"How is it?"
The front courtyard was filled with lantern riddles, and Emperor Xuanwu examined them one by one with steady patience. He was in no rush, but Ji Yongxing and the others had long grown restless.
"All the riddles have been solved. Have you found the final phrase yet?"
"I'm warning you, do not try to stall for more time. This courtyard is only so big, and there are only so many lanterns. You've already looked through…"
Halfway through his impatient protest, Young Master Wang suddenly fell silent. Emperor Xuanwu had glanced at him.
It was just a glance, nothing more. Through the mask, only his eyes were visible, devoid of any expression. Yet for some reason, Young Master Wang felt a pressure even more suffocating than the one his father gave off.
That half-mocking, half-threatening tone lodged itself in his throat, as if it had been caught mid-breath. Not until Emperor Xuanwu turned and walked off toward another direction did Young Master Wang finally exhale, chest rising sharply.
"What's wrong with you?"
Due to the mask, only Young Master Wang had seen that fleeting look from Emperor Xuanwu. To Ji Yongxing and Young Master Li, it seemed as though Young Master Wang had abruptly clammed up mid-sentence, like something had seized his throat. It was unsettling.
"Don't tell me… you figured out the final line of the riddle? Is it really in this courtyard? If so, we must find a way to quietly destroy it!"
"…No."
Young Master Wang took a deep breath, eyes still flickering with uncertainty.
"I just felt something was off about him. The way he looked at me just now carried an innate authority, like the kind that needs no anger to command respect.
That kind of pressure… I've only ever felt it from my father.
Could he be…"
"You must be mistaken," Young Master Li interjected reflexively.
"Among the tribute scholars who passed the exam this year, very few have higher status than ours, and we know all of them. It's certainly not this man."
"But…"
Young Master Wang frowned, wanting to say more, but Ji Yongxing suddenly gave him a push.
"That's enough. Hurry up and follow him. He's about to escape!"
"Yes, yes, we can't let him get away!" Young Master Li, now alert, grabbed Young Master Wang's arm and rushed after the figure of Emperor Xuanwu.
By the time they caught up, Emperor Xuanwu was already standing before the grand wooden gate that separated the front courtyard from the inner hall.
The wooden gate was solid and imposing, split down the middle. But unlike a typical pair of doors, the seam between the panels was not a straight line. Instead, it was shaped like interlocking teeth, sealed so tightly that not even a sliver of light passed through.
Ji Yongxing and the others had come here earlier, after scouring the front courtyard without success. Yet no matter how they pushed or pulled, the gate refused to budge. Even when they sought help from the so-called "Xianting staff," they were told only one line:
"This door can be opened, but you must discover the method yourself."
What a joke. It was just a door. What method could it possibly need?
They had scoffed at the idea before. But now, as they witnessed Emperor Xuanwu lightly tap a certain rock hidden in the miniature rockery beside the gate—and saw the wooden doors slowly parting on their own—they were dumbfounded.
"This is impossible!"
Ji Yongxing was the first to cry out in disbelief.
"You must have cheated!"
"Cheated?" Emperor Xuanwu scoffed coldly. "If you cannot do something yourself, do not assume others must also be incapable."
The words were cultured, refined even. But what they meant was simple: "Just because you're useless doesn't mean everyone else is."
Though one could question Ji Yongxing and his companions' character, they had still passed the imperial examination through genuine knowledge and effort. Naturally, they understood the insult all too well.
Even Young Master Wang, who had hesitated earlier, now flushed red with anger. Together, they roared,
"You dare claim you did not cheat?
Then explain this—how did you know to press that exact stone? How did the door open by itself?
You clearly bribed the staff at Xianting, used that stone tap as a secret signal, and had someone open the gate from within!"
"To go to such lengths for a mere poetry gathering, who could believe you passed the exam on your own merit?
If you ask me, he should remove that mask, reveal his identity, and request Princess Sheng An to thoroughly re-investigate his qualifications!"
"That's right! Remove the mask!"
"Unmask him!"
Cheating on the imperial examination was something scholars across the realm viewed as a grave offense. Ji Yongxing's accusations struck a nerve with many present. For most, their sense of righteousness dictated that it was better to wrongly accuse a dozen than let one cheater go free.
What made it worse was that everyone was masked. With their identities concealed, even those who might usually hold back now let their baser instincts slip through.
In no time, the once-serene courtyard was filled with an uproar.
"Unmask him! Unmask him!"
Yun Chuhuan joined in the ruckus as well, gleefully chanting, "Unmask him! Unmask him!"
Yun Shu fell silent.
Ji Yongtian stared at Yun Chuhuan, dumbfounded.
"Isn't that your elder brother? If he's exposed as a cheater, you'll all go down with him!"
"It's fine." Yun Chuhuan, fully immersed in the excitement, waved him off casually. "Even if everyone under Heaven cheats in the exams, he never would. Unmask him! Unmask him!"
Ji Yongtian was speechless.
He genuinely could not make sense of it. If their brotherly bond was strong, why leave one's elder brother to face a crowd alone? Yet if their relationship was poor, how could such blind faith exist?
It was baffling.
Just as Ji Yongtian was scratching his head in confusion, Emperor Xuanwu, now surrounded on all sides, let out a sudden cold laugh.
"With just your words, you dare question whether another cheated in the imperial exam?
The method to open the door was clearly written among the lantern riddles. That you failed to see it speaks volumes.
The ones who ought to be investigated for cheating… are you."
"Utter nonsense!"
Ji Yongxing was certain the man had been exposed and was now trying to wriggle free with clever speech. He stepped forward, voice raised.
"We've examined those lanterns too. They were filled with obscure word games and confusing riddles. There was nothing about how to open a door!"
"Then did you look closely at the patterns on the lanterns?"
At Emperor Xuanwu's calm, stern question, Ji Yongxing and the others were momentarily stunned. Just then, a tribute scholar standing nearby—one who had remained silent throughout—suddenly exclaimed,
"It's the imperial clan's crest!"
"What crest?"
Someone nearby asked in confusion.
"I've seen the lantern with that poem as well. The answer to the riddle was simply the character 'Ting' [courtyard]. What could that possibly have to do with pressing a stone to open a gate?"