Inside the examination hall, Xiao Zhixing and his two companions directed the finishing touches, preparing to go to the palace to report back to the emperor.

"Duke Li, Brother Wenxiu has passed the imperial examination with flying colors. A celebratory banquet must be held. I will certainly attend to drink some wine at the banquet."

"Haha, definitely, definitely. Your Highness's arrival would be an honor for my Li family. Lord Nian will also be coming."

The three of them walked out of the marking hall amicably.

Suddenly Zhang Shanhai rushed over, his voice urgent, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The scholars outside are causing a disturbance."

Xiao Zhixing frowned. "Why did this commotion start?"

Zhang Shanhai stammered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "They said you...you cheated for your future husband!"

Xiao Zhixing: ? ?

Duke Li, age: ? ? !

Prince Yuansheng has a husband?!

Good heavens!

The live stream was full of question marks.

[Three worlds: We see the prince every day, how come we didn't know she had a husband?!]

[Yellow comment: This is the biggest rumor of the century!!]

At the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall.

"We demand an explanation! We demand justice! We request that Prince Yuansheng come out and explain!!"

"Yes, we demand justice!"

"Please summon Prince Yuansheng!"

The candidates surrounded the examination hall, their emotions running high.

The Imperial Guards held back the scholars who were trying to storm the gate. These were precious students, and the guards dared not treat them too roughly.

"Let's go and beat the drum to appeal! We must get justice for this!" someone suddenly suggested loudly, full of righteous indignation.

"Yes, let's go to His Majesty and ask him to set an example for us!" someone immediately roared in response.

The candidates who failed the exam angrily surged toward Shengwu Gate, while some rational individuals, though not participating, also planned to follow and see what was going on.

Countless ordinary people followed behind to watch the spectacle, and in an instant, a vast crowd surged toward Shengwu Gate.

"Dong dong dong dong—" Soon, the Dengwen Drum, which had not sounded in front of Shengwu Gate for decades, was beaten, shocking the entire capital.

Zhao Yunqi, who was in the middle of a court assembly, turned pale upon hearing the sound that had spread throughout the palace.

The entire court looked at each other in bewilderment—the Drum of Appeal? How great an injustice could this be? This was a slap in the face to the emperor and the court!

Fu Lu rushed in, covered in sweat, and whispered to Zhao Yunqi, "Your Majesty, you should go and see for yourself. Something terrible has happened."

Luo Mangong appeared shortly afterward, saying, "Your Majesty, all the candidates are sitting in protest at the gate of Shengwu, and the entire city is alarmed."

This happened too fast, it's completely abnormal, there must be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.

The Emperor System said, "We noticed that a Heavenly Rank expert was coming, but now that the exam is over, what's all this commotion? Who's causing trouble again?"

What angered it was that it hadn't even noticed.

Another eunuch rushed in, frantically reporting, "Your Majesty, the candidates have jointly accused Prince Yuansheng of cheating on behalf of his husband! The public is outraged!"

Everyone turned around in unison, their faces filled with enormous, utterly bewildered expressions: ???

What? What did they hear?

Husband? Whose husband?

Xiao Zhixing? She has a husband?!

Holy crap!

Outside Shengwu Gate, in the chilly spring air, the candidates sat shivering on the cold ground, their faces turning blue from the cold, yet they refused to leave, stubbornly staring at the palace gate.

At this point, even if someone regretted it and wanted to back out, it was too late; so many people were watching.

Not far away, the crowd was packed with people, three layers deep.

At this time, the successful candidates also came over one after another. They did not sit still, but stood on the side to show that they were in the same boat as everyone else.

Among them were Ji Bai, Xiong Chumo, Jiang Tan, and Li Jun.

Li Jun turned to Ji Bai and the others and asked, "Brother Ji, Brother Xiong, aren't you afraid of being blamed by Prince Yuansheng?"

Ji Bai remained calm. "I trust Your Highness."

Xiong Chumo nodded, "Your Highness is upright and honest, and disdains cheating."

Li Zheng couldn't help but interject, "She has a husband and she kept it a secret from you subordinates?"

Jiang Tan frowned. "Young Master Li Zheng, please be careful with your words. It is still unknown whether that person is the prince's husband."

Lin Muzhen scoffed, "Is Prince Yuansheng blind to such a petty scoundrel?"

Li Jun gestured for Li Zheng to shut up.

Clop clop clop, suddenly the sound of horses' hooves came galloping towards them.

"It's Prince Yuansheng!" Someone with sharp eyes spotted the figure on horseback.

The common people cleared a path and watched as she led her people toward the palace gate.

"Prince Yuansheng, you've finally shown yourself!" The leading scholar jumped up and angrily accused her, "You helped that scoundrel Qian Fen cheat, aren't you feeling guilty?"

Xiao Zhixing pulled back the Blood Night sword, frowned, and scanned the group. "Qian Fen, who is that?"

"Why is Prince Yuansheng putting on airs? Qian Fen is the son-in-law you chose yourself, and you're planning to pretend you know nothing?" another scholar shouted angrily.

Xiao Zhixing laughed in anger, "When have I ever had a son-in-law? This is utterly absurd."

"Guards, bring me that Qian Fen! I'm going to confront him today and ask him where he got the audacity to tarnish my reputation!"

Xiao Zhixing dismounted and waved to the guards at the palace gate, "Please go and report to His Majesty, and ask him to come out and be a witness for me. I will not rest until this matter is cleared up!"

Seeing her so open and honest, many people began to waver.

As everyone knows, although Xiao Zhixing is domineering and arrogant, he disdains to do petty things. Moreover, there are four wise sayings from Zhang Zai, so he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would cheat for others.

Just then, the emperor led his officials out of Shengwu Gate, and the eunuchs quickly brought over the throne.

For the first time ever, Zhao Yunqi began solving cases right at the palace gate.

“I invite a few scholars who know the matter to come forward and explain the situation,” Fu Lu said loudly. “The rest of you, be quiet.”

The three leaders stepped forward to pay their respects to the emperor and explained the matter one by one:

"A scholar named Qian Fen revealed that someone had provided him with exam questions for the imperial examination. That person was none other than the noble lady, Prince Yuansheng, whom he had recently befriended. The Qian family's neighbors had also witnessed Prince Yuansheng entering and leaving the Qian family. It was said that he would invite Qian Fen to marry into the prince's mansion. The entire Qian family had already made this matter known throughout the world."

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