Chapter 32: Preparations Before the Exam

After Zhao Tan ascended the throne, his mother entered the Imperial City as his woman, and he, as her unwanted baggage, followed her inside.

He wandered through the palace like a stray dog or cat. Climbing onto the wall of a derelict courtyard, he saw a small child lying beneath the eaves.

The child was thin and small, much like a puppy competing with him for food.

No, it was more like a puppy he had bitten to death—motionless.

A crow landed on the child, seemingly preparing to peck at some carrion, when suddenly, the seemingly dead child reached out and grabbed the crow, biting down hard on its neck...

Startled by the crow's frantic cawing and flapping wings, he was also jolted by fright and tumbled off the wall.

As he hit the ground, he regained his senses and felt a surge of anger. How dare a crow scaring him just by catching it to eat!

He had never been afraid even when thrown into a pit of dead bodies among hunting dogs; he had even eaten the meat of dead dogs and cats.

He climbed back onto the wall, and by then, a palace woman had already rushed out.

The woman cried out in alarm, reaching out to drive the crow away.

The crow flew off.

In the palace woman's eyes, she had driven the crow away, but in his eyes, the child had simply released its grip, and the crow had fled in terror.

Blood was scattered across the child's face and neck.

The woman picked up the child in a panic, weeping.

"Heavens, you've been pecked... even the crows come to bully you... my poor Highness."

Lying on the wall, he curled his lip. That blood wasn't from a crow's peck; it was the blood from the crow's neck, bitten open by the child.

The woman sobbed as she carried the child inward. Perhaps because she was immersed in grief, or perhaps because he had spent his days among swine and dogs without any human scent, she did not notice him.

However, the moment the woman turned to go inside, the dark pupils of the child in her arms fixed upon him.

His face was stained with blood, but his gaze was eerily calm.

He had seen many kinds of gazes: disgusted, mocking, brutal, sorrowful, pitying, lecherous...

But for someone like him, who could ignore all those gazes, his body still stiffened at that moment—no, it was more than ten years later that the memory struck him again.

He couldn't describe the feeling: fear, shock, or perhaps excitement.

Wei Jiao let out a sneer, as if exhaling a breath of stale air held for over a decade.

"What treasure? Nothing more than a creature worse than a pig or a dog."

...

...

"Miss."

The door was pushed open, letting in a flood of sunlight.

Yang Luo looked up, squinting against the brightness, and saw the young guard standing at the doorway.

The guard held a bowl of steamed rice.

"Even if you are studying day and night, you still have to eat," Mo Zheng said, placing the bowl on the table.

Yang Luo set down her brush and looked at him with a smile.

Mo Zheng frowned slightly under her gaze. "What is it?" Had this young lady predicted something about her again?

Yang Luo said, "You're advising me to save money, Ah Sheng, but since I've had you, I've already saved quite a lot."

She held up her fingers to count.

"One maid, one cook, one laborer, and one driver."

Mo Zheng smiled. "It doesn't matter. Once your great matter is accomplished, you can just compensate me according to the number of people involved."

*Will the great matter succeed?* Yang Luo's expression faltered for a moment.

Mo Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Why? Are you worried you won't pass the exam?"

She looked down at the open book on the desk, filled with characters.

"Your handwriting is actually quite good."

Yang Luo was amused. She looked down at her own writing. Back in Baima Town, she had read and written, but only enough to recognize characters, not to master them. After entering the Duke of Ding'an's manor, the Duchess had hired a female tutor to teach her, saying that noble ladies in the capital were expected to be proficient in the four arts—zither, go, calligraphy, and painting—so that they wouldn't be looked down upon.

At the time, she had naturally been obedient, studying day and night to avoid embarrassment, and had even felt grateful to her uncle and aunt for their meticulous cultivation.

Of course, she later realized that this was merely a method used by her uncle and aunt to keep her confined at home and prevent her from going out.

Well, I suppose it has its uses now, she thought.

Setting those thoughts aside, Yang Luo asked, "Do you understand calligraphy too, Ah Sheng?"

Mo Zheng gave an "oh" sound. "What's there to 'understand'? If you have eyes, you can tell beauty from ugliness. Look how neatly this is written; it's quite beautiful."

Yang Luo was amused again and nodded. "Yes, yes, Ah Sheng is right."

She also examined her own writing with a hint of pride.

Indeed, she wrote very well.

"Eat quickly, lest you lack the strength to write tomorrow," Mo Zheng said.

Tomorrow was the day for the selection of study companions at the Imperial Academy.

Yang Luo smiled, went to wash her hands, and sat back down to eat. Beside her, Mo Zheng was checking the items needed for the examination.

In truth, there wasn't much to bring, just a few personal items.

The Imperial Academy provided brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and musical instruments, and maids were not permitted to accompany the candidates.

"The exam isn't like the men's entrance exam for the Academy. After all, you are only accompanying the Princess to study. The invitation is the first threshold; once selected, you take the exam, which mainly tests if you have truly studied. You'll write some characters, compose an essay to demonstrate your skills, and the palace women will observe your conduct and speech."

Yang Luo explained in great detail, as if she had personally participated before.

Mo Zheng didn't bother questioning the truth of it; she already knew this young lady's talent for foresight.

"I won't need your protection this time; I'll rely on myself," Yang Luo said. After finishing her meal in large bites, she handed the bowl to Mo Zheng. "Just help me look after Miss Liu."

This time, she had used Miss Liu's invitation. She was not a rat; she would repay Miss Liu—at least by ensuring that she and her servant wouldn't nearly starve to death like in her previous life.

Mo Zheng took the bowl and said, "I went to check yesterday. Miss Liu has already moved out."

Yang Luo wasn't surprised. When Miss Liu discovered her invitation had been chewed by a rat, she would naturally hide to avoid questioning by the authorities, pretending she had never come to the capital. It had been exactly like this in her past life.

"Find out where she moved," Yang Luo instructed. "Give her some money so she can hold out until her family finds her. Don't let her go hungry."

Mo Zheng complied and walked out with the bowl. Turning back, she saw Yang Luo muttering something to herself.

*Is she being diligent, or is she plotting something again?* Mo Zheng closed the door.

...

...

A bag of money was tossed in front of a meat cleaver.

Zhang Sheng felt a bit confused. "What is this?"

Mo Zheng smiled and said, "It's the meal money my lady gave to Miss Liu and her servant."

Beside them, Taohua burst out laughing, taking the money bag and shaking it. "This isn't enough. We still need to buy medicine for Miss Liu."

Mo Zheng replied, "Then Sister Taohua will just have to wait for the Liu family to find them and ask them for it. My lady only gave this much."

Taohua smiled as she tucked the money away. "Your lady is truly something. She stole such an important item, left a few scraps of paper to frame a rat, and then walked away brazenly. She isn't afraid of them reporting it to the officials at all. I really don't know if she has a brain or no brain at all."

Mo Zheng smiled. "Because my lady has me as her guard."

Although Yang Luo hadn't explicitly ordered it, after stealing the invitation, Mo Zheng had told Taohua to find a way to approach Miss Liu.

Taohua first used the pretext of selling braised meat through the streets to befriend the Liu family's maid, then recommended herself as having a secret recipe for healing.

After two doses of medicine, Miss Liu's illness improved significantly, earning their trust. Then, they recommended a place to stay to the panicked Miss Liu and her servant, who were hiding because of the lost invitation... the back quarters of a pork shop facing the street.

A bustling street was safe, and the back of a shop was quiet and inconspicuous. Although a lady from a scholarly family shouldn't be associated with pork, the sick and frightened Miss Liu didn't care and accepted readily.

In this way, Mo Zheng had kept them under her watchful eye.

Yang Luo's boldness came from her foresight; since she lacked foresight, she took control of the unknown.

(End of Chapter)