On stage, the examiners were determining the results, while below, the students were engaged in discussion.

The fact that Shen Miao hadn’t embarrassed herself today not only made the evaluation seem somewhat dull, but also caused her fellow students, who normally wouldn’t give her a second glance, to take notice. People were indeed strange—if someone who was usually terrible showed even a slight improvement, they might experience a complete reversal of fortune in others’ eyes.

Feng Anning was rather nervous, frequently glancing toward the examiners on stage. For some unknown reason, the officials on stage seemed to be engaged in some dispute.

“It seems today’s competition is quite intense,” Fu Xiuan smiled. “But for young ladies, why take it so seriously? After all, they won’t enter official service.” He had always been somewhat arrogant and wasn’t afraid that the adults around him might hear and be displeased, despite some of them being fathers of the students who had just been on stage.

“Evaluation opportunities are rare,” Fu Xiuyi said. “Naturally, one should make the most of them.”

“Ninth Brother speaks correctly,” Fu Xiuxuan took up the teacup from the table and took a sip. He said, “If there are particularly outstanding young ladies, Ninth Brother might take note.” Though he appeared calm, he was not easy to deal with. Both openly and subtly, he was probing whether Fu Xiuyi would seek a wife with a strong background.

“Fifth Brother jests,” Fu Xiuyi shook his head. “My marriage will be decided by Father Emperor. How could it be my place to have a say?”

This was indeed true. Fu Xiuyi usually did things as the Emperor arranged and rarely took initiative on his own. To outsiders, such a prince seemed excessively docile, without ambition, exactly like Noble Consort Dong. But in the eyes of Prince Jing Fu Xiuxuan, there was always something different about him.

“In life, one must sometimes take a gamble, and the same applies to choosing a wife, doesn’t it?” Prince Jing’s words carried hidden meaning. “Until the end, who knows what the outcome will be?”

Prince Zhou also caught his brother’s probing of Fu Xiuyi. His eyes rolled, but he said nothing.

Not long after, the examiner on stage stepped forward to announce the results.

In the zither category, as expected, Feng Anning took first place. There weren’t any particularly formidable competitors in her group, making Feng Anning quite outstanding. She was naturally pleased, going up to receive the evaluation flower card, and descending the stage excitedly to show it to Madam Feng. Madam Feng was delighted—although such an honor couldn’t lead to official positions for women, it was still like adding flowers to brocade. The children of noble families certainly did not lack wealth and prestige, but their talents and beauty could clearly define their rank.

With today’s evaluation, Feng Anning had elevated her status by one level.

In the chess category, Bai Wei took first place. An examiner specifically responsible for recording chess games showed the notated moves to those below, to demonstrate fairness. Shen Miao glanced at the game record. Throughout several matches, Bai Wei’s play appeared much more meticulous, which was why she advanced to the end. Unfortunately, she placed too much emphasis on minute details without better consideration of the overall situation, which slowed her progress and made her play somewhat cumbersome.

In the calligraphy category, Shen Qing only secured second place. First place went to Yi Peilan, whose ode to chrysanthemums expressing a woman’s longing was written with elegance and charm. Although it was somewhat inappropriate for an unmarried young lady to write such poetry, Guangwen Hall prided itself on breaking through the restrictions of propriety, and the requirements for female students weren’t too strict. Moreover, the small poem was indeed written with delightful sentiment, not simply praising chrysanthemums but using them to convey longing, thus elevating it to another level.

Shen Qing’s expression wasn’t good, though she naturally wasn’t skilled in poetry composition, so she was quite helpless.

Finally, it was time for Shen Miao’s group’s “painting” results.

The examiners on stage had varying expressions, indicating that this was likely the group that had caused the most heated debate earlier. The female attendees all speculated that Shen Yue and Qin Qing each had their merits, making it difficult to decide, since these two were often compared at Guangwen Hall. Qin Qing sat in her place with an arrogant expression, seemingly not caring about the result, though her fingers holding the teacup were somewhat stiff.

In comparison, Shen Yue appeared much more at ease. She sat beside Chen Ruoqiu, her gaze somewhat coquettish and shy, while Chen Ruoqiu looked at her tenderly. This daughter was clever and sensitive, with talents as outstanding as her own—skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She had been the center of attention in every evaluation, and seeing how happy she looked, today must also be a sure victory.

Shen Yue was naturally confident. Her brushwork was strong, her artistic conception was good, and even her theme was well-considered. It was as if she had figured out the preferences of these evaluators and could always produce the best work. What did it matter if Qin Qing was beautiful? In the end, she was all looks and no substance. Thinking of “no substance,” her gaze turned to Shen Miao sitting on the other side. Today, Shen Miao had caused her such great embarrassment; she had expected Shen Miao to make a fool of herself on stage, but unexpectedly, she had safely avoided it. But now that the paintings would be displayed for everyone to see, Shen Miao would inevitably face ridicule.

One way or another, she was bound to be laughed at—a flash of satisfaction crossed Shen Yue’s heart.

The examiner responsible for announcing the results called out in a loud voice on stage: “Painting group, first rank—Shen Miao—”

Shen Miao? First rank!

Like a stone causing a thousand ripples, everyone burst into an uproar, even drowning out the examiner’s announcement of the subsequent ranks.

Shen Yue’s smile froze on her face. She looked at Chen Ruoqiu in disbelief, her voice trembling: “Mother, who was the first rank just now? I must have misheard.”

Chen Ruoqiu pinched Shen Yue’s arm. Although shocked and angry, she had decades more life experience than Shen Yue and knew that in this situation, many people would be watching Shen Yue’s reaction. If Shen Yue could remain composed, that would be fine, but acting like this, as if it were a matter of life and death, was already beneath her dignity.

Although Shen Qing and Ren Wanyun took pleasure in seeing Shen Yue lose face for the first time, they were also shocked to hear that person was Shen Miao. They thought the examiner had confused Shen Yue and Shen Miao’s names.

The female attendees’ section was filled with discussion, and the male attendees’ section was naturally in an uproar as well.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t it little Yue?” Cai Lin stood up abruptly, looking at his classmate beside him. “Did I mishear? Did that old man read it wrong?”

He wasn’t the only one with such thoughts, especially among the young men who were classmates with Shen Miao, who were discussing with extremely surprised expressions.

“Look, Brother, I knew she would win,” Su Minglang pulled at Su Mingfeng. Among this group, he was perhaps the happiest, with the white fat on his face trembling along with his excitement.

Su Mingfeng had a headache. Who could have known it would be Shen Miao? Before each evaluation, there were always private betting pools, and he had bet on Shen Yue—a thousand taels of silver!

Well, a thousand taels of silver down the drain. If Old Master Su found out, he would surely tear him apart. Looking at Su Minglang bouncing with joy, Su Mingfeng wanted to cry but had no tears.

Pei Lang frowned but didn’t look at the examiner on stage. Instead, he looked at the purple-clad young lady in the female attendees’ section.

Her face was extraordinarily calm, indifferently watching everyone’s surprise and doubt.

She had known all along that she would win.