In the first year of the Tiansheng reign, the spring imperial examinations commenced.

Countless scholars surged in waves toward the towering Fishscale Gate, their blue-and-white garments catching the spring sunlight, presenting a scene that evoked the feeling of “all the world’s finest talents flowing into my embrace.”

Li Bingsheng stood smiling on a high tower, gazing out over the examination grounds: “Far more people are sitting for the examinations this year than last.”

“In response to Your Majesty.” Chen Baoxiang clicked her abacus. “Thirty percent more.”

Everyone knew that the court would be short of personnel following the enthronement of the new Emperor — those who could distinguish themselves now were guaranteed a brilliant future — and so they had all rushed to compete in this sitting.

“Probably half of them are someone or other’s disciples, I’d wager.” Li Bingsheng glanced back at her with meaning.

Chen Baoxiang waved her hand. “Regardless of their origins, they will all become solely the disciples of the Son of Heaven.”

“That mouth of yours always knows just what to say.” She shot her a sidelong glance, asking with a touch of playful mockery: “And how many disciples does General Chen have this year, hmm?”

Chen Baoxiang immediately produced a sheet of paper and presented it with complete openness: “It’s all on here.”

The corner of Li Bingsheng’s mouth twitched.

She found this candor disarming — should she accept it or not? Accepting it would mean allowing favoritism to march straight into the palace, yet declining it meant she genuinely wanted to read it herself.

Li Bingsheng kept a straight face and, using Chen Baoxiang’s own hand as a shield, took a swift glance.

Well then — over three hundred, nearly rivaling the Gu family and the Xie family.

She couldn’t help but be amused: “Are you trying to establish your own school and founding lineage?”

Chen Baoxiang’s little face fell. “What school, what lineage — they’re all pitiful little souls with nothing to their names. My household expenditure has surged recently on their account. I’m counting on you to take them off my hands and save me a little money on groceries.”

“Are there any remarkable talents among them?” Li Bingsheng asked curiously.

Chen Baoxiang pointed to the paper: “Those above the red line all placed at the top in the county and provincial examinations — I want to see how they perform in this sitting. The ones below have excellent martial skills; I’m thinking of having them sit for the military examinations afterward.”

Li Bingsheng found this puzzling: “If you’ve already decided to have them sit for the military examinations, why bother coming here in the first place? Isn’t that a waste of their time?”

Chen Baoxiang laughed a couple of times, but did not answer directly.

In the distance, a bell tolled, and the candidates began entering through the gates to be searched.

·

Zhang Xiulin was a young member of the fourth branch of the Zhang family. He had previously sat for the imperial examinations himself, and currently held the position of Hanlin Academy Attendant Reader — naive and innocent in the ways of the world.

Today, acting under orders to stand watch inside the Fishscale Gate and supervise the imperial guards’ searches, he grew increasingly astonished at what he observed.

Some guards, having found nothing on a candidate, would still falsely report that the candidate was carrying cheat sheets. Others, upon finding actual cheat sheets, would not only refrain from apprehending anyone but would actually slip two extra sheets to the person beside them.

Some people openly pressed silver into the guards’ hands right there and then; others murmured the names of their powerful family connections.

The ordinary scholars near them trembled where they stood, heads bowed in silent apprehension.

Beneath the vast signboard reading “Great Sheng’s Glorious Brilliance,” this scene looked like a festering, suppurating sore.

He wanted to stand up and put a stop to it.

Gu Yijian, standing beside him, shot him a glance and laughed lightly: “Surely the Zhang family hasn’t reared another ingrate who bites the hand that feeds it?”

Zhang Xiulin froze.

He thought of Zhang Zhixu’s circumstances, and his brow furrowed deeply.

“Since we are all seated together, if the sky above us collapses, it falls upon us to bear it together.” Wang Qingfan nodded toward him. “None of us can escape.”

The Emperor had decreed that they serve jointly as associate officials — so once any blunder was reported above, His Majesty would not bother to ask whose fault it was; he would simply hold all four families jointly responsible.

“Would letting them enter cleanly to take the examination really make the sky collapse?” Zhang Xiulin asked, his face drained of color.

Wang Qingfan burst out laughing at this, shook his head, and didn’t bother to engage with him further.

Naivety was fine — he greatly enjoyed seeing it in his opponents. But if such foolishness appeared on his own side, Wang Qingfan would drive that person out without a second thought.

Customs established over centuries could not be changed by a young upstart asking a couple of offhand questions.

·

The crowd at the search area gradually thinned, and the scholars all filed smoothly into the examination grounds, searching for their assigned examination booths.

Gu Yijian conducted his rounds in accordance with protocol: “This is an examination site of the highest importance. No objects bearing writing of any kind may be brought inside. Those who surrender such items voluntarily before the third bell toll may continue to participate; any items discovered after the bell sounds will result in that scholar being expelled from the examination grounds, and the presiding officials in their vicinity will also be subject to punishment.”

The assembled scholars merely listened; no one stirred.

Gu Yijian nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand for the bell to be struck.

Dong — dong — dong —

After the bell had sounded three times, Wang Qingfan distributed the examination papers and was just about to go look in on his most promising candidates, when suddenly the imperial guards stationed throughout the hall burst into motion all at once.

“What are you doing? What do you think you’re doing!” A scholar cried out. “Let go of me!”

Two imperial guards beside him moved simultaneously — one snatched the cheat sheet hidden in the crack of his desk in one swift motion, while the other seized the scholar himself, taking down the wooden nameplate inscribed with the candidate’s name from outside the examination booth as well.

This was not an isolated incident. Throughout the entire examination hall, tens of thousands of imperial guards all began their searches simultaneously.

Wang Qingfan’s expression changed abruptly. He stood up and demanded of Gu Yijian: “What is the meaning of this? No one said anything about conducting searches again after the examination had already begun.”

If contraband was discovered at this moment, everything would be finished.

Gu Yijian had also panicked: “Who issued this order?”

“I did.” Someone raised a hand with a cheerful smile.

The two men turned around.

Chen Baoxiang entered from the doorway, strolling in at a leisurely pace and greeting them with a salute. Her silver armor gleamed brilliantly in the spring sunlight, and the imperial guard command token in her hand was equally dazzling.

Gu Yijian erupted in fury: “Chen Baoxiang, this is an examination site of the highest importance — how dare you act so recklessly and arbitrarily!”

Wang Qingfan too shook his head: “This is an abuse of authority and a dereliction of duty.”

“Make them stop at once — if the candidates are affected, you don’t have enough heads to bear the consequences!”

Their voices had initially been extremely loud, but as they continued to berate her, the sound suddenly died away.

Because walking in behind was another person.

Clad in imperial dragon-and-phoenix robes, wearing the twelve-pearl bead curtain crown, Li Bingsheng was surrounded by her ceremonial escort as she walked at a measured pace behind Chen Baoxiang. She said nothing at all — she simply scanned them with a dark expression as she passed by Chen Baoxiang.

Her gaze was like a mountain, seeming to crush their very bones to powder.

Cold sweat broke out instantly down Gu Yijian’s back; Wang Qingfan too no longer dared to put on airs. Both of them dropped to their knees simultaneously, pressing their foreheads to the ground, their spines trembling faintly.

In the distance, the imperial guards continued their searches. Of the more than thirty thousand scholars in the examination hall, within the space of a single stick of incense, nearly twenty thousand were found to be carrying cheat sheets.

Those who had been caught were indignant still — cursing and shouting about how much silver they had paid, or boasting about how powerful their backing was.

Some went berserk and grappled with the imperial guards, insisting they would not leave no matter what. Others attempted to smash the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on neighboring desks, trying to ensure that no one would be able to sit the examination.

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

Lin Manyue frowned as she shielded her inkstone. Seeing someone lunging at her from beside her, she had just turned to use her back as a barrier when the candidate from the neighboring booth — Xue Hengyu — sent that person flying with a single kick.

“Manyue, don’t worry about it — just focus on your examination.” Xue Hengyu said excitedly. “Our teacher said we’d be of use coming here. I didn’t believe her before — I had no idea this was what she meant.”

As she said this, she helped the imperial guards subdue another candidate who was throwing a tantrum and rolling on the ground on the other side.

There were quite a number of imperial guards, and they had only been caught off guard momentarily and let these scholars cause a brief disturbance. With the inexplicable assistance of the other group of scholars, the guards quickly regained control of the situation.

In less than half a stick of incense, all the cheating scholars had been escorted away.

Xue Hengyu patted Lin Manyue on the shoulder: “Do your best. Don’t worry about anything.”

Lin Manyue belatedly understood the words Chen Baoxiang had spoken that day.

“When corruption and sycophancy come rolling over you like a wheel, there will be clean and upright officials who step forward to block it and fight it. Before any resolution is reached, you must continue moving forward along your original path — don’t crawl under the wheel.”

— At the time, she had thought her teacher was telling them to concern themselves only with their own integrity.

But that wasn’t it. Her teacher had already made her plans long ago. She would take on those people herself; she would block them herself. All they needed to do was sit in their examination booths and work hard on their examinations — there was nothing else to worry about.

Her eyes reddened. Lin Manyue bit down, picked up her brush, focused her mind, and began reading the questions.