Episode 9 recap: Mu Zhuo Hua questioned Liu Yan.
Mu Zhuo Hua felt that the flowerpot given by Princess Rou Jia was too valuable, and he didn't want to display it openly. Therefore, he decided to transplant the peony into a simple earthenware flowerpot to preserve it. Liu Yan approached, and Mu Zhuo Hua expressed his desire to keep both the flowerpot from Princess Rou Jia and Liu Yan's jade pendant.
Liu Yan brought up the incident at the hairpin flower poetry gathering where Mu Zhuo Hua played a clever trick. Mu Zhuo Hua admitted that he had indeed led everyone to believe that the poem was written by Liu Yan, but he hadn't expected Liu Yan to play along so well. Liu Yan mentioned that Mu Zhuo Hua's tea-splashing incident had dirtied his clothes, which were worth at least 100 taels. He demanded compensation from Mu Zhuo Hua. In response, Mu Zhuo Hua simply gave the potted peony to Liu Yan.
Mu Zhuo Hua was about to participate in the palace examination and was extremely nervous. Guo Ju Li took the initiative to accompany Mu Zhuo Hua to pay respects to her deceased mother's sister, hoping for her blessings. Mu Zhuo Hua expressed that she had always followed her mother's guidance and had come this far.
During the palace examination, the essay topic was "governing by inaction." Suddenly, Mu Zhuo Hua accidentally knocked over the inkstone, causing the papers to be ruined. With limited time remaining, Mu Zhuo Hua was left with only half a sheet of paper and didn't know what to do. Mu Zhuo Hua recalled how she had been mocked as a bookworm by other sisters in the past, but her mother had comforted her, advising her not to pay attention to such remarks and to focus on her studies, as that was what truly mattered.
Mu Zhuo Hua felt that she had overcome the previous difficulties, and she was determined to overcome the current challenge as well. She calmed her mind and began writing on the remaining half of the exam paper. The Crown Prince was also surprised to see that Mu Zhuo Hua had not given up.
After completing the first round, Mu Zhuo Hua and the others took a rest. Shen Jing Hong approached Mu Zhuo Hua and spoke to her, but she did not let the previous incident bother her. Shen Jing Hong also admired Mu Zhuo Hua. In the second round, everyone was called in one by one to meet with the Emperor. The Emperor asked Mu Zhuo Hua to explain the strategy of "governing by doing nothing" in border defense. Mu Zhuo Hua answered fluently, and when the Emperor asked if there was no need for war, she replied that war was also necessary to make others obey.
When the final results came out, Shen Jing Hong was the top scorer, Sun Yun Qian was second, and Mu Zhuo Hua was third. Mu Zhuo Hua was thrilled to have achieved the third position. The Emperor hosted a banquet to celebrate and intended to arrange a marriage between Shen Jing Hong and Rou Jia Gong Zhu. However, Rou Jia Gong Zhu mentioned that Shen Jing Hong had aspirations for higher achievements and had once said that he wouldn't marry until he reached a certain rank. The Emperor had to drop the idea.
Mu Zhuo Hua asked Shen Jing Hong if he admired Rou Jia Gong Zhu. Shen Jing Hong admitted it but clarified that admiration was different from marriage. Mu Zhuo Hua asked him what he would do if they encountered trouble in their relationship, and Shen Jing Hong assured her that he would confront and resolve any problems.
Mu Zhuo Hua and Liu Yan left the palace together. Mu Zhuo Hua wondered why the inkstone was knocked over when she didn't even touch it. Liu Yan admitted that he did it and said that if she couldn't overcome such a minor obstacle, how could she aspire to be an official in the future? Mu Zhuo Hua expressed her frustration at being subjected to unexpected additional tests just because she was a woman, questioning whether this was the fairness that Liu Yan had promised when he advocated for the reopening of the imperial examination for women.
Liu Yan apologized to Mu Zhuo Hua and presented her with the jade pendant as a gift he had promised before. He warned her to think carefully because attaching herself to him wouldn't be an easy path and could bring unknown dangers. However, if Mu Zhuo Hua decided to follow him, he would do his best to protect her.
After returning home, Mu Zhuo Hua was still processing what had happened. She couldn't believe that she had scolded Liu Yan, and he had apologized to her. An official came to announce that Mu Zhuo Hua had been appointed as a seventh-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy and would have to report to the academy in two days.
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