In the few days Gu Hanzhou had stayed at Little Lin Manor, he had already figured out the daily routine here.
At dawn, Lin Shuying would go to the greenhouse to tend those strange melon seedlings.
After breakfast, she would head to the fields with Forester Chen and not return until the sun was high.
In the afternoon, she generally spent her time in the study writing or sketching, and sometimes she would go to the canteen kitchen to discuss new dishes with Auntie Liu.
Very regular. Very… farmwife-like.
Gu Hanzhou stood by the window of the western guest room, watching Lin Shuying’s retreating figure as she carried a small hoe toward the fields, a faint, barely perceptible sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
After all, she was just a merchant’s daughter—even with the title of the wealthiest family’s young lady, she still couldn’t rise above her station.
Farming?
Running a canteen?
Mingling with those mud-footed commoners?
It was a wonder the Lin family indulged her in such nonsense.
He turned back to his desk, spread out his books, but couldn’t read a single word.
He had come to the capital for the imperial examinations; his family had nearly emptied their savings just to scrape together his travel expenses.
If he failed to pass, how could he face his parents’ expectations?
If he could pass…
No—not just pass the provincial exam, but become a jinshi, and ideally enter the Hanlin Academy.
Only then could he bring glory to his ancestors and gain a foothold in Jinling.
But this was no easy feat.
The Jiangnan region was teeming with talented scholars. Though he had passed the county-level exam and earned the title of xiucai, on the national stage, he was nothing special.
His essays were competent but lacked flair—not to mention any truly original insights.
Just as he was fretting, A-Gua’s voice came from outside the door: “Young Master Gu, breakfast is ready—in the canteen.”
Gu Hanzhou schooled his expression and put on a refined, courteous smile: “Much obliged.”
— —
The canteen was already quite crowded.
Wei Fuyu was devouring a large plate of steamed buns and braised pork with gusto, while several laborers sat around a table chatting and laughing—the atmosphere was boisterously lively.
Gu Hanzhou frowned slightly, took his tray, and found a seat in the corner.
He ordered a bowl of plain congee and a small dish of pickled vegetables.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford better—he simply felt that eating at the same table as these people was beneath his dignity.
“Cousin, why so frugal?”
Lin Shuying had appeared across from him without his noticing, carrying a tray with rice, scrambled eggs, and a plate of vibrant green vegetables—Gu Hanzhou couldn’t identify what they were.
“Light meals are better for studying,” Gu Hanzhou smiled. “Have you just come back from the fields, Shuying?”
“Yes—went to check on the melon seedlings.” Lin Shuying picked up a bite of greens with her chopsticks. “Have you been settling in well these past few days, Cousin? The estate is humble compared to the city.”
“Not at all—the peace and quiet are perfect for study.” Gu Hanzhou paused, then asked as if casually, “I was taking a walk yesterday and saw some exotic plants in the greenhouse—did you grow those, Cousin?”
Lin Shuying’s eyes flickered, but her expression remained unchanged: “Just tinkering in my spare time. Some seeds I found from the south—planted them for fun.”
“You’re truly knowledgeable about agriculture, Shuying.” Gu Hanzhou complimented her. “When I read the Essential Techniques for the People, I found it impenetrable, yet you’ve put it into practice—I’m deeply impressed.”
The words were polished, but Lin Shuying only smiled lightly: “You flatter me, Cousin. Please eat slowly—I have some matters to attend to.”
She rose and left, leaving Gu Hanzhou behind, thoughtfully staring at her retreating figure.
Knowledgeable about agriculture?
A fourteen-year-old girl?
He suddenly remembered passing by the study yesterday and glimpsing through the half-open door some sheets of paper covered in writing spread across the desk.
He hadn’t paid much attention then, but now that he thought about it…
Gu Hanzhou finished his congee in a few quick swallows, rose, and walked toward the study. He had observed that at this hour, no one usually came to this courtyard.
The study door was ajar, and sure enough, it was empty inside.
He glanced left and right, then pushed the door open gently.
The study was not large but neatly arranged.
The bookshelves against the wall were filled with books—Gu Hanzhou scanned them briefly. Aside from the usual Four Books and Five Classics, there were more agricultural texts like the Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration, Wang Zhen’s Agricultural Book, and Exploitation of the Works of Nature, as well as many hand-copied manuscripts.
Several sheets of paper lay spread across the desk, the ink still fresh.
Gu Hanzhou stepped closer, and his heartbeat quickened.
On the topmost sheet was a title: “Memorial on Grain Reserves and Transport Improvements.”
Below, the page was densely filled with text.
He skimmed through it quickly, growing more shocked with each line.
The essay began by addressing the flaws in the current grain reserve system of Great Liang, pointing out issues like false reporting and severe losses at granaries across the country.
It then discussed the inefficiency of grain transport—old, dilapidated boats, and losses along the route as high as thirty percent.
Next came a series of improvement measures: standardizing granary measurement systems, establishing regular inspection protocols, redesigning transport boats, and setting up transfer granaries at major waterways…
Each point was backed by solid data, and there was even a simple design sketch for improved transport boats.
This—this couldn’t possibly be an essay written by a young lady in her boudoir!
This was clearly the work of someone with years of experience immersed in state affairs!
Gu Hanzhou’s hands trembled slightly.
If… if this essay bore his name…
No—he mustn’t rush.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Copy it first.
Copy it word for word.
He pulled a brush from the holder, found a blank sheet, and began transcribing quickly.
His hands were shaking, and his handwriting was messier than usual, but Gu Hanzhou couldn’t care about that.
Time was tight—someone could walk in at any moment.
Halfway through, he noticed a few small annotations at the end of the essay: “Reference: Ministry of Revenue memorial from the seventh year of Jingyuan,” “Calculated from Jiangnan shipyard data”…
These details only added to the essay’s credibility.
Gu Hanzhou copied even faster.
He tucked the copied pages into his sleeve, restored Lin Shuying’s original manuscript to its place, and hurried back to his guest room. Only after closing the door did he let out a long breath of relief.
He pulled the sheets from his sleeve and stared at the densely packed text, his heart still racing.
With this essay, tomorrow’s evaluation assembly…
A glint of sharp light flickered in his eyes.
— —
Two days later, Lin Shuying was busy pollinating watermelons in the melon field.
“Miss, does this really work?” Forester Chen watched her dip a brush into one flower and then touch another, utterly perplexed.
“This is called artificial pollination,” Lin Shuying explained patiently. “Watermelons have male and female flowers on the same plant, and they rely on bees to pollinate and set fruit. But we don’t have many bees here, so we need to help manually to improve the fruit set rate.”
Her movements were practiced and smooth, and before long, she had pollinated an entire patch of melon flowers.
As she straightened up, she noticed a carriage on the distant official road heading toward the estate.
The carriage itself was plain, but the horses pulling it were spirited, and the driver handled the reins with practiced skill.
“We have a visitor.” She brushed the pollen off her hands. “Uncle Chen, keep at it—I’ll go see who it is.”
By the time she returned to the house, the carriage had already stopped at the gate.
The person who stepped out surprised Lin Shuying—it was Xiao Shengrui.
The young man wore a moon-white casual robe today, with a green jade pendant at his waist—clean and crisp, like a tall, straight poplar sapling.
He still carried a bamboo basket in his hand, and when he saw Lin Shuying return, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Your Highness, what brings you here at this hour?” Lin Shuying walked up to greet him.
“Passing by.” Xiao Shengrui handed her the basket. “New pastries from my mother’s palace—she had me bring some for you to try.”
Inside the basket were several exquisite treats: lotus-flower crisps, osmanthus cakes, and Lin Shuying’s favorite almond custard.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Please thank the Empress for me as well.” Lin Shuying took the basket and led him inside. “Have you eaten, Your Highness? There’s fresh fish at the canteen today.”
“No rush.” Xiao Shengrui followed her into the front hall and pulled a thin booklet from his sleeve. “Look at this first.”
Lin Shuying took the booklet; the cover bore three characters: Listening Wind Record.
She flipped it open—inside were anecdotes from the court and the streets alike.
A certain minister’s cat had climbed a tree and refused to come down, causing half the household to rush to its rescue.
A two-headed watermelon had appeared in Jiangnan and was presented to the court as an auspicious omen by the local officials…
Her gaze stopped on one line.
“Jiangnan scholar Gu Hanzhou, carrying a memorial on grain reserves, heads to the capital to participate in the evaluation assembly and make a name for himself.”
Gu Hanzhou?
An essay?
Her heart gave a jolt.
Xiao Shengrui noticed the shift in her expression and asked softly: “What’s wrong?”
“Your Highness,” Lin Shuying looked up, “is this Gu Hanzhou… in his early twenties, with a Jiangnan accent, refined and scholarly?”
“You know him?”
“He’s my distant cousin—and he’s currently… staying here.” Lin Shuying handed the booklet back. “He said he came to the capital for the imperial examinations and asked to stay for a while.”
Xiao Shengrui raised an eyebrow.
What a coincidence?
“Have you seen the essay he brought?”
Lin Shuying shook her head: “No. But…”
She remembered the essay she had written in her study yesterday—”Memorial on Grain Reserves and Transport Improvements.”
She had written it in her spare time, planning to compile it into a collection and show it to her eldest brother when the opportunity arose. The Lin family’s business involved grain transport, and these improvement suggestions might prove useful.
Could Gu Hanzhou have stolen a look?
She rose: “Please wait a moment, Your Highness—I’ll go check my study.”
In the study, everything appeared normal at first glance. But Lin Shuying could tell at once that the manuscript on her desk had been disturbed. She’d been busy these past two days and hadn’t had time to come in, and she’d also instructed A Li not to tidy the things on her desk.
She had a habit of folding a small triangle in the upper right corner of her manuscript pages as a marker.
And now, that small triangle had been smoothed flat.
Also, the ink—she used a special pine-soot ink that dried to a grayish hue. But the ink on the manuscript now had an abnormal sheen in the sunlight, as if it had been touched by damp hands.
Lin Shuying returned to the front hall and told Xiao Shengrui the situation.
After listening in silence for a moment, he asked: “What do you plan to do?”
“Do?” Lin Shuying smiled, but there was no warmth in her eyes. “Steal from me? There will be consequences.”
“But he’s your cousin—and Lady Lin’s side of the family…”
“So what if he’s a cousin?” Lin Shuying said flatly. “I treated him as family—what did he treat me as? A fool? A stepping stone?”
What she hated most was academic plagiarism.
In her previous life at the agricultural research institute, a senior fellow had stolen her experimental data and published a paper with it. She’d exposed him on the spot, and the scandal had spread far and wide.
In this life, she’d run into the same thing again.
“When is the final evaluation of the assembly?”
“Three days from now, at the Imperial Academy.” Xiao Shengrui looked at her. “You want to go?”
“Yes, of course I do.” Lin Shuying pouted. “Since he dared to steal my essay to make a name for himself, I dare to go and crash his stage.”
A glint of amusement flickered in Xiao Shengrui’s eyes: “Need any help?”
Lin Shuying didn’t stand on ceremony: “Help me get an identity so I can enter the venue. Also, I need to know the procedures and rules of the final evaluation. And…” she paused, “lend me a set of men’s clothes. If I send someone to buy them, word will likely get back to the Lin residence.”
Xiao Shengrui raised an eyebrow with a faint smile: “You’ve thought this through rather thoroughly?”
“Women aren’t allowed inside, are they?” Lin Shuying said matter-of-factly. “I’ll disguise myself as a man. I’m young and slender—I’ll pass easily.”
She wasn’t boasting.
Lin Shuying had delicate features and a small frame—perfect for playing a young boy. Besides, she was the twin of her third brother Lin Zhaoye, and they looked alike. As children, they used to swap clothes and play tricks on people.
“Alright.” Xiao Shengrui agreed readily. “Three days from now, I’ll come pick you up.”
“No need to pick me up—I’ll go myself. But… could Your Highness do me one more favor?”
“Name it.”
“Look into Gu Hanzhou’s background.” Lin Shuying’s gaze turned cold. “If he dared to steal an essay, he might have done other things too. I want to know exactly what kind of person he is.”
Xiao Shengrui nodded: “The Listening Wind Pavilion excels at investigating people.”
The two discussed a few more details, and then Xiao Shengrui took his leave.
Just before leaving, he turned back and said softly: “Shuying.”
“Yes?”
“That essay… was very well written. If written by a man, it would be worthy of reaching the Emperor’s ears.”
Lin Shuying paused, then smiled: “Too bad I’m a woman.”
“So what if you’re a woman?” Xiao Shengrui said calmly. “I think you’re far superior to many men.” With that, he turned and boarded the carriage.
Lin Shuying stood at the gate, watching the carriage grow distant, her feelings complicated.
Since the awakening, she had grown used to keeping a low profile, to hiding her abilities.
Apart from her family and Xiao Shengrui, no one knew her true capabilities.
But now, someone had stolen her essay to seek fame and fortune.
She couldn’t swallow this.
“Miss,” A Li walked over and asked quietly, “are you really going to confront Young Master Gu? He is your cousin after all—if things blow up…”
“Good—let them blow up.” Lin Shuying turned and walked back inside. “I want everyone to know what happens to those who steal!”
“Go get Wei Fuyu and A-Gua. We have preparations to make.”
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