Chapter 135: A Bolt from the Blue, a Fragile Maiden...

Just as Fifth Lady Cui had mentioned before, the Jingzhao Prefecture examination did not have a fixed date, varying anywhere from the seventh to the ninth lunar month in past years. However, when the date for this year's prefecture examination was finally announced, everyone from top to bottom heaved a sigh of relief. The twelfth day of the eighth month had already passed the particularly scorching heat of early autumn, yet it lacked the biting chill of late autumn, making it the most suitable time for an examination. Especially those seniors who had experienced the Jingzhao Prefecture preliminary examinations in the past still shuddered with lingering fear when recalling the flying snow of September back then, with some even rolling up their sleeves during literary gatherings to display the scars of frostbite to others.

Guo Quan was originally supposed to officiate this year's Jingzhao Prefecture examination. However, in the seventh month, he suffered a fall from a horse and injured his leg. Although he could still manage the related affairs of Wannian County's office, he submitted a memorial asking to be excused from presiding over the prefecture examination. Yuan Qianyao, the Mayor of Jingzhao, had no alternative. After careful deliberation, he dragged his feet until the very end of the seventh month before suddenly announcing the appointment of Yu Feng, the Assistant Magistrate of Lantian County and a man of humble origins from Jiangnan, to preside over the Jingzhao Prefecture examination. Such a last-minute change of generals was naturally unexpected, but Guo Quan's strict prohibition against redeeming test papers and his rule allowing only six out of ten candidates to advance to the second round during the Wannian County examination had left many harboring deep resentments. Even the scholars who had beforehand inquired into Guo Quan's personal preferences breathed a massive sigh of relief at this news.

The date for this year's Jingzhao Prefecture examination was favorable, and the examiner had been suddenly replaced; perhaps their chances of success would be even greater!

However, for Du Shiyi, he could not afford to worry about this sudden change of examiners for the time being.

Events had proven that consigning the Duan inkstone and pine soot ink to the Qianbao Pavilion for sale was indeed the absolute best choice. Liu Jiaodong, eager to show goodwill, vigorously promoted them at the Artifact Appreciation Convention. Backed by Zhang Xu’s prestigious reputation, rumors also circulated that the desks of Princes Song and Qi, as well as Princess Yuzhen, had all been switched to this new set of writing materials. Naturally, countless people rushed to collect and use them for themselves. A thick stack of orders had already been accumulated, prompting Wu Jiu to hurriedly return to Guangdong, accompanied by Yang Zongwan and under the protection of seven or eight Cui family retainers. As for the Wangwu pine soot ink—whose ink kiln he had improved and whose formula he had blended—its texture was as hard as jade and its color far richer and brighter than the ink currently produced by northerners. Master calligraphers praised it endlessly, and even painters eagerly sought it out. The initial thirty ingots were long gone, and even the limited-edition Cottage Ten Desiderata ink was down to its last three blocks.

As for the bookstore venture suggested by Thirteenth Lady Du, Du Shiyi initially thought the little girl was being utterly naive. Yet, upon much deliberation, he realized the idea was nothing short of brilliant!

In the capital, there was no shortage of scholars who failed the imperial examinations year after year yet still pinned their hopes on transforming into dragons by leaping over the dragon gate. Some of these scholars came from impoverished families, while others relied entirely on financial support from their relatives. Even when living in straitened circumstances, they never skimped on the expense of buying books; some would even pawn their robes simply to acquire a text! As for those even poorer souls who could not afford to buy and were forced to copy books by hand, they still had to pay hefty fees to the bookstores. His own purpose in copying books had been to reinforce his memory, and once copied, he rarely needed to consult them again. Yet to others, these very books were of paramount importance!

With this in mind, he, who was no longer short of money, rented three storefronts facing the crossroads on the east side of the south gate of the Pukang Ward and opened a small bookstore—yet he did not sell a single book. The bookstore was open to everyone. All the various types of books he had copied over the past three years in Mount Song, Luoyang, and Chang'an were bound into neat, thread-bound volumes and displayed neatly on rows of shelves. Any impoverished scholar who made a request was permitted to copy them right there on the spot within the bookstore. Within three days of opening, the threshold of the bookstore was almost trampled flat. Although some cynics grumbled that it was merely for show, the many individuals who had personally entered to browse and experience it became the best living proof.

The handwriting in those hand-copied, thread-bound books genuinely came from a single person!

Furthermore, resourceful individuals managed to acquire samples of Du Shiyi's personal handwriting, which ultimately provided definitive verification of the matter. The person who had copied hundreds of volumes of books was undoubtedly Du Shiyi himself!

Under these circumstances, even though rumors had initially spread far and wide that Du Shiyi was to become a son-in-law of the Cui family and had thus clinched top honors in the Wannian County examination, this criticism momentarily seemed remarkably feeble when compared to his soaring reputation. Jiang Du also honored his promise; the burning down of Du Shiyi’s ancestral home in Fanchuan and Duqu, and his subsequent lodging with the Cui family out of scholarly camaraderie with the eleventh young master of the Cui family, naturally became the widely accepted narrative.

Time flew, and soon it was the eighth day of the eighth month. Seeing that the Jingzhao Prefecture preliminary examination was imminent and knowing that these three rounds would not be as easily cleared as the county examination, Thirteenth Lady Du began preparing clothing and examination tools many days in advance. Qiuniang and Zhuying discussed what kind of pastries and food should be packed, and by that very afternoon, they were even arguing over what kind of herbal beverage to prepare. Meanwhile, Du Shiyi, who had ventured out less and less over successive days, stood within that repository of books and could not help but sigh inwardly over the fire that had consumed his old ancestral home.

Although it could not compare to the generations of official prestige, enduring legacy, and rich book collections of the Cui family, the Du family had also accumulated quite a number of classical texts over several generations. In the end, they had been reduced to ashes, which was truly a great pity!

"Master Du! Master Du!"

No sound of knocking at the door was heard, but instead, this escalating shouting pierced the air. Du Shiyi was momentarily stunned, and in the next instant, he saw the heavy gate flung open regardless of consequence. It was Liu Mo, supporting a staggering, unsteady figure as they rushed inside. Recognizing the dust-covered, deathly exhausted man as Su Gui, who had previously carried a letter back to Luoyang, Du Shiyi froze. Before he could even pose a question, Su Gui’s knees buckled and he collapsed straight to the ground.

"Master Du, I beg of you..."

Seeing Su Gui’s voice choked and hoarse, Du Shiyi was suddenly seized by a terrible foreboding. Unable to even reach out to help him up, he demanded urgently, "What on earth has happened? Tell me quickly!"

"The Duke of Zhaoguo... the Duke of Zhaoguo has passed away..."

Although Liu Mo had supported Su Gui all the way in, knowing only that Su Gui claimed there was a matter of life-and-death urgency without knowing its exact nature, upon hearing those few words spill from the man’s trembling lips, Liu Mo felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He stood frozen in place, his heart and mind filled with sheer disbelief, continuously muttering to himself, "This is impossible... impossible!"

Du Shiyi had already braced himself for the worst-case scenario just moments before. Though still stricken with horror, he forced himself to suppress his emotions and asked, "When did this happen?"

"On the third day of the eighth month." Su Gui forced himself to straighten his back slightly, then suddenly threw himself forward and kowtowed heavily twice to the caught-off-guard Du Shiyi with loud thuds. Only then did he plead with a tearful, weeping voice, "Master Du, I beg you to go back and persuade the Eleventh Young Master! Ever since the lord passed away, the young master has refused to eat or drink, kneeling motionlessly before the bier without listening to a single word of persuasion from anyone, looking just like the walking dead! Fifth Lady had originally instructed that horses could be ridden to the capital to announce the obituary only after the twelfth day of the eighth month. It was because I truly could not bear to watch the young master in that state that I secretly slipped out of Yongfeng Ward, riding horses day and night without sleep for two days and one day all the way to Chang'an!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Mo instinctively blurted out in a low voice, "But the twelfth day of the eighth month is this year's Jingzhao Prefecture preliminary examination! If Master Du goes to the Eastern Capital, then this year..."

Su Gui’s mouth twitched into a bitter smile, and he lowered his head, falling completely silent. At that moment, Liu Mo suddenly snapped to his senses, remembering that he was a servant of the Cui family, and that the Cuis were his true masters. He must not forget the proper boundaries of master and servant simply because Du Shiyi had brought them along, treating them with warmth and generosity over the past few days. Yet, if asked to persuade Du Shiyi to stay, he found himself utterly unable to utter a single word.

Despite lodging at the Cui residence, all the momentum leading up to the county and prefecture examinations this year had been forged by Du Shiyi himself; the help provided by them as Cui family members was negligible! Not to mention that Du Shiyi had previously rescued the twenty-fifth young master of the Cui family from such grave peril in Taolin County. To ask him to easily give up this prefecture examination, which was practically a guaranteed success, was something he simply could not bring himself to request!

"Liu Mo, go prepare the horses—two horses, double saddles."

Du Shiyi’s low, resolute command instantly ignited a boundless spark of hope in Su Gui. He snapped his head up and, seeing Du Shiyi’s expression firm and unyielding, stammered, "Master Du... Master Du has agreed?"

"The Cui family has suffered such a monumental tragedy, and I have always received profound kindness from them. Now that I know, I naturally cannot pretend to be ignorant... Liu Mo, hurry!"

Seeing that Du Shiyi’s mind was clearly made up, Liu Mo felt a surge of warmth in his chest and dashed out without a second thought. Meanwhile, Du Shiyi gently pressed the shoulder of Su Gui, who looked as if he had been drained of all strength, and said calmly, "You have ridden without stopping all the way here; rest for a day before heading back. I will go to my room to change into plain mourning attire and depart for Luoyang immediately!"

Su Gui watched as Du Shiyi finished speaking and strode away. He remained frozen for a long time before shifting his knees toward the direction where Du Shiyi had departed and kowtowed heavily three more times. When he finally stood up, ignoring the exhaustion and the swollen, red bruises on his forehead, he leaned on his knees to steady himself, struggling step by step as he walked outside.

Thirteenth Lady Du was in her room, carefully packing the clothing and examination tools needed for the test site, meticulously sewing an amulet talisman—obtained from the Dacien Temple—into a sachet stitch by stitch. Suddenly, a loud bang startled her. Looking up, she saw Du Shiyi stride directly into the room. Seeing her elder brother dressed in plain white mourning clothes, she was utterly baffled, but the very next words out of his mouth left her stunned into speechlessness.

"Word has just been sent from Yongfeng Ward in the Eastern Capital. The Duke of Zhaoguo, Lord Cui, has passed away."

Thirteenth Lady Du gave a start, snapping out of her daze. She instinctively clapped both hands tightly over her mouth to stifle an irrepressible gasp of shock. Realizing the reason behind her brother’s plain white attire, she dropped her hands and cried out in a trembling voice, "Elder brother, are you planning to rush back to Luoyang?"

"The one who came is Su Gui, the son of Eleventh Young Master Cui’s wet nurse. He said Eleventh Young Master is refusing to eat or drink, driving himself to death. If that fellow truly comes to some harm, even if I were to capture top honors in the preliminary examinations this year, my conscience would trouble me for the rest of my life. Therefore, I must make this trip!"

Even though she knew how much anxious effort and how many hardships her brother had endured to reach this stage in the imperial examinations, Thirteenth Lady Du clenched her fists tightly at that moment, gritted her teeth, and said, "Then elder brother, go quickly! A drop of water's favor should be repaid with a gushing spring, not to mention that the Cui family has given us brother and sister so much help!"

Du Shiyi had originally expected to spend a great deal of breath persuading his younger sister. Seeing her be so reasonable and understanding, he felt an immense wave of relief. Nodding, he gave Thirteenth Lady Du a few instructions before turning around and walking out, vanishing from her sight within moments. It was only then that Thirteenth Lady Du could no longer maintain her upright posture; she collapsed straight to the ground, burying her face and weeping bitterly.

She did not know whether she was crying for Fifth Lady Cui, whom she regarded like an elder sister; for Cui Jianxuan, who had always smiled at her like a real brother; for her own elder brother; or for herself. She had no idea how long had passed until someone gave her a forceful shake, causing her to open her dazed eyes and lift her head.

"Young mistress, what is wrong? Why did the master rush out with several people, and why is everyone riding two horses? It is almost the thirteenth day of the eighth month—is he going on a long journey at a time like this?"

Thirteenth Lady Du vigorously wiped her eyes, then spoke every word with deliberate clarity: "You need not concern yourself with this. You and Qiuniang must pack everything the master needs for the Jingzhao Prefecture examination first! Step outside and see if the master took Tian Mo with him; if not, call him here."

Once Zhuying retreated with a face full of confusion, Thirteenth Lady Du fetched brush and ink, sat down, and began writing a letter stroke by stroke. Before long, Tian Mo’s voice echoed from outside. Taking a deep breath, she sealed the letter and personally carried the bamboo tube outside. Seeing Tian Mo standing under the eaves looking utterly bewildered, she gently bit her lip and issued her orders: "Make a trip to the Wang residence in Guangde Ward and deliver this letter to the Twenty-fifth Young Master Cui. Ride a horse, and be quick about it! On your way back, stop by the Qianbao Pavilion, inform Liu Jiaodong that the Duke of Zhaoguo has passed away and the master has returned to the Eastern Capital, and tell him... the master will do everything in his power to rush back in time for this year's Jingzhao Prefecture examination, and ask him to help generate some momentum for the master! Let us go check on the bookstore right now and make sure it is properly maintained. As long as the master can make it back in time for the examination, I will certainly help him capture top honors in this session!"