Meng Tinghui had just pushed open the door when Yan Fuzhi yanked her inside. The door slammed shut behind her, and before she could react, she was pressed into a chair.
She frowned in astonishment, demanding, "What are you doing in my room?"
Yan Fuzhi remained standing, looking down at her for a long moment before saying, "Yesterday at Bofeng Tower, why did you chase after that black-robed man when you saw him going downstairs?"
Meng Tinghui rubbed her arm and stood up to shove her out, her face expressionless. "What business is it of yours?"
Yan Fuzhi was pushed all the way to the doorway but stubbornly clung to the doorframe, refusing to leave. Suddenly, she smirked slyly. "Meng Tinghui, don't you want to know who he is?"
Meng Tinghui shot her a sidelong glance and remained silent, increasing the force of her push.
Yan Fuzhi refused to give up, exclaiming, "Tell me your secrets, and I'll tell you who he is!"
Meng Tinghui's face turned cold. "I already know his full name. I don't need you to tell me."
Yan Fuzhi was taken aback. "You... you really know his name?"
Meng Tinghui pushed her harder toward the door, her expression growing more displeased. "I need to study."
Since childhood, she had never been accustomed to being pressured like this, especially not when... he was the seed buried in the softest part of her heart. She hoped and yearned for the day that seed would sprout and bloom, but she didn't want others to touch it so easily.
"Wait... just wait!" Yan Fuzhi braced herself against the threshold, annoyed. "My kindness is really being thrown back in my face! Fine, if you don't want to talk about him, but you must want to hear about this year's Scholar Examination, right?"
Meng Tinghui paused, raising an eyebrow.
Yan Fuzhi's face was flushed with frustration as she complained, "With strength like yours, why don't you take the military exams?" Seeing Meng Tinghui's dark expression and that she was about to drive her out again, she hurriedly added, "You don't know—today the academy supervisor announced that, according to court rumors, the top candidate in this year's Female Scholar Examination will be allowed to enter the Imperial Academy!"
Meng Tinghui was stunned for a moment before asking, "Is that true?"
Seeing her relax her grip, Yan Fuzhi squeezed back inside and continued, "How could I lie about this? An official from the capital visited the supervisor this morning just to discuss this matter."
Meng Tinghui furrowed her brows but said nothing.
Yan Fuzhi glanced at her sideways. "They say the Crown Prince previously advised the Emperor that in twenty years, no female official in the court has held a major position, which contradicts the original purpose of establishing female education. Therefore, he specifically ordered the Imperial Academy to reserve a quota this year for the Female Scholar Examination, allowing the top candidate to enter the Imperial Academy as an editor."
The Imperial Academy...
Meng Tinghui bit her lip and looked out the window.
She knew exactly what it meant to enter the Imperial Academy.
Ever since the eighth year of Qiande, when the Emperor promoted the then-Academician Drafter Gu Qin to Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, six or seven out of ten court officials and heads of the Six Ministries had come from the Imperial Academy.
Now, female scholars were also being allowed to enter the Imperial Academy. Though it was only a minor editorial position, it was enough to indicate that major changes were coming to the court's official system.
Yan Fuzhi could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her and leaned in comfortingly. "Don't worry, you study so well—you'll definitely make it..."
Meng Tinghui collected herself and after a long while murmured, "Forget about whether I'll be lucky enough to make it to the palace exams someday. Just passing the provincial exam will be difficult enough—Chao'an Circuit is full of talented scholars."Yan Fuzhi stared at her. "These words truly don't sound like they're coming from you, Meng Tinghui! Where has that girl from Chongzhou Women's Academy gone—the one with the finest essays and the proudest spirit? If you can't pass the provincial examination, then who in Chongzhou possibly could?" She blinked, then suddenly laughed. "Besides, think of that man in black robes..."
Meng Tinghui's eyelids twitched. She raised her hand as if to strike her, angrily retorting, "How dare you spout such nonsense all day long!"
Yan Fuzhi dodged while laughing. "Though I don't know what secrets you hold in your heart, that man was clearly someone of wealth and status at first glance. If you don't achieve the top rank in the imperial examinations, how could you ever hope to match him?"
Meng Tinghui's face flushed slightly. She grabbed a stack of papers from the table and threw them at her.
Yan Fuzhi nimbly sidestepped, smiled at her again, then turned to leave. As she latched the door behind her, she added, "When you achieve fame and success someday, we'll see if you still resort to hitting people!"
The door snapped shut, its two loud bangs making her ears itch.
She stood there, chest slightly heaving, and only after a long while did she bend down to gather the scattered xuan papers from the floor. Turning her head, she gazed at the books strewn chaotically across the table.
The capital...
She closed her eyes.
Only by reaching the capital would there be a chance to see him again.
Coming first in the imperial examinations... Though a distant dream, was it truly impossible to achieve?
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