Everyone jumped and looked up at once, following the sound.
Chu Junyi’s eyes flicked instinctively toward Young Marquis Xia.
Li Xinrong’s hand shook so hard the brush splattered—one black droplet landed on her exam scroll and smeared a question beyond recognition. She could have cried, but instead she fixed her glare on Xia Chengjie’s retreating back.
Because—she was sitting right behind him.
The smell hit like a physical blow. Li Xinrong’s brows pinched into a hard V; her knuckles made a dry clicking sound as she clenched her fist.
Xia Chengjie held on as long as he could, his face going red, then pale, then contorting. In the end he couldn’t bear it—one hand clamped to his backside, he sprinted toward the latrine as if it were a lifesaving vessel.
“It stinks!” Li Xinrong was the first to leap up.
Murong Jia, being all lady-like, kept her composure outwardly. Her small brows trembled in a regular rhythm; she pinched her lips and puffed out her cheeks, clearly holding her breath.
Li Xinyue thought she was the worst-off of the bunch—until she saw them. Relief flooded her; because her nose was blocked from a cold, she was unexpectedly spared. She even found herself quietly amused by the scene.
Li Xinrong caught her breath and stared, baffled, at Li Xinyue still calm in her seat. What was going on? Weren’t the servants supposed to have poisoned Li Xinyue’s breakfast? How did Xia Chengjie end up eating it? Had he been at Li Xinyue’s table? Since when were they so chummy? Could it… be that kind of relationship?
“Cough—Your Highness, what is this?” Chu Junyi had already appeared at Li Xinrong’s side. His gaze was stern, fixed on the book lying open on the tabletop. Li Xinrong reached to cover it, but Chu had already snatched it into his hand.
Li Xinyue turned, a teasing curl at the corner of her mouth, then shook her head in mock exasperation.
“Even for such a simple test, your Highness would cheat?” Chu Junyi asked.
“It wasn’t me—it’s Li Xinyue framing me!” Li Xinrong pointed at Li Xinyue without hesitation.
Li Xinyue laughed outright. “Do you really think His Majesty would believe that? If you’re so certain he’ll take your side, I won’t even bother finishing this exam. I’ll just go with you and explain it to His Majesty myself.”
Li Xinrong had no answer.
Chu Junyi escorted her out, but Li Xinrong feared that if this reached the emperor and empress she would be ruined. Determined to drag someone down with her, she grabbed the ink on the table and, without a second thought, flung it at Li Xinyue.
Quick as a flash, Li Xinyue scooped up her paper and dodged. Before she could react further, Chu Junyi had seized Li Xinrong by the arm and tossed her out of the hall.
Silence fell. Only Li Xinyue and Murong Jia remained.
Li Xinyue couldn’t tell if Chu Junyi had deliberately positioned himself beside her or if it was accidental—he simply stood there, watching her work.
Was he watching the exam, or was he watching her? Surely he wasn’t watching her… Her face warmed, her heart raced, and she felt a delicious embarrassment she couldn’t quite place.
He was watching both. He wondered: if she took first place, would she petition the emperor for a favor? Would she ask for a marriage to Murong Xiu? And after last night… would she still insist on that? He wanted to know the answer.
Li Xinyue chewed the end of her brush, stealing glances at him. Chu Junyi, noticing her look, straightened and met her gaze.
She fumbled with her mouth. Chu Junyi or Murong Xiu? Murong Xiu or Chu Junyi? She became restless. Could he just move away? He should be checking on Murong Jia—what if she was cheating!
“Sir, I’ve finished. May I turn mine in?” Murong Jia’s soft voice asked, her hand raised politely.
Chu Junyi smiled slightly and nodded. Murong Jia set her paper down with perfect decorum and left.
Li Xinyue watched her go, then traced a small arc across the room with her eyes and let them settle on Chu Junyi again. He had taken the empty seat across from her, hands folded on the desk, leaning back in his chair in silent vigilance.
Her scalp prickled. It was, without doubt, the most pressure-filled exam she had ever taken. He felt like some celestial force sent specifically to jinx her.
When the exams ended, the grading was swift—the Mingde Emperor had appointed one of the examiners himself. Only four papers were handed in; one had been voided for cheating. That left three.
Top scorer: Murong Jia. Every question correct. Second: Li Xinyue—only one question lost, ruined by an ink blot. Third: Young Marquis Xia. The poor marquis had spent the test in dire straits in the latrine; word was the imperial physicians had been sent after him.
The court announced the results. Emperor Mingde smiled and praised Murong Jia and Li Xinyue, asking Murong Jia what favor she would like as her reward. At the same time, Young Marquis Xia was howling and accusing Li Xinyue of drugging him.
The palace staff tending to the marquis nearly fainted. Who dared accuse the emperor’s favorite princess of wrongdoing? No one wanted to be responsible for angering their sovereign.
People hurried to calm the marquis. “Maybe it’s a misunderstanding—”
“A misunderstanding? If it was a misunderstanding why didn’t she eat! There was a whole table of breakfast and she just nibbled one bun! She did it on purpose—she wanted to bait me!” the marquis wailed, then hopped back into the latrine, hobbling and shrieking for space.
More noises erupted from inside—one audible eruption after another. Those waiting outside scowled and glared, utterly spent by the whole affair.
“Li Xinyue, just you wait!” someone shouted.
A senior eunuch sent a junior to inform the emperor. Mingde went to investigate himself.
By the time they dragged the drained young marquis out, the imperial grand eunuch had placed a chair for him at the emperor’s command. The marquis sat—only to be rocked by another explosive sound when he shifted. The shock made him bounce up in pain.
Li Xinyue couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of her.
Chu Junyi stood close behind her, hands clasped behind his back, as if guarding her. The lower-ranking maids and eunuchs weren’t of sufficient standing to laugh outright; they strained to hold it in, their faces going red with effort.
The marquis’s face flickered between green and white as he pointed accusingly at Li Xinyue before the emperor. “She made me sick!”
Li Xinyue bit her lip, both explaining and still amused. “Last night I caught a chill and lost my appetite. That’s why I didn’t eat breakfast—not because I poisoned him. Besides, I didn’t even expect him to come—I didn’t prepare his portion. He ate mine. In fact, he ate my breakfast, which is why I came to the exam hungry.”
The marquis had nothing left to say, only to whimper: “Your Majesty! Someone tried to harm me!”
Emperor Mingde couldn’t help but laugh. What a useless spendthrift—who would bother harming him? This was obviously about the princess, he thought. My Yuanyang Princess is my treasure; anybody who harms her would be making an enemy of me.
“Bring everyone who prepared the breakfast to the princess’s residence for questioning,” he ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The marquis wilted. He felt the world close in; there would be no validation, no victory. The battle was over—he had lost.