At dawn on the fifteenth day of the fifth month in the twenty-fourth year of Qiande, the sky was as dark as if ink had been spilled across it. The wind still carried a chill as it penetrated clothing, yet the stone-paved road outside the imperial palace was already filled with women waiting to take the Palace examination.

Small palace eunuchs stood by holding palace lanterns, allowing the officials from the Ministry of Rites to see more clearly when checking names; female officials from the Court of State Ceremonial handed out specially made palace biscuits to the women waiting in line, softly advising: “Each person gets only one package. You won’t be able to leave until nightfall, so plan accordingly.”

After the officials from the Ministry of Rites had verified everyone’s identity, the sky had already brightened. Only then did people from the Court of Imperial Entertainments arrive to lead the women to wait at the steps below the Hall of Precious Harmony.

Meng Tinghui stood among the crowd, looking up to see the distant flying eaves and tall pillars of the palace hall. The glazed tiles on the hall roof glowed dimly in the night, everything around seemingly dreamlike.

Suddenly, a person beside her trembled, making a strange sound in her throat.

A nearby official from the Ministry of Rites hurried over to check, then shouted to the palace attendants not far away: “She’s vomited, quickly take her away!”

Meng Tinghui frowned slightly, watching as two palace attendants supported the woman away, then shifted her gaze to where the woman had been standing.

The palace floor tile was dark in color, covered with dense blue-gray carvings.

How many days and nights of hard study, how many examinations, how many essays had led to this moment?

Yet due to nervousness, the woman had lost this great opportunity to display her talents.

Truly a pity.

She sighed inwardly, rubbing her cold, numb fingertips.

After waiting for more than a quarter of an hour, someone from the hall in front relayed a message, and the officials from the Ministry of Rites had the waiting women enter the hall according to the arranged order.

Inside the great hall, palace candles burned brightly, and the hall’s floor tiles were polished enough to reflect one’s image. The dragon throne was high above, and below were neatly arranged tables and chairs for the Palace examination.

Meng Tinghui found her seat and sat down like everyone else.

The dragon patterns on the golden pillars in the distant corner of the hall appeared somewhat fierce in the candlelight, their nine claws soaring through clouds in an intimidating manner. She stared at them for a long time before looking back at the empty desk in front of her.

The hall was much warmer than outside, yet her fingertips seemed to grow colder, and her palms began to sweat slightly.

She took a deep breath, arranging her writing brush and ink, and was secretly mocking herself for being nervous when she heard music from palace musicians rising outside the hall.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites, the Court of Imperial Entertainments, and the Court of State Ceremonial entered the hall and took their positions. All the women waiting for the examination also rose from their seats.

Meng Tinghui stood up as well, knowing that the Crown Prince was about to enter the hall.

Thanks to this Crown Prince, she had gained a “reputation” as brilliant as the midday sun in the capital because of the provincial examination incident. Though she neither spoke of it nor showed it, she was not pleased in her heart. She had thought she would have no further connection with him in this jinshi examination, but what she hadn’t expected was that on the third day after the Ministry of Rites examination ended, news came that the Crown Prince would preside over the Palace examination in place of the Emperor.

Whether a blessing or a curse… if it’s a curse, it cannot be avoided.

Lost in her thoughts, she lowered her head slightly, hearing those around her call out “Your Highness,” and followed suit in bowing.

The hall’s stone floor was ice-cold and hard, hurting her knees.

A low, clear male voice came down from the high seat at the front: “Be seated. There’s no need for excessive formality in the Palace examination. Focus on writing a good essay, that’s what matters.”

This voice struck her eardrum like a small drumstick with a “thud.”

A roaring sound filled her mind.

Regardless of propriety, she raised her head and looked toward the front—

Ink-black boots with gold-thread patterns on both sides, a black robe with five-clawed dragons displaying majestic anger, the man supporting himself with both hands on his knees, long legs half-bent, sitting on the dragon throne in the middle of the hall.

Sharp sword-like eyebrows, a lean face, and remarkably, eyes of different colors—the left eye deep brown, the right eye blue-black.

The white jade dragon hairpin at the back of his head was dazzlingly bright, piercing her eyes painfully.

She felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of hot water, and then thrown into the depths of a freezing abyss. Her entire body was in sharp pain, yet frozen, unable to move at all.

This person, this face…

How could it be him?

How could it be him?

His right eye…

She bit her lip tightly, her hand resting on the ground involuntarily clenching into a fist.

Not a one-eyed person, but someone who simply didn’t allow others to see his true appearance.

Everyone in the world knew that the Crown Prince was born with eyes of different colors—the left eye inheriting the brown of Prince Ping, the right eye inheriting the black of the Emperor—and from the day of his birth, he was regarded as the sole heir to both their positions.

She had speculated countless times about his identity but never imagined he would be the Crown Prince of the nation.

She had imagined countless scenarios of meeting him again, but never expected it would be at the Palace examination of the women’s jinshi examination.

At this moment, she felt utterly at a loss.

All her previous calculations crumbled in the instant she saw him.

She had been so eager to see him again.

But now that she knew who he was and where he was, she felt increasingly desperate.

She had originally thought that if she could enter the court as an official someday, she might be able to reach his level. But looking at the situation now, she feared she could never reach him in her entire lifetime.

That day on the official road outside Chongzhou City, he had asked for her name, so he knew who she was. That being the case, in the subsequent appointment of the provincial examination top scholar, he must have deliberately made her the target of all arrows.

Thinking of this, her hands resting on the hall floor involuntarily clenched.

She feared that he no longer had a good impression of her, regarding her merely as a woman who would use any means to gain position.

…

His gaze slowly swept over those seated below, saw her, passed over her, and glanced toward the officials from the Ministry of Rites, nodding slightly.

A Grand Scholar from the Hanlin Academy came up from the side of the hall, took the policy essay topic from the inner desk, and presented it to the waiting officials from the Ministry of Rites.

The official from the Ministry of Rites unveiled the yellow title slip and read aloud—

“Discourse on: It is difficult to be a ruler, not easy to be a minister.”

…

This deep voice jolted her whole body, suddenly bringing her back to her senses.

Her mind was still blank, dazed as she knelt to receive the gold-bordered topic paper distributed by the Ministry of Rites official.

She sat back in her seat stiffly, still thinking about him.

Yet she dared not raise her head to look at him again.

The women beside her had already begun writing urgently, the sound of brush tips touching paper passing by her ears. Only then did she suddenly lower her eyes to look at the topic paper clutched in her hand.

Again, the voice of the Ministry of Rites official sounded: “…no changing the topic, submit your papers at sunset.”

This finally brought her completely back to her senses.

She pulled back her sleeve, picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and let the brush fall on the topic paper—

It is difficult to be a ruler,

Even more difficult to be a minister.