Jiang An nearly fainted.
He knew his younger cousin was no great scholar, but he had never imagined he was this useless.
He could not even recite this!
Huahua roared with laughter: [All he knows are unofficial histories and miscellaneous tales. He doesn't even know the Three Character Classic, so how could he possibly recite that? Don't forget, he bought his way up every step, starting with Tongsheng!]
The emperor was nearly dying of laughter. "The scholars of our court truly are learned indeed. Scholar Chen, your essay was quite interesting too. It remains fresh in my memory. Recite it for me again."
"All the heavens, all the heavens..."
Cold sweat poured off Chen Yongwang.
His cousin had given him an essay to memorize, but he had only memorized the first few lines. His cousin had handled the rest by switching his examination paper.
And after some time had passed, he had become so pleased with himself that he had forgotten everything.
He had even forgotten those first few lines, let alone the entire essay.
Chen Yongwang stood rooted to the spot like a wooden chicken.
Jiang Shuyue snorted with laughter. "What a dolt!"
Jiang An glared at her, immediately drawing fire from all sides.
Liu Chengze was the first to lash out. "How stupid must you be to forget something you wrote yourself? I'd say you're worse than a three-year-old child!"
"Jiang An, as chief examiner, you were responsible for selecting talent for the court, yet you admitted someone like this. Were you abusing your authority simply because he's your relative?"
Top Scholar Jiang also spoke. "Before entering the examination hall, I encountered this Scholar Chen."
"All the candidates were nervous at the time, but Scholar Chen alone was relaxed and confident. He even swore that he would pass