Chapter 260: The Professional Substitute Exam-Taker — Five Candidates Guaranteed Passes (1 / 2)

Of course, not all candidates were like this. Most had solid foundations, and while some had weak spots, they weren’t this ridiculous.

As for those with exceptional knowledge—

Xu Yanmiao saw that Gao He had already taken out rice and charcoal, lighting a small stove in his examination cubicle to steam porridge.

His exam paper was filled with answers, and he looked confident. Unhurriedly, he even measured the water level with his fingers—after all, the firepower was weak, and too little water would leave the rice undercooked and hard to eat.

In the cubicle next door was cousin.

The aroma of porridge wafted over, and his cousin simply stopped writing. He pulled out a carton of soy milk from his box, along with his favorite crispy fried dough twists, and dunked them in, crunching away without restraint.

—His laziness was so extreme that Xu Yanmiao suspected he had no intention of passing the imperial exam at all and was simply forced here by his family.

Meanwhile, the eldest grandson—the one constantly running to the latrine—had also started his stove, presumably to boil hot water in hopes of settling his stomach.

Now that he was quiet, the yellow-faced man in the stinking cubicle next door could finally take a breath. He pinched a chunk of flesh on his thigh to stay awake, bit down hard on his left hand until it bled, and forced himself to keep writing, desperate to avoid passing out from the stench.

Xu Yanmiao continued to observe others.

For instance, Liang Rui’s eldest son, Liang Youwen, had wrapped himself up like a silkworm, leaving only his forehead and arms exposed, meticulously answering each question.

His younger brother, Liang Youwu, was also diligently writing. When Xu Yanmiao took a lap downstairs and returned to the upper floor, he saw that Liang Youwu’s handwriting was exceptionally neat. However, he seemed stuck on a difficult question, repeatedly patting the back of his own head.

Watching an imperial exam could reveal quite a lot.

The wealthy candidates brought pastries, ginseng, and even dried duck. The poorer ones had to cook porridge themselves—or worse, they couldn’t even afford charcoal or a stove, forced to chew on cold, hardened flatbread they had brought along.

The young examinees were full of spirit, brimming with ambition.

The elderly ones—those in their sixties and seventies—struggled just to catch their breath, their faces filled with despair.

At that moment, Xu Yanmiao felt that he had done something truly great!

[I have ensured fairness for most examinees! (Hands on hips)]

[I even rejected some unreasonable exam questions!]

[Oh, not questions like Lady Jun’s Husband and Yang Huo’s Desires—those are just difficult, not unfair.]

[But I have no idea what Academician Le was thinking. Even if he was overjoyed to have taken in an outstanding disciple, he shouldn’t have used his student’s new poem as an exam question—and then falsely claimed it was from The Greater Odes of the Kingdom!]

[If the system hadn’t picked up on the gossip, we would have all been fooled!]

All the examiners who set the questions suddenly fell into awkward silence.

One of them, the Director of the Imperial Academy, muttered in frustration, “You can’t really blame us for being fooled!”

Academician Le was a Hanlin Scholar—the highest-ranking official in the Hanlin Academy! Only individuals of extraordinary talent could hold this position! When someone of his status confidently stated that a verse came from a classical text, others would only feel ashamed for not remembering it themselves—who would dare suspect that the esteemed scholar was outright lying?

The Minister of War smirked teasingly at Academician Le.

The seventy-something-year-old scholar turned red with embarrassment. He lifted his hand to press against his forehead, and his loose sleeve slid down, conveniently covering his face.

He himself had no idea what had possessed him at the time—why had he used an imperial exam question to pull such a stunt?

Now that he had calmed down, he could already imagine the outrage if Xu Yanmiao hadn’t caught the issue in time. Once the examinees realized that the question was falsely attributed to The Greater Odes of the Kingdom, their fury would have been immeasurable.

The Director of the Imperial Academy, seeing the esteemed scholar so flustered, couldn’t help but chuckle. “You don’t need to feel too bad. This issue isn’t exactly minor, but it’s not the end of the world either…”

Academician Le blinked in confusion.

The director lowered his voice, preparing to smooth things over and earn some favor with the scholar. He idly twirled a brush in his fingers—completely unaware that Xu Yanmiao was watching him with a puzzled expression.

[Huh? Why is Director Wu still in the mood to chat? His mistake is even bigger! Even I wouldn’t dare go that far!]

Hearing this, the director jerked his hand, slamming his wrist against the edge of the table, nearly dropping the brush.

This time, Academician Le was the one consoling him. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Your issue is indeed a bit more serious, but you meant well. His Majesty won’t—”

The director forced a stiff smile, his gaze locking onto Xu Yanmiao’s reflection in the lacquered column.

Meanwhile, Xu Yanmiao lowered his head, wiping his face with a clean handkerchief to wake himself up.

And, of course, he took the opportunity to complain internally—

[Setting a policy question about The Emperor Begging from Neighboring States? Just because the old emperor takes pride in his rise from slavery to the throne doesn’t mean he wants people to highlight his days of begging in an exam! Even a regular scholar could tell you that was a bad idea!]

Outside the Examination Hall, in a Private Room at a Teahouse

The Crown Prince: “Hiss—”

Princess Xiangyang: “Wow—”

Empress Dou: “Pfft—”

The old emperor remained expressionless as he forcefully cracked a boiled egg against the table and peeled it with a blank face.

The eggshell shattered with a crisp crack, crack on the table. The old emperor let out a dry chuckle. “There is nothing in my past that I cannot speak of. This Director of the Imperial Academy is truly one of my most trusted ministers. Once the exam concludes, I will personally have a chat with him.”

The Crown Prince gathered the eggshells together and, in a symbolic gesture, built a small grave mound for a certain someone inside the examination hall.

Good luck—

Amitabha—

Meanwhile, directly across from the teahouse, inside a residential building, the Examination Department official of the Ministry of Personnel stopped mid-motion from ramming his head into a pillar. He stared at the examination hall wall in utter shock: “He, he, he—”

The Assistant Minister of the Directorate of Imperial Banquets couldn’t help but give a big thumbs-up. “I am not as bold as him! No wonder he was able to rise to the position of Director of the Imperial Academy! Such audacity is truly rare in this world!”

To come up with an exam question like ‘The Emperor Begging from Neighboring States’—if that’s not gutsy, then what is?

Meanwhile, Inside the Examination Hall

The Director of the Imperial Academy remained utterly unrepentant.

He muttered to Academician Le, “I think my question was excellent. It teaches the candidates just how heroic and destined for greatness His Majesty is. For centuries, has there ever been another like him, someone who rose from such a humble background to become the Son of Heaven?”

Academician Le studied his expression, feeling a bit suspicious.

Why did it seem like… when Xu Yanmiao exposed his exam question, instead of panicking, he actually looked relieved?

Was he afraid of Xu Yanmiao?

Afraid of what? Afraid that Xu Yanmiao would reveal some secret of his?

Seeing that Academician Le wasn’t in the mood to continue the conversation, the Director of the Imperial Academy awkwardly excused himself. He grabbed a low wooden stool, moved it to a sunny spot by the window, and lounged there comfortably. Only occasionally did he get up and take a slow stroll to inspect the examination cubicles.

His inspections were carried out by the book, without any signs of favoritism or corruption.

Academician Le smirked. He suddenly felt like he was being overly paranoid—wasn’t it normal for people to have secrets? Being afraid that Xu Yanmiao would expose them was also understandable. Besides, the secret might not even have anything to do with the imperial examination.@@novelbin@@