"Whoa!"
The coachman quickly reined in the horse, and the carriage came to a sudden stop.
Zheng Mingyuan frowned slightly, opened his eyes, and a hint of displeasure at being disturbed flashed across his eyes.
Just as he was about to ask, the carriage curtain was suddenly lifted by a trembling hand, revealing the steward's face covered in sweat.
"My lord, something terrible has happened!" The steward's voice was trembling with sobs, and he was struggling to breathe.
"The eldest daughter... the eldest daughter is not on the list of those who were admitted to the provincial examination..."
"What!"
Zheng Mingyuan's fingers, which were fiddling with the prayer beads, suddenly stopped, and the beads made a crisp click.
His face instantly darkened, a cloud of gloom settling over him.
His usually gentle, even somewhat cloudy, old eyes were now sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the manager's flustered face.
"Are you sure there's no Huiyin?"
“It’s absolutely true. This old servant went there personally and looked it over seven or eight times. There was definitely no name for the eldest daughter.”
"What about the other families? Those families who participated in the Third Princess's literary gathering?"
"They're all here! The daughters of Vice Minister Wang, Imperial Censor Li, and General Chen..."
Everyone was there, except for our eldest daughter.
Zheng Mingyuan's eyes suddenly became unfathomable, like two icy pools.
After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly, his voice terrifyingly low:
"Go to the yamen and ask for leave for me. Send someone to bring Bingjun back immediately."
Zheng Mingyuan paused, his cold gaze turning towards the direction of the imperial city. "Return to the manor."
"Yes!" The steward quickly responded, lowered the carriage curtain, and hurried off to make arrangements.
The carriage quickly turned around on the spot, its wheels rolling over the stone pavement with a dull thud.
Zheng Mingyuan slowly leaned back onto the brocade cushion, his narrowed eyes churning with turbulent emotions.
He gripped the valuable string of beads tightly in his palm, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force.
...
Two quarters of an hour later, in the study of the Duke of Zheng's residence.
The doors and windows were tightly shut, and the heavy rosewood doors blocked out all outside noise.
The trusted servants standing in the corridor were all dismissed and moved to the moon gate, which was ten feet away. They stood respectfully with their hands at their sides, not daring to utter a sound.
The flickering flames of the bronze goose-fish lamp on the table cast long shadows of the father and son onto the cold blue bricks.
The air was filled with the cool scent of agarwood, yet it couldn't suppress the chilling heaviness and deathly stillness.
Duke Zheng Mingyuan sat upright in a large rosewood armchair, his back straight, like a rock that has stood firm for thousands of years in the wind and rain.
The eldest son, Zheng Bingjun, stood below, his body stiff, his face pale and bloodless in the lamplight.
"How could Huiyin not be on the list?"
“Wang, Li, Chen… even the Liu family girl, whose social standing is slightly inferior, is on the list.”
"Why is my Zheng family's eldest daughter the only one missing?"
Zheng Bingjun clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.
He had been hesitant about signing up, but now everyone else was on the list except his daughter.
What will the officials think? What will the people of Fengjing think?!
Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Zheng Bingjun's forehead. He forced himself to remain calm and analyzed the situation with a strained voice:
"Our Duke's Mansion has not offended the Third Princess in recent years, has it? We did target the insignificant Sixth Princess once."
Surely it couldn't be that the Third Princess was backing her up after all this time? That's far-fetched..."
"If it is said that the Sixth Princess was the one who interfered, what kind of ability does she have, and how could she possibly surpass the three imperial heirs above her?"
Moreover, this list is to be presented to the Emperor.
Even if His Majesty did not review it carefully, it still needed to be circulated down through the ranks to the Fengge Terrace, the Department of Ceremonies, and the Capital Prefecture, until finally being posted publicly.
Such a complicated process, yet not a single person or link leaked a word to my Duke Zheng's mansion. This…”
At this point, Zheng Bingjun's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible fear.
Cold sweat finally trickled down his temples, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
An extremely terrifying thought struck his mind like lightning!
In an instant, all doubts found a clear, yet chilling, answer.
Zheng Bingjun suddenly looked up and stared intently at his father's face, which remained expressionless under the lamplight.
He pressed his lips together tightly, as if trying to suppress the fear that was about to burst forth, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.
No further words were needed; the father and son already understood perfectly!
This supplementary recruitment of women for the imperial examinations is His Majesty's way of forcing the noble families, long-serving officials, and even the entire court to clarify their stance on this reform through swift and decisive measures.
Thirteen years have passed; she's had enough.
Looking further ahead, this could very well be paving the way for the establishment of an heir apparent, testing the attitudes of all parties toward the possibility of a "second-generation empress" becoming a reality.
The biggest obstacle, and the one that needs to be challenged the most, is undoubtedly the deeply entrenched and powerful aristocratic families.
This supplementary recording, which excludes all women from prestigious families, is the most blatant and irrefutable proof.
Their Duke's Mansion...
Zheng Bingjun's first wife, Zheng Huiyin's birth mother, and the current mistress of the household who manages the household affairs, is the legitimate daughter of the Cui family of Linhai Prefecture!
Even daughters of married women are being excluded?
This marriage alliance, which would have been a blessing in times of peace and prosperity, has now become a sword hanging over our heads!
Even after understanding all this, Jung Byung-kyun's brow remained furrowed.
"Father, if you are determined to do this, why did you invite Huiyin to the literary gathering?"
Duke Zheng Mingyuan's gaze fell on the flickering lamplight, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well.
His voice was low and calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, yet it was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, creating a heavy echo in the silence:
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