The examination hall was a grand sight, a testament to the enduring legacy of the Imperial Court. The air was filled with a quiet intensity as the students prepared to take their exams. In the center of the hall stood tables; on each were arranged different tools for the examination.
Students were nearly dressed in their uniform, each anticipating the challenge ahead of them. The first section of the examination was dedicated to poetry. The finest papers, ink, and brushes lay before each participant; immediately the sand timer started. Each student picked their brushes and began to write while the rest of the participants stood at the extreme end of the hall.
Ruyi sat with confidence as she carefully dipped her brush into the ink and began to write. It was as if she had been waiting all her life for this; she wrote flawlessly, her focus solely on her work. She didn't even realize time had passed until it was time to submit. She rose with a smile and a determined mind, then walked up to the Chief examiner to submit before turning towards Shen Chun.
"Are you ready?" Ruyi asked. "Yes, I am. Don't worry, this is a piece of cake to me," Shen Chun answered confidently. "Alright, you can do it!" Ruyi cheered her on.
With that, Shen Chun walked up to the same seat Ruyi stood from and took her position. Rice paper was placed in front of each participant, along with an ink stone and brushes. As soon as the timer was set off, Shen Chun began. She held the brush lightly to control the flow and thickness of the strokes, crafting each character carefully, being cautious of the time at the same time.
Finally, it came to the last section of the examination; chess. Ten participants were to represent their groups each, after which the last two standing would compete against each other to determine the winner. Ruyi sat before the chess table. It was just like in the past, where she sat before the chess table for the very first time, not knowing what to do or which piece to move. Now as she sat before the chess board, she smiled as she watched her opponent make her first move. When it was her turn, she maneuvered her pieces with precision, each move calculated to create multiple threats. Her opponent struggled, but Ruyi fueled with determination, pressed on. Finally, with a brilliant combination, Ruyi delivered a checkmate, her victory sealed.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the throne room, illuminating the golden dragon carving on the throne where the Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort sat, flanked by the unsmiling faces of the court officials. Student's work lay before him, and he picked a scroll of poetry, his eyes scanning the content. A subtle smile played on his lips as he nodded, murmuring, "not bad."
He reached for another scroll, but as he read, his expression darkened. His once cheerful smile vanished and was replaced by a scowl. With a sudden, violent movement, he hurled the scroll to the floor and slammed his hands against the table, the sound echoing through the room as he roared, "how dare you!" The court officials flinched, their faces reflecting Emperor Hong's fury.
The officials immediately sank to their knees, 陛下息怒 (Bìxià xī nù) May Your Majesty cease the anger. Yu Gonggong, holding his 拂尘 (fú chén) (horsetail whisk), quickly picked up the scroll, and his jaw dropped as he read the words. He dropped the scroll back to the ground as he gasped in awe. "This… this, who wrote this?" he asked rhetorically.
"This is outrageous! Who wrote this? Who?" Emperor Hong asked with rage.
Yu Gonggong picked up the scroll again, and his mouth opened agape as he read the name in bold characters. He hesitated as he spoke, "Your Majesty, it's…" he paused for a moment, considering whether to say it or not.
"Speak!" Emperor Hong commanded him.
Yu Gonggon knelt down immediately and bowed his head, "Your Majesty, it's Miss Ruyi."
"What?! Ruyi?" Emperor Hong asked for clarity.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Yu Gonggong responded.
"Let me see," Emperor Hong demanded, and Yu Gonggong rose and approached him with the scroll in hand.
Emperor Hong confirmed the name before passing it to Consort Yao.
"How's this possible?" Consort Yao voiced out as she read, "Ruyi would never do such." She faced Emperor Hong, trying to convince him. "Your Majesty, maybe this is some sort of misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" From what I see, it looks like we've been too lenient with her. Someone! Bring Xu Ruyi here immediately," Emperor Hong ordered.
By the time it reached the finals, the exam hall was electric. Ruyi, who had surprisingly triumphed in the earlier rounds, faced the academy's star, Yao Yao. Though Ruyi seemed to have the advantage, she didn't want an easy win, so she relaxed, giving Yao Yao the opportunity to attack.
"What's she doing? Isn't she giving away the game easily?" One student murmured as they observed.
"It's obvious she's going to lose. How can she possibly beat Yao Yao? She's just been getting lucky."
"Yao Yao's the best chess player the school has ever seen; it's not possible to lose to a newbie."
Yao Yao, blinded by underestimating Ruyi's relaxed demeanor, made a miscalculated move, placing her queen in a vulnerable position. With swift precision, Ruyi seized the opportunity, executing a checkmate.
"How can Ruyi win? She just joined the academy, and she easily beat Yao Yao?"
"Yeah, it looks like we underestimated her."
"Hasn't she always been home and never attended school? Beating the academy champion easily; she's incredible."
"I won," Ruyi mouthed to Yao Yao and smiled.
But her smile soon vanished as Yu Gonggong entered the exam hall with two guards behind.
"Take her!" Yu Gonggong declared, and the guards seized Ruyi by the hand.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Ruyi roared at them.
"Take her away!" Yu Gonggong announced.
"Yu Gonggong, what do you mean by this?" Ruyi demanded.
"Miss Ruyi, I'll advise you to cooperate with us; otherwise, you're only adding fuel to the fire," Yu Gonggong advised and headed towards the door; the guards followed, taking Ruyi away.
"What is going on?" The students began whispering.
"Why did they take her away?"
"Maybe she has offended who she shouldn't have offended. Serves her right."
Everyone had something to say, but Shen Chun remained silent, observing the situation.
Minutes later, Ruyi was before Emperor Hong and Consort Yao.
The silence made her anxious before she broke it, "Your Majesty, Your Grace, have I done something wrong?" she asked subtly.
"Ruyi, how can you write something like this? Where did you get such audacity?" Consort Yao reprimanded.
Confusion clouded Ruyi's mind. "Your Grace, I don't understand what you're talking about."
"You don't understand," Consort Yao repeated. "How dare you curse His Majesty? Having your head in place even now is your greatest blessing."
Murmurs began amongst the court officials as all eyes turned to Ruyi's father, Xu Huai.
"Minister Xu, how can your daughter act so outrageous?"
"The audacity! She deserves to be punished."
"Yeah," another court official agreed.
"I wouldn't dare do that; there must have been some sort of misunderstanding," Ruyi responded calmly.
"Ruyi," Emperor Hong finally spoke, "considering that you've been good, I'll give you a chance to explain yourself."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ruyi placed one hand on the other and bowed, before turning towards Yu Gonggong, "may I see the scroll, please?"
Yu Gonggong hesitated, looking at Emperor Hong for approval. Emperor Hong nodded, and Yu Gonggong passed the scroll to Ruyi.
After a quick scan, Ruyi smiled and closed the scroll, her expression shifting. "Your Majesty, Your Grace," she stated, her voice firm, "the handwriting is indeed mine, but this isn't my work."
Consort Yao was the first to speak, "What do you mean? The handwriting is yours but it's not your work? Ruyi, do you take everyone here for a fool? The evidence is here, and you still deny it?"
"I dare not! What I mean is that someone is trying to frame me. This person clearly imitated my handwriting," Ruyi explained.
"Then, how do you explain how it got submitted?" Emperor Hong asked.
"I don't know, but the person who did this will definitely have the answer," Ruyi concluded.
"How dare you!" Emperor Hong barked. "Xu Ruyi, don't think that I can't touch you because I like you."
Ruyi immediately bowed, "May Your Majesty forgive me if I've spoken out of turn."
Minister Xu, one of the court officials, spoke, "I wonder where your daughter got such boldness from, challenging His Majesty at every point."
"I will clear my name and make sure whoever did this answers to you, Your Majesty," Ruyi declared.
"Oh? And how do you intend to do that?" Consort Yao pressed.
"First, I'd like every person who attended the exam to be present. Secondly, I ask for permission for my tutors to also be present; if there's anybody who knows about my work, it's them. Also, every piece of writing I've done since I was a child should also be brought forward."
"With everyone present, anticipation hung heavy in the air as they waited for Ruyi to clear her name."
Ruyi then picked the scroll and handed it to Yu Gonggong. "Yu Gonggong," she called, "though it is my first time writing the imperial examination, I can tell there's a difference between the paper used in the exam and this one right here, am I right?"
Yu Gonggong felt the paper, and it immediately dawned on him. He turned to face Emperor Hong. "Your Majesty, it's true; the paper is slightly different."
"Let me see," Emperor Hong demanded, and the paper was given to him, after which he handed over to Minister of rite, Xu Huai to inspect.
"Indeed, Your Majesty, this paper is different from the ones used to set the imperial exams," Xu Huai pointed out.
"These are all my write-ups from when I was a child. If you look at them closely, you'd observe that I normally space my characters; it's what I liked doing as a child." The papers were taken to Emperor Hong and Consort Yao for observation, and they both compared them with the scroll.
"It's true, Your Majesty. During my lessons with Miss Xu, I always corrected her character spacing, but she couldn't adjust. I didn't realize it was a childhood habit," one tutor confirmed.
"Yes, I thought she was just being difficult; I didn't know it was something she'd grown accustomed to," another tutor added.
With a gasp, Shen Chun took a step back, her breathing shallow.
Ruyi glanced at Shen Chun, then turned her gaze to Emperor Hong. "Your Majesty," she said, kneeling and bowing, "I deserve to be punished for what I am about to say."