Chapter 134: Unforgiving and Vengeful

Whether it was the Chang'an County Examination or the Wannian County Examination, neither was anything more than a minor rehearsal for the Jingzhao Prefecture Examination. Lady Du the Thirteenth had unleashed her fury in public out of momentary indignation, but upon returning to the Cui Residence in Pingkang Ward, lingering fear gripped her, and her mind was filled with all sorts of misgivings. Du Shiyi, finding her reaction both exasperating and amusing, had no choice but to hand her over to Qiuniang and Zhuying for comfort. When the results of the Chang'an County Examination arrived, bearing the news that Wang Wei had outpaced all rivals to claim the top spot, he took the paper scroll bearing the rankings, unfolded it, and saw Liu Ximing's name prominently displayed in third place. While many other scions of illustrious and prominent families were also listed, none of the descendants of the Jingzhao Du clan appeared, causing him to raise an eyebrow thoughtfully.

This mystery was not resolved until the following day, when Du Siwen had Dushihan deliver congratulatory gifts.

Dushihan had always possessed a bold and magnanimous disposition. Having bottled up his frustrations for nearly two months, and finding himself at the Cui Residence, he unhesitatingly proclaimed in a loud voice, "Du Wenruo, the Sixth Young Master Du, only took the Wannian County Examination because he wanted to lock horns with you. As for the rest, the Duke of Jingzhao had long since sent word everywhere, suggesting that rather than contending for momentary fame, it would be better to take the exams in the other counties under Jingzhao Prefecture's jurisdiction, sparing you the trouble of making a spectacle of yourselves in Chang'an and Wannian counties. Sure enough, that Thirteenth Young Master Wang in the Chang'an County Examination stunned everyone with a single grand fu, and passed both the classic recitation and policy discourse without a hitch. As for you, in the Wannian County Examination, all three tests were utterly flawless, and your renown is soaring—who would dare not award you first place? If those Du clan youths had come to contend with you, they might not even have made it to the Jingzhao Prefecture Examination!"

Growing more and more animated, he even slapped his thigh hard and laughed with schadenfreude, "That Sixth Young Master Du actually ended up at the very bottom of the roster this time, failing almost as completely as if he hadn't even placed! I heard that ever since he returned to Fanchuan, he hasn't stepped out of the house once. Hahaha!"

Seeing that Du Shiyi remained pensive and silent, Dushihan stood up and gave Du Shiyi's shoulder a hearty slap like an elder brother. "Nineteenth Brother, you don't need to worry about anything on the clan's side. Those who used to envy you or look down on you are already like ants on a hot pan after this county examination. Even my father has been feeling apprehensive. Hearing that the Duke of Jingzhao was sending you gifts, he specifically added a pair of silver armlets for the Thirteenth Lady... He never used to listen to a word I said, but if he knew things would turn out like this, why did he act the way he did back then? Just focus on conserving your strength and preparing for the upcoming Jingzhao Prefecture Examination. If you can place in the official ranks, the Duke of Jingzhao said he will host a grand banquet at Zhuopo to celebrate your triumph!"

"My thanks to the Thirteenth Brother for making this special trip."

After having Du Wenhan stay for lunch at the Cui Residence, Du Shiyi personally escorted him out the main gate. At the parting moment, watching Dushihan wave his hand carelessly and trot his horse out the black-penned double-leaf gates, Du Shiyi suddenly found himself missing Cui Jianxuan—someone who looked completely different on the outside, yet shared a similar temperament. Reflecting that it had been nearly half a year since the Grand Lady of Qi State had passed away, he had been enjoying all sorts of conveniences at the Cui Residence in Chang'an. Though he had sent letters back previously, most of them had been concise and to the point. Now that he had achieved his first victory in battle, it was time to write another letter to be sent back to Luoyang to report the good news and express his deep gratitude.

Having made his initial mark in the Wannian County Examination, Chang'an's hottest summer followed closely behind. Luncheons at the mansions of princes and nobles gradually decreased while evening banquets grew more frequent. This time, Du Shiyi naturally no longer hung up a "no visitors" sign to decline all invitations indiscriminately as he had before. Invitations from quarters such as the Prince of Song's Residence, the Prince of Qi's Residence, the Prince of Xue's Residence, or the Dou family of the Duke of Bi and the Jiang family of the Duke of Chu—ties with whom he had considerable dealings—were no longer brushed aside; he attended every single one, invariably bumping into the Wang brothers at the banquets. Since each party tacitly understood the other's motives, they naturally continued to converse and laugh merrily, strictly avoiding any mention of the imperial examinations in their words. Furthermore, an increasing number of people came knocking on his door seeking ink and inkstones. Du Shiyi could only brush them off by claiming that the ink artisans were still hard at work on Mount Wangwu and the stone inkstones were still being carved, and that all such trivial matters had been entrusted to the Qianbao Pavilion. In the blink of an eye, half a month slipped away.

On the afternoon of this day, Du Shiyi finally managed to evade invitations and was reading books in the library tower when a knock suddenly sounded outside. "Master Du, the Cui Residence in the Eastern Capital's Yongfeng Ward has sent a reply letter back."

"Oh? I'm coming right out."

The distance from Luoyang to Chang'an was seven to eight hundred li. If a fast horse was whipped furiously, the journey could be completed in two days and nights, but routine family letters rarely required such urgency; most took ten days to half a month for a round trip, much like Du Shiyi's previous letters to Cui Jianxuan. Accustomed to this pace, Du Shiyi stepped out of the library tower and headed to the front parlor. The moment he recognized the dust-covered messenger, however, his heart skipped a beat.

***

To his utter astonishment, it was Su Gui, the milk-mother's son of Cui Jianxuan, whom he had grown quite familiar with after sending New Year gifts to Mount Song previously!

"Why is it you who came?"

Su Gui's expression was somewhat heavy. Forcing a smile, he sidestepped the question, bowed to congratulate Du Shiyi on capturing top honors in the county examination, and then respectfully presented a bamboo tube with intact clay seals with both hands. Frowning, Du Shiyi took it, while Su Gui stepped back and stood silently to one side with lowered hands. As a servant, some matters were not his place to chatter about; whatever needed to be said would be conveyed by Cui Jianxuan himself.

Compared to Du Shiyi's previous letters which had used a full five sheets of yellow hemp paper, Cui Jianxuan's reply was by no means inferior. The bamboo tube used the thickest section near the root of the bamboo, and pulling out the thick stack of stationery inside made one wonder whether a letter or a book had been written. However, the moment Du Shiyi finished scanning the first page in ten-line glances, his expression instantly turned as heavy as Su Gui's.

Cui Ezhi, the Duke of Zhao, had already been in poor health when Du Shiyi departed, but over the past few months, his condition had not only failed to improve but had worsened significantly, leaving the entire Cui household burning with anxiety. Especially for Cui Jianxuan, a son who usually feared nothing under heaven, the letter revealed a somewhat hesitant and uneasy state of mind. Page after page rambled on about extremely trivial past matters, and his tone reflected both guilt toward his father and regret for not having applied himself diligently in his youth. In short, his spirits were deeply depressed.

When he finally finished reading the stack of stationery, Du Shiyi let out a long sigh and placed them by his side before looking up at Su Gui to ask, "Does the Fifth Lady know that Eleventh Brother sent you to deliver this reply letter to me?"

Su Gui was slightly startled, then immediately nodded. "Before I set out, the Fifth Lady asked about it. Learning that Master Du had taken top honors in the county examination, the Fifth Lady also had me bring a message, telling Master Du to set your mind at ease and prepare for the Jingzhao Prefecture Departmental Examination, and not to fret over anything else."

That being the case, the Fifth Lady of the Cui family must have known that Cui Jianxuan would pour out his pent-up worries and sorrows in his letter, which was why she told him not to worry about anything else.

Thinking of the Fifth Lady of the Cui family, who handled every matter thoroughly and methodically, Du Shiyi felt his lingering worries ease slightly, but he still instructed Su Gui to go and rest before taking the stationery back to his room to write a reply. On the way, he ran into Du Lady the Thirteenth, who had caught wind of the letter from the Cui family. Unwilling to let the young girl worry, he said not a word about Cui Ezhi's condition, claiming instead that he was acting on the instructions of the Cui Fifth Lady to admonish Cui Jianxuan to apply himself diligently to his studies. The young girl was overjoyed to hear this. Back in his room, he fluently brushed off five or six sheets of stationery, offering nothing more than words of comfort to his friend in his usual tone. After placing the letters into the bamboo tube and sealing it, he immediately summoned Su Gui and asked him to deliver it back to the Eastern Capital as swiftly as possible.

With the letter dispatched, knowing there was nothing more he could do to help for the moment, he could only gather his spirits and continue dealing with the endless stream of invitations.

Around the *shen* hour on this day, returning from a rare summer luncheon under the scorching sun and stepping through the black-penned double-leaf gates of the Cui Residence, Du Shiyi—his clothes soaked with sweat—could no longer care about proper decorum. He reached out to tug at his collar, wishing he could immediately douse himself with two full buckets of well water. To his dismay, however, the gatekeeper at the main entrance brought him rather unpleasant news.

Jiang Du, the eldest son of Jiang Jiaode, the Duke of Chu, had been waiting for him at the Cui Residence for over half an hour!

***

As for Jiang Du, Du Shiyi harbored neither particular fondness nor aversion. Hearing now that the man had the patience to wait for so long, he could not simply retreat to his room to change clothes first. Instead, after wiping away his sweat, he headed straight to the corridor room on the west side of the main hall to receive his guest. Before they had even exchanged formal greetings, Jiang Du lazily piped up, "Nineteenth Master Du, which young lady of the Cui family are you betrothed to?"

"What?"

Seeing Du Shiyi's profound astonishment, Jiang Du finally stood up, eyed him with a half-smile for a good while, and finally gave a dry cough. "Judging by your reaction, this matter seems to be baseless. However, the rumors I've heard are stated with absolute certainty: they say that when you came to the capital for the exams, instead of returning to Fanchuan Duqu, you stayed at the Cui Residence in Pingkang Ward, and moreover, everyone in the Cui household treats you like the master of the house. The reason for all this is simply that the Cui family has betrothed a daughter to you, and as the prospective son-in-law, you are naturally treated as an esteemed guest here."

After his initial shock, Du Shiyi quickly regained his composure. Ever since he had returned to Fanchuan Duqu and received well-intentioned warnings and reminders from the Duke of Jingzhao, Du Siwen, prompting him to lodge at the residence of Cui Taizhi in Pingkang Ward, he had not been entirely unprepared for such gossip. Smiling bitterly, he helplessly spread his hands. "If the Fourth Young Master Jiang is to be believed, this is the very first time I am hearing that such a thing exists."

Jiang Du stared into Du Shiyi's eyes for a long moment, finally concluding that he was not playing any tricks on him, and furrowed his brow. "Liu Ximing lost to Thirteenth Young Master Wang in the Chang'an County Examination. The Jingzhao Prefecture Examination is even harder than the county exams; for him to place in the official ranks would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. If he fails to place, his chances at next year's provincial examinations are practically nil. Could he be the one who deliberately spread this rumor? No, that doesn't make sense... Prime Minister Cui and Prefecture Governor Cui come from illustrious and prestigious families, and their conduct is upright and fair, earning them a stellar reputation across both capitals. If people knew you were half a son-in-law to the Cui family, Guo Quan wouldn't dare not let you rank. Wouldn't that be helping you instead?"

Du Shiyi himself was equally skeptical, but after turning it over in his mind without finding a clue, he chuckled derisively and said, "Since people are spreading rumors, let them spread them."

"Oh? Aren't you planning to move out of the Cui Residence to make your stance clear? You should know that with your reputation soaring right now, you don't necessarily need the Cui clan as your backing!"

"The Fourth Young Master Jiang is mistaken there. To draw such a clear line simply because of gossip would not only feel abrupt, but if word got out, people might say I have a guilty conscience or lack proper etiquette... By the way, could the Fourth Young Master Jiang do me a favor? Just spread word that Eleventh Young Master Cui and I studied under the same teacher, and coupled with the fact that my ancestral home was destroyed by fire and remained in ruins for years, I am merely lodging here as a guest. Even if it doesn't work, it's still better than letting a single biased narrative grow wilder by the day."

"As for that... it's easy. I'll just have people release the wind." Jiang Du stretched lazily, then looked at Du Shiyi with burning eyes. "But keep this in mind: I'm not doing this to help you. I've always been someone who holds grudges and returns every slight. If you can crush Liu Ximing in the Jingzhao Prefecture Examination, I will owe you another favor. Once you pass the *jinshi* examination and are awaiting official appointment, I'll have my father lend you a hand to secure a fine post! That damned fellow jumps around like a flea every chance he gets, and it's high time he was taught a lesson!"