Chapter 117: Wives and Concubines

Chapter 117: Wives and Concubines

On the first day, Du Yunse completed five questions on the Four Books and two five-character eight-rhyme poems. On the second day, he finished eight questions on the Five Classics.

He rose at sunrise each day, heated a pot of water on the brazier, warmed soft flatbreads, and brewed a cup of butter tea mixed with roasted sesame, peanuts, and crushed walnuts. After a simple meal, he began answering the questions, putting away his writing materials only after nightfall, then slept on two long wooden boards placed side by side.

Li Ruicong in the neighboring cell went to the restroom five or six times on the first day. He finally returned to normal on the second day, but having lost a day, his performance in the first part of the exam was likely poor.

By the third day, many candidates were already struggling. The mental pressure was harder to bear than the physical fatigue.

Being confined in a tight cell for three days, not allowed to speak, constantly answering questions, and worrying whether their papers would win the favor of the examiners and whether they would pass the imperial examination... a tense atmosphere permeated the rows of cells.

Du Yunse sat upright in his cell, carefully grinding ink. The cells around him were much noisier than the previous two days.

The sounds of changing paper, placing brushes, and moving wooden boards... the candidates unconsciously made louder noises to ease their anxiety.

Du Yunse remained unaffected. When the ink in the Chengni inkstone was just right, he took a fresh sheet of paper that covered the entire wooden desk and began copying his answers.

The imperial examination essays had very strict formatting requirements. For example, the character "subject" had to be written in lowercase, while "emperor", "lord", and "Your Majesty" had to be capitalized. Any reference to the monarch had to start on a new line...

One mistake could not only lead to disqualification but also be considered a crime of disrespecting the monarch.

On a sheet of rice paper, one and a half feet wide and over ten feet long, tiny characters were neatly aligned vertically. A single error would mean starting again, testing not only the candidate's patience and meticulousness but also their emotional stability.

—This was Qiu Huanian's assessment.

After copying one question, Du Yunse took a short break. The image of his husband appeared before his eyes, and he unconsciously smiled.

In the neighboring cell, Li Ruicong seemed to have accidentally dropped an inkstone. The stone inkstone hit the brick floor, making a loud noise, prompting two officials in charge of the area to come and check.

Du Yunse raised an eyebrow, picked up his brush, and continued copying the essay on the large, snow-white sheet of paper.

Patiently writing and pausing, by the hour of You (5-7 PM), Du Yunse had completed the copying of the entire long answer sheet on time. He trimmed the excess paper, and the final answer sheet was a full ten feet long.

After the ink dried, the official responsible for sealing the names opened the cell door.

In front of Du Yunse, the official covered the section with the candidate's information with opaque paper, folded the paper according to regulations, and placed it in a special box for sealing.

This step was where cheating could occur. In a previous dynasty, a candidate once bribed an official with a large sum of money to cut off the sections with the candidate's information from his and the top candidate's papers, swap them, and reattach them, thus obtaining the top candidate's answers.

When the results of the imperial examination were announced, he passed as the top candidate, while the original top candidate failed.

Fortunately, the original top candidate had memorized his answers and shown them to his mentor after the exam. The mentor happened to be invited to evaluate the top candidate's paper and immediately noticed that the content was identical to his student's, even the handwriting. He reported it to the authorities.

In the end, the truth was revealed, and the original top candidate regained his position. The cheating candidate and the bribed official were both executed.

The Yu Dynasty's imperial examination learned from this lesson and had the officials seal the names in front of the candidates. After sealing, the papers were immediately placed in a box and sealed, with one collected before moving on to the next, eliminating the possibility of officials being bribed to swap papers.

Du Yunse calmly watched as the official placed his paper in the box and sealed it with a special label. The box would only be opened under strict supervision when the examination was completely over and the papers were being evaluated.

The first part of the examination was over, and the candidates could do nothing but wait for the results.

After the official left, Du Yunse began packing his belongings.

He washed the brush and inkstone, packed them into a brocade bag, folded the bedding, and found that the food in the food box was just finished, but there was still plenty of longan charcoal left.

This was because the food was packed by Qiu Huanian, who calculated Du Yunse's meal portions, while the charcoal was packed as much as the container could hold, fearing that the weather might turn cold and Du Yunse would freeze.

The officials at the examination hall worked quickly. Sealing the names, collecting the papers, and confirming the number of papers took only two quarters of an hour. At the third quarter of the hour of You, the large bell at the entrance of the examination hall rang again, and the gates opened. The streets, crowded with carriages and people, immediately became chaotic.

Qiu Huanian and Deng Die, since they lived nearby, sent their servants with the carriage early to grab a good spot at the gate of the examination hall.

However, as the exam's end time approached, the crowd outside the examination hall swelled, and various carriages crowded together, obscuring their view of the entrance.

Hearing the bell, Bai Quan jumped off the carriage shaft, "Township Lord, please wait, I'll push through to get the master."

Xing Mi took over the reins and advised Qiu Huanian, "It's packed out there, and you're not in the best health, Township Lord. If you get hurt, wouldn't it upset the master?"

Qiu Huanian glanced out the carriage window. It was indeed bustling and crowded. Considering his slight build, he wisely decided against it.

"Sister Deng only has one person with her, which isn't ideal. You might as well check where Scholar Wang is."

"Township Lord, rest assured, I remember!" Bai Quan replied while pushing his way through the crowd.

Over an hour later, Du Yunse and Wang Yinzhi finally followed Bai Quan to the two carriages.

Having spent almost three consecutive days in the cramped examination cells, both looked tired but composed, likely having done their best.

With the next exam set for the morning, Qiu Huanian didn't delay. After picking them up, he had Bai Quan take them back to their rented residence.

Bai Quan had gotten to know the roads around the examination hall over the past few days. He dodged the crowd through a small alley and, after several turns, made it back home.

The kitchen stove had steaming rice and a pot of hot water, which Qiu Huanian had kept warm on low heat before they left, and it was still hot.

Qiu Huanian had Du Yunse eat some hot food while directing Bai Quan to carry the hot water to the room, so Du Yunse could take a relaxing bath after eating.

After everything was done and Du Yunse had finished his bath, Qiu Huanian finally got the chance to talk properly.

He waved his hand in front of Du Yunse's eyes, "Back to reality, Master Du? Du Jieyuan?"

Du Yunse smiled faintly and held his hand, "The exam really takes it out of you. Fortunately, Brother Hua was outside handling things."

The two lay on the kang, Qiu Huanian leaning against Du Yunse's chest, smelling the faint scent of plum blossoms on him.

Earlier, Qiu Huanian had generously added a jar of plum blossom paste to the bathwater, which was well worth the praise.

Qiu Huanian took another sniff and rubbed against Du Yunse's freshly warmed chest.

"..."

Du Yunse chuckled, "Brother Hua, are you resting with me?"

Earlier, Qiu Huanian had Xing Mi clear the table, then persuaded everyone to leave, closed the door, and drew the silk curtain, claiming he wanted to rest with Du Yunse.

Qiu Huanian blinked innocently, "Yes, if you feel shortchanged, I'll let you rub back."

As he spoke, he tugged at the collar of his inner garment.

Du Yunse pressed Qiu Huanian's hand, his voice hoarse, "It's not the right time yet."

Qiu Huanian, having anticipated this, deliberately said, "It's your own fault for not seizing the opportunity."

"..."

Qiu Huanian buried his face and chuckled softly. Enjoy the moment; how Du Yunse would 'settle the score' after the exam could wait.

The charcoal in the brazier tirelessly emitted warmth. In the soft and warm quilt, Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian snuggled together, chatting idly, as the physical and mental fatigue gradually washed away.

Qiu Huanian was still not interested in the convoluted and profound classical texts. After Du Yunse recounted his experience of the imperial examination process, he thought for a moment and told Qiu Huanian about Li Ruicong's incident.

Brother Hua loves hearing about new and interesting things and likes to get in on the fun without the hassle. He never forgets.

Hearing that Li Ruicong’s exam cell was actually next to Du Yunse’s, Qiu Huanian couldn’t help but frown.

"Although fellow candidates from the same hometown are assigned to the same area, being right next to each other is really unlucky," Lady Qishu, who holds grudges, bitterly complained.

"Is that going to bother you?"

"The exam cells are tightly controlled. Besides the officials from the examination hall, there are also patrols by the imperial guards. Any unusual activity will attract investigation. I was busy with my own exam in my cell; he couldn’t affect me."

Qiu Huanian breathed a sigh of relief. Talking about Li Ruicong reminded him of some gossip.

"The day before yesterday, I suddenly found out that Li Ruicong rented a place close to ours. When Sister Deng hit the market with the servants, she ran into his household staff and took the opportunity to inquire."

Although she had servants to rely on, Deng Die still insisted on going out to buy groceries herself every day, saying she didn’t trust anyone else to pick out the veggies.

Qiu Huanian complained to Du Yunse, "Guess how big Li Ruicong’s entourage was for the exam?"

Du Yunse shook his head, "Tell me, Brother Hua."

He didn’t want to rain on Qiu Huanian’s parade, so he treated listening to gossip as a way to relax and entertain himself, while also getting to know more about Li Ruicong’s situation.

"Most candidates travel light to the capital, focusing solely on the exam. But Li Ruicong not only brought his wife but also two concubines."

"One is his wife’s cousin from her maternal family, and the other was bought from an official broker. They can’t stand each other. It’s said that his place is a real circus. There were several disputes even before the exam, and even the neighbors heard them. I have no idea what they’re even doing here."

Du Yunse nodded slightly, "No wonder."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing." Du Yunse smiled and kissed Qiu Huanian’s forehead, "Having Brother Hua is the best thing that’s ever happened to me."

...

Li Ruicong was stuck in traffic for ages before he finally returned to the two-courtyard house his father-in-law had rented at a high price through connections.

The normally bustling courtyard was oddly quiet today, slightly easing his throbbing forehead.

"Where is Concubine Zao?" His expression was hard to read.

"Concubine Zao and the younger one are under house arrest by the mistress."

Li Ruicong raised an eyebrow and saw his original wife, Bai Chenghuan, who had been "sick and unavailable" since he passed the provincial exam, coming out to greet him.

"You’ve had a tough day, sir. Dinner’s ready on time, and the water is also heated. Please go and rest for a while. There’s still the second round tomorrow," Bai Chenghuan said as she helped Li Ruicong take off his cloak.

Li Ruicong asked, "Who cooked the meal?"

Bai Chenghuan smiled gently, "Naturally, it was the cook we brought from Liaozhou. That cook Concubine Zao suggested the other day was a disaster. You didn’t know because you were in the examination hall. After eating his food, the whole family was sick to their stomachs for a day. I quickly dismissed him and switched back to the original cook, and indeed, there were no more stomach issues."

Li Ruicong snorted heavily, "Not just that, he almost screwed me over. If it weren’t for a few questions in this exam that I had prepared for before, saving a lot of effort, I might have missed a big opportunity!"

Bai Chenghuan lowered her eyelids, her lips curling up, "The next exam will go smoothly, I’m sure."

Li Ruicong nodded and instructed, "We can’t indulge Zao’er anymore. A servant from an official broker, she’s got no vision at all, how can she handle things well? She only cares about that little bit. You are the mistress of the house, don’t slack off, put more effort into educating her properly."

Bai Chenghuan nodded in agreement.

Seeing her so obedient today, Li Ruicong’s mood improved a bit, but he still maintained his airs.

He declined the tea Bai Chenghuan offered, smirking slightly, "Has Madam come to her senses and regretted her actions?"

Bai Chenghuan lowered her head and spoke softly, "I’ve given my husband children for thirteen years. Can’t you overlook a moment of weakness?"

Seeing Bai Chenghuan admit her mistake, Li Ruicong nodded with satisfaction, "Your parents are sensible people, but you are always jealous and temperamental. It seems you’ve been coddled. Now that you understand, you must strive to be a virtuous wife and mother in the future."

At this point, he remembered Bai Chenghuan's past kindness and felt a touch of emotion, "As long as you’re sensible, do you think I, Li Ruicong, would abandon my wife and children? Once I pass the imperial exam and become an official, you will be the official wife, and our children will be the legitimate sons and daughters of an official family. What more could you want?"

Bai Chenghuan still smiled gently, "You’re right, my lord. I’ve learned my lesson."

After attending to Li Ruicong’s meal and bath, and watching him head to Zao'er’s room, satisfied, Bai Chenghuan returned to her own chamber. Once alone, her expression turned icy.

As evening approached, Bai Chenghuan lifted her cousin’s house arrest and called for her to come see her.

The servants called her "Little Madam" and withdrew from the room as instructed, leaving the two sisters alone.

After making sure no one was listening, Bai Chengyu's eyes reddened as she threw herself at Bai Chenghuan's knees and asked, "Madam, how did it go?"

Bai Chenghuan shook her head slowly, "You should still call me sister."

Bai Chengyu murmured, "...I am just a concubine from a collateral branch."

Before being chosen by the main branch's aunt to be sent as a concubine to the golden son-in-law of the Bai family, to help the main branch's legitimate daughter secure favor, she was just a girl who knew some medicine and dreamed of marrying a doctor.

Bai Chenghuan touched Bai Chengyu's tender and beautiful face. At less than fifteen years old, she had already been thrown into the filthy inner chambers.

She herself had been married to Li Ruicong at fifteen, to the man she thought was her ideal husband.

Bai Chenghuan sneered, "What is birth? I was born higher and placed in the position of a wife, and you were born lower and placed in the position of a concubine? We’re both just gifts from the Bai family to the scholar."

"..." Bai Chengyu whispered, "The medicine you asked me to prepare a few days ago..."

"Shh—" Bai Chenghuan made a gesture.

"Don’t rush. Let’s make a move first, to suppress that Zao'er. When he passes the examination, he doesn’t need to do too well..."

Bai Chenghuan looked at the tightly closed door, the dim light, and the oppressive ceiling.

"Chengyu, we have lost so much. We must win it all back. Life in the inner chambers is long. We’ll take our time—we have plenty of it."