Marrying The Imperial Elder Chapter 61

It took Teacher Yu a full quarter of an hour before she finally managed to suppress the grief in her heart. Only then did she turn to Zhen Tingyun. “Such precious incense… how could you not have stored it properly? And it actually ended up being damaged…”

As she spoke, another wave of heartache washed over her. After forcing herself to calm down, she finally asked, “Tell me. Who exactly damaged your incense?”

Although Teacher Yu was obsessed with the art of incense, she was by no means foolish. She naturally understood why Zhen Tingyun had brought the incense to her for appraisal. Most likely, she wanted someone to establish its value so she could seek compensation from the person who had ruined it. Teacher Yu’s heart ached for the destroyed incense, and she naturally stood on Zhen Tingyun’s side.

“The other ingredients are one thing,” she said. “But those few pieces I just mentioned… if they’ve been damaged in any way, their value is simply immeasurable. There is no realistic way to calculate it.” After a brief pause, she sighed. “For an ordinary family, I’m afraid even if they sold everything they owned, they still couldn’t afford to compensate you.”

Before she had even finished speaking, Qian Manyue, who had been standing nearby, turned deathly pale. Her vision went black. Without even letting out a cry, she collapsed stiffly to the floor, unconscious.

Seeing this, Teacher Yu no longer had the leisure to explain anything further to Zhen Tingyun. She immediately called for help. Someone came over and lifted the unconscious Qian Manyue, while Teacher Yu instructed another person to fetch the female physician from the academy to examine the fainted student.

After all the commotion, the physician finally escorted Qian Manyue away. Only then did the room return to silence. Teacher Yu watched as Zhen Tingyun carefully wrapped the incense back into its paper package. She then took out a plain white silk handkerchief and meticulously wiped her hands clean before raising her eyes to Zhen Tingyun. “Now, tell me exactly what happened.”

Zhen Tingyun had never intended to conceal anything.

Moreover, she was speaking before one of the academy’s instructors.

So she respectfully stood with her hands lowered and honestly recounted everything that had happened the previous night from beginning to end. To prove she was telling the truth, she deliberately added, “If Teacher still has doubts, you may summon Du Qingqing, who shares my room. She witnessed everything that happened yesterday.”

Teacher Yu looked deeply at her then she suddenly smiled warmly and shook her head. “There’s no need. You’re Madam Chu’s disciple. I trust Madam Chu’s judgment of people and I trust your character as well.”

Zhen Tingyun was genuinely surprised. She hadn’t expected Teacher Yu to know she had become Madam Chu’s disciple.

Seeing the astonishment plainly written across the girl’s face, Teacher Yu couldn’t help laughing. She decided not to tease her and explained frankly, “Although I couldn’t attend your apprenticeship ceremony with Madam Chu in person, I did send a gift so naturally, I know about you.”

Only then did Zhen Tingyun understand.

Because of Madam Chu, Teacher Yu already held a favorable impression of her. She reached out and gently patted Zhen Tingyun on the shoulder. “You needn’t worry about this matter. I’ll report everything to the headmistress myself and ask her to resolve it. In a few days, the joint examination between the two academies will begin. As a student, your priority should be your studies. Don’t let other people or other matters interfere with your own future.”

Zhen Tingyun immediately understood. 

If Teacher Yu was personally taking the matter to the headmistress then Qian Manyue’s expulsion was already almost certain. Deeply moved, she immediately bowed respectfully. “Yes, Teacher.”

Seeing how obedient and courteous Zhen Tingyun was, Teacher Yu’s opinion of her improved even further. After a brief hesitation, she offered another reminder. “That ambergris, it is an imperial incense. It is reserved exclusively for the imperial household. Even if it somehow reaches private hands, it is supposed to be offered to the court and the piece you possess… its color is almost pure white. It is of the very highest grade. Even within the imperial family, such a piece would be extremely rare.”

Zhen Tingyun froze.

Teacher Yu saw that she truly hadn’t known any of this and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Patiently, she continued, “I don’t know whether the elder who gave you these precious incense materials was aware of ambergris’s special status but our incense-making classes will never require anything so valuable especially not an imperial incense like ambergris. So I would advise you, when you have the opportunity, return this piece of ambergris to the elder who gave it to you.”

Zhen Tingyun knew that Teacher Yu was deliberately offering her guidance. Otherwise, there would have been no need for her to say any of this. Feeling even more grateful, Zhen Tingyun lowered her head and replied, “Yes. Thank you, Teacher, for your reminder.”

Teacher Yu nodded slightly. She had said everything that needed to be said.

Just as she rose to leave, however, she couldn’t help turning back for one last look at those rare and precious incense materials. Although they had already been wrapped up again, a master of incense like Teacher Yu possessed an exceptionally keen sense of smell.

Even now, she could still catch the faint lingering fragrance in the air. It was intoxicating enough that she found herself talking more than usual.

“Come to think of it,” she said, “that Qian Manyue wasn’t necessarily foolish for doing such a stupid thing. It was simply because her knowledge was limited. Her horizons were too narrow, she had no idea of the true value of your incense. Since you’ve chosen incense-making as one of your subjects, you should devote yourself to studying it properly. Otherwise, wouldn’t these wonderful fragrances be wasted? And wouldn’t you also disappoint the good intentions of the elder who gave them to you?”

At this point, Teacher Yu laughed at herself and sighed. “Speaking of which, the elder who gifted you these incense materials is truly generous. Even I have never before seen so many precious varieties gathered together on a single table.”

After saying this, Teacher Yu smiled self-deprecatingly. She said nothing further. Barely perceptibly, she shook her head before stepping out of the room.

After seeing Teacher Yu off, Zhen Tingyun carefully packed away the incense again. Meanwhile, her thoughts lingered on the piece of ambergris. Did Yuanhui actually know how special ambergris was? And since it was an imperial incense, where had he gotten it? Could it have been a reward from the Prince Regent? But why would the Prince Regent casually reward him with a piece of incense?

One question after another filled her mind.

Even Zhen Tingyun found herself completely puzzled. Unfortunately, she was still at the academy and couldn’t leave to ask Yuanhui in person. All she could do was wrap the piece of ambergris especially carefully. She decided that in a few days she would return it to Yuanhui and ask him everything face to face.

***

Qian Manyue’s matter was resolved very quickly.

That evening, Zhen Tingyun and Du Qingqing were chatting in their room about flower arranging.

Since Du Qingqing had just attended her flower-arranging class that day, she had cut several fresh branches still covered with morning dew on the way back. She found a white jade flower vase from among her belongings and carefully arranged the blossoms inside. Placing the vase on the windowsill, she proudly showed it off to Zhen Tingyun. “I’ve already put what I learned in class to good use!” she declared triumphantly.

Indeed, with a white jade vase standing in the room and several fresh flowers arranged within it, the room seemed instantly brighter and more vibrant. Even the air carried a delicate floral fragrance.

No wonder the noble ladies of high-ranking households enjoyed arranging flowers and blending incense in their leisure time. It truly was an elegant pastime that enriched everyday life.

Seeing Du Qingqing so delighted, Zhen Tingyun, who had been reading beside her, smiled and joined the conversation. “I actually like natural floral and fruity scents quite a bit. In fact, many of the ingredients used in incense also come from flowers and plants. Borneol and storax, for example.”

The two were chatting happily when they suddenly heard someone push open the door. Looking up, they saw that it was Qian Manyue.

There was no trace of embarrassment left on her face. Instead, she shot them a venomous glare. Her voice was icy cold, carrying both mockery and sarcasm. “Don’t look at me like that.”

After a pause, she let out a cold laugh. “I’m withdrawing from the academy. I’ve only come back to pack my things.”

Du Qingqing immediately averted her eyes. She neither looked at Qian Manyue nor spoke to her.

Zhen Tingyun, however, glanced at her calmly. “You should understand this. The reason you’re being expelled is because you stole from me. You destroyed my incense and you couldn’t afford to compensate me.”

Grinding her teeth, Qian Manyue forced out a smile. Her voice seemed squeezed through clenched teeth. “That’s right. Thanks to the two of you, the headmistress couldn’t wait to expel me. She even returned the tuition silver I’d paid when I enrolled. I got to eat and live here for free these past few days and I even had the honor of sharing a room with wealthy young ladies like yourselves.”

With that, she casually rolled up her bedding and bundled together her belongings then she turned to leave.

Zhen Tingyun flipped another page in her book. Looking at Qian Manyue’s departing back, she suddenly spoke. “Don’t always think that you’re clever while everyone else is stupid. Don’t you realize that the world is full of clever people?”

Qian Manyue paused and turned back. “Fine, this time my horizons were too narrow. I didn’t recognize the value of your incense. I was the fool.” She slowly swept her gaze around the room one last time before finally looking at Zhen Tingyun. “I’ll remember this lesson.”

With those words, she picked up her belongings and slammed the door behind her. Even though carrying everything was clearly difficult, she still held her head high. Like a swan, she walked away with her chin proudly raised. Her imposing stride was completely different from the timid, shy girl she had first appeared to be.

Only after she had left did Du Qingqing finally dare speak. “Why did you say all that to her?” She truly feared someone like Qian Manyue and didn’t even dare say much about her.

Zhen Tingyun replied, “People say, ‘Leave yourself some room, so you’ll have room to meet again someday.’ Someone like Qian Manyue… it’s better not to drive her completely into a corner. She’s ambitious and calculating but more than anything, she’s patient, and ruthless. As long as she isn’t pushed to absolute desperation, she won’t risk everything. Didn’t you hear what she said? The headmistress even returned her enrollment fee. I imagine the headmistress also didn’t want to push her too far. She deliberately left her some room to retreat.”

Remembering everything Qian Manyue had done, Du Qingqing still felt lingering fear. Unable to help herself, she asked quietly, “But what if she wants revenge on us?”

Zhen Tingyun thought for a moment. “…Then, I’ll just make her compensate me for my incense again?”

Du Qingqing burst into laughter at that answer. At last, she put the matter of Qian Manyue behind her.

Thus, of the four beds in the room, only Du Qingqing and Zhen Tingyun remained.

Because of what had happened, everyone in the other two dormitory rooms on the same corridor treated Zhen Tingyun with obvious awe. Even when they met in the washroom each morning, they greeted her with unusual politeness and caution.

After overhearing the latest gossip, Du Qingqing returned with a mischievous grin and whispered to Zhen Tingyun, “Everyone outside is saying you’re incredibly formidable. They say that as soon as you arrived, you drove one girl out and after just one day of classes, you got Qian Manyue expelled too. Now they’re all making bets on how many more days I’ll survive living in the same room as you.”

Zhen Tingyun: “…”

As Du Qingqing spoke, she started laughing herself. “Actually, this is great! From now on, no one will dare squeeze into this room with us. Just the two of us sharing one room, it feels so spacious! Hahaha!”

Zhen Tingyun: “…”

After a moment, Zhen Tingyun finally replied, “Well… as long as you’re happy.”

Rumors really were strange things. The more absurd they were, the faster they spread.

By the time the gossip had made the rounds, even Yang Qionghua had heard about it and came to tease her.

Zhen Tingyun, however, paid it little mind. The joint examination between the two academies was almost upon them. She only hated that people still needed to eat and sleep. Otherwise, she could happily bury herself in her books for all twelve double-hours of the day.

After teasing her, Yang Qionghua saw that Zhen Tingyun remained buried in her books. She could only comfort her gently. “Don’t be so nervous, relax a little. Otherwise, when the examination comes, you might not perform as well as you’re capable of.”

At last, Zhen Tingyun lifted her head from her book. With a self-deprecating smile, she said, “That’s easy for you to say. The well-fed never know the hunger of the starving. With the foundation I have, I’ll be lucky if I have any room to perform at all. Who has the luxury of worrying whether they perform well or not?”

Yang Qionghua burst into laughter. After laughing, she reached over and patted Zhen Tingyun on the shoulder. “Now you’re being too modest. When you entered the academy, getting five A grades and one B certainly involved some luck but it also happened because you had accumulated enough knowledge and worked hard. So while you may not yet compare to someone like Zhou Qingyun, who earned straight A’s in all six subjects, you certainly aren’t much worse than everyone ranked behind her.”

“Talent is something bestowed by Heaven, it cannot be forced. Experience and accumulated knowledge come from the past. They simply require time. But effort… effort is something both you and I can control right now. Tingyun. Learning is like rowing upstream; if you don’t advance, you fall behind. If you stop learning, you endanger yourself. You’re working harder than they are, one day, you’ll surpass them. So there’s really no need to be so anxious.”

As expected of a renowned talented young lady. Even her compliments sounded far nicer than anyone else’s. Listening to Yang Qionghua’s encouragement, Zhen Tingyun felt secretly delighted. She was just thinking that perhaps she ought to compliment Yang Qionghua in return, a bit of mutual praise between friends.

Then Yang Qionghua thought for a moment before adding her conclusion. “Of course whether you make it onto the Top One Hundred Honor Roll for the two academies this time will still depend on your luck.”

Even though she knew Yang Qionghua was simply telling the truth, Zhen Tingyun still found herself rather annoyed.

****

In truth, Zhen Tingyun wasn’t the only one anxious about the upcoming joint examination.

After all, the examination wasn’t limited to newly admitted students. Zhen Yiyun would also be taking it.

During last year’s entrance examination, as well as both of last year’s joint examinations, Zhen Yiyun had ranked first among students in her year. She had outshone every other young lady and basked in endless glory. That was why she had earned the title of “talented young lady.” Precisely because of that reputation, an enormous amount of pressure now rested upon her shoulders.

Especially since Zhen Tingyun’s arrival in the capital this year. The Zhen family had encountered one incident after another. To some extent, all of it had interfered with Zhen Yiyun’s studies. Moreover, she herself had already reached the age for marriage. Naturally, she constantly worried about her future match.

She wanted to ingratiate herself with the young county princess of Yan Wang’s household.

She wanted to become acquainted with Yan Wang Shizi, the future Crown Prince… A person’s time and energy were, after all, limited. The more attention she devoted to social affairs, the less focus and diligence remained for her studies.

For this reason, her teacher, Master He, had repeatedly reminded her, both openly and subtly.

But Zhen Yiyun simply let the words go in one ear and out the other. She paid them no attention whatsoever. After all, she was a transmigrator who had entered the world of a novel. She already possessed her own worldview and understanding. She believed her vision was far broader than everyone else’s. She alone could see farther into the future.

To her, studying at the women’s academy and earning high marks ultimately served only one purpose: To gain the reputation of a talented woman.  And that reputation itself was merely another bargaining chip in marriage. Since she already knew that Yan Wang Shizi would eventually become Emperor… Shouldn’t she take advantage of the time before he was officially named Crown Prince to get close to him? If she could marry him, then one day she would become Empress, the Mother of the Nation. When that happened, who would still care about her examination scores from years ago?

Seeing that Zhen Yiyun had become restless, refused advice, and no longer devoted herself wholeheartedly to her studies, Master He finally went to speak with Madam Pei. She hoped that, as Zhen Yiyun’s mother, Madam Pei could persuade her daughter.

After Zhen Tingyun entered the academy, peace gradually returned to the Zhen household. Nothing major happened at home. Her husband remained loving and considerate. Her eldest daughter and young son were as intelligent and thoughtful as ever. Even Old Madam Zhen had stopped causing trouble. Madam Pei’s spirits gradually improved.

She was still young and had always been physically healthy. Once her mood recovered, so did her body. She no longer looked as sickly as she had after returning from the Pei family home.

Madam Pei genuinely loved her eldest daughter. After hearing Master He’s concerns, she naturally found an opportunity to advise her. “You’ll graduate next year, you absolutely mustn’t relax at a time like this.”

But Zhen Yiyun gave her mother an entirely different explanation. “Ever since Second Sister and Grandmother came to the capital, so many things have happened in our family. I’ve had to ask for leave from school several times so it’s inevitable that my studies have fallen behind. Especially since Mother became ill not long ago. Although I couldn’t stay by your bedside every day to care for you, I was worried sick. I simply couldn’t think about anything else.”

As she spoke, she lowered her eyelashes. Her eyes reddened slightly. She looked both distressed and guilty. “I originally wanted to take good care of Mother. I never wanted you to work so hard or worry anymore. But instead I’m the disappointing one. I’ve only made Mother worry about me.”

Thinking about everything that had happened to the family lately, Madam Pei’s heart softened with sympathy. She gently said, “You’ve truly been through a lot these past few days.”

Zhen Yiyun nestled into her mother’s embrace. “As long as Mother is healthy, I have nothing to feel wronged about.”

Faced with such a considerate daughter and hearing such thoughtful words, how could Madam Pei not feel deeply comforted? She let out a long sigh and gently stroked the daughter in her arms.

At the same time, another thought arose in her mind. Since she had already given that estate to Zhen Tingyun, what could she give her eldest daughter to make up for it?

Now that Zhen Yiyun was grown, moments of such intimacy between mother and daughter had become rare. So they leaned against one another and chatted affectionately for quite some time.

Eventually, Zhen Yiyun straightened up from her mother’s embrace. She dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief and smiled shyly. “Oh dear, I’m already this old, yet I’ve still made Mother laugh at me.”

As though suddenly remembering something, she casually changed the subject. “Come to think of it, Second Sister will also be taking the joint examination between the two academies, won’t she? She’s living at the academy all by herself. I wonder how her studies have been going.”

When Madam Pei heard her mention Zhen Tingyun, her brows unconsciously furrowed. Then she remembered the reprimand from Old Master Pei and reluctantly suppressed her displeasure. As objectively and evenly as she could, she said, “She’s not like you. You were enlightened early and have been diligent and hardworking since childhood. As for her, she’s simply cramming at the last minute. She only rushed through a few days of intensive studying before the examinations. In the end, her foundation just isn’t solid. Even those five A’s and one B she earned in the entrance examination were mostly due to luck. As long as she manages to pass this joint examination between the two academies, I, as her mother, will have nothing more to worry about.”

Zhen Yiyun thought the same.

A weak foundation was always the hardest thing to make up. Zhen Tingyun had already lost more than ten years. No matter how diligently or desperately she studied now, there was no way she could make up for those lost years overnight. Those five A’s and one B had merely been a lucky break. The joint examination between the two academies would be the true test of both knowledge and ability.

With Zhen Tingyun’s current level… she would probably be fortunate just to avoid finishing near the bottom. No matter what, she simply couldn’t compare to herself.

Therefore, hearing Madam Pei say this, Zhen Yiyun adopted an especially gentle tone, sounding almost regretful. “What a pity that Second Sister isn’t staying at home. I still have some of last year’s joint examination study booklets. I could have lent them to her.”

Madam Pei immediately replied, “What’s there to regret? If she were still at home, there’d probably be countless other matters distracting her. Even if you sincerely wanted to help her, she might not appreciate your kindness.”

“Besides, it was she herself who insisted on living at the academy. No one in this family forced her. Among the three of you siblings, she’s the most stubborn. She’s always the one who worries me the most and yet your father keeps worrying about her. Once the results of this joint examination come out, he’ll surely start lecturing me about it all over again.” Madam Pei shook her head. “Enough, let’s not talk about this anymore.”

Watching Madam Pei’s expression, Zhen Yiyun knew that her mother truly couldn’t bring herself to like Zhen Tingyun. After all, it was easy to develop prejudice against someone. Changing that prejudice was much harder. Moreover, Madam Pei had suffered greatly because of Zhen Tingyun. Even though she knew she couldn’t fairly blame her daughter or vent her frustrations upon her, no one could remain perfectly rational and restrained all the time.

Heh.

Since Madam Pei had spoken that way, Zhen Yiyun naturally acted like the considerate and filial daughter she always appeared to be. She tactfully changed the subject. Instead, she began telling Madam Pei about the recent banquets she had attended with the young princess.

******

While Zhen Tingyun and Yang Qionghua anxiously prepared for the examination and Zhen Yiyun prepared in a leisurely, unconcerned manner, several days passed in the blink of an eye. Soon it was the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, the day of the joint examination between the two academies.

Unlike the entrance examination, this wasn’t an elaborate or particularly solemn affair. The teachers from both the Capital Women’s Academy and Yuhua Women’s Academy simply gathered together. Each grade prepared one examination paper then students from both academies sat for the examinations together.

The papers primarily tested the two compulsory subjects: The Classics and History and Etiquette. Naturally, the quality of each student’s handwriting also counted toward the final score.

The examination halls were assigned by drawing lots. Zhen Tingyun, Yang Qionghua, and Du Qingqing all ended up in different rooms. They therefore agreed to meet for a meal after the examinations.

Originally, while they were eating, Du Qingqing wanted to compare answers with Yang Qionghua. Zhen Tingyun flatly refused to listen. Only then did the two of them stop discussing the exam.

Thus, they took the Classics and History examination in the morning. Etiquette was examined in the afternoon.

The following day, the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, the Capital Women’s Academy held preliminary assessments for each student’s elective subjects. These were merely minor assessments. They weren’t especially important. Their main purpose was to allow the teachers of each elective to gauge their students’ current abilities and progress so they could plan future lessons accordingly.

After two consecutive days of examinations, it became the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the Qixi Festival. The academy closed for a day’s holiday.

Unlike previous events such as flower-viewing or lantern-viewing, this year’s celebration had a different theme: boating and floating lanterns upon the river. It was said that the academy had also prepared many river lanterns handcrafted by the students themselves. Some were made in all sorts of imaginative shapes, others bore poems or elegant inscriptions. Visitors could either set them afloat upon the river or purchase them as souvenirs.

Several days beforehand, the academy had also specifically recruited volunteers from among the students to help on the day of the festival. It was much like the volunteers who had maintained order in the dining hall during the entrance examinations.

Yang Qionghua had already made up her mind. As soon as the examinations ended, she dragged Zhen Tingyun over to sign up.

Thus on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, both Zhen Tingyun and Yang Qionghua changed into the Capital Women’s Academy’s distinctive uniform of red blouses and white skirts. Standing at the eastern gate, they were responsible for welcoming arriving visitors.