Hearing his voice and tone, her anger immediately subsided. She suddenly felt that she had overstepped her bounds and been disloyal, while he had been condescending and tolerant. Usually quick-witted, she now found herself at a loss for words. After a long while, she finally said softly: “Your subject is neither exceptionally beautiful nor from a prestigious family. How would the young talented officials at court ever be interested in your subject? Your Majesty is truly overthinking.”

Besides, under the scrutiny of half the court, her reputation was already compromised. Although those young court officials might be willing to align with her politically, which man would want to marry a woman like her?

As she thought about this, she found it strange. With his clever mind, he couldn’t possibly misunderstand these matters. She had interacted with so many male officials before—whether it was Huang Bo who had protected her at the Meng residence for so long, Qiu Nian who had accompanied her to pacify Chao’an, or even Cao Jing who was closest to her among all court officials—she had never seen him displeased because of her close relationships with other male officials.

Moreover, of all the people in the world, he understood her best. How could he be jealous of someone like Yin Qing whom she had only met once?

She couldn’t comprehend it, nor could she explain his reaction today, so she stood before him waiting for him to speak.

Hearing her words, he didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he slowly suppressed his emotions, his gaze wandering over her candid face several times before closing his eyes briefly.

She might not be exceptionally beautiful, but how bewitching were those clear, pure eyes of hers? Her every movement was so lively that even the surrounding air seemed to come alive when she stood nearby. She might not have a prestigious family background, but she was stronger than the daughters of any noble family at court. Though a female official, her strategic thinking and courage were not inferior to any man’s.

She was no longer as naive as before, yet she didn’t realize how captivating she had become. She couldn’t understand the complex gazes others cast upon her, genuinely believing that in this world, apart from him—no one else would have feelings for her.

After a long while, he finally moved, changing the subject abruptly: “The first-ranked scholar of this examination will be appointed as an evaluator in the Court of Judicial Review, the second and third as editors in the Hanlin Academy. The remaining positions will be determined by the Ministry of Personnel and then submitted to the Secretariat for verification before appointments are made.”

She silently acknowledged this. Seeing that there was still a thick stack of unreviewed memorials on his desk, she didn’t want to take up more of his governance time. Composing herself, she said: “If Your Majesty has no other matters, your subject will take leave.”

He was about to nod, but then seemed to suddenly remember something and called out to her: “About your earlier request to transfer officials from the Northern Chao’an Circuit’s Commander’s Office, has that still not been resolved?”

Upon hearing this matter, she immediately felt a headache coming on. Shaking her head with a frown, she said: “With Minister Xu and your subject jointly overseeing the Ministry examination, which has just concluded, this matter has not yet been discussed again.”

Despite her words, she clearly understood that even if they discussed it again, given Xu Ting’s stubborn nature, he would certainly not agree.

If she were to present this directly to the Emperor and obtain his approval, it would once again displease the elder statesmen of the Council of State: how could she bypass levels of authority and use the Emperor to pressure the executives over the transfer of mere sixth-rank provincial officials? If she did so, all future personnel matters requiring Secretariat verification would face even greater obstruction.

Therefore, even though he took the initiative to inquire, she was unwilling to ask for his help.

The conflict between the elder statesmen and the new faction could not be resolved through one matter or at one time. Court politics had always been tumultuous and fierce, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was a matter of life and death. How could she reconcile with those elder statesmen? The divisions between the two factions were deep and sharp, and their opposition on various matters remained unresolved. Eventually, one side would become impatient and launch an attack, but who would be wounded or perish then was hard to say.

It was only a question of which side would lose patience first.

The palace examination proceeded without incident, but Yin Qing’s name was not among the top three candidates.

On the day the results were posted, the entire city was abuzz with discussion. Yin Qing’s previously sky-high reputation and the high expectations people had placed on him plummeted.

He ranked seventh in the second class, granted the title of “Jinshi.”

Such an achievement would have been considered extremely honorable for others, bringing glory to their ancestors. But for Yin Qing, it only left people feeling regretful. Some in the capital claimed that Yin Qing’s scholarship was not genuine talent, merely ordinary.

Merely ordinary?

When these words reached Meng Tinghui’s ears, they only made her want to laugh coldly.

Setting aside his poetic talents, she had seen Yin Qing’s policy essay from the Ministry examination. The palace examination topic was not even difficult compared to the Ministry examination. She couldn’t believe that Yin Qing couldn’t produce good writing in the palace hall.

She even suspected that the Emperor had deliberately lowered Yin Qing’s rank, but this thought lingered in her mind for only a moment before she dismissed it. Even if the Emperor had such intentions, he would never waste talent. Wasn’t, Meng Tinghui, the best example of this?

Thus, she felt even more strongly that Yin Qing was not an ordinary person, which left her puzzled.

After the palace examination, a total of three scholars were selected for the first class, twenty-eight for the second class, and forty-six for the third class, including six female jinshi.

Although no woman had reached the first class in this examination, Meng Tinghui was extremely pleased. She had never imagined that six women would be selected as jinshi in this examination, and she felt immense gratitude toward the Emperor.

He truly understood her heart and fulfilled her wishes, making her deeply appreciate his kindness, and her heart completely won over.

On the day when these seventy-seven new jinshi went to the Ministry of Personnel to await their appointments, Meng Tinghui was naturally present. Her purple official gown with the golden fish pouch was particularly eye-catching, and her cloud-like hairstyle was impeccably arranged. The busy officials from the Ministry of Personnel’s Evaluation Department occasionally respectfully asked for her opinion, which made her appear even more powerful, causing the new jinshi to steal glances at her repeatedly.

At first, their gazes were furtive, but seeing that she showed no displeasure, they gradually became bolder in their observations. Clusters of curious eyes seemed intent on seeing through to her very heart and lungs, leaving no inch unexplored.

Official Meng Tinghui had entered the court less than three years ago but was already among the high-ranking officials. She deeply enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, controlled the important personnel matters in the Ministry of Personnel, had gone north to Chao’an to quell the Imperial Guard’s rebellion, had reformed the examination system at court, and now had served as the deputy examiner for the first imperial examination after the new Emperor’s ascension. Even if rumors described her as ruthless, harsh, and vicious, how could they outweigh the allure of her brilliance?

But among those gazes, there was one that remained calm and unhurried, observing her at leisure.

As soon as Meng Tinghui encountered that gaze, she knew who it belonged to. She didn’t avoid it but met it directly.

Yin Qing, standing among the crowd, raised the corner of his mouth at her, just as he had that day outside the Ministry of Rites examination hall. He gave a slight bow as if seeing her in official attire was not at all surprising.

Her suspicions about this man deepened. No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem like a young official who had just passed the examination, yet she couldn’t quite articulate what made him seem so strange.

As things were concluding, the new jinshi was led out of the palace as customary. About half a day later, the Ministry of Personnel officially determined the positions for the second and third-class jinshi, transcribed the document, and submitted it to the Secretariat.

As night fell, while Meng Tinghui was crossing Imperial Street, she was pondering whether anyone in the Secretariat would once again object to the Ministry of Personnel’s recommendations.

Just then, a man called out to her: “Official Meng.”

She turned her head to see Yin Qing standing under a red-lacquered tree branch, his sleeves folded together, waiting for her.

…This was to be expected.

Having witnessed numerous court affairs and having gone through similar experiences herself, how could she not know that this man must have some request of her? So she said: “Do you have a courtesy name I might use to address you?”

Yin Qing smiled faintly, taking two steps closer to her. “Official Meng is indeed unlike ordinary women, getting straight to the point. My humble courtesy name is Fuguang.”

Meng Tinghui lowered her eyelashes in thought, then asked him directly: “With your talent, the position of top scholar would have been within easy reach. How did you end up in the second class?”

The faint smile never left Yin Qing’s lips. “Because this humble official does not wish to stand out. When first entering the court, displaying too much brilliance is not a good thing. Wouldn’t Official Meng agree?”

Her heart trembled slightly.

This was indeed a clever person, and his words carried an implication—suggesting that when she first entered the court, it was precisely because she was too conspicuous that she encountered so many troubles.

She immediately warned herself not to underestimate this young man who had just become a jinshi. Her hand unconsciously tightened within her sleeve, but her face remained impassive as she said softly: “Earlier, Left Remonstrator Cao recommended you to me. I wonder if your intentions have changed since then?”

Yin Qing understood her meaning clearly. He gazed at her silently for a moment before saying: “If they had changed, why would this humble official be waiting here for Official Meng?” As he spoke, he took something out from his sleeve and respectfully presented it to her, saying: “This humble official has observed the court situation and believes that Official Meng currently needs this item. Consider it a token of my sincerity.”

Meng Tinghui did not refuse. She reached out to accept it and opened the box under the dim street light to find a stack of letters inside. She casually drew one out to look at it, her eyes quickly scanning over the contents. Her expression changed immediately, and she looked up in shock: “This…”