The proctor outside wiped the blood from his forehead and said urgently, "No, sir, you should go and take a look."
The imperial guards were stopped by the princess outside the examination hall and could not enter at all; the younger ones even ran out through the back door of the examination hall.
"Sir, those students have gone too far! They're assaulting the invigilators in the exam hall! They're incredibly outrageous! You'd better go and see for yourself."
Upon hearing this, Lord Zhao immediately sat up from the soft couch, pushed aside the kneeling maid, put on his shoes, and opened the door.
Upon seeing the disheveled hair and bloodstains on the face of the person in front of him, he realized that things might have taken a turn for the worse, and immediately cursed, "You bastard, why didn't you come and tell me sooner? Why did Princess Ning'an stop the Imperial Guards for no reason?"
No matter how arrogant that woman is, she shouldn't be able to stop nearly a dozen people.
Although those men were not as good as the real Imperial Guards, they were all handpicked assassins, and they could not be stopped by a woman.
The proctor quickly replied, "The princess discovered that someone had taken the exam for her, which led to all of this."
Lord Zhao's expression immediately changed. He shoved the proctor aside and ran toward the examination hall.
Before even reaching the examination hall, I could see people confronting each other at the entrance from afar.
Dozens of armored imperial guards were firmly blocked outside the examination hall, while a woman in a crimson dress stood at the entrance, holding a dagger and holding a terrified man hostage.
The woman's wrists were so slender they looked like they could snap at any moment, yet the dagger in her hand was pressed firmly against the man's neck.
It seemed that with the slightest movement, the man's neck would be severed instantly.
The scene was rather ridiculous. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it in his life. She was just a woman, yet she could make so many people wary of her.
He immediately roared, "You bastards, what are you all standing there for? Quickly arrest this woman who is disrupting the examination!"
Upon hearing this, the imperial guards exchanged glances, none of them daring to move.
Chen Fangcai was so frightened that he hurriedly shouted, "Lord Zhao, quick, quick, save me! This woman has gone mad and dares to hold me hostage!"
After saying that, he began to struggle frantically.
Jiang Yimian merely raised an eyebrow, then plunged the dagger in her hand directly into Chen Fangcai's arm. Instantly, a pig-like scream echoed from the entrance of the examination hall.
Chen Fangcai could only beg for mercy in pain, "Princess, Princess, spare me! Princess, why don't you get out of my way right now, get out of my way!"
The Imperial Guards were at a loss for what to do in the face of this situation.
After all, he was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites; it would be difficult to handle if he died inside the examination hall.
Lord Zhao was furious and roared, "Why don't you kill this woman and that good-for-nothing Chen Fangcai? If you delay the autumn examination, you will all die!"
Chen Fangcai, that useless thing, even at a time like this, he was still held hostage by Jiang Yimian.
If he had arrived any later, something truly terrible might have happened inside the examination hall.
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guards drew their swords and slashed at Jiang Yimian and her companion.
Jiang Yimian glanced at the person in her hand and said indifferently, "It seems that Lord Chen's position in the Ministry of Rites is nothing more than this."
After saying that, he threw the man in his hand directly at the group of Imperial Guards.
Chen Fangcai was so frightened that his face turned pale. Before he could even cry out, the swords and blades pierced through him instantly without the slightest hesitation.
Blood splattered all over the ground, but the Imperial Guards did not stop at all and attacked Jiang Yimian directly.
Jiang Yimian frowned slightly, retreated to avoid their attacks, and glanced at Lord Zhao in the distance.
There was no fear or reluctance on the other person's face, only indifference and ruthlessness, as if he regretted not killing Chen Fangcai sooner.
Jiang Yimian felt a chill run down her spine. She had thought that the people in the Ministry of Rites simply didn't care about the lives of ordinary people, but now it seemed that these officials in the Ministry of Rites were people they could discard at any time.
These people are indeed ruthless. Whether it's students or invigilators, they are all unimportant in their eyes, mere ants that can die at will.
Seeing that Jiang Yimian was surrounded by the Imperial Guards and clearly had no power to resist, Lord Zhao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
He said that it was impossible for a woman to stop so many imperial guards; it was all because of that good-for-nothing Chen Fangcai, who almost killed him.
Thinking it over, he shouted at the Imperial Guards, "Quickly deal with this woman, whether she lives or dies."
The examination room is still in chaos, and he needs to deal with Jiang Yimian quickly before calming down the others.
As long as the gates of the examination hall remain closed, he can handle everything inside safely.
Just pin it all on Jiang Yimian; she'll die under those swords anyway, so being a scapegoat is perfect.
Just as I was thinking this, several exclamations rang out in the examination room, even louder than before.
He merely frowned, glanced into the examination room, and was immediately startled.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall.
Chen Changli finally managed to carry Yang Qiguang to the gate of the examination hall, and opened the valve inside, only to find that the outer door was locked.
Enraged, he peeked through the crack in the door and shouted to the people outside, "Open the door! Open the door now! There are many people cheating in the exam room, and the proctors are turning a blind eye and even trying to kill them to cover it up!"
The imperial guards at the gate frowned upon hearing this, peering through the crack in the door at Chen Changli, and said with displeasure, "The imperial examination is not over yet, the gates of the examination hall cannot be opened."
The Ministry of Rites will handle the matter of the cheating itself.
Having said that, he ignored the people inside the door.
Chen Changli was furious and shouted outside, "Open the door! People inside are dying!"
No matter how loudly Chen Changli cursed, the Imperial Guards remained unmoved.
Chen Changli was a little anxious, but unfortunately, there were only Imperial Guards and some people from the Ministry of Rites at the main gate, while the people from the Censorate were squeezed far away on the outer perimeter.
In addition, the gates of the examination hall were high and thick, so his voice could not be heard, and even if he wanted to ask for help, no one would notice him.
He was so anxious that he paced back and forth at the door, wishing he could grow wings and fly away.
Zhang Yicai was pacing back and forth in the open space in front of the examination hall, glancing into the hall from time to time.
Unfortunately, the high walls of the examination hall blocked his view, and he couldn't see what was happening inside at all.
There were Imperial Guards and Ministry of Rites blocking the entrance to the Examination Hall, so he couldn't even get past, let alone get close to the gate.
Lord Lu had reminded him to promptly report any unusual activity discovered within the examination hall.
But now, he is quite a distance from the gate of the examination hall, so even if there is something unusual, he will not be able to detect it at all.
Not to mention that the group from the Ministry of Rites were still gathered together, talking noisily, their voices so loud they could drown out everything, and they would occasionally make sarcastic remarks about the people from the Censorate.
These people from the Ministry of Rites are truly despicable. How dare they treat us, the people from the Censorate, like this! After the imperial examinations are over, I will definitely impeach them.
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