With less than twenty days left until the Spring Examinations, Yun Shu kept her word. Every morning, a new "Five Years of Simulations" exam question was posted outside Tian Waitian Restaurant, along with a public explanation for the previous day's problem.
The Crown Prince's faction had been lying in wait for that elusive "eastern wind." Just like the other hopeful examinees, they rose early each morning and waited anxiously for the day's question. Once the Crown Prince concluded morning court, the messengers would rush back to deliver their report:
"That question did not appear today."
"It did not appear again today."
"Still no sign of the question."
Day after day, the reports were the same.
The Crown Prince's face grew darker with each passing message. On the fifteenth day, the eunuch delivering the news could not help the tremor in his voice:
"To... today, still no such question, Your Highness."
"Useless fool!"
With a furious kick, the Crown Prince sent the young eunuch sprawling across the floor.
He turned to his advisor with a scowl. "Preceptor, are you certain that Ma Laxiong carried out the task as planned?"
"Our men saw it with their own eyes. By all reasoning, there should not be any issues.
Furthermore, judging by the recent patterns, the questions Princess Sheng An has released do appear to match those she purchased earlier through the call-for-submissions order.
Perhaps... it shall be tomorrow."
Only two days remained until the Spring Examinations. The last day, no new question would be released, which meant there was but one final chance.
Even the once-calm and confident Preceptor now looked unsure. He furrowed his brows and said suddenly,
"Your Highness, Princess Sheng An visits His Majesty for meals daily. Do you truly believe she goes merely to dine?"
"Are you implying she is hiding something beneath that pretense?"
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, thinking deeply. Yet, after a pause, he shook his head.
"Father Emperor is surrounded as if by a fortress. We are unable to place any of Our people near him. Should Yun Shu speak or act in any way, We would remain unaware.
Outside of her shared meals with Father Emperor, We have ensured that all her movements are monitored. Nothing suspicious has come to light."
"Sometimes, a lack of anomalies is precisely the anomaly."
The Preceptor's tone turned grave.
"For Princess Sheng An to rise as Your Highness's rival, she cannot be a fool.
She must know Your Highness might attempt to tamper with the examinations. Why would she sit idly by, waiting to be trapped?
She may have already realized the planted question is flawed."
"We are the Crown Prince! The vulgar rabble beyond the palace walls may be ignorant, but even Father Emperor now appears to favor her!"
Slamming his palm onto the table, the Crown Prince's fury boiled over. For twenty years he had enjoyed a smooth path, but in this past year, his steps had faltered time and again.
Seeing his agitation, the Preceptor sighed deeply.
"Your Highness, you yourself have said it. You are the Crown Prince. By birth, by legitimacy, by lineage and power — even in matters of gender — Princess Sheng An holds no advantage.
You must maintain composure.
If a trifling matter like this shakes your resolve, it is exactly what she would wish for."
"We are merely... frustrated."
He knew he was letting his emotions get the better of him. But he could not help it.
"All these years, We were always Father Emperor's most favored son, the one he trusted above all.
Yet ever since Yun Shu returned to the Upper Academy, everything has shifted.
She is the root of all this upheaval!"
"Indeed. Which is why she cannot be allowed to remain."
The Preceptor voiced his agreement gently, but inwardly, he sighed yet again.
Back when His Majesty and the Crown Prince had no divisions between them, he had felt assured. After all, very few Crown Princes throughout history had inherited the throne without incident. A father and son within the Imperial family maintaining such closeness was rarer still.
He had always thought himself and the Crown Prince to be among the fortunate ones.
Only now did he realize: all that peace and smooth sailing had not prepared the Crown Prince to face setbacks.
Now that trust was broken, and His Majesty no longer shielded the Crown Prince without question, the sudden change in treatment was too much. If the Crown Prince faced a few more failures, his fragile composure might collapse entirely.
How could one destined for greatness afford such fragility?
The Preceptor could only hope all would proceed smoothly from here. If not, he had little confidence that he could pull the Crown Prince back from the brink.
"The person who sold that exam question to Princess Sheng An through the call-for-submissions acted on a whim. A few mistakes, a traceable leak — it is understandable she may have caught on.
But our real scheme began even before Princess Sheng An took charge of the Spring Examinations. It has lain dormant this entire time, not a single ripple to betray it.
Even with all her ingenuity, how could she possibly uncover something for which she has no lead?"
"That is true."
The Crown Prince's mood finally lightened a little.
"Let Us see then. After this, will Father Emperor still shield her as before?"
-
Two days remained before the Spring Examinations.
By this point, the Crown Prince's camp had long since given up hope that Tian Waitian Restaurant would post their carefully planted question. Continuing to send men to inquire had become more a matter of habit, a compulsive routine born of the previous two weeks.
One could say they were simply unable to stop themselves. Not hearing the news on the final day would have felt somehow... incomplete.
But on this very day, the day they least expected it, the little eunuch who had gone to gather information came running back to the Eastern Palace, beaming with joy.
Panting from the long dash, he barely managed to catch his breath as he burst into the hall to deliver the message:
"Congratulations, Your Highness! Rejoice! The question posted at Tian Waitian Restaurant today — it is the one!"
"What?"
The Crown Prince nearly knocked over his tea in astonishment.
"Are you certain? You did not mishear?"
"Absolutely certain!"
After days of dark, brooding silence, the chance to deliver good news lit the eunuch's spirit. His voice was bright and lively.
"This servant did not expect it either. When I heard the question, I listened to it many times over, just to be sure. I even memorized it before returning.
If it please Your Highness, I can recite it for you right now!"
And so he did, repeating the question word for word.
"Good. Good! Excellent! It truly is the one!"
They had nearly given up, and now, out of nowhere, it had come to pass. The Crown Prince's face lit with unrestrained delight.
"Well done. Go and collect your reward."
"This servant thanks Your Highness!"
The little eunuch bowed joyfully, but as he turned to leave, he did not see the shadow that passed over the Preceptor's eyes, or the deep furrow forming between his brows.