Peach Blossom Decree Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Jinling City (27)

It had been over a month since Lin Zikui last saw Zhao Ling. While studying, he often felt as though Zhao Ling were beside him; even in dreams, he would see him. That deep longing he had carried in his heart finally found its release.

The carriage wasn’t very large. As soon as Lin Zikui got in, he locked eyes on him. The moment Xiao Fu called him “Little Husband,” Lin Zikui didn’t hesitate—he leaned down and hugged him tightly, both arms slipping around his back and waist in a firm embrace.

Xiao Fu was momentarily stunned—Lin Zikui had never taken the initiative to hug him before. Perhaps it was the reserved nature of a scholar, or perhaps it was the lingering concern over being a man himself. Either way, this was the first time something like this had happened.

So, a single separation could make even a stiff scholar shed some of his restraint.

Lin Zikui’s body was hot from being under the sun, and that searing warmth spread through all of Xiao Fu’s limbs and bones.

With one hand gently cradling the back of his head, Xiao Fu lowered his gaze and asked, “Zikui, did you study properly while you were at Prince Shuo Residence?”

“I did.”

Xiao Fu believed him. Even with Yuwen Can snoring nearby, Lin Zikui could still study undisturbed.

Feeling his body had filled out a bit, Xiao Fu thought he must’ve been eating well these days.

“Then make sure you do your best on the exam. As long as you pass, that’s good enough—it doesn’t matter if you win the title of huiyuan or not.”

Lin Zikui nodded, but he muttered softly, “I will win it. I must.” He had promised his teacher, and he had sworn it before his parents’ graves.

Unlike the palace examination, which relied on whether the emperor favored your looks, the metropolitan exam was all about your writing—your knowledge.

Lin Zikui slightly tilted his head back, his forehead beaded with sweat. “If I come out as a zhuangyuan…”

He hesitated. What he really wanted to ask was: If I become the zhuangyuan, would your parents be willing to meet me?

But the question felt like blackmail, and he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

Xiao Fu, “Hm? If you win first place, does that mean Lin Lang will finally agree to consummate our marriage? They say the night of the imperial honors is also the night of the bridal chamber—ancient wisdom, you know.”

“N–No, not the bridal chamber…” Lin Zikui struggled to explain, then gave up. “Forget it. I’ll tell you if I make it.”

“You’ll make it. Just do your best.”

All the examinees had already entered the examination courtyard. Xiao Fu eventually let Lin Zikui off the carriage. Just before he got down, he gave him a brief kiss on the lips—barely a second—and parted again. Lin Zikui was instantly flustered, unsettled. Even after getting off the carriage, he kept turning back to look.

Commander Chen escorted him to the gates of the examination courtyard and handed him his book case.

The exam lasted three days at a time, for a total of nine days. Though it was already early August, the weather remained stiflingly hot. Now and then, a cool breeze would pass through, and in front of every exam hall stood assistants using the foot-powered wooden fans designed by Lin Zikui himself. It seemed Prince Shuo had even expanded his business into the examination courtyard.

The scholars were all buzzing with chatter: “They even arranged for people to fan us so we won’t faint from the heat. Minister Pang is truly a good man!”

Minister Pang sat upright in the tall watchtower, running prayer beads through his fingers, thinking to himself: If the Prince Regent hadn’t ordered it—saying scholars are weak and collapse in droves once the weather turns hot—there’s no way I’d waste manpower fanning you lot.

He descended to inspect the site. There were dozens of examination halls, all filled to capacity. His own son, Pang Xiang, was also among them. Though he’d memorized the topics in advance, he was still struggling.

All he knew was how to match couplets and solve riddles—when it came to essay writing, he was completely clueless. Even copying pre-written essays was a pain.

Pang Xiang glanced to the side at the young candidate beside him—handsome as jade, graceful as bamboo, with a long neck and a pair of transparent Ai Dai lenses resting on his pale nose. He wrote with ease, smooth and confident, the brush dancing effortlessly across the paper.

Nine days later, the exam ended.

Pang Xiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. After scrambling to patch things up, he managed to hand in something. He then glanced once more at that young scholar he’d been watching—the boy remained calm throughout, composed and self-assured. Once he finished, he packed up his materials and strode confidently out of the examination courtyard.

Looking so pleased, so full of pride, it seemed clear—he was bound to win.

When Lin Zikui exited the examination courtyard, only one carriage was waiting for him. He looked around, scanning the crowd, until he saw Xiao Fu lifting the curtain and waving at him. “Stop looking around—I already told your teacher to go back. In this kind of heat, how could he bear it?”

Only then did Lin Zikui nod and climb into the carriage, albeit hesitantly—and he sat a little far from Xiao Fu.

Xiao Fu said, “I had the kitchen make you a chilled lychee and bayberry dessert. The ice hasn’t melted yet. You must be burning up.”

“I’m not,” Lin Zikui replied, accepting the bowl. “The examination halls had foot-powered wooden fans—the ones I designed—so every hall was well-ventilated.” He then looked over. “Aren’t you going to ask how I did on the exam?”

“Lin Lang definitely did well on the exam, didn’t he?”

“I think I answered pretty well. Making the list… shouldn’t be a big problem,” Lin Zikui said humbly. When he felt Xiao Fu moving closer, he quickly shifted to the side to avoid him.

Xiao Fu frowned. “Why are you avoiding me?”

Lin Zikui still held his bowl and dodged. “I haven’t bathed for nine days… I’m dirty. Don’t come close to me.”

It wasn’t just him—by the last few days of the exam, a sour smell had spread through all the examination halls from the candidates.

That’s why Lin Zikui had been looking for the teacher’s carriage earlier, hoping to return quickly to wash, bathe, and change clothes. So naturally, he wasn’t willing when Xiao Fu wanted to get close.

Xiao Fu didn’t care about any of that. Seeing Lin Zikui reluctant, he insisted on getting closer and said, “Let me smell.” He backed him into a corner, and Lin Zikui was truly embarrassed, closing his eyes. He still held the white porcelain bowl, the melting ice water cooling his palm.

“No matter what you smell like, I can’t detect it. I only know that Lin Lang smells good—pleasant and sweet,” came the whispered voice. Lin Zikui blushed deeply, speechless. He pushed the bowl toward him. “You eat it.”

“Giving lychee and bayberry to me would be a waste. Better that Little Husband eats it.”

Lin Zikui thought for a moment. “You eat too, then. We both eat.”

Xiao Fu nodded understandingly. “You take a bite, I take a bite.”

Probably from exhaustion, once back at the estate, Lin Zikui bathed and felt sleepy but still forced himself to visit his teacher and discuss the topics.

He had copied the metropolitan exam questions and his essays exactly as written.

Prime Minister Xue couldn’t help but praise: “Your writing is magnificent, rich in content—truly a brilliant talent!”

Lin Zikui, “Teacher, you flatter me.”

“Whether it’s flattery or not, the examiners have eyes. You just wait and see!”

The metropolitan exam papers were sealed and sent to the Ministry of Rites. The clerks transcribed them in red ink before the examiners graded them separately.

The exam hall where Pang Xiang took the test naturally had its papers delivered directly to his father, Minister Pang.

Minister Pang nodded with approval. His son’s paper, though with a few minor mistakes, had nearly perfectly copied the article. The writing was mature, concise, and sharply precise! It wasn’t surprising at all if he was named huiyuan. Since the article was penned by Pang Xiang himself, Minister Pang could immediately recognize it.

Setting aside his son’s paper, he looked at the next one. The very first line caught Minister Pang’s eye and made him light up.

Line by line, he read on—his surprise deepened, then turned to shock. He quickly flipped to the first page, checked the candidate number stamped in red, and then sought the original concealed name and birthplace.

Lin Zikui, candidate from Huainan.

“This is a true prodigy! This is a real huiyuan!” he couldn’t help but exclaim.

With Lin Zikui’s extraordinary writing ahead, Pang Xiang’s paper suddenly seemed dull and lifeless.

University scholars and examiners nearby crowded around, praising, “Excellent prose, fine handwriting, profound learning!”

Such a genius was naturally meant to be heavily relied on by the court. But when Minister Pang glanced at Pang Xiang’s paper, his face immediately changed.

So Pang Xiang wouldn’t become huiyuan?

A newly appointed Grand Scholar Wen muttered “Lin Zikui” repeatedly.

“So familiar… Wait, isn’t he that blind candidate from Huainan?” Wen Shengli suddenly recalled. Lin Zikui had once been engaged to his current wife, Xiao Ting.

Seeing Minister Pang’s expression, Wen Shengli leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Sir, I think this is inappropriate.”

“Grand Scholar Wen, what do you mean by inappropriate? Speak up.” Minister Pang was still thinking about how to handle this. Should Lin Zikui really be made huiyuan?

But he felt conflicted—Pang Xiang’s success would bring great honor to the family. Although the Prince Regent had forbidden any cheating or favoritism, with Brocade Uniform Guards monitoring the exam, Pang Xiang hadn’t been caught cheating.

He had only memorized the questions in advance. Given how excellent Pang Xiang’s paper was, even if Minister Pang declined to grade it himself to avoid suspicion, other examiners wouldn’t ignore such a fine essay during their review.

Grand Scholar Wen said, “For Lin Zikui, either fail him outright or let him have a mediocre ranking.”

Minister Pang was furious. “Look at his essay—look at it yourself! How can you fail such a person?”

“This Lin Zikui, I remember him as the jieyuan from Huainan with an eye disease, talented but unrecognized. Though strong-willed, his eyes clearly make him unfit for government office. Even at the palace exam, His Majesty wouldn’t favor him. Besides, his exam paper isn’t completely flawless.”

Minister Pang asked, “How is it not flawless? Are you blind?”

“Sir, please take a look at this sentence: ‘To others, it is called the vast and mighty qi, surging forth to fill the boundless firmament; writing is the vessel that carries the Dao.’”

Lord Pang asked, “What about this sentence?”

“Sir, look closely—the characters ‘yu wen’ (universe and writing) appear together. But the character ‘yu’ ( universe) has an extra stroke for no reason. Isn’t that suspicious? At worst, it could be interpreted as showing contempt for the imperial order!”

Lord Pang rubbed his eyes and looked closely.

“The ‘yu’ character in the copied manuscript really does have an extra stroke.” He reached out and touched it—the tip of his finger still picked up traces of red ink!

He looked up at Grand Scholar Wen. “Did you add this?”

“No, no, not me! How could it be me? I merely noticed it. Lin Zikui’s essay has ideological problems—how can someone like that be awarded the huiyuan?”

After a unanimous discussion among all the examiners, Lin Zikui’s essay was declared disqualified.

One assistant examiner lamented, “The Prince Regent and Prince Zhao have old grudges. That extra stroke in ‘宇’ is clearly a veiled jab at their rivalry. We saw it but couldn’t ignore it. If a paper offends that noble lord, such a promising candidate would be beheaded on the spot.”

After ten days of sleepless grading, three hundred red-ink-annotated papers were finally sent to the Prince Regent’s study, awaiting his selection of successful candidates.

Xiao Fu sat up straighter, flipping through the stack. He remembered clearly the metropolitan exam essay Lin Zikui had written after leaving the examination courtyard.

But through all three hundred papers, Lin Zikui’s essay was nowhere to be found!

Where was Lin Zikui’s exam paper?

With his talent, how could he not be among the top three hundred?

Had someone removed his paper? Xiao Fu’s expression darkened immediately. “Liang Hong, bring that scoundrel Pang Zhuo here!”

Minister Pang heard the ominous tone and hurried in, dropping to his knees with a kowtow: “Your Highness, I pay my respects. Please calm your anger.”

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