The old lady smiled gently and said, "You three come in and sit down. It's hot. Have a cup of herbal tea first."
Although the old lady understood the reason, she was still surprised.
The master had mentioned Xu Mingyan's name to her two or three times on weekdays, praising him for his extraordinary knowledge and good writing skills. The most important thing was that Jie Yuan was not frivolous or anxious, and was a good student.
It would be fine if he didn’t have a membership, but how come he couldn’t even pass the examination to become a tribute student?
Although the old lady thought so in her heart, she did not show it on her face.
He comforted Xu Mingyan by saying, "You became a juren at the age of only 19, which is a great achievement. Some people never pass the exam to become a scholar in their entire life. You are in your prime, so don't take temporary gains and losses to heart, as they will affect your future."
"Thank you for your teachings, Madam." Xu Mingyan replied humbly.
"Madam, this time the exam was not because Brother Xu did poorly, but because someone was interfering."
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xie sat up straight, "What do you mean?"
Gu Lingze looked at Xu Mingyan. This kind of thing would be more detailed if it was told by the person involved.
Xu Mingyan frowned and recounted what happened in the exam room that day.
After hearing this, Mrs. Xie also felt that this matter was indeed a bit strange.
If the soldiers patrolling the examination room felt that Xu Mingyan was suspected of cheating, they could have reported him immediately and conducted a body search. Why did they act so covertly?
Zhao Chengmo added what happened in Beiyong Prefecture before.
"The people in charge this time will be the patrol officers. They are the ones in charge of the Metropolitan Censorate."
The old lady frowned, "You now suspect that Zou Guanghong is the Right Vice-Censor-in-Chief, so he is taking advantage of his position to seek personal revenge?"
Gu Lingze nodded, "That's right."
As they were talking, the butler came running over and said, "The master is back."
When the old lady heard this, she said, "It just so happens that the master has returned. You can ask him carefully."
Everyone then went to the flower hall and waited for a while. Then Xie Xiru, who had just returned from outside and changed his clothes, walked in.
Xu Mingyan and the others repeated what had happened before.
After listening to the whole story, Xie Xiru thought for a while.
"If there is something fishy about this matter, it may not be done by Zou Guanghong."
"You have never participated in the examination, so you don't know how complicated it is."
The examination papers for the imperial examinations were also reviewed in the Imperial Academy every three years, with two chief examiners and a deputy chief examiner, as well as 22 reviewers.
After the examination, the test papers will be sorted, covered with names, and then handed over to the examiners for review.
All the examination papers are shuffled and then divided into 22 equal parts. Under the supervision of the chief examiner, the 22 examiners draw lots at random and evaluate the pile they draw.
During this period, all examiners have their own rooms with everything prepared in them, and they are not allowed to come out until the test is finished.
"There are so many people involved in this. Can he, a Right Vice-Minister of the Imperial Censorate, bribe them all?"
"Even if only a few people were bribed, the randomness is too high. It is still a question whether these people who received the money can encounter Xu Mingyan's test paper."
After hearing this, Gu Lingze and the other two couldn't help but feel disappointed. If what the old man said was true, could it be that there was no trick involved?
Xie Xiru looked at the three of them looking dejected and couldn't help but sigh. After all, they were still young and impatient.
"But if someone deliberately wants to interfere, it is not impossible."
When the three heard this, their eyes suddenly lit up again and they all looked at Xie Xiru.
"Tell me first how you answered the questions in this exam."
Xu Mingyan talked about the topic from morning till sunset. After all, it was content that had been tested for nine days, so it was impossible to just brush it off.
Gu Lingze had been tense because of this matter.
As a result, I found it so boring to listen to all this nonsense for the whole afternoon that I fell asleep.
I watched his body slowly leaning against Zhao Chengmo beside him.
Xie Xiru suddenly slammed the table and shouted.
"Great! Every word is brilliant and powerful, great writing!"
Gu Lingze shuddered and sat up straight.
Xie Xiru glanced at him with disdain, "If you're sleepy, go lie down in the inner room. What does it mean to doze off here?"
Gu Lingze scratched the back of his neck a little embarrassedly and smiled awkwardly.
After listening to Xu Mingyan's retelling, Xie Xiru felt that there must be something wrong.
In fact, it is difficult to determine whether one's essay can win the first place based on its level. After all, it depends on the examiner's preference to a certain extent.
But there is definitely no problem in obtaining the title of Gongshi. What exactly went wrong here requires careful consideration.
"We can go to the Ministry of Rites to retrieve the files and find out what went wrong."
The three of them listened to Xie Xiru's advice and decided to go early tomorrow morning.
According to the rules, candidates were allowed to review their test papers. Without even having breakfast, the three of them rushed to the gate of the yamen that provided special facilities for reviewing test papers.
Just as they were about to go in, they were stopped.
"All the examination papers have been stored in the Ministry of Rites. They are no longer available for inspection."
Xu Mingyan stepped forward and asked, "Originally, there were three days to check the papers, why is it only one day now?"
The person who stopped them waved his hand impatiently and said, "If you have the ability, go ask the superiors. This matter is not our business."
Gu Lingze wanted to argue but was pulled back by Zhao Chengmo.
"It's no use talking to this kind of person. He can just brush you off with an order from above."
I thought there was a sudden turn of events, but it turned out to be a dead end.
When Xu Mingyan returned home, he was frowning. Gu Lingze and Zhao Chengnuo looked at each other and reached a tacit understanding.
"Brother Xu, don't worry. If the open way doesn't work, we can take the secret way."
"As long as your test paper is still in the Ministry of Rites, we can just go there in the evening."
Waiting until the night was completely silent, Zhao Chengmo set out alone.
Before leaving, Gu Lingze handed him an invisibility talisman and told him to stick it on his body if he was discovered.
Unexpectedly, this trip would take more than two hours. Although Gu Lingze believed in Zhao Chengmo's skills, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
I didn't go with them at the beginning. One reason was that the security at the Ministry of Rites was not very strict, and this itself was not a very dangerous thing.
Secondly, the chance of one person being discovered is always smaller than two people.
So after discussion, they decided to let Zhao Chengmo go alone.
Gu Lingze was still daydreaming when Zhao Chengmo came back late at night, took out something in his arms and handed it directly to Xu Mingyan.
Xu Mingyan opened it and said, "This is not an article I wrote."
Gu Lingze knew it was not the one after just a quick glance. Putting aside other things, the handwriting alone was a world of difference.
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