Chapter 27 Concubine “Naturally, my sincerity in taking you as concubine.”

Chapter 27 Taking a Concubine "Naturally, it is my sincere offer to make you my concubine."

On the twelfth day of the third month, the imperial examination commenced.

Just after dawn, spirited and eager scholars from all corners of the capital streamed into the examination compound.

Wei Hui, radiating youthful vigor, clutched the victory talisman given to him by Yue Rongrong. Carrying his heavy daily necessities and the four treasures of the study, he stepped lightly into the examination grounds, his face bright with anticipation, awaiting inspection.

The entire examination ground was encircled by the Imperial Guards. Hundreds of people were present, yet a profound silence reigned. All scholars stood in orderly lines, facing the stern and imposing officials, none daring to utter a sound.

"What is this?"

When it was Wei Hui's turn, the inspecting official immediately noticed the victory talisman in his hand.

Wei Hui calmly revealed it: "To answer the official, it is a peace talisman, a token of good wishes from my family."

The impassive official commanded, "Put it down."

Wei Hui looked up sharply: "Sir, it is merely a peace talisman, a small token. In previous years, it was permitted." Such victory talismans were only half the size of a palm and bore no characters, which was why so many sought them.

The imperial examination determined a scholar's lifelong future. For those from humble backgrounds, it was their sole chance for advancement. Under immense pressure, some scholars inevitably succumbed to illness from the strain. Thus, relatives would procure talismans for peace and success. The court, in its compassion, had always allowed them after inspection in previous years.

The official stated, "New rules this year. Put it down at once!"

Wei Hui looked around in surprise, seeing that others had already complied. Though deeply reluctant and conflicted, his gaze suddenly fell upon something, and he froze!

His eyes fixed, staring blankly at Shen Jichen, who sat upright on the high platform, sipping tea. He blurted out, "Why is he here?!"

The official roared indignantly: "How dare you! That is Marquis of Wujing, Vice Minister of the Board of Punishments, Marquis Shen! Show respect! These rules were set by the Marquis himself! Now, quickly put it down and proceed!"

What! It was him! Wei Hui's eyes widened in shock, instantly comprehending why even peace talismans were forbidden this year! Shen Jichen was clearly doing this on purpose!

He looked up, glaring furiously. Sensing his gaze, Shen Jichen lifted his eyes, slowly set down his teacup, and looked down condescendingly. After a moment, a slight curl of his lips revealed a hint of cold disdain.

Wei Hui's anger erupted!

Ultimately, constrained by the rules and the superior's stern gaze, Wei Hui angrily set down the victory talisman. But his heart remained unsettled for a long time. Shen Jichen was indeed the Marquis of Wujing, the eldest son of the prestigious Shen family of Wangjing... A profound sense of defeat washed over him. Yet, he was not one to wallow in self-pity. Immediately, he straightened up, lifted his head, and rekindled his resolve. His family background might be inferior, but in other aspects, he might not be inferior to Shen Jichen!

**

The results were posted, and the embroidery workshop erupted in joy. Everyone teased Zhen Xi, offering congratulations and respectful bows.

"Greetings to the top scholar's wife!"

Li Suian had been appointed as the top scholar. Zhen Xi was both delighted and shy: "What are you all doing?"

Zhong Yu and Yue Rongrong also joyfully congratulated her.

"Should we start preparing wedding gifts for Zhen Xi?" someone playfully suggested.

An embroiderer in the corner whispered, "Wasn't Zhen Xi quite close to Young Master Luo some time ago?"

"That's ancient history now."

"It makes sense. Young Master Luo's family is among the capital's elite. Zhen Xi naturally couldn't aspire to marry him. It was clever of Zhen Xi to cut her losses in time. Now she's still going to be an official's wife."

Du Yan listened quietly, then sneered, saying contemptuously, "What a schemer!"

Ren Hanzhen said with a smile, "Don't say that. It's fate."

Du Yan snorted twice in disagreement.

At that moment, the shopkeeper approached and beckoned Yue Rongrong: "Rongrong, come out for a moment. Someone has specifically requested your embroidery work."

Yue Rongrong was surprised. She had thought the shopkeeper wouldn't assign her any external work during this period. She couldn't help but ask happily, "Which family is it?"

The shopkeeper replied, "The Vice Minister of Works."

With a crash, the needle box on the embroidery frame behind them fell to the ground. Startled, everyone saw Zhen Xi flustered as she knelt to pick it up. Zhong Yu went to help, and Yue Rongrong was about to as well, but the shopkeeper urged her several times.

Yue Rongrong remembered the man she had encountered on the street a couple of days ago and privately wished not to go. But the thought of the "Worry-Free Silver" she still needed to gather in the coming days left her no choice but to steel herself and comply. The teasing remarks from the other embroiderers about Zhen Xi being distracted faded behind her.

It was still the Caiyun Hall. When Yue Rongrong entered, she saw Vice Minister Cai seated imperiously. Upon seeing her, he stood up and walked over. Yue Rongrong instinctively recoiled, but Vice Minister Cai had already seized her wrist, pulling her forward.

"Vice Minister..."

"Come see, do you like these?" Vice Minister Cai interrupted her, released her, and gestured to several brocade boxes on the table before them.

Yue Rongrong looked at the dazzling, jewel-encrusted ornaments on the table, turning to Vice Minister Cai in astonishment, her eyes filled with bewilderment.

Vice Minister Cai chuckled: "This is my sincerity."

"Sincerity?"

"Naturally, it is my sincere offer to make you my concubine." He stated it openly and directly, with an air of condescending beneficence.

Yue Rongrong's face instantly blanched, anger gathering in her eyes. She took a sharp step back and said sternly, "Vice Minister Cai, please do not jest. I have matters to attend to and must take my leave."

As she turned to depart, Vice Minister Cai abruptly seized her wrist. She struggled immediately, but he tightened his grip: "Why play the chaste and virtuous woman? That night half a month ago, you were quite flirtatious! Since I was the one who took your purity, taking responsibility by making you my concubine is the highest honor you could ask for. You should be grateful!"

The vulgar words sent Yue Rongrong's anger soaring to her very core. She raised her hand to strike him, but Vice Minister Cai caught it firmly.

Yue Rongrong was beside herself with rage: "What nonsense are you talking about! I don't even know you!"

"Don't know me? This bracelet is proof. That night, you were wearing this very bracelet when we were intimate."

Yue Rongrong's heart trembled, and she nearly vomited.

Vice Minister Cai, seeing her completely under his control, became even more presumptuous. He leaned close to her neck and took a deep, greedy breath: "Still pretending? Playing hard to get, staying silent for half a month—wasn't it just to pressure me into taking you into my residence? As you wish. Prepare yourself properly. Wait for an auspicious day, and I will come to bring you into my household."

Yue Rongrong still tried to struggle, but he suddenly pushed her down into an armchair. Vice Minister Cai looked down at her coldly: "I am the Vice Minister of Works. I am a rank someone like you could never hope to reach in a lifetime. Being able to become my concubine is your ancestors burning incense for good fortune. Be good and wait to become my 'Ninth Yiniang'."

Vice Minister Cai turned and walked out. His gaze swept and landed on Zhen Xi, standing pale-faced by the pillar under the corridor. He stared coldly. Zhen Xi, terrified, fled frantically. He snorted with a laugh. His attendant, surprised and doubtful, came over and whispered, "Sir, that woman seems to be the one..."

Vice Minister Cai shot him a glance: "Mind your tongue. Go find the shopkeeper."

Zhen Xi fled frantically, running wildly. She tripped over a stone and fell heavily to the ground. The pain felt like her internal organs were twisting together. Painful memories came crashing down—those shameful images, the physical intimacy she had desperately tried to forget, all flooded her mind. She let out two hollow sobs, then cried out loud, wishing she could tear her own mind out.

"Zhen Xi, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Ren Hanzhen hurried over and helped her up.

Through tear-blurred eyes, Zhen Xi saw the gentle Ren Hanzhen and could hold on no longer. She collapsed into tears and hugged her: "Hanzhen..."

"What happened? I saw you go to the Caiyun Hall and then run away scared. What happened? Wasn't the Vice Minister of Works here for Rongrong?" Ren Hanzhen looked at her with understanding and concern, using a handkerchief to wipe the abrasions on her palms.

"I, I..."

Ren Hanzhen looked at her suspiciously. After a moment, her gaze suddenly paused, and she frowned tightly: "Could it be that the person the Vice Minister was talking about was actually you?!"

Zhen Xi shuddered, her lips pale: "What did you hear? What did you hear?" She grabbed Ren Hanzhen's hands desperately and shook them.

Ren Hanzhen hurriedly comforted her: "I only caught snippets. The Minister said Rongrong had been intimate with him, but Rongrong isn’t that kind of person. The Minister also mentioned that bracelet—I remember you had one too... Seeing you in this state, I couldn’t help but connect the dots. But don’t worry, I won’t say a word! After all, you have such a promising future ahead of you."

"A bright future" felt like an ice pick stabbing straight into Zhenxi’s heart. Looking at the gentle Ren Hanzhen, who was two years older than her, she seemed like a lifeline.

"What exactly happened? Tell me, so I can help you figure this out," Ren Hanzhen’s voice was as soft and soothing as flowing water.

Zhenxi felt she had misjudged her before—she truly seemed like a kind older sister. Now, distraught and helpless, Zhenxi cried out: "I was deceived! Young Master Luo tricked me! He was the one who handed me over to Vice Minister Cai... I didn’t want to, I didn’t... but they drugged me, I wasn't in my right mind..."

Afterward, she had confronted Young Master Luo, sobbing and protesting, but he heartlessly pushed her to the ground and spoke cold, cruel words.

"Aren’t you just a social climber? Vice Minister Cai is a high-ranking fourth-grade official—you're lucky a man of his status would even look at you. Behave yourself, and maybe he’ll take you into his household as a concubine."

His harsh, humiliating words felt like countless slaps across her face. She cried out, "I love you..."

"Love?" Young Master Luo scoffed. "If I weren’t the eldest son of the Luo family, if my family weren’t a noble and influential family, would you still love me? Does a woman like you even deserve to speak of love?" He chuckled. "This was just a consensual game. If you truly loved me, you should be happy—you did me a favor tonight."

Zhenxi’s heart shattered into pieces, her eyes burning with bewildered hatred as she stared fixedly at him: "I hope you die a terrible death!"

Young Master Luo laughed arrogantly: "Die?" He crouched down, glaring at Zhenxi with sinister intensity. "Who dies is yet to be seen. You’d better be smart about this, otherwise, if a woman goes missing in the capital, no one will even notice."

Zhenxi felt a chill run down her spine, her face pale.

Seeing her on the verge of another breakdown, Ren Hanzhen quickly stopped her from continuing, helping her up and guiding her to sit on a nearby stone. Softly, she said, "Young Master Li’s imperial exams just ended, and the results will be posted in a couple of days. With his talent, he’s sure to rank among the top scholars. Soon, you’ll be an official’s wife—you can’t afford any mishaps now. That’s your lifelong happiness. Since the Vice Minister mistook you for someone else, remember: no matter what, you must never admit to it."

Zhenxi nodded between sobs, feeling that every word made sense, but she hesitated: "But... but Rongrong... this has nothing to do with Rongrong..."

Ren Hanzhen pressed her hand and said seriously, "This matter is due to Vice Minister Cai mistaking you for Rongrong. Even if she tries to defend herself, who’s to say the Vice Minister didn’t simply take a fancy to her? You and she are different—you have parents, your lover is the top scholar, your future is bright. But she’s alone in the capital, struggling to make a living. Now that she’s caught the attention of a high official like Vice Minister Cai, it might be Rongrong’s good fortune. Being the concubine of a fourth-grade official, adorned in gold and silver, waited on by servants—isn’t that better than serving others in the embroidery workshop?"

Zhenxi gradually fell silent, her mind in a muddle, clinging to one thought: Hanzhen was right.

Seeing that she had convinced her, Ren Hanzhen took her hand and said, "Even if Rongrong is unwilling, you must beg her to keep this secret for you, at least for now. Once your future with Young Master Li is settled, she can leave the capital alone and avoid Vice Minister Cai." She made it sound effortless.

Zhenxi looked at Ren Hanzhen, feeling she was absolutely right, and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, when the time comes, I’ll give Rongrong a large sum of money so she won’t have to struggle."

Ren Hanzhen smiled, tenderly wiping away her tears: "Don’t cry anymore, or your eyes will swell. Go back now and talk properly with Rongrong. Just don’t tell her I advised you—she has some misunderstandings about me because we used to work together at the Marquis’s residence."

Zhenxi felt immensely reassured and defended Yue Rongrong: "Hanzhen, Rongrong is someone who can't tolerate the slightest misconduct and can be a bit willful sometimes. Please don’t hold it against her."

Ren Hanzhen smiled like a gentle spring breeze: "I won’t."

How could she possibly hold a grudge against someone whose reputation was about to be ruined? The thought of Yue Rongrong unable to defend herself, forced to become the concubine of a fifty-year-old man, made Ren Hanzhen’s blood boil with malicious glee. She restrained herself, smiling deeply. The words Jin Tangsong had spoken when she left the Duke’s residence echoed in her mind.

"I advise you not to provoke Yue Rongrong. She’s not someone you can mess with."

This warning, which she had paid no mind to, suddenly resurfaced because two days earlier, she had accidentally overheard Zhong Yu and Zhenxi discussing their chance encounter with Shen Jichen at Wanfo Temple and Yue Rongrong’s attitude toward him. These thoughts weighed heavily on Ren Hanzhen’s heart.

Combined with Jin Tangsong’s "advice," she couldn’t help but suspect something. Even the slightest suspicion filled her with rage and jealousy, twisting her face almost beyond recognition. Why did it have to be Yue Rongrong?

But after today, she smiled again, radiant and triumphant. Even if Marquis Shen regarded Yue Rongrong differently, upon learning that she had been with another man, what would the proud Marquis think? Would he even glance at her again? As for the truth, once rumors spread and a woman’s reputation was ruined, who would care about the truth? Especially in a powerful family like the Shens—would the Marquis still tolerate Yue Rongrong?

The door suddenly swung open, and Yue Rongrong walked in with a grave expression, pulling Zhenxi out with her.

Ren Hanzhen watched quietly, exhaling a long breath of pent-up frustration. So satisfying, incredibly satisfying.

Zhang Jing asked inexplicably, "What’s wrong? Rongrong doesn’t look well."

Ren Hanzhen smiled. "Doesn’t she? I thought she seemed like she had some good news."

Zhang Jing: "..."

"Rongrong, Rongrong, slow down!" Zhenxi held onto Yue Rongrong’s hand until they reached a secluded pavilion, where Yue Rongrong angrily released her grip and stared at her with intense, somber eyes. Zhenxi guiltily averted her gaze.

"Tell me, what really happened that night half a month ago when you said you knocked over a night-soil bucket and came back to bathe?" Yue Rongrong pressed directly.

Zhenxi avoided her piercing gaze: "What are you talking about? I don’t underst—"

"Should I summon Vice Minister Cai to ask him again in person?" Yue Rongrong coldly interrupted.

Zhenxi froze abruptly, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at Yue Rongrong. Her hands trembled as she tightly clutched Yue Rongrong’s, pleading desperately: "Rongrong… please, please help me…"

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over her. Yue Rongrong shivered with coldness, staring rigidly at Zhenxi. Countless emotions flickered in her eyes, leaving only heartache: "How could this happen…"

"I was deceived…"

Yue Rongrong was exasperated: "I told you, Young Master Luo is no good!"

Zhenxi cried until she was drenched in tears: "I know I was wrong, I really know. Rongrong, please help me." She leaned helplessly against Rongrong’s shoulder.

Rongrong fell into a heavy silence, then asked, "How do you want me to help you?"

After a long pause, Zhenxi whispered, "Could you… take the blame for this first…"

As if struck by lightning, Rongrong shoved Zhenxi away, staring at her in disbelief.