This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

"Why is my second brother also interested in watching these candidates take the imperial examination?"

Upon hearing this voice, the Prince of Jin frowned, turned around, and saw a young man dressed in a black brocade robe with gold patterns walking over.

Those around the Prince of Jin were greatly surprised when they saw this person and immediately bowed in respect.

The Prince of Jin snorted inwardly, but maintained a respectful expression on his face, stepped forward, bowed, and said:

"Greetings, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince smiled and gestured for support, saying:

"We're brothers, no need for formalities."

Having said that, the Crown Prince walked directly past the Prince of Jin and sat down in the spot where the Prince of Jin had been sitting.

Even if the King of Jin was dissatisfied, he could only stand with his hands down and could not show the slightest dissatisfaction on the surface.

The crown prince, looking relaxed, smiled and asked the last figure to enter the examination hall:

"Has my second brother discovered some rare talent?"

The Prince of Jin smiled faintly and replied:

"Even the most talented individuals are chosen for the sake of the nation and for the emperor..."

The crown prince nodded in agreement, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked:

"By the way, what was the name of that scholar who wrote a good article at Father Emperor's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet last year?"

The Prince of Jin frowned, his lips slightly pursed, and replied:

"Wang Yangming".

The prince suddenly realized and said:

"Oh, right, it's him. I heard he's quite talented; he even got the top score in last year's autumn imperial examination. What do you think of him?"

The Prince of Jin wasn't quite sure what the Crown Prince wanted to say, so he could only go along with it:

"His writing skills are passable, but his execution is lacking..."

The Crown Prince was taken aback upon hearing this, then pointed at the Prince of Jin, shaking his head and laughing:

"You...you're still so cautious. I'm not trying to steal her from you, why are you hiding her?"

The Prince of Jin smiled faintly and remained silent.

The crown prince sighed, stood up, and said:

"I thought there would be some excitement, but it's boring, I'm leaving..."

The Prince of Jin and the others immediately bowed and said:

"Respectfully seeing off the Crown Prince..."

After taking a few steps, the Crown Prince suddenly turned back, looked at the Prince of Jin, and smiled:

"Oh right, it's that Wang Yangming you mentioned. Yesterday, he suddenly asked someone to give me something... saying he saw it by chance. Second brother, take a look at what it is..."

After saying this, the Crown Prince handed a neatly folded piece of paper to the Prince of Jin.

He then left immediately.

After the Crown Prince left, Prince Jin frowned and opened the paper. His expression changed drastically after reading only the first few words.

Suddenly turning his head to look in the direction of the examination hall, Prince Jin's eyes revealed a chilling killing intent.

"Wang Yangming..."

The name was practically squeezed out from between the teeth of the Prince of Jin.

He never imagined that Wang Yangming would dare to hand over this exam paper to the Crown Prince.

What puzzled him even more was how Wang Yangming managed to get close to the Crown Prince under his heavy surveillance.

The Prince of Jin gripped the examination paper tightly, crumpling it into a ball until it finally crumbled into dust in his hands and scattered on the ground.

Looking at the Prince of Jin like this, Jiang Ping'an felt a chill run down his spine.

In her memory, her second brother was not like this.

But I don't know when it started, my second brother became somewhat unpredictable, especially when it came to Wang Yangming...

"Ping An...After the imperial examinations are over, I will ask my father to grant you a marriage...You...should know what to do..."

Prince Jin turned his head to the side and glanced at Jiang Ping'an.

Jiang Ping'an's heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

Fear made her nod instinctively, but in reality, she was resisting.

The Prince of Jin took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and stormed off.

Jiang Ping'an stood there stunned, and it took him a long time to recover.

The spring breeze swept by, but it chilled her to the bone.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Inside the examination room, Wang Yangming finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the exam paper being handed out.

Regardless of whether the Crown Prince changed the exam questions after learning about that incident, Wang Yangming felt much less burdened at this moment.

As for whether he would be drawn into the power struggle between the Prince of Jin and the Crown Prince because of this, Wang Yangming no longer cared.

Because he knew he had already been implicated.

It all started with that incident with Jiang Ping'an that happened in a daze... no, it even started from the first time he entered the palace to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

In this turbulent Kyoto, no one can remain unscathed.

Wang Yangming did not rush to answer the questions. Instead, he sat in his seat, held his breath, and began to meditate.

Since you've decided to take the exam, then give it your all.

As for the final outcome, that's not something you can decide.

Seven days later, the exam ended.

Wang Yangming walked out of the examination room, looking exhausted.

Even a cultivator like him, who possesses true qi, felt physically and mentally exhausted after a single examination, let alone ordinary students whose physiques were not strong.

Regardless of the exam results, everyone felt reborn at this moment and never wanted to go through it again.

After the exam, all candidates' papers were collected immediately and graded anonymously.

The test takers' battle is over, but the grading process is the beginning of another battle.

Within the capital city, various factions vie for power, with the Prince of Jin and the Crown Prince vying for influence.

They each planted spies and did everything in their power to trip up the other.

They knew each other's students very well.

So, what appears to be a high-level examination as an opportunity for students across the country to rise to the top is actually a bargaining chip for these powerful and wealthy individuals to use in their power struggles.

Often, those who truly stand out are not necessarily those with equal ability, but rather those whose backers are more cunning and ensure their rise to power.

Wasn't Wang Yangming's father, Wang Qingdu, the same way back then?

When it came to Wang Yangming, the battle after the exam was noticeably more intense.

When the Prince of Jin learned that Wang Yangming had handed his exam paper to the Crown Prince, he naturally did everything he could to make Wang Yangming fail the exam.

The Crown Prince's side mistakenly believed that Wang Yangming had surrendered, and naturally wanted to ensure that Wang Yangming's exam paper would receive a fair and just evaluation.

If Wang Yangming passed the exam, that was due to his own ability, which means that Wang Yangming was qualified to have the Crown Prince protect him.

If he himself is not talented enough, the Crown Prince will not waste any more effort on him.

Therefore, the Crown Prince sought fairness for Wang Yangming, not because the Crown Prince was a just person, but because everything was for two words—interests.

The war lasted for a full half month after this imperial examination.

It wasn't until the actual results were released that it was truly over.

On the day the results were announced, the area outside the examination hall was already packed with people early in the morning.

Everyone eagerly awaited the announcement of the results.

Wang Yangming stood at the head of the Longmen Bridge but did not squeeze in.

Standing next to him was Jiang Ping'an, dressed in a black outfit and holding a long sword.

This was the first time the two of them had met alone since that incident.

"Aren't you going to go and take a look?"

After hesitating for a long time, Jiang Ping'an finally took the initiative to speak and break the awkward situation.

Wang Yangming shook his head.

Whether you watch it or not will not affect the final result.

Jiang Ping'an's eyes lit up as he looked at Wang Yangming's profile and asked:

"So confident?"

Wang Yangming smiled slightly, did not answer, but turned around and looked earnestly into Jiang Ping'an's eyes, saying:

"Rest assured, I promised that after completing the imperial examination, I would propose marriage to His Majesty..."

Jiang Ping'an lowered his head, gently biting his lip, and murmured:

"But... what I want is not your promise..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yangming's heart stirred slightly, and a hint of helplessness appeared in his eyes.

"But...all I can give you is a promise..."

Jiang Ping'an suddenly looked up, his eyes already filled with tears.

Wang Yangming stared ahead, pretending not to see anything, but his hands, hidden in his sleeves, were already clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"The results are out! The results are out..."

"Look, look! Who's the top scholar...?"