TTTQF Chapter 129

No Regrets for Studying Hard

Before the results of the provincial exam are released, the students of the Imperial Academy continue their daily reading in the classrooms, following their usual routine. The provincial exam, held once every three years, does not select many successful candidates. Even among these students at the Imperial Academy, if one-fifth of the class passes, it is already considered quite remarkable.

If someone becomes arrogant and stops studying before the results are announced, only to fail, it would be difficult for them to return. Moreover, even if they do come back, they would inevitably face ridicule. However, despite the ridicule, they still need to stay during the time between the provincial exam and the palace exam, as guidance from teachers remains essential. For this reason, everyone behaves quite cautiously before the results are posted. After all, the provincial exam is unpredictable—who can guarantee they’ll definitely pass?

Pei Che initially plans to take a few days off to investigate, but at such a critical time, requesting leave would draw too much attention. To avoid suspicion, Pei Che orders someone to secretly gather information about what happened at the Yueguo Mansion. He was at the Imperial Academy at the time and wasn’t clear on the specifics. Later, his focus had been entirely on his grandmother’s shock and illness, so naturally, he hadn’t thought to investigate the cause earlier.

Now, so much time has passed since that day that gathering any useful information is difficult. But there’s no helping it—his grandmother simply refuses to tell him the truth.

A few days later, the person Pei Che sends to investigate returns empty-handed. After hearing the report, Pei Che merely nods, showing little sign of disappointment. It has been over a year—could he really expect people to still remember? Moreover, the individuals they investigated are only low-ranking maids and servants, making it difficult to extract information without leaving traces.

Jiang Miao, seeing Pei Che quietly lowering his head, thinks he’s feeling down and tries to comfort him, saying, "Don’t worry too much. If there really is a hidden truth, it will come to light eventually. Maybe one day your grandmother will figure it out and tell you what really happened."

Pei Che smiles. "You’re right. I was just thinking, since my grandmother harbors resentment towards my second uncle’s family, it must be because she saw or heard something. Rather than investigating what happened over a year ago, it would be better to have someone watch them now and see if we can uncover the reason from their current actions."

"Let's do that," Jiang Miao says excitedly. "If there's something wrong with them, they won't be able to hide it forever. Just make sure the people you send are discreet, so they don’t get noticed."

Jiang Miao remembers what Pei Che said before, about the emperor sending people to keep an eye on them. After they found out, they started putting on an act. So, it’s clear that if the others realize they’re being watched, they’ll also conceal their true nature.

"Did you hear Lord Jiang's orders?" Pei Che suddenly speaks toward the window, startling Jiang Miao. Before he can recover, a figure dressed entirely in black with a black mask slips through the window. The person clasps their hands in a respectful salute and says, "At your command!"

Pei Che waves for the person to leave. After they exit, Jiang Miao's eyes widen as he looks between Pei Che and the window. He even leans out to check outside, seemingly trying to find where the person had been hiding.

Pei Che chuckles at his antics and says, "Their hiding spots are not easy for ordinary people to discover. Even I often don’t notice their presence."

Jiang Miao is astonished. "Aren’t they even more impressive than the people the emperor sent? You spotted the ones they sent last time right away!"

Pei Che shakes his head. "The people the emperor sends to spy on us aren’t the best. After all, in their eyes, we’re just common folks—they don’t need to send their top experts."

"So that’s the case," Jiang Miao suddenly understands. "I was wondering—if the emperor’s people were that weak, the palace would be wide open for intruders by now."

Since it’s just the two of them, they don’t need to be overly cautious with their words, but Pei Che still reminds Jiang Miao that not a single word of this can be mentioned to others.

With a look that says, Do you think I’m stupid?, Jiang Miao replies, "Of course I know that. I wouldn’t even dare speak carelessly in front of Xiao Shitou or Mu’er."

Though his tone isn’t great, Pei Che detects a sweetness in his words—it implies that Jiang Miao truly trusts him the most!

Jiang Miao doesn’t understand why Pei Che suddenly starts smiling, and smiling so mischievously at that. He pouts, then remembers a question that’s been bothering him for a while. "Ah Che, your subordinate wears black clothes at night to blend in, but what does he wear during the day? Is he still all in black?"

In the TV shows he watches, assassins always seem to wear black in broad daylight, as if they want everyone to know their identity. Jiang Miao never understands why—was it part of their standard outfit? He figures it's just a lazy trope in TV shows, but he still wants to know what they would do in real life.

Pei Che is momentarily stunned by the question. "Wearing all black during the day…?" Wouldn’t that make them stand out even more?

"If not, then what do they wear? White?"

"White?" Pei Che looks even more puzzled. "Unless they're in deep mourning, who would wear all white? Naturally, they wouldn’t wear all black during the day either. Do you know what the most important trait is for becoming an excellent spy?"

"Perseverance? Determination? Endurance?" Jiang Miao guesses tentatively.

Pei Che shakes his head. "None of those. The most important trait for a good spy is having no distinctive features. Whether in appearance or physique, nothing about them should stand out. During the day, they blend into the crowd wearing the same clothes as regular people. At night, they wear all black to hide more easily."

Jiang Miao nods in understanding. "Exactly. A person encounters so many people every day—no one remembers the face of someone without any distinctive features."

Jiang Miao thinks to himself that neither he nor Pei Che could ever be good spies since they both look impressive.

Having made up his mind, Pei Che directly assigns a group of people to watch his second uncle and aunt. They are to report back as soon as anything happens.

This is clearly going to be a long-term task. Even as the results of the provincial exam are about to be posted, Pei Che still hasn't received any useful intelligence.

But intelligence isn’t the most pressing concern at the moment—the results of the provincial exam are. Passing the provincial exam means becoming a juren, a scholar eligible for official appointments. For an ordinary person, gaining such an appointment could be an endless wait, but for the children of aristocratic families, it’s as easy as lifting a finger. Some of them don’t even bother to take the palace exams, as their elders can arrange an official post for them directly, typically in a region outside the capital. They serve as a county magistrate for two or three years, building up a track record. As long as they don’t make any major mistakes during their tenure, promotion is almost guaranteed.

As a child of an aristocratic family, Pei Che is well aware of this strategy. Originally, he plans to keep taking exams to climb higher, but now, eager to establish a career, the thought of securing an appointment grows stronger.

He decides to wait and see his ranking in the provincial exam. If he ranks high, he will still aim for the palace exams in March. If his rank is low and there's little hope for the palace exam, he won’t wait another three years.

"Congratulations, Young Master Pei, Lady Pei! Young Master Pei has ranked eighth in the provincial exam, and I’m here to offer my congratulations!"

Today, the results of the provincial exam are posted, and the Imperial Academy gives students the day off. Early in the morning, Jiang Miao, feeling anxious, goes down the mountain with Pei Che to check the list. As they reach the gate, they suddenly hear someone shouting this congratulatory message.

Jiang Miao looks carefully: a group of people outside have brought drums adorned with red silk and are banging gongs to celebrate the scholars who have passed. Their auspicious words flow one after another, and they almost praise Pei Che to the sky.

Fortunately, Jiang Miao has already made inquiries and prepared celebratory money in advance. He hands a pouch containing some silver pieces to the person banging the gong. The man weighs it in his hand, instantly satisfied, and says several more auspicious phrases before leaving.

After the first group leaves, the second and third congratulatory parties soon follow. On a day like today, Jiang Miao isn’t going to be stingy—each group that comes to deliver the good news receives celebratory money from him.

Finally, when things quiet down, the two of them start walking back, only to run into more people from the Imperial Academy offering their congratulations. As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face, so Jiang Miao and Pei Che can only politely accept the blessings, maintaining their smiles throughout the whole process.

It isn’t until they return to their own courtyard that they allow their joy to show. Jiang Miao throws his arms around Pei Che’s waist, looking up with sparkling eyes, and says, "You’re amazing! So many people participated in the provincial exam in Liangjing, and you managed to place eighth!"

When Jiang Miao embraces him, Pei Che naturally wraps his arms around Jiang Miao's waist as well and replies, "Eighth place isn’t that high."

"Eighth place and you call that not that high? You’re getting cocky!" Jiang Miao teases. "You should hurry up and send this news back home."

Pei Che says, "Don’t worry, I’m sure Grandmother already has someone waiting at the list. She probably knows the result even before we do."

Jiang Miao nods, remembering Pei Che’s earlier decision, and quickly asks, "You placed eighth in the provincial exam—are you still planning to take the palace exam?"

Pei Che firmly replies, "Of course. With eighth place in the provincial exam, the chances of failing the palace exam are slim. I have to give it a shot. I can’t let all those years of hard study go to waste."

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