Chapter 2: The Golden List of Names

  In the 16th year of Xian De, in June, Jiang Zhe entered Jian Ye. In August, the golden list was released, and Jiang Zhe ranked first on the list. He attended a banquet at Qiong Lin, but before it ended, an envoy from Yong arrived at court to request a marriage alliance as a demonstration of their friendly relations.

  In the 16th year of Xian De, in December, Princess Yongle entered Chu. In the 17th year of Xian De, on the day of Wu Chen in January, Crown Prince Zhao Jia held a grand wedding and established Princess Yongle as the Crown Princess.

  Changle Princess, 15 years old, mother Changsun, Empress Gao of Emperor Taizong, originally favored by the emperor. When Changle Princess was born, it coincided with Emperor Taizong's ascension to the throne, so she was particularly loved and bestowed the title of Changle Princess.

  The Book of Southern Chu · Biography of Jiang Suiyun

  As I walked out of the examination hall, I stretched my limbs and sighed. These past few days have been exhausting for me. The examination shed was narrow and small, and I didn't have any money to bribe anyone, so by the third day, the whole room basically smelled like a toilet. If I hadn't followed my father through hardships in foreign lands and eaten my share of bitter meals, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to eat rice now. Afraid that if I continued to live frugally until today, I wouldn't have a single copper coin left on me. The announcement of the results is still half a month away, what am I going to do these days? Should I go sell calligraphy or write letters for others? I thought seriously about it.

  I returned to the inn and calculated that I had no more money for tomorrow's lodging, so I took my writing tools and decided to set up a stall at Fuzi Temple. When I arrived at Fuzi Temple, I chatted with the owner of a small teahouse for half a day and agreed to write two letters for him. I then set up my stall in front of his teahouse, but unfortunately, business was not good. The people who came here to have letters written were all illiterate, so no one cared how well you wrote. I waited for half a day without any customers, and just as I was getting anxious, a young woman in a blue dress walked over. From her attire, I knew she was a widow, but she looked only 18 or 19 years old - what a pity! She said timidly, "Sir, I want to write a statement." I picked up my pen and asked, "What kind of statement is it? Who are you accusing?"

  She said with a hint of embarrassment: "My husband passed away, and I want to remarry, but my father-in-law doesn't agree." I asked her a few more questions about the situation and wrote down: "Married at 17, widowed at 18, public uncle is old, melon field Li Xia, marry or not?" She looked at me with confusion, asking: "Sir, are these words too few?" I said proudly: "Don't worry, this petition will guarantee the government's approval for your remarriage." She gave me ten copper coins, and I gazed at them gratefully, thinking that tonight's dinner was settled, but tomorrow's rent still hadn't been paid. Next, I didn't have any more business. Less than an hour later, the young widow returned with a joyful expression, and as soon as she saw me, she tearfully thanked me: "Sir, thank you for your petition, the official approved it as soon as he saw it." I thought to myself that this was only natural, since the current government is very concerned with ethics and morals. A widow remarrying is just a personal matter, but if there's a scandal, it becomes a big deal. After the young widow left, my business picked up, and by evening, I had enough for two or three days' rent. Of course, I didn't dare write too many petitions; whenever someone came to ask me to write one, I would advise them against it in various ways, not for any other reason than that writing too many petitions would harm my reputation.

  I spent a few days writing letters at the Temple of Confucius, and when I thought it was almost time for the exam results to be posted in Jianye, I packed up my stall and went to a small teahouse to listen to people chatting and laughing. After all, one pot of tea could keep me there for a day. Although I wasn't doing business anymore, if someone came looking for me to write letters, I would still do it, as long as they paid a few more coppers. Anyway, it was just a way to kill time.

  After a couple of days, I got bored and started using my knowledge of the I Ching to tell fortunes and predict people's futures. To be honest, my predictions weren't very accurate, but relying on my basic understanding of the I Ching and my observational skills, I quickly became known as a "divine calculator". As long as I had enough silver to spend, that was all that mattered, so I only did three calculations per day, and even gave away one for free. Strangely, this actually piqued people's interest, and the silver flowed in like water.

  Of course, to avoid drawing attention to myself, I changed my clothes and altered my appearance a bit - just by applying some medicine to make my skin turn yellow.

  It was almost noon, and I had already calculated three lessons. I decided to calculate one more free lesson before closing the stall. At this time, a young man hurried over and said: "Sir, I'm a traveling merchant. Two days ago, I received an oral message from my fellow villager that my wife is about to give birth, but her body is not very good. I rushed back home, but haven't arrived yet. I don't know what's going on, and I feel uneasy in my heart. Can you calculate for me whether this child will be born safely, and whether it's a boy or a girl?"

  I arranged the calculation tools for half a day before saying: "Don't worry, small danger then safety, your wife originally had some danger, but you and your wife have accumulated good deeds, so it should be a smooth delivery. You are a person with a fate of having both sons and daughters, brother, you really have good fortune."

  He asked me how I knew, but I really didn't know. These kinds of things can't be calculated, but I couldn't say anything unpleasant to make him anxious to death. However, looking at his appearance, he was loyal and honest, with a good body, listening to his tone, the husband and wife were quite harmonious, so the child should not have any problems. As for what he said about his wife's poor health, of course, she was about to give birth, her husband was not around, how could her mood be good? This young man went back, his wife would be happy, and it would definitely be a smooth delivery.

  As for whether it was a boy or a girl, I didn't explicitly say. When the time came, it would also be easy to gloss over. The young man was about to leave with joy, giving me money, but I told him that this lesson was on the house. He was thanking me when a middle-aged man ran over and said excitedly: "Old Three, you've come back! Your sister-in-law has given birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix twins! Hurry back home!"

  The young man listened, stunned for a moment, then suddenly rushed away. I let out a breath, just as I was celebrating, the people around me looked at me with eyes of admiration, making me feel embarrassed.

  At this time, a man in gray clothes sitting at the door stood up and walked to me, saying lightly: "Sir, let's have a calculation."

  I looked up to see that the man was only twenty-seven or eight years old, with a tall and slender figure, a young and handsome face with a steady expression. Behind him followed a middle-aged man in a green robe and a black-clad attendant. I hesitated and said: "Today's divination is already full, this..."

  The man in grey robes said faintly: "I also know that you are having a hard time, Mr., but I have to leave the capital tomorrow, so please try your best for me."

  I took a look at these three people. The man in gray had an air of command in his eyes, and must be someone who gives orders. The man in green, although somewhat disdainful, also seemed to have some expectation. As for the attendant, he was full of threats. Seeing that it's not worth offending them, I counted the days and said: "It doesn't matter, I happen to be closing up shop anyway. This divination will be my final work before retiring."

  The man in grey was somewhat astonished, seemingly thinking that I had been forced to do so because I wanted to tell his fortune. However, he was perplexed and couldn't help but ask: "I'm about to embark on a long journey, may I ask if it will be auspicious or ill-fated?"

  I spent half a day calculating and said, "Kan Hexagram upper six, use the emblem, stuck in thorny bushes, three years can't get out, ominous. Your trip is likely to be difficult." I glanced at his expression and thought, you're usually confident, but since you're hesitant to ask for divination, things must be tricky. The man in gray had a gloomy expression, and after a moment, he said, "Please tell me, sir, where is the difficulty?" How would I know? I thought for a moment, thinking that this person seemed like a military officer from his demeanor, and with these two people by his side, one should be an aide and the other a bodyguard. His identity shouldn't be simple. What big event is happening in Southern Chu now? No matter what it is, as long as I'm vague, it's fine. Thinking this way, I said, "There are internal conflicts and external strong enemies, things are difficult to handle. If you're careful, there might be a possibility." Although my words were vague, they happened to align with the gray-clothed man's psychology and the current situation. The gray-clothed man sighed, turned around, and left. The person in green took out a silver note and put it on the table. I waited until they walked far away, then carefully looked at it - one thousand two hundred taels! I almost shouted out loud, hastily stuffed it into my pocket, then packed up and left.

  It's been several days, and now it's August 15th. Today is the day when the golden list comes out. I was a bit hesitant - if it were a few days ago, I would have certainly hoped to be on the list, but now that my pockets are quite full, I'm actually regretting that I might pass the exam after all. So I didn't go to look at the list and instead stayed in my room reading through my own poetry drafts. Before long, I heard the sound of firecrackers popping outside, and a colleague and the shopkeeper burst into the room excitedly, shouting congratulations: "Congratulations, Master Jiang! Congratulations on being ranked first in the imperial examination!" The small shop is truly basking in glory - please, Master Jiang, take some time to write a few characters for our humble shop. I looked out the window with some confusion, unsure of what lay ahead. But then I thought, after all, I'm not necessarily going to rush into the ruins of the country. And I've heard that the library in the South Chu Imperial Academy has a collection of over a million books - it's the largest library in the world! Last year, the ruler of South Chu issued an edict collecting books and paintings from across the land to establish the Chongwen Temple for posterity. I'm sure I'll have the chance to participate.

  That evening, just before the hour of You, I arrived at the gate of the Imperial Academy with my nameplate. The new jinshi gathered at the gate were all dressed in their finest attire, looking radiant and confident. When I arrived, however, everyone looked at me with a strange gaze, some even with a hint of jealousy. I was puzzled by this when a scholar with large ears approached me and asked, "Is this gentleman the new jinshi attending the Banquet of the Peach Garden?" I nodded and replied, "Yes, what's the matter?" The man immediately showed respect and said, "So it's the new zhuangyuan who has arrived. Forgive me for not recognizing you earlier. My name is Liu Kui, and I'm the second-place winner of this year's examination." It turned out that all seventy-nine other jinshi had already arrived before me, waiting only for my arrival as the top scorer. This explained why everyone was looking at me with such strange expressions. The new jinshi came over one by one to greet me, and I was struggling to respond when three chimes of a bell rang out. A high-ranking official emerged with some examiners, checking our nameplates and verifying our identities before having us line up and follow him into the palace. As the top scorer, I naturally walked at the front, followed by the second- and third-place winners on either side, and the other seven first-class jinshi behind them. The remaining seventy jinshi formed a queue of seven rows. As we walked towards the Imperial City, the roadsides were lined with commoners eager to catch a glimpse of us. Our procession passed through the Chaoyang Gate, which was the main entrance to the Imperial City and normally off-limits to everyone except the emperor. Only on this occasion, when new jinshi attended the Banquet of the Peach Garden, were we allowed to pass through it. As I entered the Imperial City, I occasionally caught glimpses of women's laughter coming from behind artificial hills and flowers, presumably palace maids sneaking peeks at us.

  We finally arrived at the Quinlin Garden, where we took our seats according to the arrangement of the officials from the Imperial Censorate. After all the scholars and chief examiners had taken their seats in order of precedence, a eunuch suddenly shouted, "The Emperor has arrived!" A group of palace maids and eunuchs escorted an elderly man wearing a dragon robe into the hall. I followed everyone else in kneeling down and shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" The Emperor weakly said, "All of you may rise." We stood up, and the Quinlin Banquet could finally begin. After all the rituals had been performed, we were finally able to enjoy the imperial cuisine with peace of mind. It was truly delicious! If possible, I really wanted to bring the chef from the imperial kitchen back home to cook for me. After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes, everyone began to let loose a bit.

  At this time, Zhao Sheng put down his chopsticks and said to the chief examiner: "Shi Ai-qing, introduce me to the top three scholars of this year's examination." The chief examiner hastily stood up and bowed, saying: "Your Majesty, this is the first-place winner of this year's imperial examination, Jiang Zhe from Jiaxing." I quickly got down on my knees and said: "Your humble servant Jiang Zhe pays his respects to Your Majesty." Zhao Sheng smiled and said: "Good, good, you are indeed a young talent. Your writing is not bad, especially that poem 'Moonlight Reflections'. I have ordered someone to recompose the music, and soon everyone will get to hear it." The chief examiner pointed to the second- and third-place winners and said: "Your Majesty, this is the second-place winner Liu Kui from Jiangning, and this is the third-place winner Fu Yulun from Huaiyang." Zhao Sheng praised them a few times, then ordered us to take our seats. After we sat down, Zhao Sheng waved his hand, and soon a group of female musicians floated out from the back hall, some playing the xiao or guqin, others dancing. A woman sang in a beautiful voice: "When will the bright moon be visible? I ask the blue sky with wine in hand. I don't know what year it is tonight in heaven's palace. I want to ride the wind and return home. But I fear that the jade halls and crystal palaces are too high, and the cold is unbearable. Dancing and playing with the clear shadows, how can this compare to being among people? Turning around the vermilion pavilion, lowering the embroidered door, shining on the sleepless one, shouldn't there be no regrets? What's the point of always looking back at parting time? People have joys and sorrows, partings and reunions. The moon has its phases of fullness and emptiness. This is a difficult thing to achieve in ancient times. But I wish that people will last long, sharing the beauty of the moon together." It was exactly my examination piece. Everyone in the hall was immersed in the beautiful emotions of the poem.

  At this moment, a eunuch came in and reported: "I beg to report to Your Majesty, the Prime Minister requests an audience."

  Zhao Sheng said in a low voice, "What's the matter? I'm holding a banquet here, let him handle other state affairs first." The eunuch said, "The Prime Minister says it's an urgent matter." Zhao Sheng nodded helplessly and said, "Alright, let him come in." Before long, an old man wearing a first-class official uniform hurriedly walked in, and as soon as he saw Zhao Sheng, he knelt down and said, "Congratulations to the Lord, congratulations to the Lord. The Emperor of Yong has sent an envoy to pay respects and convey his imperial decree, wishing to form a marriage alliance with our Southern Chu." Zhao Sheng's face was filled with joy, but he was also somewhat skeptical, saying, "Is this really true?" The old man nodded and said, "It is indeed. The Emperor of Yong has a beloved daughter who is just coming of age and is willing to marry our crown prince as his consort. From now on, the two countries will be at peace and never go to war again." Zhao Sheng was overjoyed, saying, "Today is truly a double joy for me! Southern Chu has just gained a talented individual, and we have also formed an alliance with Yong. Come, quickly summon the envoy of Yong to pay respects." After speaking, Zhao Sheng departed, and my one and only Qionglin Banquet ended in such an abrupt manner. However, everyone who heard the good news was beaming with joy. I, on the other hand, had some doubts - why would Yong suddenly form an alliance with Southern Chu? Could it really be like I had planned? No, that's impossible. I shook my head.

  After several months of busy work in the imperial court, I followed the usual practice and entered the Hanlin Academy, happily throwing myself into the library. However, I vaguely heard that Emperor Yong's daughter, Princess Chang Le, was beautiful and favored by the emperor. But I thought, how beautiful could a 15- or 16-year-old girl be? After several months of arrangements, the six rituals of sending betrothal gifts, asking for the bride's name, sending auspicious gifts, sending ceremonial clothes, requesting the wedding date, and welcoming the bride were completed. On the first day of spring, Princess Chang Le formally married the Crown Prince of Southern Chu. As a new jinshi, I had the honor of attending the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, when the crown prince and his wife received the congratulations of the officials, I finally saw the true appearance of Princess Chang Le. She was indeed elegant and beautiful, with an otherworldly beauty. Although she was still young and somewhat immature, she was truly lovely. In comparison, the crown prince beside her, who was in his early twenties, seemed dull and unimpressive. Of course, everyone was saying things like "a perfect match between a talented man and a beautiful woman" at the time. However, I thought that Emperor Yong would not be so heartless as to use his beloved daughter to form an alliance with ill intentions. I still hoped that Southern Chu would not go to war with Da Yong, although it is said that a short pain is better than a long one, and unification would be good in the end. However, I wanted to live a few more years of peaceful life, so I sincerely prayed for Emperor Yong to truly make peace with Southern Chu, allowing me to live a peaceful life for several decades.

  As I was praying sincerely, the music officials began to play music, and the song being sung was my new work "The Case of Qing Yu" which had just been freshly baked as a Hanlin scholar.

  "The east wind blows at night, and a thousand trees bloom, the stars fall like rain. The precious horse and carriage are fragrant on the road. The phoenix flute sounds, the jade pot shines, and the fish and dragon dance for one night. The moth-like snow and willow, the golden thread, the laughter and words are full of hidden fragrance. Searching for him in the crowd for a thousand times. Suddenly turning back, that person is there, in the dim light of the lanterns."

  In the midst of the music, the palace maidens danced with abandon. I looked up to see Princess Chang Le's head slightly turned away, and from the corner of her eye, a crystal tear silently fell onto the dust. My heart felt a chill; this lonely girl would have to spend the rest of her life in a foreign land, never to be reunited with her parents or family again. This was still considering the best-case scenario; if, hypothetically, Emperor Taizong's intentions were false - although I hoped not, I dared not be too certain - then what a cruel fate awaited this girl! At that moment, I saw Crown Prince Yizong whispering something in Princess Chang Le's ear. Although it was somewhat far away and the voices were jumbled, I still faintly heard the Crown Prince telling Princess Chang Le that this "Qing Yu An Yuan Xi" was a work by Jiang Zhe, the new top scholar. Princess Chang Le followed the Crown Prince's gaze towards me, smiled slightly, and her smile bloomed like spring flowers, causing my heart to tremble involuntarily. I hastily lowered my head, and for some reason, a strange feeling arose in my heart.