Chapter 15 - Lifetime Opportunity (1/2)

The literacy test was held in the usual venue in front of the main hall steps in the morning. As Lei Xing had predicted the test was an open-ended one where they were asked to compose a piece based on a subject. The subject was a pot of vibrant beautifully arranged flowers. This round they were given only thirty minutes.

Lei Xing looked at the pot of flowers and was in deep thought about what to write.

{...How about: roses are red, violets are blue, I hate this place, can I go home now?... Be Serious!...fine...}

Lei Xing kept staring at the flowers.

{...How about just praising the flowers: Flowers as radiant as the sun...and...can't do it, flowery words like that give me goosebumps...flowery words hahaha...Be serious!...}

Lei Xing sat up straight and tried to focus on the flowers looking for inspiration, she honed in on the white lilies and the roses, after staring at them for a while, inspiration came and she began to write.

**”I truly felt the warmth of the sun for the first and last time that day,

I could still hear the clanking swords and war cries,

But they seemed so distant now and seemed to be getting farther,

As I stared blankly at nothing,

The wind suddenly blew a white petal my way and I became captivated,

I watched as it danced in the wind with all the carefreeness in the world,

I watched as it came dancing down,

I tried to stretch out my fingers to save it, but alas it slipped through them,

I could only watch as it fell to the ground and was dyed red,

Those days are gone and can never return,

and so am I.”**

Lei Xing looked at the words on her paper and smiled.

{...I will depress your soul hahaha...ha ha...ha...I shouldn't be laughing at this...}

When the time was up, they all walked up the steps as usual and one after the other, they got on the stage and stood while an eunuch read out their composition.

When it was Lei Xing's turn she got on stage and hers was read, for once she really didn't have any problems, she even got nods of approval from the ministers.

Prince Yi spoke up again, it seemed he had made commenting on her work a habit, ”A depiction of death in war and the tainting of innocence, very insightful.”

Lei Xing bowed her head slightly in his direction.

{...I will assume that you have realized your wrongs and are making amends and so I will reciprocate your goodwill...after this, please don't bother me anymore...}

”Very insightful indeed, you have done well, you may go down.” The empress dowager said.

Lei Xing smiled and bowed and went down, for the first time she had gotten the empress dowager's approval, not that she cared about it, but it struck a tiny chord of glee in her heart.

{...To feel happy about that, I must have been really traumatized by the last round -_-)'...}

Lei Xing was in a good mood, the best she'd been in since she got here and happily listened to the other compositions.

{...This stupid competition is finally over, I just have to wait for my dismissal...at least it ended on a good note...}

When the presentations finished, the empress dowager praised their work and efforts all through the competition. She said that she and the emperor will discuss the results today and tomorrow, and the results will be announced at an evening banquet the day after, which will be held in honor of the candidates.

As she was about to dismiss them, the emperor interrupted her saying he had something more to say. He looked at the candidates, ”You all have done your best in displaying your skills and are all very talented young ladies. As this is all for the purpose of a marriage, I believe it is fair to give each of you the opportunity outside the bounds of competition and rules to say anything you'd like for me to know or ask any questions you have of me.”

The candidates all went wide-eyed, even Lei Xing.

{...Well, this came out of nowhere...also this sort of private conversation, NEEDS PRIVACY!...who the hell asked him to?!...}

The ministers were also shocked by this announcement and began whispering,

”That's enough, since the emperor has granted you all this opportunity, you should all use it wisely. Begin.” The Empress dowager spoke up.

Lei Xing knit her brows in annoyance.

{...Begin what? You can't just spring on a speed dating session on people and expect them to have their script ready -_-)'...}

While the candidates all looked at each other skeptically, it seemed there was no order and no one really wanted to be the first to step up.

Lady Jin took a deep breath and stepped forward, her aim here was to be the empress and so she should lead and be able to be confident and calm in every situation presented, so she bravely stepped forward, bowed and then proclaimed her interest and admiration for the emperor, narrating her insight on his conquests, calling him the god of war and how he is truly the blessing and grace the heavens have given to Long country.

Lei Xing watched on with the others.

{...I was wrong, some people are always ready...classic bootlick 101...}

The other candidates watched Lady Jin and all plucked up their courage seeing that she was getting ahead, and they all began to step forth one after the other, and they might as well have been reading from the same script.

Lei Xing watched on and sighed in heart, this sort of blatant flattery was something she couldn't do and frankly, she wasn't interested in trying to either. So she lingered in the back and did not want to step forward, but then she thought that she would stand out more if she went last.

She looked at the fl.u.s.tered girls around her, who were probably all giddy and shy at the prospect of talking to emperor anxiously stepping forward one after the other.

She really didn't want to regurgitate flattery, it was really something she couldn't do, she probably couldn't plead for her life is she needed to, unfortunately, she had that incredibly annoying stubborn streak when it came to pleading with anyone for anything, even simply requesting for help was hard for her to do, even to her parents...seeming pitiful was something she couldn't stand.

Lei Xing couldn't think of anything to say, but it'd be weird if she didn't say anything, as she was looking around, Lady Yu caught her attention, she was shrinking in the back and she was nervously wriggling her hands and looking down, Lei Xing got an idea and stepped forward next.

When she got on the platform, she wriggled her hands in the same way, looked up and then looked down immediately, took a shaky breath and then greeted the emperor and empress dowager with a bit of a shaky voice, she didn't stutter as that would be overkill.

Then she looked up at the emperor and then looked down immediately again and didn't say anything, her father and brother looked at her wondering what was going on with her.

After a while of silence, the empress dowager asked, ”Why aren't you saying anything?”

Lei Xing glanced up and then immediately looked down again, ”The emperor and empress dowager's presence is so striking and being given this opportunity, I really could not think of anything to say...” As she said this, her voice got smaller and smaller and she glanced up again and then looked back down.

Everyone looked at her in stunned silence, everyone pretty much thinking the same thing: Who is this? She had nothing to say, she who has been showcasing her mouth and wit throughout this competition had nothing to say? How is that possible?

Some then thought that she must have memorized those words she spoke before each round, so she was nothing but a paper tiger and scoffed at her, and the more astute ones looked at her curiously, confused at her actions and trying to figure her out.

The emperor spoke up, ”Since you couldn't think of anything to say...”