That night, many candidates broke down and cried hysterically, feeling that all three years of hard work had been wasted.

It's very sympathetic, but this is the rule. If the test paper is soiled, you have to bear all the consequences yourself.

As for those who made a lot of noise, they were dragged out on the charge of disrupting the examination room.

Everyone who remained in the examination room secretly rejoiced.

However, they were happy too soon. The scholar was weak and fell ill after being caught in the rain for a while. He caught a cold and felt dizzy.

Some are holding on, while others have already collapsed.

The examiners were all very calm. This kind of thing was commonplace. All they could say was that these candidates were just unlucky.

Eating, drinking, defecating and urinating in a small cubicle during the exam is a huge test for the candidates.

Fortunately, Mu Zicheng and his companions adapted well.

Mu Wanqing had previously arranged a mock examination room and threw them into it, which was exactly the same as the formal exam. They stayed in it for nine days and simulated various scenarios.

Although a layer of skin will be peeled off each time, the effect is significant.

Mu Wanqing also required all students to exercise, and doing gymnastics and jogging were part of their daily routine.

Therefore, they can deal with various unexpected situations with ease and take the exam with a calm mind.

Finally, the exam was over, the door of the examination room slowly opened, and the officer came out first carrying a stretcher.

The people waiting outside gasped and became nervous. Could it be their own candidate?

According to the rules of this dynasty, in order to strictly prevent cheating in the imperial examinations, from the moment the examination room door is locked, it will not be opened again no matter what happens, and people will not be allowed out until the end. This is an iron rule.

Therefore, even if a candidate is seriously ill, he or she cannot be sent out of the examination room and has to carry the disease on their own. As a result, many candidates die in the examination room.

The candidate on the stretcher was dying and had fallen into a coma, so the officials sent him to a nearby clinic.

One by one, the candidates with pale faces stumbled out, unable to stand steadily, as if they had shed several layers of skin. The family members and servants waiting outside rushed forward to support them.

Mu Zicheng did not rush out. After handing in the test paper, he packed up his things and waited for his companions to leave together.

After walking out of the examination room, everyone let out a breath of foul air and felt that their bodies smelled terrible.

The servants of the Mu family ran over, their eyes full of worry, "Master, let me help you."

Mu Zicheng and his group were in the best spirits and could still walk freely, while the others could not walk. "No, no, I'm fine."

"The test basket prepared by the clan leader is so complete, it has everything. We were able to come out of it intact, all thanks to the clan leader."

"The county lady is so thoughtful. I couldn't have thought of it in such detail. I'm lucky to have her this time." The Xiliang candidate was particularly grateful. He received so much favor from the county lady Qingping this time.

Not only were there the four treasures of the study, oilcloth, various pills, and long-lasting food, like instant noodles and self-heating rice, which were particularly convenient, but there were also beef jerky and candy to satisfy their hunger, ensuring that their bodies had what they needed.

So, when others were encountering problems and didn't know what to do, they were experienced, ate well, and did particularly well in the exam.

Happiness comes from contrast.

When they got home, Mu Wanqing had already arranged for a doctor to take their pulses and confirm that they were fine and just tired. She gave them a bowl of strong ginger tea and some steaming food before letting them go to bed.

After Mu Wanqing left the yamen, she asked a few questions about his health and didn't mention anything else.

After Mu Zicheng woke up, he saw that she didn't ask anything, but took the initiative to ask, "Sister, why don't you ask how we did in the exam?"

Mu Wanqing was very calm, "The exam is over, what's there to ask? The result is already determined."

It makes so much sense that I can't refute it.

After several busy examiners, they sent the admission list to the Minister of Rites, who then presented it to the Cabinet, and then the Cabinet passed it to the Emperor.

The Prime Minister took it and glanced at it, his eyes falling on a name.

Xiliang, Mu Zicheng.

His eyes darkened and he pondered for a while, then picked up a brush to cross out the name and rewrote the list.

The Minister of Rites' eyes flashed, "Master Prime Minister, this is inappropriate."

They are in the same camp and both dislike Mu Wanqing, but, this matter cannot stand further scrutiny.

The Prime Minister tapped the table lightly, and stood up after an unknown amount of time. "Let's go see the Emperor."

He walked out first. The Minister of Rites' eyes flickered. He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed him.

In the Yangxin Palace, the Prime Minister bowed and presented the list with both hands. "Your Majesty, this is the newly released list of Jinshi candidates. Please take a look."

The emperor flipped through the list of 200 Jinshi at random, and finished it in one go. "That's all? All here?"

"Yes." The Prime Minister lowered his eyebrows and looked very respectful.

The emperor looked at him deeply, his eyes were inexplicable, and he said, "Come here, go to the Examination Institute and ask for these people's test papers."

"Yes." The chief eunuch responded.

The emperor seemed to have just remembered, "Find Mu Zicheng's test paper and present it in its entirety."

The Minister of Rites' face changed when he heard the voice, and he subconsciously looked towards the Prime Minister.

What's going on? Why is the emperor so concerned about Mu Zicheng? Is it because of Princess Qingping?

The Prime Minister's hands suddenly tightened under his sleeves. He had a bad feeling in his heart, but he did not show it on his face and his expression was calm.

The air was a little stagnant. After an unknown amount of time, the eunuch came back with a stack of test papers.

Mu Zicheng's test paper was at the very top. The emperor picked it up and saw that it was dirty with a few ink spots as big as beans. He couldn't help but frowned.

The Minister of Rites secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As he said, the shrewd Prime Minister would definitely have a backup plan.

The Prime Minister glanced at it calmly and said, "Mu Zicheng's handwriting is good, but I don't know how his policy essay is. He is too careless. How could he make such a low-level mistake? It's not good to dirty the paper. However, he is still young and will have plenty of opportunities in the future."

He got the guy down and started making sarcastic remarks, full of sarcasm.

There was a flash of anger in the emperor's eyes. This old man was getting more and more outrageous.

"Pass on my order to thoroughly investigate the Examination Yuan. Whoever is found guilty will be severely punished. I want to see who dares to mess up the most important matter of the country."

When these words came out, everyone was shocked.

The Minister of Rites was even more anxious and secretly resentful that he had been tricked by the Prime Minister this time.

He and the Prime Minister formed a clique just to get what they wanted. The Prime Minister needed more subordinates, and he wanted to enter the cabinet and take over the position of Prime Minister as a matter of course.

Who among all civil servants doesn’t have a dream of becoming a high-ranking official?

The emperor's uncharacteristic behavior made the prime minister nervous, but what had been done had been done and could not be undone.

He was stunned for a moment, his face full of confusion, "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

He really seemed to know nothing, not to mention how confused he was, and his acting was superb.

The emperor's patience with him had reached its limit and he wanted to let him stay for a few more years to keep his position, but this old guy was so bold and presumptuous that he dared to interfere in anything.

The imperial examination was to select talents for the country. It was the cornerstone of the court and also its bottom line.

Anyone who dares to cheat on this issue would be stepping over his bottom line and seeking death.

"When you get older, you should be more careful about what you say and do, lest you lose your integrity in your later years and bring disaster to your family and grandchildren."

This was a warning. The Prime Minister's heart skipped a beat and a chill ran down his back. This was not right. The Emperor was acting too abnormally. This was different from how he had imagined a king's reaction to be.

What went wrong?

His face was calm, "Your Majesty is right."

He didn't reveal any flaws and seemed like an unrelated person. This made the Minister of Rites very angry. Damn, who is responsible if something goes wrong?

It was obviously not him who did it, but the responsibility fell on him.

He was the chief examiner of this imperial examination, which was presided over by the Ministry of Rites, so he would be held responsible no matter what.

But for now, we can only hope that the Prime Minister is clean enough.

Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed.

As soon as the Wuyi Guards took action, they got to the bottom of the matter. When the list was first released, Mu Zicheng was on it, and ranked quite high, at 15th.

After being sent to the cabinet, Mu Lecheng disappeared from the list. It was easy to tell where the problem lay by asking.

The emperor launched the attack too quickly, leaving the prime minister no time to clean up his tracks or any chance to connect with others.

The examiners certainly did not dare to offend the cabinet ministers, but who would dare to cover up when it came to such a national affair?

It's clearly not their fault, why should they bear the responsibility?

Since their own interests were at stake, they distanced themselves from the matter faster than anyone else, trying to prove that there was nothing wrong with Mu Zicheng's initial paper.

Soon, the Wuyi Guards caught the clerk who deliberately soiled the paper, and followed the clues to find the prime minister.

The Prime Minister naturally refused to admit it. Although he had taken precautions in advance and ordered several people to pass the matter along, the incident happened too quickly and he did not have time to clean up the mess.

All he could say was that he had fallen into the hole he had dug. He only hated that he only needed half a day to smooth things over. Half a day would be enough.

But, if you walk on the road at night too much, you will always encounter ghosts.

If you do this kind of thing too much, you will get into trouble one day.

Although the Minister of Rites is in the same camp as the Prime Minister, when it comes to a life-and-death situation, he will of course protect himself.

He personally testified against the Prime Minister and nailed him to death.

The emperor was furious and scolded them for being so audacious that they even dared to interfere with the imperial examination, which was disloyal, unkind and unjust.

But considering that they were old ministers, the officials were not punished. Instead, they were demoted to commoners and exiled three thousand miles away.

Not only that, their crimes were made public, causing strong anger among students all over the world, and they gnashed their teeth in hatred.

The students who failed the exam couldn't help wondering, was this how they were defeated before? This aroused public resentment, and they demanded a thorough investigation of the Prime Minister's immoral deeds over the years.

Just like that, the prime minister who was once famous all over the world and had the support of countless students became a despised dog thief overnight, his foundation was completely destroyed, and he had no chance of turning things around.

This wave was as fast as lightning, and by the time everyone reacted, the dust had already settled.

No one expected that a small figure would cause such a great turmoil in the court.

Mu Zicheng, the person involved, walked into everyone's sight.

Mu Zicheng was deceived throughout the whole process and experienced a bloody storm before he even entered the official career.

He didn't dare go anywhere and just stayed at home waiting for the final result.

However, Mu Wanqing was very calm. She seemed not to show up in this matter, but her presence was everywhere.

"Brother, you have been implicated by me. The Prime Minister's target is me."

He originally wanted to use this incident to force Mu Wanqing to jump out and make a fuss. Given Mu Wanqing's character of not wanting to suffer any loss, she would definitely make the matter known to the world.

But the imperial examination has always been what students care about most. If it is not handled properly, it will shake the foundation of the country, which will make her lose her favor.

He planned very well and considered every step, but unfortunately, the opponent he met was Mu Wanqing.

His understanding of Mu Wanqing was superficial, not real.

He only took the first step and was caught before he could clean up the mess.

Mu Zicheng has been under a lot of pressure recently, and his eyes are very dark. "Don't say that. We are a family. We prosper together and suffer together."

There was one thing he didn't understand, "But with the Prime Minister's shrewdness, he wouldn't act so crudely."

It feels like it happened too quickly and too naturally.

Mu Wanqing's lips curled up slightly, "I made a bet with the emperor."

"What?" Mu Zicheng looked confused. Why couldn't he understand?

Mu Wanqing laughed out loud, her laughter was extremely proud, "I bet this imperial examination will not be peaceful, someone will do something, so the Wuyi Guards have been watching secretly from the beginning."

"The Prime Minister got arrested as soon as he made a move. He deserved it. If he hadn't thought of this, he wouldn't have been in trouble."

Of course, this also requires the emperor's cooperation. The emperor attaches great importance to the first imperial examination after he ascended the throne and does not allow anyone to cause trouble.

When the emperor takes action, he has the support of the entire state apparatus, so no matter how cunning the prime minister is, he has to admit defeat.

Mu Zicheng suddenly realized that it was his sister who had won the game. "Sister, you did this all for me. Thank you."

Mu Wanqing shook her head seriously, "It's for the sake of fairness."

"You don't have to explain, I know everything." Mu Zicheng didn't know what was going on in his mind, and he was so moved that tears filled his eyes.

"Then, do well in the palace examination." Mu Wanqing was too lazy to explain, "The emperor is presiding over the examination personally, no one dares to play tricks under his nose."

After the joint examination comes the final battle, the palace examination, where the emperor himself tests the admitted students.

Generally speaking, it's just a change in ranking, it's impossible to be downgraded.

The palace examination arrived as scheduled, and all the candidates entered the hall with great excitement.

"The Emperor has arrived."

Everyone knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor" three times.

"Everyone, stand up."

The tribute students stood up straight, not daring to look directly at the emperor's face. They glanced around cautiously. The emperor was surrounded by high-ranking officials. Hey, why is there a woman?

The emperor sat down in the main seat and ordered, "Princess Qingping, you come up with the policy paper."

Wow, is this the legendary Princess Qingping? The current Minister of Revenue?

Mu Wanqing was asked by the emperor to come along, but she actually didn't want to come, as officials had to avoid coming if their family members were taking the exam.

"Your Majesty, I want to avoid suspicion. Please ask other adults to ask questions."

Everyone subconsciously scanned the crowd. Mu Zicheng, her eldest brother, right? The one who caused the great turmoil in the court? Who was it?

Mu Zicheng's heart was pounding, his palms were sweating, it was a bit exciting!