A moment later, after Chen Feihua cast her glance through the entire palace, she retracted her gaze and swung her arms to release some tension before walking down the castle wall.
“Inform Vice Domain Chief Bai that he will be on shift tonight!”
‘Yes!” The guard nodded and answered immediately after receiving the command. He then quickly ran to report the message.
Chen Feihua then slowly walked deeper into the palace. After half an hour, she finally arrived at an elegant antique room.
The moment the few guards standing near the room saw Chen Feihua, they stood up in respect and pushed the door open carefully.
Chen Feihua then walked into the room.
A few female servants closed the door and helped Chen Feihua remove the armor on her body. They then helped her change into a dress before placing a pot of freshly brewed tea and a scroll in front of her.
“Is your Highness not on duty tonight?” The female servant lightly asked.
“No.” Chen Feihua shook her head.
“Then do you want me to inform Eunuch Wei, to call the Emperor here tonight?” The female servant nodded before asking.
“There is no need to. Please leave me. Without my command, do not let anyone disturb me.” Chen Feihua once again shook her head.
“Yes!” The few female servants then immediately retreated out of the room.
Chen Feihua’s eyes had never left the scroll that was passed to her. She used her porcelain-like fingers to gently flip the scroll.
In the palace filled with deceit, bribery, and schemes, Chen Feihua strived to do her best and fulfill her responsibility, as though nothing else mattered.
Within the Imperial Academy.
The Imperial Examination had already started. Countless candidates stared at the paper in front of them and were burying their heads in their essays. This Imperial Examinations contained six parts, as usual, and were as difficult as its predecessors.
All the candidates frowned upon seeing those questions.
“It is too difficult!”
“I’ve heard that in the previous examination, Fang Zhengzhi completed all six parts in four hours. I have no idea how he could have done it!”
“It is incredible!”
After experiencing the difficulty of the paper first-hand, all the candidates had a newfound respect for the Chief Examiner Fang Zhengzhi.
If their image of Fang Zhengzhi only came from rumors before this.
For example, he was a shameless individual born in a peasant family in the wilderness. He paid no attention to decorum and had never received any formal education growing up.
However…
Staring at the six-part paper in front of them, they knew that it was this exact person that did what they could never do in their lifetime. This was the person that became the Chief Examiner of the Imperial Examination, the Chief Imperial Messenger of the Imperial Academy and the mentor of the scholars before he even turned 18 years old.
Gong!
The sound signaled that it was nearly time to hand in the papers.
All the candidates were flustered. They stared at their half-completed paper and felt despair and dejected.
It was too difficult, they were not even close to completing the paper. The time given to them was merely four hours. It was too difficult to complete all the questions within the time limit.
Not to mention checking their work or paying attention to the nuances of the questions.
Were they really going to hand in their paper like this?
A decade of studying beside the cold and lonely window frame, just for a moment of fame in the Imperial Examination.
However, if they did not even complete the paper, how could they possibly make it to the roll? How could they then, gain fame and power?
“Three circles!”
As though struck by an epiphany, all the candidates with empty spots on their papers thought of this line Fang Zhengzhi said. As long as one drew three circles on the paper, they would have a chance to be conferred the title of champion in the Imperial Examination.
But, how should we draw these three circles?
Where then, should we draw them?
This was another difficult problem!
“Let’s go!”
“I am considered to be an exceptional artist, three circles is by no means difficult! Did he think this will be difficult enough to stop me?”
“I am going to draw the three most beautiful circles in this examination hall!”
As all the candidates put down their pens, the circles on their papers started appearing on by one. Following which, the sound signaling the candidates to hand in their papers rang.
Gong!
The candidates heaved a sigh of relief and looked at the circles on their paper with satisfaction. They then stared at the time and realized that it was almost noon.
Handing in a collecting the papers did not take too long.
As the candidates handed in their papers and sealed it with their names, a thick stack of exam papers were collected by the invigilators and kept into a secure room.
More than ten Imperial invigilators were already sitting in front of the table and looking at the thick stack of exam papers while rubbing their palms. It was time to showcase the results of their decades of study.
Fang Zhengzhi, Ping Yang and Yan Xiu then sat above them.
Normally, the moment the Imperial Examination concluded, the busiest procedure of script checking would begin. After all, it would not be long before they had to release the results. They only had time until the following day to do so. This meant that by sunset tomorrow, they had to finish vetting all the hundred over scripts.
Time could be said to be very tight.
“Master Fang, shall we start vetting right away?” An invigilator stared at the collected scripts before asking Fang Zhengzhi.
“There is no rush, let’s eat first.” Fang Zhengzhi had already sat down for long enough. He even felt an ache in his thighs and butt region. It would be impossible for him to begin the vetting procedure right away.
“This… Master Fang, vetting of the exam scripts had been an important and rushed event in the past years. If we deliberately set aside time to eat, I’m afraid time-wise…” The invigilator then stopped talking.
In the past, the vetting procedure was extremely insane. Eating was the least of their worries, all the invigilators had merely four hours to sleep each day.
To think that Fang Zhengzhi would suggest eating…
This undoubtedly raised doubts and worry in the minds of the invigilators. After all, they were not Fang Zhengzhi and would not be able to withstand the wrath of the Emperor. If the vetting of the scripts were indeed delayed, they would be the one getting punished.
“Relax, we have enough time,” Fang Zhengzhi said as shook his head, seemingly unworried.
“This…” The invigilators stared at each other as though they wanted to say something. However, once they cast their glance back at Fang Zhengzhi, they swallowed their words.
As for Ping Yang…
She looked like she was not able to stand it anymore as well.
Her aim of accompanying Fang Zhengzhi to the Imperial Academy was merely to experience what it was like to invigilate an Imperial Examination. As for the vetting of scripts, she had no interest in that.
“Yan Xiu, I am slightly hungry as well. Where are we headed to for lunch?” Ping Yang rubbed her stomach and stared at the nonchalant Yan Xiu.
“Unravel Restaurant,” Yan Xiu answered without any delay.
“Unravel Restaurant? Hm, not bad, although that place is slightly further away, their stewed pork appeals to my taste buds. Let’s go to Unravel Restaurant for lunch then. I am treating!” Ping Yang nodded in satisfaction before waving to the invigilators cheerily.
“Then let’s go to the Unravel Restaurant for lunch. All of us.” Fang Zhengzhi agreed with Ping Yang’s decision and walked towards the entrance.
All the invigilators stared at the three of them, dumbfounded. They were planning to go to the Unravel Restaurant which was so far away just to have a meal when the time was so tight?
This was something that was unprecedented.
However, the Chief Examiner had already spoken. They naturally could not go against his orders. After all, Fang Zhengzhi was the Chief Imperial Messenger of the Imperial Academy, that was to say, their boss.
Therefore…
All of them headed out of Imperial Academy.
Under the horrified and perplexed gazes of the candidates who just left the academy, they head towards the Unravel Restaurant.
“What is happening? The invigilators are not going to vet the scripts?”
“They went out together?”
“Are they actually going to eat?”
“That cannot be. In the past, weren’t the invigilators extremely busy? How can they have time to go out for a meal?”
All the candidates had an incredulous expression on their face.
After which, they saw a bunch of invigilators led by Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang walked a total of an hour before they stepped into a place called Unravel Restaurant.
“They are really going to eat!”
All the candidates stared at the scene with widened eyes.
At the same time, the candidates who were celebrating the end of their examinations in the Unravel Restaurant also stared at the scene with shock. They were staring at Fang Zhengzhi and the invigilators entering the restaurant.
“Am I seeing things?”
“I think I am too!”
“The invigilators are actually coming to such a far place just to eat. Shouldn’t they be vetting the scripts in the academy?”
No candidates believed what they saw. However, the truth was that the bunch of invigilators, Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang included just brazenly walked into a room on the second floor.
Then…
The Flame Capital City burst into a fanatical discussion once again!
Almost all the courtiers received the same news. After the Imperial Examination, not only did Fang Zhengzhi not vet the scripts, he even went to a restaurant in the South of the city called the Unravel Restaurant to have lunch.
“What is Fang Zhengzhi thinking? Isn’t he afraid that he would not have enough time?”
“The Majesty gave him such an important job but he is making a fool out of himself! Heading halfway across the city just to have lunch? I have to reprimand him for this!”
“Forget it, he is now protected by the Emperor. Even the Crown Prince cannot do anything to him, you reprimanding him? Do you still want to live?”
“Just what, I want to see if he truly can finish vetting all the scripts in the allocated time. If he doesn’t, how is he going to explain to the Majesty?”
The courtiers felt that Fang Zhengzhi’s actions were unruly and disrespectful. However, under such circumstances, they could do nothing to change the situation.
Therefore…
They could only wait.
…
Fang Zhengzhi took his time with the meal. After the main course, he even ordered a plate of fruits and only finished his meal after two hours.
The invigilators were already extremely anxious and some could not even sit still. By the time they exited the restaurant, the sun was already setting and the sky had begun to turn dark.
“Master Fang, shall we vet the scripts now?”
“There is no rush, let’s take a nap and start vetting tomorrow,” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head before burping and stretching his body. He seemed relaxed.
Waking up early in the morning then invigilating.
How troublesome.
This was what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking at the moment. If possible, he truly did not want to be involved with something that requires so much effort but gives so little in return.
“Master Fang, please spare us. We are merely invigilators! If we delay the vetting of the scripts, we may be beheaded!”
“Yes, Master Fang, we better start vetting the scripts now!”
“We have to release the results the following day, if we only have a day to vet tomorrow, it will be impossible to finish vetting all the scripts!”
The courtiers almost knelt down to beg for Fang Zhengzhi to start vetting the scripts.
The important of the Imperial Examinations knew no bounds.
If they did not complete the vetting within the allocated time, no one knew what the consequences were. In fact, it had never happened.
“Fang Zhengzhi, are you sure that you can finish vetting all the scripts within a day?” Ping Yang stared at the pained expression on the faces of all the courtiers before casting her glance at the relaxed Fang Zhengzhi. She then grew slightly doubtful. After all, she had some understanding regarding the vetting of the Imperial Examination scripts.
“One day?” Fang Zhengzhi pouted before saying, “I am thinking of vetting all the scripts in four hours. How tiring must it be to vet for a full day!”
“Four hours?”
“How can this be, there are a few hundred scripts waiting for us to vet! From the initial vetting to the second stage, every script has to pass through at least five invigilators. After which, we still have to…”
“That is impossible!”
The other invigilators also widened their eyes upon hearing this brazen declaration.
If there was an answer script, then it might be possible to finish vetting all the scripts in a day. However, the Imperial Examination required answers that were up to interpretation.
In others words, many things require careful consideration and logical reasoning.
Under such circumstances, it required a few invigilators to discuss and finally agree upon whether the candidate’s interpretation was of first-class or second-class and so on.
Furthermore, every script had to be vetted by more than five invigilators. When all give invigilators were done, they would then send it over for the second-round of vetting.
Let’s not say four hours…
Time would be extremely tight even if they had two days.
“Master Fang, this is not a joking matter. May Master Fang return to vet the scripts immediately. We are prepared to sacrifice out sleep and give it our all!” A courtier said with ambition and resolve.
“Yes, please order for us to return and start vetting the scripts!” The other invigilators nodded in agreement and shouted.
“You guys truly don’t want to rest for the night and want to start immediately?” Fang Zhengzhi stared helplessly at this bunch of invigilators as he said.
“Yes!” The invigilators nodded.
“Alright then, let’s start now!” Fang Zhengzhi stared at the sky and finally agreed.
“Thank you, my lord!” All the invigilators heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Fang Zhengzhi’s agreement. They then hurried back to the Imperial Academy.
Ping Yang, on the other hand, followed behind curiously.
As for Yan Xiu, he seemed exceptionally calm and not worried at all.
It did not take long for the invigilators to return to the Imperial Academy. They ran back to their tables and stared at the huge stack of scripts as a worried expression inevitably appeared on their faces.
“Start vetting!” Fang Zhengzhi gave the command.
“Yes!” The invigilators nodded and started giving out the scripts.
“Pick out the scripts that have circles on them. Then, discard all of them,” Fang Zhengzhi said as he stared at the invigilators allocating the scripts.
“What?”
All the invigilators were dumbfounded at this request. They all stopped in their tracks and stared at Fang Zhengzhi with widened eyes, not able to react to the situation.
All those who drew circles on their scripts would fail the test?
What was going on?
They had all heard Fang Zhengzhi mention that those who drew circles would have the chance at getting the champion spot! They were even prepared to pay extra notice to those who drew circles on their paper.
Why did Fang Zhengzhi suddenly change his mind?
“Master Fang, this… might not be very appropriate?”
“Yes, will it be fair if we do this?”
“Although this would ensure that we have enough time, but if we really go through with this…”
The invigilators all voiced out their concerns. This method of script vetting was undoubtedly too flippant for an exam as prestigious as the Imperial Examination.
Was this guy really just going to just fool around?
At that moment, all the invigilators had this thought in their mind. They stared at Fang Zhengzhi’s flippant demeanor and helplessly sighed.
“It seems like you people don’t believe my judgment. Let’s do this. Pick a few random scripts with circles on them and take a look. You will believe me then.” Fang Zhengzhi could, of course, guess their thoughts upon seeing the expression on their faces. However, he was not eager to explain himself. He merely pointed to the stack of scripts in front of them.
Although the invigilators had doubts about Fang Zhengzhi’s speech, they still acted quickly.
Following which…
All of them started frowning.
he scripts circulated amongst the invigilators and were eventually cast aside.
“What is this person writing?”
“He dared to hand in a script with such a huge part unanswered?”
“This… they are all…”
After the invigilators were done with ten scripts, the expression on their faces changed. They stared at the scripts with circles on them and fell speechless.
“Do I have to say it again?” Fang Zhengzhi smiled and looked at the invigilators below.
“No… you don’t have to!”
“Master Fang’s insights is truly incomparable!”
“The scripts with circles are truly not worthy of consideration. Master Fang is right! There is no unfairness in this!”
The invigilators then exchanged glances and nodded.
“Then let’s begin,” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
“Yes!” The invigilators immediately replied.
Following which, the scripts with circles were singled out and cast aside. A few invigilators who were still not bought over briefly glanced through these scripts as they were put aside.
However, they all shook their head in disagreement.
After the filtering, only around sixty scripts remained. All the scripts with circles were singled out and placed at one side.
It was naturally much easier to vet sixty scripts than the hundred over that they were tasked to do originally.
Four hours later.
The list of names who passed the Imperial Examinations was finalized.
“Alright then. We are almost done. You people finalize the list and send in the results to your Majesty!” Fang Zhengzhi stared at the list and stretched before preparing to leave the area.
The moment Ping Yang heard this sentence, she immediately opened her eyes. It was almost four hours since the vetting began, she had already become impatient. If not for her curiosity with Fang Zhengzhi’s vetting methods, she would already have returned to Ping Yang Residence.
“Can we leave already?”
“Yes!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
“We are done?” Ping Yang still could not believe her ears.
“Yes, we are all done,” Fang Zhengzhi nodded once again.
“That cannot be! You really completed the vetting process in less than four hours. If this new reaches my father, god knows how he will react.” Ping Yang said. She was truly surprised at his efficiency.
“You will know when he gets the results.” Fang Zhengzhi waved his hands as he said.
“Yes. I will definitely report this matter to my father personally,” Ping Yang nodded her head as she listened, as though she had accomplished this feat herself.
This two people held a light-hearted conversation as they left, with Yan Xiu following quietly behind.
When the three of them left the room…
The invigilators all exchanged glances and could see the same perplexed yet impressed look on each other face.
“Is this Fang Zhengzhi?”
“The Chief Examiner who is younger than 18 years old, the new Chief Imperial Messenger of the Imperial Academy!”
“Your Majesty truly has an eye for talent… it is not something we commoners can do!”
“He completed the vetting in less than four hours. If not for the fact that I witnessed it first hand, I would never have believed it!”
If the invigilators had any qualms about Fang Zhengzhi being the Chief Examiner, they were all completely eradicated at this moment. No one had any more objections.
Within four hours…
The results for the Imperial Examinations were out!
This was an unprecedented happening in the Great Xia Dynasty since its founding.
“Fang Zhengzhi, can you please tell me. How are you so sure that the scripts with circles are definitely the ones that failed? What if there are some hidden gems within the stack, wouldn’t that be…” After walking out of the Imperial Academy, Ping Yang seemed to become more aware of the situation and asked.
“A person who thought about cheating even in a Theory Examination would never be a true scholar. Do you then think he would work for the palace conscientiously and with fervor?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ping Yang and answered.
“Hm… now that you mention it, it seems to make sense. Even if we truly left out some hidden gems along the way, based on this act alone, we can determine his flawed character and cast him aside!” Ping Yang was stunned for a moment and immediately regain her usual playful demeanor. She then said, “Shall we go back to the residence for a meal?”
“The time is just about right!” Fang Zhengzhi did not reply to Ping Yang’s question. He merely looked upwards and stared at the darkened sky.
A star shined brightly in the horizon.
It was extremely bright.
However, what is signified was also the darkness of the sky.
“Time? What do you mean it is about time? Are you actually saying…?” Ping Yang stared at Fang Zhengzhi with a perplexed expression. Following which, a brilliance flashed through her pair of clear blue eyes.