Chapter 22

A few days before the county examination, Yu Shenyan prepared to set off for Ningzhou city, with Yu Shensi following along. In the eyes of the whole family, Yu Shensi had already become his elder brother’s little shadow—wherever Shenyan went, Shensi would accompany him if he could.

Yu Shenyan also hoped his younger brother would see more of the world by going out; he too would walk this path someday, and the more he saw, the less timid he would be when his turn came.

Yu Lun was uneasy about the two children traveling so far, wishing to have Yu Wen accompany them. Yu Shenyan refused; the family’s tailoring shop was just getting established and couldn’t do without his uncle. Moreover, back then, the three siblings had managed to beg their way home from the capital to Lingshui county—so what was a trip to Ningzhou city compared to that?

To reassure Yu Lun and his wife, as well as his elder sister, he said, “In the provincial city, the Zong family and the Zhong family have elder brothers waiting for us. This time we’re traveling with Scholar Fang and several other examinees, with company and care along the way—there’s no need to worry.”

Before departure, Madame Lu and Yu Shenwei stuffed all the remaining silver in the house into Yu Shenyan’s bundle—traveling outside was not the same as staying at home.

Lingshui county was the furthest from Ningzhou’s provincial city. The brothers set out at dawn, and the group they were to join was already waiting for them at the county seat. At the city gate, they met Gao Mingda and his wife, who had come to see Gao Xi off.

Gao Mingda’s attitude toward the brothers was as affectionate as ever, smiling kindly and clapping Yu Shenyan’s shoulder in encouragement. “Do your best in the examination,” he said to both Shenyan and Gao Xi, “When you’re out and about, you must support each other. Zhao, you’re the elder brother—if Xi makes a mistake, you must keep an eye on him.”

If he didn’t know the truth behind it all, Yu Shenyan might have been deceived by Gao Mingda’s sincerity, believing it to be genuine care and affection.

Scholar Fang and several other examinee parents stood nearby, so Yu Shenyan naturally maintained the harmonious atmosphere, bowing respectfully, “I’ll remember, uncle.”

Gao Mingda glanced at Yu Shensi, wanting to ruffle his hair, but Shensi dodged aside with a smile, greeting him, “Hello, Third Uncle.”

“Yang has grown quite a bit,” Gao Mingda said, taking on the tone of an elder, offering earnest instructions, “On the journey, listen to your two elder brothers and don’t wander off—understand?”

“Shensi understands,” he replied, taking the opportunity to correct Gao Mingda’s address.

With their uncle-nephew display complete, the other examinees bid farewell to their families, and everyone boarded the vehicles to depart.

Yu Shenyan and his brother boarded the Gao family’s carriage, and Gao Xi seized the chance to chatter nonstop. Seeing Yu Shenyan uninterested, he changed the subject to poetry and essays—a trick that worked well, and soon the brothers were engaged in lively discussion.

Yu Shensi lifted the carriage curtain, gazing at the fields lining the road, occasionally hearing impromptu recitations from examinees in the carriages ahead and behind, with Scholar Fang offering his critiques.

Scholar Fang was a county school stipend student just past thirty, without any lofty ambitions, content to run a private school in the north of the city. He laughed heartily and offered guidance to several young men.

There were seven examinees in total; Yu Shenyan and Gao Xi were the youngest, the others ranging from fifteen or sixteen to eighteen or nineteen, with one already in his twenties.

Seeing the silence in the Gao family carriage, the others called out, challenging them to compose poems inspired by the scenery before them.

Full of youthful vigor, the boys held high hopes for the county examination, reciting verses, exchanging witty lines, laughing and chatting.

By afternoon, everyone quieted down, reading in the carriage. Yu Shensi, following the rule of not reading while the carriage jolted, either admired the scenery or listened to his brothers reading and discussing essays.

The carriage traveled slowly; only on the third day did they arrive at Ningzhou city. Standing at the front of the carriage, Yu Shensi looked up at the city—the towering walls and imposing gates exuded majesty, far surpassing the modest county seat of Lingshui. To witness such a grand ancient city firsthand was utterly unlike touring ancient cities in his past life.

At the city gate, traffic bustled, with officers on either side inspecting travelers and carriages. Many, like them, had come to sit the examination.

Zhong Yi’s servant had waited at the gate these past days, and upon seeing them, greeted them warmly and led them to their inn.

The inn was a half-quarter’s walk from the examination hall—perfectly located, neither too close and noisy nor too far and time-consuming.

Each member of their group had different lodgings and dispersed upon entering the city. Scholar Fang’s lodging, arranged by Zhong Yi, was at the Jishun Inn with Yu Shenyan and his companions.

No sooner had they settled in than Zhong Yi received the news and arrived with Zong Chengwen.

Zong Chengwen, about the same age as Zhong Yi, had a resolute, heroic air contrasting with Zhong Yi’s gentle manner. When he didn’t smile, he seemed cold; when he did, he was a cheerful young man.

After exchanging greetings, Zhong Yi and Zong Chengwen discussed the county examination, asked about their preparations, checked their arrangements, and offered advice once more.

The next day, as the brothers reviewed their books in their room, Yu Shensi, feeling hungry, went to the front hall and ordered noodles. As he was eating, a young scholar sat beside him, smiling broadly and sizing him up.

Yu Shensi glanced around—the hall still had empty tables, yet this stranger chose his, and scrutinized him with such an odd smile. Was he a kidnapper? A child trafficker? Disguised as a scholar to lure children?

“Uncle, you’re sitting in my father’s spot—my father and elder brother will be here soon. Please switch to another table,” he said, looking toward the crowded area.

The young scholar glanced at the crowd, then laughed abruptly and asked, “Your name is Gao Yang, isn’t it?”

He knew him?

But Yu Shensi had never met this man, and his accent wasn’t from Lingshui; it was similar to the inn staff, likely a local. This made him even more suspicious—who had bribed a local to abduct him? There was no other way to explain how an outsider knew him and his former name. At the inn, Yu Shenyan used the Yu surname, and others addressed him as Shensi.

“I’m not called Gao Yang,” Yu Shensi replied.

The young man persisted, “Your elder sister’s name is Gao Nuan, your elder brother is Gao Zhao, and you have a second brother in the capital. You’re here accompanying your elder brother for the county examination, aren’t you?”

All of it was true—this person must have been bribed by someone he knew. Yu Shensi’s mind raced—who wanted to abduct or harm him? Could it be someone from the Gao family? But the siblings had been adopted by the Yu family, and the Gao family had no reason to act. Even if they did, it should be against Yu Shenyan, not him.

Was it simply harder to target Yu Shenyan, so they chose him instead, planning to use him to hinder, or even harm, Yu Shenyan during the examination?

He ignored the scholar, ate another bite, then set down his chopsticks and left, walking toward the door leading to the back courtyard. Glancing back, he saw the inn attendant setting a bowl of noodles before the scholar, and both looked at him as they spoke. Without lingering, Yu Shensi returned to his room.

He told Yu Shenyan about the incident. When Yu Shenyan and Gao Xi went to the hall, the scholar was gone. Gao Xi instructed his servant to keep an eye out, but the scholar was not seen again for the next two days.

On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, before dawn, firecrackers exploded outside the examination hall, followed by gongs outside the inn, urging examinees not to miss the hour.

Yu Shensi was awakened by the noise and got up to see Yu Shenyan and Gao Xi off, but was persuaded otherwise. There were too many examinees and escorts before the county examination, and it was dark—unsafe. Yu Shenyan told him to join Zhong Yi at noon to pick him up after the exam.

Yu Shensi thought of the scholar from that day—if he weren’t careful, he might truly be in danger, which would certainly affect Yu Shenyan’s examination. The examination mattered most, so he listened to his brother.

After they left, Yu Shensi went back to sleep, half-awake when someone knocked at the door. He rubbed his eyes and asked, “Who is it?”

“Hotel staff—the pastries you ordered yesterday, young masters. I’ve brought them, still warm.”

It was indeed the attendant who had served their room these days. “They’ve already been delivered,” Yu Shensi replied.

“You must be mistaken, young master. I haven’t brought them yet.”

“Maybe another attendant delivered them.” He was too sleepy to argue.

The attendant agreed and left.

Yu Shensi wrapped himself in the quilt, ready to sleep again, when a terrifying thought flashed in his mind. He jolted awake.

Almost all the guests at the inn were examinees; this was the busiest time. The attendant couldn’t even manage his own rooms, so how could another attendant deliver food to someone else’s room?

The food was brought in by Gao Xi’s servant: one plate for Yu Shenyan and one for Gao Xi, to be taken into the examination hall.

Items brought into the examination hall!

His vigilance over the scholar and suspicion of Gao Xi’s servant had kept him on alert these days. Now, thinking it over, he broke out in cold sweat, leaping out of bed, not bothering to dress or put on shoes, and ran out the door.

The street in front of the inn was crowded with people and carriages; it was too dark to make out faces.

He didn’t know how long he’d been half-asleep, whether Yu Shenyan was still on the street, waiting outside the examination hall to be searched, or already being searched.

He didn’t care about anything else, running and shouting for his elder brother, hoping to catch him in time.

Passersby watched as a six- or seven-year-old child, in thin clothing and barefoot, dashed and shouted like a wild creature, full of curiosity.

Someone said, “He must be scared after waking up and not seeing his brother. Bringing such a young child to accompany an examination is just asking for trouble.”

Someone else remarked, “Looks like the child’s not quite right,” tapping their head.

Another joked, “Maybe he wet the bed?”

Yu Shensi heard none of these voices, running, searching, shouting, and hoping to catch his brother’s reply, falling and picking himself up as he went. In his heart, he prayed that Yu Shenyan was still outside the hall, not yet inside for the search, and that he would be in time. He also prayed that Yu Shenyan would notice any problem before the search.

Yu Shenyan was careful—he would surely notice! He kept telling himself everything would be fine, yet his feet never stopped.

From Jishun Inn to the examination hall took half a quarter’s walk for an adult, but Yu Shensi felt he’d run for half an hour, forever, gasping for breath. He passed crowds and lanterns, but could not see or hear Yu Shenyan.

Exhausted, he slowed, but dared not stop, finally reaching the examination hall. He had never known his body could manage such stamina, running so far nonstop.

Outside the hall, the grounds were packed with people; those sending examinees off were giving last instructions amid a cacophony of voices. Short and blocked by others, Yu Shensi could only weave through the crowd, searching one by one.

He stopped, his body almost failing him, squeezing through gaps. His voice was hoarse from shouting. He stopped calling “Brother” and instead shouted “Yu Shenyan,” hoping someone from Lingshui county would hear and help, or that Yu Shenyan would respond.

He squeezed to the edge of the grounds, where soldiers barred entry to escorts. Frantically, he looked toward the hall gates, brilliantly lit, where clerks searched the examinees one by one. He spotted the tall entry placards, each bearing a county’s name. Examinees queued by county for identity checks and stipend verification.

Lingshui county’s placard was in the center, but the crowd was dense; he could not see Yu Shenyan and squeezed toward their spot, calling his brother’s name.

“Shensi?” someone in the crowd answered—it was not Yu Shenyan, but Zhong Yi. Hearing the voice nearby, Yu Shensi saw hope and moved toward it. “Brother Zhong, is that you?”

Zhong Yi called out again, and Yu Shensi, after squeezing past the last person, finally saw him.

Zhong Yi’s servant held a lantern, shining it forward and clearly seeing Yu Shensi’s state, exclaiming in shock. Zhong Yi was even more astonished, quickly reaching out to catch him. “How did you get here?”

Seeing Zhong Yi, Yu Shensi’s body collapsed, and he threw himself into Zhong Yi’s arms, clutching him and asking, “Where’s my brother? Get him back! Quickly!”

“What happened?” Noticing he was barefoot, dressed in thin clothes, drenched in sweat, Zhong Yi started to panic, taking off his own coat to wrap around him.

“Brother Zhong, please, get my brother back—don’t let him go in,” Yu Shensi pleaded, grasping Zhong Yi’s collar.

Gao Xi’s servant approached, surprised, “Young master Shensi, why are you here? If the young masters see you like this, it’ll only delay the exam. Let me take you back,” he said to Zhong Yi, “Master Zhong, best let me handle this.”

Afraid Zhong Yi would hand him over, Yu Shensi clung tightly to his collar, sobbing, “Someone wants to harm my brother. Please get him back!”

For Zhong Yi, who had taken the children’s examination himself, these words made immediate sense.

Looking at the child in his arms, he saw no sign of deceit.

The servant tried again, “Young master Shensi, don’t talk nonsense. Master Shenyan is about to enter the hall—no one can harm him. Best not delay his exam. Master Zhong, let me—” but Zhong Yi cut him off, handing Yu Shensi to his own servant and running toward the Lingshui county queue, ignoring the soldiers’ attempts to stop him, calling out for Yu Shenyan.

“Lingshui county examinee Yu Shenyan—”

At that moment, the clerk at the gate loudly called the name.

Zhong Yi saw Yu Shenyan step from the queue, and rushed over to grab him.

“Brother Zhong?” Yu Shenyan was startled.

Surrounded by people, Zhong Yi dared not explain, fearing Yu Shenyan would not follow him out, so he lied, “Shensi is in trouble.”

Yu Shenyan’s face changed instantly. Ignoring the clerk’s call for verification and search, and disregarding the imminent start of the examination, he turned and ran back. Gao Xi, hearing the commotion, hesitated for a few moments before following.