Joy in the Heart, Sorrow and Rage Like Clouds

"Qiu Yan is first? Young Master Wen is third?"

"Qiu Yan got first place?"

"Did Young Master Qiu win the Metropolitan Laureate?"

As soon as the man finished speaking, Xu Ran, Qi Jiulian, and Song Qian all stood up from their seats, showing expressions of surprise. Their words were different, but the meaning they conveyed was similar.

This news is truly unexpected!

"Qiu Yan? Qiu Yan! Qiu Yan..."

Bang!

As Wen Zhizhen murmured the name, all her strength seemed to drain away, and she slumped into a chair, her expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

"I lost?"

As he muttered to himself, his expression suddenly changed drastically, his eyes revealing intense resentment. His whole body was surging with emotion. He took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply, gritted his teeth, got up, and left quickly.

"Young Master Wen..." Xu Ran was caught off guard as she watched Wen Zhizhen's hurried departure. She looked at Pang Qianru and stomped her foot angrily. "It's all your fault for meddling!"

Pang Qianru spread her hands, feigning innocence. "I only sent someone to gather information, how can you blame me? Didn't Young Master Wen just say that the rankings are determined during the examination, not changed when the results are posted afterward? And it won't change just because someone from the Pang Residence went to gather information."

"You!" Xu Ran couldn't refute it. Recalling Wen Zhizhen's expression just now, she felt pity. Ignoring everything else, she took a step and walked away, seemingly wanting to catch up with Wen Zhizhen.

However, Wen Zhizhen was a man, and he ran wildly, disappearing into the crowd long ago. Xu Ran left the tavern, looking left and right, but she could not find Wen Zhizhen anywhere. In the end, she could only rely on her memory and look in the direction he had left.

That was the location of the Imperial Academy, where a large number of people gathered. As far as the eye could see, there was a sea of heads.

From behind, Qi Jiulian's voice came over—

"Wen Zhizhen is such a good actor. Just now she was saying 'It's my fortune to gain it, and my fate to lose it,' but how come she's so anxious in the blink of an eye? She probably knows she can't bear to lose to Qiu Yan, right?"

He had just recovered from his shock. Although he found it hard to believe that Qiu Yan had won the Metropolitan Laureate, he knew that the Pang Residence servants wouldn't fake such a thing.

Then, he thought of his promise to Wen Zhizhen, and a surge of joy welled up inside him.

To be honest, ever since that day, every time Qi Jiulian saw Wen Zhizhen and felt her calm, detached, and composed demeanor, he felt a lump in his throat. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but his dislike for Wen Zhizhen only grew stronger day by day.

Deep down, he still held a sliver of hope that Qiu Yan would defeat Wen Zhizhen, but as Qiu Yan kept a low profile, Wen Zhizhen stirred up trouble in the city and his reputation grew, making Qi Jiulian uneasy.

I was invited by Pang Qianru to come and view the rankings today, mainly to meet Qiu Yan. Since that banquet, over the past twenty days, Qi Jiulian, Song Qian, Ji Zheng, and others have successively contacted Qiu Yan and had conversations with him. However, they could tell that Qiu Yan seemed to be in a state of exploration and contemplation, and even when talking to others, he gave the impression of being multitasking.

In such circumstances, even if there are important matters to discuss, it is inevitable that various concerns will prevent one from speaking out.

On the other hand, Qiu Yan's performance also made Qi Jiulian suspect that the other party might lack confidence in the Metropolitan Examination. Recalling that Qiu Yan had come out too early that day, he became even more worried.

All of this made Qi Jiulian lose the confidence to speak loudly to Wen Zhizhen after arriving here today. He never expected to receive such news, which is quite a contrast.

Qiu Yan won the Metropolitan Laureate, while Wen Zhizhen not only failed to get first place and was surpassed by Qiu Yan, but she didn't even get second place!

This gave Qi Jiulian a sense of triumph, and he couldn't help but speak his mind.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Xu Ran glared at him angrily, and Qi Jiulian awkwardly shut up. Pang Qianru then spoke up, "Sister Xu Clan, don't be angry. What the Qi boy said is true. It's not something you can change just by glaring at him."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ran finally exploded. "Pang Qianru, don't you like Young Master Wen? Why are you slandering him!" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left, her figure disappearing into the crowd.

Pang Qianru shook her head. "She's still a naive girl, strictly disciplined since childhood. But precisely because she's had so little contact with men, she's easily misled by stories of talented men and beautiful women."

She glanced at the others and said, "Alright, Xu Ran didn't bring any guards this time. Rushing into the crowd like this is risky. We can't ignore it. Let's hurry and follow her. Besides, this Metropolitan Examination extremely interesting. With unusual phenomena in the sky, the rankings are intriguing. We can't miss it!"

After saying this, she walked straight out of the tavern and headed towards the Imperial Academy. Soon someone followed her; it was Ji Zheng. As she approached, she uttered a single sentence. "You had already foreseen that Wen Zhizhen would lose to Young Master Qiu, so you sent someone to investigate?"

"No, it's just that I feel Qiu Yan isn't that simple," Pang Qianru replied calmly, watching Ji Zheng leave.

Song Qian wanted to greet them, but Pang Qianru stopped her. "Ji Zheng and Xu Ran have a good relationship. They left before us, so there's no need to ask any more questions."

Following the flow of people, the group slowly moved forward. The further they walked, the more tense and strange the atmosphere became, as if a storm was brewing.

"I have a feeling something's off about the atmosphere," Qi Jiulian muttered, his brows furrowed.

With the guards from the Pan Household skillfully clearing the way, they traveled smoothly without being blocked by the crowd. Before long, they arrived at the outskirts of the Imperial Academy and saw a group of candidates standing in front of the gate, confronting someone and shouting. Behind them, many people echoed their sentiments.

The crowd was outraged!

Several officials stood at the entrance of the Imperial Academy, dressed in official robes, but without a trace of official authority. Instead, they were sweating profusely as they talked to the candidates, appearing to be earnestly advising them.

"What's going on? What are they saying? Do these Confucian scholars want to cause trouble?" Pang Qianru watched the scene with interest, then turned to ask.

The servant in blue robes who had come to investigate the results replied, "Someone Metropolitan Examination cheating in the imperial examination, causing confusion among the crowd. I didn't expect that it would turn out like this in such a short time. Those who failed the exam have clearly banded together."

"Oh? Someone is trying to make trouble out of this. I'd like to see how this person will get out of this mess." As Pang Qianru spoke, she looked up at the sky and noticed that the strange phenomenon was changing. Originally, a beam of light pierced the sky, but now the light was showing signs of dissipating, while the clouds in the sky were tinged with a halo.

However, while such changes might attract the attention of the city's residents, they no longer garnered the attention of the examinees. These examinees were now single-mindedly focused on the cheating allegations, even to the point of confronting the officials!

This is about fighting for a bright future!

However, they were all scholars and knew the consequences of causing trouble, so they were still restraining themselves, but their desires were growing stronger and their thoughts were about to get out of control.

The officials were anxious, knowing that if things weren't handled properly, it could easily escalate into a major incident. Chaos and gatherings were strictly forbidden in the heart of the Imperial City, especially during Talent Selection Ceremony.

This was a matter that tarnished the imperial court's reputation, and no one dared to treat it lightly. Therefore, none of them dared to make a fuss, but they secretly noted down the leading scholars and would settle accounts with them later. For now, they could only appease them.

Among those who led the disturbance was Cao Hanqi. Just now, he and Qiu Yan and others finally squeezed to the front, and the first thing they saw was Qiu Yan's name.

As a result, acquaintances will inevitably offer their congratulations, but to be honest, how many people can calmly congratulate others at this time? What they are truly concerned about is their own achievements.

He glanced at the list and didn't see his name. After checking several times, he finally despaired. Cao Hanqi's face turned ashen. Recalling the hardships of the past few years, he felt a deep sorrow welling up in his heart, and tears were about to fall.

Just then, a commotion broke out among the crowd, with candidates shouting "Injustice!" News then spread that many of the candidates had gotten on the list through cheating!

This is the terrible thing about the spread of rumors. The initial rumor is just a starting point. Those who hear it will exaggerate it slightly according to their own needs. As more and more people spread it, the news becomes completely distorted.

"The crowd's emotions seem to have been secretly manipulated, and it will be difficult to calm them down in a short period of time."

Below the list, Qiu Yan looked around and shook his head. His eyes seemed to hold the weight of an entire city. With a turn of his gaze, he could see the gloomy aura hovering above everyone's heads, like clouds and mist. This was the power formed by people's hearts being manipulated by rumors, their People's Wishes being hijacked by desires, and their emotions. It could invade people's hearts and infect others.

"If this continues, Heart Demon!"

That being said, Qiu Yan did not intend to interfere, but waited quietly.

Beside them, Zhou Guan was talking to Luo Jiayun. Both of them had looked at the list, but their expressions were worlds apart. Although Zhou Guan tried to suppress it, you could still see the joy in his eyes, while Luo Jiayun looked gloomy.

During the Metropolitan Examination, the elites of Great Rui gathered in one place, but only a few could stand out. In the entire Jiannan Circuit, only a dozen or so people could make the list. For some to rejoice, there must be others to be disappointed.

After offering Luo Jiayun a few words of comfort, Qiu Yan's heart stirred. He looked up and extended his thoughts to the clouds, sensing the changes within them.

There, the strange phenomenon originating from the exam paper is merging with the City Intent, which carries Qiu Yan's thoughts.

Just then...

Crash! Crash! Crash!

With a few loud bangs, the gate of the Imperial Academy was smashed by a martial arts student. He then raised his arm and swung it, which greatly boosted the morale of the crowd. Driven by the crowd's enthusiasm, the thin scholar also roared and pushed forward, knocking down the soldiers blocking his way, and was trampled by the crowd!

"What did you say! The rumor has already spread?"

Upon receiving the news at the Tian Residence, Tian Youqing turned ashen-faced!

"This... what are we going to do? This shouldn't be happening, didn't we already send people over?" He muttered to himself, finally slamming his fist on the table, gritting his teeth, "Lai San! Lai San! You..."

Amidst the angry curses, an unnatural flush suddenly rose on Tian Youqing's pale face, then his eyes rolled back and he fell backward!

P. S.: Thanks to "Eight-Winged Heavenly Angel", "Network Executive Vice-Officer", and "Blood Tiger Night Qilin" for their monthly votes!

I had some things to do tonight, so the update is a little late. Please forgive me.