The two-day provincial examination passed quickly in a tense atmosphere.

Fengjing City did not relax its efforts as a result; instead, it fell into an even more anxious wait.

As is customary, the results will be announced in ten days.

The chief examiner for this provincial examination in Zhongchen was Li Jingyao, the Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy.

The officials who were reviewing the examination papers were isolated in a specially designated area called "Hengjian Hall" next to the examination hall.

This place had long been heavily guarded by the Imperial Guards, isolating it from the outside world.

Before the final rankings are announced, all examiners are not allowed to leave this place, let alone go home, in order to prevent cheating.

Li Jingyao was already used to such rules.

He appeared calm and composed at that moment, with an air of detachment from worldly affairs.

As the chief examiner, he does not need to personally grade every single exam paper; he only needs to have an overall view of the whole paper.

The time when he really needs to be busy is when all the exam papers have gone through layers of screening and evaluation, and he is in charge of the final stage.

Together with the deputy chief examiner and others, they deliberated and finalized the crucial final ranking.

This provincial examination was exceptionally unique, encompassing almost all the renowned talented women of Zhongchen Road.

The attention it has garnered is unprecedented, but the waters behind it are also unfathomable.

Li Jingyao had thought that His Majesty would give some instructions in secret, but so far, nothing has happened.

However, after serving as an official for decades, Li Jingyao had long been adept at understanding how to read the emperor's mind.

I slowly strolled around the huge marking area.

Dozens of examiners were buried in piles of exam papers, their faces solemn.

The soft scratching of a brush across paper, the occasional rustling of turning pages, and the hushed sounds of discussion echoed in the hall.

The air seemed to thicken with this focused concentration, filled with the scent of ink and an invisible pressure.

The candlelight illuminated faces, some young, some old, but all equally solemn.

After completing his inspection, he found the deputy chief examiner, Lord Sun, the Junior Supervisor of the Ceremonial Department.

"Lord Sun, this provincial examination is of great significance, and we both bear a heavy responsibility."

In my opinion, we must be extremely cautious.

Li Jingyao stroked his beard, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable weight.

"Since we both have some free time right now, why don't we bring over those papers that are in a 'take' or 'don't take' situation?"

Let us both carefully examine the material to avoid overlooking any gems, and to give an account to His Majesty and to all the students in the land.

They were all seasoned veterans of the officialdom, and upon hearing this, Vice Director Sun immediately bowed and replied:

"Lord Li's words are very well thought out and absolutely correct!"

It's always better to be cautious. I'll take care of it immediately.

He thought to himself, “Lord Li must have received some unspoken instructions from the palace. He is trying to select something from among them.”

But he never expected that Li Jingyao's actions were not based on the emperor's will.

Soon, a dozen or so exam papers were delivered to the examination room.

Li Jingyao and Sun Shaojian sat behind two large desks on either side of each other, not in a hurry, slowly and methodically flipping through the documents one by one.

Li Jingyao's attention was almost entirely focused on the policy essay section, which was also the part with the highest score.

But what he looked at was not whether the article's theme was lofty, its argumentation meticulous, or its writing style outstanding.

His gaze, like a comb, meticulously filtered through the transitions and rhymes of those passages.

He's looking for a special exam paper with hidden markings!

Before the provincial examination, he received an anonymous letter, a note that appeared out of nowhere on his desk in his study.

He was instructed to do something underhanded in the upcoming provincial examination.

Among all the papers that are deemed ambiguous, if the paragraph structure and rhyme arrangement conform to a certain pattern, they will be judged as passing, regardless of their ranking.

This matter concerns his only son, who is an official far away from home!

Back in the day, when Li Jingyao first entered the Hanlin Academy, he was full of vigor and ambition.

They thought that the position of "Prime Minister" would surely allow them to achieve great things, but in the end, they could not shake the mountain that was Pei Xuanyun.

He worked hard for many years, but all he did was train talent for Fenggetai.

Afterwards, he became disheartened and lost the will to discipline his son.

Later, his son barely passed the provincial examination but made no further progress, and was forced to be selected as an official and sent to a remote area.

In his haste to be transferred back to the capital, he made some mistakes that gave others leverage against him.

He thought his career was ruined, but someone secretly suppressed the matter.

Li Jingyao could guess who was behind it; it was none other than those few powerful and influential families using it as leverage to blackmail him.

Strangely, the other party remained silent for many years after this incident, until the eve of this provincial examination when they contacted him for the first time.

The other party's request... Li Jingyao had thought about it repeatedly.

If the goal is simply to pass a paper that is already in a state of uncertainty, and there is no question of altering the rankings, the risk is minimal.

Even if someone questions him in the future, he can use high-sounding reasons such as "cherishing talent" and "novel viewpoints" to deflect the question, and no one can really find fault with him.

Moreover, this is not unusual; examiners often have their own preferences.

For his son's future and safety, this risk is worth taking.

Thus, the scene unfolded where he and Supervisor Sun were reviewing the case files together.

There were sixteen papers in total. They seemed to be reading the articles, but in reality, their minds were focused on identifying the agreed-upon rhyming codes.

However, after a thorough inspection, none of them met the requirements.

It seems that only half of the papers have been graded yet, and that special paper has not yet been discovered.

Li Jingyao thought to himself, but showed no sign of it on his face.

The vice-supervisor Sun across from him looked up and asked, "Lord Li, have you discovered any missing gems?"

Li Jingyao put down the exam paper in his hand and quickly pulled out one to hand over:

"This article offers a fairly novel perspective; please take a look, Lord Sun."

Sun Shaojian took it, read it carefully for a moment, and then commented:

"The opening statement is indeed interesting, but the arguments are somewhat loose and weak, lacking support, although the writing style is fairly coherent."

That's really... something you could take or not take.

"Let's put it aside for now and decide after comparing it with other papers."

"yes……"

Sun Shaojian was somewhat suspicious, wondering if the old man had actually received any orders.

Perhaps he's overthinking it, and it really is just a pastime for when he's bored?

Within Fengjing City, all eyes were on the results of the provincial examination.

The examiners were confined in Hengjian Hall, while some others were as if bound by invisible shackles.

Inside the palace, the three senior officials were busy with their own affairs, while the three junior officials also had their own lessons to learn.

Only the sixth man in the middle lived a carefree and leisurely life.

I sleep until I naturally wake up every day, and once I'm awake, I think about food. After I'm full, I play and have fun, and the cycle repeats itself.

On this afternoon, the autumn sun was warm and gentle, bright but not scorching.

Qin Zhaoyue ordered the palace servants to move a chaise longue covered with soft satin to the corridor, where she comfortably leaned back.

On the left, Tao Yao holds a round fan with a butterfly and flower design, gently fanning it for her.

On the right, Yingnuo peeled the crystal-clear purple grapes and fed them to her mouth one by one.

She leaned to one side, half-closing her eyes, listening to the sweet-voiced palace maid read the latest storybook to her.

However, the maids serving around them and the young palace maids reading books all had faces flushed with a suspicious blush, as if they had been tinted with rouge...