On the day of the preliminary announcement ceremony, officials from the Courts of Imperial Entertainments and State Ceremonial had been busy in the Hall of Precious Harmony since dawn, arranging tables and stools, and preparing the golden list on display paper. They only finished all preparations as the sky began to whiten.

Outside the Eastern Palace hall, it was relatively quiet. Several palace attendants stood in the corridor, silent, watching the bright candlelight inside the hall, but no one dared to disturb them.

Someone approached from a distance. One palace attendant instinctively stepped forward to block the door. As the person drew near and the attendant recognized them, he smiled and said: “So it’s Master Shen.”

Shen Zhili, carrying a thin volume in her hands, also smiled slightly at him: “A few days ago, the Crown Prince ordered the Bureau of Operations to investigate someone. I’ve come especially before the preliminary announcement ceremony to deliver this for the Crown Prince’s review.” As she spoke, she peered into the hall and added: “Has the Crown Prince again not slept all night?”

The palace attendant nodded, his expression quite helpless: “Master Shen, you know the Crown Prince’s temperament.” As he spoke, he stepped aside, knocked on the door, and announced: “Your Highness, Master Shen from the Bureau of Operations.”

After a long wait, permission to enter finally came from inside.

Shen Zhili pushed open the door and entered the hall, walking in while saying: “Your Highness.”

Ying Gua came out from inside, a loose outer robe draped over his body. Seeing her, his expression cooled slightly: “Why did the Bureau of Operations send you?”

“I am also part of the Bureau of Operations. Why shouldn’t I come?” she said with a grin, stepping forward to present what she held in her hand. “Your Highness ordered an investigation into Meng Tinghui’s background. The Bureau of Operations transcribed it into this volume last night. I also didn’t sleep all night, rushing to deliver it to Your Highness before daybreak.”

His expression remained indifferent as he reached out to take it. “You have no further business here.”

But Shen Zhili didn’t leave, waiting nearby, watching him open the thin volume and scan page by page, his expression becoming somewhat strange.

Indeed, after turning a few pages, he froze. After a long moment, he closed the volume and said to her: “Why haven’t you left yet? Do you need to involve yourself in all matters concerning Meng Tinghui?” His tone was icy and unfriendly.

She pursed her lips. “Even if I have no merit, don’t I deserve some credit for my effort? Is this how Your Highness treats me?” There was deep amusement in her eyes. “Looking at Meng Tinghui, one wouldn’t imagine her background to be so pitiful. Orphaned from an early age, kidnapped as a child into a nunnery north of Chongzhou in Chao’an North Road, tonsured without household registration. When she was eight years old, it coincided with His Majesty’s edict to close all monasteries and nunneries outside the imperial quota in Chao’an North Road and to order young monks and nuns to be registered in households. At that time, Zhang Yue, the deputy magistrate of Chongzhou Prefecture in Chao’an North Road, failed to enforce the order effectively, causing a large number of young monks and nuns without household registration to become homeless. Many froze to death in the cold nights, and Meng Tinghui was one of them.”

His expression was displeased as he shifted his gaze to stare at her, seemingly knowing what she was about to say next.

Shen Zhili lowered her eyes to look at the thin volume in his palm and continued: “But later she was rescued by a noble person, registered in a household, and then sent to the newly established women’s school in Chongzhou Prefecture.” She paused. “But who that noble person was, the Bureau of Operations could not find out. This is truly a great shame for the Chao’an North Road Section of the Bureau of Operations of our Great Ping Dynasty.”

He frowned. “Leave the hall.”

She pressed her lips together in a slight smile, retreating toward the door, saying: “If I remember correctly, the case of the monks and nuns in Chao’an ten years ago was personally handled by Your Highness. At that time, Your Highness was only fourteen years old, yet made all the arrogant officials in Chao’an fear for their positions. This incident shocked the world that year. Who at court could forget?”

He tightly gripped the thin volume and repeated: “Leave the hall.”

Seeing that she had indeed guessed correctly, she stopped speaking, her face still bearing a faint smile as she withdrew and closed the hall door.

The vermilion door ring trembled slightly against the door panel, making a clicking sound.

He frowned, his right hand gripping even tighter.

How could it be…

How could Meng Tinghui be that child?

That year when he went north to Chao’an, and later traveled west in disguise, he saw so many displaced young monks and nuns along the way. Naturally, he saved whoever he could.

If he hadn’t read what the Bureau of Operations had presented, he would never have thought that Meng Tinghui would be one of the several people he had saved.

…If my body can save the people, I would not begrudge it.

The strong lines between his brows gradually softened. If that was the case, these words must have been what he said to her at that time. And on that journey, he had only said these words to her on that one rainy night, in that one broken temple.

Unexpectedly, she had remembered it for so many years.

He thought again of the gaze she had directed toward him from the great hall on the day of the Palace examination.

She must have remembered him, and perhaps from that day when they met in Chongzhou City, she had been hoping he would recognize her.

In an instant, he seemed to understand her approach of striving for position by any means.

But his brows immediately furrowed again.

If what she longed for was him, that would be something he neither expected nor was prepared for.

From the hour of the Rabbit (5-7 AM), palace attendants had led the top ten female tribute scholars after the Palace examination to wait outside the Hall of Precious Harmony, to be summoned one by one for an audience with the Crown Prince.

The early sun rose from the east and slowly moved to the center of the sky, and the blue-gray palace bricks beneath their feet began to heat up.

Meng Tinghui stood motionless.

It was already past the hour of the Snake (9-11 AM), and still, no one had come to summon her. The midday sun was hot and harsh, burning her face to a flush.

After the ninth person before her had been called in for an audience, a yellow-robed court attendant finally came down from the high hall steps and said to her: “Miss Meng, it’s your turn.”

She took a light breath and walked forward, following behind the yellow-robed court attendant into the hall.

The hall doors slowly closed behind her with a solemn sound.

The scorching sunlight was blocked out by the thick hall walls. The hall was cool, with the air seemingly carrying a trace of moisture, immediately soothing her dry, hot lips.

“Sit.”

Before she could see the person in the hall, before she could perform the ceremony due to a ruler, his voice entered her ears, equally cool but with a hint of hoarseness, penetrating straight to her heart.

She closed her eyes briefly to adjust to the light in the hall and glimpsed a high stool with a brocade cushion placed beside her, but didn’t move. She only looked at the person sitting in front of her and softly said: “Your Highness.”

The thin single robe outlined his strong frame beneath, the gold-thread patterns on the front of his garment intricate and intertwined, his eyes bright, his expression slightly dark. His long legs were propped up on the golden desk, his eyebrows sharp as blades. Though his demeanor was dignified, he had an unrestrained air.

Her throat suddenly felt dry. She had never seen him like this and could never have imagined he would appear this way… Her fingertips felt somewhat numb. She turned to look and saw that there was no one else in the hall, causing her heart to pound involuntarily.

He looked at her and called her: “Meng Tinghui.”

She suddenly came to her senses and lowered her head: “Your Highness.”

“So eager for the position of top scholar?” He spoke directly, his words cutting like a blade through the wind.

Her ears tensed slightly. She heard clearly but acted as if she hadn’t, her face bewildered.

He was not in a hurry, quietly waiting for her to speak.

The hall was silent. Occasionally, the rustling sound of birds flapping their wings and flying past the eaves outside disturbed one’s heart further.

Her expression calm, she said word by word: “I don’t just want the position of top scholar.”

Hearing this, he didn’t seem surprised, only saying: “What else do you want?”

She lifted her lips slightly. “Your Highness stated that the first-place graduate of this women’s jinshi examination would be allowed to enter the Hanlin Academy with the rank of Seventh Grade Editor. However, according to our dynasty’s rules, the first-place graduate of every jinshi examination is granted the position of Sixth Grade Compiler in the Hanlin Academy. Why should the female first-place graduate be one rank lower?”

He played with a jade paperweight on the desk, speaking unhurriedly: “You haven’t yet become the top scholar and have no right to speak of these matters.”

She lowered her head. “If one must be in a position to speak of its governance, then from where does the Hanlin Academy’s reputation for pure discussion come?”

What a formidable mouth.

He put down the paperweight, rose and walked around the desk, down the steps to stand before her, and asked: “Tell me, if you were to become the top scholar, what would you do?”

She still kept her head lowered. “Your Highness just said, I haven’t yet become the top scholar and have no right to speak of these matters.”

Before she finished speaking, he grasped her chin and lifted it.

She was slightly startled, raising her eyes to meet his gaze—a pair of eyes like deep ravines, ultimately cold.

His elbow half-bent, he lowered his head to study her. Memories from deep layers continuously surged, yet he still couldn’t see that she was that child from years ago. His fingers holding her chin never loosened, and after a long while, he slowly began to speak: “Since you so desire to be the top scholar, I will let you be the top scholar. Not only will I let you be the top scholar, but I will also grant you the Sixth Grade Compiler position, allow you to enter the Eastern Palace as a lecturer, compile the history of the previous dynasty, enter both departments to observe the drafting of edicts by the scholars of the Hanlin Academy, and I will also bestow upon you the silverfish pouch. How about that?”

Each word fell into her ears, shocking her mind.

Her chin ached slightly as she saw layer upon layer of deep meaning in his eyes, yet she didn’t understand.

Such extraordinary favor…

What was his intention?

She focused her mind for a long moment, and instead of answering, she said: “…Ruler and subject are distinct. Your Highness’s rash behavior is highly inappropriate.”

He released her chin. “You don’t even have the title of jinshi yet, how can you consider yourself a subject? Yet you repeatedly speak wild words. Have you ever regarded me with proper respect?”

She looked up, gazing directly into the depths of his eyes. His eyes of different colors were deep and indifferent like surging waves, drowning her heart in a flood of wetness.

He raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze.

This sentence seemed like a mockery to her, she thought. Then she naturally recalled the provincial examination incident, increasingly feeling that he must look down on her in his heart.

Somehow, this conviction made her particularly unwilling to show weakness. Hot blood surged from her heart to her mind, and she leaned a little closer to him, looking at him and saying: “Your Highness has not yet ascended the throne to inherit the great rule, how can you consider yourself a ruler? If we are neither ruler nor subject, then what does it matter if I am a bit presumptuous?”

He heard clearly and was about to speak.

But unexpectedly, she suddenly drew near and turned her head to kiss his left cheek.