Who Would Lead the Three Hundred Presented Scholars?

"Reporting to Your Excellency, everything has been arranged. As long as Qiu Yan makes the list, the news will spread immediately. If he doesn't, there's no need to worry about it."

The other two men looked quite different; one of them was older, with black and white hair and beard, and responded upon hearing this.

Tian Youqing nodded slightly and then asked, "If I want this matter to be an ironclad case, is it difficult?"

The half-white-haired man frowned, a deep frown forming on his forehead, and said, "I'm afraid it will be somewhat difficult. After all, the Talent Selection Ceremony is a major national event. Harming one or two candidates is one thing, but if we want to make it an ironclad case, it will implicate others..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the person next to him, who chuckled and said, "Old Yu, you've become increasingly timid these past two years."

Although the man was well-dressed in fine clothes and silk, he lacked decorum. Standing there, his legs were askew and his shoulders were crooked, like a crooked tree that couldn't be straightened, giving him a sleazy and disreputable air.

Such a person, with his poor demeanor, would normally be far from being a guest of honor at the Tian Residence; he might not even be able to get through the door. But now, Tian Youqing, instead of being annoyed, looked at him with interest and asked, "Lai San, what are your thoughts? Tell me, let me hear them."

Upon hearing this, Lai San put on a fawning smile, bowed deeply, and quickly said, "Sir, I've heard that some of the candidates have already pledged allegiance to you. Why don't you select one or two candidates from Jiannan Circuit and let them 'witness' Qiu Yan's secret actions in the examination hall? Or perhaps they'll inadvertently see which examiner speaks with Qiu Yan..."

"What do you mean?" Tian Youqing's eyes lit up, but he remained outwardly calm.

Lai San, sensing the situation, quickly said, "I heard that Qiu Sheng is a disciple of Ma Xiang... Ma Yang, so he must be a member of the Old Party. During the imperial Metropolitan Examination, wouldn't he have some connections with the Old Party examiners? It would be perfectly reasonable to say that. As long as we announce his identity as Ma Yang's disciple first, and then..."

"This is absolutely unacceptable!" Old Yu suddenly exclaimed. He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Tian Youqing, and said, "Sir, framing a candidate is a minor mistake. If it gets leaked, the consequences might not be too great. We can find some people to help us get away with it. But if it involves an official of the court, it will be difficult to handle. If it provokes a counterattack from the Old Party, then the situation will be..."

"Old Yu, why are you saying such discouraging things?" Lai San shook his head. "As long as the plan is done properly, it will be foolproof. How could it be exposed? This time, with Lord Tian and Lord Pan working together, and with your and my help, everything is going smoothly, whether it's the corrupt officials or merchants. I won't hide it from you; for the past twenty days, our brothers have been spreading information throughout the city. I heard that, Old Yu, things are similar at your chamber of commerce. There's been undercurrents in the city, everyone's saying someone's cheating, but we don't know who it is..."

At this point, he chuckled and looked at Tian Youqing, whispering, "Sir, you are so wise, you must understand that those candidates are arrogant and will surely suspect foul play if they fail. If we announce the name of the cheater now, that person will immediately become the target of public criticism, providing fodder for everyone's venting."

Finally, he narrowed his eyes, revealing a sinister expression. "Right now, it's just the calm before the storm."

"Since you're so confident, then let's do it your way." Tian Youqing glanced at the two of them and gave the order indifferently. Although Old Yu still had something to say, he shut his mouth after being looked at by Tian Youqing and left with Lai San.

But after a while, Old Yu was led back. As soon as he entered, he said, "Sir, you shouldn't have been so hasty! Lai San is not someone to be trusted. His reckless actions are too presumptuous. How could the court be fooled by such petty tricks?"

Tian Youqing smiled and said, "Yu Fang, I know what you're thinking. There's no need for further words. I have my own plans. That Lai San is a local ruffian with considerable influence. It would be ideal to leverage his power. Even if something goes wrong, we can shift the blame to Pan Xiang. Now that he's willing to be the first to act, I naturally won't stop him. However, when it's time to cut ties, I won't hesitate."

Upon hearing this, Old Yu pondered for a moment, then broke out in a cold sweat and dared not say another word.

"Alright," Tian Youqing stood up, patted his clothes, and said, "Go to the Chamber of Commerce now. Qiu Yan is just a nobody. If we didn't set this up to bring down this mere scholar, we'd be giving him too much credit. The real purpose is to use him as a breakthrough to strike at those stubborn old-fashioned people. Once they're thrown into disarray, you can launch your attack, seize control of the Capital City Commerce Association, and take the initiative. Then, you can cooperate with me in implementing the New Law."

"Your wisdom is truly remarkable! I am in awe!" Old Yu quickly flattered, "After this, I'm sure you'll be able to secure your position as a key figure in the New Party!"

Tian Youqing smiled slightly, unmoved by the gift, and simply waved for Old Yu to leave.

The Examination Hall.

Outside the courtyard, a huge crowd of people, including examinees, servants, and maids, eagerly awaited their turn.

Logically, the list should have been sent to the Ministry of Rites, which would then organize people to post it. However, since it ultimately had to be circulated from the Examination Hall, many impatient people gathered there, hoping to find out in advance.

Some of them had even arrived yesterday and waited all night!

Besides, many wealthy merchants, stewards, and servants gathered here, their eyes scanning the examinees like hungry wolves eyeing their prey.

These people had a simple goal: to find a son-in-law who would become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) for their families. If he could get into the top three, that would be even better. However, there were far more monks than porridge, and only a little over three hundred Jinshi were selected in this examination, so the competition was fierce and there was no time to relax.

Suddenly, even the air around the Examination Hall was filled with a tense atmosphere.

The atmosphere inside the Examination Hall was equally somber.

After more than 20 days of grading, the examiners reviewed and compared thousands of exam papers, discarding the vast majority and keeping only 307.

These more than three hundred exam papers represent the number of people who passed the imperial examination this year, but before that, there was one more thing to decide: the ranking.

Although it's called a ranking, the order is actually pretty much set. The real difficulty in deciding is the top few.

Those who Metropolitan Examination the provincial examination were called tribute students, and the final ranking of the top three would be determined in the Palace Examination a few days later.

The Palace Examination was divided into three grades. The first grade was awarded the title of Jinshi Jidi; the second grade was awarded the title of Jinshi Chushen; and the third grade was awarded the title of Tong Jinshi Chushen. This was the final step of the Imperial Examinations and the end of the candidates' careers.

It hasn't reached that point yet, but even so, the more than 300 people who made the list have already secured their status as Jinshi (successful candidates in the Palace Examination), which naturally attracts fierce competition. Otherwise, there might not be any left after the palace examination.

The process of catching a son-in-law is not ranked, but the first place winner is still the center of attention and is called the Metropolitan Laureate.

However, right now in the Examination Hall, the examiners are arguing endlessly about the candidates for the Metropolitan Laureate dynasty exam. Several examiners, even those from the Old Party, are disregarding the chief examiner Wang Fu's wishes and are determined to suppress one particular exam paper.

"Although this exam paper is extraordinary, it talks too much about profit and goes against the teachings of the sages!"

"Indeed, the imperial Metropolitan Examination the standard for the entire nation. If this paper is selected, it could very well change the prevailing social atmosphere, and the consequences would be unpredictable."

"I suggest setting it as the second-best ranking; this way, we can both honor his talent and maintain order in the world!"

Strangely, although they wanted to suppress the exam, they didn't dare say the exam papers were bad; they only dared to talk about the overall situation, which showed their guilty conscience.

After the examiners, who were from the Old Party, finished speaking, everyone in the room turned their attention to Wang Fu.

There were quite a few people in the room. Besides the examiners, even the sealing officials and copyists were there. Zheng Quan was among them. He looked at the exam paper that everyone was discussing and felt a sense of surprise and doubt.

This exam paper was recommended as the best by several examiners with New Party backgrounds and was to be selected as the Metropolitan Laureate. However, it was resisted by the examiners from the Old Party. Strangely, Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie, who were more influential among the examiners from both parties, remained silent. They were seen as waiting for an opportunity, but Zheng Quan knew that the two of them were not waiting, but rather that they did not want to speak up.

The rankings were not yet determined, and the anonymous names had not yet been revealed. Most of the examiners did not know the candidates' names, but this one was an exception. Perhaps many examiners did not know the person's name, but Zheng Quan knew it very well.

"Isn't this the exam paper Qiu Yan wrote? However, Qiu Yan is clearly a disciple of the Old Party's chief minister, yet he was resisted by the Old Party examiners but praised by the New Party examiners. This is too strange. I wonder what Prime Minister Wang thinks?"

As he pondered, Zheng Quan's gaze swept across Hu Yong and Luo Zhongjie's faces before finally settling on Wang Fu.

From the start of the argument, none of the three had offered much of an opinion, which made Zheng Quan secretly speculate.

"They probably already know who wrote the exam paper, which is why they're hesitant."

However, Zheng Quan's guess was wrong. Although Wang Fu and the other two had their own guesses after reading the exam paper, they did not have accurate information about the identity of the person who wrote the exam paper and could not confirm the identity, because none of the three had studied Qiu Yan's past articles.

Hu Yong even guessed that it was Wen Zhizhen who wrote it, because Wen Zhizhen was quick-witted, and Luo Zhongjie had sent it out several times, making him uneasy. In the past few days, the two of them had been thinking of ways to suppress it, but due to Wang Fu's protection, they had not been able to succeed. Now, this exam paper actually had the opportunity to become the top scorer!

As for Wang Fu, he was torn between his Celestial Person.

Just now, what the examiner from the Old Party said, besides arguing logically and trying to suppress the exam papers that favored the New Law, also reminded him of some unspoken things—

In this Imperial Examinations, the Old Party had made great concessions. Not only were the contents of the New Law tested, but Wang Fu himself was also the chief examiner. At this time, it would be taboo to select a paper on the New Law as the top scorer.

"Although Literary Staining of Examination Papers showed no unusual signs, he didn't gain significant influence and it's difficult to Qi Ingestion the Old Party. If he were to be selected Metropolitan Laureate, I'm afraid..."

Just then, someone outside the door said, "Prime Minister Wang, it's getting late. If we don't finalize the rankings soon, we'll miss the deadline for posting the results!" It was the person responsible for escorting the list who had arrived.

Wang Fu sighed and finally made a decision.

"Gentlemen..."

ps: Thanks to "Mengyou Xinjun" for your monthly vote!