Chapter 46: The Final Imperial Examination

The stone-cutting master had clearly cut countless stones before. When the stone knife descended, the subtle sensations told him whether the cut held promise.

The small piece of stone Zhao Erdong handed over required only one cut, but as he prepared for the second, a faint feeling at the blade’s edge informed him that there was something valuable inside.

The stone was small to begin with, but the master’s skill was refined. Before long, a piece of crimson crystal appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Though both were crimson crystals and seemed roughly the same size, the onlookers wondered if this meant the two contenders had tied.

The master weighed the two crystals in his hands, then pointed at Zhao Erdong’s and said, “This young lady’s crystal is slightly larger. She wins.”

The narrow-eyed man refused to accept defeat. He immediately began shouting insults at the master, spewing profanity and even threatening to petition the emperor for a ruling.

The Lord of the Spirit Stone Hall couldn’t help but rub his forehead, thinking to himself how fortunate it was that this fellow had lost. Otherwise, working with such a person in the future would be an immense headache.

Finally, the narrow-eyed man was driven out by the guards, and calm returned to the Spirit Stone Hall. The hall’s lord stroked his sparse beard and earnestly said to Zhao Erdong, “Young lady, you must keep up the effort. This victory was but a stroke of luck; next time, the fortune may not be so kind.”

Zhao Erdong looked up at the Spirit Stone Hall lord, who towered over her by a head. Though only around thirty, he had already attained the position of hall lord. He must either be extraordinarily capable or have powerful backing.

This man, however, had shown nothing but obsequiousness and flattery in the presence of the Fourth Prince, lacking any air of a strong and dignified figure. It seemed certain his rise was due to influential patrons. Such men were the most dangerous—lacking integrity, they delighted in scheming behind others’ backs. As the saying goes, “A noble man is easy to confront; a villain is hard to guard against.”

Zhao Erdong smiled brightly at the hall lord. “Thank you for your advice, Lord. Erdong will devote herself fully and live up to your expectations.”

Those who spent their lives ingratiating themselves naturally enjoyed being flattered in return.

The hall lord nodded with satisfaction. He admired those who grasped the situation wisely. Zhao Erdong was not only skilled in appraisal techniques but was also a martial cultivator. Though her rank seemed low, her youth promised boundless potential. Even if she lost this round, if he could secure her a position within the palace, would she not be forever indebted to him?

After the first round, only nine remained in the imperial court.

According to the rules, these nine must form pairs for the second round, but as nine is an odd number, only four pairs could be formed, leaving one person without a partner.

During the group draw, through the hall lord’s subtle arrangement, Zhao Erdong was fortunate enough to draw the bye.

In other words, she did not need to compete in the second round and could advance directly to the palace finals.

The palace finals were personally overseen by the Fourth Prince. If one performed well, even if they could not secure the top appraisal position in the court, there was still a chance to be retained by the prince and granted a rank of second or third-grade appraiser, which came with a handsome salary.

The hall lord lightly patted Zhao Erdong’s shoulder, his eyes gleaming with deep meaning.

Zhao Erdong bowed slightly, returning a faint smile filled with gratitude. But as she lowered her head, the gratitude faded, replaced by a look of disdain.

After the second round, including Zhao Erdong, only five remained.

As the sun dipped toward the west, the palace finals were scheduled for three days later. To prevent accidents, the five appraisers were housed in the Imperial Guard quarters, far from the rear palace.

Fortunately, the quarters housed many female guards, so Zhao Erdong’s stay was not inconvenient. Upon entering, she immediately began inquiring about the guard brother who had recruited her into the palace.