Chapter 261 - 259: Jieyuan
Chen Shouheng was already on guard and dodged the Hidden Weapons.
Simultaneously, his right palm shot out like lightning. He struck second but landed first, his palm imprinting on Li Jiyan’s chest—an opening created the moment he threw the Hidden Weapons.
"PFFT!"
As if struck by a heavy hammer, Li Jiyan coughed up a spray of blood and was sent flying, crashing hard onto the ground below the stage.
The victor was decided.
Academic Administrator Lu Zhongping leaped onto the stage, glanced at Li Jiyan, and announced the results, "Final match: Chen Shouheng wins. Chen Shouheng’s evaluation is Upper-A. Li Jiyan’s is Middle-A."
He scanned the crowd below the stage and announced loudly, "This year’s Provincial Examination has concluded. In three days, the results will be publicly posted by the State Government Office. Everyone, please await the good news."
Amid the clamor, the grand competition came to a close.
Chen Shouheng became the undisputed center of attention, with countless eyes fixed upon him.
He was in no mood for pleasantries and quietly slipped through the crowd, intending to leave this place of conflict as soon as possible.
Just as he stepped out of the Imperial Examination Hall’s main gate and was about to turn into a quiet alley...
...a figure in fiery red silently blocked his path, radiating an intangible chill.
"Chen Shouheng."
It was Mu Yuanying. Her beautiful face was frosty, her sharp eyes fixed on him. Her fiery red martial attire accentuated her tall, straight posture, making her resemble a proud red plum blossom standing alone in the snow.
She stood there quietly, her cool gaze fixed on him, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
"Miss Mu?"
Chen Shouheng was slightly taken aback.
Mu Yuanying didn’t answer. She looked him up and down, her expression complex and unreadable, before finally letting out a soft scoff. "Eldest Young Master Chen is so famous now, a man of great importance with many matters to attend to. I see it’s not so easy to get a moment of your time anymore."
Chen Shouheng’s brow furrowed slightly. "Miss Mu, why would you say that?"
A bitter look entered Mu Yuanying’s eyes as she huffed, "Since you came to Jiangzhou, why didn’t you come find me? I went to find you, only to be met with an empty, silent room. Is this how Eldest Young Master Chen treats an old friend?"
Chen Shouheng explained, "Miss Mu, you’ve misunderstood. I was delayed by other matters, and when I arrived in Jiangzhou, the Provincial Examination was just about to begin. The two stages of the assessment afterward took a great toll on my Heart Spirit, requiring me to enter seclusion to recover. That’s why I refused all visitors. It was by no means an intentional effort to avoid you."
Hearing him mention his exhaustion, Mu Yuanying’s expression softened slightly.
But the sense of distance in Chen Shouheng’s tone and demeanor made her feel even more unsettled. "Even if you needed to rest, would sending someone with a message have been so difficult for you? The way I see it, you were clearly avoiding me on purpose."
Chen Shouheng fell silent for a moment, knowing this matter had to be settled once and for all.
He raised his head, his gaze calmly meeting Mu Yuanying’s. "Miss Mu, I wasn’t avoiding you. It’s just... I’m already engaged. The wedding is this November. Men and women should keep their distance, and to avoid any suspicion, it was inappropriate for me to impose on you."
"..."
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
’An engagement?’
Mu Yuanying looked as if she had been struck by lightning. The color drained from her face at a visible rate, leaving it as white as snow.
Her upright figure swayed almost imperceptibly. She had to steady herself against the cold wall beside her just to remain standing.
Disbelief first filled her cool eyes, then it gave way to a hollow, vacant look.
All of her questions, and even that sliver of hope she held, were shattered in that moment.
"What... did you say?"
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, carrying an almost unnoticeable tremor.
She seemed to search his face for any sign that he was joking, but all she saw was calm frankness.
"I am engaged. I’m getting married in November."
Chen Shouheng repeated, his tone calm.
Mu Yuanying said nothing more.
The surrounding clamor of voices, carriages, and horses seemed to instantly fade away.
She didn’t know how she left, what else Chen Shouheng might have said, or even how she got home.
She only remembered that the young man in the green robes who had once stirred her heart had told her with his own lips that he was going to marry another woman.
The autumn wind whistled mournfully, sweeping up a few withered leaves that spiraled down onto the stone path she trod with a vacant expression.
A flash of fiery red vanished into the twilight.
Chen Shouheng stood where he was, watching her figure disappear at the end of the alley.
With a nearly inaudible sigh, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
...
「Liyang Commandery City.」
The night was deep and still within the inner residence of a courtyard estate.
Red candles burned high, filling the air with a cloying warmth.
He Zhangqiu had just caught his breath after a vigorous session.
Just as he was about to go for another round, a series of urgent knocks at the door shattered the mood.
"Dammit! Which blind dog of a slave dares to disturb this young master’s fun?"
A wicked anger flared up inside him.
A servant’s trembling voice came from outside. "Young Master, it’s the Master... He says you are to return to the estate at once. He says there is an urgent matter to discuss."
"Get lost! Can’t you see this young master is busy?"
He Zhangqiu grabbed a jade ornament from the pillow and hurled it at the door.
"Young Master, please calm your anger!"
The servant outside was so frightened his voice changed pitch. "The Master... he looked very displeased. He ordered that you must return immediately."
Hearing that his father was displeased, He Zhangqiu felt as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown over him, extinguishing most of his rage in an instant.
He irritably pushed away Li Yuniang, who was clinging to him, and threw on his clothes, cursing under his breath. "Damn my luck. What crazy fit is the old man throwing now?"
After straightening his robes, he yanked the door open with a dark expression and glared at the servant, who cringed with his head down, dripping with cold sweat. "What is it? Speak clearly!"
The servant stammered, "This... this one doesn’t know the details. Only... that the Master just returned from the Government Office. He looked very unwell, went straight to the study, and told this servant to find you and bring you back at once. Young Master... you... you should be careful how you answer him later."
He Zhangqiu’s heart skipped a beat, and any lingering amorous thoughts vanished in a puff of smoke.
His father was always deeply shrewd and never let his emotions show. For him to lose his composure like this, something major must have happened.
Back at the estate, he passed through several courtyards and arrived outside his father, He Mingyun’s, study.
The study door was shut tight. Two trusted attendants stood outside, hands at their sides, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
He Zhangqiu straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to enter.
Inside the study, candlelight flickered.
He Mingyun was not sitting behind his desk reviewing documents as usual. Instead, he stood with his back to the door, hands clasped behind him, gazing out the window at the heavy night.
"Father, you were looking for me?"
He Zhangqiu entered the study cautiously and asked in a low voice.
Without even raising his eyelids, He Mingyun pointed to the Imperial Gazette on the desk. "See for yourself. That boy from the Lingxi Chen Family I told you to keep an eye on... he’s really made something of himself now."
He Zhangqiu’s heart sank. He hurried forward, picked up the Imperial Gazette, and his eyes scanned it quickly.
When he saw the line "Results of the Jiangzhou Provincial Martial Examination announced. Jieyuan: Chen Shouheng of Jingshan County, Liyang County," his pupils contracted sharply, and he gasped in shock.
"Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar? This... how is this possible!"
He snapped his head up, finding it absurd. "That country bumpkin, son of a provincial nouveau riche? With his Spirit Realm Cultivation, it wouldn’t be hard for him to pass and become a Martial Scholar, but the Jieyuan is the top scholar in the entire province! Him? Is he even worthy? Does he have the good fortune for that?"
He Mingyun shot his son a cold glance, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Don’t underestimate the heroes of this world just because you yourself are incompetent. This boy passed the Third Level, taking first place in every single one to win the title of Jieyuan. How could you explain that away with the word ’luck’?"
He Zhangqiu said urgently, "Father, then... then what do we do now? He’s a Martial Scholar now, and the Jieyuan on top of that. If he really marries that Zhou Shuwei and lets the Zhou Family escape this crisis, won’t they seek revenge in the future?"
A sharp glint flashed in He Mingyun’s eyes. "That’s precisely why we cannot let him gain power. We can’t wait any longer..."
Seeing his father give his assent, He Zhangqiu’s face lit up with joy. "Father, don’t worry. I’ll go contact our men right now. I’ll make sure the arrangements are perfect this time. When that kid returns to Mirror Mountain, we’ll catch them all in one net. I guarantee we won’t fail again."
"Come back!"
He Mingyun stopped his son, his voice laced with frustration at his son’s failings. "You come from a good family, yet you speak of nothing but murder, robbery, and the actions of common bandits. Since when does our family need to act like thugs?"
He Zhangqiu froze, stunned by the rebuke, and turned back blankly. "Father... then what do you mean?"
"To deal with a newly minted Scholar, especially a Jieyuan, by direct assassination would be a disaster if it were exposed. When will you ever use your brain?"
He Mingyun suppressed his irritation and sat back down in the Grandmaster’s Chair, his voice low and heavy. "You are to carry out three tasks immediately."
"First, you will set out tomorrow morning and go to the Qingshui County Magistrate’s Office in person. The silk that was confiscated from the Liu Family in Qingshui and has not yet been dealt with—find a way to get your hands on it, no matter what it takes. Bribe Hu Zhijie enough to keep him out of it."
"Second, take my calling card and go to the Jiangzhou Textile Bureau in person. Find someone from the Cao Family and have them immediately dispatch an agent to Lingxi to formally press Zhou Shuwei. Make it clear that the forty thousand bolts of Official Tribute Silk the Zhou Family owes for this year must be paid in full within two months.
If they fail to meet the deadline, the Textile Bureau will, in accordance with the law, publicly list for sale all of the Zhou Family’s textile workshops, Sang Tian, and other properties to offset the official debt."
"Third, go find your older sister at once. Have her, by any means necessary, invite at least three more Grandmasters to assist us. If she can get a Grandmaster of the Void Transformation Realm, no price is too high. Remember, this must be done in secret. The fewer people who know, the better, and the faster they arrive, the better."
He Zhangqiu was stunned and looked confused. "Father, aren’t the first two tasks... a bit superfluous? Since we’re going to make a move, why not just have my sister invite the Grandmasters to eliminate that kid and the remnants of the Zhou Family? Wouldn’t that be cleaner? Why waste silver plotting for that silk and pressuring the Zhou Family?"
He Mingyun looked at his son, who still had the mindset of a common bandit, and felt a surge of inexplicable anger.
He suppressed his fury and said, "I have my reasons for telling you to do this. As for what they are, you can go think about it yourself. If you can’t figure it out, then that brain of yours is only good for messing around on women’s bellies."
He Zhangqiu, having been thoroughly berated, paled and flushed by turns. He didn’t dare argue back and could only lower his head in embarrassment. "Yes... yes, Father’s lesson is right. Your son will go and do as you command."
Though his mind was full of questions, he saw his father’s anger and didn’t dare ask more, hastily retreating from the study.
Watching his son leave, He Mingyun wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose.
He thought of the Chen Family’s son, who had managed to win first place in both the County Examination and the Provincial Examination, and then looked at his own son’s incompetence. He couldn’t help but feel discouraged.
A lineage of three generations, a Noble Family of five, a Gated Community of nine.
’Could it be that the He Family can’t even make it past five generations?’