Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

On February 25th, the results of the metropolitan examination were announced, with 110 candidates passing.

A crowd of examinees had already gathered early in the morning at the examination hall to check the results. Those who passed beamed with joy, while those who failed were overwhelmed with sorrow—some even fainted on the spot, whether from extreme joy or despair. Regardless, they were carried away.

Gao He, being swift and agile, maneuvered through the crowd and squeezed to the front of the results board. Holding his breath, he scanned the list from top to bottom. When he didn’t find his name among the top five, he exhaled slowly, tinged with a hint of regret.

—As a scholar, who wouldn’t want to be the top scorer?

He continued searching, surrounded by the mixed reactions of others—some cheering, “I passed!” while others wailed in disbelief, “How is my name not on the list?” Sweat began to form on Gao He’s palms.

“I must have passed… I must have…”

—‘38th place, Gao He.’

“!!!”

Gao He stared at the name, swallowing hard.

Thirty-eighth place!

Beside him, a loud yell erupted, “Yes! I passed! Fourteenth place! I finally don’t have to sneak snacks under my blanket anymore—sob sob sob!”

Gao He turned to see an unfamiliar young man shouting with joy. After his outburst, the youth began humming a strange tune:

“Purple tree, purple flower, when the purple flower blooms, it bears purple gourds. The purple gourd’s stem has tiny thorns, and inside, it’s filled with sesame! Roasted eggplant! Grilled eggplant! Fried eggplant! Here I come—”

Gao He couldn’t help but chuckle.

—What a peculiar fellow.

Just then, a middle-aged man arrived, pushing through the crowd with a younger man beside him. The young man was limping slightly, occasionally clutching his backside—who knew who had hit him?

The middle-aged man had sharp features and an imposing presence—an ideal look for an official. His eyes were locked on the results list as he clicked his tongue. ŔΆŊȎ₿ĚṨ

“You actually placed 39th? I thought you’d fail for sure.”

Gao He let out a soft “hmm?” Wasn’t this the examinee who had been seated near him during the test?

Curious, he glanced at the name under his own. Sure enough, written in bold characters: “Hai Mingda.”

The young man beside the middle-aged man pulled a long face. “Cousin, I told you—I only forgot a few details, but I did well on most of the questions! You just didn’t believe me! The examination covered all five classics! It’s normal to know some and not others!”

The middle-aged man coughed lightly and muttered under his breath—loud enough for Gao He to hear clearly:

“If your wrong answers weren’t so absurd, I wouldn’t have gotten mad enough to beat you.”

Gao He’s curiosity was piqued.

Just what kind of mistakes could be so ridiculous that even one’s own cousin couldn’t tolerate them and resorted to violence?

At that moment, another man with a sallow complexion approached, filled with anticipation. He scanned the results board once, twice, thrice—each time, his face grew paler.

“No… still not there…”

Gao He quickly reached out to steady him, fearing he might collapse. “Are you alright?”

But the man seemed lost in a daze, ignoring him entirely. He merely turned around, staggering away with lifeless eyes, mumbling, “I failed… I failed…”

He disappeared into the crowd, swallowed by the sea of people.

Such was the imperial examination—some rejoiced while others despaired.

Gao He could only sigh.

Liang Residence

Liang Youwen burst into the house, unable to contain his excitement.

“Father! I barely made it, ranking 101st—almost failed! But my younger brother ranked fourth! His Book of Rites essay, official report, and policy analysis were all selected as exemplary answers!”

He rattled off the news in one breath, not even checking his father’s reaction before turning to Liang Youwu.

“Brother! You’re amazing! I always knew—you’ve been brilliant at studying since childhood!”

Liang Youwu remained composed, simply nodding. He then turned to Liang Rui with a hint of excitement.

“Father, I—”

His voice abruptly stopped.

Liang Youwen looked over in confusion and was just as baffled.

In the brothers’ line of sight, their father sat silently in his chair, gloomily smoking a pipe. He showed no reaction to his son’s achievement of becoming the top scholar.

Liang Youwu hesitated. “…Father?”

Liang Youwen was even more puzzled. “Haven’t you always avoided smoking?”

The drifting smoke slightly obscured Liang Rui’s expression, but his hoarse voice broke through: “His Majesty hinted at something to me.”

The two brothers instinctively assumed it was a political matter.

Liang Youwen thought for a moment, then walked over and gently patted his father’s shoulder in comfort. “Father, I can’t help much with government affairs, but you can think about something happy instead—like how my brother was selected as the top scholar…”

But their father didn’t respond. He just continued smoking, as if this so-called joyous occasion meant nothing to him.

An awkward silence fell. Liang Youwen glanced at Liang Youwu. “Brother, father is just in a bad mood, you—”

Before he could finish, Liang Youwu pressed his lips together, suddenly glared at Liang Youwen, then turned and bolted out the door.

Liang Youwen called after him anxiously, “Brother! Brother!” He glanced back at his father, who remained seated, puffing on his pipe without a word. Stomping his foot in frustration, Liang Youwen was momentarily at a loss—who should he chase after first?

Inside the imperial palace.

Princess Xiangyang absentmindedly stirred her bowl of rice porridge and curiously asked, “Father, why did you hint at that matter to Liang, the senior official? Aren’t you worried he’ll tell his son and ruin Xu Yanmiao’s ambush?”

The old emperor sipped his porridge slowly and replied nonchalantly, “Liang Guangcai wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Princess Xiangyang tilted her head. “Huh? Why not? Do you trust him that much? That’s his own son we’re talking about.”

The emperor smiled. “He is too upright.”

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