Where is the injury?
The Longmen Examination lasted a full day. However, in previous Longmen Examinations, the officials ignored all candidates. After the morning session, the candidates were driven out of the examination hall, the hall was closed, and soldiers were stationed there. The hall was only opened half an hour before the afternoon session began, and the candidates had to line up again for inspection. Whether the candidates had eaten lunch or where they ate lunch was none of the Ministry of Rites' business.
This year, Yi Shen made a bold decision.
After the morning session of the exam, candidates can have lunch in the exam room, which also provides a place for them to rest and study.
Lin Kuo said, "That's fine. If we let these candidates go out to find food, who knows how many things will happen? They might even poison a few of them."
This is indeed something that Yi Shen is worried about.
In some people's eyes, the lives of a few test takers are not worth caring about in order to frame them, but they cannot be indifferent to it.
Yi Shen said, "This matter will be carried out in secret, under the supervision of Li Xi, and there is no need to inform the Ministry of Rites."
If the Ministry of Rites finds out about this, who knows who might be in charge of cooking...
As for the issue of cheating on exams, Yi Shen also came up with a solution. In addition to checking, candidates also need to say where they live, how many people are in their family, and what their parents' names are. If they cannot answer any of these questions, they need to be questioned in detail. If it is indeed someone who took the exam for someone else, the exam qualifications of both the person who took the exam for someone else and the person who took the exam for someone else will be cancelled, and the person who took the exam for someone else will be handed over to Li Xi.
This practice was also carried out in secret. The candidates were notified at the last minute before the examination. The Minister of Rites, with a smile, watched as dozens of substitute test-takers were taken away by Li Xi. Among these substitute test-takers were some timid individuals who, without needing Li Xi to take them to the Dali Temple for questioning, readily confessed who had entrusted them with the task.
This statement implicated more than a dozen officials.
In addition to this, Yi Shen and Lin Kuo also increased the number of inspectors.
After the morning session of the exams concluded, Jin Jiajun, acting on Yi Shen's orders, proceeded to cover up the candidates' names on the exam papers. Once all the candidates' names were covered, Jin Jiajun collected them all.
Wu Donggui, the Vice Minister of Rites, was so angry that he glared and shouted, "What is this kid trying to do! They always anonymize the papers after they've been collected, there's no reason for them to do it before!"
Minister of Rites Qin Gai smiled and comforted him, "There's no need to be so angry. Just follow orders." After saying that, he went to inform Yi Shen that the examinee could leave the examination hall. Yi Shen, however, said, "There's no need to let the examinee leave the examination hall. Food and a place to rest have been prepared."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Kuo led several hundred people carrying insulated containers into the room.
These hundreds of people were borrowed from the Emperor. They were suddenly gathered together today, made to eat as instructed, and their names were registered before being locked in a room. The Emperor's golden-armored soldiers guarded the room, and no one dared to make a move.
Unaware that this year's Longmen Exam was so different, the candidates could only queue up, carrying specific trays and eating in designated areas. One candidate, eating a chicken leg, remarked, "I think this year's Longmen Exam is the fairest and most impartial one in recent years."
Zhou Liu glanced at Yi Shen in the distance, then lowered his head and ate in silence.
Restaurants and stalls outside the exam hall took advantage of the exam to drastically raise their prices. She had originally planned to skip lunch and finish the afternoon session on an empty stomach, but unexpectedly, she ate a hot and hearty lunch. What surprised her even more was—
A female examinee suddenly got her period. Just as she was blushing with embarrassment, at a loss for what to do, and about to give up the exam, Li Xi arrived with several women dressed in light armor.
They led the examinee to a house not far away. When they came out, the woman had changed her clothes and was holding a hot water bottle. Although she was still shy, she was much more at ease and thanked Li Xi repeatedly.
Li Xi said, "No need to be so polite. It was Young Master Yi who sent me."
It's Yi Shen.
When Zhou Liuhu turned to look at Yi Shen again, he was nowhere to be found. She looked around again, and only after realizing that she really couldn't see Yi Shen did she shake her head with a light laugh and lower her head to look at her book.
They checked the papers again before the afternoon session, and the names were still hidden before the papers were collected.
Looking at the exam papers with the names pasted on, Zhou Liuhu suddenly remembered the words of the examinee who ate the chicken leg: "This Dragon Gate Exam is the fairest and most just Dragon Gate Exam in recent years."
It remains to be seen how Yi Shen will deal with the matter of copying.
Wu Donggui, the Vice Minister of Rites, smashed his teacup on the ground in anger, saying incredulously, "Are you saying that Yi Shen didn't allow the Ministry of Rites to copy the papers, but instead had the Court of Judicial Review copy them? And apart from that, neither the candidates' papers nor the copied papers have any right to interfere with our Ministry of Rites?!"
Qin Gai nodded with a faint smile and said, "Our Ministry of Rites had a much easier time this time. Even the exam questions were set by Master Sun. I still don't know what the exam questions are."
"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!!" Wu Rugui slammed his fist on the table and got up to go find the Emperor. The Emperor, however, said lazily, "I can't do anything about it. For this Dragon Gate Examination, I have to obey Yi Shen's orders. Didn't you see that he transferred all my Golden Armor Army away?"
Wu Rugui spoke frankly: "If His Majesty does not allow it, how can Yi Shen transfer the Golden Armor Army?"
"You know it was with my permission." The Emperor's expression remained unchanged as he threw the pen at Wu Rugui's feet and said, "Have you come here to question me?"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty dares not."
"It's good that you don't dare, so you won't get played to death by others and then complain about it in front of me."
Yi Shen did not involve anyone from the Ministry of Rites in copying and grading the papers. Instead, Master Sun, entrusted by Yi Shen, brought along several elderly men and women with gray hair to grade the papers. What was even more amusing was that some of the elderly men could no longer see the words clearly, and they drank tea while listening to the people from the Court of Judicial Review read the exam papers.
Whether it was copying or grading papers, Yi Shen and Lin Kuo were there the whole time. They took turns sleeping, but by the time they finished grading the papers, they were exhausted.
The two of them, carrying the copied exam papers and the original exam papers of the candidates, came to the inner hall together.
The Emperor looked at the stacks of exam papers that were as tall as a person and was at his wit's end. He waved his hand repeatedly and said, "Just give me the exam papers of those who passed and the copies of those papers."
"yes."
Yi Shen took the original exam paper of the examinee, and Lin Kuo took the copied exam paper. The two handed it to the Emperor. The Emperor flipped through it, glanced at it casually, and said, "The gold and silver jewelry have been delivered to your residence. I know that you two have someone you like. You haven't seen your loved ones for more than half a month. It is only right to buy some things to please them. The rouge and face powder have also been delivered to your residence."
"Alright, let's go back to the manor and rest."
Yi Shen and Lin Kuo exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Yes."
After the two left the palace and got into the carriage, Lin Kuo sighed and said, "I'm exhausted!! I'm so sleepy and tired. I'm not going to Cizige tomorrow. I'm going to get a good night's sleep!"
He asked with his eyes closed, "Wei Chong, do you want to go back to the Yi residence or the Wu residence?"
Yi Shen said, "The moon falls into the camp."
"Huh? Why aren't you looking for Xiao Qi? What are you doing at the Moonfall Camp?!"
"She is in the Moonfall Camp."
Lin Kuo asked suspiciously, "She told you?"
Yi Shen shook his head.
Lin Kuo then asked, "Then how do you know that Xiao Qi is in the Moonfall Camp?"
Yi Shen said, "I guessed."
Not only was she in the Moonfall Camp, but she also hadn't eaten or slept properly for several days.
Yi Shen sighed, revealed his token, and stepped into the Moonfall Camp, where he happened to meet Zhao Xiwei.
She said, "Young Master Yi has arrived? I didn't expect Young Master He to be in Miss's room. Young Master Yi, you don't need to worry. Miss has been accompanied by Young Master He these past few days."
Yi Shen did not answer or even glance at her. He walked to Wu Qi's house. The soundproofing in the Moonfall Camp was always good. He stood in front of the door and could not hear a sound coming from inside.
He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
After waiting a short while, the door suddenly slid open to both sides, and a person dressed in a gardenia dress, with a light blue hair ribbon fluttering in the breeze and carrying the fragrance of flowers, rushed into his arms.
Yi Shen caught her and heard her say, "Yi Shen, Yi Shen, I missed you so much!"
He Qi, inside the door, felt a pang of sorrow. Wu Qi, just by the sound of the knocking, was certain that the person outside was Yi Shen. Without thinking, she threw down her pen to open the door, rushed into his arms, and told him how much she missed him.
Yi Shen carried Wu Qi through the door and then closed it behind him.
He nodded slightly to He Qi inside the door, then hugged her tightly and said gently, "I miss you too."
The flowers had long since withered and dried, but the image of her in his mind grew ever more vivid, making him think of her again and again, unable to forget her.
He Qi suppressed the bitterness in his heart, got up to take his leave, and said before leaving, "Wei Chong, Xiao Qi is injured. Remember to tell her to change her dressing. I'm leaving now."
Yi Shen said, "Thank you."
The door opened and closed again, leaving only the two people inside. Wu Qi nestled in Yi Shen's arms and wouldn't come out. Yi Shen gently patted her back and stroked her head, coaxing, "Let me see your injury."
He hadn't seen where Wu Qi was injured just now.
Wu Qi shook his head in his arms.
Yi Shen kissed her and coaxed her softly, "It's not your fault. Let me see where you're hurt. Is it serious?" After saying that, he found a chair and sat down, letting her straddle his lap, and coaxed her again softly, "Okay?"
After a while, Wu Qi finally raised his head in his arms.
"Where are you hurt?" Yi Shen asked.
Wu Qi pulled her collar open a little, revealing the bandaged wound. No wonder Yi Shen didn't see the wound on her body; it was below her collarbone and conveniently covered by her collar.
Seeing Yi Shen's solemn expression, Wu Qi hurriedly explained, "A few days ago, the iron sheet wasn't welded properly and broke off. It slashed right at my neck. I tried to dodge, but I couldn't, and it got slashed here. He Qi was there at the time, so he knew I was injured."
"It's alright. How serious is the injury?" Yi Shen asked again.
Wu Qi pursed his lips and said, "The physician said it will leave a scar."
"Even with a scar, you'll still look beautiful." Yi Shen kissed her.
Wu Qi took the opportunity to kiss his chin, and when he lowered his head, he pecked at his lips. He wrapped his arms around his neck, and when he took the initiative, he accepted one kiss after another.
Since following Master Sun, the two had not seen each other for more than half a month. All their longing and affection melted into their kiss, without any barriers or misunderstandings, just like always.
After kissing him one after another, Wu Qi nestled in his arms and said, "I miss you so much, but I can't go to see you. I really, really miss you so much. I sneaked into your room at night, lay on your bed, and slept with your blanket in my arms. But I didn't sleep well. I was worried about being late for Ci Zige and about being discovered."
I still dream about you every night.
"Yi Shen, I used to only admire you, but now I can't live without you."
When he was there, she felt that everything was as usual; when he was not there, all she had left was longing and hoping for his return.
She was much more sensible and cautious than she had imagined.
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