A Single Wrong Step, a Heart Full of Regret

"Master!"

Startled, Tian Qi quickly went to support Tian Youqing and pinched her philtrum hard. Tian Youqing shuddered and slowly opened her eyes.

Immediately afterwards, Tian Qi turned around and roared, "Quick! Quickly revitalize the master's blood!"

As soon as the voice fell, a man who looked like a School of Names stepped forward. His muscles trembled as he walked, and then he placed his hand on Tian Youqing's chest. He released his strength and shook the gloomy aura in Tian Youqing's chest several times, allowing the latter to recover.

"Phew~"

Letting out a long breath, Tian Youqing sat up, glanced at Tian Qi, and said, "It seems the news wasn't delivered to Lai San in time."

Tian Qi had already considered this issue, and upon hearing this, he said, "Master, I've thought about it and have a rough idea. I reckon we've overestimated Lai San."

"Huh? What does this mean?" Tian Youqing was slightly taken aback and asked with a frown.

"My lord, you are an official appointed by the imperial court. The imperial court has a well-established structure. When an order is issued, it is passed down layer by layer, ensuring that everyone performs their duties. But what is Lai San? He is just a ruffian from Prosperity Capital who only has the audacity to rely on some brothers. In the end, he is nothing but a rabble. Even if an order is issued and reaches him, he does not have a well-organized structure under him. The hierarchy is not necessarily clear. How can it possibly reach the ears of someone who spreads rumors?"

"You mean?" Tian Youqing's heart skipped a beat.

Tian Qi nodded and said, "I heard that those spreading rumors are scattered among the crowd, with no one in charge. Under such circumstances, how can orders be conveyed to the people? It's not surprising that they couldn't stop the rumors from spreading. Master, you don't need to worry. After all, only the matter of cheating has been spread so far. The names of the cheaters haven't been revealed yet. As long as there are no problems on Yu Fang's side..."

His words put Tian Youqing's mind at ease, but before he could finish speaking, the sound of clothes rustling came from outside the door, and a burly man descended from the sky. It was a martial arts master who could move swiftly and powerfully!

After landing, the man clasped his hands in a fist and urgently called into the room, "Master! The failed candidates are storming the Imperial Academy! There's complete chaos! Soldiers have been seriously injured in the trampling, and the main gate has been smashed down! There's also a riot at the Examination Hall..."

"What?" Tian Youqing, who had just caught her breath, was startled again. Cold sweat poured down her back, and she swayed slightly, but she did not faint again.

"It seems this matter won't end well." A cold glint flashed in Tian Youqing's eyes. "Those candidates are all successful candidates in the imperial examinations, possessing social status. Even if Imperial Examinations fail, they'll still be local gentry when they return home. Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't do such a thing. Storming the Imperial Academy and injuring soldiers is tantamount to ruining their future! Can't anyone understand this? The ringleader won't have a good ending either. When scholars cause trouble, they usually let others step forward while they wait for an opportunity to act. They can advance or retreat at will, and they wouldn't act so impulsively!"

Tian Qi was also startled by this news. He asked a few more questions, repeatedly confirming the information, and finally frowned. "Could it be that they think the law doesn't punish everyone?"

"Perhaps that's one reason, but we can't rule out the possibility that someone is plotting something." Tian Youqing forced himself to remain calm, then thought of someone. "Didn't Pan Xiang say he also had arrangements? Perhaps this matter is his doing, but I wonder if he knows about Qiu Yan causing the strange phenomena."

"Pan Xiang?" Tian Qi's eyelids twitched. "Master once instructed Lai San that things should be big, but not chaotic. He could lead the failed candidates through the streets, but they couldn't storm the government offices. I suppose Pan Xiang knows the consequences. Even if he hadn't received Qiu Yan's message, he wouldn't have acted so impulsively."

"That's hard to say," Tian Youqing shook his head. "This matter was originally intended to strike at the Old Party, but if given the opportunity, I think Pan Xiang wouldn't mind moving some people around in the New Party."

At this point, he suddenly gave a bitter laugh, "That Qiu Yan is really something else. I thought he was just an unknown nobody, at most someone with some connections to the Old Party, but now he's forcing me to halt my plans, and might even cause infighting within the New Party. This guy..."

He sighed, "If I have the chance, I'd like to meet him and see what this person with the strange phenomena is really like."

Tian Qi's heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively asked, "Master, what should we do now? Since that failed student has stormed the Imperial Academy, things are not going to be easy to calm down. Should we throw Lai San out to make him pay for his crime?"

As a staff member, Tian Qi is capable of analyzing situations and offering suggestions, but when it comes to making the final decision, it still has to be decided by Tian Youqing himself.

"Throw Lai San out to make amends?" Tian Youqing shook his head, recalling Lai San's actions. "That guy is no pushover, he's got a mad dog vibe. Using him as an scapegoat is like wiping out the whole bunch, it'll just cause trouble for us."

Tian Qi could understand the reasoning behind this with just a little thought.

In officialdom, evidence and facts are often not the primary concern; what is needed is a "momentum." Tian Youqing framed Qiu Yan to create a powerful momentum against the Old Party and Ma Yang. Once the momentum is established, no one will care whether Qiu Yan was wronged or not, nor will anyone be held accountable.

But now the situation has reversed. Not to mention taking the opportunity to deal with Ma Yang, just framing Qiu Yan himself could be a crime. If the higher-ups want to investigate thoroughly and implicate Tian Youqing, then it will be difficult to control the situation.

Tian Youqing's eyes flashed coldly. "No matter who pushed me behind the scenes, they want to use this matter to implicate me. So the most urgent task is not to retaliate, but to prevent this matter from being thoroughly investigated and to close the case quickly!"

Tian Qi looked puzzled. "Closing the case quickly? The candidates storming the Imperial Academy is already a major event; investigating it will inevitably take a long time!"

Tian Youqing shook his head and said, "If the failed candidates cause trouble for no reason, it will naturally take a long time because it requires investigating those involved. But if what they say is true, the court will definitely deal with the cheater as soon as possible to quell public resentment and set an example for others!"

"But the person who cheated doesn't exist, and Qiu Yan also..." Tian Qi was still puzzled, but suddenly realized what he was saying halfway through. He looked at Tian Youqing with a surprised and uncertain expression.

"It seems you've figured it out too. Only after this is over can I settle accounts with someone," Tian Youqing said with a wry smile. "Qiu Yan is beyond our control. That guy is too powerful. The two people in history who Literary Staining of Examination Papers both showed unusual phenomena on the spot, but with him, it only appeared when the results were released. I wonder if it was intentional, to lure the snake out of its hole."

These words sent chills down Tian Qi's spine. "Impossible, right? How could he possibly have such abilities?"

"Regardless of his actual ability, the fact that he can conjure up unusual phenomena demonstrates his erudition. If he were to enter officialdom in the future, he would likely cause quite a stir." Tian Youqing took a deep breath. "However, if this is a deliberate scheme, we must be careful. Otherwise, even if we manage to quell the current situation, there may be future troubles!"

Tian Qi was also deeply worried. "Does Qiu Yan know that the master was behind this? If he does..."

As they talked, both of them felt a strange sensation. One was a high-ranking official and a favorite of the emperor, while the other was a high-ranking official's advisor. They usually schemed against high-ranking officials, but now they were worried, regretful, and even a little afraid because of a candidate who didn't even have an official position!

"In any case, Qiu Yan is temporarily out of the question. Not only is he out of the question, but we should also try to cultivate a good relationship with him. I heard his exam paper is different from the Old Party's; perhaps it's a way to attack Ma Yang. Anyway, let's not talk about this for now..."

After thinking for a moment, Tian Youqing instructed, "Go and have them make copies of several examination papers from those Metropolitan Examination the provincial examination and send them over as soon as possible. Delay could cause problems; we must select the candidates before the imperial court intervenes!"

"Yes!" Tian Qi knew the difficulty behind this order, but he had no time to think about it too much. He could only activate all communication channels to complete the mission.

Fifteen minutes later, more than a dozen exam papers were placed on Tian Youqing's desk.

"It was too rushed, so this is all we have for now. We'll have to wait a while for the rest..." Tian Qi reported to Tian Youqing, who was not paying any attention and had already started flipping through the exam papers.

On top of all was Qiu Yan's exam paper.

These were not the originals, but copies. Because they were made hastily, the notes were messy, and there were many mistakes and scribbles. After glancing at them, Tian Youqing's expression was uncertain, which made Tian Qi tremble with fear, afraid that there might be something unfavorable to his master on them.

After a few breaths, Tian Youqing exhaled and smiled wryly, "Although I only skimmed through it, I could still glean some clues. No wonder it's an article that Literary Staining of Examination Papers flooded and the results to be announced. If I didn't know its origins, I would probably have thought that Qiu Yan was a disciple of Wang Gong! This person's understanding of the New Law and the ills of the court is truly insightful!"

"Is it really that amazing?" Tian Qi was startled; he knew very well what this assessment meant.

"What a pity. I didn't try to understand this person beforehand, which led to my underestimation and making an enemy rashly. If I had known his talent, I would never have acted this way. I hope there is still a chance to make amends." Shaking his head, Tian Youqing felt increasingly regretful. He had no choice but to put Qiu Yan's exam paper aside and pick up the next one.

"Ye Yun, I vaguely remember that name. I didn't expect him to get second place," Tian Youqing said as he looked at the papers. "Hmm? This guy is really lucky. What he wrote is just the Old Party's clichés, but the writing is excellent. It must be a compromise between the two examiners that got him ranked second. If the first place wasn't someone like Qiu Yan, it wouldn't be surprising if he got the top Metropolitan Laureate!"

Tian Qi, however, had no mind to think about these things. He wanted to urge Tian Youqing, but he was afraid of disturbing her peace of mind.

His expression caught Tian Youqing's eye, causing the latter to shake his head inwardly. In terms of anxiety, Tian Youqing was no less anxious than Tian Qi, but it was precisely at times like these that one needed to remain calm and cautious, otherwise one mistake after another would be made. A small act of impatience could ruin a great plan. The most crucial thing now was to find an ideal "exam paper".

As he pondered, he opened the third exam paper, which was written by Wen Zhizhen.

As he looked at it, Tian Youqing's eyes lit up. "Good heavens, no wonder Wen Zhizhen has recently become so famous. This person is truly cunning and resourceful. He has a deep understanding of the examiners' preferences and the court's trends. This exam paper is definitely meticulously prepared, made by guessing the examiners' thoughts. Excellent! This person's talent is not as good as Qiu Yan's, but this paper has captured the essence of the Metropolitan Examination!"

As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face, but the cold glint in his eyes grew even stronger.

Seeing this expression, Tian Qi felt relieved.

ps:

Thank you to "Wan Xia Xia La", "Heavenborn Wind", and "Hazy Cloud Moon" for the generous donations!

Thank you to "Adventurer* Tian Yun" for the monthly pass!