Astonishment

"The top scholar! It really is the top scholar!" Zhao Yuanxun was so excited that he didn't know what to do. He looked up at the roof and shouted to express his joy.

Lady Zhu, who had been crying, stopped crying, quickly wiped away her tears, and called Zhao Yuanxun to help her greet the yamen runners. The old lady, however, sat back down in her chair and started crying again.

Her granddaughter passed the provincial examination with top honors, something she never dared to dream of. It was even more glorious than when she saw her son return in the robes of a sixth-rank official.

That was the provincial examination, the imperial examination that countless scholars spent their entire lives trying to pass. Her granddaughter, however, came in first place. How could the old lady not be moved and impressed?

A maidservant had already run to Slender Bamboo Courtyard to inform Zhao Ruxi of the good news.

Zhao Ruxi was quite surprised to hear that she was the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Although she had already received the points—1,500 points, almost matching the points she earned from creating her own painting style. Keep in mind, the system only awarded her 2,000 points for creating a new style; and she only received 1,000 points for winning first place in the last painting competition.

With 1,500 points, she knew her ranking in the provincial examination would definitely be high. While Zhao Yuanxun and the others were worried and anxious, she wasn't worried at all. The system had never made a mistake in all this time.

But she never expected it to be the top scholar in the provincial examination.

You should know that she hadn't gotten first place all along the way. She knew how competitive the provincial examination was. Regardless of whether it was a fictional or fictional setting, throughout history, of all the stages of the imperial examination system, the provincial examination was the most competitive and the most difficult to pass. Passing the provincial examination meant becoming an official, which shows that the number of provincial graduates was not large and had always been controlled within a certain range, making it very difficult to pass.

She never expected to get first place in this test.

Not to mention Zhao Ruxi's family, even Qin Ke, the Ministry of Rites Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites who was the chief examiner, was taken aback when he heard the news.

The examination papers for the provincial examinations were sealed with the examiners' names on the spot and then handed over to the copyists for transcription. After transcription, they were handed over to the examiners for grading.

The examiners had no idea who the examinees were; they judged solely based on the essays they liked. The final rankings were determined by combining the scores from all five examiners.

After the exam papers were handed in, the soldiers would unseal them, check the papers and names, and then write a notice and post it.

Therefore, without seeing the posted list, even the chief examiner and the graders wouldn't know who had been selected.

This minimized the possibility of favoritism and cheating in the imperial examinations, ensuring maximum fairness. This also meant that the chief examiner only learned that Zhao Ruxi was the top scholar after the list was released.

Upon hearing this news, the examiners quickly re-examined the unsealed exam papers and discovered that Zhao Ruxi was indeed Zhao Zhiwei, the apprentice of Mister Kumu, and the only female candidate. They were immediately at a loss for what to do.

"Lord Qin, what should we do?" the deputy examiner asked.

"What else can we do? No matter who it is, once the notice is posted, it can't be changed," Qin Ke said with a wry smile.

He truly had no idea that Zhao Zhiwei was so capable; with so many male candidates, none of them had outperformed a single female candidate—it was quite embarrassing.

"I don't know about anything else, but I do know that this year's provincial examination we're in charge of is going to be famous," he said, shaking his head.

Everyone gave a wry smile.

One of the examiners said, "Zhao Zhiwei first place. You haven't seen her essay; it's truly excellent. It would be unfair not to give her first place."

The other examiners nodded in agreement. "That's true."

Recalling the uproar caused by Zhao Zhiwei during the county examination, Qin Ke thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to the palace to see the Emperor."

"That's fine too." The other officials all agreed.

In any case, they conducted the examinations impartially. The provincial and metropolitan examinations were extremely serious examinations, and once the results were posted, they could not be changed. Moreover, Zhao Zhiwei's essays could withstand scrutiny, so they had no guilty conscience.

However, given the uproar caused during the county examination, it would be best to report this matter to the Emperor.

Qin Ke took out his pocket watch from his bosom, saw that it was time for the court session to end, and then handed over his token to enter the palace to request an audience with the emperor.

"You mean, Zhao Zhiwei, Mister Kumu's apprentice, became the top scholar in the imperial examination?" Xiao Ge was very surprised when he heard this news.

He immediately looked at Eunuch Xie.

The provincial examination was held every three years, the metropolitan examination every three years, and the preliminary examination for candidates was held every year. As an emperor, Xiao Ge no longer cared much about these examinations. He would only discuss them with his ministers when selecting the chief examiners for the provincial and metropolitan examinations, and make an appearance at the final palace examination to meet the top scholar and others.

But this time, because of Zhao Zhiwei, he paid special attention and even instructed Eunuch Xie to keep an eye on the results. He wanted to know if Zhao Zhiwei had passed the exam under the guidance of the teachers at the Imperial Academy, and what rank she had achieved. He was purely curious.

But Zhao Zhiwei gave him a huge surprise.

When Eunuch Xie saw the Emperor looking over, he quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "This servant sent someone to check, Zhao Zhiwei is indeed the top scholar in the provincial examination, ranking first on the list."

Xiao Ge was at a loss for words.

He was silent for a moment, then raised his eyelids to look at Qin Ke: "What do you intend to do?"

Qin Ke said, "The imperial examination is an extremely serious matter of the court, not child's play. Once the red and white lists are posted, they cannot be changed. I am only worried that the court officials might have some objections, which is why I have come to inform Your Majesty."

Xiao Ge nodded in satisfaction. "That's exactly right."

Regardless of who topped the list, since there was no cheating and it was recognized by everyone, there is nothing to question. The imperial examination is such a serious matter that the rules cannot be changed just because Zhao Ruxi became the top scholar.

The laws and regulations of the imperial court and the rules of the imperial examinations were not to be trifled with.

"If there's nothing else, you may leave," he said.

This matter will certainly be discussed by some. But it will only be discussion; no one will dare to raise any objections. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be questioning Qin Ke as the chief examiner, but also expressing dissatisfaction with the court's regulation allowing women to participate in the imperial examinations.

Empress Shengyao brought high-yield crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes to the people, ensuring they had enough to eat, and also invented glass and other products. They were unable to enjoy everything Empress Shengyao had brought them, and after her death, they denied the rights she had fought for for women.

When a woman passed the provincial examination with top honors, the entire imperial court panicked, hastily changing the examination rules or even denying the results of that year's provincial examination. How humiliating would that be for the men? Was it because they were afraid that women were actually more capable than them, and therefore felt guilty?

If all court officials are like this, Xiao Ge felt that this wasn't a matter of changing the rules of the imperial examinations, but rather that the entire court should be replaced.

He couldn't bear the embarrassment of having such officials under his command.

As Xiao Ge had predicted, officials and common people alike were abuzz with discussion about Zhao Ruxi's passing the imperial examination with top honors, but no one dared to question it or suggest changing the rules of the imperial examinations.

This kind of dialogue was taking place both inside and outside the imperial court.