Chapter 427: Cheating in the Imperial Examination

Chapter 427: Cheating in the Imperial Examination

Lu Hanyi hadn’t even finished speaking when Li Shouye grabbed his belongings and made his way to the Examination Hall.

"Shouye! I’m not done yet!"

"Take care of yourself inside, don’t starve."

"Do your best on the exam!"

The louder Lu Hanyi spoke, the faster Li Shouye walked, hurrying to the entrance of the Examination Hall to queue for inspection.

Seeing that he had already joined the queue, Lu Hanyi finally stopped her scolding. She turned to look at the people behind her and snorted dismissively, "My son Shouye will definitely pass the examination."

"Cousin is very smart, the exam won’t be a problem for him," Cheng Bingan said.

Lu Hanyi glanced at him, "Of course, you think he’s like you, couldn’t even pass the provincial exam."

Cheng Bingan: "..."

"Aunt, why are you being so mean? My brother didn’t do anything to you, why are you always targeting him!" Cheng Suying stepped forward to confront her.

Lu Hanyi glanced at her again, "What do you know, little girl! My Shouye passed the provincial exam years ago, your brother still hasn’t passed, it’s embarrassing."

"You!"

"Alright, Suying," Lu Lingyun pulled Cheng Suying, telling her to drop it.

What's the point of talking to someone like her, it only makes things worse.

Cheng Suying snorted and ignored Lu Hanyi.

Lu Hanyi then threw in another insult, "When my son Shouye becomes the top scholar, the first thing I’ll do is get him a well-bred lady from a prestigious family, I wouldn’t even look at a girl like you with no manners!"

Cheng Suying: "..."

This is too much, even if her mother scolds her today, she had to give her a piece of her mind to this peculiar aunt.

But at this moment, Tong Nanyuan called out loudly, "What happened to Shouye!"

As her voice fell, everyone who was about to leave stopped and turned to look at Li Shouye at the entrance of the Examination Hall.

Everyone saw Li Shouye being stopped by the inspectors, as if they’d found something suspicious on him, and he was escorted out of the Examination Hall.

"Shouye!"

"Shouye!"

"Shouye!"

A group of people quickly ran forward.

"What happened!" Tong Nanyuan asked anxiously.

At this moment, the inspector at the entrance held up a pair of sliced knee pads, from which he pulled out a triangular folded paper and announced loudly, "This candidate smuggled paper into the examination hall, this is cheating! Disqualified from the examination!"

"What!"

At this moment, everyone's eyes widened in shock.

Li Shouye scrambled up from the ground and rushed to the officer in panic, "Sir, I didn’t bring that! I’m innocent!"

"Sir, you must have wronged my son. He’s too smart to need to cheat!" Lu Hanyi also rushed over.

"Yes, my nephew is both virtuous and studious. He wouldn’t cheat!" Tong Nanyuan stepped forward to speak.

The inspecting officer looked at them, "This was found in his own knee pads! How can he claim innocence?"

With that, the inspecting officer threw the knee pads made of several layers of cloth and the triangular yellow paper onto Li Shouye.

Lu Hanyi was stunned when she saw the triangular yellow paper, while Tong Nanyuan snatched it away.

She looked at this strange thing and thought it resembled a talisman paper from a temple.

At that moment, Madam Liu's voice came from behind them, "Hanyi! Why did you put the temple blessing in Shouye’s knee pads?"

As her words fell, everyone turned to look at Lu Hanyi.

Lu Hanyi fell silent, her eyes darting left and right, her face tense and panicked. She snatched the triangular yellow paper and rushed to the inspecting officer to explain, "Sir, this is a temple talisman I obtained to bless my son’s Imperial Examination. It’s not a cheat sheet!"

Hearing this explanation, the officer sneered, "The rules strictly forbid bringing any written material. This is a cheat sheet! Your son has cheated in the Imperial Examination and is banned from this year’s exam!"

Hearing this, Lu Hanyi collapsed, sitting on the ground in a daze, muttering to herself.

"I didn’t know."

"Shouye, I didn’t realize this wasn’t allowed."

As she spoke, Lu Hanyi hugged her son’s leg tightly, "Shouye, you must take the exam. Change your clothes and go back to the queue. Leave the knee pads behind; they won’t notice!"

Everyone: "..."

Li Shouye’s face darkened. He looked at his mother, his eyes shifting from extreme anger to lifelessness. Finally, he burst out.

"I’m done with the exam! I’ll never take it again!"

Hearing this, Lu Hanyi clung to his leg desperately, "No, Shouye, you have to take it! You can’t skip it!"

"With you like this, what else do you want me to take the exam for!" Li Shouye was completely broken by his mother and burst into tears, smashing everything he had with him, "You’re determined to ruin my life!"

Madam Liu and Tong Nanyuan rushed to calm him, "Shouye, we’ll find a way for you!"

"Right, get Kuan’er here. Your uncle will definitely have a way!" Madam Liu urgently looked at Tong Nanyuan and grabbed her hand, "Quick, call him over!"

Tong Nanyuan frowned tightly, helplessly saying, "My husband’s in the palace, and I can’t get in. How can I tell him?"

"Is Shouye really going to be ruined?" Madam Liu slumped, also sitting down on the ground.

At that moment, Tong Nanyuan quickly turned to Lu Lingyun, "Cousin! Help Shouye! Go to the palace and let my husband know, ask him if there’s a way!"

Hearing this, Madam Liu’s eyes also lit up with hope. She crawled to Lu Lingyun, "Lingyun, please, I’m begging you!"

Lu Lingyun saw the desperately pleading Madam Liu, the lifeless Li Shouye, and Lu Hanyi on the ground, only clinging to Li Shouye’s leg and screaming.

"I’ll think of a way."

Lu Lingyun went to find someone.

Not long after, Lu Kuan arrived.

On the way, he had heard the whole story and had already contacted someone to intervene. After he arrived, the people he brought had a private conversation with the inspecting official. The official turned around, saw them, and gave Li Shouye another chance.

"Get back in the queue. If anything is found on you again, you'll never be allowed to take the *Imperial Examination* in your lifetime."

Hearing this, Li Shouye, still in a daze, opened his eyes, bewildered.

"Shou Ye, don't just stand there, go, do your best!" Lu Kuan's voice rang out as he patted Li Shouye on the shoulder, bolstering his spirits.

At his feet, Lu Hanyi also snapped out of her trance, overjoyed. "Shou Ye! You’ve got another shot! Quick, quick, don’t dawdle!"

Li Shouye finally regained his composure. He glanced at his mother, freed his leg, grabbed his gear, and bolted towards the closing examination hall.