head, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, and found it increasingly difficult to eat the thick porridge and fried food. She took a sip of the Jiannan Mengding tea that had been left to cool on the table. Although it was past the peak season for Mengding tea in early spring, it still tasted pleasantly mild and refreshingly fragrant. Only then did she feel much better.
After drinking two cups of warm tea, her headache seemed to have eased slightly. Lin Xu let Granny Qin do her simple hair and makeup, and after she was ready, she prepared to ride in a sedan chair to the palace. Qingwu followed closely behind, carrying a food basket. The two walked a few steps along the back corridor and then heard the rustling sound of swords being danced near the rockery in the garden.
As they approached, they indeed saw Liang Zhengyuan wearing a round-necked robe with bamboo leaf patterns, holding a three-foot-long Qing Shuang sword, practicing his swordsmanship under the chinaberry tree next to the artificial hill.
He soared into the air with a light and graceful movement, resembling a dragon in flight. The Azure Frost Sword gleamed in the air, its shadow flashing and swirling, creating a gentle breeze wherever it danced. Pink and purple lilac blossoms fluttered down with the breeze. Liang Zhengyuan performed a somersault in mid-air, landing gracefully amidst the rain of petals.
He adjusted his robes slightly, and a few petals gently landed on his brows, making his usually handsome features appear even more tender. He heard footsteps approaching from afar, turned around, and saw Lin Xu standing under the corridor across the winding stream, looking at him with a gentle smile.
"My cousin got up very early today and seems to be in quite a good mood. Is there something to make you happy?"
Liang Zhengyuan brushed the fallen petals off his shoulder, his smile radiant in the early morning sun:
"The torrential rain last night kept me awake all night, so I just got up early to practice my sword. There's nothing to be happy about."
His gaze swept to the food box in Qingwu's hand, realizing they were about to enter the palace early again to study at Zhiqiong Hall. Seeing the dark circles under Lin Xu's eyes, he knew she too had been worried about the imperial examinations and hadn't slept well for days. So, unusually, he suppressed his teasing tone and said softly:
"Xu'er, don't worry. Since you started school, you have been studying hard every day and have already done your best. Besides, you have always been intelligent, so I'm sure you will be fine with today's examination. My teacher is on leave today, so I'm at home with my uncle to wait for your good news."
Lin Xu nodded, then glanced back at his cousin standing beneath the dancing petals, feeling much relieved. He smiled and walked out of the mansion.
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As it was a formal examination, all the students of Zhiqiong Hall were already seated at their respective desks, their expressions solemn. Even the Fifth Prince, who usually disliked studying, showed a rare nervousness, muttering a few required chapters to himself.
As soon as Lin Xu sat down, Yao Suran turned around.
She was still heavily made up today, her beautiful face even more stunning against the backdrop of a head full of gold hairpins, her eyes shimmering like autumn water, appearing even brighter and more radiant. "It's been so long since I've seen Xu'er, I really miss her."
Since the incident of falling into the water on the Shangsi Festival, the two had not had any intimate interactions in the school. However, seeing Yao Suran suddenly smiling at her affectionately as usual today, as if there was no rift between them, Lin Xu found it amusing. She had no time to continue the pretense of politeness and simply smiled back faintly before lowering her eyes to arrange the prepared writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table.
Yao Suran wasn't annoyed. She turned around leisurely and chatted casually with Yao Su'an and the others in the distance.
Before long, the professor walked into the inner hall with his hands behind his back. He was as serious as ever. Standing on the platform, he looked around at the students in the hall, coughed lightly, and solemnly said: "Today is the semi-annual selection examination of Zhiqiong Hall. I believe that all of you have been preparing for a long time. I ask that you all give your all in this selection examination so that we can review the results of your studies over the past six months."
Everyone agreed. Fu Sheng opened the prepared papers from the desk box he carried with him. After verifying that the papers were sealed correctly by the Literary Anecdotes, he unpacked them and distributed them to the students one by one.
Lin Xu took the test paper from the teacher's hand and, upon closer inspection, saw that it was entirely composed of questions she had reviewed in recent days. She breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up her pen, about to write her name on the first page, when she heard a cry of "Ouch!" Yao Suran, sitting in front of her, leaned over and whispered, "My wolf-hair brush broke. Xu'er, could you lend me a brush?"
Following her gaze, one could see that the end of the pen on Yao Suran's desk was broken in two. She always kept only this one precious wolf-hair pen, and now it was suddenly broken, with some ink stains on the blank areas of the scroll.
Her seat was closest to Yao Suran's, and if she didn't help, Yao Suran would definitely gossip, given her personality. Seeing that Song Jiaoling, the Third Prince, and the others' gazes were all focused on the two of them following Yao Suran's voice, Lin Xu didn't want to get entangled with her, so she curled her lips and casually picked out one of the five Huzhou brushes from the brush holder and handed it to her.
"It's alright, the situation is urgent right now, so use mine for now."
Yao Suran gave Lin Xu and the calligraphy brush in her hand a deep look before smiling and accepting it.
Lin Xu lowered her head and diligently answered the entire test paper. The questions Fu Sheng had set were not easy, but she was usually very serious when she studied and had been studying hard recently. She completed the first eight questions from memory smoothly and without any mistakes.
Then came two policy essay questions. At first glance, they seemed rather unfamiliar. The first question tested the debate between Mencius and Gaozi on the "Four Auspicious Symbols of a Gentleman" and the author's personal views; the second question tested the determination of responsibility in criminal cases and policy essays on the theory of "rewarding with leniency when in doubt, and punishing with leniency when in doubt." However, upon closer reflection, I had glimpsed some of the knowledge in my daily studies and readings.
Lin Xu pondered for a moment, then focused on writing. Her brushstrokes were always steady and unhurried. Her strokes were vigorous and powerful, quite like a man's. Just as she was writing with great enthusiasm, she suddenly heard a stern voice from the silent schoolroom.
"Yao Suran—"
The old man, his face displeased, strode over to Yao Suran. He snatched something from her hand and shouted, "This note is what you were trying to hide!"
For a moment, everyone looked at Yao Suran.
The old man held up a small note, about the size of a palm, covered in densely packed small characters. He glanced at it, then immediately roared in anger:
"How dare you bring in cheat sheets and cheat in such a crucial exam!"
Yao Suran was startled by the sharp voice, and only then did she raise her head and say in a trembling voice:
"Master, I've been wronged!"
She held up the calligraphy brush in her hand, her face flushed, and tried her best to explain:
"The student was answering the questions seriously, but because I had borrowed this pen at the last minute, he felt a bit rusty with the writing and couldn't get the strokes right. That's when he found it strange, so he started to examine the pen closely. Unexpectedly, just by gently twisting the end of the pen, this note fell out. The student doesn't understand how this happened either!"
Fu Sheng was also startled by the commotion and quickly walked down from the platform. With a stern face, he glanced at the calligraphy brush in Yao Suran's hand, took it, and examined it carefully in his palm.
The brush was perfectly straight, made from the finest chicken feather bamboo, with delicate tips and a very pure quality; it was clearly a fine piece at first glance.
Lin Xu sat behind Yao Suran and could see clearly because of the close distance. The pen in Fu Sheng's hand was the same one that Lin Xu had lent to Yao Suran earlier!
Her already dizzy head started to ache even more, and she struggled to raise her hand to support herself before she felt a little better.
Fu Sheng turned the pen over and, sure enough, saw that the end of the pen could be opened and closed; with a gentle twist, it could be separated into two pieces. The old man sneered, "These Huzhou pens are always made of chicken-feather bamboo, with extremely thin handles. How could you possibly fit an entire note inside?"
Yao Suran's words were also filled with sorrow, and she kept shaking her head, looking quite innocent.
"The student only noticed the unusual pen by chance, and before he could react, he was astonished by the note that fell out of the pen. This ingenious mechanism was not designed by the student, so how could the student have known about it!"
Fu Sheng took the note from the old man's hand. He saw that the densely packed note already had very deep creases. He rolled the note into a very thin cylinder along the creases, and then took the brush in his hand. Sure enough, the note could be stuffed back into the brush tube perfectly.
The old man's expression changed. He examined the note carefully, and only after confirming that the note and pen were correct did he ask again.
"You've been saying that this brush doesn't belong to you. Then tell me, whose student does this brush belong to?"
Yao Suran turned around, looking sadly at Lin Xu behind her who was in shock, and slowly pointed her slender finger at her.
"Reporting to Master Zhang Gu, I discovered that my only pen had broken as soon as I sat down today, so I borrowed a pen from my sister Xu'er, who is closest to me. This Huzhou pen was lent to me by my sister Xu'er."
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