On the first day Yun Shu made her way to dine with Emperor Xuanwu, those who had been secretly watching her movements, including the Crown Prince, grew uneasy. They could not discern what she was truly up to.
But as the second day passed, then the third… the Crown Prince gradually noticed a pattern. Yun Shu made her way to the emperor's quarters each day without fail, always timing it precisely at the mealtime, never deviating, never making other moves.
His initial wariness was slowly replaced by disdain and jealousy.
"I do not know what kind of beguiling trick she has played on Father Emperor, but to so blatantly curry favor… and His Majesty actually indulges her in it!"
"His Majesty is not one to be easily deceived," said the Preceptor, shaking his head in disapproval. "If Princess Sheng An can win His Majesty's favor, then she must possess some extraordinary qualities. Your Highness would do well not to underestimate her."
The Preceptor's tone grew solemn.
"Since that matter with the Empress, Your Highness and His Majesty have grown distant. If this continues unchecked, it may bode ill for Your Highness. If the opportunity presents itself, perhaps Your Highness should consider…"
"We are the Crown Prince. Must We stoop to such undignified means of gaining favor?"
The Crown Prince cut him off coldly.
Outwardly, he seemed to disdain Yun Shu's behavior.
But deep inside, only he knew just how much envy festered in his heart.
He knew better than anyone the importance of an emperor's favor. Yet his own temperament forbade him from acting coquettish or ingratiating like Yun Shu or Yun Chuhuan. Every time he spoke with his Imperial Father, his tone was stiff, the content dry and formal. There was no warmth between them. It was as if they were strangers, not father and son.
He lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea, hiding the shadow in his gaze.
"We heard that 'Three Years of Imperial Examinations, Five Years of Simulations' begins sale today?"
"Yes, today, though it likely has not begun yet."
The relationship between a sovereign and his son was not something outsiders could easily meddle with. Seeing the Crown Prince unwilling to dwell on the matter, the Preceptor sighed inwardly and changed the subject.
"It was said Princess Sheng An specifically chose an auspicious time for the release."
"How refined," the Crown Prince sneered, saying no more.
At that very hour, the front of the Tang family's Qingsong Bookstore had already been packed with examinees preparing for this year's spring imperial examination.
Yun Shu sat in a private room on the second floor of the teahouse across the street. One hand propped against her cheek, she followed Ah Ku's pointing finger as she carefully examined the list of thirteen candidates aside from Dou Jifei.
"Have all these candidates been vetted? Aside from them, is there anyone else suspicious or tied to the Crown Prince's faction?"
"Yes."
Dragon Shadow Guards never disappointed. Ah Ku's answer was as calm and steady as ever.
"Those who placed highest in the regional exams have all, at some point, been approached by members of the Crown Prince's faction."
"Casting a wide net indeed…"
No wonder the Crown Prince's influence had spread throughout the court. They had not even entered government service yet, and already his people had moved to win them over. All it took was potential, and they would strike first.
Yun Shu clicked her tongue in wonder.
"Is one of them named Ma Laxiong?"
"Yes."
Ah Ku's voice remained steady.
"This subordinate found that, under the Crown Prince's party's guidance, he has been publicly spreading the notion that Your Highness supports poor scholars. He claims that only with Your Highness presiding over the spring exam will those from humble backgrounds have even a sliver of hope."
"This Princess knew it."
Back when the Crown Prince had recommended her to oversee the examination, he had cited this very man's statements as evidence of public sentiment.
To say Ma Laxiong had no connection to the Crown Prince? Yun Shu would not believe a word of it.
"Let This Princess guess…"
Her gaze swept across the crowd of examinees below, landing on three young men who looked confident and well-liked.
"One of those three must be Ma Laxiong."
Ah Ku hesitated for a moment — a rare occurrence.
"No."
"What?"
She had guessed wrong?
How embarrassing.
Yun Shu cleared her throat.
"Then who is it?"
"The one in white."
"Are you sure?"
Following Ah Ku's finger, she spotted a youth in the crowd. Arrogant expression, burly figure, pale skin — he looked like a fair-skinned version of Zhang Fei. For a moment, Yun Shu even doubted the Dragon Shadow Guard's intel. Could this truly be the famous, widely admired scholar of Jiangnan? One of the so-called Four Great Talents?
"He doesn't look a day under thirty."
"Intelligence confirms he is indeed eighteen."
Yun Shu's expression cycled through several stages of disbelief.
Ah Ku, meanwhile, didn't even blink.
"He was born to a merchant family. From a young age, he displayed extraordinary talent, though he is arrogant and proud. Previously, in Jiangnan, when a poor scholar took issue with his conduct, Ma Laxiong beat him to the ground — and somehow, they became close friends afterward."
"What?"
So this was what it meant to make friends through strength.
Well… that explained everything.
Yun Shu nodded in sudden understanding.
Meanwhile, unaware that Yun Shu had already set her sights on him, Ma Laxiong was glaring at a frail scholar nearby, clearly displeased.
"You came too?"
"Naturally. To buy a book."
The frail scholar gave him a faint glance.
"Are you not here for the same reason?"
"Buy a book?" Ma Laxiong snorted. "Do you have money? Want me to sell a few 'Five Years Simulation' problems for you? You could hawk them for some silver."
"Do not trouble yourself."
This time, the frail scholar didn't even look at him.
"If you have time to spare, perhaps you should worry about your so-called close friends."
His tone turned pointed, stressing the words "close friends" so heavily that even the dimmest listener would catch the ridicule.
Ma Laxiong's face darkened, about to erupt.
Fortunately, a smooth-talking student beside them quickly interceded with a grin.
"Brother Ma, with the spring exam so near, and us here in the capital, we cannot afford to cause trouble. If anything happens and affects your qualification to sit for the exam, that would be a tragedy!
Brother Zheng may have refused your kindness, but I, for one, would welcome it most gratefully! I was just fretting over whether I had enough silver to afford the book. If you could sell a few questions to the collection office and help fund me, I would be indebted to you for life."
"You?"
Freshly humiliated by Zheng Qiaozhang, another of the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan, Ma Laxiong was still fuming. At first, he looked ready to snap again.
But then something seemed to click.
He paused, the anger on his face slowly receding.
"Weren't you just complaining the other day about needing more questions to trade for silver?
What, nothing worked out?"
===
In the original text, the Crown Prince use 'Gu' to address himself.
The term "Gu" (孤) is a classical first-person pronoun used by monarchs or princes of high rank to refer to themselves. It literally means "solitary" and was historically used by emperors, kings, or crown princes to express both their elevated status and their loneliness at the top of the hierarchy.
This is different with 'Royal We' as it was reserved to ruler and some exception. But in here I decide to make the Crown Prince using 'Royal We' to highlight his ambition for throne.
Usually in English translation "Gu" is often kept in romanized form because:
There's no exact equivalent.
Translating it to "I" or "this prince" would lose the cultural nuance and gravity.