She is a much better liar than me—presenting it as a misunderstanding, nothing more, while explaining very little of our association. She raises her chin, almost daring the older man to disagree.
The shénnóng-shī bows again, to a level that is almost mocking in its attempt at deference. “I do not disagree, Highness, if the encounter is as superficial as you say. A chance meeting. But my suspicions were deepened when I conducted my own investigations, and I found the conspiracy even greater than I could ever have imagined.”
A prickling feeling crawls up my arms and behind my ears, like the crawling creatures of Wenyi’s magic.
The Esteemed Qian continues, “This girl dared to consort with your betrothed in public, sharing a cup at a teahouse.”
“How is this relevant?” Minister Song demands. “Perhaps he bought her a cup of tea out of curiosity about her abilities, and she was unaware of his role in the final round. Only the judges knew he would be present, and none of us would share that information, I assure you.”
I glance at him in surprise, not having expected any of them to speak up on my behalf.
“To those who are uneducated in the art of Shénnóng, this may be an innocent meeting. But to a shénnóng-shī, it holds greater meaning,” the Esteemed Qian counters, gesturing in emphasis. “A shénnóng-shī’s bond is greatly strengthened from previous encounters, as any shénnóng-tú who has been training for a time would know.
“I was already made aware of Competitor Zhang’s … behaviors in the previous round, some of her unconventional choices. It is why I looked deeper into her history. The results of the investigation were only made known to me earlier today.”
A tendril of fear creeps down my back. He must have sent inquiries back to my family. Did his messenger speak with my uncle, who resented my mother? Or to the villagers, who remembered how she returned to the village in shame?
“I inquired in Xīnyì village about her mentor. All the responses were the same: Her sister, Zhang Shu, was the apprentice under their mother’s tutelage. Zhang Ning has lied about her training. She was not worthy of bringing the scroll to attend this competition.” His words are like hammer blows, beating me down. “In truth, she was studying under the guidance of an imperial physician … a disgraced imperial physician, who fled the palace years ago in shame, after impregnating one of the maidservants.”
“Is this true?” Princess Zhen regards me with an inscrutable expression.
All the lies I’ve told, the choices I’ve made, all the things I did to get to this point, and in the end, this is what ruins me. The shame of the family. A girl, born to an unwed mother.
I want to shout at her, tell her the truth of my past. About how my mother loved my father, and they risked their lives, left everything behind to start over together.
But all I can bear to do is nod. The marquis gives a snort of satisfaction beside her. He will finally be rid of me.
“Then it is with regret that I have to say, although you have excelled and demonstrated your abilities…” I feel Zhen’s next words, as painful as a knife to the gut. “You are disqualified from the competition.”
After all of this. After all this time.
I have failed.
“The judges hereby proclaim Chen Shao of Jia the victor!” Minister Song announces, his words calling forth thunderous applause from the court. “Tonight we will celebrate with a banquet held in his honor as the Court of Officials recognize our new shénnóng-shī.”
Shao is surrounded by ministers and officials offering their congratulations. I am brushed aside, already forgotten. I suppose I should be grateful I have not been thrown into the dungeons, yet I still feel like a hollowed husk. I have given everything I possibly could, and still it wasn’t enough. The Esteemed Qian gives me a final contemptuous smile, before turning on his heel to stand beside his apprentice, to share in the adoration. Such courtly games I will never get to play.
The princess had given me her word that she would help me with Shu, but I have no means to force her to keep her promise. I realize it now—how laughable my attempts were at trying to force the hand of the future ruler of Dàxī. She dangled it in front of me, knowing how eager I would be to jump at her every whim, then discarded me just as easily.
I make my way to the back of the room, remembering Father’s letter. I must return home to face his disappointment. And then with dawning horror I realize that I have drawn the attention of the palace to what happened years ago. It would be easy for the Ministry of Justice to resume the investigation into his disappearance. I may have doomed my family as well.