Chapter 220: Chapter 173: Go Princess! Defeat the Pastries! (Part 2)

While Shen Jingxian was lost in her thoughts, the Holy Decree had already been read out, and the tribute students understood the topic of today’s palace examination.

They walked into Jinluan Hall, sat down at their respective desks, and prepared to start answering the questions.

Shen Jingxian noticed that one tribute student’s leg was constantly shaking. Now, in the summer heat, many people wouldn’t wear underpants under their long robes, casually referred to as “hanging open.”

Scholars usually moved with elegance whether walking or acting, so even with “hanging open,” as long as the robe didn’t split, nothing would be visible.

But this brother seemed overly nervous, his leg trembling nonstop, and Shen Jingxian could even clearly see the thick leg hair on his leg!!

Shen Jingxian raised an eyebrow; the length of his leg hair was quite good at deterring mosquitoes, a natural barrier, not bad.

The palace exam truly tested a person’s mental composure. After all, the exam tables were set right in front of the Emperor, with examiners standing on both sides of the hall, and writing under the watchful eyes of the Emperor and the court officials… Shen Jingxian felt herself starting to get nervous.

But then she thought, she was one sitting above; what was there for her to be nervous about? She should watch others getting nervous instead, so she shifted her gaze back to Song Yan.

Song Yan’s eyes were fixed on the desk in front of her, without looking elsewhere, yet one could still sense her calmness and composure.

She picked up the pen, dabbed it in ink, her entire demeanor captivating and unable to be ignored.

Shen Jingxian couldn’t speak for others, but at that moment, all she could see was Song Yan. All the other equally excellent students became mere foils to Song Yan.

Shen Jingxian suddenly felt a sense of unreality.

Was Song Yan always like this? She still remembered in the original text, Song Yan was kind yet not lacking in fierceness. As the heroine, she was often mistreated and frequently picked on by antagonists. This was the path of growth she was supposed to go through as the protagonist of a romantic novel.

Likewise, as a romantic heroine, she was destined to focus mainly on romance. Everything she did would attract the attention of different men, creating unique chemistry with them. Thus, the original text absolutely did not allow Song Yan to enter the court.

If she stepped into the court, her identity as a weak woman would change. She wouldn’t need to rely on men, wouldn’t have to force herself to maintain those complex relationships. She would have her own status, her own dignity, becoming even more unbreakable.

But if that were the case… the plot of the heroine being constantly bullied and continually rescued by various men could not proceed.

In the original text, it was the Princess’s scheme that forced Song Yan to miss the imperial exam, forcing her onto the path of commerce. Given the low status of merchants, she needed a patron. For this, she had to maneuver around those men, securing benefits for herself as much as possible on an equal footing.

But whether the final result was what Song Yan originally wanted, Shen Jingxian doesn’t know now.

She used to think, how could a heroine together with so many men not be happy? But now, seeing Song Yan writing diligently in Jinluan Hall…

Strangely, even though Song Yan was just there writing, Shen Jingxian felt that this person seemed destined to be here, wearing appropriately tailored court clothes, her long hair tied up high, holding a court tablet, standing at the head of all officials, proclaiming loudly, “Only with fairness can one command the people.”

Shen Jingxian suddenly didn’t want to think about what the original text said. She didn’t want to worry about her own ending anymore. She believed from now on, Song Yan would live well, and so would everyone else.

Living in the moment is the true ending.

Shen Jingxian reflected on life for quite a while, and then… she got hungry.

She got up too early and didn’t have much of an appetite, so she didn’t eat much.

She specifically crammed the rules of the palace exam a few days before. Tribute students were allowed to eat during the exam but were not allowed to go to the restroom.

Going to the restroom would be considered disrespectful to the Emperor.

So Shen Jingxian had the maids bring her some snacks, and now the snacks were hidden in her hands.

Shen Jingxian started to debate whether to eat or not.

The tribute students below were answering the exam, and she was eating here; it didn’t seem appropriate.

But she was really hungry.

When a person is famished, they might do anything, so to prevent herself from going crazy, Shen Jingxian decided… she might as well eat.

To avoid attracting attention, she deliberately ate all the cakes in one bite, only to find that the cakes were dry and took ages to swallow.

A dignified Princess turned into a hamster.

Examiner A merely glanced inadvertently and thought the Princess seemed a bit strange, so he looked again, but after this glance, he couldn’t take his eyes away.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep