The news that Jiang Li had won first place in the upper three subjects of the Mingyi Hall assessment quickly spread throughout the entire capital of Yanjing, naturally reaching Meng Hongjin’s ears as well.

At this moment, the Chengxuan Commissioner’s residence was completely silent. In the room, Meng Hongjin lay collapsed against the couch, sobbing quietly. Beside her, Madam Meng embraced her daughter with heartache and said, “My child, stop crying. This is only the upper three subjects. Aren’t there still three more subjects to be tested? How can you say we’ve reached a desperate situation?”

“How disgraceful!” Meng Youde—Meng Hongjin’s father—currently wore an extremely unpleasant expression as he said, “Making a wager with someone so confidently, yet now suffering such a crushing defeat. You’ve even caused me to lose face. What a useless thing!”

Hearing these words, Meng Hongjin’s heart filled with immense grief, and she cried even more uncontrollably.

Seeing her daughter cry so sorrowfully, Madam Meng’s heart also filled with resentment. She immediately said, “How can you blame Hongjin for this? That Jiang Li had only just returned to Yanjing and stayed in a nunnery for eight years. Everyone assumed she was completely empty-headed. How could anyone have predicted she would suddenly win first place this time? Could you have foreseen it?”

Meng Youde found himself at a loss for words. He truly hadn’t been able to predict such an outcome. It was precisely because of this that when he learned his daughter had made a wager with Jiang Li, Meng Youde had only lightly reprimanded her for being impulsive before saying nothing more. This was because Meng Youde had been absolutely certain that Jiang Li would lose.

Reality had slapped him hard across the face. Thinking about the mocking looks his colleagues had given him during this morning’s court session, Meng Youde felt extremely irritated.

Madam Meng spoke again: “The more I think about this matter, the more something seems off. Could it be that Jiang Li used some underhanded method? You must know that Jiang Yuanbai holds no ordinary position at court. Could he have bribed the examiners for this assessment? Otherwise, how could my Li’er possibly lose to her?”

“That’s right.” Meng Hongjin said between sobs, “The sisters at Mingyi Hall and I have been studying there for five or six years. Jiang Li has only been there for less than ten days. Could it be that the nunnery also had a school like Mingyi Hall where she could study?”

Hearing both his wife and daughter say this, Meng Youde began to ponder. He had secretly already pledged allegiance to the Right Minister, making him the Right Minister’s man. Jiang Yuanbai and the Right Minister had never gotten along. This also meant he and the Jiang family were enemies. Now that Jiang Li’s performance in the assessment seemed unnaturally excellent, if he could catch evidence of Jiang Yuanbai colluding with the Mingyi Hall examiners, that would be perfect. His Majesty the Emperor most detested people manipulating civil examinations. If he could use this to severely strike at Jiang Yuanbai, he would have achieved great merit.

A blessing in disguise—Meng Youde’s heart suddenly filled with hidden excitement. He picked up his outer robe and put it on, saying, “I’m going out for a bit,” then hurriedly left.

Seeing her father leave, Meng Hongjin felt even more aggrieved. Madam Meng comforted her, saying, “What’s there to fear? Aren’t there still the lower three subjects? Starting tomorrow, the lower three subjects will be tested—music, horsemanship, and archery. Your skills in horsemanship and archery are already outstanding. Even if the nunnery had teachers, they certainly wouldn’t have instructors for horsemanship and archery. That Jiang Li will definitely be defeated by you.”

Meng Hongjin was one of the few young women at Mingyi Hall who took great interest in archery and horsemanship. Her temperament was naturally fierce, which happened to suit the rigid requirements of these martial arts. Her horse riding skills had once amazed everyone, and her archery accuracy could rival that of fine men. At Mingyi Hall, or even in all of Yanjing, no one dared compete with her regarding archery and horsemanship.

If the previous three subjects—calligraphy, mathematics, and etiquette—had merely shown Meng Hongjin as excellent, the upcoming music, horsemanship, and archery were different. Setting music aside, horsemanship and archery were her specialties.

Thinking of this, Meng Hongjin’s heart settled somewhat. But even so, the sense of humiliation caused by Jiang Li had not disappeared. Because of Jiang Li, her previous boastful words seemed to have become a joke. Unable to even surpass a fool who had just entered Mingyi Hall—who knew how many people would gossip about her behind her back.

Whenever Meng Hongjin thought of others’ scornful gazes, her hatred for Jiang Li intensified. She wished she could trample Jiang Li beneath horse hooves on the testing grounds…

Suddenly, a thought surfaced in her mind.

If she were to trample Jiang Li beneath horse hooves… On the testing grounds, weapons and accidents were unpredictable…

Her heart felt as if it had been rolled in cold water, then doused with hot soup—cold then hot, slowly beginning to boil.

…

Meanwhile, on the other end, Meng Youde, who had gone searching for evidence of Jiang Yuanbai “colluding” with the examiners, was destined to return empty-handed.

To prove the fairness of the Mingyi Hall assessment, the top three examination papers had been specially transcribed and posted beside the hall entrance. For a time, countless people came to view them.

Meng Youde was nearly squeezed out by the crowd. He could only hear many people around him discussing: “Whoever still says Second Miss Jiang can’t recognize a single character—I’ll smash their skull with a club! I think Second Miss Jiang’s calligraphy is much better than the scholar’s writing in our village school. Although I can’t read a single character, I still know it looks good!”

This was probably an illiterate commoner.

There were also scholarly-looking readers whose voices carried through the crowd to Meng Youde’s ears: “Most wonderful is still the essay—citing classics extensively with unique insights. Second Miss Jiang must be someone who has read extensively. I have studied diligently by cold lamplight for fifteen years, yet I’m still inferior to a young lady. How shameful! How shameful!” He then covered his face and sighed deeply.

“They say one’s character shows in one’s writing. Second Miss Jiang’s calligraphy resembles a man’s—quite magnanimous, open and refreshing, like a spirited young hero,” said a rough-bearded man who looked like a warrior in a muffled voice.

“These accounting methods aren’t bad either. There are even new techniques here. These methods are good—I’ll copy them down to use in my shop for bookkeeping. Much easier than the old accounting methods,” said a merchant wearing a golden abacus around his neck, his eyes gleaming.

In short, once this transcription of Second Miss Jiang’s examination paper was posted, all the rumors collapsed without attack. The Mingyi Hall assessment couldn’t possibly have leaked questions; Second Miss Jiang must have completed it on the spot. Comparing it with the answers of the other top three, Second Miss Jiang’s examination paper was clearly far superior.

This first place was truly well-deserved.

Meng Youde walked out from the crowd in a daze. He no longer needed to rack his brains searching for evidence of Jiang Yuanbai colluding with examiners. This examination paper of Jiang Li’s not only allowed Jiang Li to stand out from the crowd but also brought honor to the entire Jiang family. And the more praise Jiang Li received, comparatively, the more inadequate Meng Hongjin appeared.

One person’s rise by stepping on another’s reputation was a common occurrence in official circles. Meng Hongjin also represented the Meng family. In this wager, at least in the first half, the Meng family had lost.

Meng Youde walked toward his family residence with unsteady steps. The excited discussions of people around him gradually became indistinct and shapeless in his ears. At this moment, only one thought remained in Meng Youde’s mind: this wager had now progressed beyond mere child’s play—its impact had become too significant. Perhaps even the palace had heard about it. If Meng Hongjin couldn’t turn things around in the lower three subjects, the Meng family would have no chance of victory.

That would be truly troublesome.