No one could have imagined the kind of twisted, fantastical daydream Dou Jifei must have been having to end up with such a ridiculous scheme.
Yun Shu gave him only the briefest glance—no more than two seconds of confusion—before decisively shifting her attention to the next person.
From beginning to end, she seemed like nothing more than a ceremonial figure, a lucky charm brought along for good fortune. She hadn't made a single unnecessary move.
That changed the moment the clerk arrived, roster in hand, ready to assign the examinees to their examination quarters.
Just as the first name was called and the student was about to step forward, Yun Shu's voice rang out.
"Wait."
"Y-Your Highness… This humble subject greets Princess Sheng An!"
The examinee turned around, recognized Yun Shu at once, and bowed deeply.
Yun Shu waved a hand, motioning for him to rise. As she did, she stepped through the crowd and made her way directly to the clerk, pulling the roster from his hands.
"Gentlemen."
She raised the roster high and climbed onto the platform before them, her voice carrying clear and strong.
"Do you know why His Majesty appointed This Princess as chief examiner for this year's Spring Trials?
Because His Majesty remembers well the scandal of cheating during the Spring Exam three years ago—a vile and unforgivable offense.
Though none of you have voiced it, This Princess suspects many still harbor doubts in your hearts. You fear the system may still be rigged, that such treachery might repeat itself.
To put your minds at ease and allow you to perform to the best of your abilities, His Majesty issued a personal decree entrusting This Princess to oversee the Spring Exam with strict scrutiny. No fraud shall be tolerated."
She paused briefly to let her words settle.
"Upon receiving His Majesty's edict, This Princess poured over dozens of ancient records, reviewing every documented case of corruption in the history of the imperial exams.
And therein discovered one particularly insidious method. Some would bribe Ministry officials or low-ranking clerks to secretly place cheating aids inside the examination quarters—either for their own use or to frame others."
A collective gasp swept through the examinees.
The crowd, which had been quiet moments before, erupted.
"There were such methods? This is outright defiance of the law!"
"To go so far as framing others… Such people have no regard for His Majesty's rule. I thought checking our food before entering the academy was already thorough. Clearly, I was naive."
"Only those from the great aristocratic clans could pull off something like this, no doubt! They already enjoy countless advantages. Must they still stoop to deceit?"
"Not necessarily. As they say, 'With wealth, even spirits may be swayed.' Merchants and the wealthy could just as easily be culprits."
"In the end, it's always us poor scholars who are left defenseless, is it not?
Thank heavens His Majesty and Princess Sheng An still remember us. Otherwise, if we suffered such injustice, who would speak on our behalf?"
The grumbling continued until Yun Shu lifted her hand.
"Gentlemen."
She waited for the murmurs to subside before continuing.
"To prevent such events from occurring today, This Princess arranged for all of you to be admitted to the Gong Yuan half an hour early. Once your names are called and your examination quarters assigned, you are not to enter just yet.
This Princess shall dispatch personnel to inspect each room thoroughly. Only once everything is confirmed clean will you be permitted entry."
Off to the side, Minister Li, who had remained clueless throughout, sputtered in disbelief.
What? She was making a scene this grand and hadn't even told him?
Minister Li began to stomp his foot in panic.
"Your Highness, we do not have enough manpower to inspect every single room individually! If this delays the start of the exams—"
"Ah. It seems Minister Li's memory is failing him in his later years."
Yun Shu gave a sigh, as though deeply disappointed by his lack of faith.
"This Princess clearly stated before, many times, that this matter was reported to Father Emperor. The personnel… were also sent by His Majesty himself."
As she spoke, she pointed past Minister Li.
"Look. Here they come."
She hardly needed to point.
The sharp rhythm of marching boots and the grinding of armor echoed from behind.
Minister Li turned stiffly.
The Imperial Guards!
His Majesty had dispatched the Imperial Guards!
Speechless, Minister Li stepped aside, leaving the entire stage to Yun Shu.
She wasted no time. Holding the roster in hand, she read each name and room assignment aloud. As she did, an Imperial Guard would immediately move to inspect the designated room.
In no time, she had read through more than half the roster.
Then she paused before a room near the latrines and gave a soft click of her tongue.
"Tang Muzhi of the Capital, assigned to Room Forty-Nine, Row Three."
As her voice fell, a tall, slender youth in a scholar's robe stepped forward from the crowd.
Having not left his home for a month, Tang Muzhi appeared even leaner than before, his aura more refined than ever. He stood still as a pine in mountain breeze.
Examinees who had yet to hear their names looked toward him and couldn't help but whisper.
"He looks so young, not even twenty, I'd say."
"Tang Muzhi… Wait, isn't that the Capital's top scorer from the preliminary exams? Princess Sheng An's cousin?"
"She assigned her cousin to the room beside the latrine? Truly, Her Highness does not play favorites."
The remark was part admiration, part amusement.
After all, latrines of this era were nothing like the perfumed, porcelain facilities Yun Shu had known in her previous life. Here, they were rank, unspeakably foul.
More than one examinee in past years had been overwhelmed by the stench and vomited during the trial, their performance ruined.
Every student entering the Gong Yuan prayed not to be assigned a latrine-adjacent room.
It seemed those prayers had been answered… at the cost of Tang Muzhi drawing the short straw.
Yun Shu raised a brow, but Tang Muzhi's expression didn't shift. He simply offered a polite nod.
"Your Highness."
"One moment."
Yun Shu turned to gesture toward the guards.
A soldier jogged over quickly to begin inspecting the room.
He wore the same uniform as any other Imperial Guard, but those who recognized him would know he was no ordinary man. He was Qing Tian, one of the four Dragon Shadow Guards personally assigned to Yun Shu by Emperor Xuanwu.
When a Dragon Shadow Guard takes action, no hidden object, no matter how cleverly concealed, can escape detection.
Within minutes, Qing Tian retrieved multiple slips of paper, each densely packed with tiny writing, hidden in crevices between bricks, under floorboards, even tucked into the beams above.
"Heavens. So many!"