Chapter 92 (1/2)
Chapter 92: The Diplomatic Approach
Qi Yun rubbed at his forehead and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. Earlier this month it had been raining so much it was as if a whole year's worth of rainfall had been concentrated to those few days. Recently however, the weather had become so hot it was smothering. The temperature only dropped to a more comfortable level at night. This was how it had always been in the imperial city. Thinking about the weather alone was enough to make one's mood take a downturn.
”There's no need for you to stay,” Qi Yun said to the page boy. ”I'm going to take a walk. You don't have to follow.”
”Understood.”
Qi Yun strolled along the moonlit street. It was late, but there were still a couple pedestrians remaining outside. And a couple wonton shops had not closed yet.
The smell whetted his appet.i.te. He walked into one of the shops and ordered a bowl of wontons. After he had taken a few bites, his attention was caught by the conversation between two peasant men. They were talking about affairs of the court.
”I heard that the fourth prince Qi Yun was a man interested in only literature,” the one dressed like a scholar said. ”Why would he get involved this time?”
The other man laughed. ”So? Isn't everyone in the Royal family unpredictable like this? The crown prince Qi Chen was once known as a kindhearted man, but he ended up killing his own brother for the throne. If the fourth prince ever gets in his way, Qi Chen won't hesitate to get rid of his younger brother, too.”
The scholarly man scoffed, his eyes turning as cold as the night sky. There were only a couple customers in the restaurant, so he didn't even try to lower his voice. ”I don't care what the princes do in order to gain the throne. But we do need a better leader than the current emperor. In this day and age money trumps all. We talented men, as a result, cannot find a way to become an official. It's truly outrageous.” He broke into a peal of sharp laughter.
Qi Yun's eyes darkened. It seemed that his investigation wasn't as complete as he would like to think. He laid down the utensils and took a good look at the scholarly man to memorize his face. He then left some silver on the table before walking out of the shop. He didn't go back to the Court of Judicial Review. Instead, he went to Jun Huang's place.
Due to his frequent visits recently, Qi Yun had become familiar with the page boy watching the door. Thus he was able to walk in without waiting for a servant to ask for Jun Huang's approval. Jun Huang didn't put a stop to the little pact he had formed with the page boy. Qi Yun was a royal prince. If he stayed at the door for too long and someone saw him, trouble would follow.
She, however, didn't expect Qi Yun to visit her so late at night. It was a good thing that she had only just finished her work and had not retired to bed. She poured him a cup of tea and invited him to take a seat.
”Is there anything you need?” asked Jun Huang. ”Have you run into any troubles?”
Qi Yun picked up the cup and looked up at the sky. He didn't give her a straight answer. ”The metropolitan examination1 is upon us”
Jun Hang frowned. What did he mean by that?
Qi Yun lowered his eyes. Jun Huang's puzzled look told him that she didn't know about the issue yet.
He didn't go on immediately. ”I think the metropolitan examination this year may have been rigged. However, everyone is watching me these days, and my hands are already full. I cannot investigate this myself for the time being, if you have the time, may you look into it for me?”
”Do you mean that someone is manipulating the results?” Jun Hang asked with her brows furrowed.
Qi Yun nodded. ”It's only a possibility now. That's why an investigation is necessary.”
The metropolitan examination is also known as the spring exam. Students from around the country came to attend the exam, hoping that they might be able to stand out from their peers and become officials.
Jun Huang and Qi Yun had once talked about the exam. With proper training, scholars who pa.s.sed the exam would become a great a.s.set to them. They would be able to find people with both knowledge and ambition this way.
Jun Huang paused to take a deep breath. This matter involved too many different parties. It wasn't something Qi Yun would be able to deal with. They could not predict what they might find. ”Focus on the corrupt officials, Qi Yun. Don't worry about the exam. I'll look into it myself.”
Qi Yun knew what Jun Huang was thinking. He nodded. After some more discussion, Qi Yun bid her farewell and left. Jun Huang remained still as a statue as she thought about what she should do.
There were only so many people who would be able to manipulate the exam. It was organized by the Ministry of Rites. Some official in the ministry must have been bribed.
The next day, Jun Huang woke up early and dressed herself as a student coming to the imperial city to attend the exam. In order to not attract suspicion, she forewent the silk robe she usually wore and opted for cheaper clothes. She arrived at the tavern The Drunken Place.
Every year near the spring exam, The Drunken Place would be open to only people attending the exam. Some came for intellectual conversations. Others came to show off their family's wealth and status.
Jun Huang had delicate features that were usually only seen in paintings. She attracted many pairs of eyes as soon as she entered the tavern. A man dressed in expensive clothes said mockingly, ”Ah, another poor scholar! Are you here for the exam or a beauty pageant?”
The onlookers broke into laughter after a moment of surprise. Jun Huang leveled the man with a cold stare, her eyes so sharp it unsettled the man. He fell silent.
”Pay them no mind.” Out came a man who looked to be under twenty in age. He had a handsome face and was dressed in expensive silk. He looked like a proper gentleman.
Jun Huang nodded. She had a good feeling about this man. He seemed like someone who was fearless in face of people in power, but humble enough to willingly befriend peasants from more impoverished families. He might be a good a.s.set to Qi Yun.