Chapter 22: Beyond Purchase

Two Blossoms Bloom, Each Displaying Its Own Splendor: Let Us Now Turn to the Situation on Zhao Guangyi’s Side.

Returning to the Kaifeng Prefecture office, stained with ink and blood, Zhao Guangyi had scarcely settled into his resting chamber when his most trusted aide, Chen Congxin, approached and knelt before him with a rare, solemn kowtow—a gesture seldom seen in the Song Dynasty.

Knowing Chen’s character well, Zhao immediately grasped the gravity of the matter and rasped out, “Where did the breach occur?”

“It was due to one of my handmaidens,” Chen confessed with shame. “On the very night His Majesty agreed to appoint Your Highness as overseer of the tribute examinations, Your Highness entrusted me with the test questions to deliver to Chai Chengwu. However, by the time I returned home, it was late, so I did not go to see Chai Baochen that night. The questions remained at my residence overnight. Unbeknownst to me, the vile maid who shared my bed took this opportunity to steal a glance at the contents.”

“Are you certain it was that handmaiden? Did she manage to take the papers?” Zhao pressed.

“I am fairly certain it was her,” Chen admitted with increasing shame. “When I suspected her, she used the excuse of going to buy something and fled my home. It seems someone tipped her off in advance, cutting off our trail to the mastermind behind this.”

“No need to investigate who the ringleader is,” Zhao said flatly. “It must be Zhao Pu—his aim is to utterly undermine me.”

“Your Highness, why not suspect your eldest nephew?” interjected another trusted confidant, Yao Shu, curiously. “He stands to gain the most from this and may have orchestrated this scheme as a case of the thief crying ‘Stop thief!’”

“He lacks such capability at present,” Zhao replied with a sneer. “He’s only got one ally who resigned citing illness—Liang Zhouhan—and his resources are insufficient to plant spies around Siqi.”

Confidently dismissing the nephew’s involvement, Zhao continued, “But I may have underestimated him. If my hunch is right, Zhao Pu’s real objective was to kill two birds with one stone—using him to bring me down. Yet this brat, eager to please His Majesty, hastened to expose the matter before it escalated, causing me great embarrassment while preserving His Majesty’s dignity.”

“If that’s the case, then we have greatly underestimated this eldest nephew,” Yao Shu exclaimed. “He has borrowed Zhao Xianggong’s power but refuses to be manipulated, wholly focused on currying favor with His Majesty—clearly eyeing the crown prince’s seat.”

“Just now noticing this?” Zhao smiled faintly. “Our elder brother entrusted him with overseeing this provincial exam to test his administrative skills. What do you suggest we do?”

“Your Highness, we must not let him succeed. We have to sabotage the provincial exam!” Yao Shu’s face twisted fiercely. “Since the ‘Suicide Alley’ incident, the eldest nephew has made multiple appearances at court. His Majesty’s expectations for him only grow, so we must suppress him before he becomes a greater threat to Your Highness!”

“Absolutely not!” Dou Cheng immediately opposed. “Your Highness, in this matter, you must not sacrifice long-term interests for short-term gains. The eldest nephew, in his eagerness to please His Majesty, even gave up the chance to expose the leak scandal. If we repay him with treachery and sabotage—disregarding the court and His Majesty’s face—once His Majesty learns of it, he will be furious and deeply disappointed in you.”

After explaining his reasons, Dou proposed, “Therefore, Your Highness, you must prioritize state affairs and fully assist the eldest nephew in managing this provincial exam well. This will show His Majesty you are a man who puts the greater good above all, helping to restore his impression of you.”

“Reasonable,” Zhao nodded at once, voice low and grim. “On the way back, I considered how to ruin this exam and disgrace that nephew. But upon reflection, it’s too risky. If elder brother finds out, he will be even more disappointed and dissatisfied with me.”

Pausing briefly, Zhao added, “After all, the Military Virtue Division, led by Wang Renshan—the predecessor of the Imperial City Division—is formidable. Should elder brother order a strict investigation, we might uncover some clue. Thus, this time I can only help the eldest nephew run the exam smoothly and win elder brother’s favor.”

Yao Shu fell silent reluctantly. Chen Congxin, still kneeling, suddenly spoke up: “Your Highness, though we cannot deliberately trip the eldest nephew, neither can we let him alone bask in glory. I believe we should prepare in advance to compete for credit during the provincial exam.”

“How do you propose we seize the credit?” Zhao asked, gesturing for Chen to rise. “No need to kneel—stand and speak. Everyone makes mistakes; just be careful going forward.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Chen said, standing before continuing: “There are traditionally three major persistent ailments in the imperial examinations: first, impersonation; second, smuggling in cheating aids; third, guarding the exam venues. These are almost unavoidable and appear in nearly every exam. I believe if we focus our efforts on these three areas, we can steal the eldest nephew’s thunder.”

“How do we intensify our efforts?” Zhao inquired.

“First, impersonation,” Chen explained carefully. “It is difficult to identify impostors from other regions definitively. Yet, in their daily lives—their food, clothing, and shelter—they inevitably reveal clues. If Your Highness deploys a large number of Kaifeng’s constables to secretly investigate the identities of these candidates, we will surely find something. Then, at the formal exam, Your Highness can personally expose these candidates, pleasing His Majesty and revealing the eldest nephew’s superficiality.”

Zhao nodded slowly, approving the suggestion. Chen continued: “Second, smuggling cheating aids. In the markets, unscrupulous merchants manufacture writing implements and clothing with hidden compartments, such as hollow inkstones concealing forbidden texts, garments with secret layers to hide cloth or paper, and even pastries containing notes—all sold at high prices to candidates.”

“Once we dispatch Kaifeng’s constables to arrest and interrogate these merchants, we will learn how cheating aids enter the exam. Your Highness can then personally expose those candidates who fooled the eldest nephew, disgracing him.”

“And the third?” Zhao asked again.

“The third is to win over the Imperial Guards commander responsible for exam security. With his cooperation, Your Highness can easily gain favor or carry out other necessary tasks,” Chen said with a sly grin. “As Your Highness said, our eldest nephew is poor—he cannot match you in buying loyalty.”

At last, Zhao smiled faintly: “Yang Xin appointed Chen Biao as the commander of the troops guarding the exam. He is greedy and lustful. You must personally recruit him.”

Chen agreed immediately. Zhao then casually remarked, “Yang Zhaojian admires Wu Daozi and sent him the ‘Rushing Rivers and Seas’ painting. Wang Hu’s son recently got into trouble at Wazi—it’s time we make clear we let his precious son off the hook. I have already suffered great embarrassment this time. If my handpicked top provincial candidate Chai Chengwu fails to achieve first place, my reputation will be utterly ruined.”

“But Your Highness, His Majesty has said he will personally review the exam papers,” Dou Cheng warned anxiously.

Zhao smiled confidently. “Rest assured, my elder brother knows talent when he sees it. Chai Chengwu is a true prodigy. As long as I, Yang Zhaojian, and Wang Hu recommend him as the top scholar, elder brother will have no choice but to agree.”

The plan set, the future great strategist of Gaoliang River revealed his true prowess. Under the direction of his trusted aides, Kaifeng Prefecture dispatched several hundred constables that very day to scour far and wide, investigating the backgrounds of provincial candidates to root out impostors.

Meanwhile, with the covert help of numerous local ruffians and gangs, dozens of unscrupulous merchants were secretly arrested. Under the seasoned intimidation and torture of Kaifeng’s constables, these merchants confessed to selling cheating aids to candidates. Many hopefuls aiming to secure wealth and status through cheating were preemptively identified by the prefecture’s agents before the official inspection even began.

Only the task of courting Chen Biao, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was scheduled for the next noon, arranged by Chen Congxin. Fortunately, after enjoying a feast at Fengle Pavilion, Chen Biao immediately pledged his support upon hearing Chen’s true intent.

“Rest assured, magistrate. I know what to do! Should anyone enter or leave the exam hall secretly, I will report to the Second Prince at once. If he requires anything, my men will come and go freely without outsiders knowing.”

Chen Congxin was greatly pleased, raising his cup. “Many thanks, General Chen. Rest assured, Your Highness will not forget your merit when this is accomplished. To your victories and promotion!”

Chen Biao laughed heartily and clinked cups with Chen Congxin. But just as they were about to drink, a soldier suddenly burst into the private room, breathless.

“General, please return immediately to the Qisheng Institute. General Yang Xin of the Front Hall Department has sent urgent military orders.”

Chen Biao was startled. “Urgent orders from Yang Xin? What are they?”

“To switch posts with General He Huaipu,” the soldier replied truthfully. “Yang Xin has ordered General He Huaipu to take over the Qisheng Institute and guard the provincial exam under a decree personally issued by His Majesty.”

With a crash, Chen Congxin’s cup slipped from his hand, his face frozen in disbelief. He seemed to see himself, bearing Zhao Guangyi’s message and bribes to win over He Huaipu, only for He Huaipu to seize him like a hawk catching a chick and snap his neck with a sickening crack…

He Huaipu was indeed capable of such treachery. Zhao Guangyi could buy anyone—except He Huaipu, who was the maternal uncle of Zhao Dezhao. Zhao could hardly say to He Huaipu, “Help me wrest the throne from your own nephew who’s broken your bones and sinews, and I promise you wealth and honor.”

As it happened, at the Qisheng Institute, armored and armed Imperial Guards commander He Huaipu was addressing the troops about to take over exam security.

“Serve me well and guard the exam. I promise you won’t be treated poorly! But if anyone dares to cheat or pocket bribes under my command…”

He grinned fiercely before continuing, “I’ll skin them alive myself!”

“Then I’ll pull out their sinews!”

The one who added this last threat with a cruel smile was a young officer of about twenty, fair-skinned and handsome—known to all as He Huaipu’s only son and Zhao Dezhao’s elder cousin, He Lingtun.

Once a figure from the Yang family generals, after jointly intimidating the soldiers, He Huaipu smiled and said, “Here’s some good news: since the provincial exam will be held in two days, military discipline can be relaxed for now. Tonight, I’m paying out of my own pocket for fine wine and meat to fill your bellies!”

Thus, the stage was set for a fierce contest beneath the surface of the imperial examinations, where loyalty, cunning, and power struggles intertwined beneath the flicker of candlelight in Kaifeng.