The chief and deputy examiners in charge of the imperial examinations were kneeling, indicating that the retired emperor still harbored some resentment about this matter.

Zhu Yunying was simply panicking. It wasn't that Old Zhu had disrupted Zhu Yunying's plans, because he had already discussed these matters with Old Zhu, and Old Zhu was aware of some of Zhu Yunying's thoughts. Old Zhu's current actions clearly indicated he was there to intercept the operation; he was there to play the villain.

With a stern face, Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunying and asked, "Your Majesty, we're asking you, who was responsible for the review?"

Zhu Yunying looked distressed, but could only reply, "Zhuo Jing."

Old Zhu nodded slightly and asked directly, "Zhuo Jing, have you gone to have it reviewed?"

Zhuo Jing immediately stepped forward and knelt down, holding up a memorial to the attention of all the civil and military officials. "Your Majesty, I was fortunate enough to be granted permission to review the results of this year's imperial examinations. We reviewed 180 papers and determined their merits and rankings. There were almost no discrepancies with the results when the list of successful candidates was released."

This caused quite a stir in the court, with many people whispering and exchanging glances. Given the uproar over this year's imperial examinations, many felt that something serious might actually happen.

For example, there might have been leaks of exam questions, bribery, or regional discrimination. These are all very possible, otherwise the scholars from the north wouldn't have been in such a dire situation, and they wouldn't have been so indignant and cried out for justice.

Old Zhu knew what was going on, but asked again, "Oh? Really?!"

Zhuo Jing quickly assured him, "We dare not hold anything back, and we are willing to take responsibility for this."

Not only Zhuo Jing stepped forward, but Zhang Xin and others also did. Each of them dared to guarantee that they had not embezzled or broken the law. They certainly dared not do anything illegal at this time, since almost everyone was watching.

Shuangquan took the document and then respectfully handed it to Old Zhu.

Old Zhu carefully examined the memorial, then asked, "Did the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel send anyone to accompany them?"

Zhu Yunying quickly replied, "I dare not be careless. There are people from the Censorate and the Imperial Censorate accompanying me to ensure impartiality."

Old Zhu said directly, "That's good. The selection of officials is a major event for the nation, and we must not discourage the scholars of the country. Have any of the various ministries found any evidence of unfairness in the imperial examinations this time?"

Seeing that no one answered, Old Zhu was actually very satisfied. This meant that there were no problems with this imperial examination, and it wouldn't disrupt his grandson's plans for the first imperial examination after his ascension to the throne.

After carefully examining the memorial, Old Zhu suddenly asked, "Since there was no injustice in this year's imperial examination, why is there such an uproar throughout the court and the country? Why are the candidates crying out for justice in the streets and sending out their name cards everywhere? What exactly is going on?"

Who would dare answer that? Most likely, it's someone who failed and feels resentful, or someone deliberately stirring up trouble. However, it's also possible they simply feel they've been treated unfairly. After all, it's normal for northern scholars to feel wronged, given their lower ranking and fewer available spots.

Old Zhu remained calm and composed, clearly aware of the situation. He didn't feel the need to say anything more.

Old Zhu continued reading the memorials and asked again, "I find it strange that since there was no unfair treatment by the court during this year's imperial examinations, why are there so many resentful scholars? Looking at the court and the public now, there are many doubts about the court."

At this point, some people have something to say, because these questions don't seem difficult to answer.

"Your Majesty, it seems that most of the time the scholars from the North feel that too few of them are on the list."

"Of the 120 candidates selected this time, only a mere 30 are from the north..."

Many people have found the answer, believing that the reason for such a large uproar is mostly due to problems within the imperial court. There were ninety scholars from the south, but only thirty from the north. The disparity was simply too great, so it's understandable that the northern scholars felt resentful at this time.

Old Zhu listened quietly, while many civil and military officials were also speaking at length, expressing their own opinions. Those opinions sounded reasonable; there was no reason to have so few places for scholars from the north.

Old Zhu, who had been listening, suddenly threw down the memorial and roared, "Incompetent fools! Is our Ming court full of good-for-nothings?!"

Faced with the Emperor Emeritus's sudden outburst of rage, all the civil and military officials immediately knelt down, eager to admit their guilt. The psychological pressure the Emperor Emeritus had placed on them was not something that could be eliminated in a short time.