Chapter 6: The Imperial Decree of Marriage

The Emperor of Yan spoke with a casual air, yet his tone caused many in the great hall to feel a sense of schadenfreude. Amidst the sea of mocking gazes, Shen Xunqing suddenly caught a look of pity from an inconspicuous corner.

Pity? Sympathy for him? A mortal blinded by the scenery before him—how amusing.

At the Emperor’s prompt, Shen Xunqing walked to the center of the hall, bowed, and said, "This humble subject does not know."

"Oh? You do not know? Are you not all officials tasked with supervising the examinations? Why does he know, yet you do not?" The Emperor’s voice deepened, his tone laced with extreme danger.

Shen Xunqing looked straight ahead, his expression calm. "Your Majesty, you may not be aware, but the supervision for this examination was conducted differently than in the past. Each official was responsible for only a small, specific area. The area under my jurisdiction showed no irregularities. Furthermore, candidates were searched repeatedly before entering the exam hall to prevent cheating, and the stationery was prepared in advance. Under such circumstances, it would be quite difficult for a candidate to cheat."

The Emperor pondered for a moment. "Then tell me, whose area exactly was it where things went wrong?"

Seeing the official beside him, who had been pleading for mercy, remain silent, Shen Xunqing added quietly, "I am merely a proctor, not an official in charge of grading the papers. I have no knowledge of the matter."

The Emperor turned his gaze to the trembling official. "Then you tell me: who was responsible for the area where the cheating was discovered?"

Terrified, the official pointed a trembling finger at Shen Xunqing. "It was him! It was the area under his supervision! All the cheating candidates were discovered in his sector! It has nothing to do with me, nothing at all!"

The Emperor’s face turned as dark as water.

A sudden, sharp "Pfft" broke the silence. The person who had laughed stepped forward—it was Lord Zuo, the official primarily responsible for auditing the exam papers. "I beg the Emperor’s pardon. I have not seen such an amusing spectacle in a long time and could not help myself."

The Emperor seized the opportunity. "It is fine. What do you mean by that, Lord Zuo?"

The elegant and refined Lord Zuo, known in the capital as a "true gentleman," chuckled again. "Your Majesty, pray do not blame me. It is simply too interesting. Firstly, it is rare to see an official who was just begging for mercy suddenly shout that he is innocent. Secondly, as Prince Shen stated, the proctors and the auditors are separate and do not interfere with one another. I am the one in charge of auditing, and apart from my own staff, I have only reported the findings to Your Majesty alone. May I ask how this proctor came to know such details?"

Lord Zuo’s tone, previously gentle, turned icy. "Thirdly, while there was indeed a cheating case in Prince Shen’s area, it was only one individual, whereas the majority of cases came from other sectors. Since you are so certain that all the cheating candidates came from Prince Shen’s sector, may I ask where you obtained this information? To lie to the Emperor and frame a Prince of the Realm in front of everyone—you, a mere proctor, are truly no simple character!"

Upon hearing this, the other officials felt a chill run down their spines. The web of this plot was tightly wound, clearly aimed at sabotaging Prince Shen. If the conspirators could turn their sights on them next, the officials who had been gloating moments ago broke out in a cold sweat.

The official turned deathly pale. He had not expected Lord Zuo, who usually avoided court politics, to stand up for Shen Xunqing. What was he to do? His eyes wandered distractedly until they met the gaze of the Crown Prince, who looked at him as if he were a dead man. He realized then that he was nothing more than a discarded pawn.

The Emperor spoke coldly, "Guards! Drag him away! Interrogate him thoroughly! Find out exactly who is behind this cheating scandal!"

As the guards dragged the stunned official out, a few startled cries were heard from outside the hall. A guard returned and reported, "Your Majesty, the official has just taken poison and died."

The court erupted in an uproar.

Shen Xunqing could no longer describe the look on the Emperor’s face—it was as if shrouded in a dark mist. *The young Emperor has quite a temper,* Shen Xunqing thought, remaining detached, though he wore a carefully crafted mask of restrained alarm.

The Emperor sighed, and the mist seemed to dissipate. "Do not be alarmed, Xunqing. I will see that justice is served. I leave this matter to you, Lord Zuo. What say you?"

Zuo Buyu smiled. "I shall not fail Your Majesty’s trust and will get to the bottom of this soon."

The Emperor nodded and smiled, looking at Shen Xunqing. "Xunqing, you are not young anymore. Have you found a suitable match? I intend to betroth my sixth princess to you. What do you think?"

The sudden shift in topic left the officials stunned. Zuo Buyu chuckled to himself; the lad had quite the fortune.

Shen Xunqing was surprised for a moment, but he quickly understood the underlying motive. The sister of the Demon Flame was truly a nuisance. "Your Majesty, the Sixth Princess is graceful and virtuous. It would be a great honor to be betrothed to her. However, it is a pity—my father arranged a marriage for me before I was even born. Now that the person has come to call, I fear I am not destined to be with the Princess."

"Oh? If that is the case, then so be it. Bring that person to see me another day. I should like to see who it is that has captivated my Prince Shen..."

Shen Xunqing smiled without a word and returned to the ranks. Soon after, the morning court ended.

As Shen Xunqing walked ahead, hoping to return to his estate, he was called out. "Prince, stay a moment."

Shen Xunqing stopped but did not turn around. "Is there something you need, Lord Zuo?"

Zuo Buyu walked up to him, raising an eyebrow. "What? I helped you, and you won’t even offer a word of thanks before leaving?"

"Without you, the result would have been the same," Shen Xunqing replied.

Zuo Buyu shook his head, amused. "If that is how you feel, I will be direct. When will you be free, Prince Shen? I wish to introduce someone to you."

*So that’s it,* Shen Xunqing thought. *He helped me because he needs something from me.* "I am usually at my estate after court. Suit yourself. I have matters to attend to; I am leaving."

Without waiting for a reply, Shen Xunqing walked away. Zuo Buyu watched his retreating figure and laughed. It was no wonder *that person* had chosen this Prince Shen. This man was definitely not simple.

As soon as the Emperor left the court, he was intercepted on his way to the study by Yan Qianqian. She smiled brightly, her delicate fingers tugging at the Emperor’s sleeve as she swayed slightly, her eyes wide and glistening. "Father, how did it go? Did you grant the marriage?"