No one in the entire Palace dared to obstruct Song Juguang, and as a result, she rushed into Rongfan Palace unimpeded. By the time she'd stopped properly, Liang Jiwen and Bi Yushuang's twin gazes were looking at her at a loss. Song Juguang shot Bi Yushuang a glance, as if somewhat surprised that she was here. But she didn't think about it much, and in the next moment, opened her mouth in command. "You, leave." How could Bi Yushuang not tell Song Juguang had arrived in an aggressive rush? Her gaze swept over Liang Jiwen and Song Juguang's figures. Finally, as if having made a decision, she straightened up. "I'm not leaving." Liang Jiwen was equally at a loss, but the spirit of jianghu camaraderie she'd learnt of from the folk tales made her feel that, in this sort of situation, she couldn't drag her friend under the waters with her. So, she raised a hand and patted Bi Yushuang's shoulder. "Wangjun has something private to speak wi...

"Nonsense!" The head examiner, hearing this, immediately came out, kneeling and kowtowing, "Bixia, please consider clearly!" "Consider clearly, consider clearly—Our ears are practically about to form callouses." Jiang Changbai waved her hand incredibly impatiently, the sweep of her sleeve giving rise to a burst of breeze, which swirled around the two's feet. "With Us having handled it, what's the point of cultivating you?" Though the prison garb was shabby and worn out, and her hair was dishevelled, Xu Shuqiao still bore a candid and upright appearance. On the other hand, the head examiner, though wearing neat court attire, was trembling, unable to hide his lack of confidence. Liu Zihe's eyes narrowed, and with great strides, he came out from the midst of the crowd. "Bixia, this person's speech is filled with logical holes; I beg Bixia to be prudent and cautious. If it truly is as she says, and she's the tanhua Xu Lianzha...

Only once Xu Shuqiao had left the imperial study did Song Juguang once more unhurriedly step through its doors. Along with her entered was maids from the imperial kitchens; it was already midday, just in time for lunch. Jiang Changbai waved a hand to dismiss the maids, saying that, for the time being, she wasn't hungry and there was no need to bring in a meal. But the next moment, seeing Song Juguang come in, she halted the maids once more with a call. "Go ahead and bring the food in; We are a little hungry." Song Juguang looked at the maids, then looked at Jiang Changbai, and suddenly, her lips split in a smile. "Many thanks for Bixia's worry; at the moment, this minister isn't too hungry either." Jiang Changbai, hearing this, stilled, cursing to herself about Song Juguang getting carried away in her imitations—her face, it seemed, was even thicker than the city walls. She really wasn't hungry, but just now, having the food brought in just now wasn...

The entire trip, Xu Shuqiao was on edge, her heart thundering. The Great Li's keju system was a bit different from previous dynasties; full authority was given to the ministers to deal with it, and the amount of involvement the emperor had was quite low. Even the final zhuangyuan, bangyan, [1] and tanhua were all ascertained by the ministers, and only the list of names would be given to the emperor to look over before releasing the results. According to reason, before she earned some sort of official position, she didn't have any right to meet the Emperor. Puzzled, she glanced at Qing Huai, trying to get some indication from her posture beforehand. But Qing Huai didn't pay the slightest attention to her gaze, only turning her head and looking out through the slit between the curtains. It had already been a long time since she'd left the Palace. Qing Huai had originally been the Emperor's servant, and though she wasn't as favoured as Xun Zhu, the two's statu...

It was the early morning of the first day of the third month of the first year of Dao'an, and the results of the keju were about to be released. The announcement board was still empty as anything, but its surroundings had long since grown crowded. They'd waited been waiting far too long. For some scholars, they'd merely waited an extra half year, but for many more, they'd waited decades. And there were even some who'd struggled for an entire lifetime, and hadn't managed to make it to this keju. But now, there was less than a shichen, and all the results were about to be published. Xu Shuqiao was pressed amongst that crowd as well. She was too thin, and in the push of the crowd, she'd nearly fallen over a number of times. There were countless people like her in this crowd, and no one paid any attention. No one had heard of the name Xu Shuqiao before, but if the name Xu Lianzhao, then the scholars who'd stayed in the capital in recent years would all take ...

Translator's note: I'm once more able to return to return to this project, so the hiatus is over! Updates will resume at their usual pace (twice weekly on weekends). Thank you to everyone who's waited patiently. -  Shen Yanyi had wrapped herself up tightly, terrified that she'd be recognised by someone who knew her. But despite that, standing at Prince Yu's manor's door, she trembled with fear, from time to time turning her head and looking about. Luckily, the skies had already darkened, and there was hardly anyone on the streets. With a groan, the great doors opened a crack. The person within was also a bit on guard. "Who are you looking for?" She couldn't be blamed for it; after all, now, everyone's doors were locked tightly; if not for the fact that Han Yu, who followed at the Princess' side, had said that someone might come in the night, telling her to stay sharp, she wouldn't even have opened the door. Shen Yanyi passed the command...

Translator's note (06.09.2025): For a number of personal reasons, I will be taking a break from working on this project for the foreseeable future. I do, hopefully, intend to eventually come back and complete this translation, but for the moment, this project will be on hiatus. Thank you to everyone who's read and commented so far, and thank you in advance for your understanding. -  Having taken a bare few steps, they were all a bit surprised. Jiang Changbai knew that Song Juguang's residence didn't have many servants, but she hadn't imagined that the Regent's residence would be quite this desolate. The exterior appeared glorious and dazzling, but within was quite simple. The courtyard didn't have any sumptuous decorations, filled only with bamboo and plants she couldn't name. And the plants hadn't been tended to in a long while; they were growing wildly in the early spring atmosphere. Thinking of the incident just previously at the door, Jiang Chang...