Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Rain poured from the heavens, and the candidates queued one by one to enter the gates of the Ministry of Personnel for the imperial examination.

Feng Xianyu was lined up behind Yan Shang.

He noticed a civil official standing before the gate, silent and still, staring fixedly at Yan Shang. His heart gave a twitch.

Having participated in the imperial examinations for three years without passing, he was different from the likes of Liu Wenji, who were full of hope for the officialdom and refused to believe anyone would cheat. He was also different from Yan Shang—a "new bride" to the process who knew nothing of the inner workings of the exams.

Seeing that official staring at Yan Shang, he paused in his thoughts: Could this official be someone of great importance? Is Yan Suchen not as simple as he claims? Does Yan Suchen have some sort of backing in Chang’an?

Feng Xianyu’s expression darkened.

Thinking back to how they had all submitted their work for review recently, Wei Shu had his own connections and naturally never traveled with them, and Liu Wenji had always disdained such things and stayed away. Only Yan Shang and Feng Xianyu had shuttled between the banquets of various high-ranking officials, seizing every opportunity to recommend themselves...

But if Yan Shang had other opportunities, what did that make him—the one who had supported and encouraged him every step of the way?

As Feng Xianyu was lost in these thoughts, he heard a stir of whispers among the candidates. He snapped back to reality and looked back following the noise, seeing Wei Shu arriving under an umbrella. All the candidates were watching.

Most of these candidates were around twenty years old, and without a doubt, Wei Shu was the youngest among them. He possessed a youthful grace and a cold, jade-like clarity, not sparing a glance for the varied gazes of the other candidates. Even among the children of aristocratic families, such pride and elegance were rare.

And everyone could see that he had stepped out of Princess Danyang’s carriage.

It seemed that, just as the rumors claimed, after arriving in Chang’an, the Seventh Young Master Wei had not relied on the power of the Wei family, but had instead clung to Princess Danyang.

The crowd sighed with mixed emotions. The scholars from humble backgrounds were particularly jealous, thinking: Clinging to a princess to pass the exam—what’s so great about that? If that opportunity were given to me, if I could cling to Princess Danyang, I would definitely do better than Wei Shu!

Feng Xianyu listened to the various voices around him and watched Wei Shu, who paid no mind to anyone—ignoring both the envy and the sycophancy of those around him. As Wei Shu entered the queue, he leisurely took a scroll from his sleeve and began reading under his umbrella with extreme composure.

Feng Xianyu: "..."

The youthful composure of the young gentleman made someone like him, who had failed to pass the exams so many times, feel an intense sense of envy!

Just as he was envious, the official in charge of the body search impatiently called his name: "Next, Feng Xianyu."

Feng Xianyu quickly retracted his gaze and focused on his own examination—

Mu Wanyao had already delivered her favor and had no more interest in the affairs of the imperial examination.

Submitting papers and recommendations were merely things done in passing. She did not want to overextend her reach, making the examination unfair and drawing unwanted criticism.

Although, for many who had no doors to knock on for recommendations, the fact that someone could make the chief examiner see their entire body of work in advance was already unfair.

However, even for aristocratic children, submitting papers did not guarantee admission. It was merely a way to catch the eye. The imperial examination certainly had some private unfairness, but the government posts had originally been monopolized by noble families; having an opportunity now for scholars of humble origins to participate alongside them was already a step forward.

In all things, going too far is as bad as not going far enough; one cannot achieve everything in a single leap.

The examination took place in mid-February, and the results were posted in early March. During the half-month in between, Mu Wanyao did not meet or communicate with anyone from the Ministry of Personnel.

At the end of February, Mu Wanyao attended a flower-viewing banquet.

The banquet was filled with noble men and women, as well as some officials and their families. Many young gentlemen, seeing the striking beauty of Princess Danyang, approached to curry favor with ulterior motives. Mu Wanyao looked down on these people and turned away to avoid them.

Her attendants blocked those who were sucking up to the Princess. Mu Wanyao sat by the water, swaying her feather fan and waiting for another princess to meet her.

At this moment, an official actually persuaded the guards to let him approach the Princess. He bowed to her: "The cool breeze, the beautiful scenery, and a beautiful companion—Your Highness is truly in high spirits."

Mu Wanyao sat by the pavilion railing, watching the red-tailed koi in the green waves. She turned back and identified him after a long moment: "Oh, it is the Examination Merit Evaluator."

The other party smiled: "It is indeed this humble official."

It was the chief examiner for the Ministry of Personnel’s examination.

Chunhua was nearby, holding a plate of fish bait to feed the koi. She turned her head and saw this official smiling with such obsequiousness toward Mu Wanyao.

Mu Wanyao laughed to herself.

She roughly understood that this man was looking for either the Crown Prince behind her or the Li family.

Mu Wanyao was intrigued: "Is there something you need to see me about? Is the Third Brother not treating you well? You don't want to stay in the Ministry of Personnel and want to ask me for another official position?"

The evaluator broke into a cold sweat.

He quickly gave a bitter smile: "Your Highness, you jest! This humble official has only been a Ministry of Personnel evaluator for a few days; I truly do not wish to lose this fine post."

The Ministry of Personnel was the base of the Third Prince, the Prince of Qin; almost everyone in the Ministry looked to the Prince of Qin as their leader. If the conversation between him and the Princess today were to spread, and people thought he had betrayed the Prince of Qin, things would become complicated.

Seeing his fear, Mu Wanyao couldn't help but chuckle. Her beautiful eyes curved like crescent moons on a clear lake.

The evaluator quickly stated his purpose: "The Ministry of Personnel has already finalized this year’s list of successful candidates and is preparing to submit it to the Department of State Affairs for review. If there are no errors, after passing through the Chancellery and the Secretariat, this list will be posted in two days."

Mu Wanyao felt a sense of anticipation and couldn't help but lean forward.

The evaluator lowered his voice: "Since the list is finalized, this official has come to inform Your Highness, merely to earn a bit of goodwill from you.

"There were two thousand candidates this year, and only twenty-two were selected. His Majesty did not express imperial intent, so no more will be taken this year. Among them, Your Highness truly has a discerning eye; the two you recommended are both on the list."

Mu Wanyao held her breath, her heart pounding. She braced herself to hear the evaluator’s next sentence.

Behind the Princess, Chunhua had also forgotten to feed the fish. She was slightly dazed, sighing: Two thousand people in total, and only twenty-two were taken?

Passing the imperial examination is truly difficult.

However, hearing that the two people the Princess recommended were both on the list, Chunhua couldn't help but stretch her ears to listen, while harboring a hidden worry: she didn't know if Young Master Liu was among those twenty-two.

If Young Master Liu failed again, with his pride, what kind of blow would that be?

The evaluator continued to lower his voice to please the Princess: "There is no need to mention Wei Qilang; with his youthful talent, even the Prince of Qin personally reviewed his papers and praised him. We have named him the top scholar (Zhuangyuan).

"And the other, Yan Suchen, whom Your Highness recommended, also answered his papers exceptionally well. However, among the twenty-two, he only ranked in the middle. But because this person has an outstanding appearance, after weighing our options, the Minister personally approved promoting him to the Third Flower Winner (Tanhua)."

Mu Wanyao: "..."

She was so stunned she forgot to sway her fan.

Wei Shu being the top scholar was already a pleasant surprise.

Yan Shang was really named the Third Flower Winner because his face looked good?

That offhand remark she made that day—did the Ministry of Personnel really recruit based on that?

No wonder, there wasn't a single ugly person in the officialdom. Being refined was already the minimum requirement, after all, these officials would have the possibility of facing the Emperor and attending court in the future. How could the Emperor face a group of unsightly officials every day?

Seeing the Princess in a daze, the evaluator couldn't help but call out: "Your Highness?"

"Good!" Mu Wanyao snapped back to reality and smiled. "Thank you for informing me of this news in advance; I appreciate it. If there is anything in the future, you may come to me."

Having achieved his goal, the evaluator smiled and retreated.

Mu Wanyao felt joyful and continued sitting by the water. After the evaluator stepped out of the pavilion, Chunhua bit her lip, handed the plate of fish bait to a maid nearby, and, finding an excuse, hurried out of the pavilion—

"Master Liu, stay your step!"

The evaluator surnamed Liu had just walked a short distance from the pavilion when a female voice called out from behind. He stopped and looked back, seeing that the one chasing him was the beautiful maid who had been stretching her ears to listen to their conversation earlier.

Chunhua came over, bowed to the evaluator, and said in a low voice: "I have a favor to ask of Master Liu."

The evaluator quickly said: "I dare not, I dare not! You are the maid by the Princess’s side; if there is something the Princess cannot solve, it is of no use to beg this humble official."

Chunhua gave a short laugh.

When she heard the Princess say she intended to recommend scholars of humble origin, she had tried to recommend Liu Wenji to Mu Wanyao.

However, Mu Wanyao had said: "He didn't come to beg me himself; why should I take the initiative to help him?"

Liu Wenji was so arrogant—how could he possibly beg for help in front of the Princess? With that road cut off, Chunhua didn't know what else to say.

Now, chasing after the evaluator, Chunhua only wanted to inquire about some news.

She bit her lip, enduring the shame, and said: "I only wanted to ask Master Liu, among the list of twenty-two on the list this year, is there a person named ‘Liu Wenji’?"

The evaluator stroked his beard, puzzled: "I don't seem to have seen it. What about this person?"

Chunhua’s eyes darkened, and she smiled: "Nothing, the maid was only asking."

Her heart was filled with sorrow, thinking about how she would comfort Liu Wenji once the results were posted—

Yan Shang passed in his first year, and is even the Third Flower Winner.

The two of them are both from Lingnan, and Liu Wenji had always felt himself superior to Yan Shang.

Once this result comes out, Liu Wenji will probably be the least able to accept it, right?—

Feng Xianyu had also found ways to infiltrate this flower-viewing banquet. However, he could naturally not reach the side of a big figure like Princess Danyang; he was only looking for opportunities to curry favor with some minor officials. However, when those officials saw him, they all had strange expressions and avoided him like the plague.

While Feng Xianyu was stunned, he saw the official who had inspected them at the Ministry of Personnel gate standing with Princess Danyang’s maid.

That day, when Princess Danyang sent Wei Shu to the Ministry, her maid had been wearing men’s attire and riding a tall horse, so Feng Xianyu had recognized her at a glance.

 

And after so much time, who the chief examiner was for this year’s exam had also been announced after the exam.

Feng Xianyu recognized that it was this year’s chief examiner talking to the Princess’s maid.

Observing the other party’s expression, the examiner was beaming with joy... could he be here to report the good news to the Princess in advance?

Feng Xianyu felt a chill, guessing: The examination list is finalized!

It is about to be posted!

This is already his fourth year of taking the exam, and if he still doesn't... After standing dazed for a long time, Feng Xianyu no longer went to curry favor with the officials around him who were avoiding him, but instead made a decision in his heart—

That night, outside the palace residence of the Eldest Princess of Luling, a carriage arrived.

Feng Xianyu, dressed in snow-white mourning-style clothes, emerged from the carriage. His hair was tied with a jade hairpin, his long robe flying in the wind, his face handsome and refined. Standing in the night wind, he felt somewhat desolate and solemn.

After telling his little page boy to drive the carriage back, he looked up at the Princess’s residence, his emotions complex.

The Eldest Princess of Luling was the current Emperor’s own younger sister. When the Emperor first became Emperor, this Princess had helped him quite a bit. Later, after the Emperor had full control of power, he repaid the favor to this Eldest Princess and doted on her greatly.

After the husband of the Eldest Princess of Luling passed away, this Princess did not remarry, but instead tied her hair and became a female Taoist priest. Because the Princess took the lead in becoming a Taoist, for a time, many noble young ladies in Chang’an competed to imitate her, and voluntarily becoming a Taoist actually became a trend—truly ridiculous.

However, the fact that the Princess became a Taoist priest did not mean she wanted to cultivate her character and not eat meat. Becoming a nun was merely the Princess’s way of saying "I don't want to remarry." The beautiful young boys raised by the Eldest Princess of Luling were never few in number.

To show his support for this Eldest Princess, the current Emperor had even specially built a palace residence for her. This residence of the Eldest Princess of Luling was luxurious and magnificent, lacking the simplicity a Taoist temple should have, and was even more gorgeous than a typical princess’s mansion.

Four years ago, when Feng Xianyu first came to Chang’an for the exam, because he was young and handsome, he had caught the eye of this Eldest Princess.

But at the time, he prided himself on being a man with a wife, and naturally rejected this Eldest Princess.

Ever since then, Feng Xianyu’s fate with the imperial examinations had been cut short. Although no one had explicitly said so, Feng Xianyu knew that he had been ostracized for years, and it must have been something this Eldest Princess had instructed.

And now, four years had passed... how many four-year periods were there in a man's life for him to squander?

Feng Xianyu looked up and gazed at the plaque on the palace residence, then stepped forward. From this step on, there was no turning back—

The Eldest Princess of Luling did not let Feng Xianyu return empty-handed, nor did she make things difficult for him.

After the maid reported, Feng Xianyu was led into the Eldest Princess’s bedroom.

The curtains were flying, red candles were burning high, and the Eldest Princess of Luling emerged from behind the hazy curtains, holding a high candle, her long hair scattered to her ankles.

Feng Xianyu looked over and saw that the Princess was already over thirty, but was well-maintained. There was not a single fine line on her face; not only was her complexion as delicate and fair as a twenty-year-old girl, but her demeanor also carried the romantic charm that only a mature woman possesses.

The Eldest Princess smiled: "Master Feng has not visited my door for four years. What brings you here today, and what do you seek?"

Feng Xianyu remained silent, lifted his robes, and knelt before her.

The Eldest Princess smiled without speaking. With one hand holding the high candle, she used the other to lift Feng Xianyu’s chin. By the light of the lamp, she observed his humiliated, eyes-closed expression, and found it amusing.

Eldest Princess: "Oh, it seems it is a major matter. But just kneeling to me is not enough."

Feng Xianyu still didn't speak, but reached to his collar and pulled his clothes down. He knelt on the ground, his robe scattered at his waist, his smooth, youthful long body reflected in the firelight. He lifted his face; in his refined, handsome features, there were starlight flickers in his eyes, wavering and falling.

It was as if there were water, misty and fog-filled.

The Eldest Princess of Luling looked on, her eyes bright and her breathing heavy. She had tasted all kinds of male beauty, and she had always been unable to forget the things she couldn't get. On such a long night, a beautiful man was kneeling before her, undressing—how could she hold back?

The Eldest Princess’s finger supported Feng Xianyu’s chin, and she leaned forward to kiss him.

Feng Xianyu turned his face slightly, and her kiss only landed on his cheek, stirring up a few stray hairs on his face.

The Eldest Princess sneered, not in a hurry: "Why? Even now, you still want to put on an act?"

Feng Xianyu lifted his eyes to look at her; through the lamplight, some things seemed to be expelled from his body layer by layer. Having reached this point, why bother being coy?

He murmured: "I want fame and a career."

The Eldest Princess said: "Good."

She ordered loudly outside: "Have this year’s Ministry of Personnel Examination Evaluator come to see me!"

Once again, the Princess leaned over, her face pressed against the pale-faced man, giggling: "Master Feng, there is still some time before the evaluator arrives. Let’s see if you can serve me to my satisfaction during this time.

"Your ranking will depend on how well you serve me."

Feng Xianyu watched her for a long time, then opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace. Holding her, he walked into the depths of the curtain, toward the deep abyss of shadows.

Indulgent eroticism makes one both disgusted and insane. If one cannot refuse, one might as well drown in it—

The Examination Merit Evaluator stood trembling outside the Eldest Princess of Luling’s bedroom; before he arrived, he had been informed of the Princess’s purpose by the people she sent. The evaluator’s expression couldn't help but turn bitter, wondering what he should do.

As he fretted, the door to the Princess’s room opened, and the maids let him in.

The evaluator kept his head low, only taking a hasty glance before lowering his gaze. In that glance, he saw the Eldest Princess leaning lazily on a couch, with a young gentleman half-covered in clothes, kneeling at her feet and peeling litchis for her.

The Eldest Princess of Luling did not waste words, immediately demanding this year’s examination list, saying lazily: "Twenty-two people, right? Remove one person and add Feng Xianyu’s name. If His Majesty asks in the future, naturally I will bear the responsibility."

He knew this was his purpose for coming here today.

The evaluator did not dare to hide anything, bitter and suffering: "Reporting to Your Highness, the list of twenty-two for this year is mostly children of aristocratic families. It is hard to remove a child of a noble family; if it is discovered in the future, this humble official’s official career will likely be over."

The Eldest Princess of Luling was surprised: "Twenty-two are all children of aristocratic families? Impossible, right? Usually, wouldn't you add a few candidates from humble backgrounds even just to save face? None this year?"

The evaluator bit the bullet: "This year’s aristocratic candidates are exceptionally outstanding, each possessing remarkable talent."

The Eldest Princess of Luling stared at him with cold eyes.

Sweat seeped from the evaluator’s forehead; after a long moment, he gritted his teeth: "Only one is a candidate of humble origin."

The Eldest Princess of Luling smiled: "Then remove this person and replace them with Feng Xianyu."

The evaluator looked up: "However, this person is protected by Princess Danyang! This person’s ranking was even personally designated by the Minister as the Third Flower Winner—it is not as easy to manipulate as a typical person!"

Protected by Princess Danyang!

Feng Xianyu, kneeling by the Eldest Princess’s knees, suddenly looked up at the evaluator and spoke his first words: "I didn't know Princess Danyang recommended someone else besides Wei Qilang. Who is this person?"

The evaluator naturally had a deep memory of the handsome youth: "Yan Shang, styled Suchen, from Lingnan. His style is very good, and his poetry this time was written very well. Being the Third Flower Winner is well deserved."

Hearing the name "Yan Shang," Feng Xianyu’s eyelids jumped violently, and he thought of Yan Shang’s clean and refined face.

Third Flower Winner!

Since he is protected by Princess Danyang, why pretend to submit papers together with him? This person is actually this hypocritical!

Feng Xianyu was extremely disappointed; his usually handsome face actually looked somewhat ferocious, and he gritted his teeth, laughing: "It’s actually him!"

The Eldest Princess of Luling leaned down to look at him: "You know this person?"

Feng Xianyu collected his emotions and said: "Nothing but a hypocrite, cheating the world to steal a name!"

The Eldest Princess of Luling supported her chin with her hand, lost in thought: "Designated as the Third Flower Winner..."

Usually, according to custom, the person designated as the Third Flower Winner is the best-looking one... While the Eldest Princess was daydreaming, Feng Xianyu gritted his teeth and gripped her hand.

He lifted his head and revealed a somewhat twisted, somewhat self-pitying smile: "Has the Princess forgotten what she promised me?"

The Eldest Princess of Luling looked down at him.

She was quite satisfied with Feng Xianyu right now and did not want to annoy her new favorite.

She made a prompt decision: "Just replace this Yan something; my Master Feng is also a beautiful man of refined appearance—being a Third Flower Winner is more than enough for him."

The evaluator was anxious: "However, Princess Danyang’s side..."

The Eldest Princess of Luling said dismissively: "That little brat Danyang, what is there to fear? A princess who has already been married off—what does she have to fight me with? Rest assured, I will suppress that little girl."

Since the Eldest Princess had said as much, the evaluator had no choice but to agree and go back to tell the Minister—

Early March, the spring rain was like thin powder.

Mu Wanyao, as usual, had nothing to do, so she took her carriage to the Eastern Palace, intending to listen to the Crown Prince’s teachings. Even though it was raining outside, she did not care.

While sitting in the carriage, Mu Wanyao suddenly heard Chunhua, who was riding outside, go to the side of the carriage and whisper: "Your Highness, it’s Yan Second Young Master."

The carriage stopped. Mu Wanyao lifted the curtain and saw the gentleman standing by the roadside, holding an umbrella and greeting her—it was indeed Yan Shang, whom she hadn't seen in half a month.

The spring rain was moist, soaking half of his robes. And yet, standing upright in the rain, he remained upright and beautiful.

Mu Wanyao leaned behind the carriage curtain, her delicate shoulders half-exposed under the gauze. The rainwater flew onto her eyelashes, causing the light in her eyes to look clear, cool, moist, and limpid. However, the moment she spoke, it was filled with sarcasm: "Half a month, and I truly have the fortune of three lifetimes to see a busy man today."

Yan Shang said politely: "Actually, over the past half month, I have visited. It is just that Your Highness was likely too busy; it was not a good time when I came. But waiting at the mansion all day for the Princess to return inevitably leads to gossip. In this regard, it is I who have wronged Your Highness."

Mu Wanyao’s expression eased slightly.

She asked: "What are you doing today?"

Yan Shang said helplessly: "I originally intended to pay a visit... Today, I planned that even if I had to be thick-skinned, I would stay at the Princess’s mansion for a longer time, waiting until the Princess returned. Surely I couldn't fail to see Your Highness even once, right?"

Mu Wanyao said: "Look, your timing is so unfortunate. I happen to be leaving now, and I don't know when I will be back."

Yan Shang immediately said: "Then I will come another day..."

Mu Wanyao stared at him for a moment and said slowly: "Why do I feel like you intentionally calculated my time, not wanting to spend more time with me?"

Yan Shang’s face stiffened slightly.

He truly felt that his relationship with Mu Wanyao was too strange... and wanted to make this strange relationship a bit more normal.

But Mu Wanyao seemed to have become smarter and had actually figured it out.

Mu Wanyao said calmly: "Alright, get in the carriage; I have good news to tell you."

While Yan Shang hesitated, Mu Wanyao had already pushed open the carriage door. She sat in the carriage, her beauty unparalleled, yet her gaze was very cold. She was near and far, elusive.

After a long silence, Yan Shang closed his umbrella, gathered his robes, and climbed into the carriage. The carriage began to move again.

Sitting in the carriage, Yan Shang said to Mu Wanyao gently: "I merely did not wish to ruin Your Highness’s reputation of innocence."

Mu Wanyao glanced at him, too lazy to explain to him that she didn't have any reputation of innocence.

With a Third Young Master Yang on the left and a Seventh Young Master Wei on the right, in the eyes of the entire Chang’an circle, she was a princess who held men in both arms.

Mu Wanyao said to Yan Shang: "The results will be posted tomorrow, you know?"

Yan Shang: "Mm."

Mu Wanyao looked at him and sized him up for a long moment. She suddenly felt that her taste was indeed good; she happened to meet someone, happened to recommend him, and this person was about to pass the examination.

She immediately became happy again, smiling: "The Ministry of Personnel evaluator told me in advance that Wei Qilang is the top scholar, and you are the Third Flower Winner."

Yan Shang was stunned.

Then he bowed to her.

There was a hint of joy in his eyes, yet he remained calm, merely clenching his fist against his mouth and coughing gently.

Mu Wanyao peered at his affected manner and couldn't help but sneer: "If you want to laugh, then laugh; holding it in so hard, aren't you tired?"

Yan Shang lifted his eyes, his gaze meeting hers.

The Princess blinked at him.

Yan Shang shook his head and finally laughed out loud. It was warm and shallow, like a slow-flowing stream. It was completely different from the polite, superficial laughter he usually showed...

He was a gentle, self-reflective person and never laughed loudly. Even just this shallow laugh was very different from his usual dignified demeanor.

Mu Wanyao felt her heart heat up, turned her face away, and stopped looking at him.

She felt disdain in her heart: Laughing so alluringly, at a glance, he’s not some upright Third Flower Winner.

Yan Shang said softly: "Thank you, Your Highness, Your Highness..."

Mu Wanyao scolded: "Stay away from me! Do not get close to me!"

Yan Shang was stunned by Mu Wanyao’s change in expression and was very bewildered, not knowing how he had provoked her again—

Mu Wanyao was heading to the palace city; she planned to get off after arriving there and let the carriage take Yan Shang back to the temple.

But upon reaching the palace city, Mu Wanyao did not need to get off, as people from the Crown Prince were already waiting at the palace gate.

The Crown Prince’s servant came over with an umbrella. After reporting, the curtain of Princess Danyang’s carriage was lifted slightly, and the Princess’s beautiful, enchanting face was revealed.

The servant vaguely saw that there seemed to be another person sitting in the carriage, but he couldn't see clearly, and the Princess’s icy, snowy eyes were already fixed on him.

The servant said: "His Highness the Crown Prince had other business to attend to outside the palace and ordered us to wait here to prevent Your Highness from making a wasted trip. In addition, His Highness the Crown Prince has a piece of news he entrusted us to tell Your Highness for your consideration."

Mu Wanyao was curious: "What did Eldest Brother tell you to pass on to me?"

The servant said: "The Crown Prince says that tomorrow is the day the imperial examination results are posted. Today, the Ministry of Personnel sent the list of admitted candidates to the Department of State Affairs. The Crown Prince saw the list and discovered it was different from what had been agreed upon.

"The Crown Prince has not yet signed the list; he told us to inform Your Highness. Among the two you recommended, the Seventh Young Master Wei is still the top scholar, but the previous Third Flower Winner has been replaced by someone else. There is no longer the name of Yan Second Young Master on the list. The Crown Prince asks the Princess to handle the matter as she sees fit."

For a moment, only the sound of the rain was heard, and heaven and earth were extremely silent.