Lu Wanwan had not expected to encounter the Song family while leaving the palace after bidding farewell to the Empress Dowager, just by lifting the carriage curtain to steal a glance at the street.
The faces of Song Tiezhu and Song Gouwa were still fresh in her memory.
They were children she had raised with such painstaking care, yet they had backstabbed her without the slightest hesitation. They had wailed for Meng Wan before her memorial tablet, filled with filial devotion, while spitting at her, calling her a "fake" and a "vixen." They had completely forgotten who was responsible for everything they possessed.
It was her father who had supported Song Lin; it was she and her eldest sister who had raised Song Xiaocui and Song Xiaomei. The mansion the Song family lived in, the mountains of gold and silver—all of it belonged to her Lu family and Prince Ping's Mansion! Even the Eldest Princess Consort, who had committed adultery, had only been able to build his wealth and commerce through his connection to her and the Eldest Princess.
The Song family had become imperial merchants; the eldest son had inherited the family business and married a princess; Song Xiaocui had been granted the title of County Princess, surrounded by attendants; Song Xiaomei had married into a Marquis’s household, living a life of luxury; and Father Song and Mother Song lived as the esteemed elders of the Marquis of Lin'an, surrounded by their children and grandchildren, enjoying true family harmony. Not to mention those two ingrates she had adopted; she had cultivated them with such devotion that they were now the leading talents in the entire capital.
Yet, in the end, these Song family members, who had relied on her for their silk and satin, their glory and status, had never once acknowledged her sacrifices.
They had trampled her into the mud.
Lu Wanwan suddenly thought it would be quite interesting if they were to regain their memories of the previous life or were reborn themselves. Only those who have once possessed everything can truly understand the agony of losing it all. Before she died in her previous life, she had sent a grand "gift" to the Song family. Perhaps she could send them back to be reborn as well?
...
Three days later, the results of the palace examination were released.
Song Lin stared in disbelief at the eunuch who was loudly proclaiming the imperial decree ahead.
*The Third Place (Tanhua)?*
"No! That’s impossible!" He refused to believe it. "How could I be the Tanhua? How could I be the Tanhua!"
He was supposed to be the Top Scholar (Zhuangyuan)!
"Where exactly did something go wrong..." As he muttered to himself, his peripheral vision caught sight of Grand Tutor Lu standing under the corridor ahead, and a sudden realization struck him.
It was Lu Wanwan!
It was Lu Wanwan who harbored resentment because he had rejected her marriage proposal, wanting to use his future as leverage to threaten him. This time... the position of Top Scholar that rightfully belonged to him had been given to Duan Zhixing; it was her warning to him.
What a poisonous, foolish woman!
Did she have any idea what the position of Top Scholar meant to him? He was supposed to enter the court at the sixth rank and climb even faster. He should have had a higher starting point and a more glorious title. Now, all his efforts had simply paved the way for someone else!
His gaze turned almost hateful as he looked at Duan Zhixing, the new Top Scholar beside him.
Duan Zhixing noticed his look and was momentarily stunned.
*What a venomous glare!*
He took a step back and frowned, asking, "Is something wrong, Brother Song?"
Song Lin sneered, "What is there to be proud of when you didn't win the position of Top Scholar through your own true ability?"
Duan Zhixing’s expression faltered. He had vaguely guessed the meaning behind Emperor Yongguang naming him the Top Scholar—it was not because his literary talent was superior, but because the diplomatic relations between the two countries could not afford any failure.
He felt ashamed. "Brother Song is right. I truly... am unworthy of this honor."
"So you admit it!" Song Lin sneered. "I don't know what benefits she gave you to make you submit to her, but remember this: today, I did not lose to you, and I am not inferior to you! In the days to come, I will certainly go further and reach higher than you!"
Duan Zhixing frowned in thought. *What benefits did she give me?*
"Benefits... perhaps it is being appointed to the sixth rank."
This remark hit a sore spot for Song Lin. He glared fiercely at Duan Zhixing and left, flicking his sleeves in anger.
Duan Zhixing sighed. Since the Emperor had ordered it, how could he refuse? He followed behind, his footsteps heavy.
Xiao Heng, the runner-up (Bangyan) who had witnessed everything, thought, "..."
For some reason, he felt like the whole situation was bizarre. But since they were about to begin the procession on horseback through the city, he had no choice but to walk outward with the other scholars, guided by the eunuchs.
Song Lin left the palace in a daze; even the ride through the city could not lift his spirits. The bustling excitement of the streets belonged to the commoners; to him, it was merely noisy.
However, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the people, who pelted them with sachets and pouches—because the top three scholars of this year were unexpectedly young and handsome.
"That's my son! The Tanhua is my son!" Mother Song stood excitedly in the crowd, eyes locked on Song Lin on horseback.
Father Song looked a bit disappointed. "Didn't they say he would be the Top Scholar..."
"What do you know? Tanhua sounds even better!"
Eldest Sister-in-law Song was also brimming with pride. "The plays all say the Tanhua is the most handsome! Maybe the Emperor saw that our Second Brother is the best-looking and decided to make him the Tanhua!"
"Second Uncle! Second Uncle!"
"My Second Uncle is the Tanhua!"
The excitement of the Song family drowned out the noise of the entire street.
"But why does this Tanhua look so unhappy? Is he naturally someone who doesn't like to smile?"
Lu Wanwan sat with the Eldest Princess in a private room at a tavern, watching the scholars below, focusing on appreciating the magnificent look on Song Lin's face. In her previous life, his essay for the palace examination hadn't been so radical; it had favored moderation. Coupled with the Second Prince's prior recommendation and the halo of being Grand Tutor Lu’s son-in-law, Emperor Yongguang had been deeply impressed, leading him to bestow the title of Top Scholar to complete the picture.
But Song Lin, having been reborn and knowing that Great Chu and Northern Qi would go to war in a year, naturally assumed he had figured out the Emperor's desire for war and chose to cater to the imperial will. She had heard Grand Tutor Lu mention Song Lin's essay; the language was radical and highly inflammatory, yet strangely logical—far too logical for someone like him to have written.
Lu Wanwan sneered. In her previous life, when the two countries were at war, an essay had circulated along the border. The content was sharp, and the tone was impassioned, targeting Northern Qi directly. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the essay had been written by a girl who sold tofu. At the time, Song Lin had been extremely disdainful of the girl's "low status and restless nature." She had thought he hated her because of differing political views, but she hadn't expected... that after his rebirth, he would simply plagiarize someone else's work.
Fortunately, he had tried to be clever only to end up with nothing, becoming the Tanhua he looked down upon. However, that essay had appeared at an inopportune time in the midst of the two countries' conflict, and to be cursing Northern Qi so viciously at this moment... he was likely inviting disaster upon himself.
Lu Wanwan thought of the Third Prince, who held deep feelings for Northern Qi.
"Although this Top Scholar isn't as handsome as the runner-up or the Tanhua, his temperament is quite gentle," the Eldest Princess laughed.
"He looks much better than the Eldest Princess Consort. Why don't you divorce the Consort and marry the handsome Top Scholar instead?"
"What are you saying!" The Eldest Princess glared at her gently. "Why have you been constantly badmouthing the Consort in front of me lately?"
"I just don't think he's a good person. He might be cheating."
Lu Wanwan had wanted to tell the Eldest Princess the truth directly, but given the Eldest Princess’s fragile emotional state, she could only whisper in her ear for now while waiting for the illegitimate child to be born.
The Eldest Princess was good-natured and didn't get angry, merely speaking in a soft, gentle voice about the Consort's virtues. As they chatted and looked down, they saw Song Lin suddenly get hit by an egg.
The egg shattered against his hard skull, the yolk and white soaking into his hair and running down his face.
There was a strange, synchronized silence in the bustling street. Because of this, the voice of the person shouting, though with an odd accent, rang out clearly: "Shameless, despicable wretch! How dare you instigate His Majesty to attack Northern Qi? You! You are worse than a pig or a dog! Colluding to commit evil! Narrow-minded! Short-sighted!"
Following the sound, they saw a handsome youth with exotic features standing on the balcony opposite, filled with righteous indignation, holding a basket of eggs and vegetables, cursing Song Lin with vile words.
Lu Wanwan smiled. She had guessed the Third Prince would attack Song Lin, but she hadn't expected him to act so quickly, and at such a historic moment as the procession on horseback.
Having suffered such a humiliation in front of his future colleagues and the commoners, would Song Lin ever be able to hold his head high again?