Steward Zhao, who had come running right behind him, nodded vigorously, his face full of both pride and unwillingness to accept the result.
Shi Huai nodded. The ranking had not discouraged him in the least.
Qinghe stood at the doorway, wiping her face haphazardly with the back of her hand. Her voice was choked with tears.
“Second place, Young Master! You came in second! I knew you could do it.”
Nanny Zhou emerged from the kitchen and dried her hands on her apron. She walked over to the household shrine, lit a stick of incense, and bowed to the statue three times.
When she straightened, she murmured, “May Grand Madam bless us. May Grand Madam watch over us from beyond.”
When Shi Yuanzhi heard the news, he had been writing a letter in his study. The brush in his hand froze above the paper, and the ink slowly spread across the rice paper, blooming into a black flower.
He set down the brush, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes as he drew a deep breath.
When he opened them again, his eyes were already red.
He rose and walked to the window, pushing it open to let the cold wind pour inside.
The osmanthus tree he had planted himself stood in the courtyard, its branches coated with a thin layer of snow that glittered in the sunlight.
The news traveled faster than the wind.
The two stone lions at the entrance to the Marquis of Yongning’s residence witnessed countless carriages arriving and departing over the next few days.
Gifts of congratulations poured in from morning until night. Old Liu, the gatekeeper, ran himself ragged, wearing a smile from dawn to dusk until even his cheeks began to ache.
Court officials, prominent clans, and fellow examination candidates—all those with even the slightest connection—sent people bearing congratulatory gifts.
The handwriting on the calling cards ranged from neat to hurried, while the names signed at the bottom were sometimes familiar and sometimes complete strangers.
The gifts listed on the inventories were just as varied: the Four Treasures of the Study, paintings by renowned artists, antiques, jade articles—there was nothing they did not send.
Shi Yuanzhi had someone keep a special register at the gatehouse, recording the contents and sources of every gift. The ink dried only to be followed by more additions, and in just a few days, the entire register was filled.
Madam Liu was confined to Qingzhi Court, but the news still reached her ears.
When she heard from one of the old servants that Shi Huai had placed second in the metropolitan examination, she sat on the couch in a daze for a long while. She did not even notice that the teacup in her hand had gone cold.
Her face blanched for an instant before returning to its usual impassive expression. She said nothing and smashed nothing.
Only from that day onward did the lamps in the Buddhist shrine within her courtyard begin to burn earlier each evening.
Shi Lingyi returned from the Shen residence on the third day.
She wore a silver-red jacket, with a gold hairpin crowned by dangling pearls adorning her hair. She was noticeably thinner than when she had returned the last time, her chin sharp and a faint blue-black shadow beneath her eyes.
She went first to Qingzhi Court to see Madam Liu, then spoke with her mother through the closed door.
Madam Liu’s voice came from behind the door, hoarse and barely audible. She said only, “It’s good that you’re back,” and then fell silent.
Shi Lingyi stood outside the door in silence for a moment before turning toward Shou’an Hall.
Shi Huai was in his study, working through practice questions for the palace examination.
He lifted his head at the sound of approaching footsteps and saw Shi Lingyi standing at the study door. Her silver-red jacket looked almost glaring against the twilight.
“Big Sister is back?”
Shi Huai set down his brush, his tone as bland as if he were greeting a distant relative he barely knew.
Shi Lingyi stepped into the study. “Congratulations, Brother. Second place in the metropolitan examination—our family hasn’t had such a joyous occasion in years.”
“You flatter me, Big Sister. I was merely lucky.”
Her smile stiffened for an instant at his indifferent attitude, but she quickly resumed her gentle, composed expression.
“You’re too modest, Brother. Second place in the metropolitan examination isn’t something one achieves through luck. It takes genuine talent and learning.”
She sounded so sincere that it seemed less like polite flattery.
Shi Huai’s gaze settled on her face as he watched her quietly.
“Big Sister didn’t come back merely to congratulate me, did you?”
His eyes made Shi Lingyi’s heart tighten. Her fingers clenched inside her sleeves, though her smile did not change in the slightest.
“You jest, Brother. When I heard you had done so well, I was so happy that I couldn’t sleep all night. I hurried back first thing the next morning. What other reason could there be?”
Shi Huai lifted the teacup from the table and took a sip. When he set it down, the corner of his mouth twitched faintly.
“As long as Big Sister is happy. I thought perhaps you had come back to plead for Madam Liu.”
Shi Lingyi could no longer maintain her smile. Her expression looked as though someone had pierced through the secret she least wanted exposed.
She stared at Shi Huai’s calm face. After a long silence, she spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Brother, my mother is getting on in years, and her health is poor. She’s been confined to Qingzhi Court all this time, and she has suffered the punishment she deserved. Could you say something to Father on her behalf?”
“You’ve come to the wrong person. Madam Liu’s affairs are decided by Father. My words carry no weight.”
Shi Lingyi’s lips moved several times, and her eyes began to redden.
“Brother, I know my mother treated you poorly in the past, but she is still your legitimate mother. Even if you won’t do it for Grand Madam’s sake, you should at least do it for your Second Sister.”
“Do you know how much Youlan has lost weight these past few days? She’s caught in the middle, suffering on both sides. Can you really bear to watch her like this?”
Shi Huai looked at her in bewilderment.
“Big Sister, you keep saying that our mother has suffered enough, that she is old and in poor health, and that she is my legitimate mother.”
“But when you and your mother were plotting against me, did you ever think about how much it would hurt Second Sister?”
Shi Lingyi’s face went deathly pale. Her lips trembled, and tears shimmered in her eyes, but she could not force out a single word.
Shi Huai watched her, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.
“Big Sister, you should go back. Don’t plead for Madam Liu again. It won’t do any good.”
Shi Lingyi stared at Shi Huai for a long time before tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks.
“Shi Huai, you’ve changed. You weren’t like this when you were little.”
“I haven’t changed. You’re the ones who have been changing all along.”
Shi Huai picked up his brush again.
“If there’s nothing else, Big Sister, please leave. I still have to prepare for the palace examination.”
Shi Lingyi remained where she was, watching Shi Huai lower his eyes and continue writing.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that her voice was lodged in her throat, unable to come out.
The palace examination was held at the end of March in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Quite a few candidates had already gathered outside the palace gates.
Some wore solemn expressions, some chatted and laughed, some lowered their heads and silently recited their books, while others sat with their eyes closed, no one knowing what they were thinking.
When Shi Huai leapt down from his carriage, everyone’s gaze was drawn to him.
He wore a slate-blue robe, a silver-gray sash tied around his waist, and his glossy black hair was secured with a white jade hairpin, revealing a face so striking that everyone forgot to breathe.
The morning light of March fell across his features, gilding his fine contours with a layer of pale gold.
Standing among the crowd, he looked like a steadfast pine growing from a field of snow—refined and ethereal, untouched by the dust of the mortal world.
