Chapter 527 - 198: The Rankings Are Set
Chapter 527: Chapter 198: The Rankings Are Set
A clamor arose from within the room, and an even louder buzz came from outside.
An official sensed something was wrong. Rubbing his ears, he said, "It’s one thing for it to be noisy in here, but why does it sound so rowdy outside, too?"
"Perhaps you’ve misheard. The results aren’t posted until tomorrow. Why would there be a commotion outside now?"
"No, a commotion has definitely started. I heard it loud and clear, there’s no mistaking it."
"Quick, send someone to see what’s going on."
As several officials were whispering amongst themselves, a test paper that had been picked up from the floor just so happened to have half its seal torn off. The candidate’s place of origin was still completely covered, but a look at the name revealed none other than Tao Yanxun.
Gong Yuanxiu froze for a moment, then snatched the paper. He tore off the portion concealing the name and held it up for everyone to see.
"Take a look, everyone! This is the true Mr. Jie Yuan of this Provincial Examination."
Seeing this, Xu Yanlin and Yuan Shixin quickly reached out and snatched the paper away.
Yuan Shixin had initially been quite detached, with no intention of getting involved in these matters. He was only a deputy examiner; his job was to diligently grade the papers. Deciding the students’ rankings was the chief examiner’s responsibility.
Besides, he was a functionary in the Ministry of Personnel, and as it happened, he worked directly under Mr. Tao. Mr. Tao was his direct superior; how could he dare to offend him?
He had heard whispers that Mr. Tao and Gong Yuanxiu were in cahoots to make Tao Yanxun the top scorer in the provincial examination, but he feigned ignorance, acting as if he knew nothing of the matter.
If possible, he would have even been willing to help things along and let Mr. Tao get his wish. That way, he could also get into his superior’s good graces.
But now, the rankings were set. How could they possibly be changed?
’This is just absurd.’
’It was one thing for Gong Yuanxiu to make a fool of himself, but he couldn’t let the man drag him down with him. He didn’t want to be impeached by an Imperial Censor before he even had a chance to earn any credit.’
Yuan Shixin pulled Gong Yuanxiu back, whispering in his ear, "Sir, what’s done is done. It cannot be changed. If you try to change course now, you’ll be ruining your own future."
Gong Yuanxiu’s face was ashen. "I’ve already bungled this. I’ll be severely reprimanded when I return to the Capital City anyway. My hopes for promotion are already gone. What future do I have left to speak of?"
"Sir, sir! Where there’s life, there’s hope! Let’s just get through this first and worry about the future later."
But how could Gong Yuanxiu give up? He stubbornly kept his eyes fixed in the direction of Tao Yanxun’s examination paper.
"Tao Yanxun..."
"Sir! Sir! This is bad! It’s terrible! A riot has broken out outside!"
A constable rushed in from outside, his head beaded with sweat, whether from anxiety or from running too fast.
He entered the room and fell to his knees with a THUD. "Sirs, the students from this year’s examination are causing a disturbance outside! They’ve started fighting with the constables!"
"How outrageous! They dare attack constables from the government office?"
"Calm down. Let’s get the full story first. Explain in detail. Why would the students suddenly cause a disturbance?"
The constable was articulate and, in just a few words, clearly explained what had happened at the gates of the examination hall. Of course, to ensure the officials understood, he stressed that the news had been spread by sellers of unofficial result lists. They claimed the rankings were set and the top scorer in the provincial examination was an obscure candidate named Tao Yanxun, which was what had enraged the crowd.
The students believed the examination system was deeply unfair, selecting candidates based on status rather than talent. If they didn’t receive a satisfactory explanation, they threatened to go to the Capital City and strike the grievance drum.
The room, which had been buzzing with agitation moments before, was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes turned to Gong Yuanxiu.
’No matter how foolish Gong Yuanxiu was, he knew at this moment that his scheme with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel had been discovered and was being deliberately escalated by a malicious party.’
’His heart hammered in his chest, and he was scared witless, overcome with a feeling of pure terror.’
’At this moment, he could only thank his lucky stars that the paper chosen as the top scorer’s was not Tao Yanxun’s. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be proof that he had secretly conspired with a court official to rig the examinations?’
’The last official to rig the imperial examinations had been a second-rank Governor-General. The grass on his grave was now taller than a man.’
’The lesson from the past was still fresh, the blood not yet dry. How could he have been so foolish as to repeat the same mistake just to take a shortcut?’
’Thank goodness!’
’Thank goodness!’
’It was a good thing Tao Yanxun wasn’t skilled enough; it had saved him from a crime punishable by death.’
’He then recalled how, before he left, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel had specifically hinted that he should teach Zhao Jing a lesson, preferably one that would prevent him from ever taking the examinations again. But how could he possibly be concerned with that now?’
’He couldn’t help but feel another wave of relief. He was thankful that during the examination, his every move had been watched so closely that he never had a chance to drop that note at Zhao Jing’s feet. If he had, things wouldn’t have ended well for Zhao Jing, but they would have ended even worse for him.’