Jiang Su's eyes widened as he quickly cried out, "Examiner, I am innocent. I did not cheat at all. Please investigate."
"Humph, that's what all cheaters say. Take him down and torture him for a day and he'll confess! What are you still standing there for? Take him away!"
The invigilator snorted coldly and waved his hand, and several people came over to grab Jiang Su.
"Sir, I am innocent, you can't arrest me!" Jiang Su struggled, his face full of shock and anger.
Su Lijin rushed to Jiang Su, blocking those people, and said with a stern face: "This examiner, you said Jiang Su cheated, you must produce evidence."
Squinting his eyes and glancing at Su Lijin, the invigilator sneered, "Do I need to explain to you what I saw?"
"Without evidence, we can't take him away. Otherwise, if everyone is like you, convicting others based on a single sentence, wouldn't the world be in chaos? How many candidates' futures will be ruined by a single sentence? Without evidence, none of us candidates will agree!"
Seeing other candidates gathering around, Su Lijin immediately spoke righteously.
She was also seeking support from other candidates in her words, and many people were excited by her words.
"What's going on?" Prime Minister Zhang Wenfeng walked over, glanced at Jiang Su, and then glanced at Su Lijin.
Su Lijin felt a little depressed. Zhang Wenfeng was not a good person either. If he came to interfere, things would probably become more difficult.
The invigilator immediately recounted the story with a smile and a flattering tone.
Zhang Wenfeng smiled, patted Jiang Su on the shoulder and said, "Examinee, I believe in you."
Su Lijin frowned, then turned her head to see Jiang Su's face light up. But before Jiang Su could say anything, Zhang Wenfeng continued, "I'm sure you didn't want to cheat. If you're willing to confess, I can give you a lighter sentence since it's your first offense."
His words clearly implied that Jiang Su cheated!
What a old fox! It turns out he’s up to no good!
Frowning, Su Lijin looked at Jiang Su worriedly. Jiang Su looked shocked at this time. He obviously understood what Zhang Wenfeng meant, and seemed unable to believe that Zhang Wenfeng would say that.
The invigilator's eyes turned calculating, and he said, "Since you want evidence, why not search me? I'm sure you'll find evidence of cheating."
Jiang Su gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, then search me. I'm a student with integrity, so go ahead and search me."
Su Lijin felt a little uneasy, as she always felt that there was something wrong with the examiner's expression just now.
Before she could figure out anything, the invigilator had already approached Jiang Su.
Just as he was pretending to search him, a cheat sheet slipped out of his sleeve. Su Lijin's heart pounded when she saw this. Without caring about anything else, she immediately rushed over and grabbed the examiner's hand, shouting, "Okay, you actually brought cheat sheets! You're the one trying to help others cheat in the exam!"
Everyone was shocked, looking at the examiner's grabbed hand, and then at the cheat sheet.
Zhang Wenfeng's expression changed slightly.
The examiner pulled his hand back in panic: "What nonsense! This is the cheat sheet I found on him!"
Su Lijin sneered, snatched the cheat sheet and read out the contents.
At the end, she sarcastically said, "Jiang Su answered the questions the emperor presented, but the content on the cheat sheet is obviously wrong. It must be from the previous exam paper. The cheat sheet is clearly yours, and you still say you didn't cheat for others?"
The examiner argued: "That's probably where he got it from!"
"Stop arguing." Xiao Shengxing's voice came.
Everyone made way, and Xiao Shengxing walked to the center. He glanced at Su Lijin, then at Zhang Wenfeng and the others, and said, "Since we can't determine who cheated, I'll ask another question. The one who answers best will be the top scorer."
"If you answer well, you will be the top scorer?!"
Everyone was shocked, and Su Lijin also looked up in surprise.
Xiao Shengxing announced the question directly in public, and the candidates immediately rushed to answer it.
"Candidate, why don't you answer?" Xiao Shengxing's dark eyes turned, and he looked at Su Lijin and asked deliberately.
Su Lijin lowered her head and said bluntly, "I don't know how to do it."
The words "students don't know" attracted a lot of people's attention.
Everyone looked at Su Lijin in astonishment, with an incredulous expression as if saying, "How dare this person say such things to the emperor?"
The examination room was filled with looks of confusion, and the atmosphere was a little tense for a moment.
Xiao Shengxing didn't say anything, his dark eyes fell on Su Lijin, his expression was indistinguishable.
Su Lijin was calm and composed. She didn't believe that Xiao Shengxing could force her to answer the questions even if she said she didn't know.
Jiang Su on the side was terrified. Su Lijin's fearless look might bring her death.
Just ask yourself, which emperor would want others to just answer him with a "no" when he asks a question?
He quickly pulled Su Lijin and pulled her behind him, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to give it a try."
Su Lijin was pulled behind him. When she heard that he was willing to answer the questions, she felt happy. At least this was an opportunity for Jiang Su to show his skills.
"Brother Jiang, it's up to you." She said quickly in a low voice.
Jiang Su collected his composure and spoke eloquently for a quarter of an hour.
At first, everyone was just watching the fun, but after hearing the end, they were all dumbfounded and looked at Jiang Su in shock.
Jiang Su's answer was truly amazing. His wording was very sophisticated, with quotations from classics. The policy essay he gave was even more eye-opening. It was truly a perfect answer.
If Su Lijin hadn't seen him answering without even thinking, she would have thought he had memorized the answers in advance, which was why he spoke so fluently and amazingly!
Such talent is truly outstanding!
Su Lijin couldn't help but look at Xiao Shengxing, wanting to know how he would react.
Xiao Shengxing looked serious and not as surprised as everyone else, but she clearly saw a flash of appreciation and admiration in those black eyes.
By the time Jiang Su finished answering, the examination room had fallen silent.
Xiao Shengxing nodded with satisfaction: "Your name is Jiang Su?"
Jiang Su immediately bowed and said, "The student is Jiang Su."
"Okay, you gave the best answer among all the candidates. The top spot belongs to you."
"What?"
Everyone opened their mouths in surprise, but Jiang Su's talent was obvious to all, and no one dared to object.
Su Lijin suddenly laughed and congratulated, "Congratulations, Brother Jiang, for being the top scorer in the imperial examination. Why are you still standing there? Come and thank the emperor for his grace!"
"No, Your Majesty, you can't decide the number one scholar so hastily!" Without waiting for Jiang Su to thank him, Zhang Wenfeng knelt down first and tried his best to dissuade him.
Su Lijin frowned, and saw that Xiao Shengxing's expression also turned slightly colder, and he seemed not to want to pay attention to the Prime Minister.
Zhang Wenfeng looked distressed, as if something earth-shattering had just happened. "Your Majesty, the top scholar is selected after taking the Spring Examination and then the Palace Examination. We can't be so careless."
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, we are all in the Spring Examination Hall right now. The Emperor previously gave us the test questions, and we submitted our answers. Now, the Emperor is conducting an oral examination, which is equivalent to the Palace Examination. The procedures are all consistent, so why can't we use this to determine the top scholar?"
Su Lijin said with a smile on her lips.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
