Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Your Highness, Princess Pingshan, this is Xie Yiguan, the top scholar in the imperial examination during the Qilong era. Xie Yiguan has an excellent memory and is familiar with all the officials in the capital, from the highest to the lowest. Therefore, I have specially arranged for Xie Yiguan to accompany you, so that you may quickly familiarize yourself with the capital's affairs," Zhang Xiu proudly introduced Xie Yiguan to Su Yu.

The Qilong era began four years ago, and Xie Yiguan became the top scholar in the imperial examination at the tender age of sixteen.

The imperial examination system of this era was not as refined as in later times, with numerous categories. Among the more conventional categories, the top scholars from the Mingjing and Jinshi categories had different levels of prestige. A saying among scholars went: "Thirty is old for Mingjing, fifty is young for Jinshi." Although this was somewhat exaggerated, it indeed highlighted the difficulty of the Jinshi category. Thus, Xie Yiguan becoming the top scholar in the Jinshi category at sixteen was a remarkable feat. Moreover, his ability to remember and understand tens of thousands of officials was even more astonishing, making him a veritable walking encyclopedia.

Xie Yiguan stepped forward gracefully and bowed to Su Yu, saying, "Your subject, Xie Yiguan, greets Your Highness, Princess Pingshan."

Su Yu looked him up and down. The young man, just twenty years old, was as elegant as an orchid or jade tree, with a warm smile on his face, appearing harmless—

Just like her kind.

When Su Yu was creating a character profile for Xie Yiguan, she felt that he was the same type of person as her—always smiling and feigning innocence, but actually full of cunning. Such people may seem affectionate but are actually the most heartless.

She pondered how to increase his favorability towards her, and concluded that sincerity, her ultimate weapon, was likely the only way.

But people often desire what they lack. She admired sincere people because she herself lacked sincerity.

Su Yu inquired of the system, "System, what is Xie Yiguan's favorability towards me?"

"It's currently 5. Host, you're amazing. Just yesterday, Xie Yiguan's favorability was -5," the system chirped happily, though it didn't understand why Xie Yiguan's favorability had increased without even meeting the host.

Su Yu nodded in understanding. She didn't show excessive enthusiasm towards Xie Yiguan, simply saying, "Then I shall trouble Xie Yiguan."

"It is my duty," Xie Yiguan replied with a courteous smile.

But Su Yu heard the system exclaim in alarm, "Huh? Why did Xie Yiguan's favorability suddenly drop to 2?"

Oh, probably because he felt that working by her side was pointless. After all, people like them were nothing if not pragmatic.

Su Yu didn't coddle him and directly pointed out, "Xie Yiguan seems reluctant to work by my side."

Xie Yiguan hadn't expected Su Yu to be so perceptive. He immediately smiled and said, "How could that be?"

"Ahhh, why did Xie Yiguan's favorability drop to 0 again?!" the system shrieked.

Su Yu cursed 'damn man' inwardly, but her smile grew even brighter.

Xie Yiguan: "..." For some reason, he felt a chill down his spine. It must be an illusion.

Zhang Xiu didn't linger and left after a few words, leaving Xie Yiguan behind.

Su Yu now had a clear grasp of the three prime ministers and the forces they represented. Li Jianzhang was not particularly capable and was the least influential among the three prime ministers. He had originally relied on the emperor, but now that the emperor was dead, it was no wonder he was making such a fuss.

Li Jianzhang was the easiest to deal with, but the other two were more troublesome. How to break through?

She looked up at Xie Yiguan in front of her and suddenly remembered an important identity Xie Yiguan had before his rebellion—the emperor's tutor. He would also soon replace Zhang Xiu as the leader of the civil servant group.

"Princess, is there something on my face?" Xie Yiguan felt somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze.

Su Yu thought that her previous approach was wrong. Actually, dealing with people like them didn't require much trouble. As long as there were common interests, favorability would increase. Sincerity was only useful after ensuring interests.

"No, I was just thinking that Xie Yiguan is so talented. I haven't read much of the Four Books and Five Classics, so I will rely on Xie Yiguan in many areas. By the way, I don't know Xie Yiguan's courtesy name yet."

Xie Yiguan felt a sense of familiarity with Su Yu's smile. Wasn't this the same smile he had when he was scheming?

Thinking this, he still politely replied, "Your subject's courtesy name is Zhi Wei."

"Observing Zhiwei..." Whether it was his name or his courtesy name, it suited him perfectly, Su Yu mused.

Suddenly, there was a commotion among the soldiers outside. Yu Chiyi stepped outside and inquired, "What's going on?"

The guard at the door replied, "It seems there's quite a commotion at the training ground."

Su Yu recalled that when she had first arrived, Yu Chiyou and Su Chengying were still sparring. Had something happened to either of them?

She exchanged a glance with Yu Chiyi and rushed to the training ground. There, she saw Su Chengying, who had been at a disadvantage earlier, now somehow managing to hold his own against Yu Chiyou. The young man was already battered and bruised, half of his face swollen, but his eyes burned with fierce determination, charging at Yu Chiyou recklessly.

Yu Chiyou's martial prowess clearly outmatched Su Chengying's, but Su Chengying's relentless attacks were wearing him down.

Su Yu mentally calculated. Before she left, Yu Chiyou could land ten punches on Su Chengying for every one Su Chengying managed to land. But now, Su Chengying could land a punch on Yu Chiyou in just three strikes. His rate of improvement was astonishingly rapid.

"Zhongyun, stop them before they continue," Su Yu said to Yu Chiyi.

But Yu Chiyi was exhilarated, "No rush, Ayou also needs an opponent like this to improve."

"Let's stop them," Su Yu said, smiling helplessly, "If they keep going, that boy will collapse."

Though Su Chengying fought with increasing ferocity, his condition was clearly off.

Yu Chiyi, jolted by Su Yu's words, shed the thrill of a warrior facing a worthy opponent and noticed Su Chengying's unusual condition.

He quickly leaped into the middle of the training ground, catching Yu Chiyou's punch with one hand and stopping Su Chengying with the other, separating the two youths with his own strength.

Su Chengying seemed to want to continue fighting desperately.

Su Yu shouted, "Su Chengying, stop fighting! If you continue, you'll die!"

The young man looked at her in confusion. No one had ever cared about his life before. In their eyes, he was no different from the beasts they killed...

Su Yu took a step towards him, not too close, but Su Chengying felt a strange sense of danger and immediately let out a beast-like roar, his eyes glowing red.

Yu Chiyi delivered a chop to the back of Su Chengying's neck, and the young man fell to the ground, stiff.

"What's wrong with this kid?" Yu Chiyou asked, still shaken. Even on the real battlefield, he had rarely encountered someone so crazed.

"Probably because he can't survive without fighting desperately," Su Yu said, squatting down and poking the young man's cheek. With his eyes closed, the boy looked almost docile. "Ayou, carry him to my room."

Yu Chiyou was somewhat reluctant, but since it was Su Yu's order, he had no choice but to comply.

But when he saw Su Yu sitting by the bed, applying medicine to Su Chengying, Yu Chiyou felt a bit unbalanced and deliberately made some noise.

When Su Yu looked over, he stared at her with puppy-like round eyes, clearly accusing her of favoritism.

Yu Chiyou had a face similar to Yu Chiyi's, with a tough, masculine look. But since he was still young, his face was rounder than Yu Chiyi's, and his eyes were also rounder, giving him a youthful cuteness. Plus, his face was bruised in several places from Su Chengying's punches, making him look even more comically adorable.

Su Yu couldn't help but laugh at his face.

Yu Chiyou's eyes filled with even more grievance, "Your Highness, I'm injured too."

This time, Su Yu directly reached out, pinching both of his cheeks with her hands. Surprisingly, it felt quite nice.

"Your Highness—" Yu Chiyou was angry. He wasn't a child!

Su Yu laughed even harder, and Yu Chiyou's face turned red from her laughter. He didn't dare to resist, so he could only let her pinch his cheeks.

When Su Chengying woke up, he saw this bizarre scene and stared blankly at their playful interaction.

Catching his gaze, Su Yu withdrew her hand and asked Su Chengying with a smile, "How do you feel?"

Su Chengying looked at her, then snarled at Yu Chiyou, appearing ready to attack.

Su Yu's hand immediately went to Su Chengying's face, pinching his uninjured cheek just as she had done to Yu Chiyou, but her tone was unusually gentle: "You shouldn't do that. He's not an enemy worth fighting to the death. If he were an enemy, he wouldn't be worth risking your life for."

Su Chengying clearly hadn't expected to have his cheek pinched too. He wished to resist, but the earlier fight had left him completely exhausted. He couldn't muster the strength to lift his hand, so he had no choice but to let Su Yu pinch his cheek.

In truth, Su Yu's grip wasn't too hard or too light. Her hand felt warm and soft against his skin, and the pinching didn't cause him any discomfort. However, he had never experienced such an intimate gesture before, and it stirred up that same sense of crisis he had felt earlier—a vague unease, as if something within him was about to shatter...

He shuddered deeply, and Su Yu released his face, gently stroking his head, as gentle as the brush of a newborn puppy's downy fur. "Don't be scared. You'll be staying with me from now on."

Su Chengying fell into bewildered helplessness.

But now, he had no strength left to protect himself. He could only lie there, powerless, as Su Yu's hand touched his face, his head—

A peculiar warmth blossomed deep within his chest. He cautioned himself to stay alert, yet he couldn't help but feel a faint sense of attachment, just a tiny bit of attachment...

Yu Chiyou, seeing that Su Yu had also pinched Su Chengying's cheek, pouted, clearly displeased, and sulked to the side. But he didn't expect Su Yu to assign him a task the next moment: "Once Chengying recovers, Ayou, you take him to bathe. You both reek of sweat."

"He's the one who stinks!" Yu Chiyou protested, but then guiltily lowered his head to sniff his own scent.

As Su Yu stepped out of the room, she not only saw Yu Chiyi but also Xie Yiguan.

She blinked, "Scholar Xie, what are you still doing here?"

Xie Yiguan also blinked, "Your Highness, I'm afraid I'll need to stay by your side for some time."

"Oh..." Su Yu responded slowly.

Xie Yiguan felt slightly puzzled and explained, "I heard that Your Highness's usual close aides were unable to accompany you. General Yu has been stationed at the border for a long time and may be unfamiliar with the customs and etiquette of the capital. Therefore, Minister Zhang instructed me to stay by Your Highness's side to explain the affairs of the capital. If Your Highness deems me inadequate, you may replace me with another colleague..."

"Scholar Xie is the youngest top scholar in Great Qi. If even you are lacking in talent, then does Great Qi have no capable people at all?" Su Yu chuckled. "There are plenty of empty rooms here. Scholar Xie, feel free to choose any room to stay in."

Xie Yiguan: "..." So informal? He seemed a bit unable to understand the Princess Pingshan before him.

Yu Chiyi glanced sideways and said, "Let me arrange a room for Scholar Xie." This fellow didn't strike him as trustworthy, so he would definitely assign Xie Yiguan to the most remote room.

...

Meanwhile, one of the three prime ministers, Lu Zhenghan, did not come to pay his respects to Princess Pingshan but instead went to the Cui family.

The Cui estate was merely two lanes away from Su Yan's old mansion. Its grounds were only marginally smaller than that of a prince's residence, but its halls, gardens, rockeries, and ponds were all exquisitely crafted, far surpassing the dilapidated prince's residence.

Lu Zhenghan followed the servant through twists and turns, climbing a flight of stairs before finally arriving at the Guanfeng Pavilion where Cui Xuan was.

He clicked his tongue, a hint of displeasure in his expression. Both were top aristocratic families, so why was the Cui family's building taller than the Lu family's? But then he thought about his old bones and decided not to make a fuss.

Cui Xuan was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe with subtle patterns, though the sleeves of his robe were wider than those of ordinary officials' attire. As the wind blew on the pavilion, his wide sleeves fluttered, giving him the appearance of a celestial being gracing the earthly realm.

His cool eyes slowly turned to Lu Zhenghan, and he made a polite gesture, neither warm nor cold: "Master Lu, please take a seat."

Lu Zhenghan sighed inwardly. Cui Xuan had just reached adulthood, yet his demeanor was unmatched by his peers. The Cui family truly had a stroke of luck. Although Cui Xuan's father was unremarkable, he had produced an outstanding son.

"What does Master Lu think of Princess Pingshan?" Cui Xuan asked as he prepared tea.

Lu Zhenghan stroked his beard, no longer holding back half his words as he had the day before: "Princess Pingshan is quite astute."

"How so?" Cui Xuan paused, his actions stopping. In his view, leading troops into the capital was the act of a reckless man.

Lu Zhenghan recounted the events of last night in detail and also described the expressions of Li Jianzhang and Zhang Xiu as they emerged from Su Yu's place this morning.

After hearing this, Cui Xuan still didn't think highly of Su Yu. Li Jianzhang's moves were too clumsy, and it was something an ordinary person could have countered. As for Zhang Xiu, anyone would have chosen to accept Xie Yiguan.

However, whether the emperor was smart or not was irrelevant; in fact, being a bit dull might be better. What concerned him was Su Yu's "recklessness"—breaking the rules was far more irritating than Su Yan's tendency to kill.

After a moment of thought, he poured a cup of tea for Lu Zhenghan and said indifferently, "Tell the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to slowly select an auspicious day."

Let's take some time to temper Su Yu's temperament.

At the moment, Su Yu is the only viable candidate for the throne. We'll have to make do for now. If it really doesn't work out, we can replace the emperor after Su Yu has an heir.

Cui Xuan thought coolly.