He Nuan originally thought Zhan Feiyu had no appetite, but she didn't expect her to turn grief into appetite. After a gust of wind and clouds, she was stuffed. Zhan Feiyu, with her round belly, walked back and forth by the lake to digest.
"Miss, I've brewed hawthorn tea to aid digestion." He Nuan suppressed her laughter and placed the still warm hawthorn tea on the stone table. "You can drink it when it cools down a bit."
Zhan Feiyu was looking up at the bright moon in the sky, her hands behind her back. The night breeze stirred her sleeves, and she was filled with poetic inspiration, "I wish to ride the wind and return, yet I fear the jade towers and pavilions, and the coldness that cannot be borne at such heights..."
"A'Nuan, even though the Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, let's make mooncakes with salted egg yolk filling." Zhan Feiyu's thoughts leaped quickly, instantly transforming from a poet lamenting autumn and cherishing spring to a foodie.
The thought of the savory salted egg yolk filling made Zhan Feiyu swallow. "If I weren't studying, I'd definitely open a shop and earn money right now."
He Nuan looked at the greedy-looking young girl and couldn't refuse. "Alright, I'll go buy salted duck eggs first thing tomorrow morning."
"Oh, and buy some lotus seeds while you're at it. It would be great if pastry shops sold lotus seed paste. We can make lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk filling." Zhan Feiyu decisively settled on the mooncake filling.
When Yin Wuyan appeared, Zhan Feiyu was sitting in the octagonal pavilion, talking animatedly, "A dough made of half oil and half water. Then, use a single water dough to thinly wrap it, making it flaky but not broken."
"For the filling, use half a pound of peeled and ground walnut kernels, two taels each of pine nuts and melon seeds, two taels each of candied orange peel and candied tangerine peel, white sugar, and lard. However, five-kernel mooncakes aren't that tasty. A'Nuan, you must not have tried the salted egg yolk filling. The savory taste balances the sweetness of the pastry, it's definitely the best combination..."
"Haha, chubby girl, I thought you'd be dejected after failing the provincial examination, but you're quite cheerful." Chong Guang teased Zhan Feiyu, who was gesticulating enthusiastically. He really thought the young girl would cry, but unexpectedly, she was already thinking about eating mooncakes.
Ignoring Chong Guang's schadenfreude, Zhan Feiyu's round eyes widened, and a smile spread across her lips. She let out an excited yelp, then got up and rushed towards Yin Wuyan like a firecracker, "Big brother, why are you here?"
Under the moonlight, watching the little girl in a white ruqun run towards him, Yin Wuyan's stern and cold face instantly softened.
She pounced onto Yin Wuyan, Zhan Feiyu excitedly hugged his waist, nuzzled him like a kitten, then took two steps back, tilting her head, her smile blooming like a flower, "Big brother, you're here."
"Mm." His long fingers stroked the little girl's head. Her scattered hair was loosely tied into a ponytail with a blue ribbon, feeling as smooth as silk.
Yin Wuyan looked down at the little girl, whose eyes were crinkled with a smile. The hurried journey seemed worth it.
Seeing the affectionate interaction between the tall and short figures, Chong Guang rubbed his arms, goosebumps rising. "A'Nuan, cook me a bowl of noodles, I'm starving."
With his own Seventh Master here, the chubby girl would definitely not notice him, so it was better to fill his stomach first. He had only eaten a饼子 (bingzi - flatbread) along the way. The main reason was that Seventh Master was worried the chubby girl would be upset after failing the exam.
In the octagonal pavilion, medicinal herbs were added to the sandalwood burner to repel mosquitoes, so there was no need to worry about insect bites. Zhan Feiyu pulled Yin Wuyan to sit down, poured tea, and offered fruit. "Big brother, have something to tide you over. A'Nuan bought beef this afternoon, and it's still soaking in the卤汤 (lǔtāng - braising liquid). It can be eaten with noodles."
When it came to food, Zhan Feiyu's eyes sparkled.
The Great Qing Dynasty prohibited the slaughter of draft cattle, unless they died of old age. He Nuan was lucky that this draft ox died in an accident. She bought nearly a hundred jin (about 50 kg), cut five jin (about 2.5 kg) for braised beef, and made beef jerky from the rest, which should be ready in a few days.
After taking a few sips of tea, Yin Wuyan looked at the little girl who was smiling so hard her eyes were almost closed. "Are you not feeling bad anymore?"
Pursing her lips, Zhan Feiyu huffed indignantly, "My skills are inferior to others, but it won't be so easy for the Chen family to trick me next time."
"It's alright even if you lose when you're up against the Chen family alone." Yin Wuyan's clear voice carried a hint of warmth.
These words were not just to comfort Zhan Feiyu. The Chen family was the foremost aristocratic family in the Jiangnan region. It was disgraceful for the scholarly Chen family to scheme against a young girl in the imperial examinations, even if they won.
The people responsible for grading the provincial examinations included court officials, academy principals, and virtuous great scholars. The Chen family could deceive uninformed candidates, but the graders knew the truth.
Especially since Zhan Feiyu had presented her provincial examination essay at the yamen, the Chen family had gained face but lost substance.
Hearing Yin Wuyan's comforting words, Zhan Feiyu grinned, clenching her fists with a fierce but cute expression, "I know, but a loss is a loss. Learn from your mistakes, and I will definitely get back double from the Chen family next time!"
"Chen Minzhong tampered with the imperial examinations. Even if it was done flawlessly, the Emperor would be displeased." Yin Wuyan was somewhat puzzled after learning about this. The Crown Prince might not be established, so logically, the Chen family should be keeping a low profile. Why would they commit such a grave mistake?
Zhan Feiyu nodded in agreement, "I also find it strange. I am not an ordinary impoverished scholar. By doing this, the Chen family is directly opposing their teacher, displeasing the Emperor, and also damaging the Chen family's reputation. Even if they need to keep a low profile, they don't have to go to such lengths; it's an overcorrection."
If Zhan Feiyu were an ordinary impoverished scholar without power or influence, she would have no choice but to suffer this injustice in silence.
However, given Scholar Gu's protective nature, this matter would definitely reach the Emperor. What if there was no evidence? It was an obvious fact. Once the Emperor disliked the Chen family's actions, it would undoubtedly affect the First Prince. It seemed like a loss-loss situation. Scheming against Zhan Feiyu in the provincial examination was clearly like swatting a fly and hitting a jade vase.
"Big brother, could it be the personal doing of Scholar Chen?" Zhan Feiyu thought of Huang Li's previous incident, her chubby face showing undisguised disdain.
As a high-ranking official of the court, a third-rank scholar-official, he still used such unsophisticated tricks to scheme against Prefect Zhang. Fortunately, the concubine document was swapped. Otherwise, if Huang Li had truly entered the household, it would have disgusted Prefect Zhang to death.
Zhan Feiyu even suspected that when Old Master Chen retired from court and arranged for Chen Minzhong to take on the position of scholar-official, it wasn't to avoid the Emperor serving in the same court, but because he knew Chen Minzhong was narrow-minded and clumsy in his methods. If he remained in the capital, he would sooner or later be schemed against. It was better to be posted to Jiangnan as a scholar-official.
"I will investigate this matter." Yin Wuyan originally intended to stroke the little girl's head, but looking at her pale and luminous cheeks in the moonlight, so round and plump, Yin Wuyan's hand moved down slightly. He pinched it, and the smooth, soft touch made Yin Wuyan pause. The little girl's face was actually so soft.
Zhan Feiyu's eyes suddenly widened. She was stunned for a moment after her face was pinched, then quickly pulled Yin Wuyan's hand away. "How old am I? You can't pinch my face."
Yin Wuyan clasped the soft, boneless little hand in his palm. Looking at the childish little girl, his expression softened even more.
But when he touched the calluses on her fingertips from holding a brush, a cold glint flashed deep in Yin Wuyan's eyes. Chen Minzhong should not have tampered with the provincial examination to scheme against the little girl!
"Big brother, you should eat first." Seeing He Nuan arrive, Zhan Feiyu shook Yin Wuyan's hand. Her curved eyebrows were filled with smiles, and there was no trace of the gloom from failing the exam.
Looking at the little girl with a smile like a blooming flower, Yin Wuyan felt as if his heart had been pricked by a needle, causing him great pain.
He Nuan came over with a tray. It was already late at night, and the kitchen's ingredients were limited. He Nuan cooked noodles with the clear broth and stir-fried a plate of vegetables. The braised beef was sliced onto a plate.
Half an hour later, Zhan Feiyu was sent back to sleep by Yin Wuyan. It was already close to midnight. Ordinary people would probably be fast asleep. It was Zhan Feiyu's habit of staying up late to study that made her not feel sleepy.
Side room.
He Sheng recounted the events after the provincial examination in detail. "A total of sixty-four people were absent from this provincial examination. Nine hundred and seventy-five people entered the examination hall. The black scrolls and red scrolls registered at the yamen were also this number."
Hearing this, Chong Guang sat up straight. "In other words, there should have been nine hundred and seventy-six people who actually entered the examination hall. The extra person was originally one of the absentees, but he still entered the examination cubicle. However, the answer sheet was written with the chubby girl's name. When the names were obscured, the chubby girl's paper was hidden."
Since Zhan Feiyu was pursuing a career in the imperial examinations, Yin Wuyan was very knowledgeable about matters related to the imperial examinations. With nearly a thousand people in the provincial examination, even if there was an extra candidate in the cubicle, it would not attract the attention of the patrolling soldiers.
"There were a total of five scribes responsible for collecting the papers." He Sheng quickly handed the list to Yin Wuyan. "There must have been an extra copy during the paper collection. One of these five people must have underreported a copy."
Under the dim candlelight, Yin Wuyan's face was as dark as water, his cold gaze sweeping over the five names.
"It's useless to find them. At most, they took money and underreported the number. These small fry don't know the inside story." Chong Guang wasn't worried about the other party not confessing. The methods of the Imperial Dragon Guard were something even dead soldiers and secret guards couldn't withstand, let alone an ordinary scribe. But even if they confessed, it would be useless.
"How many scribes were responsible for obscuring the names?" Yin Wuyan asked coldly. Finding the person who hid the papers was the key.
"Scholar Chen entrusted this matter to Lord Hu. There were seven people in the room at the time." He Sheng presented another list. The first name was Hu Bingzhi. "Ding Yi was the minor official who accidentally spilled tea. He was responsible for miscellaneous tasks. These six people were responsible for obscuring the names."
In this provincial examination, Scholar Chen had posed a divisive question, causing some candidates to not finish their papers even after the examination ended, so there was no question of submitting them early.
Therefore, the papers were collected in order of the examination cubicles. This way, as long as they knew Zhan Feiyu's cubicle number, they could infer the approximate location of her paper.
With nearly a thousand examination papers, six scribes began obscuring the names, with each person responsible for about 170 papers. Thus, the minor official bribed by the Chen family could ensure that Zhan Feiyu's original paper was among the 170 papers he obscured. Then, all they had to do was pick it out and hide it at the opportune moment, and everything would be seamless.
"Does Ding Yi have any issues?" Chong Guang asked. Hu Bingzhi was specifically sent by Scholar Gu, but unfortunately, despite all precautions, something went wrong.
"Ding Yi claimed that his legs were numb from standing for too long, so he stumbled when handing the tea, accidentally spilling it on Lord Hu's robe. However, Lord Hu did not leave, only wiped it casually, which caused a slight delay." He Sheng had not sent anyone to question Ding Yi. This was the result after the incident, when Hu Bingzhi directly interrogated Ding Yi, but this result was also irrefutable.
Yin Wuyan was silent. Ding Yi and the soldiers responsible for collecting the papers could not possibly know the inside story.
The scribe who hid the examination papers was only responsible for this part. Even if all three were arrested, their confessions would have no connection to Scholar Chen. The only person who could threaten Scholar Chen was the candidate who imitated the handwriting.
"Seventh Master, the results will be posted tomorrow." Chong Guang glanced at the cold-faced Yin Wuyan, feeling a chill. Seventh Master valued the chubby girl the most, but Chen Minzhong had tampered with the provincial examination. This was not just plucking hair from a tiger's mouth; it was suicidal.
"This person must still be in Nanxuan Prefecture, under the Chen family's surveillance." Yin Wuyan said coldly. Regarding the imperial examination case, Chen Minzhong would never allow such a hidden danger to exist. The fact that he hadn't killed them was only to avoid alerting the enemy.
Once the provincial examination was over and the commotion subsided, the Chen family would make their move. Only the dead could keep secrets.
He Sheng reported, "Candidates from four prefectures have gathered in Nanxuan Prefecture. The city is currently crowded and chaotic. The other party intentionally avoids attention, so it will be difficult to find them in a short time."
The sixty-four people who were absent were absent for various reasons. Some never came to Nanxuan Prefecture, some became ill due to acclimatization, or were deliberately hindered and missed the examination time.
The yamen would only record the number of absentees and their names, and would not delve into the reasons.
Even if the names of the sixty-four absentees were announced, as long as the person who imitated the handwriting deliberately avoided people in the examination hall, with nearly a thousand candidates from four prefectures, most scholars looked similar – wearing long robes and being slender. Unless it was someone familiar, one would not notice if an absentee appeared in the examination hall.
"The other party might also be impersonating an absentee," Chong Guang suggested the second possibility. If that were the case, it would be even harder to find them.
"To deceive, or not to deceive? The truth of what is deceived. Lesser Yin, Greater Yin, Solar Yin." A clear, crisp voice sounded from outside the door. Zhan Feiyu, with her hair unbound, pushed the door open and smiled charmingly at Yin Wuyan, who was seated at the head of the table.
He Nuan was also helpless. She thought Miss had fallen asleep, but she woke up less than half an hour later.
"Chubby girl, what does that mean?" Chong Guang asked, confused. After studying, Zhan Feiyu's speech was now full of classical phrases.
Yin Wuyan also knew that the little girl had something on her mind and couldn't sleep soundly, especially since the results would be posted tomorrow morning.
Seeing that Yin Wuyan was not angry, Zhan Feiyu immediately took advantage of the situation and nestled beside him. "The seventh stratagem of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: Creating something from nothing."
"Feasible." As soon as Yin Wuyan spoke, he saw the little girl looking at him with bright eyes, seeking praise. His cold yet handsome face softened slightly. "Chong Guang, leak the news to Hu Bingzhi and have Liu Su appear."