Meng Tinghui did not know who that dazzling young captain on horseback was, but judging by Shen Zhili's tone, the two seemed like old friends who had known each other for years. Recalling what the female official beside her had said earlier, she surmised this person must be of extraordinary status—otherwise, he would not have dared to act so boldly in front of everyone.
The surrounding women watched with sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks as he galloped toward the field, their praises flowing incessantly.
Shen Zhili, however, stamped her foot on the ground, her gaze sharp as flying daggers fixed on his armored back. After a long moment, she finally averted her eyes and muttered under her breath, "How utterly detestable!"
Meng Tinghui took two steps closer, tugging at Shen Zhili's sleeve. "The sun is too glaring here. I'm going to sit under the corridor over there to watch."
"No!" Shen Zhili quickly pulled her back. "How could you see clearly from there? Besides, in half an hour, there's a special polo match for female officials to ride and play. The winner receives a grand reward!"
Unable to resist her, Meng Tinghui stayed by her side, gazing into the distance.
The Horizontal Gate beneath the Precious Ford Tower swung wide open, and several bright yellow banners rose swirling into the air. The imperial guards of the Great Within, mounted on tall steeds, filed out slowly in formation.
Someone behind them exclaimed excitedly, "It's Lord Shen!"
Shen Zhili pressed her lips into a smile, her unblinking eyes fixed on the man at the forefront. He rode empty-handed, without reins, merely nudging the horse's belly with his feet to urge it forward.
Having recently reviewed historical records of previous dynasties and studied both old and new codes, Meng Tinghui recognized this as the "lead rider" of the mounted archery ceremony. Only after he passed would the ceremony officially begin.
The lead rider for such a grand event had to be a close attendant of the Crown Prince. Hearing others address him as "Lord Shen," she immediately realized this must be Shen Zhili's twin brother, Shen Zhishu.
Who in the capital did not know Shen Zhishu's reputation? Since joining the Imperial Academy, she had often overheard the Academician Drafters casually discussing the young talents within the Imperial Academy, with Shen Zhishu's name mentioned most frequently. Moreover, female officials in the court frequently gossiped about this eldest son of the Shen family. His flirtatious nature was widely known, though no one could guess which woman might eventually tame his heart and enter the Shen mansion.
As she watched him ride closer, his silk armor gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, his eyes bright and clear, his face—
She froze instantly. This was unmistakably the same grinning young man she had seen that day at Yan Fuzhi's tavern in Chongzhou Prefecture.
No wonder... no wonder she had found Shen Zhili so familiar the first time they met.
She should have realized earlier—who else could have accompanied the Crown Prince on his incognito visit to Chao'an besides Shen Zhishu?
Shen Zhili took half a step forward, tilting her head up to call out softly, "Brother!"
The man turned on his horse, his face breaking into a radiant smile at the sight of her—so dazzling that the female officials around them averted their stinging eyes, unable to keep staring.
His gaze swept over and landed on Meng Tinghui. His eyebrows lifted in surprise, and he tugged the reins to pause briefly before laughing again. With a loud whistle, he urged his horse onward hastily.
Shen Zhili tugged at her sleeve, boasting proudly, "Isn't my brother handsome?"
Meng Tinghui smiled faintly, images of Shen Zhishu's roguish expression from that day flashing through her mind. "Just as handsome as the rumors say," she replied.Shen Zhili grinned until her eyes narrowed into slits. "My mother also says my brother is thousands of times more handsome than my father ever was. Countless women in the capital wish to marry him."
Meng Tinghui smiled as well, but merely pressed her lips together without speaking.
She had heard fragments of the Shen family's past since joining the Imperial Academy.
Shen Wuchen had been the first top scholar after the Emperor ascended the throne, achieving the rare distinction of coming first in all three imperial examinations. Hailed as the finest literary talent in the land, he had served successively as Judicial Reviewer, Assistant Director of the Palace Library, Court Imperial Sacrifices, Remonstrance Official, Vice Minister of Court Imperial Sacrifices, Director of the Palace Library, Vice Minister of Personnel, Assistant Director of the Department of State Affairs, and Minister of Works. At thirty-two, he was appointed Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, becoming the youngest chancellor in court history. Yet such a man remained untouched by romantic rumors for years, only marrying Madam Zeng at thirty-seven.
Madam Zeng Canshang was herself a remarkable woman. In the ninth year of Dali reign, she disguised herself as a man to take the imperial examinations, ranking thirty-ninth among the Second Class Candidates before joining the Ministry of Rites. After an opportunity to meet the Emperor arose, she was promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of the Imperial Guard. In the thirteenth year of Dali, she accompanied the Emperor on his military campaign, distinguishing herself repeatedly in battle. When peace was restored, the Emperor revealed her true gender to the court in recognition of her service, permitting her to attend court in women's attire and appointing her Vice Chief of the Privy Council—making her the first woman to hold high office in the Privy Council. Yet this ambitious woman would eventually resign for love, withdrawing from politics entirely after marriage.
Without Madam Zeng of those years, the palace likely wouldn't have established the Female Scholar Examination, the various regions wouldn't have built so many girls' schools, and the court wouldn't have hundreds of female officials.
But Madam Zeng could never have foreseen that no woman would ever again lead the two highest councils after her. Over the years, most female officials became mere decorations—even this year's top female scholar entering the Imperial Academy had become idle conversation among veteran ministers.
A blessing yet incomplete, a sorrow yet not absolute...
Meng Tinghui lost herself in these thoughts, unaware of how long she'd been distracted until Shen Zhili called her name several times.
Shen Zhili teased laughingly, "Has my brother's handsomeness occupied your thoughts all this time?"
Meng Tinghui looked up toward Precious Ford Tower and said with perfect seriousness, "However handsome Lord Shen may be, could he possibly compare with the Crown Prince?"
Shen Zhili fell silent, stunned by such bold words, momentarily speechless.
Against the azure sky draped like curtain, wispy clouds streaked like silk, the autumn wind cleansing the atmosphere and filtering through golden sunbeams. Beneath the massive yellow canopy on the distant Precious Ford Tower, the seated figure remained as imposing as ever.
He watched everything below from afar—seeing her stand, seeing her smile, seeing her speak with those beside her, seeing her lost in thought, seeing her... look up toward him.
Despite the distance, the laughter in her eyes was unmistakable.
His throat tightened slightly as he gazed at her form-fitting crimson riding attire, unable to look away.
The sash accentuated her graceful curves, her chest pert and uplifted. Her black hair was bound beneath a soft cap, with a few stray strands dancing near her ears, highlighting the fair tenderness of her neck.
His thoughts abruptly returned to that night in the Crown Prince's palace.
He closed his eyes briefly, breathing somewhat unevenly, his hands at his sides clenching slightly.
Nearly four months had passed since they last met.
Yet upon seeing her again, he still found himself unable to remain composed.Although he deliberately avoided her, even excluding her from the nightly summons when the Imperial Academician locked the academy gates to draft edicts and required the attendance of recipients and Compilers on standby, he still knew she was performing exceptionally well at the Imperial Academy.
As the chief compiler overseeing the compilation of historical records from previous dynasties, Fang Huai would bring him the categorized registers every ten days for review. The meticulous small regular script used in recording local gazetteers was both familiar and painfully conspicuous—each character written with utmost care and neatness, just like her policy essay from back then.
He knew she would inevitably excel. With her single-minded ambition to rise as a court official, how could she not cherish such an opportunity?
And even though she was labeled a sycophantic minister, her tenacious step-by-step persistence within the Imperial Academy truly confirmed he hadn’t misjudged her.
The Meng Tinghui he had originally intended to shape was precisely this kind of person.
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