Chapter 028: Examination

After committing an act of bullying, Jiang Xuening returned to her room without any psychological burden.

What was there to worry about?

A young lady trying to break off an engagement by labeling her suitor as “cursed” to lose his prospect, especially when he was known for his integrity and uprightness, would not necessarily be the one to suffer if the news spread. Moreover, if they wanted to make a fuss about what she did today and let others judge, Jiang Xuening would be more than happy.

If it escalated, wouldn’t she be able to leave the palace?

Either way, it was a win-win situation.

That night, Yan Lin indeed brought her some exam questions he had managed to obtain. Although not comprehensive, he knew the general direction and which books would be tested. If she studied by lamplight that night and reviewed again in the morning, passing the exam the next day shouldn’t be difficult.

After all, it was just a test of everyone’s knowledge, not a real academic examination.

The purpose of the exam was merely to eliminate those who were too poor in their studies.

After glancing through the questions, Jiang Xuening found them almost identical to those from her previous life. She then burned the pages in the fire. Although she didn’t care about herself, if someone else saw them, it might lead back to Yan Lin, which wouldn’t sound good.

She slept peacefully that night.

The next morning, after washing and dressing, she opened her door and saw several young ladies from noble families outside, either standing or sitting, reading books and reciting or memorizing quietly.

“……”

It seemed everyone was really working hard to stay.

Jiang Xuening suddenly felt out of place with her laziness.

Probably because of her outburst against You Yue and Yao Xi the previous night, when people heard the door open and saw her coming out, their eyes showed some fear and apprehension.

Only a few greeted her.

Among them was Fan Yilan, the only one not cramming at the last minute. She even smiled slightly at Jiang Xuening, “Good morning, Second Miss Jiang.”

“Good morning, Miss Fan.”

Fan Yilan was truly uncompetitive, with a scholarly air and genuine talent, always calm and composed.

This tranquility was something Jiang Xuening envied.

She was always friendly to those who were kind to her, so she nodded in return and said, “It seems everyone got up early today and takes this academic exam very seriously.”

On this late autumn morning, a light mist floated in the sky.

The girls, dressed in various outfits, stood under the corridor reading.

No matter how you look at it, it was a pleasing scene.

Fan Yilan glanced at the others and said, “After all, everyone probably hasn’t experienced such a situation before, so it’s natural to be nervous. Even I didn’t sleep well last night and got up early today. But Second Miss Jiang, you seem to have slept soundly until dawn, just like the past two days. It’s truly enviable.”

What was there to envy about her ability to sleep? Jiang Xuening found it somewhat amusing.

On the other side, Fang Miao, who had put aside her usual astronomical books and picked up the “Analects” instead, chimed in sourly, “Miss Fan, you don’t know. Even if none of us slept well last night, Second Miss Jiang certainly did. Everyone knows that Minister Jiang is on good terms with Master Xie and they often interact. Second Miss Jiang, if nothing else, must know Master Xie’s preferences and what to pay attention to during the exam. We’re the ones in trouble, not knowing which book to cram.”

At this point, her voice suddenly paused.

Fang Miao finally realized something she had overlooked and slapped her forehead before grabbing Jiang Xuening’s hand, “Second Miss Jiang! I almost forgot, you have connections. Ahem, if it’s convenient, could you tell us what books Master Xie likes to read and if he has any particular preferences when grading?”

Although Xie Wei had interactions with Jiang Boyou, those were matters for the adults. Jiang Xuening, being only eighteen or at most nineteen, wouldn’t know much.

If Fang Miao had asked this in her previous life, she would have asked the wrong person.

But in this life, Jiang Xuening did know.

After all, she had been reborn and knew the exam content in advance.

When Fang Miao asked, the reading voices in the corridor inexplicably quieted down.

Jiang Xuening noticed many people looking at her and thought: why not do this “good deed” that benefits both herself and others?

The better others performed, the worse she would appear!

Fang Miao had asked tentatively, expecting Jiang Xuening to refuse. After all, they were competitors, and who would help their rival?

If someone got pushed out, who would they cry to?

So she sighed, “I’ll just keep reading my ‘Analects.’ It’s better than nothing.”

But to her surprise, Jiang Xuening smiled and said, “The ‘Analects’ is essential. If you have time, reading ‘Mencius’ is also good. Master Xie won’t make the exam too difficult; he just wants to see what we’ve learned. So, following the usual order of study, ‘The Great Learning’ and ‘The Book of Songs’ are also worth reading. My father does have some connections with Master Xie, but I don’t know much about his habits. I do know that Master Xie values neat handwriting. No matter how well you answer, if your handwriting isn’t neat and clear, Master Xie will mark you down.”

Everyone was stunned.

Some were surprised she would say it outright; others wondered if it was true; some doubted her words.

Even Zhou Baoying was reading today.

Her small face was pink and puzzled, “How can that be? Isn’t knowledge and cultivation the most important? If someone is marked down just for poor handwriting, isn’t that unfair? If there are many questions, the writing might be rushed…”

Jiang Xuening smiled, “I don’t know about that.”

In her previous life, she had little contact with Xie Wei and rarely met him. She only heard that when he supervised exams, even those with excellent knowledge but poor handwriting were marked down.

The original top-ranked candidates were demoted to the second rank;

The second-ranked candidates were demoted to the third rank;

The third-ranked candidates might not even have their names listed.

Many candidates were dissatisfied with this and caused a stir, petitioning to remove Xie Wei from his position as the chief examiner. However, Xie Wei continued to do as he pleased without any intention of changing. Eventually, the matter was left unresolved.

Jiang Xuening didn’t understand why Xie Wei acted this way.

She had shared all she knew, and whether others believed her was their business.

Due to Zhou Baoying’s question, many began to doubt Jiang Xuening’s earlier statements.

Only Xiao Shu looked at Jiang Xuening with newfound respect.

Xiao Shu knew that Jiang Xuening was telling the truth.

The Xiao family held significant power in the court, and Xiao Shu, being familiar with the princess and well-educated, was unlikely to be sent home at this stage. However, academic exams were a matter of pride. Someone had already inquired about Xie Wei’s preferences for her, and “good handwriting” was at the top of the list.

She knew this but had never thought to share it with others.

Yet Jiang Xuening had revealed it all…

Did this person have no selfish motives?

Xiao Shu found herself unable to fully understand Jiang Xuening and felt that her own desire to be the best seemed petty in comparison to Jiang Xuening’s openness.

She felt a complex mix of emotions.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xuening was inwardly delighted: these naive girls should make the most of their time to study and write neatly during the exam. Her grand plan to leave the palace and return home early depended on them!

While others were busy studying, Jiang Xuening felt more hopeful than ever. She entered the Liushui Pavilion to make herself a pot of tea, doing no preparation and simply waiting to be called for the exam.

Unexpectedly, just as she started boiling water, an “uninvited guest” arrived.

Jiang Xuening looked up and raised an eyebrow.

It was Yao Xi.

Perhaps because she had cried the previous day and cried even harder after Jiang Xuening left, her eyes were swollen. As she walked in, her gaze remained fixed on Jiang Xuening.

Dressed in apricot-red clothes, she looked quite beautiful.

But Jiang Xuening could sense her resentment and anger from her tightly clenched fists at her sides.

Jiang Xuening calmly arranged the tea set on the tray and smiled, “Miss Yao, don’t worry. Yesterday, we asked you those questions, and you answered. I’m not a good person, but I address any grievances or grudges directly. I don’t engage in backstabbing or spreading rumors, so there’s no need to worry about me talking behind your back.”

Yao Xi felt as if she had been slapped in the face again.

After all, terms like “backstabbing” and “spreading rumors” seemed pointed.

She took a deep breath and said, “I don’t recall having any enmity with you, Second Miss Jiang. After returning last night, I inquired and couldn’t find any reason why I might have offended you. If you have issues with Miss You, that’s one thing. But your words were clearly directed at me. I couldn’t sleep half the night, feeling something was off. Even if you were standing up for justice, your reaction seemed too extreme. It made me wonder, what is your relationship with Zhang Zhe?”

Tsk.

Unable to figure it out, she suspected there was something between Jiang Xuening and Zhang Zhe, possibly to use it as a reason to break off the engagement.

Jiang Xuening was sharp.

If this question had been asked of her in her previous life, she might not have been able to answer confidently. But in this life, she didn’t even know Zhang Zhe, so what “relationship” could there be?

Jiang Xuening leaned forward, using a teaspoon to slowly transfer tea leaves into the pot, and said calmly, “Lord Zhang Zhe is an upright official, known for his integrity and fairness. I’ve learned over the past two years that while not everyone can be a gentleman, it’s okay to be a petty person. It’s fine to use petty people’s ways against them, but it’s best to treat gentlemen with gentlemanly ways. Miss Yao seems to suspect something between me and Zhang Zhe, but after today, you can inquire and find that I’ve never even met this so-called Lord Zhang. If you plan to make something out of this, you should give up. If you find this marriage undesirable and want to break it off, that’s understandable. People naturally seek benefit and avoid harm. But some actions, if taken too far, are not good. If Miss Yao wants to break off the engagement without any harm to herself, where in the world can you find such a good deal?”

“Second Miss Jiang, you speak well,” Yao Xi said, finding her tone grating, “I’ve heard you’re difficult to get along with at home. It’s easy for you to talk now, but if you were in my situation, facing such a marriage, you might not handle it any better!”

This was slander.

Jiang Xuening thought that even in her previous life, when she was at her worst, she had clearly told Yan Lin she wanted to be Empress and marry Shen Jie, without finding innocent excuses or tarnishing Yan Lin’s reputation.

She had liked Shen Jie even before the Yongyi Marquis’ household had trouble.

Regardless of the Marquis’ later troubles, she had always intended to marry Shen Jie, without any intention of kicking someone when they were down. It was just that the two events coincided, making it seem like she was adding insult to injury, which made Yan Lin hate her more.

She looked at Yao Xi with a mocking gaze, “It seems Miss Yao didn’t have any harmful intentions last night, but today you seem determined to be stubborn. If I were Miss Yao, first, I’d be happy to marry into such a good family, especially since my father, a Grand Secretary, thinks highly of the person. Why break off the engagement? Second, if I found the marriage undesirable and wanted to break it off, I wouldn’t smear the person with a ‘cursed wife’ label, making it hard for them to marry. I’d straightforwardly say I want to break off the engagement. Zhang Zhe, being a gentleman, wouldn’t force it. Third, if I were determined not to be labeled as opportunistic and still wanted to break off the engagement, I’d stay put and wait.”

Yao Xi, initially resentful, was suddenly taken aback by the last point, “What do you mean by that?”

Jiang Xuening, now finding Yao Xi increasingly annoying, said coldly, “I’m about to make tea. If Miss Yao doesn’t want to sit and discuss over tea, please don’t disturb my peace. The exam is soon; wouldn’t it be better to spend this time studying?”

Study more, don’t bully the poor.

Having experienced much in her previous life, this was all she had learned. She could only offer this advice, considering Yao Xi might still marry Zhang Zhe in the future. Whether Yao Xi understood or not was up to her.

Yao Xi, feeling humiliated, was once again infuriated.

Since she was being dismissed, she couldn’t stay any longer and left in a huff.

Stepping outside, Yao Xi realized that the Liushui Pavilion wasn’t solely Jiang Xuening’s domain. How could she act like the owner when dismissing others?

But it was too late to go back now, so she had to endure it.

---

Around the second quarter of the hour of the Rabbit, Jiang Xuening had just finished her second pot of tea when a messenger arrived outside Yangzhi Zhai.

“The gentlemen have arrived from Wenhua Hall with the exam papers. The exam will begin at the first quarter of the hour of the Dragon in Fengchen Hall. Ladies, please follow us to Fengchen Hall.”

Everyone quickly tidied themselves and followed the palace attendants to Fengchen Hall.

The hall was only a short walk from Yangzhi Zhai, and they arrived in no time.

Jiang Xuening looked up and saw that Fengchen Hall had a main hall flanked by side halls with small rooms. It was simple, with no elaborate carvings or paintings, and the doors were mostly varnished. The five steps in front symbolized the five virtues of a sage.

Inside, it resembled a classroom.

The main area was for the teachers, with desks and chairs below, complete with writing materials. Against the west wall were a few small tables and chairs, bookshelves, and a tea table, likely for the teachers to rest between lectures.

They each chose a seat.

Jiang Xuening, still somewhat intimidated by Xie Wei, picked a desk in the darkest corner, hoping to avoid attention, even if it meant straining her eyes.

Just then, a voice announced, “The teachers are here.”

Everyone stood up again.

Jiang Xuening, standing in the corner, glanced back and saw Xie Wei in a loose, dark green robe, his hair tied with a jade pin. His serene expression and slight smile made him stand out, especially given his young age compared to his peers.

Some noble ladies who had previously mocked others for blushing at the mention of Xie Wei now understood why.

Many couldn’t look directly at him.

Jiang Xuening quickly lowered her head, not out of fear but hoping Xie Wei wouldn’t notice her. She just wanted to finish the exam and be dismissed.

However…

Xie Wei entered with a stack of exam papers, placed them on the desk, and glanced around. His gaze lingered on the dim corner where Jiang Xuening stood.

His fingers paused as he unrolled the papers.

An elderly scholar beside him asked, “Ju’an, what’s the matter?”

Xie Wei pointed to a palace attendant at the door and said, “Unless there’s a storm or intense sunlight, keep the east corner window open.”

The attendant responded, “Yes.”

He then walked past Jiang Xuening and opened the tightly shut window.

Sunlight poured in, illuminating her and her desk.

Jiang Xuening felt exposed and inwardly cursed: “This setup makes it look like I’m planning to cheat in the dark! Fine, I’ll give you a ‘good’ answer sheet and show you what ‘ignorance’ looks like! Let’s see if it doesn’t drive you mad!”