Meng Anci

Biodata

Power Progression

Meng Anci’s documented advancement follows the imperial examination and official-ranking system.

Background

Meng Anci and his elder sister were orphaned young. Before their mother’s death, she instructed them to remain with Jin Shanyao. When their eldest aunt tried to take them back into the Meng clan, Anci refused and publicly accused the relatives of stealing from the household and abusing his mother after his father died 1 2.

The family’s first and second branches remained a serious threat. Meng Hongde struck Anci hard enough to send his head into a stove, leaving him bleeding, while the relatives arranged to sell Meng Anzhi. Anci protected his sister with a pointed wooden fork and poisoned food with “leg-kicking mushrooms” in an attempt to stop them. Jin Shanyao rescued the children, treated his injury, and discovered what he had done 9 10 11 12.

Jin Shanyao began teaching both siblings to read and proposed teaching them martial arts. Anci soon demonstrated an aptitude for learning: Meng Anzhi described him as someone who understood new things on the first try 2 14 17.

Appearance

• Early childhood: Clear eyes, a straight posture, and an unafraid gaze impress Master Han at their first meeting 23.
• Small stature: He is the shortest pupil at the Enlightenment Academy and worries intensely about anything that might keep him from growing taller 43.
• Round cheeks: Meng Anzhi frequently pinches or squeezes his cheeks during their childhood quarrels 41.
• Fifteenth-birthday clothing: Wears a red brocade robe to remind his family of the occasion. Jin Shanyao recalls that he also wore red when he became the top scholar 453.

Personality

Anci is quick-witted, competitive, and skilled at appearing harmless while maneuvering others into disadvantageous positions. As a child, he provokes Shiyan into exposing his own misconduct, then leaves teachers uncertain whether he is scheming or merely innocent. He later consciously studies Jin Shanyao’s methods of deception, concluding that a convincing performance requires sincerity of expression, confidence, and ruthlessness 43 44 89.

His ambition grows directly from childhood insecurity. He remembers being beaten by village children and watching his mother and sister endure humiliation for food. Education initially represents a route to power: he wants to become a high official so that nobody can bully his family again. Watching Su Wenqian receive the common people’s gratitude forces him to reflect on those motives 280.

Despite his boldness, Anci is emotionally dependent on his family’s affection. Insults about his dead parents hurt him deeply, and he becomes frightened when Jin Shanyao appears to ignore him after punishing him. Even as he grows older, he remains eager for her praise and distressed by the possibility that his family has forgotten his birthday 39 58 434 453.

He is capable of generosity toward former enemies, risking himself for Shiyan and bringing him medicine during an epidemic. His compassion does not erase his vindictiveness: he promises not to harm innocents or tolerate evil, while privately reserving a different response for anyone who targets him 56 160 193.

Abilities & Skills

Scholarship and Policy Writing

Anci combines fast comprehension with sustained study, though his early examination failure teaches him to stop chasing immediate results 94 124.

• Keeps pace with Master Cen’s lessons within three days of joining his class 124.
• Studies flood prevention with Lu Chi, who explains waterways and four approaches to flood management 81.
• Writes a disaster-relief essay that Su Wenqian praises but considers too sharply critical for cautious examiners 211.
• Applies his understanding of concealment and finance to a metropolitan examination question on frontier defense 364.
• Studies stronger candidates rather than accepting his own high placement as sufficient 240 347.

Manipulation and Political Maneuvering

Anci frequently turns an opponent’s pride, greed, or procedural weakness against them.

• Forces hostile villagers to stop cursing the siblings by threatening to hang himself at their homes 14.
• Uses carefully selected truths and staged behavior to encourage listeners to draw the conclusions he wants 90 91.
• Helps recruit workers for Anzhi Hall and records assessments of prospective employees’ suitability 104 149.
• Stops an unreasonable copying assignment by threatening to ask the crown prince whether its deadline is appropriate 395.
• Secures Liu Kangjian’s testimony against Yan Shuan by promising to protect his father if the account is truthful 409.

Physical Training and Combat

Anci trains under Jin Shanyao and develops strength, speed, and practical fighting instincts.

• Repeatedly wins exchanges in Shiyan’s hand-slapping game, leaving Shiyan’s hand swollen 29.
• Practices chasing a nimble wildcat, though neither sibling manages to catch it after months of trying 32.
• Sidesteps Shiyan’s charge and kicks him down during their arranged fight 45.
• Dodges Liu San’s blade and breaks his wrist with a stick while rescuing a child 207.
• His early archery is poor: his first shot with his new bow strikes the wall rather than the straw target 41.

Riding

• Learns riding after initially being mocked for his inexperience 38.
• Uses Black Grand Marshal to intercept a runaway horse by striking its hindquarters at an angle 56.
• The rescue succeeds, but Jin Shanyao and Lu Chi condemn the risk. Jin Shanyao teaches him to target a large animal’s weakness from a distance instead of meeting it head-on 58.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Small bow and arrows — An early birthday present purchased by Meng Anzhi with her savings 41.
• Black Grand Marshal — His black horse, given to him as a foal by Jin Shanyao; he personally gathers tender grass to feed it 41 42 44.
• Slingshot — Given by Jin Shanyao after the runaway-horse incident as a portable alternative to charging into danger 58.
• Necklace — Becomes painfully hot during dangerous encounters, including the horse rescue and Liu San’s attack. It is prohibited inside the academy examination compound 56 207 211.
• Wooden hairpin — Made by Jin Shanyao to replace the necklace for examinations. It shelters him with Spiritual Power during the metropolitan examination until a heavenly light destroys that protective layer 211 362.
• Dagger — Jin Shanyao coats it with Spiritual Power when he fears an encounter with a departed soul 217.
• Jade pendant — Given by Su Wenqian when he accepts Anci as his student 221.
• Anzhi Hall secondary seal — Anci holds the secondary seal, while Meng Anzhi holds the main seal 430.
• Private residence — A fifteenth-birthday gift from Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi, recalling his childhood wish to provide them with a house larger than the Zhao Residence 22 453.

Relationships

• Jin Shanyao — Guardian and central source of security. He defends her from childhood, learns both scholarship and scheming from her, and eventually insists that it is his turn to protect her 1 2 89 405.
• Meng Anzhi — Elder sister and closest companion. Their affection includes teasing, mock accusations, and frequent physical squabbles. He protects her fiercely and provokes her into speaking again after her hostage ordeal 11 41 242.
• Meng Sanlang and Wen Jingshu — Deceased parents. Their mistreatment shapes his ambition; he later helps relocate their graves to Lush Mountain 1 4 280 377.
• Su Wenqian — Teacher and political mentor. Reviews his essays, accepts him as a disciple, warns him against losing his original intentions, and helps investigate Yan Shuan’s tax records 211 221 405.
• Lu Chi — Begins as a purchased servant whom Anci cheekily calls “Gouya.” Later assists his studies, worries over his reckless riding, and offers official backing to both siblings 50 56 81 166.
• Zhao Zhiyuan — Longstanding academic rival and later Hanlin colleague. Their competition becomes mutual support against workplace harassment, but Anci repeatedly warns him away from Meng Anzhi 81 347 395 432.
• Shiyan — Childhood bully who becomes a friend and fellow student. Anci rescues him, brings him lifesaving medicine, and eventually passes on his examination books 27 56 160 373.
• Zhao Yushan — Initially targets him during cuju. Later receives Anci’s deliberately provocative advice and agrees to study with Zhao Zhiyuan to surpass him 120 141.
• Meng Hongde, Meng Hongyi, and Diao Siniang — Abusive paternal relatives who later try to profit from his education. Once established, Anci rejects renewed claims of kinship and cites the officially recorded household division 9 50 51 376.
• Dahuang and Xiaoli — Childhood animal companions and protectors. Anci brings Dahuang on an academy excursion and rents him a separate boat 9 40 248.
• Xiao Huzi — Younger acquaintance whom Anci rescues from danger. Later persuades him to write classmates’ names for a share of the proceeds 207 208 378.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Schooling and His First Failure

Anci’s entry into education is obstructed by family reputation and class prejudice. Master Han’s favorable first impression turns cold when he learns who Anci’s paternal uncles are. At the Enlightenment Academy, Shiyan mocks his clothing, poverty, and orphanhood 23 27 39.

Anci retaliates through games, evasions, and calculated provocation rather than simply reporting the bullying. Nevertheless, failing an early examination devastates him. With his family’s support, he returns to study more patiently and eventually becomes a novice scholar 29 43 44 93 94 113.

Family Protection and Public Responsibility

Anci’s desire to protect his household repeatedly pushes him into danger, notably when he stops Shiyan’s runaway horse and confronts Liu San during a child’s rescue. Both incidents bring anxious reprimands from his family 56 58 207 208.

The fate of twenty-eight soldiers killed through their superiors’ selfishness gives his future official career an explicit moral standard. Jin Shanyao tells him to consider whether innocents die under his authority and whether wrongdoers are allowed to act unchecked 193.

He also begins acting publicly on the family’s behalf. When Jin Shanyao is detained, his petition and mobilization of the crowd draw criticism from Zhu Huaizhang, while Zhao Cheng defends him and challenges the detention’s handling 293.

Examination Success and Departure from Little River Village

After becoming a xiucai and taking Su Wenqian as his teacher, Anci continues through the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations to become zhuangyuan 219 221 347 368 373.

His return demonstrates how completely his position has changed. He sells the old family property despite his relatives’ objections, threatens legal action when Meng Hongyi presses their kinship, and helps move his parents’ graves to Lush Mountain 376 377.

Court Rivalries and Promotion

At the Hanlin Academy, Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan face petty harassment and excessive assignments. Anci concludes that they need leverage against their antagonists, then pursues evidence concerning Yan Shuan’s suspected land acquisition and tax evasion 395 405 409.

Yan Shuan’s relatives later blame Anci for their loss of protection. When one publicly calls him a treacherous minister, Anci orders him detained and investigated 423.

Anci subsequently draws attention to an incorrect quotation source in Sun Yan’s draft. The error is exposed before the emperor, and Sun Yan is imprisoned; Anci denies Zhao Zhiyuan’s accusation that he arranged the downfall. After the emperor’s death, Anci becomes a supervising censor, acquiring a reputation for advancing at his colleagues’ expense 432 434.

Fifteenth Birthday

Anci mistakes his family’s secrecy for forgetfulness and dresses in red to remind them of his birthday. Jin Shanyao offers her wishes before taking him to Meng Anzhi, who reveals that a decorated residence is his present—an answer to the enormous house he dreamed of providing when he was four 22 453.

Notable Quotes

“Right... we’ll be together forever.”
— His childhood promise to Jin Shanyao 2

“If I ever hold power, I’ll never kill the innocent indiscriminately, and I’ll never tolerate evil.”
— His pledge after learning the soldiers’ fate 193

“My only goal is to protect you and Auntie from being bullied.”
— Explaining his ambition to Meng Anzhi 430