Chapter Sixty: Bonus Question

After leaving the Hall of Returning Spring, Yang Yaozong went straight back to the Nangong residence.

He had been away from home for several days, so when Little Hua saw him, she was overjoyed. Chirping excitedly, she surrounded Yang Yaozong and recounted all the things she’d heard about him lately.

“Master, master, your exchange with Master Hongdao at Dao’en Monastery was incredible! Mmm... Three songs to tell a life, a single phrase to enlighten Master Hongdao! Everyone in the capital knows about it now,” Little Hua exclaimed with delight.

Yang Yaozong nodded. “Yes, indeed. Master Hongdao even wanted to take me as his disciple!”

“What? That can’t happen, master! You’re already married—you have our young lady. You can’t become a monk!” she cried anxiously.

Yang Yaozong laughed heartily. “Exactly, that’s why I came home. If I’d become a monk, I’d have stayed at Dao’en Monastery!”

Little Hua patted her little chest in relief and nodded. Then, brimming with excitement, she continued to tell Yang Yaozong about recent happenings.

With nothing much to do at home, Yang Yaozong remembered the idea of storytelling at the inn, so he picked up his brush and, relying on his memories from television dramas, began writing out The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

He sat at his desk, quietly writing, while Little Hua chattered and laughed beside him. Occasionally, Yang Yaozong responded with a few “mm-hmm”s or “oh”s.

In the days that followed, Yang Yaozong kept himself constantly busy. The number of scholars arriving in the capital for the imperial examination grew steadily, nearly reaching twenty thousand. The number of yamen officers patrolling the city and overseeing its defenses also increased. The capital, whether in its broad avenues or narrow alleys, now seemed crowded. Nowhere was this more evident than along both banks of the Qinhuai River near the Examination Hall, where revelry continued day and night without pause.

The eighth day of the eighth month marked the annual imperial examination. At this time, Yang Yaozong was still buried in a mountain of intelligence reports, most of which today concerned the examinations. He had already gathered information on all the famous scholars from both north and south; now, he would see how they performed in the exams.

“What question did you set for today’s exam?” Jing Yijun asked as she entered the general store early in the morning, finding Yang Yaozong already there.

“No question at all,” Yang Yaozong replied, glancing up from an intelligence report.

“What?!” Jing Yijun looked at him with surprise.

“A blank sheet of paper—answer as you please. Whether they write poetry, compose lyrics, or paint a picture, it’s entirely up to the examinees. I want to see how many can come up with something creative or meaningful. I’ve already asked Qin Haizhou to inform Lord Qin Zheng of my question,” Yang Yaozong said, raising his head and giving Jing Yijun a mischievous smile.

Jing Yijun snorted lightly. “That’s just being clever,” she said, making her way to a small side room and settling into her usual spot on the low couch.

Yang Yaozong replied, “It’s an extra question—it’s not part of the formal examination. But to call me clever is a bit unfair.” He picked up a blank sheet of paper and a neatly collated report in one hand, and a brush in the other, then joined her in the side room, sitting on the low couch by the window.

He placed the paper on the table, dipped the brush, and made a small dot in the center, then set the brush aside. Picking up the paper, he showed it to Jing Yijun and asked, “So, what do you see?”

She glanced at the paper, then shot Yang Yaozong a look. “A black dot.”

Feigning gravity, Yang Yaozong said, “Look again. Is that all you see?”

She frowned, glanced at Yang Yaozong, and then at the paper again, annoyance creeping into her voice. “Isn’t it just a black dot? You just made that mark!”

Yang Yaozong shook the paper, then put it down, smiling leisurely. “You only saw the little black dot, but did you notice the large expanse of white paper in my hand?”

She knitted her brows. “What are you getting at now?”

Yang Yaozong smiled. “The questions on the imperial exams are meant to test the scholars’ depth of knowledge, but they’re always limited by the subject. You can only answer what’s asked. For example, with this black dot on white paper, if you only see the dot, your answer will circle around it. But if you see the whole paper...” He picked up the brush and, using the dot as an eye, drew a small bird in flight. “See, it could be a little bird—or a mighty eagle, or anything else your imagination can conjure. The dot could be an eye, or any part of the body, or even just something far away. In short, my purpose in giving them a blank sheet is to tell them not to constrain their thoughts or imagination. I want to test their divergent thinking, let them create freely.”

Yang Yaozong watched Jing Yijun, who was lost in thought. “Do you know today’s exam question?”

She nodded, still pondering his words.

Yang Yaozong nodded in turn. “I don’t know what the official exam questions are, but take a look at this.” He handed her the intelligence report he’d been holding.

The more Jing Yijun read, the more alarmed she became, anger flickering across her face. “Who would dare leak the exam questions? Such audacity!”

Yang Yaozong, however, was calm. “There are ten questions recorded here; three will likely be chosen for today’s exam.”

Jing Yijun nodded, still fuming. “To openly buy and sell leaked exam questions is a crime punishable by extermination of the whole family! Who would dare?”

Yang Yaozong replied, “These questions weren’t widely leaked—only given to a select few, all of whom are northern scholars.”

Her eyes widened in sudden realization. “You mean Jing Min!” She recalled that Jing Min had recently hosted a banquet for outstanding northern scholars.

Yang Yaozong frowned. “I didn’t say it was him, but I can’t rule out his involvement.”

Jing Yijun hesitated. “Then why not inform the authorities, replace the questions, and arrest the leaker?”

Yang Yaozong rolled a prayer bead between his fingers and shook his head. “The Dark Investigation Bureau is only authorized to gather evidence, not make arrests. Even with suspicions, we can’t detain anyone for now. If the Crown Prince of Qin is behind it, it’s even less the right time to act. The Prince has been petitioning to return to the capital to see the Emperor, but he knows permission will never be granted. His recent maneuvers feel like he’s testing the waters. The Emperor’s health cannot endure any shock, so we mustn’t act rashly. Besides, these exam questions have no fixed answers. Even with advance notice, the responses prepared may not surpass those spontaneously written by unaware examinees.”

He sipped his tea and continued, “I’ve already sent the Eagle Squad to the capital for more intelligence. Our manpower is stretched thin—everyone is performing their duties. I ordered Qin Haizhou and the Cat Squad to begin training a new group of investigators. With that, we had to reassign part of the teams watching the West and South Gates to gather information in the city. What I haven’t told you is that the Fox Squad’s investigation of the Crown Prince showed that Yin Ruxin has been in frequent contact with him. For some reason, I can’t shake a sense of unease.”

Jing Yijun thought of her father’s failing health, her brows furrowing deeply. Noticing the prayer beads in Yang Yaozong’s hand, she flushed slightly and nodded. “This year’s chief examiners are Lord Qin Zheng, Vice Minister Wang Xiankui of the Ministry of Rites, and Vice Minister Xing Bin of the Ministry of Personnel. The three of them entered the examination compound three days early and are not permitted to leave. They select ten questions from a large pool, then, on the last day, choose three to serve as the exam.”

Yang Yaozong nodded. “It’s not difficult to smuggle the questions out, even though all who come and go are thoroughly searched. They can wrap the questions tightly in parchment, then...” He paused, seeing her curiosity. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Then roll it up and—insert it rectally to smuggle it out. That’s precisely what they did. But they didn’t expect to be watched by our investigators, who discovered that the final set of ten questions ended up with Wang Youwei.”

Jing Yijun’s face flushed at the explanation, but she pressed on, frowning. “Wang Youwei?”

Yang Yaozong’s lips curled slightly. “His father is Vice Minister Wang Xiankui.”

Sudden understanding dawned on her.

Yang Yaozong smiled wryly. “They weren’t afraid of discovery because they didn’t intend to profit from selling the questions. They thought it would remain a secret. They never imagined that, for all their precautions, they’d be noticed by investigators they didn’t even know existed.”