Translator's note: Tomorrow's chapter might be delayed slightly due to travel, but I'll do my best to get it up as soon as possible if I can't make the day. Thank you for your understanding! - Xu Shuqiao didn't yield an inch either. "What's I'm saying is factual; did you not work your magic last year? Then how come there's been another disaster this year? If a canal had been dug in Boyang last year, and a reservoir had been created, would there have been such an issue now? Even if the Supreme Yuanhe were even more capable, no one's seen her true form. But you and I are living, breathing people—could Qin-daren truly not believe in her own abilities?" "You—" For a moment, Qin Anhe couldn't speak, only able to glare fiercely at her. In an instant, the atmosphere between the two had become that of bared swords and drawn bows—it was lucky that they could both be counted as scholarly officials, neither of them having origins in ma...

The first time it rained during the first summer of the first year of Dao'an, the people of Boyang were all incredibly joyful. After all, the great drought of the year before was still fresh in their minds, and who knew how many people hadn't managed to make it out of the damages of the drought. But now that there was rain, there was hope. But very quickly, they could no longer smile. The heavens seemed be letting down the rain that hadn't fallen the year before at once with this year's, the overcast, rainy days unbroken, and for an entire month, hardly any clear skies could be seen. The newly-planted crops were washed away, and the people's houses were washed away as well, and even the people were washed away with the waters. The Boyang Prefectural Magistrate was in a panic. Zhang Yizhi hadn't even been in the position a full year, and quite wanted to prove herself. She knew that, the year before, Boyang had had a great drought, and in this year, they'd bee...

Translator's note: In previous chapters, I made a slight error in a character's name—that's been amended now, so in this chapter you'll see "Yun Shanxing" rather than the previous "Yun Shanhang". -  He Leyong's expression changed suddenly, her gaze shifting to the maid by the side. The maid seemed to know that she ought not stay here as well, and, with a lowered head, left with short, rapid steps. Only once she had ascertained there was no one around did He Leyong lower her voice. "You absolutely can't be like such. Did you forget what I told to you before? Now she's the ruler and you and I are subjects; regardless of how deep a friendship there was before, now, your identities are, in the end, no longer the same. After all, being a bit more careful in all matters can't go wrong." For the first time, Xie Qianbing disagreed somewhat with He Leyong's views, but she also knew that this place wasn't a good place to spea...

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...