EES - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After Song Jinyuan left, An Lin, out of curiosity, decided to take an early look.

There were still some days until the Palace Examination. Waiting until then would be far too long, and An Lin was accustomed to indulging herself.

So An Lin skillfully opened a memorial to bring up the Emperor Simulator panel, clicked on the map, and selected the capital city. Come to think of it, had the name of the Xuan Kingdom's capital even come up yet? The capital was named Qiong'an, depicted on the grand map as a striking golden dragon's head.

After opening it, An Lin scrolled the Qiong'an map over to the vicinity of the Ministry of Rites Examination Hall. The Spring Metropolitan Examination results would be posted on the walls here.

Looking down from above, An Lin could see tiny figures, no bigger than ants, packed tightly against the south wall of the examination hall. In the crowd, voices shouted things like, "Did you see it ahead? Let me in for a quick peek!" or "Brother, please help me check XXX's ranking," while others cried, "I need to get out, let me through!"

If this were a test for someone with trypophobia, they'd probably start feeling uncomfortable now, but An Lin wasn't one for that, so she found the scene rather cute.

Besides the scholars crowding around the results board, many couldn't even squeeze in and were pushed to the outer perimeter, gathering around food stalls nearby, craning their necks to gaze toward the distant direction of the posted lists.

That left one question.

How was I supposed to find the prodigy Minister Song had mentioned among so many people? And what about my Huiyuan candidate?

This was tantamount to finding a single golden ant among a swarm of black ones. It tested more than just sharp eyesight.

Scrolling around, An Lin spotted a figure, a tiny ant, ah no, an examination candidate, at a nearby Yangchun noodle stall, seemingly talking to those around him. The other scholars sharing the table all leaned in, listening intently, while the surrounding crowd began whispering and discussing among themselves.

Hmm? What are they saying? Seems pretty interesting.

An Lin thus zoomed in on that spot, intending to listen in on their conversation.

As the map magnified, names gradually appeared above their heads, but that was all. Viewing people through this map never displayed detailed stats; only when they stood physically before her could An Lin see the detailed numbers floating above their heads.

Honestly, if not for this limitation, why would I wait for the examinations to produce only a handful of candidates each year? I could sweep through the counties on the grand map without leaving home and recruit promising people directly by imperial decree.

...

"How can this happen? How could someone like him become the Huiyuan?" By the time An Lin zoomed in enough to hear, the discussion was nearing its end. All she caught was that exact sentence.

Hmm? Gossip?

Is something wrong with my candidate? I hope not.

An Lin immediately locked onto the speaker, waiting for the full story, but the man didn't reveal anything concrete, merely muttering angrily about "lacking virtue" and "unfit to associate with such a person."

Virtue, huh. As long as his stats are genuine, I can still put him to use. If someone more talented comes along later, I can replace him.

Just a bit of a pity.

I'll wait until the Palace Examination to check his stats again before deciding how best to use him.

Right then, another person seemed to have only heard half of it as well. Curious, he kept asking, "Brother, what exactly are you talking about?"

"Have you heard of Liu Guanglin?" the person beside him kindly offered some gossip... or rather, an explanation.

"The poetic genius who's been making waves lately? I've heard a little about him, but what's wrong with this scholar surnamed Liu?"

"When we first came to take the exams and arrived in Qiong'an, didn't the local scholars host a poetry gathering to help us all meet and exchange ideas? Well, coincidentally, both this year's Huiyuan and the runner-up attended that very gathering." The gossip-sharer lowered his voice unconsciously as he spoke, adopting a mysterious air. "At the poetry gathering, we used tea, plum blossoms, and the moon as themes. That Yang Sheng from Linfang finished three cups of wine and composed three exceptionally brilliant poems. Everyone praised them endlessly."

"Ah? Just like that? Isn't that impressive?"

The gossip-sharer frowned. "Don't rush. Here comes the main point!"

"Afterward, that scholar Liu also produced three poems of equal merit. Just as everyone was circulating the verses to judge the best, three people in the room suddenly claimed they had actually seen Yang Sheng write those exact poems live!"

"Ah?!"

Hearing this, An Lin sensed something amiss. Her gaze drifted thoughtfully around the area, finally resting on a young scholar standing alone in an inconspicuous spot. She saw the name above his head.

Yang Sheng.

The subject of the discussion himself.

The young scholar listened to the conversation nearby with his eyes lowered, his expression calm and unruffled. However, seeing his fingers clenched around his sleeves, it was clear his inner state was far from as peaceful as his face suggested. A few seconds later, he closed his eyes, opened them again, loosened his grip, and slowly smoothed out the wrinkles in his cuffs.

When the crowd at the results board thinned slightly, he stepped forward to confirm his own ranking on the list, then turned and left.

The people at the Yangchun noodle stall continued their discussion. By the time he departed, they had just reached the part where they explained, "It turns out those three had visited Scholar Liu's residence earlier and seen several sheets of paper with poems written on them. They had read and appreciated those very poems. The poems Yang Sheng composed on the spot were exactly the ones they had seen at Scholar Liu's house."

An Lin casually shifted the map's view to keep Yang Sheng in sight, wondering which of the two men lacked genuine talent.

That part was simple. If I saw them both in person, I could check the [Learning] stat above their heads and make a pretty good guess. But... hmm... why wait until the Palace Examination? What if I went out for a stroll and happened to run into them? I could call it a preliminary interview.

That sounds like a good idea. I could get some Yangchun noodles this afternoon, too, and keep dinner light. Heavy food isn't good for me.

An Lin acted on impulse. She called out loudly for Wang Xiuwen to enter, then blurted out, "Xiuwen, We will leave the palace today."

Wang Xiuwen: "..."

Wang Xiuwen calmed himself first. "Your Majesty, did you say you want to do what?"

"Leave the palace," An Lin repeated.

Wang Xiuwen looked at her with an expression that said, "Your Majesty, you're not joking, are you?" An Lin shrugged and patted the stack of memorials she had already processed, indicating all work was done.

I knew Wang Xiuwen would agree in the end anyway.

This Chief Steward seemed to indulge the young emperor at every turn. Now that An Lin was inhabiting the young emperor's identity, he indulged her just as much.

Perhaps it was because the young emperor had lost his mother at an early age, and Wang Xiuwen, who cared for him, had more or less watched him grow up until the old emperor drove Junming out to establish his own household at around fifteen. Wang Xiuwen had not originally been the old emperor's chief eunuch; after ascending the throne, Junming had specifically called him to his side. The Chibi Young Emperor had told her all this.

An Lin's own guesses went a bit further.

After all, how could an ordinary eunuch possess a Martial Strength rating of 90, with specialties in assassination and intelligence gathering?

Maybe he had the backstory of an Eastern Depot master who lost out in a power struggle, went into hiding under an assumed name, and ended up alongside an unfavored prince. Blah, blah, blah.

"In that case," Wang Xiuwen finally yielded under An Lin's steady gaze, "this servant will arrange the escort..."

"No need. Don't draw too much attention. We'll go quietly and return quietly," An Lin said. "You don't need to bring many people either. Just you and me, or you can pick one extra attendant if you prefer."

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