The incident that happened to Su Yuanyuan at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet caused quite a stir. For the noble ladies in Shengjing City, it was nothing short of a scandal.
Zhuo Shu, as the daughter of the Inspector - Censor, was among the invited guests at the banquet, just like Zhang Yingxue.
When the incident occurred, although Zhuo Shu felt that there was something fishy about it, with Prince Jin testifying for Su Qingyu first and then Su Yuanyuan's maid, Hong Zhu, accusing Su Yuanyuan of trying to frame Su Qingyu, the evidence was so conclusive that she couldn't say anything.
After that, the next time she heard Su Yuanyuan's name was the news of her death, implicated in Lu Chuan's crimes of fraud and bribery.
Since their acquaintance was not deep, Zhuo Shu only felt a bit of pity when she heard the news.
That was why there was a faint sense of guilt in Zhuo Shu's heart. When she saw Su Qingyu making things difficult for a little girl who had nothing to do with her at the piano - appreciation banquet, she, just like Zhang Yingxue and Qin Wanrong, stepped forward without hesitation to stand up for the girl.
Qin Wanrong was in poor health and couldn't attend the birthday banquet. However, she had heard about it from Qin Wanshan. Qin Wanshan even laughed at Su Yuanyuan in front of her, saying that Su Yuanyuan was so stupid that she got her eyes pecked by a swallow.
Even though she didn't witness it with her own eyes, upon closer thought, this matter didn't hold up to scrutiny. Now that she was surrounded by trustworthy friends, Qin Wanrong voiced her doubts:
"If that incident hadn't happened, even though Su Yuanyuan's reputation had already taken a hit and she had become a vicious girl who tried to harm her elder sister, with her family background, she would still have been the top candidate for the Princess of Jin," Qin Wanrong said.
"Since she knew that she was very likely to become the Princess of Jin in the future, how could she have taken a fancy to Lu Chuan, who was old enough to be her father? Just this point alone is suspicious."
Zhuo Shu nodded, "The maid who testified in court could have been bribed to frame her. There are plenty of disloyal servants in this world. Didn't the maid beside you, Wanrong, get bribed by your step - mother to harm you?"
Their analysis hit the nail on the head. After being reborn as Su Yuanyuan, Su Yuanyuan was naturally going to clear her past self of the false accusations. But she couldn't do this alone; she needed helpers.
Su Yuanyuan sighed softly and said, "It's a pity that Sister Yuanyuan is already dead. There's no use in delving into these things now."
With a "bang", Zhang Yingxue slapped the table hard.
"How is it useless? As long as the injustice suffered by Su Yuanyuan remains unredressed, you, Yuanbao, can't reveal your name to the public. Moreover, now that you've become the disciple of Master Shanyin, Su Yuanyuan is your senior sister. Inevitably, some people will link you to her and try to ruin your reputation. You're a princess conferred by the emperor, but once your reputation is damaged, who knows when that title might be revoked!"
Zhuo Shu quickly covered her mouth, "Bah, bah, bah. What nonsense are you talking about! How can you say such inauspicious things?"
Zhang Yingxue quickly slapped her own mouth, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Yuanbao, don't take it to heart."
Qin Wanrong said softly, "Yingxue is right. We need to plan ahead. It hasn't been long since that incident, so it shouldn't be difficult to find out the truth. And we all know that as long as something is done, there will be traces left. But now we have no say in the matter. Even if we find something out, what can we do?"
"Yes, without any say, we really can't do anything," Zhang Yingxue frowned and sighed in distress. "If only we could have an official position."
Zhuo Shu said, "I heard from my father that in ten days, there will be a special imperial examination in the palace, and women can also participate in the selection."
Zhang Yingxue's eyes lit up, "Yes, I also heard my father mention this before. How could I forget about it?!"
Qin Wanrong, however, was confused. "What special imperial examination?"
Zhuo Shu explained it to her, "This special imperial examination was proposed by Lord Cang. Previously, because Lu Chuan formed a clique, colluded with the Ministry of Personnel, and manipulated the imperial examination, the results of the autumn examination were all canceled. This made those honest scholars complain. This time, with this special imperial examination, they can skip the autumn and spring examinations and directly try to obtain official positions, which saves a lot of trouble."
Qin Wanrong's eyes sparkled, "Such a special imperial examination is unprecedented. It's truly a heroic feat. Lord Cang is really amazing."
Su Yuanyuan couldn't help but straighten her chest.
Brother Yunjian is, of course, amazing!
Little Eight said excitedly in Su Yuanyuan's mind, [Naturally. Cang Xuan is the master's son. This special imperial examination is almost the same as the examination system in our era. He must have learned it from the materials left by the master. If this special imperial examination can be carried out smoothly, the court of the Great Chu will surely take on a new look!]
Zhang Yingxue said, "I've always thought that I'm no less capable than men. I'm definitely going to participate in this special imperial examination!"
Qin Wanrong also said, "After I'm cured of the poison, I also want to give it a try."
Zhuo Shu will get married in half a year, and her husband's family is in the south of the Yangtze River. Even if she passes the examination, she will have to leave Shengjing soon. But...
She looked up at Su Yuanyuan, Zhang Yingxue, and Qin Wanrong in front of her.
She was a bit reluctant to part with these friends. If possible, she still wanted to stay in Shengjing to help her friends. But she didn't know what her cousin thought. Would he be willing to come to Shengjing for her? Zhuo Shu decided to write a letter to her cousin in the south of the Yangtze River to ask for his opinion after she got back.
Su Yuanyuan didn't know what was on Zhuo Shu's mind, but she suddenly saw a few strands of gold appear between Zhuo Shu's eyebrows, which were originally blank. She was secretly surprised.
Maybe this special imperial examination would really bring different opportunities to the few of them.
She couldn't help but sigh. Was it really God's will that she went to the Pingyang Marquis Mansion in her past life just to suffer? Why didn't she meet such true - hearted friends in her past life? Instead, she met villains like Jiang Lanyi who betrayed their trust?
Fortunately, there were Zhang Yingxue and the others, which made her know that there could be such pure friendship among noble ladies.
...
The Prince Jin's Mansion.
After returning to the Prince Jin's Mansion from the palace, as soon as Xiao Zisheng was pushed into the warm pavilion, he suddenly bent down and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The Prince Jin's Mansion immediately fell into chaos. A close attendant reached out to help him to the bed to rest, but Xiao Zisheng shook him off forcefully, throwing the attendant to the ground. He roared angrily, "Get out of here!"
The servants in the room immediately retreated cleanly. Xiao Zisheng tightly grasped the armrests, his chest heaving violently. He tried to take deep breaths to calm down his anger and humiliation at being controlled by others, but no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't quell the anger in his heart.
After a while, one roar after another came from the room.