Extra 1

With the realm finally at peace, everything that had been left in ruins now awaited reconstruction.

With Wei Yan and Grand Tutor Li brought down, the military side of the court was firmly supported by Xie Zheng. Among the civil officials, however, there was still no one capable of carrying the government's burden. Grand Tutor Tao therefore temporarily returned to court to resume his official duties, intending to retire once another worthy successor emerged so he could go back to his carefree life of wandering the mountains and rivers.

Gongsun Yin, long known as

"The Worthy of Hejian," also broke his clan's ancestral rule forbidding its members from entering official service. He entered the Hanlin Academy, was appointed Junior Preceptor, and became the emperor's instructor.

Naturally, the followers of Li and Wei within the court could not escape punishment. Some were demoted and exiled, others were imprisoned. With the Regent Prince supporting him, the young emperor had more than enough confidence. In less than a year after ascending the throne, he had completely reshuffled the imperial court.

Many official positions were left vacant. To fill them, ministers who had been ostracized and transferred away years ago for refusing to side with any political faction were finally given the recognition they deserved. Those whose achievements had been ordinary but whose records were spotless and whose seniority was sufficient were also temporarily promoted to replace officials transferred out of provincial governments.

Yet all these promotions inevitably left vacancies throughout the provinces that still needed to be filled. That year's imperial examinations therefore included not only the regular examination but also a special imperial examination personally authorized by the young emperor. As a result, from the very beginning of the year, candidates flooded into the capital like a surging river, filling every inn in the city to capacity.

In March, the wedding between the Regent Prince and General Huaihua overshadowed all public discussion of the examinations. It was only after the examination results were released in April that conversations about the examination questions and rankings once again became the hottest topic in the capital.

Outside the Drum Tower where the results were posted, the streets were packed beyond measure. As always, some rejoiced while others despaired. Those who had finally earned their place on the list after ten years of studying burst into tears of joy on the spot. Those who failed once more looked as though their parents had died.

Many wealthy merchant families had already stationed servants near the announcement boards. The moment they spotted a handsome young scholar glowing with excitement, they knew he had passed. They would immediately usher him into a nearby teahouse or restaurant, hoping to arrange a marriage between him and one of their daughters.

Among the common people, this practice even had a humorous name— "Snatching a Son-in-Law Beneath the Results List."

Among the crowd stood a young man wearing a somewhat worn indigo robe. He read the examination list from beginning to end, then from end to beginning. After repeating the process several times, he still could not find his own name. The color slowly drained from his face, and his entire body seemed to lose its strength as the crowd pushed him toward the edge of the street.

"Brother Song!"

A young man standing on a nearby street corner recognized him and waved enthusiastically.

The man in blue was none other than Song Yan.

He forced a smile and bowed politely.

"Brother Wu."

The moment the young man saw Song Yan's expression, he knew he had failed once again.

"Brother Song, don't be discouraged. You became a provincial graduate at such a young age. Countless people envy your talent. Plenty of scholars spend decades taking the examinations before finally succeeding. Just look at my uncle—he failed eleven times before finally catching the opportunity presented by this special examination and obtaining an official post."

The young man himself had failed the autumn provincial examination and was still only a licentiate. He had come today merely to check the results on behalf of his uncle.

Hearing those words only made Song Yan's complexion grow even grayer, but he still cupped his hands and offered his congratulations.

The young man was about the same age as Song Yan. His family, however, possessed modest wealth, and having watched his uncle endure eleven failed examinations, he had become rather open-minded about failure. Since they had been close friends for two or three years and he knew Song Yan's circumstances well, he couldn't help asking as they walked away together.

"What are your plans now, Brother Song?"

Embarrassment flashed across Song Yan's face.

"My mother has passed away, and I have no remaining relatives in my clan. I suppose I'll stay in the capital and seek work as a tutor or guest advisor in the household of some noble family. At least I'll have somewhere to live while I prepare to take the examination again in three years."

Back in tiny Qingping County, Song Yan had been admired wherever he went and favored by the county magistrate. He had believed himself to be among the finest talents in the land.

Only after arriving in the capital did he realize that distinguished people were everywhere. If someone casually tossed a wine jar into the pleasure district, it would probably strike several gifted scholars drowning their frustrations in alcohol.

It truly matched the words once spoken by Fan Changyu's live-in husband:

"When the northern geese fly south, phoenixes are so plentiful that even they can scarcely find a place to land."

The learning he had always been so proud of was nothing remarkable in the Great Yan capital, where outstanding talent was everywhere. The silver gifted to him by local gentry after he passed the provincial examination, along with the travel funds provided by the county magistrate, wasn't even enough to cover the clothing worn by wealthy young masters.

During his first year in the capital, Song Yan truly felt like a pheasant that had wandered into a nest of phoenixes. Every moment, he feared others would look down on him. That deep sense of inferiority which had haunted him from childhood through his youth had seemed to disappear after he became a provincial graduate, only to return after entering the capital, clinging to him like maggots feeding on bone.

Back when he studied at the county academy, he had done everything possible to hide the fact that he could attend school only because he was engaged to the butcher's daughter, whose family supported his education.

After arriving in the capital, in order to associate with famous scholars, he had to conceal his own poverty while following everyone else to elegant poetry gatherings and literary salons.

For a scholar like him, who possessed neither family background nor influential connections, the only way to secure a smooth official career was to earn the favor of powerful nobles. Among all such relationships, none was more reliable than marriage.

To make the influential families of the capital notice him, he first had to distinguish himself at poetry gatherings, then place high in the metropolitan examination. Only then could he quickly receive offers from noble households instead of being

"snatched" by some insignificant merchant family beneath the examination results.

For the sake of climbing higher, he had studied tirelessly for ten years and painstakingly cultivated every relationship that might benefit him. He had never allowed himself to imagine failing the imperial examinations.

Yet sometimes, no matter how carefully one planned, fate had other ideas.

That year, just a few days before the examination, news reached the capital that Qingping County had been ravaged by mountain bandits. When Song Yan learned that both his mother and the county magistrate's family had been slaughtered during the attack, the devastating blow shattered his composure. Distracted throughout the examination, he ultimately failed to make the list.

After learning the reason, the friends he had made in the capital all pitied him. They believed he had certainly possessed the ability to pass, but the tragic death of his mother had thrown his mind into chaos. They all said that if he took the examination again three years later, he would surely succeed.

Who could have imagined that this year's attempt would end in failure once more?

Just thinking about facing those friends who had supported him financially for the past two or three years filled Song Yan with shame.

Back then, he had been able to excuse his failure with his mother's death.

But what excuse could he possibly give for failing this year's examination?

Of course he knew what had truly unsettled him during the examination.

It had been the grand wedding in March between the Regent Prince and General Huaihua.

The woman he had once believed would only hinder his future had become someone forever beyond his reach. Even the Regent Prince had not minded that she had once been betrothed to another man and had personally requested the emperor's permission to marry her.

His decision to break off the engagement back then had become an enormous joke.

But who could have foreseen everything that would happen afterward?

He had only wanted to escape a life of poverty. He hadn't wanted his mother to continue living humbly, lowering herself and flattering others at every turn. He had wanted to accomplish something great.

He had never forgotten the friendship they shared as children.

Precisely because he remembered it, every time he saw Fan Changyu's bright, radiant smile, what came to his mind instead was his mother's humble submission. Even after receiving nothing more than a bowl of food from the Fan family, she would praise the butcher and his wife as though they were living bodhisattvas.

Then there were all the whispers behind his back.

"The Song family calls themselves scholars, yet they're living off Butcher Fan's family."

"Why bother studying? He might as well marry into the Fan family instead."

Song Yan had endured those mockeries and sneers for years.

He could never say anything in response.

Sometimes…

He had even hated the Fan family.

He hated that with one act of seemingly generous charity, they had bound both him and his mother tightly beneath the weight of that so-called gratitude.

Why had the Fan family helped him in the first place?

Wasn't it because they were gambling on his future success?

That was nothing but hypocrisy.

When Fan Changyu had offered to dissolve their engagement, didn't she realize that once it was broken, he would forever bear the reputation of being an ungrateful man? How could he possibly agree to cancel it?

Later, after the Fan couple died and Fan Changyu and her younger sister were driven to the point where they could barely keep their family home, he had secretly felt a trace of satisfaction.

All his life, he had been the one looking up to her, trying to please her.

If she were ever cornered with nowhere left to turn, would she finally set aside that pride and stubbornness and come beg him for help?

He had waited.

And waited.

Yet in the end, the only news he received was that she had recruited a husband into her household.

In the end, she would rather let her backbone snap completely than lower her head to him even once.

April had only recently welcomed a spring rain.

Lost in those dark memories and bitter self-mockery, Song Yan paid no attention to the traffic on the street. Fortunately, the young man beside him grabbed his arm just in time, preventing him from walking directly into an approaching carriage.

Even so, muddy water splashed all over his robes.

Seeing his shabby clothes and the complete absence of joy that marked a successful examination candidate, the coachman immediately assumed he was just another impoverished scholar. He spat at him viciously.

"Are you blind?"

"Hey! How can you talk like that?" the young man beside Song Yan protested indignantly.

But seeing how luxurious the carriage was, Song Yan hurriedly stopped his friend.

"It looks like it belongs to an influential family. Better not make trouble over something so small. Just let it go."

Only then did the young man reluctantly give up. Seeing how dejected Song Yan remained, he thought for a moment before saying, "Brother Song, didn't you say you were willing to work as a tutor or advisor in a noble household? As it happens, I do know of an opportunity. My uncle has spent the past year teaching a young girl at the Bureau of Transmission. Now that he's passed the metropolitan examination and become a jinshi, he'll have to resign from that position. If you're willing, I'll ask my uncle to recommend you. Teaching a little girl her studies won't require much effort, and you'll still have plenty of time to prepare for the next examination in three years."

Finding work as a tutor or advisor in the household of an influential official sounded simple enough, but in reality, someone had to recommend you. Building those connections alone required no small amount of money.

For the first time all day, genuine joy returned to Song Yan's ashen face.

He stopped walking and bowed deeply to his friend.

"Brother Wu… I will never forget this great kindness for as long as I live."

The young man laughed heartily.

"There's no need to be so formal between us. My uncle originally wanted me to take the position myself, but I'm only a licentiate. How could I dare present myself before such a distinguished household? I'd rather accompany my uncle when he takes up his post in the provinces and gain some experience. It's precisely because I know you truly possess talent that I dared recommend you."

With the matter settled, Song Yan arrived at the Bureau of Transmission as agreed three days later.

Before officially taking over the tutoring position from the young man's uncle, the noble household naturally wanted to meet him in person and test his learning. Only if they approved would he be allowed to remain.

Song Yan was quite confident.

The young man's uncle, Wu Guangkun, was a rigid man nearly fifty years old.

His scholarship was just as rigid as his personality.

The only reason he had passed the provincial examination was because he had memorized countless examination questions from previous years along with a great many model essays. After taking the examinations year after year, fortune had finally favored him once.

When it came time for the metropolitan examination, he had tried the same approach again.

Unfortunately, he never managed to guess the examination topics correctly another single time.

Only thanks to the emperor's special examination had he finally secured an official post.

Song Yan believed that in terms of genuine learning, he far surpassed Wu Guangkun.

The only mystery was the identity of the household. Whenever Wu Guangkun mentioned it, he became unusually secretive, saying only that Song Yan would learn the family's identity after he was officially accepted.

Having spent years trying to cultivate connections with the powerful, Song Yan immediately understood that this was undoubtedly an exceptionally prestigious household.

To make a favorable impression today, he had spared no expense. Using what little silver he had left, he commissioned a brand-new bamboo-green robe.

While Wu Guangkun went inside to recommend him, Song Yan waited outside the room.

His nervousness was no less intense than when he had gone to check the examination results only a few days earlier.

At his age, if he still failed to establish himself in the capital, then his dream of marrying into one of the capital's noble families and paving an easier path for his official career would become nothing more than an impossible fantasy.

Step by step, he had left the tiny town of Lin'an behind. He had seen the splendor of the imperial capital, and all the ambitions filling his heart had yet to be realized.

He simply could not bring himself to return to that poor, remote countryside.

After waiting anxiously for some time, he was finally summoned inside.

Daring not to look around, Song Yan entered with his head lowered. He respectfully cupped his hands in salute, the wide sleeves of his green robe falling gracefully from his wrists, giving him the air of a refined Wei-Jin scholar. Doing his best to appear humble yet dignified, he said, "This humble scholar, Song Yan, greets Your Excellency."

Silence filled the room.

Song Yan remained frozen in his bow, but his heart had nearly leapt into his throat.

Even Wu Guangkun, who had introduced him, sensed something was wrong. He secretly glanced at the person seated above, worried they might think Song Yan was too young to possess real talent. After all, this was someone he had personally recommended. If the noble patron formed a poor opinion of Song Yan, Wu Guangkun himself might also fall from favor.

He quickly explained, "Although Young Friend Song is still quite young, he is already a provincial graduate…"

"I know."

A crisp, clear female voice rang out from above like jade striking metal.

The instant he heard that voice, Song Yan involuntarily raised his head.

The woman seated above wore silver-red soft armor beneath a pale tea-white brocade robe, one arm left uncovered by the robe in the style of a military sleeve. The heroic female general before him made his face instantly turn as white as paper.

"Song Yan."

Fan Changyu calmly spoke those two words. The sharpness in her gaze had long since learned restraint, and not the slightest emotion could be heard in her voice. Yet the commanding presence of someone who had led hundreds of thousands of soldiers into battle was enough to make it difficult to breathe even as she merely sat there.

Song Yan met Fan Changyu's eyes for only a single instant before lowering his head in utter disgrace.

Boundless humiliation flooded his heart.

As he bowed again, he bent so deeply that his waist was nearly folded in half.

"This… this humble one, Song Yan… pays his respects… to the Great General."