Outrageously bold.

The fragrant warmth still lingered on his left cheek, but only these four words flashed through his mind. He lowered his eyes to look, meeting her bright, crystalline eyes—truly clear and pure.

Though he knew she wanted something from him, he never expected her to be so presumptuous!

At that moment, he was too shocked to react and failed to push her away.

Seeing that he neither refused nor accepted, something like sparks danced in her eyes, and she gently leaned forward again, kissing his thin lips.

His temple twitched, and he lowered his gaze, seemingly coming to his senses.

The tip of her tongue was moist as it carefully traced his lips, trying to explore deeper.

He remained rigid, still not moving, still not pushing her away, but his gaze fixed on her was like sword and fire, cutting straight into her eyes.

…

It wasn’t that he had never touched a woman.

At the age of twelve, palace maids had come to serve his bedchamber. In his father the Prince’s words, this too was a branch of learning—how could one who would be emperor lack masculine vigor?

He only remembered his Empress Mother smiling and spitting lightly, her face slightly reddened.

However, he had never tasted any soul-consuming pleasure in it, feeling it was merely a hasty ceremony, announcing that he had come of age and could henceforth enter the Central Secretariat to observe the ministers’ deliberations.

Several years later, when he mentioned this matter to Zhishu by chance, Zhishu laughed and said that he was naturally cold and passionless, without any of his father’s temperament.

…

He did not push her away, only wanting to see just how far she would dare to go, but he did not expect her to truly be so bold as to reach out and embrace his waist.

Her heart was trembling wildly.

She must have gone mad, otherwise how could she be so bold as to act like this toward him in the imperial court…

But the man she had yearned for in her heart for so many years truly allowed her to treat him this way…

Perhaps the Crown Prince, in his high position and handsome appearance, had become accustomed to many female officials throwing themselves at him over the years, or perhaps he simply enjoyed such romantic favors…

Thinking this, she suddenly stopped.

He finally raised his hand, firmly grasping her wrist, his voice as cold as the ninth heaven’s dark river: “Meng Tinghui.” But he only called her name once, with no words following.

She stared at him silently, without any trace of fear.

She thought he was about to do something, but how could she know that he was too shocked to know how to deal with her properly?

Suddenly, someone knocked on the hall door twice from outside, and a yellow-robed court attendant pushed the door open a crack. “Your Highness, His Majesty just…”

The words weren’t finished, the remaining syllables were swallowed back.

The person stared wide-eyed at the scene within the hall, unable to enter, unable to retreat, seeming nailed to the ground, even forgetting to lower his head.

The preliminary announcement ceremony before the final posting of results was just a formality. The Crown Prince receiving the ten female tribute scholars designated for the first and second ranks was merely following the established practice of the jinshi examination. He had expected Meng Tinghui to be leaving the hall by now, but who would have thought… who would have thought…

Her right hand was still wrapped around his lean waist, his right hand tightly gripping her left hand.

She was pressed against him, and he was leaning down, with barely a paper’s width between them, in such an intimate posture that it was enough to make one’s heart race and face flush.

Outside the door, people from the Court of Imperial Entertainments were waiting, and they too had glimpsed the scene inside through the wide-open hall doors. Immediately, they pulled away the yellow-robed court attendant who was still standing in shock.

With two loud “bangs,” the hall doors were hastily closed from outside.

The hall immediately darkened, even the slender flames of the palace candles in the corners trembling slightly.

His entire body emanated a chill that could make her scalp tingle without a single word.

She hadn’t expected to be caught, and after much internal deliberation, she didn’t know what to do—

Their posture, as seen by others, would likely make people think he was taking advantage of her.

How could the Crown Prince’s years of distinguished reputation be ruined in her hands today?

She suddenly became uneasy and, disregarding his fury looked at him and said: “It was I who disrespected authority. Your Highness should simply cancel my scholarly honors.”

“Meng Tinghui,” he suddenly spoke, his expression softening slightly, though his eyes remained cold, “the position of the top scholar in this women’s jinshi examination belongs to none other than you.”

She was slightly surprised, not expecting him to still say such words at this moment.

He turned around and walked toward the golden desk in the hall, where the large and small golden lists and writing implements were all prepared—they were meant for him to personally write the names of the jinshi after the preliminary announcement ceremony. At this moment, the gold-bordered yellow list seemed particularly glaring.

She stared unblinkingly at his back, watching him bend down to pick up the brush, dip it in ink, and truly write her name in the first position.

She was dazed, increasingly at a loss.

Despite her audacity, he didn’t punish her, but still granted her the position of top scholar.

People say the Crown Prince’s mind is deep and unfathomable, and these words are not untrue.

Outside the hall, the tall trees were lush green, birds chirped lightly, and spring had given way to summer.

On the twentieth day of the fifth month in the twenty-fourth year of Qiande, the Palace examination results for the women’s jinshi were announced. Meng Tinghui, the provincial top scholar from Chao’an North Road and principal graduate of the capital’s Ministry of Rites examination, once again topped the list, becoming the first woman in the Great Ping Dynasty’s history to achieve the “Three Yuan” distinction by placing first in all three examination levels.

An imperial edict followed, stating that Meng Tinghui would be rewarded with entry into the Hanlin Academy as a Sixth Grade Compiler, allowed to serve as a lecturer in the Eastern Palace, to compile the history of the previous dynasty, to enter both departments to observe the drafting of edicts by the Hanlin Academy scholars, and additionally bestowed with the silverfish pouch.

When this edict was issued, the already boiling capital city was like oil added to a raging fire, instantly erupting in commotion.

Throughout the years and every session of the jinshi examination, when had such preferential treatment and special honor ever been seen?

And what had happened in the Hall of Precious Harmony that day was, inevitably, leaked out.

Rumors and gossip grew wildly like vines and weeds.

The Crown Prince had never been fond of women, yet during the Palace examination, he had been captivated by Meng Tinghui from Chao’an North Road, and on the day of the preliminary announcement ceremony, he had met with her alone in the Hall of Precious Harmony. Meng Tinghui was no pushover either, knowing how to climb the ladder, her flattery toward those above her being beyond ordinary imagination.

A fawning favorite, a fawning favorite.

The Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Academy, the two most prestigious places in the court, would never respect such a subject. For a time, the voices of the pure stream surged, all saying that Meng Tinghui was truly a treacherous and flattering character.

But rumors and gossip were just rumors and gossip. No matter how high the tide of pure criticism rose, not a single person could truly submit a memorial to His Majesty, asking him to retract the already issued edict.

However, how could the old ministers of the Hanlin Academy allow Meng Tinghui to directly enter the Hanlin? Naturally, they were all silently plotting in their hearts how to deal with this woman who had managed to enter the Hanlin Academy through such means.