Chen Yu was surrounded by people, feeling ice-cold all over, and shivering like a leaf.

Why...why did it turn out like this? That wasn't written by her at all!

The young manager of the pharmacy looked at her with a face full of fear.

It felt like my throat was being choked; I couldn't utter a single word.

Just then, Chen Yu suddenly felt that all the sounds around him became distant and blurry, as if they were separated by a thick curtain of water.

Looking up blankly, I found my body being carried uncontrollably through a dense crowd.

Strangely, it did not cause any disturbance; she was like a nimble fish, and everyone around her ignored her.

A clear voice entered her ears:

"It is I, Dou Zhan, the Xuanji Guard. Do not panic."

Dou Zhan, whose form had been concealed, was using its "power" to envelop Chen Yu, carrying her swiftly away from the place of trouble.

His face was so dark it was almost dripping with gloom, but he was also on high alert.

At this critical moment, Chen Yu absolutely cannot get into trouble; otherwise, there will be no way to prove anything, and he will truly be unable to defend himself.

Clearly, there were people stationed inside and outside the examination hall to guard it closely, and today was clearly the final moment to close the net.

Who exactly was it, and how did they manage to do something like this right under the noses of the Xuanji Guard?

In the center of the examination hall, a slender figure quietly appeared.

This man was dressed as a scholar, wearing a blue robe. He had a handsome face and a somewhat frail appearance, and looked to be no more than twenty years old.

Only his eyes remained calm and deep, like still water.

He was none other than Xuanji Guard, codenamed "Yanbing," a third-rank Divine Martial Realm expert.

He personally oversaw and monitored everything during the preliminary examination, the provincial examination, and even the grading of the papers.

With a flash, he appeared in the Hengjian Hall next door, the place where the examiners graded the papers, and rushed straight into the warehouse where all the documents were sealed.

According to regulations, all written materials handled during the grading process, including drafts, annotations, and even discarded slips of paper, must be preserved and sealed.

Under his surveillance, there was absolutely no way anyone could take away even a single piece of paper!

The original scroll has been removed and posted, but the complete set of transcribed scrolls is still stored in the archive for future reference.

Yan Bing moved swiftly, found Chen Yu's copy, immediately unfolded it to examine it, and her gaze fell directly on the policy essay section.

His face was gloomy and cold, and his aura seemed to freeze.

This transcribed scroll does not contain any of those treasonous words in its policy essays.

what is going on? !

They actually managed to pull off a switcheroo right under his nose, replacing the tightly sealed original scroll?

...

Inside the Imperial Palace, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Morning light streamed through the carved windows, illuminating the smooth, mirror-like gold-brick floor.

Today's morning court session was delayed by a few hours compared to usual, and it has not yet ended.

The results of the provincial examination for women, which His Majesty strongly promoted, will be announced today.

The officials stood silently with their heads bowed, each with their own thoughts.

Pei Xiang stood at the head of the civil officials, his expression calm and undisturbed.

His gaze swept casually across the line of imperial heirs, finally settling on the face of the sixth princess, Qin Zhaoyue.

Her? Those stunning poems really came from her hand?

That's right, the sixth prince went to court.

She had been told she wouldn't need to attend court this year, but she wasn't too resistant to being summoned today.

Thinking that today's results announcement and the Xuanji Guard's reaping of rewards would be the perfect time to collect merit points.

Although she was still a little sleepy, she kept her eyes wide open and didn't doze off at all.

Just kidding, last time I couldn't resist taking a nap, and as a result I got kicked out of Fengjing.

They were gone for two or three months at a time, and the lesson was too painful.

So it takes real events to teach people a lesson; look at how straight and upright she is standing right now.

As for what the court officials were discussing, Qin Zhaoyue didn't hear a word; her mind was completely blank.

The court officials naturally couldn't just wait idly; the sensible officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs were slowly reporting on the reconstruction of the disaster area and the autumn harvest.

Qin Minghuang sat upright on the dragon throne, listening as she glanced in the direction of the imperial heirs.

From the start of court until now, not a single word of Xiao Liu's thoughts has been heard.

Although her eyes were open, they were blank and empty, clearly lost in thought.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps broke the silence outside the hall.

A Xuanji Guard rushed into the hall, bowing and urgently reporting:

"Your Majesty, there is an anomaly in the provincial examination papers. The essay written by Chen Yu of Xianyun County, who passed the provincial examination, contains inappropriate language."

The atmosphere in the court suddenly froze, and the official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs who had been stalling for time immediately stopped.

Chen Yu? Qin Zhaoyue jolted awake.

That's not right. Wasn't she under the close surveillance of the Xuanji Guard the whole time? How could something have gone wrong?

Upon hearing this, Qin Minghuang coldly uttered a single word, "Read."

Xuanji Wei braced himself and read aloud.

The hall fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

At first, I thought it was just an unintentional taboo, but after hearing just one sentence...

This isn't just a taboo; it's a blatant slap in His Majesty's face! How could such an essay pass the imperial examination and be posted on the official list?

Everyone present was intelligent and knew it was impossible; someone must have sabotaged it.

It is a consensus that His Majesty intends to use this imperial examination to bring powerful and wealthy women into the officialdom.

What should have been a decisive blow that turned the tide of the battle turned into a disaster, but at the last moment, such a blunder occurred.

Qin Minghuang remained expressionless. "Bring examinee Chen Yu to the palace."

"yes!"

In the imperial heirs' area, apart from two who are far away in Fengjing, the rest are all present.

The third and fourth princesses quickly exchanged a glance, both looking solemn.

The two of them presided over the preliminary examination, knowing full well that the entire process was secretly monitored by the Divine Martial Realm Xuanji Guards, and the formal provincial examination would be even more rigorous.

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