Situ Yao appeared at my home from time to time, sometimes bringing snacks and small trinkets that women liked. Although he acted discreetly, as the Crown Prince, too many people paid attention to him. In just a few dozen days, his visits to my home were discovered, and rumors spread throughout the capital.
There were rumors speculating about the Crown Prince pursuing me, but more often, it was said that I, a mere merchant's daughter, was ignorant of my own standing and deliberately seduced the Crown Prince.
Even more extreme were the claims that both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were deeply in love with me, to the point of fighting over me.
I don't know how the stories spread, but my looks, at best pretty but ordinary, were somehow exaggerated into a beauty that could overthrow kingdoms.
I looked at my own resolute brows and eyes in the mirror, trying hard to conjure a captivating gaze, but to no avail. I turned to A Xiu and asked, "A Xiu, how long has it been since I went out?"
"About ten days or so."
"In such a short time, have people outside forgotten what I look like?" When I was young, my father had tried to groom me into a proper young lady, but that idea was completely abandoned when I single-handedly lifted a fifty-jin stone lock at the age of three. Apart from accompanying Sui Sui to study in the palace, I was largely left to my own devices. Many shopkeepers of well-established businesses had watched me grow up.
It baffled me that my appearance could be so exaggeratedly praised.
A Xiu pouted, "Miss, don't get annoyed. Peng Cheng said this is someone deliberately spreading rumors, probably trying to stir up trouble about the royal brothers."
I was speechless, "Are those two brothers foolish enough for that?"
A Xiu frowned, thought for a moment, then clapped her hands in sudden realization, "First, they give you a reputation for causing trouble, and then the position of Crown Princess naturally won't fall to you. Tsk, the person behind this is truly insidious."
Is that so?
There were many who wished to be the Crown Princess in the capital, but who would consider me an enemy?
My status was clearly not high enough!
Could it be that Situ Yao's request to marry me before the Emperor had leaked? With too little information, I couldn't figure it out immediately. I could only tell A Xiu to go out more in the coming days and see what more outrageous stories they would spread.
A Xiu readily agreed.
But before she could find anything out, the Spring Imperial Examinations began.
The triennial civil service examination had always been the focus of the entire capital's attention. It was an open secret that the Emperor disliked the scions of noble families and preferred to promote scholars from humble backgrounds. Nowadays, anyone with a bit of money would send their sons to study. If, like Lord Xing, they caught the Emperor's eye, they would rise rapidly.
From a farmer's son, to a scholar recognized by the Son of Heaven.
From then on, their family fortunes would change, bringing glory to their ancestors.
Even if no one in the family was taking the Spring Examinations this year, people still yearned for it, inquiring about the prominent figures of each session and using them as inspiration for their own children.
Being the Crown Princess was too far removed from the lives of commoners, not as engaging as the Spring Examinations. Some betting houses even set up odds, wagering on which renowned scholar would achieve the top rank. My elder brother, Wang Zihuan, was listed, so I used two thousand taels of my private savings to bet on him.
If nothing else, one had to have a strong presence.
There were also many who watched the scholars from humble backgrounds. While "catching a son-in-law after the exam" was no longer practiced, scholars from poor families had their own hardships. Ten years of study culminating in a successful exam still left them in extreme poverty. The Emperor detested corruption, and wanting to become wealthy immediately upon becoming an official would require gambling with one's life. Especially those who performed well and were selected for the Hanlin Academy, they were even poorer.
The Hanlin Academy had a good reputation, but it offered no substantial benefits, and there was no opportunity to be corrupt.
However, as the saying goes, one does not enter the Grand Secretariat without first being in the Hanlin Academy. Although not all Hanlin officials could enter the Grand Secretariat, those who persevered through the Hanlin Academy generally had promising futures.
I've gone off on a tangent.
In short, scholars from humble backgrounds lacked money, and wealthy merchants lacked power. The two complemented each other. Marrying a daughter from a wealthy family was much safer than being a corrupt official. In any case, the gossip surrounding the imperial examinations was far more interesting than the trivial matters of the royal family, and thus, the attention focused on me immediately shifted to the imperial examinations. The remaining few people could no longer stir up trouble.
The Spring Examinations lasted for nine days. They ate, drank, and slept inside. Even if the weather wasn't hot, living in a small cubicle for nine days would be quite an ordeal.
There were proposals for reform, but the Emperor disagreed. His reasoning was: if they couldn't endure this hardship, how could they speak of advocating for the people?
My mother joyfully sent my brother and An Yishi to the examination hall and then immediately became worried. She wasn't worried about whether my brother would pass, but whether his weak physique could withstand it. She sighed repeatedly at home, and upon seeing me, regretted, "Why didn't I force your brother to practice martial arts back then? If only his temperament were the opposite of yours? Alas, two good children, but their temperaments are completely reversed by me. If your brother collapses in the examination hall this time, how will I face the ancestors of the Wang family?"
My father comforted her, "Don't worry, my dear. When my father sold me to pay off his gambling debts, the ancestors of the Wang family must have already ascended to heaven in anger."
Me: ......