It wasn't until almost 2 p.m. that the first candidate finally came out...
Qin Qing stood anxiously not far away, waiting, while Wang Yan quietly stayed by her side.
As the second and third place winners came out one after another, Qin Qing finally saw Mu Yang's figure and hurriedly went up to him.
The moment she saw Mu Yang, she knew something was wrong. The boy's complexion was not good, which meant the questions were obviously very difficult!
So Qin Qing launched into a long string of words of comfort and concern.
"It's alright. If you didn't do well this time, we can take the exam again in three years. Anyway, you're only fourteen, it won't matter. How many officials in the imperial court are still teenagers? You'll only be seventeen in three years, you're still young..."
She kept repeating herself, and before she could finish, Mu Yang smiled helplessly.
"Grandma, the questions weren't difficult this time, I was just sleepy."
Qin Qing suddenly stopped rambling, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled.
"That's good. You guys must be exhausted from last night. Go home and get some sleep."
After everyone left, Qin Qing looked at Wang Yan, neither thanking him nor scolding him, since Mu Yang almost missed the exam partly because of him...
"Let's call it even today, but if you do this again, I'll definitely kill you!"
The two hadn't spoken much in the past few days, and this was the only kind look Qin Qing had given him in the past month. How could Wang Yan not understand? His usually cold and stern face finally showed a gentle smile.
"My lady, please be careful with your words. I will certainly obey!"
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye...
Today is the day the results of the imperial examination are announced. Qin Qing left home early in the morning and sat at the door waiting for the notification!
Seeing this, Mu Yang looked helpless and walked over.
"Grandma, what time is it? Even if someone were to pass the imperial examination, no one would come at this hour. Please come inside!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Qing couldn't help but wave his hand.
"You go in first, I'll wait a bit longer!"
No one could understand the anxiety she felt at that moment. What happened that day would definitely affect Mu Yang's state of mind, so if the result of this exam was not good, it would also be related to her!
By noon, there had been no sound from near her house, and Qin Qing's anxiety grew stronger, her disappointment becoming increasingly apparent...
After noon had passed and the top scholar's procession still hadn't arrived, Qin Qing was truly unwilling to give up, but she had to face reality...
Mu Yang sat in the room waiting all day, and his initially confident mood gradually turned into anxiety as time went by...
Did he fail the exam? But his performance at the time was absolutely fine! Those questions weren't difficult at all; even if he wasn't the top scorer, he should have been at least third or second!
At this moment, he looked up at the setting sun outside, finally gave up, and gave a bitter smile!
No one is perfect, and there's always someone better. Perhaps he was too confident. There were no spots for him in the top three this year, which means he can only wait for his ranking, and he might end up being assigned a minor official position...
But he wasn't willing to give up! Since there were people more outstanding than him, he decided to work harder and take the exam again in three years!
Thinking of this, he finally got up and left the room…
Thinking of the support and encouragement that Grandma and everyone else had given him during this time, even the usually composed Mu Yang felt a warmth in his heart.
Qin Qing sat dejectedly in the living room, her heart filled with guilt…
As expected... it's still the same! She ruined her own grandson's career, even though he worked so hard!
Mu Yang walked into the room at that moment, and seeing the somber expressions of the people inside, he smiled.
"What are you doing? It's just failing the exam once. I can take it again in three years... Just like Grandma said, I'm fourteen this year, and I'll only be seventeen in three years. What's wrong with taking it again!"
Everyone was stunned. They didn't expect Mu Yang to be so open-minded. His hard work over the years was still evident, and his talent was also excellent!
Upon hearing this, Qin Qing felt even more distressed, and her eyes gradually became sore.
"Ah Yang, I'm sorry. If that hadn't happened that day... things probably wouldn't be like this. This is what Grandma owes you!"
Mu Yang smiled upon hearing this.
"Grandma, what nonsense are you talking about? If you hadn't taken our family away from the village, how could I have gone to school, how could I have qualified to take the imperial examinations, and how could I have survived until now! I owe you so much more!"
After the conversation was over, everyone was deeply moved!
That night, everyone slept restlessly, but they also began to accept the fact!
Qin Qing was even more prepared to go to Wang Yan tomorrow to ask about Mu Yang's ranking! After all, the imperial examination in Tianlong Kingdom first selects the three most outstanding candidates as the top scholar, the second-best, and the third-best, and then the remaining talents are ranked according to their excellence and then assigned official positions!
For a general like Wang Yan, who holds a high position and wields great power, checking his ranking is quite easy!
After a sleepless night, Qin Qing went to the General's Mansion early in the morning to find Wang Yan, only to be informed by Old Madam Wang that Wang Yan had not come out since he went to the palace the day before yesterday!
This is strange, because Wang Yan isn't the kind of person who likes to stay in the palace...
But she couldn't get into the palace, so she sought out Deputy General Zhang and Huang Zhong, only to receive the same answer: both of them had entered the palace the day before yesterday and hadn't returned for two days…
Things were getting increasingly strange, but Qin Qing couldn't get in, so he wrote a letter and went to the palace in person...
Perhaps because what she had done in the past few years was indeed outrageous, the soldier guarding the gate looked at her strangely for a couple of seconds before handing the letter inside and giving it to Eunuch Hai!
At this moment, Wang Yan, Deputy General Zhang, Huang Zhong, and others were in the main hall, confronting the old prime minister face to face. They were aggressive and, with their silver tongues, exposed the old prime minister's abuse of power for personal gain, his collusion with others, and his acceptance of bribes!
The emperor was so enraged that he fainted on the spot. Wang Yan and the others could only wait at the door. After a long night of unconsciousness, the old emperor finally woke up, immediately launching into a tirade of curses at them, before fainting again...
After this happened twice, two days had passed when the old emperor awoke again! His body had collapsed from the ordeal; his face was sallow, he was drenched in sweat, struggling to breathe, and his body was extremely emaciated…
Only then did everyone notice the anomaly, and they were all shocked, with a series of speculations arising in their minds!
Wang Yan simply stood calmly in place, gave Eunuch Hai a look, and watched as he helped the old emperor back...
Then, he looked directly at everyone and confirmed the old prime minister's guilt!
"Prime Minister Fan Yimin accepted bribes, abused his power for personal gain, and has gathered evidence against His Majesty. Furthermore, he offended His Majesty, causing him to faint from anger. This is an act of treason. He shall be immediately imprisoned in the Imperial Prison and handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for investigation!"
The old prime minister had just woken up from his coma when he heard these words, and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. He spat out a mouthful of blood and died suddenly!
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