Chapter 801: Front and Back Changes

Bi Linglong replied, "Pei Yi, the second son of Grand Chancellor Pei Ming, has two sons, Pei Zuo and Pei You. The one coming this time is Pei You, who has been intelligent and clever since childhood, and is considered an outstanding talent among the younger generation of the Pei family."

Zu An thought to himself, 'As expected, none of them are from the main line of the eldest son. It seems the Crown Prince's faction is also being cautious.'

He had initially thought it would be Da Manman, but it seemed he had overthought things.

"What's wrong? You look disappointed," Bi Linglong asked curiously.

"Nothing," Zu An naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to mention another woman in front of her. "By the way, is the Pei family on good terms with yours?"

He remembered Pei Mianman mentioning before that their family belonged to Prince Qi's faction.

Bi Linglong shook her head. "It's a long story. In short, the Pei clan is mainly divided into two branches. One is Duke Linhai, Pei Zheng, who serves as a Chamberlain. He has many children and is connected by marriage to various powers like Prince Liang, the Liu family, and the Jiang family. On the surface, it seems he's betting on both sides, but I'm quite certain he largely supports Prince Qi."

Zu An nodded inwardly, thinking that Da Manman must belong to this branch.

Bi Linglong continued, "As for Pei You, who is coming this time, he is from the Duke Julu branch, Grand Chancellor Pei Ming's line. Since they both serve in the Imperial Secretariat, he and my father have always been at odds..."

Zu An was surprised. "Given this animosity, why would you still allow his grandson to participate in the Crown Prince's Imperial Examination?"

Bi Linglong explained, "Perhaps you don't fully understand some of the unwritten rules among these prominent aristocratic families. A large clan isn't necessarily a monolithic entity; there are often many differing opinions internally. Although Pei Ming and my father don't get along, his second son, Pei Yi, is sworn brothers with my eldest brother. Moreover, Pei Ming's wife and my mother are biological sisters. With these two connections, we naturally wouldn't refuse Pei You's participation."

Zu An couldn't help but marvel at how these great aristocratic families intermarried. Even rival families often managed to establish kinship. He couldn't help but smile, "Pei You's grandmother and your mother are biological sisters, so wouldn't he have to call you 'Aunt'?"

Bi Linglong's face flushed slightly. "That's just according to seniority. In terms of age, he's about the same as me; we're peers."

Zu An was about to tease her further when he suddenly realized something. Pei Zheng and Pei Ming were cousins, and Da Manman was Pei Zheng's granddaughter. By that logic, wouldn't Da Manman also have to call Bi Linglong 'Aunt'? And then, wouldn't she be his aunt-in-law as well...

Realizing this, the smile on Zu An's face immediately froze.

'Pfft, pfft, pfft,' he thought. 'When the time comes, everyone will go by their own rules. I won't bother with their system.'

At this point, Bi Linglong said, "Given the stance of the other branch of the Pei family, I somewhat suspect that Pei Yi's closeness to my eldest brother is a deliberate attempt to infiltrate our ranks. Therefore, we must be wary of their people. This time, we need to pay close attention to Pei You and see if he tries any schemes or tricks."

"Alright," Zu An nodded. This woman was indeed very calm, not at all blinded by familial ties. She was a natural politician.

Bi Linglong continued, "Additionally, the Liu family is sending Liu Xian, the second son of General Wei Liu Yao. This fellow is a complete good-for-nothing. Despite all the resources of the Liu family, he's already in his late thirties and has only just reached the fifth rank. It's truly shameful."

Zu An was taken aback. "This Imperial Examination for the Crown Prince is extremely important. Why would they let such an incompetent person participate?"

To be fair, a fifth-rank cultivation was not low. In some smaller places, a fifth-rank cultivator could be considered the pinnacle.

However, this was the capital, where geniuses emerged in droves, making him appear rather unremarkable by comparison.

Most importantly, he was already in his late thirties. While the fifth-rank students at Brightmoon Academy were considered geniuses, they were only teenagers. For someone in their thirties to be at the fifth rank, even with countless resources poured into them, it was not an exaggeration to call them a good-for-nothing.

Bi Linglong gave a wry smile. "There's no other way. Precisely because this examination is so important, various families will send some of their younger members to 'gild the lily.' After all, many believe that this examination will ultimately be uneventful. If they can seize the opportunity to 'share hardships' with the Crown Prince and help him complete the task, it will be a significant achievement in the future. Each major family has their own calculations, and as an ally, I must also consider their interests. It's impossible to refuse his participation."

"However, the Liu family does understand priorities. Besides sending Liu Xian, that good-for-nothing scion, they also sent their nephew Gao Ying, who is much more capable. He's around the same age as Liu Xian but has already reached the peak of the sixth rank and has always acted prudently, making him reliable."

Zu An chuckled. "It seems the Liu family isn't entirely made up of incompetents."

Speaking of which, Old Man Liu Yao himself was somewhat mediocre, so it was normal for him to raise such an incompetent son. Come to think of it, among the Liu family members he had met, the Empress was the most formidable, both in and out of bed...

Bi Linglong rolled her eyes. "You can only say such things in front of me. If the Empress or the Grand Preceptor heard you, you'd be in serious trouble."

Zu An said with a smile, "I'm only telling you because I consider you one of my own."

Bi Linglong's face reddened. Was this guy trying to flirt with her?

She instinctively wanted to reprimand him but worried it might hurt his feelings, especially since she would be relying on him for the upcoming Crown Prince's examination.

Besides, she mused that his words weren't overly rude, so she decided to let it go and changed the subject. "By the way, the Meng family is sending their second son, Meng Pan. He's more capable than Liu Xian and has already reached the sixth rank."

Having been in the capital for so long, Zu An naturally knew about the Meng family. The Meng family patriarch was Meng Jing, one of the empire's Eight Dukes, who held the position of Minister of Works. However, he was already old. The current head of the Meng family was his son, Meng Yi, who served as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Meng Yi had several sons, and his youngest daughter was Prince Dai's consort.

"Furthermore, Prince Liang's residence is led by his youngest son, Zhao Xi, who is also a talented individual."

"As for the Bi family, the team is led by my elder brother's trusted retainers, Gu Heng and Gu Xing. These two come from the Gu family, a subordinate family to the Bi clan. They grew up and trained alongside my siblings and me, so we know them well. Both brothers are diligent and talented, and they have now both broken through to the sixth rank."

Zu An's expression was strange. "Oh, childhood sweethearts, huh?"

Bi Linglong quickly explained, "Don't overthink it. I merely regard them as honorary elder brothers and family."

After saying this, she herself was stunned. 'Why did I explain that to him?'

Concerned that he might detect something, she quickly said, "As for you, I've used my father's connections to add your name to the list. Although your cultivation exceeds the seventh rank, it's not by much, so there shouldn't be a big problem. Get some good rest today, and tomorrow we'll head to the secret realm together."

Zu An chuckled, thinking that this girl was still relying on her family's influence, unaware that the Emperor had already arranged everything. However, he didn't say anything, merely agreeing solemnly.

Early the next morning, Bi Linglong woke up early to get ready. Thinking about the significance of the day's events, she had tossed and turned all night. Fortunately, as a cultivator, a single sleepless night didn't have much impact.

As her maidservant, Rong Mo, styled her hair, she couldn't help but remark, "My Lady, since you didn't sleep well last night, you should have slept a bit longer. Why are you up so early and meticulously applying makeup? I didn't even see you put this much effort in when you were getting married."

"What do you know, you mischievous girl?" Bi Linglong's face flushed slightly as she gazed at her exquisite makeup in the mirror, which made her look even more radiant than usual. She paused, wondering why she was making such an effort. Was it perhaps to see *him*? Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly explained, "This matter concerns the Crown Prince's future. Naturally, I must appear at my best, not only to declare our resolve to Prince Qi's faction but also to boost the morale of our own people."

Rong Mo pursed her lips and chuckled. "My Lady is so beautiful; those annoying men will surely be vying to impress you."

Bi Linglong spat lightly. "How can you speak such nonsense?"

"Well, the Crown Prince isn't here anyway," Rong Mo said dismissively. "Speaking of which, My Lady's spirits have been much better lately."

"Really?" Bi Linglong paused, realizing she hadn't noticed it herself.

"Yes!" Rong Mo chirped. "Before, when you woke up each day, there was always a faint hint of sadness in your brows. But now, even the corners of your eyebrows show irrepressible joy every day."

"Nonsense! I haven't changed that much," Bi Linglong's heart skipped a beat as she quickly reprimanded her. Then, gazing at the radiant woman in the mirror, she gently touched her cheek. Could it be... because of him?