I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

A night breeze swept through the backyard of the Shen residence, rustling the banana leaves by the pond.

As soon as the buoy sank half an inch into the water, Shen Chongshan lifted the fishing rod.

A blue carp broke through the water, splashing large droplets of water under the moonlight.

"A纨绔 (a spoiled brat) who rose to the position of heir apparent through women and money dares to challenge me?"

He didn't even bother to retrieve the fish; he simply pulled back the hook and tossed the fish into the wooden basin filled with bait.

The carp splashed around in the basin, making a loud thud as they hit the wooden walls.

"Tell me, when can I see the Celestial Master?"

The man in gray took out a Bagua wooden plaque from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

The wooden sign is black in color and has a burn mark on it. The character "城" (city) is clearly visible under the lantern.

"Seven days later, at midnight, on the back mountain of Baiyun Temple."

After Shen Chongshan took the wooden plaque, he lightly traced three dark lines on it with his finger.

"Is the Second Prince there too?"

"The Celestial Master only said that it is possible to see it, but please do not discuss worldly matters."

Shen Chongshan examined the wooden plaque several times under the light, and only after confirming that there were no problems with the dark patterns on it did a smile appear on his face.

As long as Lu Cheng lives, those who cling to the Second Prince will not completely give up hope.

A deposed prince may not be able to regain the throne, but he is enough to throw the court into chaos once again.

"Prepare a generous gift."

Shen Chongshan tucked the wooden plaque into his sleeve and said, "Send the golden Buddha, the South China Sea coral, and the three-hundred-year-old ginseng from the storehouse to Baiyun Temple."

The man in gray bent down to accept the order, but was stopped by him just as he was about to leave.

"How's it going with Prince Xiang?"

"The messenger has already set off, and by the day after tomorrow at the latest, the Prince of Xiang will know that Consort Sun has been given a death sentence and that the Sun family's property has been confiscated."

"very good."

Shen Chongshan baited the fishhook again, moving very slowly. "Sun Yiqian has been with Prince Xiang for three years and has also managed the trade routes in his fiefdom."

"Lu Yuan's confiscation of the Sun family's property is tantamount to cutting off one of the Prince of Xiang's sources of income and also slapping him in the face."

"If the Prince of Xiang can be patient, then those under his command who have made their fortunes through the Sun family will not be able to tolerate it."

The man in gray hesitated for a moment.

"The Prince of Xiang has always been protective of his own. If he were to lead his troops into the capital in a fit of anger, His Majesty would likely punish him for treason first."

"Who gave him the authority to lead the troops?"

Shen Chongshan raised his eyes and gave him a cold look. "Make him submit a memorial, cry and plead, and send people to carry a coffin to the capital to pick up the body of his concubine."

"The bigger the commotion, the harder it will be for the Crown Prince to handle."

"The Prince of Xiang is the eldest son of the emperor. He suffered grievances in his fiefdom, so naturally there were people in the court who spoke up for him."

The man in gray suddenly realized what was going on, but immediately produced another folded list.

"The arrangements for the imperial examination have also been made. We have people in the Ministry of Rites, the Examination Hall, and the Imperial Examination Office."

"The questions regarding the purpose of the three strategies have already been sent to several candidates."

Shen Chongshan unfolded the list.

The dozen or so names on the paper were all descendants of his students and friends.

Two of them came from poor families, but were very talented and were once praised in public by censors of the Censorate.

People tend to trust those who are talented but come from humble backgrounds the most.

"How are your answers prepared?"

"The Hanlin Academy assigned three people to draft the essays. Each candidate's theme, sentence structure, and citations were different, ensuring that there would be no duplicates."

Shen Chongshan then folded the list and tucked it into his sleeve.

"Lu Yuan wants to bypass the imperial examination and use the Royal Academy to place his own people in it."

"Then let our people occupy the top twenty places in the imperial examination, and then call on all the scholars in the country to petition the Crown Prince."

"At that time, everyone will think that the Crown Prince opened the academy because he was afraid of the truly talented scholars who took the imperial examinations."

The man in gray bowed his head and said, "After meeting the Second Prince in seven days, the imperial examination should be over."

The fishing line fell into the pond, creating ripples on the surface.

As Shen Chongshan gazed at the gradually calming water, his smile deepened.

"Seven days."

"Enough to put Lu Yuan in a very dangerous position."

Under the same night sky, the Poetry Pavilion remained brightly lit.

Most of the guests who came to donate had already left, and the remaining people were gathered around several long tables, choosing subjects for the Royal Academy.

These young masters may be absurd, but they are not entirely without merit.

The son of a wine merchant is familiar with fermentation and distillation, the young master of a cloth shop can understand looms, and the son of a carriage shop can judge the age of a horse by looking at its teeth.

There was also a seemingly fat, big-eared young master from the restaurant.

He could recite in one breath how much rice, noodles, meat, and vegetables were needed for a banquet of thirty tables, and even the waste was calculated to the last detail.

In the past, the imperial examinations only tested knowledge of the classics and essays, and never asked whether people could repair waterwheels, manage warehouses, or manufacture machinery.

Their skills were useless, so they could only spend their days walking birds and listening to music, and were scolded as纨绔 (wan ku, meaning spoiled brats).

Shishi sat behind another table, registering the women's names.

More than a dozen girls have already signed up for the Poetry Pavilion.

Some were skilled in accounting, some were proficient in music, and two women came from families of medicine merchants who could distinguish the age of medicinal herbs just by smelling them.

Liang San Niang also secretly took a registration form.

Lu Yuan extended his folding fan and pressed down the corner of the paper.

"What are you going to do with this?"

"Sign up."

"Didn't you want to become my disciple?"

Liang San Niang raised her chin, "The bet is not yet settled, and it's still uncertain who will bow to whom."

"If you are admitted to the Royal Academy, I will be the Dean."

Lu Yuan leaned down slightly and looked at her, saying, "In the end, you still have to call me teacher."

The two looked at each other through a thin piece of registration paper.

Liang San Niang first looked away, pulled the paper from under the folding fan, and turned to sit down next to Shi Shi.

"Can't I take a look at Shishi's face?"

"OK."

Lu Yuan retreated to his original position, a slight smile on his lips.

"Take your time looking at it, but don't secretly write your own name on it."

Liang San Niang paused, holding the pen, and simply covered the entire sheet of paper with her sleeve.

Su Bo'an, accompanied by three accountants, began to calculate the figures.

The first cohort of students is tentatively allocated 200 places, and 187 people registered tonight.

Of these, 168 paid their tuition fees on the spot, and 14 used shop deeds, land deeds, or shares of businesses as collateral.

The remaining five families were from impoverished backgrounds and applied for tuition waivers. After passing the entrance examination, the college would cover their food, clothing, and paper.

The banknotes, goods, carriages, and land deeds were divided into four categories. After the accountant completed the calculations, they were handed over to Su Bo'an for verification.

Lu Yuan sat to the side, having already finished two plates of pastries, but the bill was still not settled.

Liang San Niang pushed a cup of tea toward him and asked curiously, "Are you really planning to let these people into the government office?"

"If you pass the exam, you'll get in; if you fail, you can go home and continue walking your birds."

"What if they cheat because of their family background?"

"Exam paper number, name sealed, examiners only look at the answers."

Lu Yuan picked up his teacup. "Anyone who dares to leak the exam questions will be sent to jail to teach rats to read."

Liang San Niang couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth into a smile, but quickly composed herself again.

"By doing this, you'll offend more and more people."

"I have not offended them, but they have no intention of letting me go."

Lu Yuan took a sip of tea, his gaze sweeping across the hall and landing on the students who were still debating the course.

"Since we can't avoid it, we might as well stand still and fight them."

Liang San Niang looked at him for a moment, then didn't continue to persuade him, but simply pushed the last piece of pastry in front of him.

Shishi finally closed the three account books.

Her fingertips were stained with ink, and her eyes held a surprise that even she couldn't suppress.

After checking with Su Bo'an again, she brought the general ledger to Lu Yuan.

"Your Highness, everything has been settled."

The madam quickly came over.

"How many exactly?"