Zhao Baozhu paused, stunned for a moment before reacting with delight. “Really? The young master is willing to sit the spring examination?”
Steward Li nodded with a smile.
Zhao Baozhu’s eyebrows shot up in joy. “That’s wonderful!” His cheeks flushed red with excitement, and he turned and ran straight toward the study, leaving Yueqin behind.
Zhao Baozhu rushed into the study. Looking up, he saw Ye Jinghua sitting behind the desk. Hearing the movement at the door, Ye Jinghua raised his head. Upon seeing Zhao Baozhu, his eyes lit up, and he stood from his chair: “Baozhu.”
Zhao Baozhu hurried over, bracing both hands on the desk as he looked up at Ye Jinghua. “Young master, you’re sitting the spring examination!”
Ye Jinghua lowered his eyes. Seeing the boy’s bright, cat-like eyes sparkling, his cheeks rosy and plump like apples, he paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but reach out and gently pinch his cheeks: “Yes.”
He only touched him briefly before quickly withdrawing his hand, clasping both hands behind his back and raising an eyebrow slightly. “You study so diligently, how could I, as your master, let you lose face?”
Zhao Baozhu’s cheeks flushed bright red, his lips trembling. When excitement peaked, he found himself unable to say anything, and finally managed to squeeze out: “Young master, when you’re named zhuangyuan, do you want to ride Xueyun through the streets?”
Xueyun was the tall, snow-white steed kept in the Ye residence’s back stables. Ever since Zhao Baozhu had been frightened by it and fallen, hitting his head, he had held a bias against the handsome white horse, worrying it might throw Ye Jinghua off as well.
Ye Jinghua was momentarily stunned, then raised his hand and, amused, patted Zhao Baozhu’s head before smoothing down his hair at the temples. “What are you thinking? When the time comes, there will naturally be horses from the palace.”
“Ah, right, right.” Zhao Baozhu nodded. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and with excitement came worry. He stepped away from the desk and began pacing in circles. “This is bad, your learning is unmatched, young master, but you spend all day reading idle books. What if you’ve grown rusty? There are only ten-odd days left until the spring exam, how can that be enough time…”
Watching him spin in circles like a dog chasing its tail, Ye Jinghua couldn’t help but laugh. He stepped out from behind the desk and stopped him: “Your own learning is still half a bucket, yet you’re already worrying about me?”
Only then did Zhao Baozhu stop, looking up blankly. “That’s true.” What was there to worry about with Ye Jinghua? Though Zhao Baozhu had never seen his essays, his learning was so good, his father was a prime minister, his elder sister a consort in the palace, and he was favored by the emperor, Zhao Baozhu couldn’t think of anyone else more suited to be zhuangyuan.
And he… only at this moment did Zhao Baozhu belatedly remember once again that he had lost his name card, and also recall that he too was supposed to sit the spring examination. His scalp immediately went numb. Now it seemed the name card was nowhere to be found, it would all depend on whether the Yizhou educational office could send the duplicate record to the capital in time. Taking a step back, even if the name card did arrive, whether he could pass the spring examination was another matter entirely.
Since childhood, his studies had been scattered and inconsistent. At the county school, he could only sneak in to listen to a few lessons during the slack farming season; ordinarily, he relied entirely on an older neighbor who had studied to explain things to him. With such patchwork learning, he had barely managed to pass the provincial examination.
Although all those coming to the capital for the imperial exam were juren, even among juren there were ranks and distinctions, there were the top candidates from each prefecture, those who had narrowly missed being top, and people like him who had barely scraped through at the bottom.
Though after these days of instruction from Ye Jinghua, Zhao Baozhu felt his learning had improved quite a bit, when he thought of the spring examination, he still felt uncertain. He didn’t know how his few tricks would measure up among candidates from all over the country.
As Zhao Baozhu thought, worry gradually appeared on his face. Seeing this, Ye Jinghua raised a hand and flicked the bridge of his nose. “What are you mulling over?”
Zhao Baozhu lifted his head. Upon seeing Ye Jinghua, he suddenly remembered something. “Right, young master, something of yours was left with me.”
Ye Jinghua lowered his eyes to look at him. “What?”
Zhao Baozhu lowered his head and took the jade pendant out from his chest, carefully holding it up before Ye Jinghua. “Your jade pendant was left with me.”
Seeing the pendant, Ye Jinghua’s gaze only lingered on it for the briefest moment before shifting away. “That’s not mine.”
“Huh?” Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu froze, then looked down at the “Hui” character carved on the pendant. “This is clearly yours…”
He lifted his head to look at Ye Jinghua, but the latter immediately turned his head to the side. Zhao Baozhu paused, then caught a trace of teasing in the slight curl of the man’s lips, and instantly flared up in anger. “Young master!” Zhao Baozhu raised his hand and punched at him. “You’re tricking me again!”
Under his pushing and shoving, Ye Jinghua turned his head back and looked at Zhao Baozhu with a smile. “I’m not tricking you. There are many jade pendants, how could I remember them all? Take it and play with it.”
Zhao Baozhu didn’t know that the jade pendant in his hand was an imperial gift. Thinking that Ye Jinghua probably did indeed have many such pendants, he hesitated for a moment. At that moment, Ye Jinghua said by his ear, “Yesterday’s policy essay, I haven’t finished explaining it to you.”
Zhao Baozhu’s attention was instantly drawn away, and he casually tucked the jade pendant into his chest.
***
At the same time, in the imperial palace. Emperor Yuanzhi did not know that the item he had bestowed upon Ye Jinghua had been casually given away. At this moment, he stood before a tall window in the palace, watching the snow drift down gracefully against the red walls, and sighed.
Hearing his sigh, the eunuchs attending nearby all held their breath and stood still, afraid of provoking the emperor’s anger.
At this moment, the tinkling sound of hair ornaments colliding rang out, and a female voice, cold as frost, spoke: “Since Your Majesty has come to admire the plum blossoms, why sigh?”
Emperor Yuanzhi came back to his senses, turned his head, and saw a peerless beauty casting him a cold glance.
Her black hair fell like a waterfall, her jade-like face as pale as snow. Wrapped in a white fox-fur cloak, with a touch of lip rouge, she appeared even more delicate and radiant than the red plum blossoms behind her. The emperor’s gaze softened, and he couldn’t help but smile slightly, raising a hand to rest on her shoulder. “My beloved consort, I have worries on my mind.”
If it were an ordinary concubine, she would have gently stepped forward to comfort him. But Consort Chen had her own bearing. She simply looked at him with icy eyes, her red lips parting to utter two words: “What matter?”
If not for the high discipline of the eunuchs and palace maids in the imperial study, someone would surely have laughed. Emperor Yuanzhi curved his lips helplessly and deliberately said, “My beloved consort doesn’t even ask whether it concerns court affairs, yet you still ask?”
Hearing this, Consort Chen slightly furrowed her delicate brows. “Then allow this consort to take her leave first.” With that, she turned around, the rose-red hem of her skirt trailing an elegant arc across the stone floor.
“Ah, wait, wait, ” The emperor hurriedly reached out to pull her back. “My beloved consort, I was joking. Why did you take it seriously?”
Consort Chen paused, slowly turning her head to reveal half of her snow-white face. “What Your Majesty says, this consort naturally takes seriously.”
Seeing this, Emperor Yuanzhi let out a faint sigh. In his youth, he had been an imposing emperor, but now that he had grown older, he truly found himself fond of that aloof, cloud-like pride possessed by members of the Ye family. Consort Chen was one, and Ye Jinghua counted as another.
Emperor Yuanzhi pulled her closer, half-embracing her, and sighed. “Isn’t it because of your younger brother? I think he’s deliberately going against me.”
Hearing this, Consort Chen tilted her head slightly. “Qing’er has always been the most obedient.”
The emperor glanced at her and shook his head. “Forget it. There’s no reasoning with you.” He looked toward a solitary red plum blossom in the snowy distance and said softly, “The Chang family’s legitimate grandson will arrive in the capital tomorrow. This time, that boy has escaped again, we’ll settle accounts in three years.”
“Three years?” Consort Chen naturally understood what he meant and frowned. “Three years… then when will Qing’er marry? He has already come of age.”
Hearing this, the emperor recalled something mentioned by Eunuch Xia last summer. Looking at Consort Chen’s pale profile, he thought that once the matter came to light, he would surely be shut out again.
At that moment, a somewhat hurried set of footsteps approached.
Eunuch Xia entered the imperial study. Seeing the emperor and Consort Chen together, he bowed with lowered eyes. “This old servant greets Your Majesty, greets Consort Chen.”
Consort Chen nodded slightly. The emperor raised a hand to let him rise. “What is it? Speak.”
Eunuch Xia glanced at Consort Chen, then lowered his head and cupped his hands. “Congratulations, Your Majesty; congratulations, Consort Chen. The second young master of the Ye family’s name card has just been submitted to the Government Studies Bureau.”
“Ah.” As soon as he finished speaking, a delighted smile appeared on Consort Chen’s beautiful face. She turned to the emperor. “Your Majesty, Qing’er is indeed sensible.”
However, the emperor’s expression was complicated, and he restrained himself from darkening his face. After a pause, he turned slightly and said softly to Consort Chen, “My beloved consort, go wait at Xiyu Pavilion first.”
Seeing the change in his expression, Consort Chen frowned slightly in confusion, but still obediently lowered her head and performed a curtsy. “This consort takes her leave.”
Only after watching her figure disappear beyond the corridor did the emperor turn back, his face cold. “What’s going on? What is he trying to do? Does he really intend to oppose Zhen?”
Hearing this, Eunuch Xia immediately knew the emperor was somewhat angered. He quickly knelt down. “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Though the second young master Ye behaves somewhat unpredictably, his name card has truly been submitted to the Government Studies Bureau. He will certainly sit the exam this year, this is a good thing!”
The emperor fell silent for a moment, his expression gradually easing. “That’s true.” He was still pleased that Ye Jinghua would sit the exam. The emperor clasped his hands behind his back and paced twice, a faint smile appearing on his face, though he still frowned and muttered, “That brat, he really knows how to give Zhen trouble.”
Seeing his mood improve, Eunuch Xia quickly scrambled up from the ground, smiling ingratiatingly. “Young people are naturally unsettled, don’t they rely on Your Majesty’s judgment?”
The emperor pondered for a moment, then turned his head to look down at Eunuch Xia. “Tell me, why does he suddenly want to take the exam?”
At first, the emperor had thought it might be that Ye Jinghua deliberately wanted to compete with the Chang family’s grandson out of pride. But he quickly dismissed the idea, Ye Jinghua was not that kind of person.
Hearing this, Eunuch Xia glanced around, then leaned in and said softly, “It’s said… that it was because someone by his side persuaded him.”
The emperor suddenly understood and nodded. At that age, when a man changes suddenly, it is most often for someone he has in his heart. The emperor chuckled, slowly pacing to the window, watching the snow outside gradually melt. “At least they’re sensible.”
Eunuch Xia chimed in from the side, “This old servant has inquired thoroughly, everyone in the residence says they are a well-behaved child.”
The emperor nodded. Though it might not be a proper match, not just anyone could get close to Ye Jinghua. If it were someone glib and lacking sense, he would have had to find a way to remove them, which would inevitably harm the relationship between ruler and subject, better to avoid that trouble.
Only, the remaining matters were quite a headache.
The emperor raised a hand to his forehead, then turned to Eunuch Xia. “Send someone to the Ye residence with a verbal decree, tell him if he wants to take the exam, then take it properly. If he does not achieve zhuangyuan, he need not come to see Zhen again.”
Hearing this, Eunuch Xia inwardly exclaimed, though he bowed in acknowledgment on the surface. As he withdrew, he thought to himself that this young master Ye would have to truly display his abilities this time. There were already many criticisms about him in the capital, and now with the Chang family’s orphan from the south added in, a stage had been set, officials from both the northern and southern factions would all be watching this spring examination closely.
If Ye Jinghua could not produce an outstanding zhuangyuan essay, the matter would not end easily!
***
A few days later.
After a brief late-spring chill, several consecutive sunny days followed. The last traces of snow that had endured from winter into spring finally melted, turning into streams of spring water under the sunlight, seeping into the soil and flowing into the roots of flowers.
As the spring examination drew nearer, Zhao Baozhu became even more diligent, studying by lamplight every night and rising at the crow of the rooster. He used up several blocks of ink. The other servants in the courtyard were all intimidated by his determination, even Deng Yun, who was usually the least perceptive, no longer came to bother him and would instead occasionally bring him late-night snacks from the kitchen.
Zhao Baozhu could be said to have no distractions, with only two worries remaining. The first was his missing name card. He had gone out of the residence many times afterward to search, but found no trace of it, and had essentially given up hope, only wishing that Yizhou would quickly send the duplicate record to the capital.
The second concern was Ye Jinghua.
This was not groundless worry on Zhao Baozhu’s part. With less than a week left until the spring examination, Ye Jinghua showed no intention of putting effort into “proper books.” Every day, he still held miscellaneous books and travel accounts, while also guiding Zhao Baozhu’s studies. Zhao Baozhu had not seen him write even a single policy essay, nor study any of the Four Books and Five Classics.
Whenever Zhao Baozhu urged him, he was either brushed off or given a verbal agreement, yet in reality, he never put pen to paper.
As for the little jade rabbit made for him, it was completed on time and tied at Zhao Baozhu’s waist. It was exquisitely crafted, even the tiny toes on its two paws were clearly visible, utterly simple and adorable.
Seeing the little rabbit only made Zhao Baozhu angry, it showed exactly where Ye Jinghua had been putting his effort. While stewing in frustration, he held his brush for a long time without moving, until a blot of ink stained the xuan paper.
“Ah!” Zhao Baozhu saw it and immediately felt pained for the paper. “What a waste…”
Just then, a sneaky shadow appeared against the window paper. Deng Yun poked half his head in through the doorframe and looked inside. “Baozhu, you studying?”
Zhao Baozhu was still feeling distressed, frowning as he raised his head. “I am. What is it?”
Deng Yun rested both hands on the window frame and stared down at the paper for a while, but couldn’t make sense of anything, so he gave up. “The young master told me to let you know, we’re all going out to have fun tonight.”
Zhao Baozhu glanced at him, then lowered his head. “I’m not going. I need to study.”
“Hey, this guy, studied himself stupid.”
Deng Yun flicked his forehead. As Zhao Baozhu raised his head in disbelief, he grinned. “Are you dumb? The young master’s taking us to a temple fair, if you don’t go, you’re missing out for nothing.”
Zhao Baozhu covered his forehead and blinked. “Temple fair?”
