Chapter 98

The old eunuch, standing sideways at the palace gate, extended his hand in invitation, then turned and led the way, walking at the side and in front, occasionally gesturing to invite them along.

Yu Qing, unfamiliar with the layout of the imperial palace, had not been told about its terrain by those who had previously instructed him on the rules. At this moment, he simply followed the old eunuch, with the pace set by the eunuch.

Yu Qing, who was seeing the grandeur of the palace for the first time, subconsciously looked around. The armed guards with their weapons were not particularly noteworthy, but the people who were either subtly or openly watching from the side made him feel a chill inside.

Rumors had it that the imperial palace was filled with skilled experts and many great archers. Yu Qing, considering his own cultivation, feared that if anything went wrong, he would have no chance of escaping.

He was here to do something he felt guilty about, and he felt a sense of tension as if he were deep in a tiger's den, silently hoping that nothing would go wrong.

What he feared most was that plans could not keep up with changes, which would be truly fatal.

The old eunuch did not lead the group of candidates around aimlessly or deep into the inner palace. Instead, he headed straight for the grand hall directly ahead.

After crossing the square, the group carefully and hurriedly ascended the steps from one side of the dais, passed the jade platform, and stepped over the high threshold, entering a solemn and majestic hall, all the while not daring to make a sound.

Inside the hall, tables and chairs were already set up. The space was limited, so the tables were short and just enough to use.

At the front, a long table was placed separately, also due to the limited space, right in front of the imperial throne.

"The candidates, please take your seats!" the old eunuch who led them into the hall called out.

There were already examiners present in the hall, and the four leading figures were none other than the four chief examiners from the metropolitan examination.

Seeing the candidates all at a loss, unsure of where to sit, the Grand Secretary Luo Yewen loudly said, "The rankings from the metropolitan examination do not count for the palace examination. Your final rankings will be determined by His Majesty after the palace examination. For the palace examination, seating is not based on ranking. Please find an empty seat and sit down!"

Thus, Yu Qing, like the others, aimlessly looked for an empty seat, but his wrist was suddenly gripped.

Turning back, he saw the old eunuch who had led them, smiling, holding his wrist. "Once you enter the emperor's hall, you will resolve your past and future fame, Scholar Yu. Come, come, follow this old servant, and sit at the front." He pointed to the table at the front.

Sit at the front? Yu Qing, feeling guilty, dared not. He feared that sitting at the front would make it harder to cheat. He immediately resisted, saying, "Thank you, Your Excellency, for your kindness. I am fine sitting here. It would be better to have someone with a handsome appearance sit at the front, which would look better and more dignified for the court."

"What are you saying? Choosing someone handsome for the palace examination, what kind of exam would that be?" The old eunuch, unable to laugh or cry, continued, "Scholar Yu, His Majesty greatly appreciates your essays. When His Majesty arrives, he may want to question you in front of the hall. Sitting at the front will make it easier to respond. If you sit at the back, His Majesty might not see you clearly, which would make us servants appear lacking in discernment."

"Ah!" Yu Qing was truly shocked. He had to answer questions in front of the emperor? His heart leaped to his throat, realizing that what he feared most had come true.

Dazed, he was led to the chief seat. The old eunuch made him sit in the separate seat at the front, gently patting his hand before letting go. "Scholar Yu, I truly admire your poetry. When I have the chance, I must ask you for a poem. I hope you will grant me this favor."

Yu Qing, feeling goosebumps from the touch, had an impulse to punch him. Besides, he couldn't write any poetry to give. He could only force a smile and say, "Sure, we'll see."

The old eunuch then left him.

For a moment, Yu Qing, who was treated specially, became the most noticeable person. Many candidates looked at him with envy. If any candidate were treated this way, it would be something to boast about to their descendants.

The four chief examiners from the metropolitan examination, including Luo Yewen, also couldn't resist passing by Yu Qing a few times to take a look.

Although the candidates had been examined by them, this was the first time they saw him in person.

Feeling as if sitting on pins and needles, Yu Qing took a deep breath. No matter what, his seat was finally determined.

He looked around at the candidates still taking their seats, pulled up the sleeve of his left hand, and revealed the bracelet on his wrist. The bracelet was a temporary addition, and the key was the small bell hanging from it.

He quickly removed the cotton from inside the bell and, taking advantage of the opportunity to raise his hand, bravely shook the bell.

"Ding ling ling..."

The sound was not loud, but it was clear enough for everyone in the hall to hear.

Many thought they had heard wrong, but the bell sound was intermittent, and there was indeed a bell ringing in the hall.

Everyone looked around and eventually found the source of the sound, exchanging glances.

The four chief examiners and several eunuchs quickly approached Yu Qing, seeing the bell on his wrist as he arranged the ink, brush, and paper on the table.

Grand Secretary Luo immediately pointed and asked, "What is this?"

Yu Qing took off the bracelet, taking the opportunity to shake the bell more vigorously, and asked, "Is this what you mean, Your Excellency?"

Grand Secretary Luo: "What do you think?"

Yu Qing: "To answer Your Excellency, this was given to me by a servant when I left home this morning. They said it would bring good luck." He shook the bell again, "The 'bell' of good luck, they asked me to wear it. I thought it sounded auspicious, so I brought it."

At this moment, he heard his junior master's familiar voice in his ear, "That's enough, don't shake it anymore. I know your position."

Yu Qing felt a great relief.

The few people who had gathered exchanged glances, and Grand Secretary Chu added, "The meaning is good, but it is inappropriate here. This is the palace examination venue, and you cannot disturb others while they are answering."

Yu Qing hurriedly apologized, "Yes, I understand." He then placed the bell on the corner of the table, indicating that he would not touch it again until the exam was over.

The group then dispersed.

Xu Fei, who had been staring at him, was speechless. Having traveled together until now, he found that this Scholar Shiheng always had problems, causing trouble wherever he went, even during the palace examination.

Of course, he himself was also very nervous, worried that a poor performance might raise suspicion, although his uncle had said that passing the metropolitan examination was enough.

The examination hall fell into silence as everyone waited, with the sound of the water clock ticking in one corner of the hall.

The chief examiners occasionally went to the water clock to check the time.

Yu Qing, with his superior hearing, overheard the chief examiners and the eunuchs talking, "The time is almost up, why hasn't His Majesty arrived?"

Just as they were about to send someone to the palace to urge, three eunuchs hurriedly ran in. The leading eunuch held a scroll and presented it to the chief examiners, "Your Excellencies, the exam questions written by His Majesty have arrived. We can start the exam when the time is up."

The chief examiners were surprised, "Where is His Majesty? Is His Majesty not coming?"

The leading eunuch lowered his voice, "To be more alert for today's palace examination, His Majesty took an extra dose of medicine this morning. He suddenly started bleeding from the nose and is being treated. He cannot appear before the candidates. To avoid delaying the exam, His Majesty, despite feeling unwell, personally wrote the exam questions and sent them here, and asked us to inform you that the responsibility is now yours."

"This..." The four chief examiners looked at each other, speechless, wanting to say what kind of situation this was.

However, with no other choice, they had to take the exam papers and review the questions.

Yu Qing, with his superior hearing, had already overheard the conversation and felt a great relief. He no longer had to answer questions in front of the emperor, which was a huge burden off his shoulders, as if he had saved half his life!

With the emperor not coming, facing a group of people who could not make all the decisions, he felt more confident.

Shortly after, a eunuch publicly unfolded the exam questions written by the emperor. The question was only four characters: "Ode to the Sun, Moon, and Stars."

Grand Secretary Li pointed to the question, "This is today's palace examination question. You have one hour to answer. The timing starts now!"

The candidates, looking at the question, understood that it was another ode.

The eunuch was about to walk around with the question to ensure all candidates could see it clearly when Yu Qing suddenly spoke up loudly, "Your Excellency, I have read too many books, and my vision is blurry. I cannot see the question clearly. Many candidates here are in the same situation. Could you please read the question a few times so we can remember it?"

He was taking a risk, but he had no choice. The content written on the paper could not be seen by his junior master, and he could not read it out loud himself, so he had to come up with this plan on the spot.

Xu Fei, who was present, couldn't help but look at Yu Qing again. He found that this Scholar Shiheng was indeed problematic. He doubted whether this Scholar Shiheng really read a lot of books, as he had never seen him read. Moreover, this Scholar Shiheng's eyes were sharp, seeing things clearly in ancient tombs and desolate places, better than anyone else, at least better than his own. How could his vision be so bad in the capital, and how much effort would it take to damage his eyes in such a short time?

The chief examiners looked at each other and understood. Indeed, many candidates had damaged their vision from reading too much.

It was not an unreasonable request, so after discussing, the chief examiners instructed the eunuch to walk around with the question and read it out loud, "Ode to the Sun, Moon, and Stars... Ode to the Sun, Moon, and Stars... Ode to the Sun, Moon, and Stars..."

The candidates all bowed their heads and wrote down the question on their exam papers.

Yu Qing heard his junior master's voice, "I know the question."

Hearing this, he wrote down the question...

In a quiet courtyard not far from the palace, Zhou Xinyuan slowly opened his eyes, took a step to the side, and left two deep footprints, which he used as directional markers.

He had to remember Yu Qing's exact position to ensure the "thousand-mile sound transmission" spell worked correctly. Otherwise, he might send the message to the wrong person, which would be a big problem.

Leaving the courtyard, he headed straight for the study. Pushing the door open, he saw Mr. Ming sitting at the desk, casually reading a book.

Zhou Xinyuan walked directly to the desk, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote "Ode to the Sun, Moon, and Stars" on a piece of paper. He then moved it in front of Mr. Ming and said, "This is the question for the palace examination. You have only one hour to answer. Please hurry, Mr. Ming!"

Mr. Ming glanced at it and snorted, "If this is the question, you are truly remarkable."

"It should be correct," Zhou Xinyuan looked at the question, "Is the question for such a significant palace examination just a few words? What kind of exam is this?"

Mr. Ming sighed, "What else could it be? The sun, moon, and stars can only be used to compare someone to the sun and the people to the stars, each playing their roles." He shook his head, reached for the brush, dipped it in ink, thought for a moment, and then began to write rapidly.