The Place of Great Fishes in Still Waters
Liu Shan Men had been in a celebratory mood ever since the imperial exam’s results were announced. Liu Shan Men hadn’t had any luck in martial arts even though Shen Yiren had invested efforts into raising the level of combat competence.
In times of peace, Liu Shan Men was able to maintain its stance as one of the three offices, but His Majesty counted on the Qilin Guards and Emperor’s Entourage when push came to shove. Though Liu Shan Men contributed considerably in the recent debacle, they hadn’t convinced His Majesty that they’d be a mighty force in battle. That was the pain impetus for Shen Yiren seeking improvement outside the capital. His Majesty gave her a hand in that regard to ensure she had legitimate grounds to leave without rousing dissatisfaction from their rivals. She just never expected to suddenly have the big achievement.
The capital was in uproar after learning Liu Shan Men took home the two top spots in the imperial exams. Some people had started wondering if Liu Shan Men planned to abandon advancing in the military aspect and pushing for more involvement in civil politics. While some of the ignorant had starting inquiring how to excel as a civil servant, second place was wondering what led to such a tragic outcome.
So much happened that night that the imperial exam was virtually last in order of importance. Rather than fret over the placings, Ming Feizhen was more concerned about missing a brick he needed to repair at the time.
Ming Feizhen had no idea Shen Kuang partook in the exams. Shen Kuang most likely went dressed as a guy… Wasn’t he a guy to begin with? Anyway, Ming Feizhen figured Shen Kuang must’ve dressed himself differently to usual, which would’ve explained why Ming Feizhen didn’t recognise him. With that said, it had nothing to do with the fact that Shen Kuang was surprisingly an uber-talented scholar. While Feng Shanshan was no longer in the top few, Feng Shanshan still placed, which meant that he was quite capable even without resorting to cheating. Even so, it was unthinkable for Wu Dayong to place third no matter what mental gymnastics Ming Feizhen tried if He Shi couldn’t even make it into the top three.
Because he couldn’t figure out who he gave He Shi’s paper to, Ming Feizhen dropped by Daren Academy. It was easy for him to sneak in since there weren’t any elites who could’ve detected him present. Upon infiltrating He Shi’s room, he found Wu Dayong also sitting there with his chin in his hand and staring into the distance with He Shi. After the duo spent ages staring into the black ether, they sighed and voiced in unison, “Why…?”
“Maybe because of me.”
The two jolted when they heard Ming Feizhen’s voice behind them. He sat down between them and told them to hush, sniffed the teapot to check it was fresh, then poured himself a cup.
“Relax. I, too, am here to get to the bottom of this.”
It was hard for them to suddenly relax when someone suddenly crept up on them.
Wu Dayong exclaimed, “Why do you walk without making a sound?!”
“I’d be busted if I made sounds, no?” Ming Feizhen had a drink, then calmed himself. “Why are you two cooped up here instead of out celebrating?”
He Shi wagged his hand, then rubbed his temples. “Celebrate what? All the questions on my mind? We had the same paper. Someone placed second.” He then dropped onto the table and continued, “Yet I didn’t even place. Does that make sense?”
Ming Feizhen wanted to figure out the reason for that himself. He Shi wrote his paper. There was no way He Shi was just purely uneducated, so the only possible explanation was that Ming Feizhen mixed up the papers on the last day.
“Ahaha, well, new problems arise daily. Some just aren’t comprehensible. Dayong, why aren’t you celebrating? Shouldn’t your family be holding a massive celebration considering your achievement?”
Wu Dayong lifelessly answered, “M-my mother certainly is happy. My dad told me there’s no need to place so high; he wants me to be modest, but he seems happy, as well. It’s just…”
“It’s just you don’t look to happy,” Ming Feizhen patted his former classmate who was showing signs of guilt. “Speak your mind so that we can brainstorm ideas. You’ll become a salted fish if you bottle it up for too long.”
Wu Dayong sighed. “It wasn’t my true capacity.”
“You surpassed yourself?”
Wu Dayong shook his head. “The truth is, I didn’t know how to answer the last few questions. I wasn’t sure I could finish my paper as the hours flew by. For some reason, I fell asleep on the last day. After I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything, including what I was planning to write. I was going to pray to heaven for help when a few sheets of paper came into view in my peripherals. The papers had all the answers. I thought heaven pitied me, so I copied them.”
“You copied an exam paper that appeared out of nowhere?”
“Yes.”
Ming Feizhen flapped his eyelids because he finally realised what happened. Wu Dayong flapped his eyelids because he was still confounded. He Shi flapped his eyelids, then glared at Ming Feizhen.
“Why would you copy an exam paper that appeared out of thing air?! There’s no such thing as heaven supplying you with an answer paper,” Ming Feizhen reproached.
“I didn’t believe it, either, but I randomly fell asleep that night, and hours had gone by when I woke up. That’s not normal, either, so I assumed it was heaven’s blessings.”
That sounds logical… I think I finally know where it went wrong.
After ensuring his paper was secure, Ming Feizhen forgot to take care of everyone else’s papers. After he made a mess of them while fixing the wall, He Shi’s paper landed in Wu Dayong’s room.
“I remember I put He Shi’s paper… Where was your room?”
“I was Ying Yang’s neighbour.”
Ying Yang was He Shi’s courtesy name.
This is all my handiwork!
Ming Feizhen filled the two in on what led to the results.
“Understood.” To their surprise, He Shi was the calmest despite being the one affected the most.
“What do you understand?”
“I understand why I didn’t make the cut. That’s enough for me.” He Shi exhaled at the ether. “I was only bewildered over this matter. Now I don’t have to sulk about it anymore. You don’t have to give me those looks, do you?”
Ming Feizhen and Wu Dayong exchanged eye contact.
“You sure don’t take things to heart.”
“To tell the truth, I was glad I wasn’t on the list. As a matter of fact, I’m glad I’m not part of the celebrations.” He Shi stretched his arms over head. “I was never too keen on becoming a civil servant. I had contemplated whether or not to sit the exam before I even sat it. Given the state of the current imperial court, I don’t believe becoming a civil servant is the best path to realising my ambitions. Even if I win, I’ll be dispatched to a distant place for a few years as the old fart stated. For all I know, I may never climb any higher. I’d argue I’m better off now. You’ve already passed on my views. If they’re willing to earnestly consider them, I’m satisfied. If I were to try implementing them myself, I’d probably be devoured, which isn’t my wish.”
Ming Feizhen and Wu Dayong nodded.
“… Ying Yang, how about you be my assistant?” suggested Wu Dayong.
“Your assistant?”
“I’ve thought it through. Your talent shouldn’t be stashed away and wasted. I can’t achieve anything significant. I don’t know what to do even if I become a civil servant. You don’t like to stand out, while my skin is thick. Even if you don’t help me, we can consult each other. That way, we’ll always have each other’s back. Besides, I used your paper to place, so the privileges should rightfully be yours.”
He Shi was taken aback. The offer was quite alluring. He was planning to hide himself in Blue Prince’s shadow whilst carrying out his ambition, after all. Compared to serving under a Prince, assisting at Wu Dayong’s side was a wiser choice by far. They were about the same age, classmates, and Wu Dayong had little income, all of which provided ample opportunities for He Shi to practice fulfilling his ambition. Moreover, since Wu Dayong’s prize was supposed to belong to He Shi, they both had dirt to use on each other, so there was no concern of backstabbing. Still, it was a surprise to learn that Wu Dayong didn’t care for the glory.
“I… could consider that.”
Although he was left out, Ming Feizhen didn’t interrupt them as he found it interesting. Instead, he’d sporadically opine in order to facilitate their plan coming to fruition. They had gone through pots and pots of tea, and reached a high point of a joyous atmosphere when Wu Dayong suddenly asked, “You’ve been considered a scholar for as long as I remember, and they were right in their assessment. If you only wrote one paper, you would have won first place, huh?”
He Shi shook his head. “My two papers were actually similar. Not even I could decide which one was superior. It’s quite possible His Majesty thinks highly enough of Ming Feizhen to still place him. Even if I was lucky, I would’ve placed second. If not, I would’ve placed third. I don’t dare say I had a chance at first place.”
He Shi said to Ming Feizhen, “Your new winner from Liu Shan Men is truly capable. I met him at a few scholar meetings. He sports different appearances each time, presumably to avoid being recognised. Nobody has ever been his match, including myself. I heard he is not well known, which I am guessing is because he doesn’t want to promote himself. Seeing as he took the exam, I suppose he has shed the mental weights holding him down and is ready to showcase his abilities. I genuinely hope to befriend him if the opportunity presents itself.”
Ming Feizhen haplessly smiled. “We’ll see.”
“What does that mean? Is he in danger?”
“There are hardly any people in the capital who can hurt him or would dare to hurt him. Besides, nothing good will come out of hurting him. I’m just saying that not being in danger doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be able to enter the imperial court’s employment.”
Neither Wu Dayong nor He Shi understood.
Ming Feizhen wagged a hand. “He has to get past one person before that’s even possible.”
***
At the same time at Liu Shan Men.
“What were you thinking?!” It was hard to imagine Shen Yiren could still stay seated in a graceful posture considering her tone. She exhaled to calm herself, then glared at her younger brother sitting opposite her, who was as cool as a cucumber.
Shen Yiren always considered her brother a sensible kid; she couldn’t even recall ever getting so mad at him.
Shen Kuang had always hidden in his sister’s shadow, trying to not stand out and only existing as an inferior copy of her. While she had to bear with more stress than him, she was also able to bathe in more glory. He always believed that she deserved the glory, contrary to her opinion.
Perhaps not even Shen Yiren herself was aware of her major transformation. Since returning from Nanjiang, Emperor’s Entourage had designated her as a target they had to maintain surveillance on and justified an assassination of.
Shen Kuang felt cold at his temples. Shen Yiren maintained a frosty demeanour notwithstanding having calmed down.
“I’ve been planning and strategizing to revive Liu Shan Men and Shen Clan. You are a scion of Shen Clan. Why didn’t you notify me you were going to take the exams?”
“Would I have been permitted to participate if I notified you?”
“You’re in the right now?”
Shen Kuang didn’t avert his gaze even though his sister was intimidating. He didn’t come off as intimidating, but he wasn’t shaken.
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