If the Startling Swan Immortal could be described as a fairy descended from the ninth heaven—lofty and inviolable—then Duke Ji Heng of Su seemed like an enchanting demon spirit wandering through the night in fine clothes, capable of stealing one’s soul in the blink of an eye.
The young man’s red garments instantly captured everyone’s attention on the examination grounds. That beautiful, flawless face possessed a mesmerizing power, while his half-smiling gaze added a touch of wickedness to the faint smile at the corners of his lips. This was a captivating youth—even the red beauty mark at the corner of his eye was as alluring as the black-gold phoenix butterfly embroidered on his clothing, dazzling those who looked upon him until their heads spun.
He strolled leisurely across the examination grounds with an elegant and languid bearing, as if admiring the moon in a garden. Yet his presence made the entire crowd seem frivolous by comparison, even causing the previously unparalleled and noble immortal maiden ahead to appear somewhat affected.
Heaven-blessed good looks, Jiang Li sighed inwardly. She had seen handsome men before—Shen Yurun, Xue Zhao, even Jiang Jingrui and Ye Shijie—but Ji Heng’s beauty was more like a brutal, direct separation from ordinary people by a vast distance. If one hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, it would be difficult to believe there could be such a beautiful man in the world—or rather, such a beautiful person.
Everyone around stared with fixed eyes. Even Meng Hongjin and Jiang Youyao gazed at Ji Heng from afar, reluctant to look away. The crowd seemed to have forgotten that Ji Heng was a moody bastard—even if he was a beauty, a temperamental and poisonous beauty was still best avoided.
Ji Heng paid no attention to others’ gazes and, like the Startling Swan Immortal, took his seat among the examination judges. With this, including Xiao Deyin, a total of five judges were now seated.
Xiao Deyin, being a teacher at Mingyi Hall, had naturally been there all along. Seeing that Mianju had also arrived—he was currently the palace musician of Northern Yan, specially performing for the Emperor and his consorts—wearing coarse hemp clothing, he had quite the air of a recluse and appeared very content. There was also a lean middle-aged man, Shi Yan, who held the highest position among music officials, presiding over ceremonial music, with a somewhat arrogant demeanor.
These several individuals were either qin masters and music officials, or tutors and qin-playing ladies—all accomplished in matters of “qin music.” Only Ji Heng among them seemed somewhat out of place. His status was incomparable to the others—he was a true prince of the highest rank. Regarding qin music, people had only heard that he enjoyed listening to opera, not that he enjoyed listening to the qin. Moreover, listening to the qin was not equivalent to playing it. He could even be considered a layperson. Having an outsider evaluate the results seemed rather frivolous.
Yet regardless of what others thought, none would show it. Whether they feared provoking Ji Heng’s anger or had already been bewildered by his appearance was unclear.
Jiang Li noticed that both familiar and unfamiliar faces had gathered today. She even spotted Zhou Yanbang. When her gaze inadvertently met Zhou Yanbang’s, his eyes immediately lit up, causing Jiang Youyao to look at Jiang Li with a glare so fierce it seemed she wanted to carve out her flesh.
The examination was about to begin.
Young attendants with red ribbons tied to their arms began announcing each person’s number. Jiang Li only bothered to remember those she knew: Meng Hongjin was eighth, Jiang Youyao was twelfth, Jiang Li herself was thirteenth, Liu Xu was eighteenth, Jiang Yuyan was twentieth, and Jiang Yu’e was twenty-fifth.
Since each person didn’t have much time, the examination had almost no unnecessary steps and quickly proceeded with people taking turns.
The noble ladies of Mingyi Hall, having been able to enter the institution, were naturally all excellent. Even those who were most mediocre would be considered talented in ordinary households.
Jiang Li listened to the qin music drifting to her ears, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She was thinking that by now, Shen Yurun and Princess Yongning were probably becoming increasingly entangled. Princess Yongning and Prince Cheng were siblings, so Princess Yongning would certainly introduce Shen Yurun to Prince Cheng. If Jiang Li’s guess was correct, Shen Yurun would undoubtedly become Prince Cheng’s man in the future—this was beyond question.
Prince Cheng held power, and Shen Yurun had some brains. He might not fail to gain Prince Cheng’s special favor. Shen Yurun was already a Secretariat Drafter and favored by the Hongxiao Emperor. If Prince Cheng pushed him forward as well, wouldn’t his status be even higher in the future? Trying to deal with Shen Yurun then would be difficult.
But it wasn’t completely without options. Prince Cheng currently had good relations with the Right Chancellor. Right Chancellor Li Zhongnan happened to be mortal enemies with Jiang Yuanbai. In other words, the Jiang family and Prince Cheng’s faction were not on the same side. If the Jiang family could also be drawn into this, dealing with Shen Yurun from Prince Cheng’s faction would become a natural course of action.
Borrowing the Jiang family’s influence would be much easier than acting alone.
It was just a matter of carefully considering how to borrow that influence.
Lost in these calculations, she didn’t find the time passing slowly. In the blink of an eye, seven noble ladies had already performed, and now it was Meng Hongjin’s turn.
Liu Xu told Jiang Li to watch carefully as Meng Hongjin ascended the examination platform.
Today’s Meng Hongjin was much more composed than usual—perhaps because qin music wasn’t something she excelled at to begin with. She sat down, took up the yao qin, burned incense and washed her hands, then played a piece called “Clouds Over the Xiao and Xiang Rivers.”
“Clouds Over the Xiao and Xiang Rivers” conveyed the complex feelings of a traveler heading south who, upon seeing the rushing clouds and waters, awakened a love for their homeland’s rivers and mountains, lamented their drifting circumstances, and yearned for a reclusive life. The piece emphasized scattered notes and frequent gliding vibrato. As Jiang Li listened, she felt Meng Hongjin’s rendition of “Clouds Over the Xiao and Xiang Rivers” was soft and weak—not like a traveler heading south, but rather like a young lady admiring clouds.
Although she hadn’t conveyed the emotional realm of the composer, Meng Hongjin’s finger techniques were still quite skilled. However, learning the qin required more than just finger technique—it also demanded qin heart. Meng Hongjin had done her best, but could only be said to lack talent in qin music.
Sure enough, when Meng Hongjin finished the entire piece, aside from some uninformed young gentlemen who called out praise, the five examination judges showed no particular expression. Ji Heng was even more distracted, playing with the gold-threaded folding fan in his hand, opening and closing it repeatedly, his eyes alluring and colorful.
“Meng Hongjin played fairly well,” Liu Xu breathed a sigh of relief. “This makes things easier for you too.”
Jiang Li had won first place in the upper three categories, so as long as she didn’t rank last in the lower three, she wouldn’t be expelled from Mingyi Hall and naturally wouldn’t have to kneel and apologize to Meng Hongjin. But even so, if she performed too poorly in the lower three categories, this winning advantage could still potentially be overturned.
At least Meng Hongjin hadn’t been “stunningly impressive,” so Jiang Li could relax somewhat.
“But that sister of yours is no simple matter,” Liu Xu added. “I see she looks quite confident—she probably has something to rely on this time. And you happen to be right after her…”
What unfortunate timing.
Though unfortunate, what was meant to come would come. After Meng Hongjin’s examination, three more people went, and very quickly, it was Jiang Youyao’s turn to take the stage.
Before going up, she deliberately walked to Jiang Li and smiled, saying, “Second Sister, I’m going first.” It sounded like a modest and courteous younger sister speaking to her elder sister, but Jiang Li didn’t miss the provocation in her words.
She smiled back: “Good luck.”