Chapter 37

Chapter 37

In the early morning, birds chirped crisply.

Ying Fusheng was attending lessons at the Wenhua Hall when, shortly after, two palace attendants arrived to report. The Grand Tutor, who was currently teaching, turned slightly pale and hurried out, following the attendants.

The others in Wenhua Hall, having never seen such a situation, started whispering among themselves.

When the Eastern Palace’s attendants ran over, the Crown Prince’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing the news. He shot to his feet and looked out the window.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince?” the attendant said.

The Crown Prince’s face darkened. “What's all that noise outside?”

Ying Fusheng followed the Crown Prince’s gaze outward and saw the Imperial Guard escorting several great scholars rushing toward Wenhua Hall. Wenhua Hall was where the princes studied; only during lessons did great scholars normally come and go. But for so many teachers to converge on the hall at once was exceedingly rare.

Just then, someone said, “Don’t you know? They say the imperial exam cheating scandal is out!”

“These great scholars gathering here must be related to the problematic exam papers!”

“This morning, the fraud just came to light, and students from the Imperial Academy are already marching in protest!”

“Then we gotta go check it out!”

“Let’s go!”

Ying Fusheng slightly lowered his eyes, closed his textbook, and glanced sideways at those who had already run out.

“Your Highness.” Shen Yunfei had heard the news before entering the palace and knew of the schemes they had been involved in. “This fraud matter…”

He worried it might drag Ying Fusheng into it.

“Let's go see what's happening.” Ying Fusheng stood up and walked out with the others.

Shen Yunfei hesitated for a moment. Beside him, Song An said, “Master Shen, everyone is watching the excitement. His Highness should go too.”

The side hall of Wenhua Hall was heavily guarded by the Imperial Guard. Though they spoke of watching the excitement, everyone else could only stay on the sidelines.

Ying Fusheng remembered the spring exam questions from his past life. In that life, he had later stirred up the court to understand the dealings of the factions and had taken note of that year’s exam topics.

His father, the Emperor, had understood the dangers of bureaucratic collusion after the war. Beginning with a thorough investigation of military funds and corruption, his goal was to stabilize the post-war Dayuan. Naturally, the exam questions focused on post-war civil governance.

Unfortunately, by the time his father died, the court factions had not been completely curbed, and later there was even a coup that forced the abdication.

The gathering at the Imperial Academy was sudden; by then, the spring exam papers had already been sealed. Examiners and officials could be swapped before the exam, but one thing remained constant: the exam questions themselves.

Unless there was a major shake-up, his father would not change those questions.

Because what his father wanted was true talent who could serve the court, not mediocre men who took shortcuts.

Those corrupt examiners who wanted to pull strings would also play both sides—sneaking in their own people while keeping a few talented scholars.

When Weng Yanqing’s brilliantly written answer—rich with talent—slipped into the metropolitan examination through the bought questions, with its unique allusions and passionate emotions, and the taxation policy that only became famous years later in the previous life appeared before the great scholars, all the hidden schemes in the exam would be laid bare.

As long as one or two papers that had copied Weng Yanqing’s ideas were submitted, they would be spotted by truly upright examiners.

Outside Wenhua Hall, Qi Hanzhou glanced sideways and spotted Ying Fusheng in the distance, standing at the main hall's entrance.

The latter stood among the princes, as if genuinely curious like the others, pausing to watch.

The two did not face each other directly, quietly waiting for the developments within Wenhua Hall.

Inside Wenhua Hall, the great scholars and the temporarily reassigned civil officials exchanged uneasy looks.

“Gentlemen, there were errors in the Imperial Academy’s grading process. These are the selected exam papers. His Majesty has ordered that the review must be flawless,” Eunuch Rong announced, bearing the imperial decree. “Please, begin.”

The men chosen as the new examiners had unreadable expressions. The Emperor was absolutely furious.

No one dared to pull anything under so many watchful eyes. As they reviewed the papers, a member of the Imperial Guard stood behind each of them; any suspicious move would be caught.

In Wenhua Hall, hushed discussions continued. Several students already knew of the backroom dealings in the court and were murmuring among themselves. The massive upheaval in the court, the student protests at the Imperial Academy, the leaked exam questions, and the selling of answers had spread everywhere. All of society was cursing the person who had stolen the questions and disrupted the examination halls. Some students, fearing that the fire might spread to them, spoke harshly and without mercy.

Shen Yunfei and Song An overheard the comments. They both looked at Ying Fusheng. Shen Yunfei had heard the curses since entering the palace. Others didn’t know, but behind those curses were the Sixth Prince and Weng Yanqing, who had written that answer. Not only did the Prince not stop it, but he had also secretly spread the word to let the matter fully explode.

“Now that the leak is exposed, these people…” Shen Yunfei began.

Ying Fusheng remained calm. All that had happened seemed within his expectations. He smiled. “If there were no grievances, how would this fire have spread here?”

The Imperial Academy's corruption investigation was his father's chance to go with the flow.

Now, with the students in turmoil, it would again be a chance to ride the momentum.

“Let’s go,” Ying Fusheng said. “I’m tired.”

It was almost time for lunch; he had to hurry back to join the Empress Dowager.

Song An returned to the study to pack up. Shen Yunfei watched the distant scene, his heart swelling with emotion. He suppressed the tremor in his heart and, turning back, saw the Sixth Prince’s face showing fatigue. The Prince lowered his head and coughed faintly. Shen Yunfei silently stepped in front of him to block the wind. “I’ll see you back. It’s cold—why didn't you dress warmer?”

Outside Wenhua Hall, the Imperial Guard approached to clear out any attendants who had gotten too close.

Within Wenhua Hall, lessons were postponed. The entire hall would become an iron fortress until all exam papers were verified.

Ye Xuanjiu stood beside Qi Hanzhou. When he looked again, the distant figure was walking away.

Ying Fusheng and Shen Yunfei had moved far away, no longer watching the excitement. But Ye Xuanjiu stared at that figure, his heart filled with shock. Of course, they knew about the exam fraud and the secret collusion among these people. But a single move affects the whole; the court bureaucracy was so tightly knit that it was hard to shake an entire imperial exam.

Yet such a childish scheme had actually brought things to this point. Ye Xuanjiu couldn't help shivering. If it had been anyone else, who would have thought that this was the work of the eleven‑year‑old Sixth Prince? Truly, a wisdom so great it seemed almost inhuman.

A person like this… in the future…

“Junior General,” he said carefully, looking at the man beside him.

Qi Hanzhou didn't look away from the distant figure until it was gone. He turned away. The hall was silent.

He did not know where that person had obtained the spring exam questions, but he could see the outcome of this exam.

Bought questions, leaked exam papers—once this happened, public opinion would stir. The right knife would be handed to the one on the high throne, and naturally, it would also come to the Imperial Guard. The entire process of the spring examination would be thoroughly investigated. The implicated officials would be put under control. The anonymous exam papers would be reorganized… Behind him was the true, clean examination ground.

In the side hall of Wenhua Hall, exam papers were passed one by one. A great scholar finished reading one, and another civil official reviewed it. Under the Emperor’s decree, each paper had to be examined by multiple people.

Within half an hour, dissenting voices rose in the hall. A great scholar exclaimed—

“How did this paper pass?! The failed essay was way better than this!”

“Lord Zhang graded this paper. Were his eyes blurred by pig fat? Such a pedantic argument got through?!”

Papers that had passed the original examiners were found to be fraudulent—mediocre writings were passed, while excellent essays were rejected and sealed away. It wasn’t just a leak of exam questions; the name-hiding and every other trick were fully exposed in an instant.

The Emperor ordered a re‑evaluation. At that moment, the special anonymous sealing became a joke, and secret collusion turned into a farce.

The officials who had been bribed in advance couldn't even get in here; they were taken away by the Jinyiwei and were now locked in dark cells, waiting for the review results from Wenhua Hall.

When the latest news arrived a day later, all officials suspected of cheating in the imperial exams were hauled before the emperor.

Chen Yuanli knelt before the throne. After being confined for several days, he looked haggard, with sunken eyes. The head of the Dali Temple presented all the evidence. Behind him stood officials either involved in tampering with sealed names or engaging in private collusion... As Wenhua Hall reopened the review of the examination papers, the suppressed papers were dug up, and all problematic ones were removed.

Not a single one of the officials caught in the fraud could escape.

The emperor said, “Chen Yuanli, how dare you!”

“Your Majesty!”

The implicated officials were in deep trouble. Chen Yuanli couldn't figure out how things had gone this far. After the incident at the Imperial Academy, he had been cautious in every way. Even when he was in the crosshairs, it wasn't this hard to handle. He thought that even if the fraud was exposed, the heat wouldn't reach him.

He had no private dealings with other officials, and there was no dirty money in his mansion... At worst, he'd be charged with negligence and dereliction of duty.

But the root cause of the fraud case was the leaking of the exam questions—not just leaking, but also selling them in advance.

The spring imperial examination questions were personally set by the emperor, sealed with multiple layers of tape and wax, and stored in the treasury three months earlier. They were only handed over to the Ministry of Rites seven days before the exam, and the chief examiner Chen Yuanli was responsible for unsealing and copying them. Thereafter, the number of people who handled them was very few.

In other words, apart from the emperor, only the examiners knew the questions, and Chen Yuanli was the very first to know. Only he had enough time to leak the questions to the black market.

But how did this set of questions appear on the black market?

Chen Yuanli did not know. He had not disclosed a single piece of information to anyone. All his schemes had been carried out in secret, and even his attempts to place people were done by planting them inside other Factions, letting others operate.

It was supposed to be a foolproof plan...

In the hall, a group of officials protested their innocence. Chen Yuanli had just begun to defend himself.

The indictment from on high fell, spreading out before him. It contained not only charges related to this fraud but also some private matters that were brought to light. How could these things be—

When he saw them, his face changed abruptly. He looked up and saw Grand Secretary Xu standing quietly nearby, the Minister of Revenue with a cold expression, and the other officials with grim faces, none of them sparing him a glance.

In silence, it seemed as if countless forces had forged this outcome.

Higher up, the emperor’s face was icy.

Chen Yuanli collapsed. He knew he was finished.

Author's Note:

Little 6: Give a push, leave the rest to others.

Other Factions: Time to find a scapegoat.