After running the rice shop for so long, Fu Tian had indeed learned quite a lot, and he understood the edicts issued by Great Chu much more clearly.
Since the New Emperor’s Accession, many of the new edicts issued concerned agriculture and commerce—for example, the equal treatment of Fang Markets and the lifting of night curfews in markets.
These were all decrees announced after the New Emperor took the throne.
From the wording and tone, it was clear that the New Emperor supported commercial development.
Fu Tian quoted classical texts, added his own insights, and finished answering the first question before noon.
Putting down his brush and waiting for the ink to dry, Fu Tian casually wiped his hands on his clothes, then took out the snacks Fu Ji had prepared for him and started eating while reading the next question.
The Imperial Examination lasted only one day, from early morning to evening. If one was slow, there might not be enough time.
Fu Tian finished his snacks in a few bites, took a couple of sips of water, and picked up his brush to continue answering.
The second question was exactly as Fu Tian expected—the New Emperor emphasized agriculture and commerce; the first question was about commerce, so naturally, the second was about agriculture.
Fu Tian had read extensively on agriculture. One reason was his own habit of reading various books, and the other was Zhou Chuanqing, who had emphasized it to him repeatedly.
Zhou Chuanqing said the Sheng Shang valued practical affairs and disliked content that was pleasing in words but empty in substance.
Judging from the exam questions of the past two years, there was always a question related to the Scholars, Farmers, Artisans, and Merchants, with a special focus on agriculture and commerce.
In the last month or two before the exam, Zhou Chuanqing had explained many ancient policies to him and even analyzed their applicability in present-day Great Chu, given the current situation.
Fu Tian organized the scattered information in his mind and, after careful thought, started writing with great care.
Each stroke was deliberate. Outside the partition, occasional footsteps of examiners passed by, and intermittent time signals sounded.
Fu Tian timed himself precisely and finished writing. He blew on the paper filled with ink and smiled with satisfaction.
Only the last question remained—two essays and a poem. The essays were done, so naturally, the last was the poem.
Fu Tian was really not good at poetry and frowned for a long while before finally forcing out a poem.
After finishing, Fu Tian sat upright and waited for time to end. Soon, a clear gong sounded outside, followed by the distant noise of commotion.
As the crowd reached Fu Tian’s area, the noise grew louder, seemingly from some examinees pleading with the examiners for more time because they hadn’t finished.
The noise lasted a while, ending with the sound of an examinee’s crying.
The door to Fu Tian’s partition opened, revealing an examiner’s clearly displeased face. Fu Tian proactively handed in his paper, which slightly improved the examiner’s expression.
After collecting the papers, Fu Tian still couldn’t leave. He had to wait until all the examiners had collected every paper and the gong sounded again before the examinees could exit.
After nearly fifteen minutes, the gong sounded again. Fu Tian picked up his small bundle and moved with the crowd toward the exit.
There were many people leaving. Familiar faces clustered together, discussing the exam questions.
Fu Tian, however, wasn’t in the mood to analyze; he had finished writing anyway, and what came next was beyond his control.
After looking around briefly, he quickly spotted his family’s carriage and Chu Xiangtian standing outside it.
Forcing his way through the surging crowd, Fu Tian panted as he walked toward the carriage, but the crowd was dense and disorderly.
He moved a few steps forward, only to nearly be pushed backward by people around him.
Chu Xiangtian squinted, scanning the crowd. When he saw the young master being jostled around like a fragile chick, he strode boldly into the throng.
His tall figure and forbidding face made the people in front instinctively step aside, clearing a path. He half-supported the struggling Fu Tian in his arms and led him out.
Sitting on the carriage, Fu Tian exhaled deeply and muttered, “There are really too many people.”
Chu Xiangtian tidied his messy hair and gently said, “Shall we eat first?”
Fu Tian’s stomach growled on cue. Embarrassed, he scratched his face and nodded slightly.
He had only eaten some snacks in the exam hall and had been answering questions all afternoon, so he was indeed hungry now.
Once most of the examinees had left, Fu Ji hurried the carriage to the inn.
No one asked Fu Tian how the exam had gone. Chu Xiangtian observed his expression and guessed he was relatively relaxed, so probably not bad.
At the inn, the food was already prepared, ready to be served as soon as they arrived. Fu Tian ate three whole bowls of rice before rubbing his belly and letting out a satisfied burp.
Chu Xiangtian pressed his lips to suppress a smile and pulled him along to take a walk before returning to rest.
Fu Tian blushed a little—he really was just too hungry to stop himself from eating so much. So when Chu Xiangtian took his hand and led him outside, he didn’t resist and obediently followed him downstairs.
Zhou Chuanqing clicked his tongue behind them, his smile ambiguous.
Fu Ji caught up with them after a few steps and looked at the two figures—one tall, one short—with a feeling that something was off.
***
After digesting the food, Fu Tian began to feel sleepy. Before reaching the inn, he yawned twice.
Chu Xiangtian originally wanted to carry him back, but Fu Tian refused, so he carefully protected the young master, who was drowsy and yawning non-stop.
Back at the inn, Fu Tian washed up simply and went to rest immediately. There was still the Resit the next day, also starting before dawn, so he had to rest well and conserve energy.
Chu Xiangtian covered his stomach with a thin blanket, fanning him gently as usual, and left only after Fu Tian had fallen asleep.
The next day, they got up in the dark again. Everyone accompanied Fu Tian to the exam hall.
The sky was not yet fully bright. The large lanterns at the exam site still glowed as Fu Tian clutched his small bundle and looked ahead eagerly.
Suddenly, commotion arose in the distance as someone rode a horse directly toward them. The Imperial Army guarding the entrance did not stop him, apparently not knowing what they had seen.
The long line was forced to split apart. A man wearing an official uniform on horseback scanned around, then rode straight toward Fu Tian.
The nearby examinees scattered. Fu Tian instinctively stepped aside. The mounted messenger arrived in front of Fu Tian, dismounted with a spin, and said, “Wang—”
Fu Tian looked at him nervously but was unexpectedly stopped from kneeling by a hand that shot out from behind. Chu Xiangtian’s face darkened, and he said coldly, “Enough. Whatever it is, wait until later.”
The messenger hesitated, swallowed hard upon seeing Chu Xiangtian’s expression, and obediently replied, “Yes,” then stepped aside.
“Was he here to find you?” Fu Tian looked bewildered.
He glanced at the obedient messenger standing like a quail nearby, then at the stern Chu Xiangtian, and even he understood that Chu Xiangtian’s identity was extraordinary.
“You’re not…” Fu Tian’s mind was in a whirl, struggling to form words. He was momentarily speechless.
Chu Xiangtian sighed. He had imagined many scenarios to confess his identity to Fu Tian, but he never expected it to be under these circumstances.
“You’re up soon. Focus on the exam first. After it’s over, I’ll tell you everything, alright?”
Ruffling his hair, Chu Xiangtian looked at him seriously, his dark eyes as gentle as ever.
Fu Tian felt a bit calmer. The examiner in front called his name.
Chu Xiangtian patted his back and gently pushed him forward a couple of steps, saying softly, “It’s your turn. Don’t overthink. I’ll tell you everything after you finish.”
Clutching his bundle, Fu Tian walked forward with a blank mind. The examiner led him to a partition, frisked him, and handed him a wooden token.
Throughout, he was in a daze. Before entering the exam hall, he looked back once; Chu Xiangtian still stood by the carriage, his gaze seeming to pierce through the crowd and lock onto him.
His chaotic thoughts calmed a bit. Fu Tian patted his face and told himself not to think too much. After the exam, he’d know everything.
Inside the partition, Fu Tian worked hard to push away the drifting, chaotic thoughts. When the examiner distributed the papers, he concentrated fully on answering……
***
Outside the exam hall, Fu Tian was no longer there. Chu Xiangtian no longer hid his anger.
His gaze froze coldly on the cowering messenger in front of him, voice colder than the harshest northern winter, “What is it?”
The trembling messenger pulled out a letter from his bosom. “County Capital… urgent within eight hundred li.”
The ox-hide envelope bore a wax seal—red wax stamped with a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon coiling around itself. Fu Ji’s heart surged violently. He recognized the seal instantly; only the royal family could use it.
He glanced at Chu Xiangtian with suspicion and disbelief. Chu Xiangtian opened the envelope. The letter contained only a few words but revealed the urgency of the situation:
“Second Prince will rebel. Return immediately.”
Tucking the envelope into his bosom, Chu Xiangtian pushed the messenger aside, mounted his horse, and before leaving, pulled out a token from his pocket and threw it back to Zhou Chuanqing.
“Returning your token. Keep an eye on the Canal and the Jin Mine. The County Capital is in crisis; I must go back first.”
His horse’s hooves struck the ground again. Chu Xiangtian’s eyes darkened with hesitation, then added, “Tell Fu Tian for me: I’ll explain everything once I return.”
With that, the hooves thundered away, riding like the wind toward the distance.
The Second Prince was the Imperial Concubine’s son. When the late emperor was alive, the Imperial Concubine enjoyed great favor.
With her powerful maternal family, she once stood on equal footing with the Empress in the palace.
If it weren’t for the Empress conspiring secretly with Chu Xiangtian and his elder brother, the succession after the late emperor’s death would have been uncertain.
After the New Emperor’s Accession, the Imperial Concubine was sent to the Xinggong to live out her days in retirement. The Second Prince was left in the County Capital, watched closely.
However, the Second Prince’s faction had once been supported by the late emperor and still held considerable power.
The emperor knew they were plotting in secret but lacked evidence and could only weaken the Second Prince’s faction step by step.
If it weren’t for the unexpected discovery of the Gold Mine Bed in Nanmíng Commandery, and if Chu Xiangtian hadn’t found evidence to uproot the Second Prince’s faction completely, the Second Prince’s faction probably wouldn’t have become so desperate and reckless.