Who Wrote This Examination Paper?

Faced with the questioning, Hu and Luo, though unwilling, had no choice but to nod in agreement, but added, "However, the Prime Minister also said that the examination papers were only similar to those of Sage Paper, and had not truly undergone a transformation."

Despite this, the examiners couldn't help but start talking to each other the next moment.

"I never imagined that we would encounter something that's described in history books."

Paper resembling the Sage Paper, even if imperfect, is a rare treasure that can guide Literary Thought and pure ideas. It is not easily produced and is rare in history. Moreover, it has only been recorded twice in the examination hall, and the examiners at the time also left a mark on history because of it.

Now, the examiners in this room share similar thoughts.

"Who is this person?"

Soon, their attention turned to the candidates' identities, and some examiners even exclaimed in amazement as they looked at the copied exam papers.

Sensing the changes inside the room, Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie smiled wryly again. Unconsciously, they had become an "alliance," and couldn't help but recall Wang Fu's final comments on the policy essay—

"This policy essay has an unfinished meaning; it has things left unsaid!"

"The text mentions the idea of financial management, which gives a general outline. What more can be said? Does this person possess a complete method for financial management? This is something even the Prime Minister Wang is exploring and researching!"

The two shook their heads secretly, their hearts filled with vigilance, but their thoughts were completely different.

Hu Yong didn't want the exam papers related to the new policy to have too much of an impact, but Luo Zhongjie's motives were much more complex.

"If this candidate becomes too prominent, it will be more harmful than beneficial to me and Zhang Hou. Pan Xiang, who has just made a great contribution, will definitely find it difficult to tolerate such a person. Most importantly, this person has clearly gained the favor of Prime Minister Wang. It would be fine if he were just a strategist, but if his position is too high, he will be difficult to control."

Luo Zhongjie could guess a little about Wang Fu's intentions. He knew that this stern-faced prime minister originally planned to gather a group of younger generations through the Metropolitan Examination, guide them, expand the ranks of the New Party, and use this opportunity to show the world his attitude and influence the future candidates' preferences.

It can be said that Wang Fu's role as chief examiner this time was mainly to lay the foundation for the future, and he had no other expectations. However, unexpectedly, a candidate suddenly appeared whose essays and strategies deeply impressed Wang Fu, and his writings were so impressive that Literary Imprinting the paper with praise!

This is not good news for Luo Zhongjie and others.

Admittedly, Wang Fu was the core of the New Party, and those who gathered around him were mostly people who wanted to bring peace to the world and revitalize the Great Rui. However, in addition to ideals, practical interests were also very important. Many of those who attached themselves to the New Party wanted to take advantage of the reform to break the Original Edition interest structure of the Great Rui and get a share of the benefits.

This is actually one of the reasons why the Old Party suppressed the New Party.

As Wang Fu's power grew and the emperor's trust remained undiminished, the New Party gradually gained a foothold, and the internal power structure began to become clear. In addition to the core few, there were also different levels of people on the periphery.

At this juncture, the emergence of a candidate who was inclined towards reform and possessed exceptional talent immediately aroused Luo Zhongjie's vigilance.

"It's fine to lend a helping hand or mentor someone who's just starting out, but if a junior uses just one article to step on our shoulders, that's absolutely intolerable."

With this in mind, Luo Zhongjie and Hu Yong exchanged glances, each with a completely different idea, but their goal was surprisingly the same: to find a way to lower the ranking on this exam paper.

Even if the two of them had a few more lives, they wouldn't dare to refuse the exam paper with the Literary Imprinting stains on it. However, it wouldn't be easy to lower their ranking.

"Fortunately, although this essay stained the examination paper in the Examination Hall, it did not cause any of the strange phenomena described in historical records. Otherwise, even if we wanted to suppress it, we would have been helpless. However, before suppressing it, it would have been best to know the identity of the examinee to avoid future troubles..."

According to regulations, after the exam papers are anonymized, the names cannot be removed and the results written until the rankings are finalized. Before that, even the examiners cannot open them at will, as there is a shared responsibility involved. Therefore, Luo Zhongjie and his companion dared not act rashly.

After thinking it over, the two had no other choice for the time being, so they called Zheng Quan over and tried to inquire indirectly, but to no avail. In the end, they had no choice but to return the exam paper to him— the Metropolitan Examination was still ongoing, and the examiners could not keep the original documents for the time being, in accordance with the procedure.

Upon entering the room and seeing the exam paper, Zheng Quan was secretly astonished. After talking with Hu and Luo for a while, he was even more shocked.

"It seems Qiu Yan is on his way to a high position! His literary Sage is evident in his Literary Staining of Examination Papers, and his reputation is like a shield once it gets out. But I wonder why a member of the Old Party would let the leader of the New Party off the hook?"

Carefully putting away his exam paper, Zheng Quan said goodbye and left. As he walked, he pondered, and in the end, he even had the idea of befriending Qiu Yan.

"In any case, with this exam paper, Qiu Yan will have no problem getting the Jinshi degree. He will be serving as my colleague in the same court in the future, so now is the perfect time to befriend him."

Before this, Qiu Yan was just a candidate. Zheng Quan, as a court official, had the opportunity to meet the emperor and the prime minister, so he naturally didn't take him seriously. However, in a short period of time, the situation changed drastically. With the momentum of the Literary Staining of Examination Papers, it was not impossible for Qiu Yan to not only become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) but also achieve a higher ranking!

In this way, Qiu Yan no longer possesses merely potential!

"I just wonder if his affiliation with the Old Party will affect his final ranking."

As he pondered this, Zheng Quan began to consider how to do someone a favor.

When he returned to the examination room, he collected all the exam papers. Several other people had handed in their papers that day and then pondered them carefully.

Just then...

"Lord Zheng..."

Suddenly, a man dressed in official robes walked towards them. The insignia on his robes were the same as Zheng Quan's.

"Lord Li." Zheng Quan recognized the person's identity from the voice alone, knowing that he was also an official in charge of the imperial Metropolitan Examination, named Li Kuo, and quickly bowed in greeting.

Li Kuo came over and chatted with Zheng Quan for a few words. The atmosphere was harmonious, but Zheng Quan was secretly puzzled, wondering what the other party was up to.

This wasn't because Zheng Quan was suspicious, but because there was a reason for it. The three officials appointed this time each had their own backgrounds and were not in the same faction in the court. For example, Li Kuo was a member of the New Party and a capable subordinate of Tian Youqing.

For these reasons, Zheng Quan and he were not close. They usually spoke businesslike, so they would never have such a friendly conversation like today.

Sure enough, after exchanging only a few words, Li Kuo asked, seemingly without any apparent reason, "By the way, where is the exam paper of the first candidate who handed it in? Usually, the first person to hand in their paper is someone who can't concentrate, but I heard that the person who handed in their paper this time has a slight reputation among the common people, so I'm a little curious. Could I take a look at it?"

"Oh?" Zheng Quan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Lord Li is in high spirits, but the exam papers have already been anonymized and bound, so it's inconvenient to take them out. I'm truly sorry..."

Upon hearing this, Li Kuo frowned, then relaxed, and laughed heartily, saying nonchalantly, "So that's how it is. What a pity." Just then, another examinee came to hand in their paper, and Zheng Quan excused himself to leave, leaving Li Kuo behind.

"Could it be that Zheng Quan knows something?" Watching the departing figure, a cold glint flashed in Li Kuo's eyes. "Judging from his appearance, he seems wary. In that case, the Original Edition plan will have to be changed. Since we can't switch the exam papers, we'll have to use our backup plan."

As he spoke, he turned around, and standing in front of him was a soldier—it was Wang He!

"Find someone to spread this word right now, tell Lord Tian that things have changed."

Upon hearing Li Kuo's instructions, Wang He was covered in cold sweat, but he still nodded with a forced smile, turned around and left, walking faster and faster.

"If Lord Li finds out that I deliberately avoided him when collecting the papers and handed them to Lord Zheng instead, I wonder what he will think? Even if he doesn't kill me, he probably won't treat me well. Sigh, what a mess this has been."

Wang He walked along, filled with worry.

In fact, from the moment Qiu Yan stepped into the examination hall, a conspiracy against him began. The person who orchestrated all of this was exceptionally powerful and had access to an unimaginable network of connections. The entire plan was meticulously crafted with numerous backup plans, all aimed at using Qiu Yan as a pretext to launch a major case!

However, the more meticulous the plan, the more likely it is that if a problem occurs in any part, the entire plan may fail.

This plan was flawed from the start— Wang He had some of the impurities removed by Qiu Yan's infusion of energy, but was also threatened. Under this combination of kindness and coercion, he finally wavered. When he was finishing up the scroll, a change of thought caused the plan to deviate significantly.

In fact, this is also a kind of Fortune of fortune, and what caused this change was Qiu Yan's choice when he entered the sect!

"Things have come to this point, there's no other way but to go all the way. Isn't Qiu Yan a close associate of the Prime Minister? Even Zheng Quan is secretly protecting him, which shows he has influence. Joining him might not be a bad thing. He hasn't truly entered officialdom yet. If I join him, even if I don't become a trusted confidant, I should at least be a veteran member. Besides, if I can cure this ailment, then..."

Soon, Wang He realized that his current choice might not be a bad thing. In fact, the most important thing was that he had been tormented by illness for many years and had been afraid. Now that there was finally hope, he was naturally unwilling to give up.

He walked while thinking, but he still had to deal with his duties. As a veteran soldier, even though he was locked in the Examination Hall, he had his own way of transmitting messages, and Li Kuo's words were quickly relayed.

Meanwhile, other messages were also being transmitted from the Examination Hall through other channels, one of which even reached the palace.

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

"Has anything unexpected happened in this Metropolitan Examination?"

An elderly man with a white face and no beard stood at the door, listening to the report from the eunuch, and showed surprise. "Literary Staining of Examination Papers?"

After the initial shock, the old man quickly regained his composure and asked, "Have you confirmed it?"

The young eunuch said calmly, "Don't worry, godfather, it's been confirmed repeatedly."

"Alright, you may go now." The old man waved his hand, then pondered for a moment before turning and walking back to the Imperial Study.

Inside the spacious hall, Emperor Li Kun was hunched over his desk, intently reading the memorials and occasionally making annotations. He was so focused that he didn't even notice the arrival of the white-faced old man.

The old man looked at the scene before him with a kind expression, then coughed slightly, stepped forward, and knelt down, saying, "This old servant congratulates Your Majesty." (To be continued. Please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)