EES - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The scholar surnamed Li was puzzled. Since Yang Sheng said nothing, An Lin sat down without further ado.

As soon as she took her seat, a waiter approached with a tray destined for another table. An Lin raised a hand to signal him to bring it over. His arrival eased the stiff silence between strangers, giving her a natural opening. "I heard the metropolitan examination questions were set by Grand Secretary Song Jinyuan. They are reportedly harder than in previous years. I am quite curious how the top scholar answered them. Would you mind sharing some insights?"

It was also a decent excuse for suddenly inserting herself into their conversation.

For some reason, however, the moment she finished speaking, the expression of eager curiosity on the face of the scholar opposite Yang Sheng fell flat. He looked almost disappointed.

His reaction was too obvious and easy to read. An Lin glanced at him and saw the numerical display hovering above his head.

[Li Sheng (Provincial Graduate)]

[Governance: 43 | Military: 10 | Learning: 65 | Martial Strength: 5 | Politics: 30 | Management: 15 | Ambition: 33 | Loyalty: 30 | Prestige: 200]

Standard numbers. Aside from passing in Learning, everything else was mediocre. Compared to the dazzling Gold-Tier Minister beside him, his stats looked dull. His Governance, Politics, and Management scores were clearly ill-suited for officialdom. An Lin barely registered them and was about to turn her attention back to her future minister when her peripheral vision caught something beneath Li Sheng's stats.

[Trait: Intuition]

Hmm?

Intuition? Did it mean exceptionally strong intuition?

That was an unexpected trait.

"Wh-what is it? Is there something on my head?" Li Sheng grew restless under An Lin's increasingly thoughtful gaze. He felt as though a large predatory beast were sizing him up, weighing which part of him would be easiest to carve away. Unconsciously, he shifted slightly farther from her.

An Lin smiled. "I was just thinking that those who associate well with the top scholar must possess excellent learning themselves. I have a fondness for talented individuals, so I would like to ask this gentleman as well..."

"Just call me Li Sheng." Possessing exceptionally strong intuition, Li Sheng instinctively blurted out his own name before An Lin could settle on a form of address.

Forced to play along.

An Lin nodded in satisfaction.

Yang Sheng's assessing gaze rested on An Lin's face, his thoughts unreadable.

An Lin noticed his scrutiny and met his gaze cheerfully. A few seconds later, Yang Sheng, still untested by officialdom and lacking hardened composure, broke first. He politely looked away. "Grand Secretary Song focused heavily on geography and mathematics. Memorizing the Gazetteers of Nineteen Counties covers most of the geography section. For mathematics, the questions draw primarily from the Eight-Part Calculation Methods..."

Though his demeanor remained cool, he answered every question with meticulous detail. Even Li Sheng listened intently, occasionally muttering in regretful realization, "So that is how it is done."

My future minister seems to have a pretty good temper.

The thought crossed An Lin's mind, and she was briefly distracted.

Of course, she had already seen the top scholar's answer sheets. The dense classical allusions were exhausting to parse, but even as a layperson in literature, An Lin could sense the profound craftsmanship behind them. It was impressive precisely because she could not fully grasp it.

Come to think of it, if someone had written at this level in the history I know, where would he rank among the literati? Now I'm curious.

Lost in idle speculation, An Lin snapped back to the present to find Yang Sheng had finished his explanation. He took a light sip of tea, looked up, and asked, "Well?"

"Excellent. Clear logic and brilliant prose." An Lin offered a small round of applause, delivering three straight compliments.

For a moment, the atmosphere was harmonious, and ruler and minister seemed perfectly suited. (On one side, at least.)

Li Sheng looked from one to the other, gathered his courage, and spoke up. "By the way, we still do not know this brother's name. How should we address him?"

The instant the words left his mouth, a sudden chill ran down Li Sheng's spine. It felt as though a hidden danger were closing in, but the sensation vanished just as quickly. Puzzled, he rubbed the hairs standing on end, unaware that Wang Xiuwen, who had accompanied An Lin out but been ordered not to appear near her, was now watching this audacious young scholar dare to ask the emperor's name directly, his expression utterly blank.

"Me? Hmm... I go by Wen Tianzhi," An Lin said with a smile, then turned to Yang Sheng.

I had originally planned to give Junming's name outright, but as I was about to say it, I remembered the ancient custom of avoiding the sovereign's name. Junming would be known throughout the realm, and examination candidates memorized the names of current and past emperors to avoid taboos. So I improvised a name on the spot.

In truth, I had considered combining the young emperor's surname with my given name to form "Jun Lin." But that would be almost the same as giving his actual name and would expose me immediately.

After all, even for a member of the royal family, Jun Lin seemed like a dangerously bold name.

"Yang Sheng," Yang Sheng replied, offering his own name.

Remembering that ancient acquaintances typically used courtesy names, she asked, "Do you have a courtesy name?"

"Sheng. My courtesy name is Qiancai."

...

Watching the two converse so warmly, Li Sheng scratched his head, feeling a subtle mix of grievance and disappointment.

Why had they not asked for his courtesy name? His was quite pleasant, too.

He knew they were here for Brother Yang, but... sigh, never mind.

If Li Sheng were lucky enough to transmigrate and hear the song Always So Quiet, he might finally find the right words for his mood.

It is clearly a movie with three people, yet I never get a name.

Feeling dejected, Li Sheng quietly picked at his food.

After a while, the waiter came out with a ledger and called out, "Which guests require room checkout today? If no registration is made before mid-afternoon, the stay will automatically extend to tomorrow."

Li Sheng promptly put down his chopsticks and raised his hand. "This one!"

After shouting, Li Sheng noticed the brocade-clad man calling himself Wen Tianzhi glance sideways at him and ask, much like Yang Sheng had earlier, "You are leaving today?"

"Ah, yes. With the spring metropolitan examination concluded, I should return home to prepare for next year's exams," Li Sheng said. To his surprise, the man paused, then offered a deeply meaningful smile.

He said:

"There is no rush to leave. You might as well stay in Qiong'an for a few days. Perhaps a turning point awaits."

The word was "perhaps," but the tone carried absolute certainty.

Li Sheng froze. Realization struck, and his heart began pounding violently. He tentatively mapped plotlines from popular tales onto his own situation. Glancing at Wen Tianzhi's understated yet undoubtedly expensive attire, he felt as though he were dreaming.

Had he just encountered a benefactor?

[Yang Sheng (Top Scholar of the Metropolitan Examination)]

[Governance: 90 | Military: 40 | Learning: 99 | Martial Strength: 30 | Politics: 82 | Management: 70 | Ambition: 66 | Loyalty: 11 | Prestige: 1300]

These were the numbers An Lin deliberately glanced at before leaving the inn. Everything remained unchanged except Loyalty, which had ticked up from ten to eleven.

An Lin could not help but laugh. "It seems Qiancai has guessed my identity."

As for Li Sheng, his expression had fluctuated wildly, yet his loyalty stat remained exactly the same. He probably suspected she was connected to officialdom but never imagined she was the emperor.

Thinking of Li Sheng's [Trait: Intuition], An Lin mentally reviewed the various government departments before settling on the one best suited to utilize it. She told Wang Xiuwen, "Have the Court of Judicial Review locate Li Sheng in two days. Assign him a clerk position there first. Record his performance at the court and submit it directly to me."

An Lin decided to test the limits of Li Sheng's intuition first.

In ancient times, without DNA testing, luminol, or even basic crime-scene preservation, judicial officers relied on rudimentary autopsies and deduction. As a result, the Court of Judicial Review's files filled with miscarriages of justice and unsolved cases.

An Lin intended to reform this area, but her officials possessed equally mediocre investigative skills. There was no divine detective Di Renjie, nor the black-faced Bao Zheng. Anyone placed in those shoes would fare similarly.

If Li Sheng's intuition was truly strong enough to spot a suspect and identify the culprit, I wouldn't mind turning him into the famous Detective Li (crossed out), no, Divine Detective Li.

If investigators first narrowed down a suspect, then tested that theory against the known outcome, it would be faster and more efficient than working forward from scratch. A wrong guess could be discarded and tried again; a correct one would save time and leave judicial officers and constables free to investigate more cases.

An Lin: Hmph. As expected of me! I came out to meet my precious minister and accidentally picked up a potential divine detective. What a bargain. People really should not stay cooped up at home. Regular outings are necessary.

Wang Xiuwen wore a helpless expression, noted the order, and continued, "I have located Liu Guanglin as you instructed. He is dining at the First-Rate Pavilion. Following your orders, I had a trusted guard pretend to admire his talent and buy him drinks until he was thoroughly drunk. What should I do next?"

"Already drunk? That fast?"

Wang Xiuwen replied, "I slipped him something."

"Wait for me. Let's head over there first," An Lin said. After a few steps, she suddenly remembered something. "Go fetch me some paper and ink."

Hearing this, Wang Xiuwen rummaged through his sleeve and produced a sheet of paper and a brush for her.

An Lin scribbled several lines onto the paper. After reviewing it once to confirm accuracy, she folded it and handed it to Wang Xiuwen. "Give this to the guard accompanying Liu Guanglin. Have him take Liu somewhere secluded, make sure he is truly drunk, and then question him according to the instructions on this paper."

Wang Xiuwen complied.

By the time An Lin arrived, the preliminary arrangements were complete. The assigned guard stood at the alley entrance, supporting a heavily intoxicated figure. He took the crumpled paper and awaited her instructions.

An Lin's gaze habitually drifted upward to Liu Guanglin's head, then froze. Her eyes widened slightly.

[Liu Guanglin (Palace Examination Candidate)]

[Governance: ? | Military: ? | Learning: ?? | Martial Strength: ?? | Politics: ?? | Management: ? | Ambition: ?? | Loyalty: ? | Prestige: ???]

Where numbers should have been, there were only question marks. Their count might offer a clue: some values had one question mark and others had two, so perhaps one mark stood for a single-digit value and two for a double-digit one.

What caused the question marks?

I wondered, then nodded to the guard supporting Liu Guanglin. The guard led him into the alley.

The man responsible for intoxicating him and conducting the dialogue was Gan Ping. Originally from the imperial Shadow Guard, he transferred to overt duty after earning merit, maintaining absolute loyalty to the throne.

Inside the alley, Gan Ping set Liu Guanglin down against the wall. He unfolded the crumpled paper with steady hands and cautious breathing, mentally prepared to guard any classified information with his life.

But as the paper slowly opened, the first line revealed five large characters.

He recognized every character individually, but strung together, they meant absolutely nothing to him.

Gan Ping hesitated, then crouched to press a pressure point on Liu Guanglin's neck, rousing him from drunken slumber while keeping him dazed. He spoke calmly, reciting the emperor's exact words from the paper: "Odd changes, even stays."

Liu Guanglin was completely groggy, his head heavy, his body alternating between cold and hot.

Through the haze, his consciousness caught extremely familiar words etched into his very DNA. Instinctively, he replied, "Signs depend on the quadrant."

... Where was he? How could he hear that phrase? Had he actually not transmigrated at all? Were all the events he had experienced... just a dream?

Or... had he met someone else who had transmigrated too?

His mind was a tangled mess, incapable of coherent thought. He could only respond sluggishly.

Outside, An Lin heard the reply and nodded silently, confirming Liu Guanglin was indeed a transmigrator.

When I was writing the code phrase, I hesitated between common ones like "Imperial Jade Liquor" and "Heavenly King Covers Earth Tiger." I chose the mathematical rhyme because even if someone had transmigrated, they might not come from the same world as me. Those other phrases could fall flat because of cultural differences.

Mathematical laws should be the same in every world, right?

Inside, the guard continued reading questions from the paper.

"Liu Guanglin, can you manufacture chemical fertilizer?"

"No..."

"Are you skilled in agriculture? Do you know crop improvement and cultivation?"

"Nah..."

"Do you manage livestock? Can you make honeycomb coal briquettes?"

"No..."

"..."

"Then what else can you do?" After a rapid-fire series, the guard posed the final question on the page.

"Glass... soap... papermaking. I-I memorized them specifically... can make money..." mumbled a half-conscious Liu Guanglin, his speech slurred.

An Lin fell silent.

I know how to make those too. Then again, anyone with a little common sense and nine years of compulsory education should know them.

"I can... I can... greenhouses... cut potatoes into chunks to plant, high yield... miracle seeds, great merit..."

Tsk.

I know that too. Anyone would...

An Lin pressed her temples in disappointment.

Before I started asking, I had hoped this transmigrator specialized in engineering or agriculture. And this? That was all?

Couldn't he know something I didn't?

Even if he knew how to care for sows after they gave birth, I could at least classify him as somewhat useful.

"I can also... recite poetry! I have memorized plenty. Yang Sheng, Fang Shiyuan, Zhong Chongshan, Jiang Juging, Wei Yin..."

Inside, Liu Guanglin kept talking, eventually slurring out verses. An Lin lost patience. She instructed Wang Xiuwen, "Record everything he says. Get him drunk a few more times before he wakes up, and make sure he remembers nothing about today's questioning." Then she turned and left.

How best to make use of him, then?

Since he had memorized how to make glass and soap, make paper, and build greenhouses, I could have him work on those first and spare myself the trouble of recalling the details. He was shameless enough to steal others' poems for fame; surely he could work hard to climb the ladder. I'd place him under the Ministry of Works first, instead of having him serve as a Hanlin Academy compiler, and have Wang Xiuwen secretly keep an eye on him.

I could also gather evidence along the way that the poems and essays weren't his, to clear Yang Sheng's name of plagiarism.

Three months? No. I should be able to squeeze all the useful knowledge out of him in just two.

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