Chapter Fifty-Eight: Accompanying

If Jiang Li did not come in last in the assessment, Meng Hongjin would have to kneel and apologize to her.
If Jiang Li outperformed Meng Hongjin, Meng Hongjin would have to kneel and apologize to her at the very gates of the Imperial Academy.
If Jiang Li not only surpassed Meng Hongjin but also outshone all the other young ladies of Mingyi Hall, then Meng Hongjin would have to appear at the gates of the Imperial Academy, bearing a rod on her back in token of guilt, and kneel to apologize to Jiang Li.
Three conditions, each more astonishing than the last; three wagers, each more nerve-wracking than the previous one!
A dreadful silence fell over Mingyi Hall. Not only was Meng Hongjin stunned, but so were Jiang Youyao and her companions—even Liu Xu was speechless. No one uttered a word; no one could find the words.
After a moment, Meng Hongjin regained her composure and snapped, “Jiang Li, you’ve got some nerve!”
“My courage has always served me well,” Jiang Li replied with a faint smile. “But I wonder, Miss Meng, how is your own? You seemed quite bold just now. So, can you bear the weight of this wager?”
Meng Hongjin bit her lip, silent. Jiang Li’s tone was light as a breeze, treating such a terrifying gamble as if it were mere pocket change in a game of chance. Yet she failed to realize how earth-shattering it truly was—a wager that, once lost, would ruin the loser’s reputation throughout the capital, even shaming her entire family.
Jiang Li had even mentioned the Imperial Academy…
The students at the Imperial Academy were the most promising young men of the city, many of them sons of noble families. For highborn ladies such as themselves, it was common to find future husbands among that very group. To lose face before the gates of the Imperial Academy was to be shamed in front of one’s possible future spouse. What man would marry a woman who had become a laughingstock? Jiang Li’s intentions were truly cruel.
Meng Hongjin felt a chill run through her heart.
“A wager, then!” scoffed a petite girl standing behind Meng Hongjin. “Sister Hongjin, go ahead and accept. Second Miss Jiang is confident now, but she’s far too sure of herself.”
Liu Xu finally came to her senses, glancing anxiously at Jiang Li.
Only then did Meng Hongjin recall that she had made this wager because she hadn’t ever considered she might lose. A girl who had spent eight years cloistered in a convent—even if she had access to scriptures and learned some characters—would know little of the Six Arts, which required years of diligent practice. With so little time, Jiang Li could hardly have made more than a beginner’s acquaintance with them, while the other girls had been studying at Mingyi Hall for years. To lose to Jiang Li would be utterly incomprehensible.
Jiang Li was sure to come in last—these wagers were, in effect, traps she had dug for herself.
At that thought, Meng Hongjin forced a smile. “Since Second Miss Jiang is so eager and so brave, I am, of course, happy to oblige. All the sisters of Mingyi Hall are witnesses today. When the assessment results are announced, I hope you won’t go back on your word just because you’re the daughter of the Grand Secretary.”
“I won’t,” Jiang Li replied with a smile. “Let’s hope you won’t either.”
Her expression was calm and fearless, which stung Meng Hongjin’s eyes. With a cold snort, she swept away.
The others drifted off in small groups, their gazes toward Jiang Li a mixture of contempt and pity, as if they could already see her impending disgrace.
Jiang Youyao approached and said, “Second Sister, why must you compete with Miss Meng? Hongjin has always ranked among the top three in every assessment at Mingyi Hall. To go head-to-head with her is truly unwise.”
Jiang Li looked at her. “So, Third Sister, you think I should go to Meng Hongjin now and beg her to withdraw the wager?”
Jiang Youyao hesitated, then quickly said, “But everyone in Mingyi Hall was witness. If you back out now, they’ll just say you can’t afford to lose, and our whole Jiang family’s reputation will suffer.”
“In that case, the wager can’t be withdrawn. There’s no need for you to worry about me. I’ve always been rather lucky—who knows, perhaps this time luck will be on my side, and I’ll win?”
Jiang Youyao forced a smile. “That would be wonderful.” But her tone was full of disbelief.
After she left, Liu Xu came forward, watching her go with disdain. “Your third sister is just adding insult to injury, waiting to see you make a fool of yourself.”
“She’s a bit foolish,” Jiang Li said lightly. Jiang Youyao only wanted to see her disgraced, not realizing that glory or shame would reflect on the whole Jiang family. If Jiang Li lost and had to kneel before Meng Hongjin, the entire family would share in the shame. How could Jiang Youyao, as a daughter of the Jiang family, imagine she could remain untouched?
Perhaps she didn’t understand this, or perhaps, even if she did, she would rather see herself lose a little so long as Jiang Li was humiliated—just as Yun Shuang once was to Xiang Qiao.
“It’s my fault,” Liu Xu said guiltily. “I let myself be goaded by them. If not for me, you wouldn’t have had to do this.”
“It wasn’t just for you,” Jiang Li reassured her. “They were looking for trouble—if not over this, they would have found something else. One can’t be forever on guard against thieves. Better to settle it once and for all.”
“But what will you do now?” Liu Xu asked. “I think, since you dared to make this wager, you must have some confidence. But the Six Arts at Mingyi Hall are difficult—I must admit, every year I fall behind in one or two subjects myself, and you’ve only just returned to the capital.”
“I actually have a photographic memory,” Jiang Li said, winking at her.
Liu Xu was startled, almost gasping aloud. “Really?”
“Of course not,” Jiang Li said with a laugh, patting her shoulder. “But I’m not as hopeless as they think, either. Don’t worry about me—just focus on your own studies. Wait for the day, after the assessment, when Meng Hongjin has to kneel at the gates of the Imperial Academy and apologize.”
Liu Xu wanted to say more, but Jiang Li had already changed the subject. Despite her lingering worry, seeing Jiang Li’s smiling face gave her a strange sense of reassurance, and she found herself believing every word.
Perhaps Jiang Li really did have a way.
Jiang Li smiled inwardly. It was only an assessment, after all. Meng Hongjin’s provocations had begun to weary her. Still, she had another motive—if she took first place, she would be summoned to the palace to receive an audience with the Emperor.
At the palace banquet, the new rising stars of the court would be present. Shen Yurong, now a secretary in the Central Secretariat, would surely be there, as would Princess Yongning.
She longed to see them both, if only from afar, if only to do nothing—just to sit quietly and look upon their faces.
That way, she could remind herself always of the Xue family’s injustice, of her family’s blood feud.
Never to forget, never to dare forget.